those who are inclined to terrorism will make sure that they changed to an alias not included on the list. it may be that for practical reasons, you cannot have the list be public or else everyone will choose, everyone with bad intent will choose and assume a false identity. host: mark clayton, thank you so much for joining us this morning. guest: you're welcome. glad to do it. host: we now go to the floor of the house of representatives. thank you for joining us. we will see you tomorrow morning. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] mo brooks to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 3, 2013, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour ebate.

the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip imited to five minutes each, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, or five minutes. mr. poe: mr. speaker, when there is a blaze, when there is a fire, when there is an explosion, when someone has an emergency medical problem, the firefighter, the e.m.t. rushes in. that is what they do. while others flee danger, the firefighter with sirens, red lights, horns, trucks charges into the jaws amidst danger. sometimes the danger is overwhelming and firefighters are injured and some are

killed. this has been a tragic year in texas for firefighters. on april 17 in west, texas, 10 firefighters were killed while putting out the fire at a fertilizer plant that had exploded. last friday in the heat of the texas noonday sun a restaurant on the highly traveled southwest freeway caught fire. then with the high winds, the fire spread to a nearby hotel. houston firefighters arrived at the scene in minutes. they heard screams from citizens, and they rushed into the hotel to find potential trapped guests. the hotel suddenly became a hellish inferno. first, a two-alarm and then a five-alarm fire and it took over five hours to get the fire under control. while the firefighters were in the hotel looking for people who stayed there, the roof of the hotel collapsed trapping and killing four firefighters and 13 others were injured. some critically.

these are the four firefighters, mr. speaker. engineer operator, e.m.t., robert bobby, right here. he was 41 years of age, graduate from dobe high school. he started his career at the houston fire department in august of 2001. his cousin, joshua, said when he heard his cousin died he knew why. i knew he was saving somebody else. that's him. he also put people first before himself. everybody -- anybody's needs before his own needs. over here on the far left, mr. speaker, was anne sullivan, she was 24 years of age. she was assigned to station 58. she grew up in sugarland, texas. she was just 5'2". anne knew she wanted to be a firefighter the day she graduated high school and she just graduated from the houston fire department academy in

april. anne was an avid soccer player, cross-country runner and she ran 10 miles a day. sher father, jack sullivan, was in his car on the way home from work -- her father, jack sullivan, was in his car on the way home from work when he heard about the fire. he knew that was the same area where his daughter, anne, worked. he didn't know if she was involved and hoped with all his might it was not her. he started to cry. when he pulled up to his home, the emergency vehicle parked in front of his house said it all. anne, 24, was one of the fallen firefighters. firefighter captain e.m.t. matthew renaud, 35 years of age. he was an 11-year veteran of the fire department. station 51 is where he was assigned. he was close to bebee. he transferred because they

were like brothers. and then firefighter e.m.t. robert garner, 29 years of age, station 68. he previously served in the united states air force and since he finished serving he wanted to be a firefighter in houston. he did two tours in afghanistan and iraq. garner told his dad once -- excuse me -- his dad told him, use your training because god will be with you. he awoke his dad that morning when he walked out of the house to go to work. that was the last time he saw his father. mr. speaker, houston is the third largest fire department in the united states. it is the busiest. this is the most tragic event in the history of the houston fire department. an estimated 30,000 citizens, firefighters, peace officers and other people will pay tribute to these amazing firefighters. they are the best we have in houston, and we are saddened that they are gone, but we

thank the good lord that such people ever lived. and that's just the way it is. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to introduce into the record the 10 firefighters killed in west, texas, on april 17, 2013. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. poe: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. quigley, for five minutes. mr. quigley: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to urge my colleagues to come together and improve our broken, misguided and convoluted tax system. the time is right for tax reform. we currently spend $1 trillion through the tax code each year, all of which is offbudget, meaning it is not scrutinized each year by appropriators. once a tax break is written into the tax code, it is usually -- it usually remains. unlike discretionary spending

programs, which are re-examined for their necessity each year. perspective, $1 trillion would be the single largest government spending program, larger than the pentagon's budget, larger than social security and larger than medicare or medicaid. as we desperately search for ways to reduce the deficit, we are making deep and painful cuts to discretionary spending, all the while we are spending close to $1 trillion through the tax code with little oversight. i've introduced a bipartisan ill with congressman renacci which would bring greater transparency and oversight to such expenditures. in addition to oversight we need reform. while many of these tax expenditures help homeownership and investments, there are others such as the yacht interest deduction, which clearly need to be reconsidered. we are cutting the funding for the national institutes of health, head start, meals on

wheels while subsidizing yachts. let's put this into perspective. if one of my constituents takes out a loan to buy a car to get to work or take the kids to school, the interest on that loan is not tax deductible. but if they were to go out and buy a yacht, the interest on that loan would be tax deductible. clearly it's time to re-examine our tax code and get our priorities in order. i have a bill that would end this tax break for yachts, but rather than tackling these tax breaks individually, we need a wholesale rewrite of the tax code. our tax code is the product of years of small tweaks and layers of changes. we need to step back and ask ourselves, if we were to start over and rewrite the tax code today, what would it look like? with such limited resources, what do we need? what behaviors should we incentivize? due in part to years of additions and changes, our current code is deeply

recessive. according to the report released last week by the congressional budget office, the richest 20% of households in america receive over 50% of the tax breaks. the top 1% benefited the most, receiving approximately 17% of all funds flowing from tax breaks. it's time for a re-examination of our tax code. who benefits from it? how much do we spend? what are our priorities? not only is this time for reform, because of our fiscal situation, but a time of frequent partisan gridlock, tax reform is one area where two sides seem to agree. members on both sides of the aisle said that tax reform is essential. i commend chairman camp and his counterpart in the senate, chairman bachus, for his efforts to reform our code. i hope they'll continue their bipartisan work and give two houses a package of reforms we can live with. i have no illusion that this will be simple or that everyone will like in the package but

that's the beauty of democracy, we don't have to agree on everything but every voice needs to be heard and compromise and vote. i hope we go to vote on tax reform that is balanced and soon because reforming our tax code will save us billions, lower tax rates and help reduce the deficit. as we sit down to address our fiscal woes, everything has to be on the table, including the $1 trillion we spend each year on tax expenditures. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia, mr. wolf, for five minutes. mr. wolf: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend, and i'll just be a minute, mr. speaker. thank you. news broke today that egyptian courts sentenced dozens of n.g.o. workers, including a son of transportation secretary ray lahood, our former colleague, to jail with their involvement of pro-democracy organizations.

beginning with a december, 2011, raids and throughout the so-called investigation involving freedom house, the national democratic institute had been highly politicized charade. prior to their closure, these organizations carried out important and legitimate programs that help support citizen participation in the egyptian transition process, the very essence, mr. speaker, democracy and america's greatest export. i was in egypt in february and heard firsthand the egyptian government's handling of this case is symptomatic is a broaden crackdown on civil society. this was a sham trial from the first. if this decision stands, not a penny more of u.s. taxpayer money should go to the muslim brotherhood-led government in cairo. i call on the president, president obama, and secretary of state kerry to personally

raise this travesty of justice with the egyptian president and i would urge every member of the house and senate to send a letter to the egyptian government protesting what took place yesterday in cairo and yield bang and thank my -- yield back and thank my friend from north carolina. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. bera, for five minutes. mr. bera: thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise to celebrate our core values, american values of religious freedom and tolerance. these are values that our founders held say credit and they are core to our -- held sacred and they are core to our constitution. across this country and across the globe we're celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of swami. born in india, he was known as-duism's ambassador to the west. many say he was the first-due monk to visit the u.s.,

spreading that same message of religious freedom and tolerance. today, my friends from the-due-american foundation are here in washington, d.c. forks -- the hindu-american foundation that are here in washington, d.c. they will be carrying that same message of religious freedom and tolerance. someone who was raised in a hindu household, i was taught this same respect and tolerance of all religions and traditions. that's why as an adult i am part of the universalist tradition, a faith tradition that is rooted with our founding fathers and includes john adams as one of its members. and it's this tradition that was embraced by swami. so on this 150th anniversary of his birth, let's celebrate his message of religious freedom and tolerance and let's remember the core values that our founding fathers wrote into our constitution. and let's celebrate our

individual freedom of thought and faith which was captured in this quote by swami. dare to be free. dare to go as far as your thoughts lead and dare to carry that in your life. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. jones, for five minutes. mr. jones: mr. speaker, thank you very much. i, like all members of congress, during the memorial daybreak, i had two occasions to speak to a different type of recognition speeches to the families of those who gave loved ones that never came back from wars, so therefore i had several opportunities in north carolina, home of camp lejeune airbase, cherry point marine station. every time i made the comment that it's time to bring our troops home from afghanistan, it was time to stop paying karzai, who is the president of

afghanistan, truthfully, mr. speaker, i get a strong applause and many times after the speeches people come up to me and say i agree with you. it's time we stop spending this money in afghanistan. it's time to start spending the money in america and let the afghans take care of themselves. mr. speaker, probably a couple weeks ago i know i spoke on the floor of the house and probably other members have seen the article that was in "the new york times" where the c.i.a. acknowledged that after 10 years they had been given hundreds of millions of dollars to karzai in cash, one of the comments in the same article, karzai was interviewed and one of his comments was, and i want to -- an easy source of petty cash, karzai wants to continue to get an easy source of petty cash, tens of millions of dollars going to karzai to prop him up until the taliban take afghanistan over. . when i think about the number of

young men and women being killed in afghanistan to prop up this corrupt leader, it reminds me another tragedy in recent american history. the tragedy of the unnecessary war in iraq. mr. speaker, this past week being home i watched three times on hbo a movie called "taking chance" the true story of lieutenant colonel michael strobal, journey to escort the body of p.f.c. chance philips, a fellow marine who died in iraq from dover air force base to the young man's funeral in wyoming. it is a beautiful story of love, of pain, and concern. i hope that members of congress as well the american people get a chance to see the movie "taking chance" it's a true story. mr. speaker, in that story about taking chance home is a beautiful understanding of the pain and the love that those at dover air force base who receive

the remains from afghanistan and take care of those remains, it is absolutely heartwrenching to see the love that these people have for those who have given their life for this country. mr. speaker, after seeing this movie and then reading in the papers that iraq is falling apart, i would like to say to mr. rumsfeld and to the previous administration, thank you for getting us into this unnecessary war. mr. rumsfeld, you were wrong. you said that the iraqi oil was going to pay for the war. no, it is paying for the chinese -- the chinese are benefiting. this is another article in "the new york times" where it says china is the biggest winner, according to this article, the chinese buy almost half of the oil produced in iraq. again, the previous administration got us into an unnecessary war. in fact, the defense department official in the bush administration said, and i quote, we lost out the chinese

had nothing to do with the war. but from an economic standpoint they are benefiting from it. and our air force are helping to ensure their supply. even worse, we have -- we are borrowing chinese money to fund this corrupt leader. i hope the congress will wake up. next week we'll debate the armed services bill and i'm on that committee. i work across the aisle with my friends on the democratic side to cut the funding for afghanistan. mr. speaker, in closing, i have this photograph of a flag draped coffin, it could have been p.f.c. chance phelps, it's not, but could have been. and 4,400 other service men and women who died in iraq. god please continue it bless our men and women in uniform. god continue to bless america. and please, god, let us never forget the sacrifice made by so many in these wars that are unnecessary and these wars that are necessary. i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. as a reminder members should address their remarks to the chair. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. lumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. since 1996 when california voters legalized the medical use much marijuana, the movement has slowly spread across america. over the last 17 years, 19 states and the district of columbia have been pioneering therapy involving the medical use of marijuana. it's long been recognized that marijuana has therapeutic values which were utilized with chemotherapy patients to mitigate or stop the constant nausea. people have used it to deal with chronic paralyzing pain. there is now a wide range of therapeutic uses from system of multiple sclerosis, to helping some of our veterans with ptsd. a million people legally seek

treatment that is perfectly legal under their state laws. what is not legal is for these hundreds of legitimate businesses providing a product that is important to a million people to be able to treat their business expenses like every other business and be able to deduct them from their operating income for tax purposes. decades ago a drug dealer attempted to detect the cost of his -- deduct the cost of his yacht and weapons as a business expense. congress understandably responded in 1992 to make expense associated with dealing in a controlled substance illegal, ineligible for deduction. that fixed the drug dealer but it is now ensnared -- has now ensnared hundreds of legitimate businesses operating under state law, by the way, usually approved by a vote of the

people. as a result, they cannot now deduct entirely legitimate business operating expenses. they cannot claim the work opportunity tax credit if they hire a veteran. they cannot depreciate their american made irrigation equipment. the deduction for the construction or operating cost of a facility that maybe they want to revitalize is not allowed. as a result, these small businesses end up paying an effective tax rate that's double or triple the 15% to 30% that would normally be associated with the profits on most businesses. their effective tax rates often are 60% to 75%. washington and colorado are about to begin operation of businesses for the recreational adult use of marijuana, authorized by their voters last fall. the situation is thus to become more complex and a burden even

greater for more emerging small businesses. we don't have to penalize hundreds of legitimate small businesses across the country to deal with a drug dealer. i'm introducing bipartisan legislation, the small business tax equity act of 2013. any business under this act that operates under state law would be able to deduct legitimate expenses for their business. we shouldn't impose punitive double, triple, or quadruple ordinary rates because congress has not modernized either the federal drug laws or tax code. we should not force them to discontinue a vital service for a million americans, or drive it underground, or, frankly, encourage evasion by punitive taxes that are unjustified or unnecessary. let's bring this out of the shadows and encourage these

small businesses to be treated fairly. it's entirely possible we'll end up actually collecting more revenue, fostering more respect for the law, and ensuring a vital supply of medical marijuana for more than a million people who depend upon. -- depend upon it. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee, mr. duncan, for five minutes. mr. duncan: i request unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. duncan: mr. speaker, i rise this morning to talk about a couple of unrelated topics, except both are examples of officials in positions of power overreacting to situations and making very bad decisions as a result. mr. speaker, when i read that a 5-year-old boy in calvert county, maryland, had been suspended from school for 10

days simply for showing a toy cap gun to his friend on the school bus, i was shocked and shadened. -- saddened. i became even sadder when i read the little boy was questioned for over two hours by school officials before his parents were called and the boy uncharacteristically wet his pants during this interrogation. his mother said later that this boy was all boy and all about rocks, frogs, and cowboys. this interrogation was ridiculous and a 10-day suspension was ridiculous overkill and i wonder if these school officials who did this to this little boy had lost their common sense and human decency. i am now pleased the situation has been partially rectified by cutting the 10-day suspension back to the three days he has already served. and i hope the parents' request to remove the incident from the school's school records are granted. rigid one-size-fits all solutions almost never work.

and frequently the very bad, very unfair solutions. i hope that school boards all across this country will at least come to their senses and do away with so-called zero tolerance policies, especially when it comes to very small children, and especially 5-year-old boys who simply want to be boys. second topic i wanted to mention today, mr. speaker, is about the dodd frank law -- dodd-frank law. it's producing -- has produced many thousands of pages of rules and regulations and red tape in a misguided attempt to rein in abuses by some of the nation's biggest banks. however, as is the case with most federal regulations, this law ended up hurting the small best banks in this nation and thus helping the big banks to get even bigger. listen to these words from a columnist from the "washington times." it has been three years since the senate passed the dodd-frank

financial reform legislation. so far the effects are not what washington promised. more than 200 smaller banks have failed in the wake of dodd-frank. does it comfort them that politicians proclaim smaller banks were exempt from the market distortions lawmakers created? since community banks are being forced to stay below the threshold forced on them by dodd-frank, they are lending less and making less. this further strains banks and limits job growth. we have learned once again that whenever washington announces new regulations, hold on to your wallet. increasing federal regulations, mr. speaker, always ends up helping extremely big business, but makes it even harder for our smallest businesses to survive. we have this big government, big business monopoly in this nation, i hope those who vote for bigger and bigger government

realize the only ones they are helping is big giants in any industry, hurting the small and medium-sized businesses and i hope this trend will slow down so we don't run more small and medium sized businesses out of existence in this nation. now, i hadn't intended to say anything, mr. speaker, but my friend the gentleman from north carolina, mr. jones, spoke about the very unnecessary wars in iraq and afghanistan. he was 100% correct. i admire his courage in speaking out in the way that he has done. unfortunately the armed services committee is about to produce a bill that continues this war funding at the rate of $85 billion for the war in andanistan just to continue other overseas situations like in iraq where we happened to have had the most deadly month

in may that we have had in several years. the situations are not getting better. and this country will be far better off when we start putting our own people and our own country first and stop trying to be the policemen for the world and start doing things that need to be done in this country. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california, ms. chu, for five minutes. ms. chu: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. i rise today to bring much needed attention to a serious threat to our nation, climate change. there are those of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that routinely dismiss this threat or brush it under the rug as normal or even false. but the true consequences of climate change are not lost on the american people. extreme weather is real. some monster tornado destroying

oklahoma, to hurricane katrina destroying the jersey shore, to wildfires raging out of control in the west. climate change is not an issue that we can put off. as environment task force chair on the house sustainable energy coalition, this issue is extremely important to me. it should be important to all of us because we all bear the costs. climate change does not have geographic boundaries. it does not discriminate on whom it wreaks havoc. if you do not believe that climate change is a threat or that the costs are real today, let me share with you a few facts. 25 11 and 2012 there were extreme weather events affecting 43 states. 2013 has already started with an early and intense wildfire season in my home of southern california. extreme weather events in 2011 in 2012 caused $188 billion

economic damage, and cost the american taxpayers $136. that's nearly $1,000 per individual taxpayer or the equivalent of approximately a 2% tax increase. and these are low estimates, literally thousands of heat, rain, and snow records were broken. . in the previous decade, the average size of these wildfires was 89 acres, but in 2012, the average size was 165 acres, nearly double. 9.2 million acres, mostly in the western u.s., were burned, and in the last five years, fires have been more damaging and costly than ever before. her regions are vullneble -- vulnerable to floods, tornados. ships were unable to navigate

the mississippi river due to extremely low water levels. these are facts that we cannot afford to ignore. it is true that changes in the earth's climate have occurred over eons, but human activity have accelerated these changes, fundamentally jeopardizing our environment, and we do not have eons to fix it. we rely on this environment for water, air, food and so much economic activity. we cannot turned a blind eye to climate change. instead, we need to start preparing for it and work harder to stop it. that's why i call on congress to stop the attacks on our environment and finally pass legislation to reduce greenhouse gas and carbon pollution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back.

the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson, for five minutes. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise to voice my serious concern with medicare's implementation of the durable medical equipment, prosthetics and supplies competitive bidding program. despite strong congressional concern about the need for further transparency, the lack of binding bids during the contract process and the improper vetting of the financials of many firms that have been awarded contracts. medicare still plans to move forward in implementing round two of the program on july 1. we have learned that medicare awarded contracts under the program to dozens of firms that do not have the proper credentials to serve these contracts, and in other words leaving medicare beneficiaries without the needed access to the durable medical equipment that allows them to live with dignity during times of disease

and disability. now, unfortunately, c.m.s. has created a situation where serving these contracts will violate state licensing requirements or leave contracts unfulfilled. again, leaving beneficiaries, consumers without access to the health care equipment that they need. furthermore, unqualified bids from firms that are unlicensed to service contracts creates significant distortions of the bid prices in every bidding area nationwide. now, i'm extremely concerned about the mishandling of the bidding process is going to have a devastating impact on medicare beneficiaries. this is a serious issue that warrants a full review of the process and a delay of round two until this failly flawed program is fixed. -- fatally flawed program is fixed. i ask my colleagues to co-sign a letter to the medicare administrator requesting an administrative delay of the

durable medical equipment competitive bidding program. this is absolutely necessary in ensuring that older adults have access to the equipment that they require to live at home with independence and dignity. it also is about jobs. as one of the unintended consequences, i believe, but still a devastating consequence is the implementation of round two we'll continue to see the loss of small businesses all throughout this great nation. and so i just encourage my colleagues to join congressman braley and i in signing this letter to the medicare administrator and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california, ms. speier, for five minutes. ms. speier: mr. speaker, thank you. it's now been almost six months since the tragedy of newtown. the american response to this tragedy was quick and overwhelming, and yet we have

done nothing to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. in fact, many of my colleagues here in this institution seem all too ready to forget newtown and the gun violence epidemic that is devastating families and communities across our country every single day. according to slates gun death racker, an estimated 4,620 people have died as a result of gun violence in america since newtown. 4,620 people. in 12 u.s. states, gun deaths now outpace auto deaths. a new analysis from the violence policy center found that in 2010 there were 31,672 firearm deaths and 35,498 motor vehicle deaths compared with 1999 when there were 28,000

firearm deaths and 42,000 motor vehicle deaths. which is startling considering more than 90% of the american households own a car while less than 1/3 of american households own a gun. we require auto manufacturers to include safety features like seat belt, air bags and pass crash safety tests, and lives are being saved as a result. by 2015, gun deaths will outnumber auto deaths on a national scale. now, think about that. more gun deaths than auto deaths, and we require all these precautions, all of these restrictions on manufacturers to make sure our cars are safe and we do nothing, nothing when it comes to gun manufacturers. think about that. mandatory safety measures, auto manufacturers can be held liable for defects in their

products. we expect cars to be built safely but when it comes to guns, a product designed to kill, manufacturers have been given a free pass. they can't be held liable for the deaths and destruction their products may cause. we don't even require gun manufacturers to make guns child safe. how many more children have to die as a result of senseless gun violence and avoidable gun accidents? "the new york tiles" columnist, joe, is producing a weekly gun report that compiles gun deaths and injuries throughout the country. i will read a few of the recent posts since newtown that deal specifically with children. a 2-year-old boy is dead after an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound. he shot himself in the face with a .09 millimeter pistol in a house in cherokee county, texas, while at home with his great grandmother. a 6-year-old girl was shot in the leg by her father during a

boist russ party in federal heights, colorado. joshua johnson, 4, was playing with a gun at a memphis apartment complex when it went off. e was pronounced dead at the scene. a garland, texas, toddler was shot in his home what people are calling a tragic accident. 3-year-old johno brien was shot in the head in front of his mother, father, two young sisters. he was taken to children's medical center in dallas where he later died from his injury. the 4-year-old son of a jackson county, michigan, sheriff's deputy accidentally shot and killed himself. authorities say that happened around 5:00 p.m. in the deputy's home. michael easter, a 3-year-old boy in liberty township, michigan, died after he accidentally shot himself in the head while alone in the home. michael was home with his mother and two sisters at the time.

a 3-year-old toddler accidentally shot himself in the head with a relative's gun, but was listed in stable condition at a nashville, tennessee, hospital. a teen boy accidentally shot and killed his 12-year-old brother in orlando, florida. the shooting happened at home in the area and investigators are working to determine what led to the shooting. a dad accidentally shot his son dead as he cleaned his gun in the family's living room. christopher, 34, was wiping down a loaded weapon in his home in fairmont, north carolina, when it discharged. his 10-year-old son, christopher jr., was watching television and was struck in the back of his head with a bullet. his 8-year-old daughter was also in the room. the boy was pronounced dead at the scene. how many more children have to die before congress act? i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back.

the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. mcnerney, for five minutes. mr. mcnerney: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to talk about the veterans disability backlog but this time on a positive note. first, i want to take appropriations subcommittee on military construction and veterans' committee chair, john culberson, and ranking member stanford bishop, for their work on the fiscal year 2014 military construction and veterans' affairs appropriations bill and for reporting language that my california colleague, representative paul cook, and i recommended to address the backlog claims at the department of veterans affairs. our veterans are heroes and they deserve the benefits they've earned. the v.a. has set a goal of processing all disability claims within 125 days by the year 2015. this is an ambitious goal that

deserves our attention as the agency works to meet its self-imposed deadline. unfortunately too many v.a. regional offices across the country are underperforming by failing to process benefits' claims for veterans in a timely manner. recent data indicates that it takes 552 days on average for a claim to be processed at the v.a.'s oakland regional office, which serves the veterans in my district. this is unacceptable. while i'm pleased that the v.a. has made a concerted effort to improve accuracy and timeliness at the oakland r.o., more can be done for veterans across the nation. the v.a. has made a genuine effort to help veterans suffering from agent orange, posttraumatic stress and to recognize the special needs of women veterans, among others. in addition, the v.a. recently

announced it would mandate overtime at its regional offices and place a priority on claims pending for more than one year. however, we must hold the v.a. accountable for its results. additional oversight and accountability will not only benefit our nation's veterans and their families, but will allow congress to ensure that v.a. has the resources it needs to properly support our heroes. in addition to these efforts, i was joined by a bipartisan group of colleagues in requesting that the v.a. submit quarterly reports for each regional offices where disability claims are pending for an average of 200 days or more. these reports must outline any progress the r.o. has made as well as the steps it's taking to reduce the backlogs, such as hiring more claims processors or requiring additional

training. i am pleased that this language was included in the committee report accompanying h.r. 2216. this is a move in the right direction as congress continues its oversight of the v.a. to improve the lives of our veterans. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, for five minutes. ms. jackson lee: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i rise with a very sad duty and as well an appreciation to my colleagues from texas who joined me yesterday with a one-minute request of silence, commemoration of the four fallen firefighters in houston,

texas. first responders belong to all of us, no matter where they live. when a devastating incident occurs that causes them to lose their lives, we all feel the pain and sadness for them and the families that mourn them. we in texas repeatly lost a number of firefighters in west, texas. now sadly i come together to acknowledge the loss of four firefighters in the houston fire department in the city of houston. bebee, enaurd, robert anne sullivan. unfortunately these wonderful people lost their lives in a fire where they were fighting to save the lives of others. the mission of firefighters is constantly with courage and commitment and compassion. and today i recount the history

of the houston firefighters and fire department. since march 14, 2012, was the last time the city of houston lost a firefighter in the line of duty when senior captain thomas dillon died. 1929 marked the last time more than two firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty with edgar grant and harry oxford and john little were killed when their engine was struck by a train. on may 31, just a few days ago, 2013, a five-alarm fire just afternoon at the location of a motel and restaurant is now the most deadly fire in the history of the 118 years of the houston city fire department. . sadly captain e.m.t. renard of station 51, operator robert t., firefighter e.m.t. robert of station 6, and probationary firefighter ann of station 68

died in the line of duty. all we can see as we look to the heavens is that we hope that they will rest in peace. they were our brothers and our sisters. ann sullivan of 68 was a gifted athlete who played soccer and was a cross-country runner. focused her life and ambition upon graduating from high school to become a firefighter and began her quest by choining the whartton country junior fire academy, and after graduation she became a student at the houston fire department academy. while also previously doing work in another jurisdiction. firefighter robert zarner of station 68 was proud to call himself a houston firefighter who sought out this honor after leaving the united states air force where he honorably served his country and completed two and the duty in iraq

fire department career. captain matthew renard, who served the u.s. fire department for 11 1/2 years, joined in october of 2001 and was asiped to station 51 upon graduation from the academy and awarded the meritorious medal for saving a female who had been trapped in an apartment. an engineer operator robert of station 51 graduated from high school in southwest houston in 1990 and began his fire department career at the fire academy in august 6, 2001. served the majority of his career at station 51. over the last couple of days i visited the command station, logistics, and firemen's union. then went to fire station 51. fire station 51 and 68, we offer our deepest sympathy and understanding that your brothers and sisters have been lost. for today we also pay tribute because of the memories of the

texas delegation will be introducing -- members of the texas delegation will be introducing a resolution in honor of these hero, and we are reminded of their work and the words of the firemen's creed, their work is to save lives, lives of men and women, but it is god's work. those fallen heroes were engaged in god's work for they were looking for lost souls that might have been in that building, that horrific horrible fire, that has seen thousands of houstonians go by to tribute and thousands more to go by and pay tribute at fire station 51 and 68, and also to acknowledge local 341. tomorrow houston will grieve together and as well i want them to know that the members of the united states congress grieve with them as we introduce this resolution. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule

1, the chair declares the house spending bill designed to house and equip the nation's military troops and families. in includes money for a host of veterans benefits, services

stating that our application and our user fee payment had then received. it stated that we should be expecting to hear from someone within 90 days. however, the irs did not initiate any contact with us for another 459 days. that was when i received a letter from the cincinnati office dated february 3, 2012. that letter stated that they cannot process our application until we we completed the enclosed questionnaire which requested approximately 90 pieces of additional information about our organization. the questionnaire stated that if the additional information was not returned by february 24, our case would be closed. the demands for information in the questionnaire shocked me as someone who loved liberty and the first amendment. i was asked to hand over my donor list including the amounts that they gave and the

dates on which they gave them. do not4 organizations have to disclose donor information. i knew that. why do not -- why don't they? among the demands were they wanted me to identify all of my volunteers. they wanted to know if any of our donors or volunteers had run or would be running for office in the near future. remember, this was the 2012 election cycle. they wanted us to identify the office they would be running for. they wanted us to provide detailed contents of all speeches ever given some of the names of our speakers and their credentials. they wanted copies of written communications and contents of all other forms of communications to any legislative body, including my own representative. i was very uncomfortable with these questions, as you can imagine, and my husband and i discussed forfeiting our application. however, within days of reading

through these questions, we knew we were being targeted because that look tea party organizers across this nation were getting the same types of letters and questionnaires. that was when we decided to seek legal counsel. on march 6, 20 12, we retain counsel of the americans under for law and justice, they represented us in this matter. two weeks later, i received a letter dated march 16, 2012 asking that i provide the previously requested information. watch romans later, we received a letter dated july 9, 2012 stating that we had been approved to receive our tax exemption. after we635 days applied. in conclusion, the tea party filled out a complete application. our organization fell within the boundaries of receiving a 501(c) 4 status. yes, our application was singled out solely because we had tea party in our name.

government agents made invasive and excessive demands for information they were not entitled to. congressman camp and members of this committee, this was not an accident. this is a willful act of intimidation to discourage a point of view. with the government did to our .roup in alabama is un-american it is not a matter of firing or arresting individuals. the individuals who sought to intimidate us were acting as they thought they should, in a government culture that had little respect for its citizens. many of the agents and agencies of the government do not understand that they are servants of the people. they think they are our masters, and they are mistaken. i am not interested in scoring political points. i want to protect and preserve the america that i grew up in, the america of the people crossed oceans and risked their lives to become a part of. and i am terrified it is

slipping away. thank you. >> thank you very much. will now move -- thank you all for your testimony. we will now move into the question and answer period of the hearing, and i will begin. on may 17, we heard from the inspector general that the irs had targeted certain americans americans on the basis of their personal beliefs am a that they were subject to extraordinary delays and they were an appropriate questions that were asked. -- and they were asked inappropriate questions. you are asked to identify a list of all the issues that were imported to your organization and to indicate your position on each issue. asked about prayer meetings, including how they are considered educational, and you are asked to explain in detail the activities at these prayer meetings.

and the percentage of time your organization spends on prayer meetings. i would like to ask the panel to elaborate. are the inspector general's report findings consistent consistent with your experience of targeting delay and intimidation? thees, i will say that expected general's reports are consistent. i do not think the report, however, is deep enough yet. i think we had more evidence among us to monopoly this panel but among other parties, organizations, that it is much deeper. i think this is just scratched the surface. >> all right. >> i do not actually read the inspector general's report, so what exactly was your question? >> just if those things i mentioned -- were those consistent with your experience? that itnow, i think

certainly seemed like a gross overreach of the irs. >> all right, thank you. >> our organization did not have those particular problems, but as our story has become more public, the number of communications i have received seeking legal counsel have raised a concern that a lot of americans have expressed. is this limited to the irs? the stories about people having fbi startingand investigations on them, it has american citizens scared to death of what their government is capable of doing once they have crossed the threshold they have crossed here. americans are darn right afraid of what is going on. we have got to restore the credibility of government and servants of the people, rather than our masters, as my colleague said. the number of stories i am getting the indicate those greater concerns is deeply troubling. >> all right. ,> an answer to your question

definitely yes. >> all right. >> and yes also. pleased asked us to explain in detail the activities and our prayer meetings. also please provide the percentage of time your organization spends on prayer groups as compared with the other activities in our organization. igi would agree with the report, but i was disturbed that on page 20 the irs listed seven questions that they deemed inappropriate. however, many of the questions that i was asked and others were asked, like the contents of your prayers, some of the organizations that we have been involved with, they got questions asked about their family members. the questions i mentioned about running for office. they do not dean knows is an appropriate, so i think we need to go back and look at those questions because most of them were inappropriate. >> obviously, getting a letter from a federal agency asking for

those detailed pieces of information about prayer meetings and what your family members are doing -- i read some of those questions. obviously, i came to the conclusion that the irs felt that there was a right or wrong position on those issues. and they write and wrong activity -- and a right and wrong activity regarding prayer meetings, for example. what was your impression when you received those questions? >> like i said, when i receive those questions, i felt defensive. i felt like that was not any of their business. i was not going to identify my volunteers. i was fearful for them. if their name was going to the irs, i know they would be scared. or -- the questions were chilling. i was shocked i was being asked those questions. >> the most disturbing thing for us was having to agree that we would not contest or picket at

planned parenthood. and since there were no similar requests in the application, really we had no idea what they were even trying to control. if we went there in prayer, with that be considered picketing protesting? it was very troubling. >> when i opened the envelope and i had anxiety and i felt betrayed. absolutely betrayed. >> dr. eastman, when our daughters were disclosed a number of people called us expressing concern about that. the effort seems to have been designed to subject our donors to abuse and intimidation, to hold them accountable for donating to the cause of traditional marriage. more significantly for our

purposes to chill them from donating again so that we could keep up the political fight we are in the middle of. there is an unbelievable chilling effect on what happened. >> i think that our organization, the questions were not quite as intrusive as the of the group's. but i was just overwhelmed by the sheer level of detail being requested. to try to go back and track that stuff down was very difficult. it was a very stressful thing, having to go through this. at this point out that i think about it, going back through, this was the paperwork, my files. when i look back through misinformation that has been sent to the irs and i hear about these 157 visits, i believe it was, between the head of the irs and president obama, i am very concerned, it makes me very nervous. was my group being discussed?

were our political activities being discussed? are we some how targeted for this? it is very chilling. >> most disturbing to lynchpins of liberty, keep in mind that we work with students, some of the minors. that the irs would ask to know the identity of those students is unbelievably, unconscionably chilling. hearing on the 17th, the acting commissioner steve miller some of the irs's action as horrible customer service. i know that i certainly take a different view of that, as do many members of this committee. he said that he would admit that they did horrible customer service and whether it was politically motivated or not is a different question. dr. eastman, i would say that if you had a bank and you disclosed confidential customer

information, would you call that horrible customer service or something else? >> a felony. i would hold the people that committed those felonies accountable. i would bring indictments and open up civil liability for the taxpayers affected, the damages to our donor base are incalculable and i would prosecute those responsible. >> thank you. mr. levin is recognized. >> thank you very much. let me just say a few things in response to your testimony. our obligations to get the frat -- get the facts and not deal in conjecture. been deed, i think the more that we deal with conjecture the less likely we are to get the facts. let me just say to you that i think we've been very much

disagree about the work of planned parenthood, is my guess. , the question about whether you were picketing or protesting before planned was totally worse than an inappropriate. you should not have been asked to that. and as personnel of the irs are inquired of, i would think that may be looked into. mr. eastman, let me just say to you that this issue was raised at the hearing with the inspector general. and he indicated, mr. miller indicated in response to a question from you about the donor list, he said that he

believes they made a referral to the inspector general. thats later asked about and he said that those .i.t.t.a.s were t i believe what they found were that those disclosures were inadvertent and that there had been disciplined in one of those cases for someone not following procedures. but obviously i will let mr. george speak to that. that was his testimony. and then our chairman asked mr. george about that. it would appear, from his testimony, that it was being investigated by the inspector general.

that is all we know about it at this point. whether it continues to be investigated by the inspector general. me just finish. i just want to emphasize, i said in my opening statement that we also need to look at the larger issue of 501 c four, of the statutory language and how in fact it is now being utilized, but i want to finish by just reading the last part of my opening statement. please be assured, and we said this to each and everyone of you and the american public, please be assured that we take seriously our responsibility to ensure that congress gets to the bottom of what happened here. that those responsible are held accountable and that safeguards are in place to ensure that this does not happen again.

surely the democratic side we will do that. basis thatbipartisan we will work together to do that. >> mr. johnson is recognized. >> thank you for holding this important hearing. the american people want, need, and deserve to know the truth. it is our responsibility to demand it and hold those responsible accountable. thes particularly struck by testimony from several of the tea party witnesses. as you know back in my district it appears that the patriots to advocate the fiscal responsibility of the rule of law and limited government have also been a target of the irs. in july of 2010 a group applied for 5014c status and as of today they have yet to receive a

response, which is absurd. it has been nearly three years. in february of 2012 they set up 19 questions, including such onerous and irrelevant ones as relating to the employment of the group's key officials. mr. chairman, i would like to submit for the record the news story entitled two conservative groups targeted by the irs. let me just say what it says here. list all ofed to their volunteers. everything that they did, it won an accounting of every dollar donated, what it was spent on, fliers thed for any may have handed out. may i submit that for the record? >> without objection. >> thank you. the pattern of intimidation toward certain americans is frankly in my view of american.

the bottom line is that the irs has been used as a political weapon. you work, i understand with veterans returning from combat with posttraumatic stress disorder. as a veteran i would like to start off by saying thank you for doing that. please describe your work. >> i work with veterans who have been deployed throughout iraq and iran, most of the desert community and their families. thetoll that takes on families is extraordinary. i work with their dogs. i am going to cry. i see people that are untouched. no one goes to hug a soldier unless their family. i have this one guy that comes and he says -- where is my dog? he picks the dog up for the session and pats my dog, little lady.

they are on the front lines and everyone on this panel has their back. i hope that you do as well. >> yes, ma'am. as you know i was in the military and i understand that. thank you for doing that. did you ever think he would have to deal with pages, ages, and pages of intrusive questions from the irs? and when you come home from a day of helping our troops, who protect us every minute of every day at the last thing you want to do is deal with onerous question there's from the irs. can you talk about the burden of the questions and how many there were? >> the burden on me personally was extraordinary. i think i could have purchased stock in king goes, there were almost 200 pages of documentation, leaflets, agendas. because they ask if we have a candidate for

certain parties. this is a list of candidates i invited for one of our forums. both democrats and republicans, back and forth. i heard nothing from any of the democratic candidates. not even an rsvp regret. the republicans that could not come, they send their presentation. so did the libertarians. our group is primarily educational. operated as a 501c4. we have done this to get word out on the constitution, to get people to be informed about how to vote and where to go to vote. website you will see democrats, republicans, libertarian groups listed in los angeles county. >> how much time did the irs give you to respond to those letters? >> 20 days after the first

interrogatories. there were three questionnaires that were sent. >> it probably made it impossible for you to answer those questions. thank you again for the great work the to do to help our veterans. i appreciate you standing up for them as they stand up for us. >> thank you, mr. chairman. let me thank each and everyone of you for making the effort to come here to point out where our government has let us down and in helping us to understand the problem with those people who were directly and adversely affected so that we can better do our job. i do not want to forget miss kenney. i hope that everyone who is listening, whenever you can do for the veterans, whenever anyone can do to help those people who put their lives at stake and they are coming home to joblessness and homelessness,

i want to commend you, as did my colleague, for which she do, and hope that it is encouragement for everybody to do something. irs, most of us know that this is an experience of a telephone call from the irs. somehow historically it is a very uncomfortable feeling. i hope that you would all agree people that work for the internal revenue service are dedicated, hard-working civil servants. someplaceund a cancer in cincinnati. we have to find out what caused this. so that no americans would be subject to the type of bias and discrimination that some of you,

and many others who are not here, have suffered. and we have to make certain that it does not happen again. even more important, to try to just how many people were contaminated by the presence of those people that have done this to our country. think that you would agree that we have to find criminal intent. we do not know how anyone could do something like this and just think it was in the ordinary course of business, but as a former federal prosecutor, you as a doctor of the law and a former clerk to a member of the united states supreme court, but you know that. i have been trying to get the

same information that you spoke of in your testimony. they said that it was all being investigated and could lead to a grand jury inquiry. i think that if you and i kept in touch with each other i would be satisfied with following whether or not our government is actually pursuing this investigation in the manner that a u.s. american could be proud that this branch of government intends to do the job that is expected of us. so. hearings tot these just pass and indict an administration, but more importantly to indict these civil servants who clerk every day for the taxpayers. just want to close by saying that when it comes to political that i, most people know

am a democrat through the marrow of my bones but what makes our country great is that everybody wants a better country and loves the country that we are in. and we need all of these views. whether you can over with the pilgrims or some other way against your will, we are here to improve the quality of life for our country and be a beacon for democracy for the entire world. i do not know whether our toitical system can afford be using a charitable organizations to get candidates elected. i will only ask you this as a professor of constitutional law, dr. eastman, and the fact that people's identity should be confidential if it concerns the activity, but if you are a democrat, hey, put it out there.

if you are a republican, put it out there. if you are making contributions, do it, be proud of it. it just sounds, dr. eastman, like an undercover thing to take an organization that is primarily for the public good and be giving political campaign funds to it. your view, doctor? >> you will have to respond be -- briefly, time has expired. >> if you wanted to get rid of all tax-exempt status and create a level playing field that way, that would be fine, but what is intolerable is to have a set of rules for one side and another set for another. quite frankly what is happening to the national organization for marriage donors, the level of intimidation is starting to rival what went on when the supreme court shutdown during naacp vs. alabama. there is a reason that people want to keep their activities confidential, so that they are

not harassed out of the political process. when it rises to the level of naacp verses alabama it is important to help protect the confidentiality so that people are not scared away from exercising their constitutional rights. >> organizations -- >> time has expired. >> our first hearing revealed potential abuses of power by the irs, including targeting organizations based on political beliefs, leaking private taxpayer information to the media, perhaps the campaigns of outside groups. misleading congress for almost two years. we should be listening to the victims of those abuses of power. thank you for being here today. a small business owner in the midwest, concerned citizens from alabama, you are plenty tough.

how frightening is a government so powerful that it can target you, an average american citizen, for simply expressing your constitutional views in wanting to be engaged in this republic? how frightening is that power? me it was very frightening. i did not even think we had a hope to try and stand up to it. personally, i thought we would just have to send the letter and get our 501c3. if we did not have it, some of our donors may be would not contribute to us. irsit was power that the had over us and over the success of our group by not granting it. fortunately some of our board members were strong about it and would not give up their first amendment rights.

even though we are not about protesting. we are not even about that, we are about education and about praying for an end to abortion. some of our members will take a sign. that is very small. still, we did not want to give up the rights that we had to be able to do that. fortunately we had some attorneys that helped us, but without them i am not sure what would have happened. >> thank you. not know how to put into words how scary it is when a government agency comes after an individual or small organization. i think the most alarming, the most scary is when you allow the government to go so far and you do not stop them, they go farther. pretty soon we are in tyranny and it is hard to put into words. it looks like that -- using

these agencies as a weapon against citizens feels scary and like tyranny. >> that is exactly what these hearings are about. the white house continues to claim that all of this was done by a couple of rogue employees in cincinnati. do you believe that the leaking of your personal taxpayer information was done by a few rogue employees? >> i do not. let me respond to the comment about this being inadvertent. it was not inadvertent that someone redacted the information. it was not inadvertent that it was given to our political opponents. they deliberately provided our donor list to political opponents of hours who had been seeking that information for a long time. if that is an adverb, that word no longer means anything. anin addition to being attorney, you teach civics class is.

do either of you believe that this could happen in america? did you ever imagine that the government could target you like this? >> that was not something that was thinking about. i thought that we lived in a free republic. i feel that our country has turned a corner into tyranny. i have honestly lost sleep over being in fear of what our government might do next. >> we teach about this very thing. the irony is it is happening under our noses. >> probably something you did not include in your original lesson plan? >> we did not. >> we have a lot of work to do in this investigation. it will be thorough and deliver it. thank you all for being here today. mr. chairman? >> thank you. mr. mcdermott? >> thank you.

freedom of speech is no doubt one of our most important fundamental rights. it is unacceptable in every way for a government agency to on fairly scrutinize any organization because of their political affiliations. the irs has a privet we made a mistake. while i think it was a case of foolish account management and dangerously chosen short cuts, i will not hesitate to say that the irs was wrong. as i listen to this discussion, i would like to remind everyone that what we're talking about here, none of your organizations were kept from organizing or silenced. we are talking about whether or not be american taxpayers will subsidize your work. we are talking about a tax break. if you did not come in and ask for this tax break, you would never have had a question asked of you. you could go out there and say anything you wanted in the

world. i get the feeling that many of you and my republican colleagues just do not believe, or believe that you should be free from political targeting, but free from any scrutiny at all. taxpurpose of a c3 or 4 exemption is to enable easier promotion of public good, not political work. it is the responsibility of the irs to determine which groups are choosing the correct exempt status and which are trying to manipulate the system to avoid taxes and hide political organizations and campaign donors. without oversight, a status meant for charities becomes a machine for political money laundering. do you think that is far fetched? speak to speaker gingrich. fined $300,000 by the ethics committee of the house of representatives for

funneling money from the american lincoln opportunity ind to where he was chairman order to promote the takeover of arouse republican activists. that is what happens when you do not ask questions. each of your groups is highly political. from opposing health care reform to the marriage and abortions, you are all entrenched in some of the most controversial political issues in the country. with your applications you were asking the american public to pay for that. many of you host and endorse candidates, with a line between permitted and non-permitted political activity that can be very fine. it is important that the taxpayers, the taxpayers know

which side you fall on. if there were an organization promoting taxpayer funding for abortions, would do not want to know what they were using that political money for? or for what candidates they were backing? what about a group that wanted to promote voting without identification? or what if -- a few years ago there was an increase in communist candidates in this country and they wanted to be tax-exempt? would you not want to be sure that the self declared tax-free classification of those groups was correct? the mistake here was that the staff organizing the organization's use the names of the organizations rather than the work they do and asked improper questions to figure that out. it is clearly wrong. it was inept, stupid, and a whole lot of other things. but let's not get lost. during the bush administration liberal groups were targeted without any concern for anyone

on this committee. republicans were look -- are looking for a conspiracy where there is not one. mr. isa says that he can feel that in his gut that someone has broken the law. ask yourself which is more likely, that mid-level overwhelmed employees made stupid, irresponsible shortcuts? or that there is in the administration wide plot to take down community organizers? let's not forget that this happened under an irs commissioner appointed by george bush and investigated by a republican inspector general. what happened to you was on a fair. it was unfair. an incredibly inconvenient. but it was a mistake. our job is to make sure it does not happen again. i have not heard a single word about what questions you think we should be able to ask you about your tax-exempt request.

anything else is simply political theater. it is diverting attention from what we ought to be doing on this committee. rewriting the law if it is wrong. >> thank you, time is expired. mr. ryan is recognized. >> i am going to deviate from my original question in response to what i just heard. lots of cheering] >> mr. chairman? mr. chairman? >> welcome to washington. >> the committee will be in order. >> we heard gingrich, we heard bush. we had the former irs commissioner who knew about political targeting long before congress was told, implying that they were responsible for the targeting because they chose to apply for tax-exempt status? so you are to blame here? do you think your targeted based upon your political beliefs, your religious beliefs, or just

because you chose to apply? >> our beliefs. our views. >> we had the acting commissioner miller here a couple of weeks ago and we asked him, did groups with the word organizing or progressive in the name, with a targeted? the answer was no. we know -- this is one of the facts that we now know. people were singled out because of their beliefs. line, mr. original kookogey? your 29 months? >> and counting. >> you have not been approved yet. >> i have not been approved. >> you were asked 90 questions, asking you to provide a list of your members and donors, political affiliation of your mentors, and your political positions on virtually every issue important to you? >> yes, sir.

>> you are teaching [read names] and it is 29 months in waiting? >> you have proof that the i.r.s. committed a felony, you have proved to this and nothing has occurred to find justice, it is that correct? >> that is correct. at weal law requires th be notified and about the status of the investigation and any action taken. we were refused any answer to that request. we have identified the document came from within the i.r.s.

the i.r.s. proof league pitcher confidential donor information to a group that opposes your point of view and your donors or harassed as a result of that. is that correct? >> correct. >> the i.r.s. told you if you're board signed a letter that if there would no longer protests, they could receive their tax- exempt status, it is that correct? >> that is correct. she said it was ready to go through. everything was in order. >> we have not heard any

testimony that this is happening to groups that have the opposite views. to suggest these citizens are to i do not applying, understand how anyone can make that conclusion. i yield. >> thank you. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you for being here. i noticed the makeup of the panel from the south and other parts of the country. i groped in alabama and i live in georgia -- i grew up in alabama and i live in georgia. typedividual deserves the of treatment that you received or experience.

based solely on political views is completely unacceptable. it is disservice to the american people. also a disservice any concern on americans. bush and days of the his tracing, groups have been scrutinized. we must be honest with ourselves and with each other. this has nothing to do with red blue. blverses and 2006, many liberal groups including the an the bushe targeted by

administration. --re was the our rage then? where was the outrage then? as we sitercise -- here today, let us also remember that the i.r.s. has many good, hard-working employees that do a great job enforcing the tax code. we must not let the action of a misguided few harnisch the image of the entire agency. we must find a bipartisan solution to a bipartisan problem. ,hank you for taking your time especially from alabama where i grew up.

thank you for being here and i yield back my time. >> thank you. you received a letter from miss lois lerner, is that correct? you also received a letter from lois lerner. ?o you also received a letter did anyone else received a letter from lois lerner? theyve three witnesses received letters from lois lerner. mr. miller said this was confined to just cincinnati. we have conflicting statements and we need to get to the bottom of that.

can you name the treasury inspector general officials with whom you discussed your case with? headt off the top of my but i can provide that after the hearing to the committee. ofdo you know if the leak your tax information, did it come from washington, d.c., or cincinnati? believee no reason to that it came from cincinnati. >> ok. i think we should try to figure perhaps the inspector general has that information. of for this information was leaked from. that would dispel the cincinnati narrative that is out there. the i.r.s. agent who handled at

your case is miss richards? does she have a first name ? >> she never gave a first name. our attorney did. >> could you provide the names to this committee? >> yes. richards ever indicate she was seeking guidance from anyone else in the i.r.s.? >> a couple of times she plummet on hold and said, i must check with my supervisor. she never gave me a name. >> or vague in cincinnati or someplace else -- were they in cincinnati someplace else? >> i do not know.

>> tissue correspond with any other agents about your case -- did you correspond with any other agents about your case? >> i did not speak with them on the phone. >> you do not know if it came from washington or cincinnati. >> the address on the letter said "cincinnati." missthink we should bring we shouldand others, try to figure at who these people are and conduct interviews with these folks. i remain concerned about mrs. lerner, who pleaded the fifth and said she did not do anything wrong. we should probably try to get

her before the committee. and her colleague, mr. joseph who was promoted and then resigned. i think they could shed some light on the constitutional rights of these witnesses and the money race of these americans, and i yield back. >> thank you for calling today's hearings. what we have heard is very troubling. the i.r.s. touches many americans. is certainly unacceptable. i am troubled by the mismanagement of the i.r.s. in handling tax exempt

applications. based onrector miller a director highlighted a case of a constituent who was penalized a few years later. americans should be able to rely on the advice of the i.r.s. without punishment. failure to provide congress information it is unacceptable, as well. it is unbelievable that lois withoutestified informing the committee as to what she was going to say at the aba conference. i appreciate your hearing and calling it today. we need to get to the bottom of these problems.

that isorget something even more egregious than some of the actions of the ira's, and that is the underlying problem. after citizens united, the i.r.s. was flooded with applications from groups seeking the status of 501c4. super pacs must disclose their do not.which 501c4 both groups have taken advantage of the status. there were democratic groups that were targeted. previous testimony indicates that. that should be noted as well.

i hope there will be a review of 501c4 status. i appreciate your work with veterans. million new veterans. you indicated you have an invitation that you extend to a wide range of candidates. you indicated democrats did not attend based upon the invitation that you have extended. why do you think? >> i have no idea. >> thank you. >> thank you for providing this hearing. i would like to remind members that this is far beyond 501c4

status. justinwas a gentleman, thomas. i would like to submit some information on that case. submittedman schmidt to the i.r.s. questions regarding why mr. thomas was 501c3ion 26 on a application. they have not received their status to this day and this american does not know why he was question number 26. to find out on friday on another matter dealing with the i.r.s. ans lawyer represents

organization that is a taxable nonprofit. they filed their first tax return with the i.r.s. in february of this year, mr. chairman. e the people convention, inc. of ohio, it is their name. they received a letter from the i.r.s. 1120.ceived your form we are sorry we cannot process your returned as filed. therecords indicate we people is a political organization and you are required to file for tax- exempt status." keep iras had no other

information other than the name we the people -- the i.r.s. had no other information other than the name, with people. and the wrote back letter said this organization was formed as a nonprofit organization in ohio and the stated purpose is a coming together of citizens for the purpose of sharing information and ideas as well as for any lawful purposes. and hold an annual meeting the organization is not involved in any activities designed to influence the outcome of any elections. claim tax exempt status and has not attempted to claim

such status. we are only scratching the surface of weren't this goes. this organization is a taxable nonprofit. for those who think this is about tax exempt status, this shows we're only scratching the surface. fabulous.ony is i have to tell you, this is shocking to me. i yield back. >> thank you. thank you for your testimony. a career republican who would work for two republican senators and was appointed by george h.

w. bush. he identified wrongdoing at the i.r.s. i agree with his findings. thatf the applications were identified that were set aside, 96 of them appearing to be of a political orientation like the groups that are here today and perhaps one like progress taxes in my home town, which received a similar letter. got whenever the political beliefs. the inspector general is right. folks should not have to worry about that. the inspector general had more openingfter a strong statement about what the report

signified. i asked him specifically if he had found any evidence of the corruption at the i.r.s.. he said, no, he had not. whether our tax system is rotten at the core. definitely not., i.r.s. takesat the who wins and loses in america. believended, i do not that is the case. there is a question and a problem at the i.r.s. with regard to the basic issue of which groups the taxpayers should subsidize. we do not subsidize the democratic or republican or

libertarian party. we should not subsequent groups that act in a similar way to promote political activity. this congress was very clear on and in whatin 1913 is now 501c4. they must be operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare. through a role that seems to conflict directly with the clear wording of the statute did the i.r.s. act to give itself organizations that are here before us today. i think the i.r.s. is wrong here. suggestedcent years,

we would have tens of millions, hundreds of millions of tax subsidized money awarded with secret contributors into the election process to pollute our democracy. for aanization, citizens responsibility and ethics in washington petition the ira's to act about this and to go back to the original wording of the statute that had existed since 1913. the i.r.s. did not respond except with a "we will think .bout it" type letter another petition for the treasury department to act on this matter. i have asked them to do the same. i don't believe the internal revenue service, the treasury

department should be providing tax subsidies to organizations that are not engaged exclusively in social welfare. ons is the second hearing this subject in a short period of time. we have had some 37 of votes on whether to repeal the affordable health care act. i'm sure this is not the last hearing on this topic. the two are closely related. the i.r.s. has an important function to reply caring about the provisions of the affordable care act. access those families who are entitled to premium insurance. the ira's needs to carry out the

carry-- the i.r.s. needs to carry out that job. i yield back. >> thank you. the inspector general's report was an audit. chairman.ou, mr. the supreme court has already decided this issue. some of my friends may disagree with the supreme court decision. others might disagree on the decision about forcing americans to buy health insurance. land.the law of the there was a hearing two weeks ago. mr. miller accepted the report.

fully. he expected it he did not agree with the use of the word "targeted." mr. miller would not agree that certain individuals or organizations were treated differently in this process. we provided poor customer service. for customer service. -- poor customer service. was mr. miller asked to resign by the president obama of the united states because he presented poror customer service? poor customerded

service-should be asked to resign? that would be my question. we know it was more than poor customer service. "itmiller goes on to say, was just for customer service -- poor customer service." then he came up with excuses. by good an effort employees to be efficient. to be efficient? by asking you hundreds of questions about your personal lives? that is efficiency? i don't think so.

we talk about the tax information. it is not inadvertent. there is more investigation to do. officer.tired police there are a lot of questions to ask here. i try to find out who came up with the criteria that all of you have to respond to. he didn't remember at first but give me the title of person he spoke with. he said it was nancy marx. did any of you speak with nancy marx? that we thinkt appearaving nancy marx

before this panel to find out what she knew. names that have been been brought up here today. i would ask whether any other names for many of the panelists -- do you have any of the names of people you have spoken with, could you provide those? kookogey. with mr. could you please provide me with any names. >> the first agent on my case was sheila mae robinson. then my case was switched to the desk of ron bell. mitcht was passed to mr.

steele. the most recent letter was from a woman whose name i cannot pronounced. >> we will get that from a letter. herr.eph >> i will provide those names to the committee. >> mitch steele. >> other names possibly? >> i will provide that. robert shulls. i have an id number. ronald dbell. lois lerner. i have my time line and all these names are in there as well as the id number. >> thank you.

>> thank you. all thet to thank witnesses for being here. you kenney, i want to think for your work with veterans. i appreciate that very much. i want to state for the record. i believe it is outrageous and wrong and we must do everything that we can to fix this. you said that this needs to be investigated and those responsible need to be held responsible. i agree. anylieve any targeting of group needs to be held accountable.

it is important that we hear about these abuses. andll know that it is bad it is wrong and that we know we need to fix it. it is abusive. >> this hearing continues online at c-span.org. we'll go to live coverage at the house. we have some tweets. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] thank you for your tweets. the house is about to gavel in.

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by from the haplain, hindu monetary, kauai, hawaii. he chaplain: may today's

session of the house of representatives to which -- be abundantly blessed by the lord supreme. through personal introspecs, a collaborative heart and by god's all pervasive grace, may the members present here today, despite differing views and staunchly held convictions, find the wisdom to craft mutually exceptional solutions to our nation's challenges. the tragic boston marathon bombings, still vivid in all of our minds, implore us to advocate the humanity of a nonviolent approach in all dimensions of life. hindu scripture declares without equivocation that the highest of all ideals is to never knowingly harm anyone. may we here in this chamber and

all the people of our great nation endeavor to face even our greatest difficulties with an unwaivering commitment to seek out and find nonviolent solutions. eace, peace, peace to us and peace to all beings. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the last chair's proceedings and announced to the house his approval thereof. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from arkansas, mr. cotton. mr. cotton: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the

gentleman from california, mr. royce, is recognized for one minute. mr. royce: mr. speaker, congresswoman gabbard and i are proud to have the opportunity bodhinatha, tguru the spiritual leader and leader f kauai's hindu monastery. he's here part of advocacy day and is a true leader in the hindu culture. he's been head of the monastery since 2001 and has spread peace and inclusiveness around the community. additionally, his achievements have international reach. not only does he oversee the himalayan academy various publications, he serves as a publisher as the international magazine "hinduism today."

he spends his time to being part of hnidu youth around the orld in producing books that teaches restraints and religious observances as well. thanks, satguru, for your opening prayer. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to 15 one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? mr. cotton: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman from arkansas seek unanimous consent? mr. cotton: yes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. today, on behalf of a grateful state, i rise to honor scott county sheriff cody carpenter, an arkansas game and fish wildlife officer, joe cempora, who died trying to

save their fellow arkansans from flad floods. sheriff carpenter leaves behind a wife and four children. officer campora leaves behind a wife and two daughters. i want to express my deepest condolences to their families, their communities and their brothers and sisters in law enforcement. but even as we mourn their deaths and console their loved ones, let us also honor their sacrifice and courage. sheriff carpenter and officer campora died in the line of duty. john 15: 13 says greater love know man than this than one who lies down their lives. now they have laid down their lives, i join my states and my country in mourning and celebrating their sherished memory. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition?

without objection, the gentlelady from florida is recognized for one minute. mr. speaker, it has now been 884 days, no serious jobs bills yet. i'm proud to announce the powerful alternative to this shameful inaction. today, i'm again introducing the jobs now act, a bill that would give local officials the resources and flexibility they need to retain, hire and train workers immediately. if this sounds like some left-wing idea, i ask you to consider who served at the key initial -- askey initiator and activator on which this legislation is based. president richard mill house nixon. i have -- millhouse nixon. i have no doubt that americans

benefited either directly or indirectly from ceda. mr. speaker, let's return to the days when investing in job creation and human potential was a bipartisan cause. let's bring this important bill to the floor for a vote. our mantra in this congress should be jobs, jobs, jobs. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. this week the national debt reached an unprecedented record of over $16.85 trillion. such a figure is so mind-boggling that i will make this simple. this means that every person in the united states now owes $53,329 to pay down the debt, and every u.s. taxpayer's debt share is now $148,186.

with the debt at such high levels, it is not surprising that we are still experiencing an anemic 2% growth rate which has produced the lowest job participation rate in 30 years. the ever-rising public debt threatens to drive up interest rates, crowd out private investment and increase inflation. the implications will be severe and pronounce for all americans, but most especially for the poor, the elderly and the middle class. mr. speaker, if we don't deal with the debt now, the debt will deal with us. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized. ms. hahn: mr. speaker, last month we saw two bridges in this country collapse in one week. if that fact doesn't get us to act, maybe this one will. according to the federal

highway administration, over 70,000 bridges nationwide have been deemed structurally deficient. that's one in nine bridges. congress can't continue to kick this can down the road on this critical issue. that's why i called on my colleagues on the transportation committee to hold hearings to focus on the state of our nation's bridges. last week we had the special freight transportation panel in southern california on a three-day fact-finding trip to see how businesses rely on our transportation arteries, bridges, highways, ports to grow and sustain the trade industry and our global economy. when we invest in our infrastructure, we create a future with good-paying jobs, a strong, thriving economy and an efficient, safe transportation system. we have americans who need work. we have an infrastructure that needs fixing. let's bridge that gap. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from montana seek recognition?

without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. daines: mr. speaker, as a fifth generation montanan sportsman i know how special the treasure state is. our state's rivers and mountains and our outdoor heritage is important in our everyday life and play an important role in our state's economy. it's important that we work together to protect these viable resources so that future generations can enjoy them for years to come. the north fork watershed on the western slope of glacier national park is of critical value to our state's outdoor heritage and the tourism economy in the flat head area. efforts to protect the north fork watershed is a good example of how we can work together to put montana first. that's why i'm introducing legislation to protect this valuable resources while protecting livestock management and is maintained. i'm glad to be part of this important bipartisan effort and leading the charge in the house

to enjoy the goals that the flat head community supports. thank you and i yield my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? sorry, california. >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized. >> i rise today to ask speaker boehner to recognize the time is now for this house to take comprehensive immigration reform. were swalwell: i listened to the job creators and innovators and one message is clear. we have unfilled jobs here in america that require immigration fixes, require increase in the h-1-b visas so we can create jobs behind high-skilled immigrants. we know that silicon valley was built on a three-legged stool. access to capital, brain trust and a risk-taking culture and we know that immigrants build jobs behind them. they have that brain trust. they have that risk-taking

culture. 40% of the largest companies in america were built by immigrants or the children of immigrants. it's time to also put the 11.5 million americans in this country who are undocumented on a pathway to citizenship. i've been on the ground, i've talked to the innovators and i hear their cry. the time is now so for the sake of our economy and the sake of our communities, the right thing to do is put these undocumented immigrants on a path to citizenship and make sure we can take high-skilled workers from across the world, put them in our country and create thousands of new jobs behind them. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. >> last week thousands of my constituents felt even more pain as a result of the president's sequestration when toby hannah army debow began to furlough their employees. one constituent called my office and asked, how are we supposed to afford my mortgage

if my husband is not allowed to work? there must be a more logical way to cut the budget. well, mr. speaker, that's what i'd like to know. why can the president jet around the country and play golf on the taxpayers' dime when american families can't make ends meet? the house passed twice last year to replace sequestration with more commonsense solutions but the senate rejected a measure that would have given the administration more flexibility in implementing these cuts. because of the president's insistence and the senate's inaction, these families will now face even more financial uncertainty, struggling to pay their bills instead of earning a steady paycheck. mr. speaker, the people of the 10th congressional district have had enough of the president's rhetoric and they've certainly had enough of his sequestration. it's time that the president starts working for the american people. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? does the gentleman seek

unanimous consent? the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of a policy that allows federal agencies to determine whether it makes sense for certain construction projects to have project labor agreements, p.l.a.'s, which are agreements between owners including federal agencies and workers that establish work site conditions. federal agencies currently empower to consider p.l.a. as a means of reducing on-the-job conflicts, saving money, improving efficiency and worker safety. unfortunately this body will soon consider removing this tool from our construction toolbox. mr. kilmer: while they may not always be the answer on complex projects, p.l.a.'s make it more likely that a project will be done right the first time, on time and on budget. that's why some of the most successful companies in the world, including boeing in my state, uses similar models for construction. it's why the department of energy uses a p.l.a. at hanford

and the department of defense has a p.l.a. in my district. p.l.a.'s are open to all companies, union and nonunion, who see the value of this tool. at a time when we're looking to rein in wasteful spending, p.l.a.'s can improve and promote high-quality, cost efficient construction. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from south carolina is recognized. >> mr. speaker, last week i had the pleasure of spending time with first responders and public safety person nhl my district. i toured facilities in seven counties, meeting with the men and women who are the first line of defense. the ones who go into danger rather than run away from it. mr. duncan: the folks who are so critical to the safety of our citizens. i believe it's important for our first responders to know that their hard work and sacrifice are appreciated. as one final step of this tower, i'd like to extend my deepest appreciation and gratitude to

all those whom i did not get to personally speak with last week. on behalf of south carolina's third district and americans all across the country, we thank you for everything that you do. mr. speaker, it's also with great sadness that i rise today in honor of the fallen fire responders, many of whom are volunteers, who gave their lives in houston, texas, and west, texas, recently. may we honor the memory and heroism of every first responder who has lost their life serving this great nation. may god bless the families of the fallen and i ask every american to remember them and your thoughts and -- in your thoughts and prayers. may god continue to bless the united states of america with heroes such as these and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rom delaware seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from delaware is recognized. mr. carney: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to discuss the urgent need to make college more affordable. as the father of a rising

college freshman, i've renew -- i have renewed appreciation for the astronomical cost of college. on july 1, the problem will get even worse. interest rates on federal student loans are set to double. and that's why i co-sponsored the student loan relief act, which would extend the current lower rates for two more years. last month i voted against the proposal that would have increased rates with the extra money raised going to the federal government. balancing the budgets on the backs of our college students is just plain wrong. the amount of money americans owe in student loans is greater than the amount we owe in credit card debt. this is a serious problem with serious consequences and it's getting worse. the future of our country, we know, depends on the ability of our young people to compete in this global economy. this means making it easier to go to college, not harder. i urge my colleagues to support legislation that will keep interest rates low and make college more affordable.

thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to pay honor and tribute to three wonderful north carolina heroes. army staff sergeant bobby bridget, and his neighbors back home, steve and pat mass avement sergeant bridget serves as you -- massa. sergeant bridget served us in afghanistan. his job was to go find i.e.d.'s and then take those i.e.d.'s and dismantle them to protect his fellow soldiers. meanwhile, his neighbors back home, pat and steve massa, they would take care of his lawn. they would do the errands around the house, to make sure that their neighbor could go and serve his country and defend our freedoms. well, the rest of the story is, mr. speaker, that the massa's during this time were going through their own challenges. they had cancer surgeries, they had cancer treatments. mr. pittenger: very difficult, emotional time, yet they did what it took to take care of

their neighbor. we're grateful for the service of sergeant bridget and particularly grateful for the wonderful neighbors that he had in the massas. may god richly bless these people. thank you. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? does the gentleman seek unanimous consent? the gentleman is recognized -- is recognized. mr. butterfield: mr. speaker, it has now been more than two months since across-the-board sequestration cuts were enacted, devastating so many important programs that americans remain lie upon. instead of working together to find compromise -- rely upon. instead of working together to find compromise, house republicans have voted for the ryan budget, leaving these cuts in place and hurting our economy just to gain political points. this is not president obama's sequestration. the g.o.p. effort to make sequestration a reality shows they are ready and willing to take our economy backwards, at a time when americans are desperate to move the nation

forward. in fact, sequestration will cost 750,000 jobs this year alone. house democrats want sequestration repealed and replaced with a combination of revenue and cuts. the president has proposed $2 in spending cuts for every $1 revenue. but republicans remain dug in. republicans refuse to address 70,000 children who could lose head start. they refuse to address the snap program which is very important to feed elderly and children. republicans refuse to address the cuts to n.i.h. and other very important programs. we must work together, we must repeal sequestration. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, the visit a couple of weeks ago of burma's president, with the surrounding high-level honors, was a little disturbing. this leader's regime has engaged in well-documented horrific attacks against the various ethnic minority groups in his

country. ethnic cleansing of minority tribes. when looking to the future of the country, the president said last year that the ethnic youth should, quote, hold laptops, and, quote, try to live a good life, end quote. mr. pitts: lab top computers are going to suddenly erase the effects of years of violence, racism, rape and decimation by the ruthlesses -- by the ruthless military think? don't think so. we should stand firmly with the ethnic minority groups in protecting their rights and ensuring justice is done for all the violence perpetrated by the burmese military before we rush in to ex tract -- to extract resources and applauding democracy gains with no record of results. to the minority ethnic groups of burma, many of us still stand with you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker.

i rise today as chair of the climate task force in the house sustainable energy and environment coalition. june 1 marked the start of hurricane season and this is a remind that are we must start planning ahead for extreme weather that we now face regularly while also recognizing the cost of inaction. taxpayers spent $136 billion on disaster relief in just the last two years. however, fema estimates that every $1 spent on planning, preparation and prevention yields the nation $4 in future benefits. we are facing harsher droughts, deadlier heat waves, mow is veer -- more severe storms, and in san diego, increasingly intense wildfires. in 2012 alone, wildfires burned 9.2 million acres in the united states, an area larger than the states of delaware, rhode island and connecticut combined. there is no clear national plan for how to make our society more resilient in the face of extreme weather.

this is unacceptable and we deserve better. developing a planning structure for community resiliency is necessary. it will reduce federal spending, save lives and it's what washington could do more of. we must act now, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rom michigan seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from michigan is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i'm proud to serve in the house where we're continuing to work on the american people's priorities. encouraging job creation, growing our economy and stopping policies that hurt american families. mr. walberg: already this year we voted to create tens of thousands of jobs and move toward north american energy independence by passage of keystone pipeline legislation. we've also voted to save jobs from policies that hurt our economic growth, by passing a budget that will balance in 10 years and repealing the president's health care law that is already costing jobs. in addition, we work to expand opportunities for all americans

by passing legislation that allows for a better-trained work force and removing barriers to help balance the needs of family time and work. our focus is on solutions, not blame and excuses. to help encourage a healthy and prosperous economy, to create jobs and to expand opportunities for all americans. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. green: mr. speaker, members today, i rise to honor the houston fire fighters who lost their lives and were injured battling a deadly five-alarm blaze. every year our houston firefighters pension board hold as memorial service to honor all firefighters, but especially those who gave their lives in the service as firefighters. i've attended many of those services over the years. last friday, may 31, the deadliest fire in the 118-year

history of the houston fire department broke out in southwest houston. unfortunately four brave houston firefighters lost their lives performing their duties. matthew renaud, robert bebee, robert garner and annie sullivan tragically failed during the fire. many firefighters were injured, including engineer operator an e.m.t., engineer operator and paramedic, marcos hernandez, and captain william doweling. these firefighters were injured and died trying to save people in a motel unit. my heart and our prayers goes out to their families and friends. being a grandson and nephew in a family of houston firefighters, i understand the sacrifice their loved ones made. we shall never forget their heroic efforts to keep us safe. and yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition?

without objection, the gentleman from florida is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. where are the jobs? i'll tell you where they're not. they're not created or seemingly even encouraged by the u.s. department of commerce. the department is still bullying small mom and pop businesses to complete lengthy, time-consuming and expensive questionaires about their personal business. but they don't have time to answer my questions about the need, the justification or the actual use of the information in those questionaires. a letter received by a constituent just yesterday threatens that if they don't get their economic census back within two weeks, they will refer their case to general counsel. how can constituents trust this agency when even the formerly independent i.r.s. is now used as a partisan tool to punish people the administration does not like. if the department of commerce

really cared about improving our commerce, they'd leave our mom and pops alone to make a living, creating jobs. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady rom hawaii seek recognition? without objection, the gentlelady from hawaii is recognized. ms. gabbard: mr. speaker, 41 years ago president nixon signed a landmark title 9 legislation into law, giving girls and boys equal opportunities in sports. but many people don't know that there was a 5'2" japanese american woman from hawaii who was behind this law. while she may not have been a contender for the wnba, she laid the groundwork for women to participate in sports at every level. she was a fierce fighter for equal treatment and rights for women and held the seat in congress which i'm privileged to hold today. congresswoman patsy mink led the way to create equal opportunities for women and girls across the country with her landmark title 9 bill. she grew up wanting to be a

doctor and was rejected from over a dozen medical schools in the 1940's simply for being a woman. she went on to attend law school and dedicated her life to battling the status quo. title 9 is a mere 37 words but over the last 40 years it has made an incredible impact in the lives of young women around the country. today girls can play basketball, volleyball, golf, tennis or even football. patsy opened the door for these opportunities. many young women have walked through this door, paving the way for great athletes everywhere. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rom ohio seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, as many have heard me say on the floor of this chamber many times before, we have a tremendous opportunity to revitalize america's economy through domestic energy production. we can create jobs, lower energy costs and become

energy-independent, we simply need to seize that opportunity. and to do that, we need this administration and its federal agencies to be partners in progress rather than roadblocks to prosperity. job creation does not mean hiring more bureaucrats. and no should be the answer of last resort. after all other avenues have failed. two weeks ago the department of energy approved one of many requested permits to export liquefied natural gas. given that a recent study showed that exporting liquid natural gas can lead to over 200,000 u.s. jobs, it's time for the department of energy to approve the rest of the applications and let the market drive our success. cut the red tape for job creators, and if we embrace a path to energy independence, one that allows the market to pick winners and losers rather than washington, d.c., we'll get our economy going again. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas seek recognition?

he gentlelady is recognized. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, i am a strong advocate for the first amendment and for the freedom of the press. i believe that there is no question of the sanctity of that provision. even to the extent of being a strong supporter of the shield act so many years ago, and now joining my colleague, congressman ted poe and john conyers and others, on legislation to provide that armor. but i will not stand by while malicious and unsubstantiated attacks go against the very fine and outstanding public servant and that is the attorney general of the united states of america, eric holder. i was in the judiciary committee when he was asked the question about whether or not he had prosecuted, intended to prosecute anyone in the press. and his words were very clear, that we have a long way to go to

prosecute the press. you've got to go a long way. with regard to the potential prosecution on the press for the disclosure of material, that is not something i have been involved in or heard of or would think would be wise to do. holder said in the hearing. holder did not have anything to do with prosecuting anyone and that particular affidavit or subpoena was in 2010. the justice department has not charged or prosecuted anybody in the press. stop the malicious attack on eric holder and the president of the united states of america. enough is enough. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady rom missouri seek recognition? without objection, the gentlelady from missouri is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to high lie the inexcusable actions taken by the i.r.s. their decision to target conservative groups based on their political beliefs

transcends party politics and represents an indefensible abuse of power. hese actions indicate that the agency did not have the best interest of the marn people in mind and that must change. we must refuse to tolerate this egregious behavior and we must provide major oversight into the i.r.s. so the american people remain protected and can trust that the tax code will treat them fairly. the american people demand answers, not just an apology from the i.r.s. that is why congress and the house ways and means committee and the oversight and government reform committee have led and will continue to lead vigorous and -- vigorous investigations into this issue, seek out those responsible and make sure that they are held accountable for their actions. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to

address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from illinois is ecognized. mr. hultgren: i rise to honor the life and memory of a true american hero, captain brandon l. speer. i was humbled to attend brandon's internment at arlington national cemetery. standing on that haroed ground is a sobering testament to the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in the defense of freedom. brandon was killed in the line of duty when the plane he was commanding was shut down over afghanistan on april 27, 2013. a distinguished officer, accomplished pilot and dedicated friend, brandon received the meritorious service medal, five air medals and the air force achievement medal. at the time of his death, brandon had logged 1,700 flight hours, 900 of those in combat. brandon enters the honored company of those who, in the

words of abraham lincoln, gave the last full measure of devotion so that this nation might live. it's with heart felt gratitude that i recognize brandon, his family and american veterans and their families everywhere for their service and dedication to this nation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman seek unanimous consent? the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise on behalf of 600 people in fort wayne, indiana, who are earning smaller paychecks today because of obamacare. just last week, the largest chool district in indiana, fort wayne, indiana, schools, said they would cut cafeteria workers and teachers' aides. they play a vital role in

children's education. the nation is beginning to realize these unsustainable costs are taking -- and are taking similar measures to comply with the mandate. mr. speaker, we know now that that president obama's claim that under obamacare, if you like your health care you can keep it was false. mr. stutzman: now we know that obamacare is also hurting the very people it was meant to help. employees in school districts across the country deserve certainty and security, and they don't have it. ericans are being crushed by the cost of the affordable care act. we must repeal obamacare and start over for the sake of americans and our nation's children. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from north carolina is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, americans are struggling to find jobs in our economy. so we must take advantage of the opportunities of job growth when and wherever they arise and today i want to highlight

the positive impact of recreational fishing and hunting. mr. holding: we contributed over $3 billion in state and federal revenue annually in fees and excise taxes. in my home state of north carolina, hunters and anglers provide over 135,000, this is in 2011, more than the combined employment of the two largest private employers in the state. sports men and women generated $249 million in state and local taxes in 2011, enough to support the salaries of over 6,000 police and this was' patrol officers. i rise today to -- sheriffs' patrol officers. i rise today to support this and what it's doing in my home state, they foster growth in our economy and create jobs. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the

speaker, house of representatives, sir, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2-h of rule 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on june 4, three, at 11:00 a.m., that the senate -- threen, at 11:00 a.m., that the senate passed with an amendment h.r. 588. signed sincerely, karen l. haas. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. any record vote on the postponed question will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 671, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 38, h.r. 671, a bill to amend title 38, united states code, to improve the disability compensation evaluation procedure of the secretary of veterans affairs for veterans with mental health conditions related to military sexual rauma, and for other purposes.

the speaker pro tempore: the ant to the rule, gentleman from florida, mr. miller, and the gentleman from maine, mr. michaud, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and add ir remarks any extraneous material they may have on h.r. 671, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. miller: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. miller: thank you very much, mr. speaker. h.r. 671, as amended, will demand that the department of veterans affairs place an immediate and concerted focus upon updating and improving its regulations for processing claims based upon military sexual trauma, commonly known as m.s.t. reported incidents of military sexual trauma have risen

marketedly in recent years, a disturbing trend affecting both women and men serving in the military. i have spoken with many service members who have suffered m.s.t. and one sentiment is commonly echoed. these service members feel a sense of betrayal and trust. they have said that they feel betrayed by their fellow military attacker, and without proper handling of the crime, they also feel betrayed by their command and their service branch. the department of defense must take the lead on this issue and must address military sexual assault and trauma through the ranks in the strongest possible terms. additionally, our veterans who have suffered military sexual trauma who live with this sense of betrayal must be confident that they will not be further traumatized by the department of veterans affairs when they seek the necessary and proper assistance.

survivors of m.s.t. must not be subjected to outdated and anti-kuwaited regulations by -- antiquated regulations by the department. the processing thereof require immediate and thoughtful review, and that is the intent of h.r. 671, as amended. i want to thank congresswoman pingree for bringing this important bill to the committee, and i commend the subcommittee chairman, mr. runyan, and the ranking member titus for their bipartisan work in bringing this bill to the floor today. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time is reserved. the gentleman from maine. mr. michaud: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. michaud: thank you, mr. speaker. i wholeheartedly support h.r. 671, the ruth moore act of 2013. this bill was introduced by my colleague and good friend of mine from the state of maine,

congresswoman shelly pingree, and is named -- congresswoman shelley pingree, and is named after a constituent of mine. this legislation makes clear that we expect the v.a. to update its regulation in regards to the military sexual trauma, which we believe are outdated and do not reflect the need of those who are living through this awful experience. this bill would encourage the v.a. to update its regulation to ensure that military sexual trauma is specified as an in-service stressor and those updated regulations also recognize the full range of physical and mental disabilities that may result. mr. speaker, v.a. did the right thing by our vietnam veterans exposed to agent orange by updating their regulations. we expect v.a. to also do the right thing by veterans who have been suffering from

military sexual trauma. h.r. 671, as amended, contains language to ensure that v.a. will do better by those who have suffered military sexual trauma. it will increase the reporting requirements of v.a. in the event that these regulations are not updated within 15 months in an appropriate manner. let's be clear. congress disagrees with v.a.'s assessment of m.s.t. to beinged jute indicated -- adjudicated effectively. we expect v.a. to update its regulation in a timely fashion. we will be watching and we will be having oversight hearings to make sure that the reporting requirements are upheld. and i'd urge my colleagues to support passage of h.r. 671, the ruth moore act, and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: thank you, mr.

speaker. at this time i yield as much the as he may consume to gentleman from new jersey, mr. runyan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. runyan: thank you, chairman miller, for yielding the time. h.r. 671, as amended, known as the ruth moore act of 2013. as chairman of the subcommittee on disability, assistance and memorial affairs, i am pleased once again that our subcommittee worked in a productive and bipartisan manner on this important bill for our nation's service members. i also applaud the leadership shown by ms. pingree in sponsoring this legislation. military sexual trauma is a terrible act, a betrayal of trust and is not to be tolerated. furthermore, those veterans who were victimized by their fellow service members are entitled to v.a. assistance, and they are entitled to a fair and thoughtful review -- thorough

-- thoughtful review of their claims. thus, h.r. 671, as amended, sets a stringent -- sets stringent reporting requirements and urges the department of veterans affairs to make necessary changes to their regulations on military sexual trauma. to ensure their fair review. i strongly support h.r. 671, as amended, and i urge my colleagues to also support this bill, and i yield back the alance of my time. mr. miller: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maine. mr. michaud: i'd like to yield five minutes to the gentlewoman, the author of the bill, from my home state of maine, congresswoman chellie pingree. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for five minutes. ms. pingree: thank you. first, i'd like to thank my colleague from maine, mr. michaud, for his time and leadership on the veterans' affairs committee and for serving his brave constituent, ruth moore, with me. i want to thank chairman miller for his bipartisan work on this

bill, as well as subcommittee chair, mr. runyan, and ms. titus, the ranking member, for their work on this issue as well. thank you very much. mr. speaker, lately it has been hard to escape the news about the crisis of sexual assault in the military. senior military personnel charged with preventing sexual assault are themselves investigated or arrested for the very same thing. a new pentagon report showing 26,000 men and women were sexually assaulted in the military last year, up 35%. and only about one in 10 of those assaulted were reported and even fewer ended up with prosecution. in fact, the pentagon says that every week, every single week, 400 sexual assaults go unreported. but even though we've heard much more about this problem lately, in no way is it a new problem. almost every day i hear from another veteran who is the survivor of sexual assault in

the military. men and women of all ages, from every branch of the service, from every era. i have heard of the survivors of sexual assault from world war ii, the war in afghanistan and every conflict and every era in between. there is no question, we have to get to the root of the problem, we have to reform the legal system and change the culture so sexual assault in the military is no longer tolerated and is thoroughly prosecuted. but the sad fact remains, even if sexual assault in the military ended today, even if a woman or man in uniform was never raped again, there would still be tens of thousands of veterans who survived a sexual assault and suffer a disability because of it. but still can't get veterans disability benefits that they are owed. that's why we need this bill, the ruth moore act. this bill doesn't create any new benefits for survivors of sexual

assault. this bill doesn't give any special treatment to the survivors of sexual assault. this bill just levels the playing field and makes it easier for those survivors to get the benefits they are owed. a few years ago, the department of veterans' affairs acknowledged that too many combat veterans were suffering from ptsd and they were being denied benefits because it was too difficult to document what happened to them on the battlefield. so the v.a. made a commonsense change. they said, if you were in combat and a v.a. doctor gives you a diagnosis of ptsd, and if an examiner links that diagnosis to the combat you experienced, then you are ale simply for benefits. the -- then you are eligible for benefits. the ruth moore just does the same thing for victims of military sexual assault. if a v.a. doctor gives a veteran a diagnosis of mental health condition and there is a medical link to the sexual assault, then

the v.a. will have to equal the veteran for service-related disability benefits. currently the v.a. requires secondary markers to show the sexual assault occurred. those secondary markers, statements from relatives or friends or a supervisor, are often hard to come by. especially for veterans who suffered an assault years or even decades ago. in the case of combat-related ptsd, those secondary markers are no longer required. and the sworn statement of the veteran is sufficient. the same reform should ally to survivors of -- should apply to survivors of sexual assault. we named this bill after a very brave woman from maine. ruth moore was in the navy when she was 19, serving her country. at base she was raped. and when she reported it, she was told to keep quiet and then she was raped again. for 23 years she fought for the benefits she was owed.

her records were tampered with, she was diagnosed with mental illness and her life fell apart. after decades of fighting, ruth was finally given the benefits we owed her and slowly she has put her life back together. when i met her in my office in maine two years ago, she could barely tell her story. her friends, her neighbors, even many of her loved ones didn't know what had happened to her. but bit by bit, ruth has rebuilt her trust of people in positions of responsibility, to the point where she came here to washington and testified before the veterans committee. a very brave woman. but there are thousands and thousands of ruth moores out there. who have been fighting for their benefits for years or even for decades. as survivors of sexual assault, they have suffered and sacrificed enough. we can make the process of getting the benefits they are owed a little bit simpler. i urge my colleagues to support

this important bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maine. mr. michaud: at this time i'd like to yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from california, mrs. mcleod. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for three minutes. cloud cloud thank you, ranking -- mrs. mcleod: thank you, ranking member michaud. today i rise in support of this bill. this bill specifies military sexual trauma as a type of suppresser for posttraumatic stress disorder. this is an important step toward assuring that the v.a. gives full consideration for disability claims originating from sexual violence committed against military personnel while they serve our country. as a co-sponsor of h.r. 671, and a member of the military sexual assault prevention caucus, i believe we must support our veterans.

this includes obtaining compensation for violence committed by a fellow service member. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: mr. speaker, we are ready to close if the ranking member is ready as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maine. mr. michaud: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today we can take a meaningful step to ensure v.a. better serves veterans who are subject to sexual trauma while serving in our military. these veterans' disability were not a result of fire, from the enemy, they were not a result of injury incurred during training. they are a result of the armed services' continual failure to systematically address the culture of sexual assault in the military. this situation is unacceptable and unconscionable. we must act. with this legislation, we hope to ensure the v.a. helps these

disabled veterans. we have a duty to make these men and women's lives a little better. they never should have had to deal with these events in the service of our nation anyway. so, mr. speaker, i encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. i also want to thank the chairman of the full committee and the chairman of the subcommittee for their hard work in bringing this bill before the floor for us to vote on today. as well as the committee staff. i know the committee staff on both sides of the aisle have worked very hard to amend this bill so it's acceptable to both sides of the aisle. so i do want to thank my chairman for all his hard efforts. not only in this legislation, but also on legislation as it affects veterans and their families throughout the country. so with that, mr. speaker, i have no further speakers so i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: mr. speaker, i think the words speak for themselves. the comments that have been made

here on the floor. i would just close with this, i urge all of my colleagues to support the ruth moore act. i support h.r. 671 as amended and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 671 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, 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 speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, by direction of the committee on rules i call up house resolution 243 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 29, house resolution 243, resolved that at any time after the adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill, h.r. 2216, making appropriations for military construction, the department of veterans affairs and related agencies for the fiscal year ending september 30,

2014, and for other purposes. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. general debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on appropriations. after general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. points of order against provisions in the bill for failure to comply with clause 2 of rule 21 are waived. during consideration of the bill for amendment, the chair of the committee of the whole may accord priority and recognition on the basis of whether the member offering an amendment has caused it to be printed in the portion of the congressional record designated for that purpose in clause 86 rule -- clause 8 of rule 18. amendment so printed shall be considered as read. when the committee rises and reports a bill back to the house with a recommendation that the bill do pass, the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening

motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions. section 2, at any time after the adoption of this resolution, the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill, h.r. 2217. making appropriations for the department of homeland security for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2014, and for other purposes. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all pointser -- points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. general debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the rare and ranking minority member. after general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. points of order against provisions in the bill for failure to comply with clause 2 of rule 21 are waived. except for section 563. during consideration of the bill