these little horses are so special that the citizens of the area decided that they should try to create a foundation, where they could work together with the federal government, the state government and the county government and it's known as the corolla wild horse fund. t.s.a. nonprofit. these people are -- it is a nonprofit. these people are just absolutely convinced and committing to making sure that for years to come down the road, that these little horses will still have ability to reproduce. and that's been part of the problem, mr. speaker, is that if you allow this herd to get down to about 60 horses, you will not be able to maintain the diversity of this herd and that's why the expert named dr. gus cortham from texas a&m has said you've got to have a minimum that's been said in the comments by both sides, that we've got to have a minimum of

120 horses but no more than 130. so we are of the firm belief that h.r. 126 will do what is necessary to continue to make sure that we have a viable herd of these horses that again have been traced back to the spanish galleons that came to the coast of north carolina and wrecked and these horses swam ashore and they've been able to live for that many years and it's very close to legislation that i want to thank the house in a bipartisan way in 1998, we did the same thing that we're trying to do in corolla down there and what was interesting, plirnt was president at the time and -- president clinton was president at the time and err skin bowles was chief of staff to president clinton and bowles got behind the legislation, that's exactly what we're trying to do. it was the park service down there -- excuse me, this is

fish and wildlife but thank you for your comments and i want to thank the chairman to for his comments because there's no reason that we cannot make both sides happy to do what needs to be done and to protect what to me, when you look at into beautiful little horse, it is god's gift to the world. so thank you so much, mr. chairman, and ranking member, thank you for giving me this time to speak on behalf of these horses. thank you and i hope that we can pass this legislation. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back, the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. >> i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. wittman: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 126. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is

passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. wittman: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1206. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 43, h.r. 1206 a bill to grant the secretary of the interior permanent authority to authorize state tots issue electronic duck stamps and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule the gentleman from virginia, mr. wittman, and the gentlewoman from california, ms. napolitano, each will control 20 minutes. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks -- mr. wittman: i ask unanimous

consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the issue under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. wittman: this legislation which i sponsored would make permanent the ability of a migratory water foul hunter to electronically purchase their annual federal duck stamp. eight states have par tess pated in a pilot effort and by all accounts it's been a huge success. many americans have been age to enjoy the convenience of using their own personal computer to purchase a federal duck stamp online and in some cases to obtain that required document the evening before a duck hasn't. i can tell you from experience and knowing that people want that opportunity that that timeliness is a factor in people being able to enjoy water foul hunting. in august of 2011, the u.s. fish and wildlife service committed a report to congress that steated that the educk stamp program has

proven to be a practical method readily accepted by the stamp buying public. e stamps now account for more than 20% of all duck stamp sale which is demonstrates widespread acceptance of the sales option. as vice chair of the congressional sportsman's caucus, i can proudly say this legislation is important to waterfowl hunters across the country. h.r. 1206 is supported by the congressional sportsmans foundation and ducks unlimited. i would also like to thank and acknowledge representative ron kind as an original co-sponsor of this tpwhism gentleman from wisconsin is a dedicated conservationist, an avid outdoorsman and longtime supporter and friend osportsmen. there is no cost to the taxpayers and broad bipartisan support for this innovative idea and this convenient 21st century delivery system will be utilized by thousands of american sportsmen in the future.

allowing the purchase of duck stamps online is an important technological advancement and it's time to make it a permanent feature of federal law. in the last congress, an identical bill passed the house by a vote of 373 -- by a vote of 373-1. i urge adoption of the measure and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from kale. mrs. napolitano: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. napolitano: mr. speaker, h.r. 1206 would allow the secretary of the interior to continue the sale of electronic duck stamps and also expand the program to include all of our 50 states. the migratory bird hunting and conservation stamp commonly known and called the duck stamp must be purchased and carried by all waterfowl hunters 16 years and older when hunting migratory

waterfowl on both public and private lands. 9 cents of every dollar generated by sales of the stamps go to purchase or lease wetland habitat for the national wildlife refuge system which benefits waterfowl. in some rural areas, though, purchasing the duck stamp can be difficult, often hunters have to wait a significant amount of time to receive their official duck stamp. so utilizing the system of electronic stamp producing would eliminate the wait by issuing an electron exstamp with a unique identifying number to serve as proof of purchase. huventers can hunt and use the electron exstamp for 45 days until the actual duck stamp arrives via the postal service. this is a worthwhile piece of legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves her time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia.

mr. wittman: may i inquire the minority has more speakers? mrs. napolitano: not on this bill. mr. wittman: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. mrs. napolitano: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1206? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the -- the gentleman is recognized. mr. wittman: on that, i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until downed. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this otion will be postponed.

for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? >> i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 885 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 46, h.r. 85, a bill to expand the boundary of san antonio mission's national historical park to conduct a study of potential land acquisitions and or other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. wittman, and the gentlewoman from california, mrs. napolitano, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the swrelt from virginia. mr. wittman: i ask unanimous onsent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. wittman: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. wittman: h.r. 885 will

expand the san antonio mission's national his tore expark to include an additional 137 acres. each of these 137 acres is currently owned and managed by the parker is vess so additional cost will be minimal, if there are any at all. the natural resources committee amended h.r. 885 to further control costs by requiring that any property acquired through this legislation be only by donation or exchange, and condemnation is explicitly prohibited. additional property rights provision require written concept of property owners before their land can be included in the boundaries of the park and the creeeags of buffer zones arounded the park is forbidden. with that trk i reserve the bhns of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from -- the gentlewoman from california. mrs. napolitano: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 885, missions onio

national historic park boundary expansion act of 2013. being a native texan, this is very important for me. i thank representative doggett and others for pushing this legislation for. this is the third time the house has considered legislation to expand the san antonio missions. hopefully the third time will be the charm. currently, there are 137 achers of land managed by the national park service that are not part they have existing san antonio missions national historic park. expanding the boundaries of the park will ensure that these culture and archaeological resources are protected. mr. doggett has been involved in legislation since the proposal first came before us several years ago, i'm not sure when, though i know that he would have preferred a broader bill that included a study of the additional potential park air yays, i shore -- park areas, i thoroughly appreciate his air --

his work to obtain a bill that can be agreed on. i look forward to working with him on this. again, this is a very important bill for texans, i urge your support. thank you for your time and i reserve the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from virginia. mr. wittman: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the cheer recognizes the gentleman from -- the gentlewoman from california. mrs. napolitano: i yield to the gentleman from texas, mr. lloyd doggett. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman for as long as he wishes to speak on this issue. mr. doggett: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you to my colleague from california who has ties directly to san antonio and appreciates the importance of this legislation. i do rise in support of the san antonio mission's national historic park boundary expansion act, the full name, a mash that's enjoyed the support of all of the member os they have

texas delegation who represent a part of bexar county. the bill does expand the park by 137 acres. the spanish missions in san antonio are truly a unique treasure. for us as texan, but for all americans. the mission's -- the missions national his tore expark preserves the largest collection of spanish colonial resources anywhere in the united states. it's an educational, historical and cultural source that each year is bringing over a million people to enjoy and learn from it. the park is important to the understanding of texas and the development of the united states and of course it has a significant impact on san antonio and bexar county economically. in his famous "san antonio rose," bob wills sang of the alamo and old san antonio. most people associate the alamo, a landmark of texas

independence. in addition to the alamo, there are five remaining spanish missions in san antonio. the alamo lies just north of these four missions that compose the missions national historical park. all of them date back to the 1600's, 1700's, so the oldest one, 1690, and they were built when the first of six flags flew over texas as spanish colonialists settled san antonio then on the frontier with the comanches. the missions reached out to a number of local native american tribes, teaching them trades and crafts, the missions do reflect the original old san antonio. thanks to the leadership of bexar county judge nelson wolf, there's now a great new mission reach actually that connects from near the alamo to all four missions within the park. it's possible to walk or psych that will trail along the san antonio river from the excitement of downtown first to

mission concepcion. next up, mission san jose, cite of so many gathers. -- gatherings. thousands of people who gathered there for the annual mission fest. nearby is mission san juan cap staw noah a very narrow, white building, beautiful with its simplicity. archbishop garcia sr., father david garcia, and father jim galvan recently reopened that mission after an impressive, complex restoration missions. each of these missions is a working paferish church, relying on pa riggsers and fully restored. working closely with them is a group called los compadres, who have worked for the preservation of the missions led by pamela

bayne and susan candola. their annual music under the stars concert at mission san jose is a great way to experience the park. thanks to the leadership of a state representative, visitors benefit from a newly dedicated veterans memorial bridge. the last of the missions are the -- or the first when it comes to congressman ga; llego is mission zapata. among the many community partners who join with us for park expansion are susan snow, the world heritage coordinator of the national parks service, suzanne dickson with the national parks conservation association, bexar county commissioners, shannon miller with the city's historic preservation office, suzanne scott with the river authority and marco voss with the san

antonio tourism council. they're making the missions more accessible and enjoyable for neighbors and tourists. one economic study has concluded that the park is already supporting almost $100 million in annual economic activity and over 1,100 jobs. with the completion of initiatives associated with this park expansion, the missions could more than double their economic impact instone. in addition to the bill we have here today, we need to achieve our quest for world heritage status for the missions. about a year ago this week, then secretary of interior, ken salazar, announced that the department of interior had officially authorized the spanish missions for nomination for the world heritage list. another economic study has found that that world heritage tatus for this expanded park

could yield over $500 million for the san antonio area within a decade of the world heritage status. unfortunately, because the united states is not paying its dues to unesco, which funds the world heritage committee, our application could be hampered and i hope that can be overcome by the time next year that there's a formal submission of this application. i'm hopeful that by passing this bill relatively early in this congress that the senate will finally be able to move it and have ample time to consider it. frankly, as my colleague, mrs. napolitano, pointed out, i would have liked to achieved more today. there are other lands in bearx and wilson counties that should be part of this part. i know the wilson county park is of particular importance to congressman cuellar. but after so many years of failed attempts to secure this legislation, it's better to move forward together and achieve what is possible today.

so together i believe we are taking constructive steps forward to enhance a national treasure. our action is not only about preserving culture but about promoting jobs. provides xpansion another good reason for family vacations and take the road to san antoin and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. wittman: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. mrs. napolitano: how much time is left? the speaker pro tempore: three minutes. mrs. napolitano: i yield to congressman gallego from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas for three minutes. mr. gallego: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd also like to thank chairman hastings and the ranking member vital r work on this

piece of legislation. i'm glad to be the co-sponsor of this bill, the boundary expansion act of 2013. the bill would expand the boundaries of the san antonio missions national historic park, including the espada mission. originally the espada mission was the front door. they grew the door, that raised the cattle, that fed the rest of the missions and it's the only mission that still retains its original property. this is a great opportunity for the redevelopment on the south side of san antonio. like the families of their founders, the missions can trace their history back to decades before the united states ever claimed its independence. all four of the missions, as congressman doggett have said, are within several miles of each other and individually they're mar vells of ark

history. they are a treasure, allowing each of us to come face to face with our nation's proud past. enacting this legislation is critical to the completion of the world famous san antonio mission trail, which is a national example of public and private cooperation. the community needs the resources and the expertise of the national park service, and yet the national park service could not operate without the investment of time and money by the local community. as the congressman who represents the espada mission and as a personal fan of the missions and their history, i believe the national park service and the city of san antonio and the county of bexar will do well with the passage of this act. it's very rare we can protect key areas, that we can preserve history and we can create jobs all at the same time. expanding the mission boundaries will do all of that and much more.

thank you pour this time and i encourage my colleagues to support and pass this bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. wittman: mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. mrs. napolitano: thank you, mr. speaker. i now yield three minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. cuellar. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. mr. cuellar: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank the gentlewoman from california and also the -- the chairman also. mr. speaker, i rise to encourage my colleagues to support the san antonio missions national historical park boundary expansion act. i want to thank in particular my colleague, representative lloyd doggett, who's taken the leadership on this particular bill, along with the entire san antonio delegation, congressman gallego, congressman castro, and congressman lamar smith, all in the bipartisan way to make sure that the entire san

antonio delegation is working together to make sure this legislation passes. the san antonio missions are a crucial piece of history to the state of texas, and we have to make sure that the national park service has the ability to make needed improvements to the park and the ability to expand the areas under its protection. the lands reflect our nation's historical treasures and tell the story of our country and it's important that the texas history is preserved, and included among them. the san antonio missions national historic park has four missions first established in the 1600's. the park was established by the national park service in 1974. however, over the past 37 years, the needs and the scope of the park requires this legislation. this bill would authorize the transfer of 137 acres by the san antonio river authority, bexar county, the city of san antonio, to the national park service. this will allow the transfer of mission parks, which i used to

represent sometime ago, which is again is needed to ensure that this park is serving the public to the further extent as possible. we must preserve our nation's treasures for many years. i know -- we're hoping that we can continue working to make sure that we include that sometime in the future, but we must continue working together now. mr. speaker, i want to thank you for the consideration of this legislation and i urge all my colleagues to vote yes on this underlying bill, and i thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. wittman: i'd like to advise the gentlelady from california i have no further speakers and prepared to yield back the balance of my time if she's prepared to do the same. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mrs. napolitano: i ask my colleagues to support this legislation. it is critical to help texas

preserve such a national treasure that all of us have seen in the movies and have heard about and read about and i do yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. mr. wittman: mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. so the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 885. those in favor say aye. oh, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. without objection, the title is amended. the chair lays before the house a message. the clerk: to the congress of the united states, pursuant to the international emergency

economic powers act, ieepa, i hereby report that i have issued an executive order, the order that takes additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in executive order 12957 of march 15, 1995, and implement certain statutory requirements of the iran freedom and counterproliferation act of 2012 which amends the comprehensive iran saxes and divestment act of 2010. the president found that the actions and policies of the government of iran threaten the national security, foreign policy and economy of the united states. to deal with that threat, the president declared a national emergency and imposed prohibitions on certain transactions with respect to the development of iranian petroleum resources. to further respond to that threat, executive order 12959

imposed 1995, comprehensive trade and sanctions on iran. executive order 13509 consolidated and clarified the previous orders. to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in executive order 12957, into implement ction 105-a of cisada, i issued executive order 13553 on september 28, 2010, to impose sanctions on officials of the government of iran and other persons acting on behalf of the government of iran determined to be responsible for or complicit in certain serious human rights abuses. to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in executive order 12957, i issued executive order 13622 of july 30, 2012,

imposing further sanctions in light of the government of iran's use of revenues from petroleum, petroleum products and petro chemicals for illicit purposes. iran's continued attempts to evade international sanctions through deceptive practices and the unacceptable risk posed to the international financial system by iran's activities, most recently, i issued executive order 13628 of october 9, 2012, to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in executive order 12957 and to implement certain statutory requirements of the iran threat reduction and syria human rights act of 2012. including its amendments to the statutory requirements of i.s.a. and cisada. i have delegated to the secretary of the treasury the authority demonsull take with the secretary of state to -- in consultation with the secretary

of state to take such actions, including regulations and to employ all powers granted to the president by ieepa as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the order other than the purposes described in sections 56 and 11 of the order. all agencies of the united states government are directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of the order. the order, a copy of which is enclosed, becomes effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on july 1, 2013. signed, barack obama, the white house. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the committee on foreign affairs and ordered printed. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house n recess until approximately 6:30 p.m. today.

is reporting governor chris christie can appoint a temporary replacement for lauenburg. the star-ledger is also reporting that if kristie does not choose to hold a special aection, a lot could hold special election -- the law

contained conflicting language on when a special election could occur. kurds but --he correspondent for market news international on the federal spending bills. which ones are coming up and what can you tell us about them? >> it is an interesting season starting up this week because as you say, the fiscal year 2014 are finallyls reaching the floor of the chamber and a house will consider a homeland security funding bill and military construction veterans' funding bills. it is interesting, because the appropriations process is off to a bit of a slow start, in part because the house and senate still disagree fundamentally on where they are heading. the jibao chambers passed budget resolutions, which are a box --

a broad fiscal blueprint in march. out, there are very different visions about how -- and different visions of how they should go. it will be very imagining all 12 bills would pass both chambers would seem somewhat unlikely, they're going to have an awful lot of difficulty trying to resolve the bills so it seems already that people are thinking, you know, well into the -- at least a couple months into the future, when a new fiscal year starts october 1, wondering if there's going to have to be a succession of temporary bills or c.r.'s to keep the government funded. >> well, since there is no agreed upon budget blueprint in place, what's your forecast for all easy or how difficult to be for the spending bills to get approved in the house and senate? >> well, i think the house --

not only do they have different numbers but they also have different calendars. the house is stepping on the pedals, as it were, this month. the house majority leader eric cantor said that the house is ready to work very hard on funding bills. as mentioned they will do two this week, possibly two next week, so they want to devote as much to get these 12 funding bills through the house and i think that's likely to happen. certainly most of the 12 bills i suspect will pass the house before the august recess. the senate is harder to read. they're about to start next week on immigration reform bill that will certainly take the rest of june, i think, to pass. and so -- then it's unclear if the majority leader is willing to spend all of july on the fiscal year 2014 spending bill so i think we're going to -- the two chambers are shooting at different numbers. they're looking at two different calendars.

they still have not really resolved the big picture fiscal issues. so the think the bills will pass the house. it's unclear to me how many will actually pass the senate. the senate appropriations committee is working hard this week on its bills, but whether these bills actually come to the floor of the senate in july is something that is still not quite clear. >> talk of the sequester doesn't seem to be dominating the news as it was earlier this year. what kind of impact is the sequester having on the proposed level of spending in these bills? >> well, it's a major factor. in fact, the $91 billion that separate the two chambers is in large part how they are contemplating the sequester going forward. the house -- excuse me -- the senate democrats have effectively assumed that the sequester is going to be removed for the next fiscal year and replaced by some undisclosed mix of spending cuts and tax increases to effectively, you know, wipe it

off the map. whereas the house is assuming that the sequester is going to take hold. we -- even very, very basic issue that the two chambers are in disagreement about how to factor in the sequestration. it's something that the house appropriations committee chairman, hal rogers, in the last couple of weeks, have openly dispaired of how the sequester is making it hard to write his funding bills. he said it is causing damage to the budget, but he's under marching orders from the leadership to assume that the sequestration will stay in place so he's crafted his 12 bills to take that into account. >> and in the secksdz that we have -- seconds we have left, what about the debt ceiling? >> the debt ceiling is likely to come rupp september, october, november, sometime in the fall. in fact, there is some prospect that the debt ceiling and the f.y. 2014 funding bills will be

coming right around the same time, late september, early october. > john shaw is a congressional correspondent for market news international. >> a quick reminder that the house is back in a little less than an hour from now at 6:30 eastern for a couple of votes on bills earlier. host: "the new york times" looks at today the disconnect or the two options that congress has ahead of it. as members of congress return, legislation is competing with controversies. what do you think will dominate the dialogue as we see members of the house and senate return to washington? guest: we've seen in the last few weeks that immigration was the big issue, you know, the topic deinjure and now the scandals have consumed washington for a few weeks and in order for immigration really

to have a good shot of becoming a law signed by president obama , the people who are pushing it say that it would have to be done before the august recess. so it's a conflict here, which one will get attention. although there's another view that the scandal has helped insulate the immigration bill from criticism and they are kind of flying under the radar of all the anger over the i.r.s. and the a.p. and benghazi. host: "the new york times" says for president obama have a competing priorities of the controversies versus the legislation, how they balance out could mean a difference between securing that immigration bill or becoming consumed by charges of scandal. o they lay out what they think that the president has on the line for weisman. guest: we covered this at national review. we have an editorial that said, look, republicans. this is not the same as a positive agenda for the party. and there is this debate going on. how much do these scandals

actually help republicans, you know, it's embarrassing for the president but his polls seem to be staying the same. my view as a reporter is i just -- i think these stories are important on their own merits. beyond whatever political impact they have. and also just in terms of in the future when people are thinking about maybe doing some of these things that prompt these scandals that they might think twice because of what a big hubbub it caused back in the day. host: let's hear what senator schumer had on nbc's "meet the press" about immigration reform. >> well, first, we're going to put immigration on the floor starting on june 10. i predict it will pass the senate by july 4. we're hoping to get 70 votes, up to 70 votes which means a lot of republicans and we're willing to entertain amendments that don't damage the core principles of the bill but improve the bill just as we did in committee. we came out of the committee very strong. our gang of eight stuck together and we picked up orrin

hatch's vote as well. but let me say this about in general. the so-called scandals have not diverted us one iota. you have on the gang of eight three of the people who have been most critical of the president on some of these other issues, but i think the eight of us realize how important this is, more important probably than any of these scandals to the future of america, for the job growth, for the middle class, for straightening out this system and it hasn't interfered one iota. we are moving forward because we believe in a bipartisan way this is so vital for america and we'll have a good bill. host: the timeline that senator schumer laid out, do you expect that to happen? guest: it could. it's still up in the air actually. senator marco rubio is the lead republican on this gang and he's vote -- floating a plan. he's talking to the more conservative senators including a specific border enforcement plan rather than allowing the

d.h.s. dfers to come up with one. he hopes that addresses the issues on the border security side and in a will result in 70-plus votes. i don't know if he'll be successful getting that vote, one, and, two, he hopes to get the republican votes if he were able to. host: you had a piece earlier in may, "reality check for rubio," and you look at how senator rubio is faring, who his allies are and how he's positioning. tell us more about what role he'll continue to play as a member of the gang of eight on immigration reform. guest: he's taken big hits for his role in the gang of eight in the world of conservatives and they've soured since he's taken the lead on this issue. one of the things i looked in my house is republican chairman bob goodlatte held a hearing that was essentially an argument against the gang of eight's bill. i mean, he brought in experts.

they went through all the loopholes, the reasons that it's not going to really secure the border, in their view, and, you know, that's the house republican chairman. so if that's where he is, what's the likelihood it will pass through the house, like, in some semblance like to what it is right now? you know, where this bill goes after it, even if it gets through the senate, i don't know. host: and why did you call your story "reality check for rubio"? guest: that week the markup had gone fairly well. they were able to get orrin hatch's vote with a special deal on the high-scale visas. but meanwhile the house is showing even more signs that it's going to be difficult to pass a bill there. host: how is it positioning politically? how much is marco rubioing thinking about his future hrks 2016? how important are the alliances he makes right now and how important is it for immigration to his future? guest: one of the things he was thinking in getting into this, mitch mcconnell, the senate

minority leader, gave him advice and said, you know, you need a big accomplishment under your belt when you're going to run for president. i think that's part of his formulation in doing this, but it just -- i don't think -- my own view is it's been pretty bad, pretty hard for him these last few weeks with the hits he's taking on the right. host: one of the recent stories, "mcconnell's immigration pickle," speaking of the leader of republicans in the senate. you write that the debate rages on and the senate minority leader is caught in the middle pleasing no one. guest: yeah. he's in such a tough spot because he's incycle, since the tea party wave of 2010, even a master strategist like him has to pay attention to his right flank and so, you know, it's -- it's difficult for him. rand paul could come out against this bill in a strong

way and his home state senator who defeated a primary opponent in 2010 who was backed by mcconnell would be coming out against this. mcconnell, you know, kind of seems like he wants this bill to pass in his remarks praising it a few weeks ago. host: all right. our guest, jonathan strong, taking your calls. 202-535-3881. 202-585-3880. 2. independents, 202-585-388 republicans. caller: hi. i wanted to talk about the immigration bill. it would be a disaster for the republicans to go through this. when reagan had the amnesty bill in 16986, the amount of the hispanic votes to republicans went down shortly after this. i think the main reason why -- host: keep going, bill. caller: the main reason why

these immigrants are voting for democrat is because democrats are promising like food stamps, etc. i think this would be a disaster for the republican party. that's all. host: all right, n.s.a. -- thanks. guest: the conventional wisdom among republican operatives, the professional people who focus on how to win the presidential election and the house and senate for republicans, think very strongly that immigration is a good bet for republicans and they argue that this will open the door for a chance to interact with hispanic voters and build enroads. i have to say i'm a skeptic for this whole case for the reason that the caller talked about, in 1986, republicans were behind a bill that provided amnesty to a lot of voters and that didn't seem to build them support. john mccain is well-known for backing comprehensive immigration reform and he only

did a few points better than mitt rom northeast clearly it's something they need to address. when you question the premise of the argument, i don't find satisfactory factors. host: the latest piece online. "mccain against the whacko birds." this is a profile of senator john mccain and the relationship he has with some members of the senate. e dubbed the whacko birds. why are you following it? at the started this -- end of this, they're done debating on the floor and mccain proceeds to walk around ranting to individual senators. he's ensensed. the point of the piece really is, this is something -- it's

about all -- there's some core policy disputes but it's gotten pretty personal. ted cruz is someone who likes to fight just as much as mccain. so we're going to see some fireworks. another interesting part. longtime mccain confident, john weaver, says maybe this is a maverick seeing another maverick. meaning that mccain, you know, can't stand the sight of another person willing to buck the establishment. host: how has it been taken by conservatives? guest: they use this in a huffington post interview. it became a point of ridicule and the whacko birds themselves have embraced it, they've registered whackobird.com and whackobirds.com and i had a congressman, thomas massey of connecticut, on the record saying they are jealous. he wasn't listed as one of the whacko birds by mccain. host: let's go to

massachusetts, republican, go ahead. caller: hi, good morning. i have two statements and a question. my first statement, mccain -- host: mccain needs to what -- caller: mccain needs to go. he's not even a conservative. i wish he would go. can i continue? host: yes, you can. caller: ok. marco rubio, i was for him until this immigration bill. i'd rather win on principles than lose -- i mean -- win -- i have a question for you. do you think principles that don't have value mean anything? thank you. host: you said principles don't have value? caller: if you run on principles, does it have value? if you cave on your principles, does that count anymore? host: sean is a republican in massachusetts. sean, how much of your opinion of folks like mccain and rubio, how much does that influence you when you go to the voting

booth, if you decide to make contributions to candidates, get involved generally? caller: well, i did not vote in 2008 just because mccain was running. i didn't have a candidate so i didn't vote. host: ok. let's go to jonathan strong. guest: in terms of the question do principles matter, i think the case can be made in terms of the republican presidential landscape there's never been a time that principles mattered more because the primary process is very drawn out and the amount of information that's available to people on the internet and elsewhere has increased and the amount of attention focused on whether people are staying true to the conservative path is more than it ever has been after the tea party wave of 2010. so, yeah, marco rubio, there's a question about whether this -- how big of a deal this will be when 2016 comes around. obviously he's looking at running for president and this

is going to come up. people are going to run as about the loopholes, the reason that this -- that the triggers won't work in the bill. i think he'll end up being hurt by it considerably. host: let's go to robert in indiana, independent line. hi. caller: hi, there. having a good morning? host: good morning to you. caller: good. i was talking about you have rubio and cruz. i don't know if they're trying to get to the latino vote, but they're cubans. latinos and mexicans for generations since the slave trade in mexico have hated cubans and now they're trying to get the latino vote because .f their last names mexicans aren't stupid and they're not going to vote for them. i'm just trying to get to the point that cubans and mexicans have never gotten along.

and using the last names to try and get these votes, it's not going to work. and americans are going to finally realize what is going on here. so trying to get the latino vote, it's not going to work for the republicans. they can try all they want and they will never get them. guest: interesting point from the caller on the distinctions, it's not a point of expertise for myself. i will say i don't think there's any, you know, cloak and dagger effort to shield the identities of either cruz or rubio or any of these guys. they have been very forthcoming about exactly what their background is. host: "the wall street journal" checked in with mitt romney and showed us the story just on friday that he's returning to the national stage. he's hosting an event in utah for 200 friends and campaign supporters. jonathan strong, what is his

perceived role in the republican party moving forward? guest: well, i mean, i don't know what role he thinks he will have. i think that's maybe different from the role he will have. there's a certain, you know, sense of fatigue, i guess, for romney. he ran for two times. first time he didn't make it through the primary. then he won and lost against obama. i'm sure he can play some kind of role behind the scenes. face of the party has passed. host: why have this right now and what will you watch by republicans, by the media, people who attend? guest: i'll be watching if he's trying to build the kind of infrastructure that would help fundraising for the candidates that he wants to support. if that could be -- he's got access to people who can donate money. the most important aspect of

this would be financial. host: another politician, governor chris christie, we saw him recently with president obama looking at recovery of the jersey shore and we're also watching him as he runs for governor again for re-election and then there's speculation about what will happen next for him. let's take a look at one of his ads, this is a tv ad for his governor campaign called "jersey pride." >> four years ago, new jersey was broken, spending, taxes and unemployment on the rise. then, we elected chris christie. he made the tough decisions to get new jersey back on track. taxes cut, spending cut, a real property tax cap. the result, the best job growth in 12 years and the most education funding ever. with no new taxes for anyone. but most important, he's proud to say we're from new jersey. chris christie, the governor. host: jonathan strong, what

does governor christie have to balance politically? guest: you know, he's trying to -- he's in a blue state, a lot of democratic voters there, and i know that it works in new jersey to appear alongside president obama. i just think he is really vastly underestimating how much that will come back to haunt him when he runs in 2016. i mean, when i talk to everyday republican voters, they're very, very bitter about his move to hug president obama with the hurricane sandy, you know, right there and maybe that seems petty to a lot of people who are watching but that's how it's going to be remembered, that he helicopter fralm right before election day in a -- president obama right before election day in a gra tuesdayties way. i -- gratuitous way. i have no idea what he's thinking. host: welcome to the conversation bob. caller: good morning. as i look at the entire

landscape of this immigration issue, i just find the entire thing to be disingenuous. quite frankly, i cannot understand why anybody is considering passing more law hen nobody's interested in enforcing law. no matter the way you look at it, it's hard. diseases are coming over because we're unable to deal with that. we have an unemployment problem. and i don't see any upside to allowing the door to open even further. for many years this country has welcomed immigrants. there's not a problem with immigrants. there's a problem with illegal immigration with absolutely no control over the situation and nobody willing to exert any efforts in enforcing the laws on the books. until such time as you have an ability to do that, the rest is just pure politics, political pandering and the usual garbage. guest: this is actually really

the core problem that a lot of -- that is facing senator rubio and his gang of eight is that people don't trust that the laws will be enforced. they have pretty good reason not to trust they will be enforced. 1986 was supposed to solve the problem and then the enforcement provisions ended up getting scrapped and then president obama has used at the very least aggressive interpretation of the law to begin, you know, allowing people to stay here who came here illegally. the dreamers, so-called dreamers. so there's just -- there's a real lack of faith there. that is why conservatives want e permanent residents, the residents to be after the border enforcement provisions are in place. that's the argument, the trigger should be after -- the trigger should be before the

residents, not vice versa, as the bill has it. i think the caller has a good point there. host: we'll go to california and hear from kirk, bakersfield, republican. hi. caller: hello. how are you? host: fine. caller: thank you for taking my call. thank you for c-span. my question is about representative kevin mccarthy and whether or not he has any aspirations for national office. guest: for national office, i never heard of kevin mccarthy being talked about for national office in terms of running for presidency. he does have a lot of promise, though. he's a very dynamic, you know, kind of still pretty young politician. he's got a great personality. he's very well liked in washington. so i could see him maybe getting picked up someday for the vice-presidential ticket. i don't know if he would run for president. i have no idea. certainly a promising figure. host: kirk, you still with us?

caller: yes. host: why are you asking about congressman mccarthy, what's your interest? caller: well, he is my representative. while i disagree with him on many social issues and i'm not sure most conservatives would agree with him on other issues or, you know, i just don't know that he's the best person to be representing us, much less, you know, the country. host: and you're a republican, kirk? caller: yes, i am. host: who are you watching? we look at some of the stories that jonathan strong has been reporting about senator rubio, senator mccain. what members of the senate or house are you watching and what appeals to you? caller: no one. i'm a very unhappy republican. host: what would make you happy? caller: i'd like to see a centrist. i'm looking for somebody that's more moderate on basically every issue. host: all right.

jonathan strong. guest: ok. i got a house member you can follow that's moderate but he's not from california, unfortunately, for you. his name is charlie dent and he's from pennsylvania and he is the head of the so-called tuesday group which is a beleaguered group of republicans. they don't have nearly the cloud that they once had in the republican conference. if there is somebody that's leading that charge in the party, that's your man. host: jonathan strong, reporter for "national review." before he went to "national review" he covered house leadership for "roll call" and was an investigative reporter for "the daily caller" and spen time reporting environmental regulations for e.p.a. while we talk about the use of john mccain whacko birds for some of his republicans, here is one of the websites and you can see the sort of reclaiming of this term.

guest: it's very true. there's been a shift. part of it, you know, in the house it started with the tea party wave in 2010. there were 87 new freshmen members, and that's bigger than normal but they also had an animating spirit that was different than most, and they came here and they thought they were sent by voters to stop what was happening in washington. interestingly, the voters that came in 2012, both republicans and democrats had -- it was kind of a backlash. like they came here and thought voters sent us to work together, both parties, and they've been trying to do that. but you have ted cruz, you know, mike lee, rubio, all doing big things in the senate before you would expect them to do it. you know, rubio is a little bit different in that he's kind of played by the rulebook a lot more than cruz and lee and rand paul.

host: baltimore, maryland, hi. caller: hi. good morning. i've had a lot of experiences. i'm against immigration reform. i live in southeast baltimore and probably about 10 years ago a lot of hispanics started moving in our neighborhood. i knew a lot of them were illegal immigrants. as far as i know that the house next to me i think illegal immigrants are coming in it and out of that house. i think it's a drop house. that's a speculation. but the real thing is 10 years ago when -- maybe some other people weren't being fair to them and were saying some disparaging things i thought i'd keep an open mind but what i'm seeing is i'm sick of it. they show no respect for the neighborhood, made no attempt to simulate, drunk driving, housing code violations. .

i went through every channel and our governor o'malley is giving hem a free ride on everything. they can break any laws. host: where did these feelings leave you? on the right or left? caller: i always try to be pen-minded and look at we do not take care of it for decades. nobody dealt with the problem of llegal immigrants. i believe the greatest to come here legally. when an legal in the grid started coming across the border, nobody had the debt's -- when illegal immigrants started coming across the border, nobody had the guts to deal with his.

they want to come to this country illegally. o way. host: let's get the response from jonathan strong and the frustration he felt. guest: the caller reminds me of some of the lawmakers that i talk to, when you talk to a teve keying or someone, they have a reverence and protecting the rule of law. i have heard people say i will not violate the rule of law. i cannot do that no matter it makes sense for republicans politically or not. there is a very deeply felt sense that offering amnesty for people who come here illegally would he a violation of that. interestingly, there is a

bipartisan group on the house side that has tried to deal with that aspect of the issue by, they talked about and discussed having illegal immigrants plead guilty in a court and go on probation as part of their path to citizenship. it is an innovative way to adjust those concerns. host: what happened to me give me your tires, huddled masses? america has lost its way. there is this tweet coming n. ary says christie is guest: maybe that is the expiration of for why he standing next to obama so often. they do face a lots of difficulty for different reasons.

it is geared toward the two party. host: democrat, welcome. caller: thank you for taking my call. i would like to say -- host: i do not understand that. caller: if you have republicans on television with a straight face, and this is not any indication on how i feel about you, to have been talking about christian rites and all of this stuff, and i am from south carolina. we have a governor here who leaves a lot to be desired. the media is constantly calling south carolina a red state. we have had democratic governors and the past and we will happen he future.

we did not lose by that much of this election cycle. the immigration debate, i am a minority. i think there are a lot of things that need to be changed in the dialogue about the immigration debate. the rule of law stated that we have to follow the rule of law. there should be a path to citizenship. it has to be the rule of law. you have to get in the back of the line. i really like c-span. it is strong when you're talking about your friend republican -- fringe republican andidates. if you start at the middle ground we can meet there. guest: i think maybe the caller was referring to my complexion. i got a little of sun.

i do not know why he would think i am an immigrant. it is an interesting call. host: immigrants come in all shapes and colors from all over the world. it sounded like he was trying to make a point about trying to find a middle path and middle ground. who is working on the middle ground? host: washington has gotten very polar rise. the gridlock has come insurmountable. that has led to and lots of cries from the senator, especially in washington, that we need to solve this problem and get people working together again. there is another view of this from the right that gridlock is keeping bad things from happening. it is not clear that it is bad for everyone. it may be bad if you are a oderate. host: yesterday on cnn, we heard

rom ileana ros-lehtinen. republicans must get a new survey that female breadwinners are on the rise in u.s. ouseholds. >> the statistic should be a wake-up call for our gop. we need to be talking about the issues that are more representative of america. how many of us are really gearing up for a single mom raising her kid on her own, being the sole breadwinner? we do not have that messenger. we need to tune it up and step up to the reality and the changing demographics that is america today. host: we are hearing a republican woman talk about her own party and that they need to stuff up for working women. guest: what does she mean by that? what are the policies that she wants her party to embrace?

she did not say what they were. i have heard a lot of talk from republicans -- kathy morris is making an outcry. she is a woman trying to reach out, putting articles on blogs that cater to mothers. i have not seen that call accompanied by what kind of positions they want the republican party to embrace. host: another demographic getting attention, young voters. a new postmortem on the november elections offers a searing indictment of the gop brand and the major challenges the party faces and willing young voters. guest: the most controversial or impactful was on gay marriage

with they strongly urge the parties to embrace openness, saying that it hurt republicans with young voters. i think that is a view that has increasing sway with political operatives here in dc. i am not sure if that actually works in a lots of the country where the issue is not the same s it is in washington, dc. social issues have played pretty well for republicans over time. host: a report says the republican party has won the youth vote the floor and can win it again. it points to run a reagan and george w. bush. it will not occur without significant work to repair the damage done to the republican brand. guest: another thing republicans can do is have sent us a plan in their in the last election,

there were three or four senses uttered by republican politicians that ended up creating an image for the entire party. the things that were said were ot true. they were offensive in some cases. not saying things like that would help. host: we're are talking about the republican agenda. luke is up next in anderson, indiana. republican. caller: one thing that i see that is pretty prevalent is that you have a lot of people criticizing the diversity of the republican party. if you look at the dinner credit party,, you have such extremism. they always criticize the different values and conservative views that they have.

they always put that as egative. the standout as one of of the new people, rand paul. someone might rand paul, a lot of this is good. they stand on values. can somebody like him actually be accepted as some type of a leader coming up in the next lection for president? guest: the answer is obviously yes. to the caller's point, rand paul has made a very big effort to reach out to minorities, please relatively compared to some of his colleagues. he spoke at howard university recently. his plan on doing -- he is planning on doing more of those vents.

there is more on outreach for republicans and minority voters. i think he is trying to remedy that. florida independent, hi. caller: all we need to do is employ our sanctions and the case is closed. we are building a berlin style wall. how disgraceful to us as human beings. we are talking for a century. the congress does not want to deal with the issue. if they ways to deal with the issue they would do it intelligently. we are really a third-party. there's one copy modest proposal. it it is a series of common sense thoughts that bring the two sides together. this debate is absurd.

guest: the berlin wall was intended to keep people in and the wall to the extent it is being built on the u.s. southern border is intended to keep people out. i think most reasonable people feel that enforcing the border of a nation is not fascist or totalitarian. i would disagree with the -- caller. i do find punishing people who employ illegal aliens is the way of enforcing the border in the most effective way. he has a point there. host: pennsylvania, patricia, republican. caller: my question is about the investigation of theirs by congress. our senators schubert, durbin,

nd others -- they sent letters requesting that they investigate conservative groups. the irs is supposed to stay away from politics. are the senator is going to be held accountable for this action or called to testify? guest: what the collar is referring to is not just limited to those three centers. a considerable number of calls. what they were calling for is for the irs to enforce the law across the board. while the calls were targeted as perceived abuses, none of the calls ever said a single thing about applying the law to them which is happening i to the irs and it is a more onerous thing to do.

host: peachtree city, georgia, democrats. caller: thank you. i am a first-time caller. i hear so much about immigration. i am certainly for immigration reform. i encountered mexicans in my life the daily. i did not hear people complaining about mexicans being in america when america needed homes built, or when america corn picked. paid them less money than they would american citizens. i did not hear americans complain about this.

now that the country has undergone somewhat of a downturn, everybody wants to cindy mexicans back to mexico. california was once their ome. as far as this goes, the only two american is the american ndian. guest: the last time this bill came up was in 2007 when the economy was still luring and it became a huge issue of concern. the legislation cannot pass the senate despite the good economic conditions. i do not think you can pinpoint it and say it is because because of the recession. on the other hand, the recession

has impacted the environmental issues and perspective that way. cap and trade was something that really could have happened. it was on the table and now you hardly hear anything about it. it basically push those issues away. host: you can find his most recent piece "wacko wars" on the first page of the national review website. thank you for being with us this morning. >> republican congressman christopher smith chairs the house subcommittee on human rights on the syrian civil war, political unrest in turkey and president obama's meeting this week with the chinaes government. i.r.s. targeting of political groups and other issues. and conversation on the effectiveness of terrorist watch lists.

"washington journal" is live on c-span every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern. >> the senate armed services committee will hear testimony about sexual assaults in the military. thatsses at the hearing -- starts tomorrow morning live at 9:30 eastern on c-span 3. the house oversight committee heard from the new acting chief of the i.r.s. today reviewing what the agency is doing to review policies. a recent inspector general's report said the i.r.s. was targeting groups for extra scrutiny. a new report scheduled to be released tomorrow shows that the i.r.s. spent $50 million on conferences over a three-year period. white house press secretary responded to the news today at

the white house briefing. >> has the president seen the report that is supposed to come out tomorrow which talks about waste at the i.r.s. and talks about i.r.s. employees using presidential suites. does the president think that is appropriate? >> no. he doesn't think that conduct is appropriate. i would point you to statements released by the acting i.r.s. commissioner, who says, quote this conference is an unfortunate vestage from a prior era and sweeping new spending restrictions have been put in place at the i.r.s. and training and travel expense has dropped 80% and large-scale meetings did not take place in 2011, 2012 and

2013. the corn stone of the president's administration and he believes everyone in this administration must be stewards of the taxpayer dollar. that is why in may of 2012, the administration outlined a series of action for increasing transparency and oversight of federal conference and travel activity. the federal government conference on travel was reduced by $1 billion in fiscal year 2012 as compared to fiscal year 2010. a travel spending, agencies have lowered their spending on travel compared to f.y. 2010 levels by roughly $2 billion. department of agriculture has reduced by over $125 million. drug enforcement administration requires employees to use lowest available fares available. and achieved savings.

these are examples of the commitment the president has to ringing out waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars and it's important to know the acting commissioner over at the i.r.s. oversaw that process at the o.m.b. when he was at the o.m.b. >> we'll hear more about that report on i.r.s. spending on thursday when the house ersight committee conducts a hearing at 9:30. learn more about your senators and congressmen with the 2013 congressional directory. contact information, district maps and committee assignments for each member of the house and senate. cabinet members, supreme court justices and the nation's governors. e directory is $12.95 at cspan.org/shop. >> it is a very important thing

we are seeing from the community real engagement in the substantive issues. people aren't debating whether or not to recover. they are debating what the first broadband era band plan should look like. that's a hard question. the u.s. is the first country in the world to figure it out. there are tricky but important issues to address. >> it's not like the new term is going to walk in on friday and of complicated orders to go out and no exaggeration, this auction will be the most complex in world history, but the chairman in that we are moving faster than the rest of the world. and so the eyes of the world, at least, are looking at the u.s. >> two former s.e.c. commissioners on the upcoming

spectrum auction and other issues, tonight on the communicators on c-span 2. >> she makes the first speech by a sitting first lady, becomes the first president of the daughters of the american revolution, designs her own china and establishes the white house china collection and is the first to have a christmas tree in the white house. meet caroline harrison, wife of the 23rd president, as we continue our series on first ladies with your questions and comments tonight, live at 9:00 eastern on c-span, c-span 3, c-span radio and c span.org. >> the house is back in five minutes for a couple of votes debated this afternoon. ee that live here on c-span.

>> john shaw is the congressional correspondent for market news international. house lawmakers are on back on capitol hill to start work on annual spending bills. which once are coming up? >> it's an interesting season that is starting up this week, because the fiscal year 2014 spending bills are timely reaching the floor this week, the house chamber where the house will consider two of the bills, the homeland security funding bill and the military construction-veterans spending bills. it's interesting that the appropriations process is off to a bit of a slow start in part because the house and senate still disagree on where they're heading. the two chambers passed budget resolutions, which are broad fiscal blueprints in march. they have different visions of how the next 10 years should go.

they have very different visions about how this year should go. the two chambers are $91 billion apart with the house lower than the senate. so if they try to pass the 12 funding bills, it will be very interesting, because the house is shooting at a much lower than the senate and even imagining that all 12 bills were to pass both chambers, which seems somewhat unlikely, they are going to have an awful lot of difficulty trying to resolve the bills. it seems already people are thinking you know well -- at least a couple of months into the future when the new fiscal starts on october 1 and there will be temporary bills or c.r.'s to keep the government funded. >> since there is no agreed-upon budget blueprint, what is your forecast of how easy or how difficult it will be for the spending bills to get approved in the house and senate? >> not only do they have different numbers but different

calendars. the house is stepping on the edal as it were, this month. house majority leader said the house is ready to work very hard on funding bills. they will do two this week possibly two next week. they want to devote much of june and july to get in the 12 funding bills through the house. certainly most of the 12 bills, i suspect, will pass the house before the august recess. the senate is much harder to read. they are about to start next week on an immigration reform bill that certainly will take the rest of june i think to pass. and so then it's unclear if the majority leader is willing to spend all of july on the fiscal year 2014 spending bills. the two chambers are shooting at different numbers and looking at two different calendars. they still have not really resolved the big picture fiscal

issues. i think the bills will pass the house. it's unclear to me how many will actually pass the senate. the senate appropriations committee is working hard this week on its bills. but whether these bills actually come to the floor, the senate in july something is not quite clear. >> talk of the sequester doesn't seem to be dominating the news as it did earlier this year. what kind of impact is it having on the proposed level of spending in these bills? >> it's a major factor, $91 billion that separate the two chambers is in large part of how they are contemplating the sequester going forward. the senate democrats have effectively assumed that the sequester is going to be removed for the next fiscal year and replaced by some undisclosed mix of spending cuts and tax increases to effectively wipe it off the map. whereas the house is assuming

that the sequester is going to take hold. even that very, very basic issue that the two chambers are fundamentally in disagreement how to factor in the sequestration and it's something that the house appropriations committee chairman, hal rogers has openly despaired of how the sequester is making it hard to write his funding bills and said it is causing damage to the budget but under marching orders from the leadership to assume that the sequestration is going to stay in place. so he has crafted his 12 bills to take that into account. >> and in the seconds we have left, what about the debt ceiling? >> it is likely to come up, september, october, november, sometime in the fall. there is some prospect that the debt ceiling and the f.y. funding bills will be coming at the same time, lat september,

early october. john shaw, we thank you for your time. thank you so much. >> it is a very important thing that we are seeing from the community real engagement in the substantive issues. people aren't debating whether or not to have an incentive auction or recover spectrum, they are debating what the first broadband era band plan should look like. that's a hard question. the u.s. is going to be the first question in the world to figure it out. there are tricky but important issues to address. >> not like the new term is going to walk in on a friday and have a an auction on monday and there are orders that need to go out. this auction will be the most complex in world history, but the chairman, ex-chairman, in that we are moving faster than the rest of the world. and so the eyes of the world are

looking at the u.s. to see how we handle this. >> two former s.e.c. commissioners on the upcoming spectrum auction and other communications issues facing the s.e.c. tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span 2. >> the house is coming in here in a couple of minutes for votes on measures debated earlier, one of them dealing with the duck stamp program. and the house voted on a couple of bills, to require the food and drug administration distribution of prescription zrugs. nd and setheand nays. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will bed as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from virginia, mr. wittman, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1206 on which the

yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 43, h.r. 1206, a bill to grant the secretary of the interior permanent authority to authorize states to issue electronic duck stamps and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 401, the nays are zero. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from ohio, mr. latta, to suspend the rules and pass senate 622 of which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 622, an act to amenled the federal food, drug and cosmetic appingt, to remember authorize user free programs relating to new animal drugs and generic new animal drugs. the speaker pro tempore: the swe question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a five-minute vote.

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

the speaker pro tempore: the eas are 390 -- the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 390, the nays are 12, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. he house will be in order.

the house will be in order. members will take their seats. members and staff will remove their conversations from the floor. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? mr. smith: i offer a privileged resolution and ask for its

mediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 242, resolved, that the house has heard with profound sorrow of the death honorable frank lautenberg, a senator from the state of new jersey. resolved that a committee of such members of the house as the speak may designate together with such members of the senate as may be joined be appointed to attend the funeral. resolved, that the clerk communicate these resolutions to the senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. resolved, that when the house adjourns today it mark a respect to the memory of the deceased senator. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, members of the house, it is my sad duty to inform you that senator frank lautenberg has passed away. he died from complications from viral pneumonia this morning in

new york. he was 89 years old and i join with my friends and colleagues from our delegation and i know the entire house in expressing our profound sorrow to his family, wife, six children, 13 grandchildren. senator lautenberg will be deeply missed. just one point and we will have a special order to honor this wonderful man. he is the last world war ii, the greatest generation to serve in the united states senate with his passing and i want everyone to know he will be deeply missed. i personally worked very closely with him on a number of issues, on combating anti-sefmentism. i just want to say we are all in sorrow for his passing and pray for him and his family and i yield to my good friend and olleagues from new jersey.

mr. pallone: great sadness we come to the well this evening to announce or comment on senator lautenberg's passing. i can't imagine a congress without him. i worked on his campaign from the very first day in 1982 and he is the longest serving member of the u.s. senate from the state of new jersey in our entire history. fact of the matter is that senator lautenberg was there for the little guy. he was a wealthy individual, but he never forgot his roots and they were humble roots. and he always believed that the congress should be there for people in need and that the american dream required that everyone had an equal opportunity and that congress could do things. frank lautenberg understood there were a lot of problems out there but he felt congress needed to work together on a bipartisan basis to solve those

basis. but whether it was the nation's infrastructure, mass transit, all the environmental concerns, whether he wanted to clean up the ocean or clean the air or clean the water for the next generation, he really believed that things could get done here and he worked hard to get things done. we know that more than anybody else he was able to accomplish a lot because of the hard work he put into it. i thank him for all of that and for his legacy and express sympathy with bonnie and his family. but he will be missed for what he accomplished and also for what he told us what our job is when we're here, to get things done and worry about the little guy and make sure we were always out there working every day to make this a better country. . yield back to my colleague

mr. lance: senator lautenberg was a tenacious fighter for the nine million residents for the state of new jersey antennasity was at the heart of his public service. new jersey is a state that is complex and is comprised of many different ethnicities and senator lautenberg represented all of us extremely well. the only person to serve five terms from the state in the senate. he died with his boots on in the saddle as he would have wished. he was extremely proud of his roots in patterson, a great industrial city in this nation, where he was born and raised and at age 18, he went off to war, world war ii, as one of the greatest generation. senator lautenberg was the beneficiary of the g.i. bill of rights. and he was able to attend column

, -- columbia university and his brilliant career in the private sector is a hallmark of the entrepreneurial spirit of the american people. but he recognized that he could do more for the people of our state and of the nation when he was elected to the united states senate in 1982, re-elect nd 1988 and re-elected in 1994 and then elected for a fourth term in 2002 and fifth term in 2008. he was a person of perseverance to mrs. lautenberg and lautenberg children and family. we extend our profound sympathy and the people of new jersey and might i suggest the nation our sad -- are saddened by his death. yield to mr. andrews.

mr. andrews: i thank my colleagues. there is not acorn of our state that does not bear a manifestation of the greatness of senator lautenberg's career. some of the manifestations are functional and somewhat ordinary, bridges and exit ramps, but so many of the things are things of beauty and splendor. this is a person who risked his life for his country in the second world war and gave his life to the building of a successful business and building a great state and great country. we are profoundly saddened by his loss but hartened by his example and i thank he each of us for remembering him. our prayers to his family and thanks for a great life well led. mr. pascrell: frank lautenberg was my friend for 45 years. we drank the same water in

patterson, new jersey. he was a person of very small means, when you look at his mom and dad. they worked in the factories in patterson, new jersey, as so many other people did. his father died when he was 43 years of age. he got sick from the jobs that he had, when there was no protection for workers. not like it is now. can you picture this a garage in patterson, new jersey, off of carroll street, four guys together putting a company together that if you didn't invest in it, you kicked yourself after that, a.d.p. a.d.p. had a business acumen and business sense that went votes

of the floor in the senate. he was a good guy. and i know that the talking heads would say he was a liberal's liberal. frank lautenberg, was a very basic conservative guy when it came to our values in this country. he was not a spectator by any stretch. he was in there. he was in the battle. he came back to school number 6 on mercer street in patterson to take care of those kids, give them computers and made sure he took care of those computers, because this is going to give you the path for something better in life for you and your family. he didn't forget it. a lot of people say, he didn't forget his roots. that's a wave, a passing by. he was not that kind of a person. so to bonnie and to his beautiful family, our best, best, deepest families of

condolences and sorrow. we don't know what we've lost, we never do. but we pray that everyone begins to understand at least now, at ast now that each of us is significant, each of us is important and as frank would say, no one is better than anyone else. god bless frank lautenberg. . mr. holt: we mark with sadness the loss of frank lautenberg. a loss to his family, this country. he served as an army, his father died while he was serving in the second world war, and serve is

the right -- right word he saucer vis as his duty, as his life. serving other people, never forgetting the common person and the monogood. whether he was working for public health or individual health care or education or helping prevent bullying in schools or teaching foreign languages or providing for safety in chemical plants. he was thinking about the ordinary person. he never forgot that, he never stopped fighting, and the people of new jersey knew that. they knew they had somebody in the senate who was looking out for them. but what i think of most, is his work that he did on the proppings subcommittee about blood alcohol level and drunk driving. he did more than any other single person in this country to

prevent drunk driving. you could fill many football stadiums with people who are alive today because of frank lautenberg. and the interesting thing is, not one of them would know who they are. we have a lot to be grateful for to frank lautenberg and his legacy is something that we hould work hard to continue. >> to the delegation and the rest of my colleagues of new jersey, washington, d.c., the senate, the chambers, it will not be the same without frank lautenberg walking about. he has and was a man who lived truly an extraordinary life. humble ard from his

growing up in that neighborhood, going on to ghting through world war ii, as leonard points out that extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit, in all those ways lived an extraordinary life and left an extraordinary im% on the people of this community and the state. mr. garrett: to all of those people that benefit from his business accruemen, being able to use that -- accruemen, being able to use thatter is -- acumen, being able to use that service, and to take that and bring it to washington and bring it far beyond his humble beginnings, from madison, new jersey, and across the country as well.

we come here today joined in the thought that our prayers are with his family, his children, his grandchildren, and just hope that through this difficult time that they must be going, that they can find some solace in the fact that so many people come and throughout new jersey respect him, appreciate him and thank him for what he did for the state. i yield back. >> i want to thank my colleagues for being here today and expressing the sentiment toward a friend. i knew frank lautenberg for a long time. i was mayor when i first met him and he never changed. he was a fighter, he was a real product of new jersey coming from paterson, serving in the service, starting a business, became one of the best senators we ever had in new jersey and a

man who had a vision because he was one of the first ones who saw that riding on a plane, having somebody smoking next to you, was not healthy. and frank started fighting until president reagan signed it into law. so today, new jersey is sad, sad because one of its own isn't going to be with us anymore. right down to the end, frank fought. i remember him fighting governor christie, i remember him fighting for the tunnel. mr. sires: to the whole family, we extend our condolences to the entire family. thank you very much. >> i, too, want to reflect all of the kind and gracious words that my colleagues have expressed up here. myself only being in my second

term, i can't say i knew frank that well but i want to point out one thing -- it's unfortunate that sometimes it takes someone passing ta realize all the great things they did in their lives. i've learned this come to washington sometimes, people forget there are people that come here to represent the people back home. you forget about the good deeds, the hard work, and when you look at what frank did, working every single day, that is something i think we as americans should take that work ethic into everything we do, every single day, because that's what makes us the greatest country in the world. and frank obviously being that type to have role model, i think we're all saddened by his

passing, we'll mess him and again our condolences go tout his family. -- go out to his family. i thank you all for taking time out to recognize him as an vedge. mr. runyan: i think sometimes we forget that. thank you. >> thank you to my colleagues in new jersey and the house of representatives. once again i stand here in almost over a year with sorrow in my heart, the new jersey dell fweags has lost another great member and senator lautenberg had been an example to me over the course of his career. mr. payne: i've seen him in many instances in newark and other settings and he always had a calming, calming message to young people and it was that there was nothing special about you could do this

yourself if you applied yourself in school, worked hard, honored your country, and did the things that were right, then one day you could be in this position as well. frank lautenberg embodied what a new jerseyan is. look at his career, look at his ife, he's a true new jerseyan. he will be missed in this dell fwation, in this house, in this congress and in this country. my condolences to his family on this sad occasion. >> mr. speaker, frank lautenberg will be missed. as you hear from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, it is a great loss to the state of new jersey, we'll have a special order next tuesday to speak even more to his legacy and with

that, i do yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. without objection the previous question is ordered. without objection, the resolution is continue -- is adopted, and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek reck necessary? without objection. gentlemen. lee: mr. speaker, i, along with fellow members of the texas and harris county delegation fan together -- stand together to

honor and recognize the sacrifice of four fallen firefighters who died last friday, may 31, 2013, in the city of houston, serving in the line of duty. we offer our heartfelt sympathy to the families and fellow firefighters of those who died and those who were injured. we are united with the city of houston in grief over the death of captain e.m.t. matthew renaud, engineer operator e.m.t. roger bebe, and propationnary firefighters ann sullivan who died on last friday while searching a blazing hotel and restaurant for possible trapped victims. in its 118-year history of the houston city fire department, this was the greatest loss of life of their members while on duty. their heroism will not soon be forgotten, nor their sacrifice dimmed by time.

in the firemen's creed, the words come to open space and are heard loudly but above all, our proudest endeavor is to save lives of men, the work of god himself. the firemen's creed. we ask that our colleagues join us now in a moment of silence in heir memory. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, we wish them a speedy recovery, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the

gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? without objection, so ordered. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, today the white house held a conference on mental health and the importance of removing the stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment. the conference dove tailed with an announcement by the department of veterans afares that it had met its goal to hire 1,600 new mental health professionals. despite the positive knews from the v.a., as the president stated, it's not enough to make sure they seek treatment but we have to make sure the treatment is there when they seek it. a major barrier to seeking care is not just access but the stigma oftentimes associated with seeking help, especial plly with the veteran population. thankfully, there's more we can to. i urge my colleagues to learn

more about the veterans health and medical support act. this expands the number of qualified providers servicing the veteran population and helps remove the stigma associated with seeking treatment through the expansion of telemedicine at the v.a. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise today to recognize mark kro fwmbings an, the longest serving school administrator from castro valley unified school district who will be retiring after 25 years of service in the east bay. he was he was raised and educated in heyward california and after a swimming career at heyward high school, he got a swimming scholarship to university of california-berkley he began a long teaching --

teaching career after college he taught kids in and out of the classroom, coaching a variety of sports and served as the advisor for the ski team. after receiving his masters in 1973, he began serving canyon middle school in castro valley. he served as principal at other schools. over his career, he created a positive learning environment and has prioritized the needs of students an their families. his leadership surely will be missed. but if mark's past service is any indicator of what to expect from him in the future, weave lot in store. i wish mark the best in his retirement, it is well earned. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. poe: the tax man has gone

wild. the i.r.s. spent $50 billion on boondoggle conferences. at one conference they declined a cheaper government group rate and opted for perks including stays at swanky presidential suite, free drinks, and high dollar tickets to the l.a. angels baseball game. isn't that lovely? the i.r.s. spent thousands on touchy-feely speakers including a $17,000 lecture about leadership through art. more like the art of wasting money. the taxocrats turned filmmakers spent $50,000 for films including spoofs of "star trek," "gilligan's island" and line dancing to cupid's shuffle. this is corrupt behavior. ironically instead of tracking our tax dollar the internal revenue service squanders tax dollars.

the head of the i.r.s. says it's inproto. find he revenuers squandered must be from taxpayers, the taxpayers pay it back with interest. i think the inch r.s. should as well. mr. waxman: mr. speaker, i rise today as a member of the state climate caucus to urge the house to act on climate change. last month, scientists recorded atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide at more than 400 parts per million. long-term consequences of this are going to get worse in the future, where we are already seeing the mediate impacts today. the philadelphia "enquirer" has

reported on the sea level rising along the delaware bay and spring season coming earlier to the philadelphia region. i would like to, mr. speaker, ask that these two articles be put into the congressional record. and just last month, the natural -- the national resources defense council released a report on the cost of climate change showing the federal government spent $100 billion on disaster relief last year. that's more than we spent on education, transportation or even nondiscretionary spending on health. and yet, not only does the republican majority in the house refuse to address climate change, they are actively pursuing legislation that assures to make things worst. we must address this problem now. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman

from louisiana rise? the gentleman is recognized, without objection, for one minute. mr. fleming: mr. speaker, 2/3 of the uninsured say they may not purchase insurance under obamacare. a new survey of the uninsured says only 19% will opt for coverage by january 1. meaning that only the sickest will buy insurance, driving up the cost of health care for all of us. in fact, 61% expect their health care costs to go up as a result of obamacare. you may recall earlier this year, a federal analysis estimated that the cheapest health insurance plan available for a family in 2016 will cost no less than $20,000 a year per family. and it's not just the uninsured that are with uncertainty.

2/3 of business owners surveyed by the u.s. chamber says obamacare will make it harder for them to hire employees. many are converting employees to part-time as we speak. american families cannot afford obamacare. it must be repealed just as my and my fellow republicans and sop democrats have voted to do. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a the following requests. the clerk: rodney davis of illinois for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the request is granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman from nevada, mr. horsford, is recognized as the speaker for the minority leader. mr. horsford: mr. speaker, thank you.

the congressional black caucus comes before this body and the american people for the next hour to talk about important issues facing our country. tonight, we will discuss the problem of poverty in america, and what we can do to bring more americans into the middle class, from snap to the earned income tax credit, from head start to trio, we have effective programs that reduce poverty and open up opportunities for people in the low-income bracket. unfortunately these programs are often the first targeted for cuts. when you are worrying where your next meal is going to come from, you probably don't have a lot of time to lobby congress. well, here, tonight, we're here to speak to these important issues. and we are also here to listen. so hopefully, we will be able to

answer some questions from our constituents from across america. if you're watching and you have something that you would like to let us know about, get on cbc talk and weet # we will answer our questions. i would like to yield to the gentlelady from ohio, the woman providing tremendous leadership to the members of the congressional black caucus, to bring forward the issues that are facing so many american families and those families particularly in poverty today. they have a voice and for the next hour, we're going to bring their voice to this body here in congress. ms. fudge: thank you very much for yielding. i want to thank congressman horsford and congressman jeverries for leading the hour.

today's topic is critically important. the rapid rise of poverty and particularly the rapid growth of poverty in minority communities is troubling. the latest census burro numbers report that 15% of americans live in poverty. e poverty rate among african-americans is 27%. and almost one in four of african-american children live in poverty. i'm not sure how many children you come in contact with each day, but this statistic means every fourth african-american child you see lives a life of struggle. food is scares in their home. their neighborhoods are riddled with crime. there is no guarantee that the lights and heat will be on when they come home from school each day. as more americans slip below the poverty line. federal anti-poverty programs are essential.

yet over the last year, conservatives on and off the hill have begun to spin a story of how anti-poverty programs have done nothing but foster a culture of dependency. on capitol hill, lawmakers have used this over and over again, giving them license to place social safety net programs on the chopping block. while the republicans' budget retains tax breaks for the wealthiest americans, it places social security and medicare on the chopping block. house leadership will send the farm bill to the floor that reduces total spending by almost 10 years and er most of the cuts come from snap and food stamps. this bill alone would cut off nearly two million people from snap. making matters worst, anti-poverty programs around the

country are reducing services because of sequester. our communities cannot continue to face cut after cut while washington does little to create economic opportunity. this week, we will consider the military construction-veterans affairs bill. the vast poverty plaguing veterans, as our troops come home, the united states must prepare for their return. many of our vets will need help from local safety net programs, but due to budget cuts, help is not guaranteed. as the statistics show, homelessness will be the reality of thousands of returning veterans. this congress cannot continue to ignore poverty in our communities and cannot ignore the fact that 1.5 million veterans live in poverty. america cannot be complicit in allowing families, chirns and

our nation's veterans to struggle without assistance, not now, not ever. the c.b.c. will continue to advocate for policies that eliminate persistent poverty and rightfully defend anti-poverty programs. our goal is to create opportunities for all americans, opportunities that help improve lives and move people closer to achieving their aamerican dream. i thank you and i yield back. mr. horsford: thank you to the chair for your leadership and for fighting the fight on this very important issue of poverty in america. you know, over the last week, we had our work period, and i had the opportunity to be in my district, mr. speaker, in -- and one of the things was an outreach event where we had a commuting with your congressman. i boarded a bus, public transportation in my district

and i met and i listened to my constituents for four hours as we traveled throughout the various corners of my district, from centennial hills, to downtown, to the new veterans' hospital where our veterans a erally boarding a bus in wheelchair. and to listen to the struggle that so many americans are facing. the fact that they are struggling to even make ends meet. e mom who boarded the bus, takes two hours each way to get to work. they can't always make it to a town hall meeting. they can't always come to our district offices, but they deserve to have a voice here in washington on these important issues. and so much of what this

congress is talking about is the budget and the priorities of the budget. well, that mom is a priority of mine. that veteran who takes public transportation to get to their veterans appointment is a priority of mine. that young man who is 17 years old, going to his first job interview so that he can work his way through college, is a priority of mine. and it's a priority of my colleagues who are here tonight, along with the co-chair for c.b.c. hour, mr. jeffries from new york, we are going to bring a voice to these issues tonight and every day as the c.b.c. does. at this time, i would like to turn to my colleague who co-chairs poverty and the economy for the c.b.c. as well

as chairing the whip's task force on eliminating poverty, the gentlelady from california, representative lee. ms. lee: thank you very much, mr. speaker. first, let me thank my colleague for your tremendous leadership and for leading once again yourself and congressman jeffries leading the charge on another timely and important topic, ongoing crisis in poverty. you both are continuing with the tradition -- in the tradition of the congressional black caucus of being the conscious of the congress and thank you for your leadership and commitment to lead this. and your remarks, congressman horsford, laid it out as clear as anyone could lay it out. as the chair of the task force as well as congressman horsford

said, the chair of the new whip task force on poverty and opportunity, let me just highlight how truly important it is to continue to first fund programs that lift americans out of poverty. income inequality continues to grow and unfortunately too many people who are working are poor and they are living on the edge. 46 truly unacceptable that million people in our country live in poverty. 16 million of those are children. in communities of color, poverty rates are even pores. a staggering 27% of african-americans living in poverty. and so the congressional black caucus through the leadership of our chairwoman fudge, has made the eradication of poverty a key poverty. our policies and programs have

not kept pace with the growing needs of millions of americans. it is time that we make a commitment to confront poverty head on and create pathway ses and provide opportunities for all. we want to make sure the middle class is strong and survives and we have many, many people who aren't part of the middle class who are striving and working hard to maintain and taking care of their middle class. so many in this body continue to speak on their behalf and represent them. that's why many of our colleagues came together with myself and others to introduce half and, which is the intent act. it would reduce poverty. the working group will develop and implement a national strategy to reduce poverty in

half in 10 years as well as provide regular reports of its progress to congress and the american people. our nation needs a comprehensive plan to bring an end to poverty in america. it is morally right, economically sound and fiscally prudent. i urge all of our colleagues to join us. it is beyond time that we put the ongoing crisis of poverty on the front burner for this country. yet the draconian sequester and cuts to vital needs program are only making things worst. while some in congress continue to support gutting programs and i serve on the budget committee nd appropriations committee it was mind-boggling to hear the helping e talk about

people get out of poverty but gutting the programs that help people out of poverty, such as the supplemental nutrition program, food stamps. the women, infant and children's program, w.i.c. the earned income tax credit. all of these programs to lift people out of poverty. our chair mentioned the house farm bill. let me re-emphasize this again. the re-authorization includes $20 billion, $20 billion, in harmful and fiscally irresponsible cuts to the food stamp program, our nation's first line of testifies against hunger. not only is cutting snap morally wrong, it's economically bankrupt. cuts will cost governments more money in the long run, excuse me, but also, it is just probable the worst -- probably the worst thing i have ever seen proposed. as a forler food stamp recipient myself, i know first hand how important the safety net

programs are. i would not be here today if it were not for the lifelines that the american people extended to me when i was a single mother struggling to care for my kids. no one wants to be on food stamps. no one. everyone wants a job, they want to take care of their kids. but there are bumps in the road, the economy wrourk know, has not turned around for many and so that bridge over troubled water needs to be there. so a $20 billion cut, people cannot afford that, our economy cannot aed for that hungry children don't deserve these cuts and cuts to any hunger program will create a bleaker future for our children. communities of color, again, the african-american communities will feel these impacts even more. african-american communities have higher infant mortality rates, diabetes, h.i.v. and aids, and are more likely to be uninsured. if we continue to balance our budget on the backs of the most vulnerable, we will surely push these families over the edge

that is why members of the congressional black caucus will do everything, everything, in our power to ensure that our nation's most vulnerable are protected. starting next week in an effort to highlight the impact of any further cuts to our nation's food and nutrition program, myself as well as congressman jim mcgovern, our congressional lack caucus chair, mars shah fudge, congresswoman january shah cusky -- schakowsky and others are taking part in the food stamp channel. we need to raise the level of apair -- awareness of what's taking place here. we are going to limit ourselves to limiting our food budget to the average snap benefit for a week. $1.50 per person, per meal. we will show how vital it is to fully fund snap and we're asking all those who can do so to joan with us. we will squst be on this for a day or a week. millions of people will live daily on $4.50 with no end in

sight. finally, let me just say we must protect the most vulnerable, grow the economy and our anti-poverty programs like snap which someone of the best programs to do that. i urge my colleagues to reject these cuts, stop sequestration and let's work together to create jobs, because that's what everyone needs and wants and lift the economy for all. thank you again for your leadership, i yield back the balance of my time. mr. jeffries: thank you, congresswoman. let me engage you for a moment and i want to make sure we are providing a voice to these important issues and to -- mr. horsford: and to follow the conversation if you're tuning in #cbctalks. but you focus on the fact that nearly 46 million people in our country live in poverty. 16 million of them are children. you talked about the poverty

line and in 2013, the poverty line for an individual was $11,490. for a family of four, it's $23,550. so can you elaborate further on the snap program, how that program provides for a safety net for individuals and how is it that a family of four in america can survive on $23,550 a year. ms. lee: there's no way a family can survive on $23,000 a year in america. i don't care what region they live in. sectly, and congressman ellison is going to speak in a minute and the progressive caucus held a hearing, and we talked with low wage workers. workers who are actually working for a -- for federal government employees, contractor in our

nation's capital, making $6 or $7 an hour. these are working men and women who need food stamps. they're working each and every day, 10 or 12 hours a day. so when you look at what a cut leek this would do, first we have people who are making $6 or $7 an hour, living on $23,000 a year, family of four, and then you're going to cut their food supply. people are going to go hungry, we're going to see an increase in hunger beth in rural communities and in urban communities in our country and in the long runnering it's going to just cost us if people just care about the fiscal impact, which i hope everyone in this cares about the moral and the human, but also the economy and the economic impact, we're going to pay in the long run system of it's just wrong and it doesn't make any economic sense and there's no way people in this country and america, the wealthiest, most powerful country in the world, should be able to -- should -- can survive off $23,000 a year.

we need to first of all raise the minimum wage, we need a living wage, in my reit would be about $25 an hour. people deserve to live the american dream and they're not. mr. horsford: i know the challenge is something that you have called upon for people to -- mr. jeffries: this is a challenge for 14 million americans live -- mr. horsford: this is a challenge for 14 million americans. ms. lee: and these people are living this in our district, and republican districts and enfeint districts, in rural communities and urban communities. unfortunately, it is an equal opportunity poverty -- mr. horsford: poverty is not partisan. ms. lee: no, it isn't. we need leadership to deal with

this. mr. horsford: thank you, ms. lee, thank you for the solutions you are offering to move people out of poverty and into the middle class. and recognizing that many of these programs that those on the other side propose to cut are safety nets. the sequester alone would cut $85 billion but would directly affect $50 million americans living below the poverty income line. so they're hurting the very people that we should be sustaining during these -- ms. lee: adding insult to injury. that's what happens, congressman. mr. horsford: at this time i'd like to turn to my colleague, the gentlelady from wisconsin, the alum of trio, and she is a dynamic leader who talks so much about the need to help young people get the quality education, particularly first generation college student, and i know we're having a college student debate right now on whether or not we're going to allow student loan rates to double on july 1, the republican

plan puts students in debt, provides no certainty, we're hoping that between now and july 1 we'll come up with a bipartisan solution that will keep our college loan rates and will address the more comprehensive needs to make college more affordable. i defer to the gentlelady from wisconsin, congresswoman moore. ms. moore: thank you so much, representative horsford from nevada. representative hakim jeffries as well. who is here with us. for focusing on this evert and o conduct this evening, this special order on lifting americans out of poverty. it was very, very difficult to listen to representative barbara lee provide those data and those statistics of the numbers of americans who are living in

poverty. and reflecting on my own personal experience, reflecting on what i see every seungle day among my constituents, the stark poverty, especially of children, it is very, very difficult to talk about this because this is just not abstract, this is very real. but the -- for the purposes of this discussion, though, with your permission, representative horsford, i would like to just modify your model, or your theme, for one moment. enstead of talking about lifting americans out of poverty, i'd like to talk about lifting america out of poverty. you see, america is heading down the road to not just have 46 million americans living in poverty, not just having half of americans during the recession lie relying on food stamps and

having that as their only means of support. not just having african-americans or hispanics or those living in stark, rural poverty being the victims of poverty. our ving poverty pervade entire community because we, by not investing in educational opportunity of young people, are eating our seed corn. why -- wise farmers have taught us not to eat our seed corn. and they say that when we do that, you know, when you plant something, you eat a certain portion of it and you preserve some of it so you can plant and have a harvest for the future. and those people who eat their seed corn are committing an act of desperation. and that is what we're doing by cutting off educational

opportunity to -- programs. i'm specifically talking about trio. trio is a set of federally funded college and university based educational opportunities, outreach programs that modify and support students from low income backgrounds, from first generation students, it's not a race based students -- program, but it includes military veterans, students with disabilities, and currently they serve about 90,000 students. from middle schools through post-fwradge watt studies. these programs are very, very important because we have found that there aren't enough trust fund kids, representative horsford, there just aren't enough trust fund kids to really put this country on a sustainable course of graduating nough high skilled workers and

innovators for our country to have the kind of -- to enjoy the kind of economic hegemony in a global economy. there aren't enough. if we graduated every high school senior this june, if every single high school senior went to college, it still would not be enough. in order for us to reach those goals of maintaining global hegemony. and yet, we have allowed sense 2005 the trio programs to lose 66 -- to lose $66 million in funding which translate into $8 -- into 88,000 fewer low income and potential first generation students, including adult learners, military veterans and state of the unions with disabilities, to study. and of course under sequestration, which went into ffect on march 1, and trio has

received another $42 million cut which means at the beginning of he 2013. that translate into 40,000 fewer students to be served by trio. now, as i as i indicated, this program is a set of programs that seeks to entify brillyant students -- brilliant students that can contribute to the growth of our economy in our society. talent search is a program, it's a very low cost, early intervention program which identifies