care law as constitutional. charles are talking to clark of government executive media group. congress is about to get in. i was thinking about the obamacare. i lost my job -- a year ago. i have been working. host: we're going to have to leave it there. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., september 26, 2013. i hereby appoint the honorable doug lamalfa 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 each, to five minutes but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. in 2007, i introduced the first legislation to help the iraqi and afghan nationals who helped americans in those countries to try and get them to safety in the united states. these are the people who were interpreters, guides, drivers, people who performed countless tasks without which our military, diplomatic and redevelopment efforts would have been impossible. there was an impolicity promise

as they risked their lives to help us, we would work to protect them when the american presence was scaled down. thousands of people are now threatened on a daily basis by people with very long memories. it would seem as though this shouldn't be an impossible task. after all, these are people who risked their lives to help and serve americans. if they had wanted to harm us, they had countless opportunities to lead people down the wrong paths to attack, assault, mislead, but by all accounts, thousands of these people performed critical tasks faithfully, if not flawlessly. what has not been flawless is the state department and homeland security has managed this special immigrant visa program we fought so hard to establish. it takes incredible effort to fight the bureaucracy, the delays, the procedural hurdles which too often end in frustration.

approvals have been just a trickle, and there is no sign of improvement. instead, the program could collapse. the authorization for the iraqi immigrant visa expires in four days. this is a country that is on the verge of collapse, violence is on the upswing and these people have been left twisting. many have been forced into hiding. others and their families have not just been threatened, they've been killed. we have been unable to get anything on the continuing resolution to keep the program alive. and frankly, given the state of play in congress right now, the continuing resolution doesn't stable basis ry to have hope. there is a possible solution. a unanimous consent provision that would extend the program at no additional budget cost which would keep the pipeline open to accept visas until we

n get back to meet our moral obligation. it should be a simple matter to pass the house. there is overwhelming bipartisan support led in the most articulate and forceful way by new members in both parties, like tulsi gabbard and adam kissinger who are veterans of iraq and afghanistan. this bipartisan group of recent veterans has seen the invaluable service and sacrifice of these people and feel a commitment to their safety. sadly, not everybody in congress feels that commitment, that moral obligation. the house judiciary committee leadership has been passive if not outright opposed. there's no guarantee that there will be a continuing resolution. in fact, the odds are getting a little more remote by the day. if this program shuts down for even a few hours, it will set back the progress because of

e cumbersome, convoluted security checks. people will be back to square one with their lives in peril. i would hope the house republican leadership does not allow one or two people to veto meeting our morgue obligation that has such broad bipartisan support. it will be to the endearing shame of this body if we can't come together and protect the people we counted on in battle and who are now counting on us. this sad story is documented in kirk johnson's recent book "to be a friend is fatal: the fight to save the iraqis america left behind." he title really says it all. to be a friend is fatal, the fight to save iraqis america left behind. so far we have failed them.

i hope the house will rise to the occasion before it's too late. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee, mr. desjarlais, for five minutes. mr. desjarlais: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today in remembrance of harriette howard, a great tennessean who recently passed away. harriette howard of rutherford county is known throughout our community for her tireless efforts on behalf of military veterans. not only did she devote countless hours to volunteer work, she helped to ensure that veterans in our state get access to care they need and deserve. harriette launched a well-known communications campaign that led to female veterans receiving quality medical coverage. she set up a petition drive to prevent the alvin c. york v.a. center in our county from

closing. today, the hospital remains open as a direct result of her efforts. finally, she raised more than $125,000 for the tennessee fisher house for a new facility in murphysboro. she served our country in the military as a navy clerk. our state owes an immeasurable debt of gratitude to howard. i know she's missed by countless veterans and their families. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. quigley, for five minutes. mr. quigley: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, lately the people's house, this house of representatives has been called a lot of other things -- dysfunctional, unpopular, gridlock. but one word inspired by charles dickens seems fitting these days -- bleak. he wrote the book "bleak house" about the dismal failures of

the british judicial system. it refers to the main courthouse which reads the warning. suffer any wrong that can be done you rather than come here. given the recent inaction and perhaps dysfunction, i feel a similar moniker may need to be placed above our own door. this body has reached a point where our inaction is no longer harmless. our inability to act and to govern is having real and harmful effects. we are on the verge of causing really great suffering. take, for example, health care. we passed health care reform three years ago, and while everyone does not like all of its provisions, the fact is it's the law of the land, it's not going away. but rather than working together to improve the bill, as has been done with every other major piece of legislation such as medicare part d, many in this house are not only refusing to make adjustments, they are trying to stop its implementation altogether.

there are efforts under way to dissuede young people from signing up for insurance, to revent helping folks get access to insurance and scare seniors. rather than improving the health of senior citizens, take the inability to pass a continuing resolution as another example of how the gridlock of this body is hurting our country. what was once a routine act of debate funding levels and priorities and passing a budget has devolved into hijacking of government funding over the funding of health care. this is a game of chicken that risks shutting down the entire government and jurring millions of americans. leaders on the -- injuring millions of americans. leaders on the other side know the devastating affects of such a shutdown. speaker john boehner said in april, 2011, if you shut down the government it will end up costing more than you save because you interrupt contracts, end of quote.

yet, despite such warnings, we continue to risk a deeply damaging government shutdown. efforts to increase the debt ceiling should serve as another sober reminder of how dysfunctional and harmful this body has become. it has been raised 29 times by democratic presidents. once again, what was once standard operating procedure has become a hostage for extreme position. many in this house are willing to risk the full faith and credit of the united states in order to push their extremism. defaulting on our debt would cause irreparable damage to our economy and risk sending us back into recession. as george w. bush's chief economic advisor, keith hennessey, put it, not raising the debt limit could lead to a, quote, catastrophic event, end of quote. still we continue down this dangerous path and these are just a few of the most topical examples. the list of items we are unable to tackle goes on and on.

tax reform, entitle reform, re-authorization of no child left behind, transportation and infrastructure funding, immigration reform, postal reform, a decent farm bill, commonsense gun violence legislation. we are indeed making truman's do-nothing congress look positively busy. yesterday, senator cruz quoted dr. seuss. and today i'd like to do the same. i'm drawing from a different tale, the story, for those not familiar, who zacks going in two different direction. they refuse to go any direction but the direction it was headed. they stand so long that a highway overpass is built over them and the story ends with them standing there unbudged in their tracks. from dickens to seuss, great writers can teach us and warn us about the dangers of intrang jens. refusing to act has surely led us to a very bleak place

indeed. let's not end up unbudged in our tracks, unable to tackle the great challenges of our time. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson, for five minutes. mr. ompson: thank you, speaker. mr. speaker, i rise in recognition of a community charter school in pennsylvania. earlier this week the secretary of education awarded the community charter school the recognition of national blue ribbon school for 2013. the national blue ribbon is awarded to public and private elementary, middle and high schools with students achieving very high learning standards or making notable improvements towards those standards. mr. speaker, the national blue ribbon award reaffirms the hard work of families, students and faculty which makes up the charter scoofment i commend them for creating an

environment where young minds are able to gain knowledge and skills and through rigorous curriculum students have developed the character to realize their own full potential. the community charter school students exemplify what it means to be young learners preparing for their roles in the 21st century. equally so, the quality instruction, creativity and support of the teachers and families have made the community charter school deserving our praise. mr. speaker, thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. mcgovern, for five minutes. mr. mcgovern: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. speaker, i come to the floor today to again talk about the need to end hunger now. last week this house passed a bill that cut $39 billion from the nation's preeminent anti-hunger safety net program, the supplemental nutrition

assistance program, or snap. formerly known as food stamps, snap is a program that provides food to low-income individuals and their families. it also has among the lowest ever rates of any federal program. additionally, the bill contained new work requirements for people receiving snap benefits. mr. speaker, the notion of new and stricter work requirements sounds terrific. i'm sure it polls very well, but the reality is the majority of people receiving snap who can work actually do work. in fact, working people are the fastest growing part of the snap program. let me note that snap already has work requirements for able bodied adults. under current law they're eligible for snap benefits for only three out of every 36 months unless they work 20 hours a week or in a state where un-- state employment program. they must take a job if it is offered them and they can't quit. they may apply for waivers in

states with high unemployment. 48 states and jurisdictions currently do so. in other words, republican and democratic governors alike understand that forcing people to find a job before they can get their food benefits doesn't make any sense if there are no jobs to find. now, the republican bill would eliminate those state waivers and impose harsh financial penalties on states that refuse to implement the new work requirements. so much for states' rights. but more broadly, mr. speaker, it's important to note that what we do in congress is not done in a vacuum. every action we take is linked together, every piece of federal policy we pass has a reaction on other federal policies. for the past three years we've seen this tea party-controlled house of representatives attempt to weaken our educational system, prevent people from obtaining health care, cut childcare programs, cut transportation funding and affordable housing, cut job training programs, try to take health care away from people who have insurance and prevent

bills that create jobs from coming to the floor. . at the same time our republican friends are telling poor people they need to work to get food benefits, they are doing everything possible to make it harder for people to find a job that pays a living wage. think about a young single mother trying to make a better life, republicans want to cut pell grants, cut funding to community colleges, and cut job training programs which means it's harder for her to get the skills she needs. the sequester has meant cuts to head start programs which makes it harder to find anordable childcare so she can go to work. cuts in transportation funding make it more difficult and expensive for her to get the job when she can find one. they reject health insurance for everyone which gives her a perverse reason to stay on medicaid. they oppose minimum wage which means even if she can find a job it won't pay enough to provide for her family. slashing government for its own sake means cutting education,

stifling education and job creation, and preventing people from making ends meet. i'll come to this floor week after week to talk about how we can end hunger now. week after week i'll call for a white house conference on food nutrition, urging the president to bring policy and experts to the white house to come up with a plan to end hunger now. a plan that could reduce the number of people who rely on snap and reduce the amount of money we spend on the program. this is an issue that can and must be solved. last week this house took a huge step backwards. a step that will make more people hungry in america. it was an awful thing to do. congressional budget office estimates that 3.8 million people will lose their benefits. 170,000 veterans will lose their food benefits. ending huger -- hunger used to be a bipartisan issue. surely it can be again. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arkansas, mr. crawford, for five minutes. mr. crawford: thank you, mr. speaker. today i want to bring two very

contrasting perfect spectyifts to the -- perspectives to the floor with regard to health care. one starts with an individual we are all familiar with and when he talks people listen. on march 1, 2010, warren buffett said, i would much rather see a plan c that really attacks costs in regard to health care. i think that's what the american public wants to see. the american public is not behind this bill. and we need the american public behind the bill. he's changed his position two or three times and it's hard to get a beat on how he feels about obamacare, but when he talks, people listen. the problem is the people we need to hear from the most aren't being heard. and i got an email, actually a letter, from kristi in jonesboro, in my district. i'm share that letter with you today. as i was listening to the radio this people people were talking about how obamacare is affecting them. my husband and i are 48 years

old, have been married 29 years and have three daughters, ages 16, 18, and 2 all still living at home, although the 23-year-old does work a full-time job. my husband has been an auto body mechanic for most of his life. this has taken a toll on his body as a result of strenuous labor mared with breathing chemicals. he's always looking for a better environment, pay, and benefits. as a wife of people making good livings this in this area are the owners and the health insurance companies. every shop he ever worked at offered him health insurance, but the premiums were always around $200 a week just for him. there's no way we could afford $800 a month for something that may or may not happen. our family of five has rarely been sick. i have tried to practice preventive health care by what i feed my family because i'm positive a large percentage of health costs are due to diet. my husband makes $500 a week on average. my daughter makes a little over $300 a week. our rent is $800 a month.

utilities run $200. we can barely afford the $47 liability insurance on my husband's vehicle. my daughter pays the $95 liability insurance on her vehicle. we have been barely able to buy groceries, and i know how to shop frugally. we have no credits cards or expensive habits. we use the library a great deal. my question is what will we do when we are fined because we don't have health insurance? there's no way we can afford health insurance for a family of five. it's hard to go day by day watching what is happening with the government of this once great nation. i'm so discouraged and disappointed and i try not to fear the future when it comes to the american government which will dictate my future regardless. thank you for your time. respectfully, kristi. jonesboro, arkansas. i want kristi to know, and i want everybody in america to know, that i hear you. those guys that are driving the nails, those guys turning the wrenches, the nurses providing health care, the firemen who are doing their jobs working the

40-hour week, barely making ends meet, and we are piling more and more debt on this country. $1.3 trillion in additional costs. when social security and medicare are nearing bankruptcy. it's unconscionable. i want folks to he know in my district and across the country there are people here that hear you and we are going to work for you and try to fix this problem because we can't sustain this any longer. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from california, ms. elosi. ms. pelosi: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i thank my colleague from illinois, mr. davis, for his courtesy to allow me with great enthusiasm to come to the floor

to salute team america, our team u.s.a. which came fra behind to win the america's -- from behind to win the america's cup. as. people are aware, some not, over the past year or so the san francisco bay area has been home to the america's cup race. it's a venerable race. it is usually out to sea where people in their sailboats could witness what was going on or see it on tv. because of the vision of ellison was brought to san francisco bay, it went from white caps to blue collar, and anyone who could see the bay can see -- could see the america's cup race. and the shores were lined with people and anyone who had a view of the water could see something spectacular happen. for the past two weeks the 34th america's cup finals oracle team

u.s.a. and emrals new zealand raced across the bay for the right to win the oldest trophy in international sport. the race was swift, boasting ac-7 's, the fastest catamarans the competition has ever seen. the race was long. lasting over 15 days. as these two incredible teams competed in 19 races. the race was close, following a winner take all race yesterday, first winner take all final race in 30 years. and yesterday afternoon the 34th america's cup final -- finish with the most incredible comeback in history. after trailing team new zealand team am u.s.a. had one, new zealand had eight, oracle team u.s.a. surged ahead to win an unprecedented eight straight

races to once again hold the america's cup trophy high above their heads. skipper, jimmy spin holtz, tktishian, ainsley, and the entire oracle team u.s.a. sailed into the port of san francisco as champions, welcomed by the largest and loudest crowd to cheer their entrance in history. or any team in history. there could be no better backdrop in my view, or in the view of anyone who saw it, as the momentous american moment than when the america team u.s.a. and san francisco bay crossed over to victory with a backdrop of the hugest american flag i have ever seen. there could be no -- this all was the vision of oracle team sponsor, larry ellison, who was on the water with his crew joining in the celebration of his team's second victory in

america's cup. larry ellison's vision democratized the cup. as i said from white caps to blue collar. by bringing the race so close to the shoreline everyone who could view san francisco bay could view the excitement of the america's cup. that beautiful site was made possible by extraordinary leadership of san francisco mayor ed lee, california lieutenant governor, mark, who led the private sectorish niffive, the america's cup organizing committee, and the port of san francisco. thanks to the coast, national park service, the army corps of engineers for helping make this race a spectacular site to see. with the help of these leaders and local san francisco maritime unions, the world witnessed one of the greatest moments in sports history and in a beautiful bay. america's cup is the oldest and

most prestigious trophy in yachting. team u.s.a. won the very first race in 1851, and had successfully defended the cup for the next 132 years until 1983, exactly 30 years later, the cup returned home where it belongs in the hands of american sailors who defied the odds, were so courageous, disciplined, so focused, who had such strategic plan to give our country, u.s.a., u.s.a., u.s.a. a victory we will never forget. thank you team oracle team u.s.a. for putting your hearts, souls, everything, your all into the 34th america's cup. you have earned your place in history. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. issa, for five minutes. mr. issa: i ask unanimous consent to speak for five minutes. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. issa: mr. speaker, as a

proud californian i join ms. pelosi in congratulating team oracle, team u.s.a.. ever since dennis connors brought the cup to california, we as californians are very proud of it. i didn't spend the weekend in san francisco, i spent it in libya and in cairo because as we speak here today the good things that are going on in america are often overshadowed by our poor foreign policy, our inattention to historic allies and obligations. today war is going on in the sinai and the egyptian army is fighting it while we debate whether or not to support their effort. we debate whether or not a coup that overthrew a dictator who was elected, a man who no sooner

got his office he began moving egypt toward shari'a law, abolishing its forms of balance including its judiciary and parliament, we continue to debate. the fact is we need allies in the region. israel needs allies in the region. egypt needs to protect borders from insurgency and terrorism to its south, in the sinai, and along the libyan border. more than ever the libyan border is a concern for all of us. it is a lawless area. the determine benghazi often is taken for the sad loss of four brave americans at our consulate. but the truth is benghazi is the next afghanistan if we cannot engage and stop the terrorism that is going on there. it is a training ground for incouragents, one of many. so -- insurgents. one of member.

so when many talk foreign policy today about the arab spring, i would like all americans to understand, mr. speaker, the arab spring is in fact sulfur water spruing from mosques, from terror strongholds, from ideological extremists in the region. it is taking on a life of its own under this administration and that life will end the secular life, freedom of religion, that many moderate arab states have enjoyed for generations. under president morsi, we saw more than 50 coptic churches burned, and in the days coming afterwards, even more by the muslim brotherhood who somehow felt that one election based on one man, one vote, and one time would allow them to rule the largest arab country forever as a islamic state. mr. speaker, i believe that all

of my colleagues need to begin to look at the wrong direction we have taken, stop celebrating and arab spring that really is about overthrowing allies who we have questions about whether or not they are heading toward a democratic state, but we have no doubt we have pushed them toward rule of law, toward institutions, and toward being part of a world that denounces and renounces various bad activities. mr. speaker, i cannot stress strongly enough that if we continue to have a polsiff leading from behind -- policy of leading from behind, of indecision, of asking this body to spank somebody slightly for using chemical weapons while not taking an affirmative action toward a government that would respect its people and particularly minorities and christians in the region, then we have no policy and we have no

allies. . mr. speaker, i take no proud in saying when he tried to go into syria, he got no support from my party, none of our historic allies for many reasons. it led to no real positive change in syria. for our allies in the region, for jordan, for lebanon, for egypt and for israel, we must develop a consistent policy where our enemies fear us and our allies respect and count on us always. we don't have that today, and i would call on all my colleagues to become more familiar with the arab spring and see the sulfur that comes up and is often mixed and misunderstood for drinking water. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis, for five minutes. mr. davis: i ask unanimous

consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased to joined with the democratic leader and chairman of the oversight and government reform committee in congratulating team u.s.a. on winning the america's cup. i rise today to inform my colleagues about a consumer protection initiative of the federal trade commission to address underaged drinking in the united states known as we don't serve teens. people may not think of underaged drinking as a consumer protection issue, but we don't serve teens is an annual educational effort each september as teens head back to high school and college. the goal is to sustain and build on the proimpress our nation has made in combat -- progress our nation has made in combating underaged drinking. in my hometown of chicago, crown imports is leading the effort to publicize the we don't serve teens message. we need the active involvement

in parents, older siblings, educators and other adults. years of government surveys show a significant number of young teens get alcohol from their own homes. all the homes are friends or extended family members. most parents are extremely careful watching what their children eat and drink. teens maintain vigilance over the refrigerator, the wine rack or the liquor cabinet is equally important. illegal underaged drinking among older teens is more formedible challenge. they are mobile and often able to obtain alcohol from older friends and family members, including older students in colleges and universities. with that access and mobility comes sad statistics. in an august, 2012, report from the national highway and traffic administration indicate

several thousands were seriously injured. some with permanent disabilities. these tragedies are 100% preventable, but as every parent knows, our teens do not always make the best decisions and some simply need more active supervision. back in 2006 when bipartisanship was still a hallmark of this body, our colleagues on the appropriations committee teamed up to enact the sober truth on preventing underage drinking re-authorization act, better known as the stop act. they're still committed to re-authorizing that legislation, which has helped align the policies of several federal agencies involved in reducing and preventing underaged drinking. the re-authorization bill introduced this bill is h.r.

498, and i urge my colleagues to support the legislation, to sustain momentum in efforts to combat underaged drinking. in the district i represent, an organization that has benefited from the stop act grant, is the brighton drug-free community coalition. their efforts embody the spirit of we don't serve teens initiative. civic-minded adults have organized block clubs, monitored neighborhood conditions that can contribute to illegal underaged drinking and other substance abuse. they also enlisted neighborhood retailers for assistance and a shared commitment to prevent illegal underaged sales to minors. in many metropolitan areas around the nation, those who sell and serve alcoholic beverages have been supportive of the we don't serve teens initiative. crown imports had a media

campaign that includes outdoor advertising, radio and television messages that will be seen by millions of adults. other brewers and importers have taken the lead in new york, milwaukee, st. louis and other metropolitan areas. i commend the f.t.c. for its leadership on the we don't serve teens and all who support this valuable program. it is worth the effort. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from colorado, mr. gardner, for five minutes. when the president fwan his push to pass the -- began his push to pass the partisan affordable care act, he did so with two primary promises. the promise that if you like your health care plan you'll be able to keep your health care plan, period.

no one will take it away. that was the plan that this chamber voted for when they passed the so-called affordable care act. that was the plan the united states senate voted for when they passed the so-called affordable care act. if you like your health care, you can keep it. in 2011, richard foster, the chief actuary of medicare, testified before congress that this promise would not come true, that the promise that if you like your health care, if you liked your health insurance plan you could keep it. the chief actuary of medicare, he's not a democrat or republican appointee, said that this promise, the promise that was made when this bill passed, won't come true. and over the past several months, my office has received countless letters, emails, tweets, facebook comments from people around this country and around my district in colorado who have said, thanks to obamacare, they are losing their health insurance. they are losing their family's

plan. this promise for them is not coming true. when i first got elected to congress, i made a decision that i would reject congressional health insurance, that i would reject the federal health care plan because i wanted to be in the same boat as my constituents. and just a couple of weeks ago i, too, received a letter in the mail from our insurance plan, our private provider in colorado, for our family. and it said this -- we notify you about the upcoming discontinuation of your plan. this letter right here that ys my family's plan is being canceled. mr. president, where's the promise? mr. president, if you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep it, tell that to the thousands of people in my district that are losing their health insurance, to my family, to millions of people around this country who this promise that you made when you sold this bill is not coming true. the plan that my family had was an affordable plan.

we shopped for it. we worked hard to find a plan that met our needs in rural colorado. we found a plan that is now being canceled and the plan that is being -- that is $1,480 g is going up to a month, it's a 100% increase from the plan that we had. but the president said, if you had your health insurance that you like, you get to keep it. the president said the second primary promise, though, if you had your plan and you got to keep it, we'll make sure that this bill, the affordable care act, brings down your cost. and yet we know that's not coming true either. as people around this had country are facing higher insurance costs, higher plan costs, canceling their plans, forcing them to go to other alternatives. in the letter we received canceling my family's plan said this, that i have options.

i have options to purchase another health insurance plan from us, going through the health care exchange in colorado, an exchange that was just reported in the newspaper had significant computer glitches even though it's supposed to be up and running on october 1. but not one of these options, not a single one of these options include being able to keep the plan that my familiarry had, despite the -- family had, despite the president's promise, the promise if you liked your family's insurance you could keep it. mr. president, where is your promise today? will you explain to the american people that neither of those promises, the primary reasons you pushed the health care bill are untrue? explain that to the american people. in a recent report we've seen from "forbes," an analysis that obamacare will increase underlying insurance rates for ounger men by 97% to 99% and

young women by 57% to 62%. h.h.s. compared what the congressional budget office projected rates might look like in 2016 to its own findings and what happened, of course, in this analysis, was that premiums, coordinate to "forbes" would be 16% lower. that's what they said. but after the analysis by c.b.o., which looked at the projected rates in 2016, compared to its own findings, neither of those numbers tell you the statistic that really matters, how much rates will go up next year under obamacare relative to this year, prior to the law taking effect. looking at families like mine, a 100% increase. we've received stories from around the district, people who have seen their costs increase, people who have seen their insurance canceled. we received a message over twitter that said, i lost my insurance because i can't afford the 100% cost increase. for the first time in 47 years i have to depend on the government for health insurance.

another gentleman who said, he will be dependent on the taxpayers for the first time in his life. mr. president, explain to the american people why the promises you made, the promises you made to the american people are simply not true. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. members are reminded to direct their remarks to the chair and not to a perceived viewing audience. thank you. the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate concurs in the house amendment to s. 793, cited as the organization of american states revitalization and eform act of 2013. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia, mr. connolly, for five minutes.

mr. connolly: thank you, mr. speaker. gosh, i was sorry to hear our colleague from colorado has had his insurance canceled or threatened to with a 100% premium increase. that's precisely what obamacare was designed to stop, the apricious of cancellation of insurance, especially when you get sick, by an insurance company. and that's what it will end is that kind of practices and gives you more choices. mr. speaker, the majority of americans reject house republicans holding hostage the basic government services our citizens expect and need. just so they can poke the president in the eye once again by trying to repeal the signature health insurance reform law. in a recent poll, eight out of 10 respondents said it's unacceptable for members of congress to threaten to shut down the government in order to achieve a narrow ideological goal. after last week's house vote on

the republican hostage plan, another poll found more than half of republican respondents want congress to keep the government open rather than shut it down over the affordable care act. so why can't house republicans accept the affordable care act which was adopted by congress and reaffirmed by the supreme court and reaffirmed an election just 10 months ago in this country? they had 42 votes to chip away or outright repeal this signature law and they failed in every one of those attempts. senator john mccain, a prominent and respected republican, tried to counsel his republican friends on the futility of this effort on the floor of the senate yesterday by reminding them that elections have consequences. the man who lost the 2008 election to president obama noted that a majority of americans reaffirm their support of this president and his agenda by extension of his

signature initiative in last year's election. there is this false narrative that the affordable care act is not working, that it will cause an economic calamity, as the majority leader claimed last week, what truly worries house republicans isn't that the affordable care act will fail but precisely the opposite. they are frightened to death it will succeed. just this week we received further confirmation that in fact it is delivering on its promise to reverse the skyrocketing costs of health care, unlike the narrative of my friend from colorado. when the insurance exchanges open for enrollment next week, the department of health and human services says consumers will find an average of 53 health plans to choose from and premiums 16% lower, not higher, than expected. . that's before tax credits are applied. in my district, for example, a

family of four earning $50,000 a year, will be able to find a sill vear rated insurance plan for less than $300 a month, and they could pay zero premium with that subsidy for bronze rated plan. the affordable care act is working for seniors. premiums and deductibles for medicare are lower not higher, and seniors have saved more than $7 billion so far in prescription drug costs thanks to closing the doughnut hole in medicare part d. in enrollment in medicare advantage plans is up 30% since 2010, and premiums have dropped 16% since that time. that's a far cry from the kind of demonizing and the wolf's at the door rhetoric of some of my friends on the other side. mr. speaker, it's not the affordable care act that puts america at risk of economic calamity but the reckless actions of my friends on the other side of the aisle who are willing once again to hold the american people hostage because they don't like it. and they have an ideological

agenda that is going to create deep hardship in every one of those households my friend from colorado discussed and every one of the households throughout america. let's get on with the business of america and let's stop the practice of hostage taking on the floor of the house. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from ohio, ms. kaptur, for five minutes. ms. kaptur: mr. speaker, with the tragic mass shooting last week at the washington navy yard, our country has again been ravaged by preventable gun violence. america must confront these events and their causes to prevent future tragedy. since 2007, according to the f.b.i., there have been 146 reported mass shootings. far too often a large contributing factor to this recent surge in violence is untreated mental illness. and far too many instances the

perpetrators are former members of our military. our nation must bridge the gap in our current mental health system to avoid more tragedy. the president recently unveiled his brain initiative. it calls for $100 million in funding to advance our understanding of the human mind. supporting this proposal will go a long way to furthering our understanding of the causes and conditions that afflict those who wish to harm others and themselves. further, congressman mckinley, a west virginia and i, have introduced h.r. 1615, the examining america's mental health services act of 2013. the bill requires the secretary of health and human services and the national academies institute of medicine to conduct a comprehensive study on the gaps in our nation's mental health services and explore how these gaps increase the risk of violent acts. experts such as former army vice hief of staff, dr. peter

kierelli, dr. calabrese of case western university, and dr. fullertory would be prime candidates to lead breakthrough national initiatives on mental health. part of our comprehensive effort should focus on accelerating funding for brain research and neuro psychiatric treatment. second, reforming military enlistment, discharge procedures, and integrating the department of defense and department of veterans affairs medical record systems of the third, instituting early childhood behavioral screening in schools. and fourthly, restricting gun and ammunition access to those who have serious behavioral disorders. additional focus on mental illness and gun access is imperative. the navy yard tragedy resulted in the deaths of 13 of our citizens with eight additional people injured. the perpetrator, aaron alexis, was age 34, a navy reserve veteran, and contractor to the u.s. navy. he joined the naval reserve and

began experiencing conditions that many would describe as related to ptsd with demonstrable neuro conditions such as schizophrenia or paranoid schizophrenia. however he was allowed to purchase a remington shotgun and two boxes of ammunition. individuals who suffer from these ailments should not have access to weapons and stockpiles of ammunition. unaddressed mental illness continues to be prevalent in many of our nation's traumatic mass shootings and involve perpetrators who are private citizens as well. recall so sadly in tucson arizona, when our own colleague, gabby giffords, and current colleague survive after a deranged gunman opened fire at a supermarket where they were gathering. we have seen in at virginia tech on april 16, 2007, when cho took the lives of 32 people and sandy hook elementary school in

december of 2012, when 20-year-old adam lanza ended the lives of 20 children and seven adults after taking his own mother's life and then his own. how many more calls for attention, for help, does america need to hear? the killing of two capitol police officers over a decade ago here in the capitol was perpetrated by a man who had been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic who was off his medication, alienated from his family, and got access to guns. the congress should be deeply concerned. that civilians as well as our brave men and women who serve our served in our arm forces, are not receiving the medical treatment required for diagnosing debilitating mental illness and trying to treat it better. an annual department of defense report on suicide has shown an increase in military suesides over the course of the last five years. in 2012 there were 349 suesides by military men and women from all branches of the armed forces, that is more than all

the combat deaths that same year in afghanistan. this is a epidemic and requires more attention and investment, including the brain initiative put forward by the president. in sum, the common denominator with many of these mass shootings is a mentally ill individual with access to deadly weapons who has not been treated properly are many teams -- time even evaluated. americans must address this. for the benefit of our society and we must accelerate research to unlock the mysteries of the human brain. mr. speaker, the only question is, do america's leaders on behalf of the american people have the courage and vision to embark on a serious national conversation about mental health and mental illness? i want to yield back my remaining time and ask unanimous consent to place additional comments in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentlelady's time has expired.

pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house the white house issuing a statement in support of the senate legislation and that came out from the white house. e'll take you shortly or two with president obama at george washington university. and eric cantor said this morning republicans will introduce a plan this week, a plan to address the debt ceiling and to delay the

implementation of the health care law. here's what he had to say. >> good morning. the speaker said last week, we sent the senate a continuing resolution that funds the government and stops obamacare before it cost one more job or it cost families of this country one more dollar of discretionary income. and we also talked a lot today about a plan we're going to put forward this week. it is a plan to address the debt ceiling. we have a debt crisis in this nation. i don't think many people have differed with that notion. and we do have a plan to reduce wasteful government spending, which also spurs economic growth. so our plan reduces energy costs for families and businesses. it calls for the reform of our tax code. it reforms washington spending

and it delays obamacare for one year for all american families. now, president obama has already delayed the law for big business, for insurance companies and the politically connected, so this is only fair for us to say that american families should also have the benefit of delay that this president has given to those. now, for too long, president obama and his democratic colleagues in the senate have chosen to ignore our looming debt crisis, and president obama's plan has been and is still more debt and no reform. and the american people have resoundedly rejected this idea. we have a recent poll out this morning, the bloomberg poll, which says that the american people know they don't want -- no, they don't want a government shutdown, but they're tired of the debt and they want to make sure that this president sits down and negotiates with us a resolution

to this problem. so we call on the president now to sit down with us. harry reid to sit down with us and let's solve the problem. this plan of more debt and no reform is absolutely unacceptable. it's unacceptable to us and it's unacceptable to the american people that we represent. >> the majority leader from about 20 minutes ago. all of that briefing later in our program schedule and in our video library. right now we'll take you live to prince george's community college just outside the nation's capital. president obama has just started speaking to students and others about the health care implementation. >> in the united states of america, health care is not a privilege for the fortunate few, it is a right, and i knew that if we didn't do something about our unfair and inefficient health care system,

it would keep driving up our deficit, it would keep burdening our businesses, it would keep hurting our families and it would keep holding back economic growth. that's why we took on a broken health care system. that's why with the helps of folks like steny and ben and donna we got it through congress. that's why we've been implementing it. that's why we are going to see it through. the affordable care act is here. [applause] i don't have to tell you it was challenge to get it done. a lot of special interests who liked the system just the way it was fought us tooth and nail. then, republicans thought it was good politics to fight it even though the plan we proposed drew on a lot of

republican ideas. but despite all the obstacles, the affordable care act passed both houses of congress. i signed it into law. [applause] the supreme court ruled it onstitutional. republicans in congress have ow voted more than 40 times to undermine or repeal it. their candidate for president an on a platform to repeal it. and at every step they have been unsuccessful. [applause] from now, five

, ys from now on october 1 millions of americans who don't have health insurance, because they've been priced out of the market or because they were denied access because of pre-existing conditions, they will finally be able to buy quality, affordable health insurance. [applause] n five days. pre-existing conditions, whether it's back pain or stick -- were sticking you with sky-high premiums, won't prevent you from getting affordable insurance you need. that's going to happen in five days. now, of course, the closer we've gotten to this date, the more irresponsible folks who

are opposed to this law have become. some of the same republicans who warned three years ago that this law would be armageddon -- that's what they said. armageddon. now they're threatening steps that actually would badly hurt our entire economy, not because of the affordable care act, but because of what they're threatening to do. some have threatened a government shutdown if they can't shut down this law. others have actually threatened an economic shutdown by refusing to pay america's bills if they can't delay the law. . that's not going to happen as long as i'm president. the affordable care act is here to stay.

and so today i want to speak plainly, clearly, honestly about what it means for you and for the people you care about. now, let's start with the facts that even before the affordable care act fully takes effect, about 85% of americans already have health insurance. either through their job or through medicare or through the individual market. so if you're one ever these folks, it's reasonable -- one of these folks, it's reasonable whether you might worry whether health care lee form -- reform will create changes that will be a problem for you, especially when you are bombarded with all sorts of fear mongering. the first thing you need to know is this, if you already have health care, you don't have to do anything. in fact, for the past few years since i signed the affordable care act, a lot of you have been enjoying new benefits and protections you didn't have before, even if you didn't know they were coming from obamacare.

[applause] let me just give you a few examples. because the affordable care act more than 100 million americans have gotten free preventive care like mammograms and contraceptive care with no co-pay. because of the affordable care act, three million young adults under age 26 have gained coverage by staying on their parents' plan. [applause] plause of the affordable care act, millions -- because of the affordable care act, millions of seniors on medicare have saved hundreds of dollars on their prescription medicine. because of the affordable care act, just this year 8.5 million families actually got an average of $100 back from their insurance company because the insurance company spent too much on things like overhead and not

enough on actual medicare. -- medical care. because the affordable care act, insurance companies can no longer put lifetime limits on the care your family needs. or discriminate against children with pre-existing conditions. and starting on january 1, they won't be able to charge women more for their insurance just because they are women. that's a good thing. so, tens of millions of americans are already better off because of the benefit and protections provided by the affordable care act. like i said, they may not know why that rebate check came in the mail. they may not notice that they are not having a co-pay for some preventive care that they received.

but they are getting those benefits. that's already happening. that's already in place today. it's been going on for several years. those are the benefits of obamacare that the law the republicans want to repeal. although it's interesting, when you ask republicans whether they would repeal the benefits i just mentioned, when you say to them do you think it's the right thing to do to let young people stay on their parents' plans? do you want to prevent seniors from getting more discounts on their prescription drugs? no, no. we like those. those things are ok. so they don't like obamacare in theory, but some of the component parts, those that poll well, they don't mind. but that's already in place. now, here's the second thing you need to know. if you're one of over 40 million americans who don't have health

insurance, including hundreds of thousands of folks right here in maryland, starting on tuesday, five days from now, you'll finally have the same chance to buy quality affordable health care as everybody else. and i want to i want to break this down for you. i want you to know exactly how it works. the major reason why people don't have health insurance is, not that they don't have a job or they do have a job but their employer doesn't offer health insurance, or they are self-employed. if you ever tried to buy health insurance on your own, you know t is really, really expensive. it's even worse if you have a pre-existing condition. and up to half of all americans have a pre-existing condition. see, the reason it's really expensive if you buy it on your

own is because you're not part of a big group. you're not part of a group plan. and what groups do is they spread risk between sick is and healthy people. between older and younger people. and groups because insurance companies want the business of groups, that's why they are customers, they'll negotiate a better deal with a group than they will with an individual. so if you're on your own, you're out there trying to negotiate with insurance companies, they are looking and they are saying, well, you know, you take it or leave it, i'm going to charge you a whole lot of money, and if you got a pre-existing condition, they'll say we don't even want to insure you because we think you might get sick later on and we don't want to pay, we just want to take in premiums. so if you're not part of a group, you're either uninsurable, or you need to spend a small fortune on insurance that oftentimes is not very good. that's what is is happening right now. -- that's what's happening right now.

the affordable care act was designed to solve that problem. here's how we do it. starting on tuesday, every american can visit health care. gov to find out what's called the insurance market for your state, you're in maryland, i think it's called maryland ealthconnection.gov. but if you go to healthcare.gov, they'll tell you where to go, they'll link to your state. now, this is real simple. it's a website where you can compare and purchase affordable health insurance plans side by side, the same way you shop for a plane ticket on kayak, same way you shop for a tv on amazon. you just go on and you start looking and hear -- here are all the options. it's buying insurance on the private market, but because now

you're part of a big group plan, right, everybody in maryland is all logging in and taking a look at the prices, you've got choices. now you have new competition because insurers want your business, and that means you will have cheaper prices. so you enter in some basic information about yourself, one level of coverage -- what level of coverage you're looking for. after that you'll be presented with a list of quality, affordable plans that are available in your area t. will say clearly -- area. it will say clearly what each plan covers what, each plan cost, the price will be right there, it will be fully transparent. before this law only a handful of states required insurance companies to offer you instant price quotes, but because of this law ensures all 50 states will have to offer you instant price quotes, and so if you ever tried to buy insurance on your own, i promise you this is a lot easier.

it's like booking a hotel or a plane ticket. and here's another thing about these new plans. if you're one ever those folks who have a pre-existing condition, these plans have to offer you coverage. they can't use your medical history to charge you more than anybody else. if you couldn't afford coverage for your child because he had asthma, he's covered. if you couldn't afford coverage because you were told heartburn was a pre-existing condition, you're covered. if you're one of the 45 million americans with a mental illness, you are covered. if you're a young adult or entrepreneur striking out on your own, you're covered. young couple who previously had insurance that didn't include maternity benefits, now suddenly you need

some maternity benefits, you're covered. if you lose your job, and your health care with it, you're covered. so call those things that were denying you coverage in the past that were the, quote, cruelties of a broken health care system, on january 1, when these plans take effect, no, no, hold on -- hold on, i know what i'm talking about. you sign up starting on tuesday. the plan will take effect on january 1, and when these plans take effect, all those things change forever. now, what about choice and cost? in states where the federal government helps run these marketplaces, the average american will have more than 50 different plans to choose from with different levels of

coverage. and because insurance companies are competing against one another for your business, a lot of americans will pay significantly less for their insurance than they do now. premiums are going to be different in different parts of the country depending how much coverage you buy, but 95% of uninsured americans will see their premiums cost less than was expected. and many families, including more than 2/3 of all young adults who buy health care through these online marketplaces, are also going to be eligible for tax credits that bring the costs down even further. let's be specific. right here in maryland, average 25-year-old, have we got any 25-year-olds here? so we got a few. some of you raised your hand, i'm not sure. here in maryland, average

25-year-old making $25,000 a year could end up getting covered for as little as $80 a month. $80 a month. here in maryland a family of four making $60,000 a year could get covered for as little as 164 a month. it's the same story across the country. in texas, average 27-year-old making $25,000 could get covered for as little as $83 a month. in florida a. family of four making $50,000 could get covered for as little as $104 a month. keen in mind the government didn't set these prices. the insurance companies, they proposed these prices because they want to get in with these big groups with all these new customers. the insurance companies are saying, these marketplaces, this law, will work.

they are putting money on the line because they think it will work. competition, choice, transparency, all these things are keeping costs down. knowing you can offer your family the security of health care, that's priceless. now you can do it for the cost of your cable bill. probably less than your cell phone bill. [applause] think about that. good health insurance for the price of your cell phone bill or less. and let's say you're a young woman, you just turned -- i'm interested in this because i got two daughters, right. let's say you just turned 26, let's say you can't stay on your parents' plan anymore, if you buy health care through the marketplace, your plan has to cover free checkups, flu shots,

contraceptive care. so you might end up getting more health care each month than you're paying for the premiums. all told nearly six in 10 americans without health insurance today will be able to get covered for $100 or less. it would actually be eight in 10 if every governor were working as hard as governor o'malley to make the affordable care act work for their citizens. unfortunately we still got a few republican governors who are so opposed to the very idea of the law, or at least they are doing it for the politics, that they haven't lifted a finger to help cover more people. some of them have actually tried to harm the law before it takes effect. but a lot of republican governors are putting politics aside and doing the right thing. yet you -- and they deserve congratulations for that.

it wasn't easy for them. you got conservative governors in ohio, michigan, pennsylvania, and arizona. about eight republican governors in all, they decided to expand medicaid through the affordable care act to cover more people in their states. and millions of americans without insurance will get coverage through these programs. so, that's what -- that's what the affordable care act is. that's what all the fuss is about. we are giving more benefit and protections for folks who already have health insurance and we create add new market, basically a big group plan, for folks without health insurance so that they get a better deal, and then we are providing tax credits to help folks afford it. you would think that would not be so controversial. you would think people would say, ok, let's go ahead, do this so everybody has health insurance coverage.

the result is more choice, more competition, real health care security, and one question people ask, how is is it possible to do all this and keep costs down? well, part of what we did was build into the law all sorts of measures to assure that the growth of health care costs would start slowing down, and it has. under the old system doctors and hospitals, they were rewarded not for the quality of care but for the quantity of care. they get paid for the number of procedures they did instead of whether they were working or not. now he there are penalties for hospitals with high readmission rates. and last year, surprisingly enough, for the first time ever, hospital readmission rates for medicare patients actually fell. right. that means fewer taxpayer

dollars go to providers who don't serve their patients well. over the past five years, we have more than doubled the adoption of electronic health records for physicians. so that means they can track what's going on better and make fewer mistakes. new technology start-up companies are coming up with new inventions to monitor patient health, prevent infections. there's innovation going on across the country. as a consequence, today medicare costs per enrollee are rising at the slowest rate in years. employer-based health care costs are growing at about 1/3 the rate of a decade ago. all told, since i signed the affordable care act into law, we have seen the slowest growth in health care costs on record. [applause] so let's think about this. if you got health insurance you are getting better protections,

better benefits. if you don't have health insurance you can be part after group plan. and health care costs overall arring much more slowly than they did before we signed the law. so far so good. what's all the fuss about? what is it that these republicans are just so mad about? look, i want to be honest. there are parts of the bill that some folks don't like. to help pay for the program, the wealthiest americans, families who make more than $250,000 a year, will have to pay a little bit more. extremely costly health insurance plans will no longer qualify for unlimited tax breaks. and most people who can afford

health insurance now have to take responsibility to buy health insurance or pay a penalty. all right. now, the reason we do that is when uninsured people who can afford to get health insurance don't, and then they get sick or get hit by a car, and they show up at the emergency room, who do you think pays for that? you do. in the form of higher premiums, because the hospitals, they got to get their money back somehow. so if they are treating somebody who doesn't have health insurance, they jack up premiums for everybody who does have health insurance. it's like a hidden tax of $1,000 per family every year who has health insurance. so we are thinking that's not fair. if you can afford to get health insurance, don't dump the cost on us. the law also requires employers with more than 50 employees to either provide health insurance

for your workers or pay a penalty. now, some folks say that's not fair. but if you are an employer, you can afford to provide health insurance, you don't, your employees get sick, they go to the emergency room or they end up on medicaid because you're not doing what you're doing, you should be doing, why is it everybody else should bear those costs? there are some folks who disagree with me on this. they say that violates people's liberties, telling them they have to get health insurance. i disagree. so did congress when it passed this bill into law. it is unfair for folks to game the system and make the rest of us pay for it. it's unfair -- [applause] it's unfair for responsible employers who are doing the right thing giving their employees health insurance to

get undercut by some operator that's not providing health insurance for their employees. that's -- that puts the employer who is doing the right thing at a vase dng, right? -- disadvantage, right? so this idea you have responsibility, everybody, that's what massachusetts did when they passed their health care plan a few years ago, and by the way today in massachusetts almost everybody's covered and the system works pretty well. all right. let me just wrap up by saying this. like any law, like any big product launch, there are going to be some glitches as this thing unfolds. folks in different parts of the country will have different experiences, it will be smoother in places like maryland where governors are working to implement it rather than fight somewhere around the country there's going to be a

computer glitch and the website's not working quite the way it's supposed to work. something happens where there's some error made somewhere. that will happen. that happens whenever you roll out a new program. i guarantee the opponents of the law, they'll have their cameras ready to document anything that doesn't go completely right, and they'll extend it to the news folks and say look at this, the thing's not working. but most of the stories you'll hear about how obamacare just can't work, it's just not based on facts. every time they have predicted something not working, it's worked. [applause] they said that these rates would come in real high and everybody's premiums would be sky-high and it turns out lo and behold actually the prices came in lower than we expected, lower than i predicted. these how well cost efficient

and choice -- competition and choice works. they said this would be a disaster in terms of jobs. there's no widespread evidence that the affordable care act is hurting jobs. one of john mccain's former economic advisors admitted just this week, and i'm quoting here, i was expecting to see it. i was looking for it. but it's not there. it's not there. it is reforming health care it's going to help the economy over the long term. not only will it help lower costs for business, not only will it help families, it will free up entrepreneurship in this country because if you got a great idea for your own business, but you have never tried it because your spouse had a pre-existing condition, you didn't want to lose your employer-based coverage, you've got the ability now to get your own coverage. that's security. that's freedom. so we are now only five days

away from finishing the job. five days. [applause] starting on tuesday you can sign up. but you don't have to sign up on tuesday. you've got six months to enroll in these new plans. can you go to the website, you can check it out. you can see if what i'm saying is true. you can sign up next week. you can sign up next month. you can sign up two months from now, three months from now, but you can sign up, tell your friends, tell your classmates, tell your family members about the new health care choices. talk to folks at your church, in your classroom. you going to a football game? basketball game? talk to them. tell them what the law means.

over the next few months state and local leaders from across the country are going to hold events to help get the word out. go out there and join them. secretary of health and human services is in texas right now working with folks on the ground to make sure this all works for texas families. all across the country people are getting ready. all kinds of people are working hand in hand because we are all in this together, that's what america does best, that's what this country is all about. but we need you to spread the word. you don't have to take my word for it. if you talk to somebody that said, i don't know, i was fox news and they said it's horrible, and you -- and you can say, you know what, don't take my word for it. go on the website, see for yourself what the prices are, see for yourself what the choices are, then make up your own mind. just -- that's all i'm asking. make up your own mind. i promise you, if you go on the

website and it turns out you're going to save 100, $200, $300 a month on your insurance or buy insurance for the first time, even if you didn't vote for me, i'll bet you'll sign up for that health care plan. [applause] so you don't need to listen to the politician. you don't need to listen to me. check it out for yourself. make up your own mind whether this works for you. and part -- look, part of the reason i need your help to make this law work is because there are so many people out there working to make it fail. one of the biggest newspapers in the country recently published an editorial i thought was pretty good.

they said, the republicans in congress are poisoning obamacare hen trying to claim it's sick. that's what's been happening. they have tried to put up every conceivable roadblock. they cut funding for efforts to educate people about what's in the law. some of them said, if their constituents call them, we won't even try to explain to them what's in the law. they actually opened up an investigation into people who tried to help churches and charities understand how to help people sign up for the law. some of the tea party's biggest donors, some of the wealthiest men in america, are funding a cynical ad campaign trying to convince young people not to buy health care at all. think about it, these are billionaires, several times over, you know they have good ealth care, but they are

actually spending money on television trying to convince young people that if you got the choice between getting affordable health care or going without health care, you should choose not having any health care. do you expect if you get sick or hurt and you get stuck with a massive bill, you say, folks, they are going to help you out? or are they going to pay for your health care? it is interesting, though, how er the last couple years the republican party has just spun itself up around this issue. and the fact is the republicans' biggest fear at this point is not that the affordable care act will fail, what they are worried bout is it's going to succeed.

think about it. if it was as bad as they said it was going to be, then they should go ahead and let it happen and everybody would hate it so much and everybody would vote to repeal it. that would be the end of it. so what is it they are so scared about? e. they have made -- a big political issue out of it, trying to scare everybody with lies about death panels and killing granny, right? that's armageddon. so if it actually works, they'll look pretty bad. if it actually works that will mean that everything they were saying really wasn't true and they were just playing politics.

just the other day one republican in congress said, we need to shove this thing down before the marketplace is opened and people get to see that they'll be getting coverage and getting these subsidies because -- and i'm going to quote him here. he said, it's going to prove almost impossible to undo obamacare, right. so in other words we've got to shut this thing down before people find out that they like it. [applause] that's a strange argument. don't you think that's a strange argument? and the closer we get, the more desperate they get. i mean over the last few weeks the rhetoric has just been cranked up to a place i have

never seen before. one congressman said that obamacare is the most dangerous piece of legislation ever passed. ever. in the history of america, this is the most dangerous piece of legislation. creating a marketplace so people can buy group insurance plans, the most dangerous ever. you have a state representative somewhere say that it's as destructive to personal and individual liberties as the ugitive slave act. think about that. affordable health care is worse than a law that let slave owners et their run away slaves back. i mean these are quotes.

'm not making this stuff up. and here's one more that i have heard, i like this one. we have to, and i'm quoting here, we have to repeal this failure before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens. now, i have to say that one was from six months ago. i just want to point out we still have women, we still have children, we still have senior citizens. [applause] all this would be funny if it wasn't so crazy. and a lot of it is just hot air, a lot is just politics. i understand that.

but now the tea party republicans have taken it to a whole new level because they are threatening either to shut down the government or shut down the entire economy by refusing to let america pay its bills for the first time in history. unless i agree to gut a law that ill help millions of people. think about this. shutting down the government just because you don't like a law that was passed and found constitutional, and because you don't like the idea of giving people new access to affordable health care, what kind of idea is that? think about how that would impact maryland. lots of people would be badly hurt by a government shutdown. a lot of people around here wake up and go to serve their country every single day in the federal government.

civilians who work at military bases. analysts, scientists, janitors, people who process new veterans and survivor benefits claims. they would all have to stay home and not get paid. and we all know it would badly damage the economy. whatever effect obamacare might have on the economy, it's far less than even a few days of government shutdown. even if you believe -- [applause] even if you believe that obamacare was going to hurt the economy, it won't hurt the economy as bad as a government shutdown. and by the way the evidence is that it's not going to hurt the economy, obamacare is going to help the economy. and it's going to help families and help businesses. as for not letting america pay

its bills, i have to say no congress before this one has er, ever in history been irresponsible enough to threaten default. to threaten an economic shutdown , to suggest america not pay its bills just to try to blackmail a president into giving them some concessions on issues that have nothing to do with the budget. i mean this is the united states of america. we are not a deadbeat nation. we don't run out on our tabs. we don't not pay our notes. we are the world's bedrock ofnomy, the world's currency

choice, the entire world looks to us to make sure that the world economy is stable. you don't mess with that. [applause] ou don't mess with that. and that's why i will not negotiate on anything when it comes to the full faith and credit of the united states of america. we are not going to submit to this kind of total irresponsibility. congress needs to pay our bills on time. congress needs to pass a budget on time. congress needs to put an end to governing from crisis to crisis. our focus as a country should be on creating new jobs and growing our economy and helping young

people learn and restoring security for hardworking middle class families. [applause] this is not about the fortunes of any one party. this is not about politics. this is about the future of our country. if republicans do not like the law, they can go through the regular channels and processes to try to change it. hat's why we have elections. so they can go through the normal processes and procedures of a democracy, but you do not threaten the full faith and credit of the united states of america. meanwhile, we are going to keep implementing the law. it's the law. like i said, there are going to be some glitches along wait. every law has hiccups when it's first starting off.

people forget by the way, medicare part d, passed by my predecessor, george bush, passed by a republican house of representatives, the prescription drug bill passed into law 10 years ago, was even more unpopular than the affordable care act before it took effect. everybody was saying what a disaster it was going to be. the difference was democrats worked with republicans to make it work even better. steny remembers this, even though democrats weren't happy that the law wasn't paid for and was going to add hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit, and we weren't negotiating a better deal with the drug companies, everybody worked once it was the law to try to make it work, and today about 90% of seniors like their prescription drug coverage. so we may not get that same

level of cooperation from republicans right now, but the good news is i believe eventually they'll come around. because medicare and social security face the same kind of chris sisms. before medicare came into law, one republican warned that one of these days you and i are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in america when men were free. that was ronald reagan. and eventually ronald reagan came around to medicare and thought it was pretty good and actually helped make it better. so that's what's going to happen with the affordable care act. and once it's working really well, i guarantee you they will not call it obamacare. [applause]

here is a prediction for you. a few years from now when people are using this to get coverage, everybody's feeling pretty good about all the choices and competition that they've got, there are going to be a whole bunch of folks who say, yeah, i always thought this provision was excellent. i voted for that thing. .ou watch if will not be called obamacare. but i'm always willing to work with anybody from either party. if you got a serious idea for making the affordable care act better or making our broader health care system better, i'm happy to work with you. because that's what the majority of the american people want.

they don't want posturing, they want governing. they don't want politics, they want us to work together to make the lives of ordinary americans a little bit better, a little bit more secure. so, americans, i'm asking for your help. need your help. we may have some very well funded opponents, we may have some very talkative opponents, but you're going to be the best, most credible messagers to spread the word about this law and all the benefits that the american people stand to get and have earned. so tell your friends, tell your families, get covered, get on

that website, answer the questions of folks who don't know what this is all about, healthcare.gov. teach them how to use the website. make sure they sign up. let's help our fellow americans get covered, then let's keep on working to rebuild the middle class. let's go and focus on creating more good-paying jobs. let's build more ladders of opportunity for everybody willing to work hard. [applause] >> let's make sure the united states of america keeps being a place where you can make it if you try. thank you, everybody. god bless you. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013]

>> president obama meeting with students and others at prince george's community college talking about health care as the state exchanges under the health care law get set to open next uesday, october 1. just ahead of the president's speech, the administration issuing a statement of support of administration policy on the senate continuing resolution, the one that strips the defunding language out of the continuing resolution. the house coming back in in about 15 minutes or so. they are waiting to hear from the senate on the continuing resolution, but they have other legislative work today. on the agenda bail authorizing a land exchange in arizona between

the federal government and resolution, votes later in the afternoon. just before the house gaveled out of morning hour today, republicans held their conference this morning and republican leaders spoke to reporters after that. speaker john boehner hear here on the hill before that. speaker boehner said for the first time today the house is unlikely to accept a clean spending bill from the senate, increasing chances of a government shutdown after september 30. quote, i don't see that happening, boehner told reporters at the capital press conference. the hill writes, his comments reflect an emerging consensus among senior house republicans, but they raise the questions of what the house would try to attach to a continuing resolution in the limited time it will have to avert a shutdown. here's a look at that briefing from this morning. t's just under 15 minutes.

>> good morning, everyone. the american people don't want the president's health care bill, and they don't the government to shut down. republicans are listening. we passed a bill last week that would do just what the american people have asked. it's time for the senate to listen and pass the bill that we sent over there. on the debt limit, we are going to introduce a plan that ties important spending cuts and pro-growth reforms to a debt limit increase. the president says i'm not going to negotiate. well, i'm soarry, but it just doesn't work that way. we are not going to ignore washington's spending problem, and we are not going to accept this new normal of a weak economy, no new jobs, and shrinking wages. so we need to strengthen our economy for all americans and we need to deal with washington pending problem.

>> good morning, the speaker said last week we sent the senate a continuing resolution that funds the government and stops obamacare before it costs one more job or it costs families of this country one more dollar in discretionary income. and we also talked a lot today about a plan we are going to put forward this week, it is a plan to address the debt ceiling. we have a debt crisis in this nation. i don't think many people have differed with that notion. and we do have a plan to reduce wasteful government spending, which also spurs economic growth. so our plan reduces energy costs for families and businesses. it calls for the reform of our tax code. it reforms washington spending. and it delays obamacare for one year for all american families.

now, president obama has already delayed the law for big business, for insurance companies, and the politically connected. so this is only fair for us to say that american families should also have the benefit of delay that this president has given to those. now, for too long president obama and his democratic colleagues in the senate have chosen to ignore our looming debt crisis. and president obama's plan has been and is still more debt and no reform. and the american people have resoundingly rejected this idea. we have a recent poll out this morning, the bloomberg poll, which says that the american people, no, they don't want a government shutdown, but they are tired of the debt and they want to make sure that this president sits down and negotiates with us a resolution to this problem. so we call on the president now to sit down with us, harry reid

to sit down with us and let's solve the problem. this plan of more debt and no reform is absolutely unacceptable. it's unacceptable to us, and it's unacceptable to the american people that we represent. >> kind of interesting you read the stories of different things, different people do. america realizes we are in a big crisis. i read a headline that the speaker gets a phone call from the president. i first think that's a positive thing that's going to a we are going to see movement. the president didn't call to say let's work together. he just called to say i will not negotiate. that's not the same message he gives to other world leaders. this is a time that, one, we are americans first. the leader talked about the new poll that came out from bloomberg. america's concerned about economic growth. they are concerned about the

size of our debt. when you look at the bill that we will roll out when it comes to the debt ceiling, you take control of making sure we don't continue just run away spending, but more importantly we bring growth back. economic growth when you look at the joint economic committee comes out, just 1% of growth will cut down more than $300 billion of debt just in 10 years. these are all bills that have passed this house before, but why haven't they become law? why do we still linger in the economic problems that we have? because the senate will not act. today that can all change. we ask the president call again, but this time don't call to say he won't talk. do what the american people ask. sit down and work together that we can get this country moving one more time. >> republicans are leading. we are leading on the issues important to this country. we are leading on those policies that will create jobs, get

people back to work, get a strong economy. we are leading in an effort to get the government to live within its means, cut spending, get those spending reforms so that our fiscal situation is strong. we are leading on health care, on ensuring that americans have access to quality and affordable health care, and we are leading on protecting hardworking americans across this country that are feeling the overreach from the federal government. and what do we hear on the other side? leader pelosi has called us legislativearsonnists. -- ledge 5 arsonists. -- legislative 5 arsonists. president obama accused us of holding the u.s. hostage. these accusations couldn't be further from the truth and i encourage president obama and the democrats to listen to the 57% of americans across this country who would oppose most or all of obamacare because it's

making their lives harder. i encourage them to sit down with the average family of four in america that is going to see their premiums increase $7,500 on average. i encourage them to talk to some of the people i represent in washington state, moms and dads that are wondering how are they going to insure their kids. those seniors that can't find a doctor who will take a medicare patient and are seeing their costs go up. or those people that are losing their full-time jobs because their employers can't afford obamacare. this debate trumps politics in every way. it's about people. it's about everyday hardworking people and we encourage the democrats to listen to the american people and then do what's right. >> i'm a mom and moms have to be really good at multitasking and making sure everyone's happy, everyone's heard, and gets

along, and to solve life's problems. that's the only way you can do it to avoid mass chaos in a home. and it's not easy and this job that i'm doing today isn't easy, either. i didn't come here to shut things down. i came here to get things done. and i don't want the president's health care law for my family, my mom, my kids, and neither does the majority of americans. and certainly not the majority of kansans. and i am going to continue to do everything in my power to repeal and replace the president's health care law, however i also do not want the government to shut down. there are people across the country who depend on essential government services like social security, medicare, and certainly the security provided by our nation's military both here and abroad. the house is committed to keeping the federal government opened in order to provide these very services.

the house has listened to the american people who want the delay in the president's health care law and ensure the federal government remains opened. we are leading the charge to rein in spenged and protect hardworking americans. it's time for the senate to join s to make this work. >> let's face it, the affordable care act, obamacare, is not ready for prime time. yet another broken promise. premiums will go down by $2,500, not the case. many families as they are beginning to look at these exchanges that perhaps open up as early as next week are finding their premiums will go up perhaps as much as 400%. yet another broken promise showing again that this is not eady for prime time. >> yes, ma'am.

you sound like my colleagues, the dog ate my homework. >> the last time there was a fight over the debt ceiling the stock market dropped by 2,000 points and u.s. credit was downgraded, are you willing to risk that again? are you truly willing to hold up the raising of the debt ceiling if you don't get some or all of the items on your list? >> the problem is not what's happening or not happening here. the fact is is we have $17 trillion worth of debt. this year the federal government will bring in more revenue than any year in the history of our country, and yet we'll have a nearly $700 billion budget deficit. we have a spending problem that has to be addressed. in addition to that, we have seen almost no economic growth. if you really want to solve this problem, we not only have to control spending, but we also have to have real economic growth that allows americans

better shot at a better job and better wages, and more hours. >> if you don't get the items on your list? >> mr. speaker, you just said every time spending is the issue. but on this debt limit bill all you are offering are freebies like medical malpractice and leftover low hanging fruit from the supercommittee. why aren't you doing more on spending? >> in this bill we have spending cuts and we have issues that will help spur more economic growth. we think the balance is correct. >> in light of bringing this debt limit bill to the floor, will you now accept the clean c.r. from the senate to avoid a government shutdown? > i do not see that happening. >> what do you plan to send back to the senate? how can you ensure you won't be having a shut down? >> i have made it clear now for months and months and months. we have no interest in seeing the government shut down. but we've got to address the

spending problems that we have in this town. and so there will be options available to us. they are not going to be any speculation about what we are going to do or not do until the senate passes their bill. thank you-all. >> what options would be the c.r. -- >> we are not going to have a discussion about the c.r., speculate about the c.r. until the senate finishes their bill. >> you are not going to have a discussion about it. no intent to shut the government down. >> that's correct. >> looks like a real possibility. would you concede that's the case? >> no, do i not. do not expect that to happen. >> republican leaders from earlier today, and some democratic reaction via twitter. senate democrats tweeting democrats will pass a sensible plan to avoid a shutdown, but house republicans seem determined to force it.

>> more at twitter.com/c-span. the u.s. house is about to gavel in for legislative work this afternoon. several bills on the agenda, including one authorizing a land swap in arizona between the federal government and resolution copper k live coverage now of the u.s. house here on c-span. the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father con

roy:. chaplain conroy: let us pray. dear lord, we ask that you might send your spirit of peace and reconciliation, that instead of asent dansy over opponent, the members of this people's house and all elected to represent our nation might work together humbly, recognizing the best in each other's hopes, to bring stability and direction toward a strong future. may all that is done this day be for your greater honor and glory, amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? >> mr. speaker, i demand a vote on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on -- the speaker: the question is on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.

the journal stands approved. the gentleman from south carolina. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, i -- i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentlelady from ohio, ms. fudge. ms. fudge: 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: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? without objection, so ordered. >> mr. speaker, i rise in support of the house-passed continuing resolution and i call for its passage in the

united states senate. the house-passed resolution ensures that our government remains open and operational. it ensures that our military personnel will continue to receive protection in the field and pay at home. and it guarantees continued care for our veterans. it protects individuals, families and small businesses from the harmful effects of obamacare. mr. lance: and it holds the line on spending, the most critical fiscal issue currently facing washington and the american people. the united states senate should join the house and pass this fiscally responsible measure and avert a governmental shutdown. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from ohio rise? ms. fudge: address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. s. fudge: thank you. thank you, mr. speaker.

i rise today to celebrate the beginning of a new era in american health care. in less than a week, americans across the country will be able to enroll in health insurance marketplaces more commonly known as health exchanges. americans will no longer be subjected to annual limits on their coverage or refuse -- or be refused insurance because of a pre-existing condition. we as a nation will be that much closer to ensuring that every american has access to high-quality and affordable health care. the united states is undoubtedly home to the world's best doctors, hospitals and health care providers. and starting january 1, more than six million children, seniors, women and men will be able to access world-class care at less than $100 a month. i certainly believe that's something worth celebrating. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? the gentleman is recognized.

garrett garrett mr. speaker, -- mr. garrett: mr. speaker, on saturday, september 21, new jersey and our nation lost a true hero. staff sergeant timothy raymond miguel was killed in afghanistan in support of operation enduring freedom. after graduating from ramsey high school in 2001, staff sergeant miguel joined the marines and later deployed to iraq. in 2008 he joined the rhode island national guard to chase his dream of joining spellings forces. then in 2011 -- special forces. then in 2011, staff sergeant miguel was made a weapons sergeant and was most recently assigned to a company, second battalion, 19 special group force, army national guard in middletown, rhode island. and in between these deployments, staff sergeant miguel volunteered in ramsey fire department back home in the state of new jersey. you see, staff sergeant miguel was always committed to his community and to this country. he was truly one of the best

and the brightest in the fifth congressional district and my prayers are with the family of staff sergeant miguel. ith that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the entlelady from texas rise? without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. a government shutdown would damage the economic recovery, slow our growth over the long-term, and severely underline our ability to extend our recovery and put people back to work. as we debate the continuing resolution, i must emphasize, investments in education, which are the wisest investments we can make for the long-term fiscal survival of our country. we are jeopardizing our future as a nation by threatening educational services as well as eliminating and reducing financial aid for millions of students attending pre-k,

elementary, secondary and postsecondary schools. this week i introduced a resolution to honor our nation's historically black colleges and universities. i am concerned that these institutions will be disproportionately affected by any cuts. each day historically black colleges and universities help us bridge the achievement gap. the fact is that we cannot move forward as a country until all of our children have the opportunity to succeed academically. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri rise? without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today i come to the house floor to speak on an issue that is on the minds of many of my constituents and americans across the country and that is obamacare. enrollment is set to begin in only five short days, yet there is far too much confusion about how hardworking americans will purchase their health insurance

through obamacare exchanges. one constituent from missouri's third district recently contacted my office in a panic about how obamacare's going to impact her personally as well as her small business. mr. luetkemeyer: she's reached out to her accountant, insurance broker and health care provider and guess what, mr. speaker? nobody has a clue how this is all going to play out. unlike the federal government, she is forced to balance both her families and her businesses -- her family's and her business' budget. when she has no idea how much health insurance is going to cost, she has a very large hole in both of her budgets that makes it nearly impossible to plan for other things. whether it's new prescription glasses for her child to see the board at school, or hiring a new employee for a small business she hopes to expand. mr. speaker, this is not an isolated incident. i received hundreds of emails and phone calls expressing real fears from folks about obamacare. from what i'm hearing and seaing -- seeing firsthand, the affordable care act is neither affordable nor caring. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from illinois rise?

without objection, so ordered, the gentlelady is recognized. >> thank you. i rise today to urge my colleagues to put america first and pass a bipartisan spending plan to prevent a government shutdown. as the daughter of a small business owner, i learned at an early age that it's impossible to succeed without smart planning and reliable funding. let's keep this lesson in mind. millions of americans will be left hanging if the government shuts down. benefits for veterans could be delayed, approval of small business loans would be suspended, and the national institutes of health and centers for disease control, which monitor disease, may be forced to scale back their services, leaving us vulnerable to a health dies i -- crisis. ms. kelly: one of the last government shutdowns in this country cost taxpayers $800 million. including $400 million lost revenue collected by the i.r.s. we can't afford to go through that again. it is time to put an end to the partisan games. american citizens aren't chips

to be gambled with. our service men and women, mom and pop business owners, and families who show up for america every day deserve a government that shows up for them. let's stop grandstanding and start standing up for mesh people by passing a -- american people by passing a c.r. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? mr. wilson: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered, the gentleman is recognized. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, obamacare is unaffordable, unsustainable and unreliable. an overwhelming majority of the american people agree that this disastrous $1.2 trillion law must be replaced with a system that protects the doctor-patient relationship, as has been repeatedly introduced by congressman tom price of georgia. the south carolina department of insurance has estimated that health insurance rates in the federal exchanges will increase up to 70% for south carolinaans. a majority of other states will have premium increases that will skyrocket, destroying jobs.

house republicans have the best interests of americans at heart. we know that hardworking families should not be forced to pay higher health care costs, in addition to the financial burdens of every everyday life -- of everyday life. the senate should adopt bipartisan legislation. as the house said last week, we join with the american people to keep government stores open, defund obamacare and control government spending. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, you're recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. once again, a critical deadline looms again. here we are circling the drain, days away from another republican-manufactured government shutdown due to the irresponsible lack of governing. instead of forging or even attempting to forge a bipartisan compromise, we have another manufactured crisis, putting america on another

roller coaster ride. unfortunately we have been here before. with the other party playing politics and pandering to their tea party base rather than doing what we were sent here to do and that is to govern. it's enough. the american public is fed up with this. it's time to drop the foolishness and stop pursuing through threatening means that threaten the economy. mr. kildee: you can't achieve at the ballot box or through legislation. the implications of this shutdown are real, it will hurt the american economy, it threatens direct benefits of our veterans and people with disabilities. there's just too much at stake. republicans should drop this charade and do the job that we were elected to do and that is govern, pass a budget and protect the rights of the american people. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does another gentleman from michigan rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered.

>> mr. speaker, we sincerely need true leadership at this time. great problems, great challenges, great divisions. and yet our president's first call last friday to house leadership clearly indicated in his own words that he would not negotiate. how can this be leadership? 61% of citizens polled recently want spending cuts tied to the debt ceiling bill. mr. walberg: in my town hall meeting yesterday morning, bill said, my wife is very sick. i pay $900 a month for my health insurance. i need that. but i want you to go to washington and end the spending . move our country forward. shut down obamacare. mr. president, you won't negotiate, you negotiated with mr. putin and mr. assad, you negotiated with the u.n. on an

arms treaty threatening our second amendment liberty. why would you not negotiate with the people's house and the people who sent us to restore fiscal sanity, economic opportunity and liberty? i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair reminds the house to target your comments to the chair. for what purpose does the gentlelady from nevada rise? without objection, so ordered, you're recognized. ms. titus: this week, a leading nevada republican said that the 2014 elections will be a great year for republicans because a lot of minorities and a lot of younger people will not turn out. well, while the g.o.p. plan for 2014 is focused on voter suppression, i'm here to deliver a different message. minorities and women are going to be turning out in droves next year because they see what the republican leadership is doing in washington.

they see the dysfunction the republicans have created and are apparently so proud of. they see the republican agenda that's driven by an extremist ideology rather than what's best for americans. in fact, voters of all types are seeing and will see over the next few days just how out of step the house republicans truly are. they grapple not with the needs of americans but with the two wings of their own caucus, the far right and the further right. we need a new agenda. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina rise? . bird,-to-is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to share a letter from dr. billy graham to the iranian president calling for the release of american citizen currently in prison in iran due to his faith. i quote from dr. graham. the announcement on monday that your country has freed 80 political prisoners is very

encouraging. i fear, however, that the current publicity surrounding the continued imprisonment of pastoral abadini, an american citizen, may further harm the already fragile relationship that exists tweern our two nations. today thousands will attend prayer vigils in more than 70 cities around the country calling on your country to release this husband, father, and servant of god. i join them by respectfully asking you to release pastor abidini from prison. mr. pittenger: such a reaction will have a positive impact on our nation. it might well be perceive the by our leadership as a significant step in reducing tensions. respectfully yours, billy graham. i'm placing his full letter in the congressional record. today i also croat president obama with other house -- wrote president obama with other house members asking he call on iran to free this american citizen and humanitarian. i urge you to join me in this effort. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the

gentleman from minnesota rise. >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, it's time to put an end to the political stage craft and gridlock that's come to characterize this chamber. mr. nolan: it's time for a little common sense, collaboration, and compromise. 238 years ago the founders of our great nation risked their lives to establish this government. imagine their reaction today as this body contemplates actions that would shut it down. i'm a business guy, 32 years. i tried a lot of ways to fix problems over the years, but shutting down the store has never been one of them. mr. speaker, this is not a game. this is real life to the kids on head start, to the national guard, and men and women in our armed forces being furloughed, to the seniors, students, the families struggling to get by, and to the millions of

hardworking public servants who go to work every day on our behalf. mr. speaker, we need to put an end to this followy -- folly, pass a clean continuing resolution funding our government, and get to work balancing our budget, ending he sequester, rebuilding america, rebuilding the middle class, and putting america back to work. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered, you are recognized for one minute. mr. pitts: thank you, mr. speaker. over three months ago the house passed a defense appropriations bill with overwhelming bipartisan support. as we approach the end of the fiscal year, i want to remind senate democrats and the president that our fighting meb and -- men and women are counting on us. the leadership in the senate failed to even bring a defense funding measure to the floor this year. should they fail to work with the house to fund the government, pay for our soldiers, airmen could be

delayed. cutbacks could reduce their readiness and delay the recruitment of tools they need to defend our nation and themselves. at a time when fighting continues in afghanistan and we face serious threats from terrorists, at a time when the president is threatening force in syria, we cannot let our guard down. and we should not use our military and wounded warriors as pawns in political partisanship. the senate needs to act without delay to pass funding, keep the government from shutting down, the safety of brave americans around the world is at risk if he we fail. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota rise. without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized for one minutes. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the one thing i hear from my constituents when i talk to them in southern minnesota is is it so much to ask your folks to do your job? as the drama swirls and the brinksmanship goes and deja vu all over again, certain things shouldn't be that difficult. as we are doing this, my farmers

and wranchers and millions of them across the country are going about their work every day getting up before dawn, doing their work, feeting ulls, cloting us, and powering this country. mr. walz: he they asked us to pass a farm bill. four months ago the senate did it. four months ago the house ag committee did it. that wasn't good enough. we came to the floor, we created drama, tried to make being hungry a sin, now you have them a monstrosity. you know what? the constitution makes it very clear bring the two together, conference the bill, and pass something that's good for america. i get it. you don't like the senate bill. i get it. senate doesn't like this bill. but you know what? let's get together and get something we can both equally dislike but at least it serves the people and moves something forward. the time is now. the farm bill is waiting. people are hungry and producers are growing food. pass the farm bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered, the

gentleman is recognized for one mirnt. mr. duncan: mr. speaker, the republicans in the house compromised and voted to fund everything in the entire federal government but obamacare. yet the president refuses to compromise on anything, even just that one bill. if you think most of the national media is not biased, consider the fact that they are not calling on the president to compromise at all. the national media apparently believes that house republicans should be the only ones required to compromise. then look, too, at the different treatment different texas state senator wendy davis' filibuster and the filibuster-like speech by senator ted cruz. the elite national media made senator davis an overnight sensation, and treated her as courageous. but senator cruz has been blasted every day by the liberals who control most of the media. a double standard that is both very unfair and very harmful to the nation. if the federal government shuts down, it will be in large part because the national media for some reason feels the president has no obligation to compromise

or moderate his views in any way. i yield back the balance of my time. search the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> five more days, mr. speaker, just five days this body threatens to shut down the government. the public and american citizens are fed up with these shanan begans, they want us to do our job. mr. bera: if the government shuts down, we'll send our military to work, but not pay them. if the government shuts down, veterans who have been waiting months for benefits are going to wait longer. let's do our job. this is totally unacceptable. the people expect us to come together and put together a real budget. we pass no budget, no pay, jet we don't have a pugget. the house passed one budget, senate passed another. let's come together in a conference, agree on a single number, and move forward and set

our priorities. enough kicking the can down the road. keep the government opened. pass a budget. start rebuilding the middle class for america and one that works. let's get back on the right track. we can do this. we have done it before. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise. >> mr. speaker, i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i come to the house floor to speak in support of the government shut down fairness act which i introduced last friday. this legislation would stop members of congress from receiving a salary in the event of a government shutdown. as members of congress, it is our job to keep the government running. and it is wrong that we would continue to get paid while programs for veterans, seniors, and many others are adversely impacted, and those in the military are not paid. this legislation is consistent with the 27th amendment and would hold member salaries in

escrow until the end of this congress. salary and job performance are often tied together. and it should be no different in the government. the american people deserve more from their congress. we must be willing to put ourselves at the back of the line and put our constituents first during a government shutdown. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from new york rise. without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. mrs. maloney: mr. speaker, i quote, compromise is a way of life in public policy. my way or no way is the mindset of a 5-year-old, not the leading legislative body of the western world. end quote. this is a direct quote, mr. speaker, and i know it's accurate because it's from me over a decade ago. i was in congress for the shutdown of the federal government in 1995. they were as disastrous as they were unnecessary. a national disgrace.

and today's funding debate is equally shameful. holding government funding hostage and potentially following up with an act of blackmail over the debt limit is irresponsible and indifferent to the needs of millions across our country. particularly the military. this debate is another manufactured crisis. a willful, needless, self inflicted wound that will have terrible effects on our economy, our fiscal outlook, and the american pocketbooks. the congress of the united states should never, ever bow down before the ridged particular tadse of the handful of ideological extremists. we should do what's right for the people of our country and pass a clean budget now. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to

congratulate the rose holdman institute of technology on their number one ranking as the top undergraduate engineering school in the nation. this is the 15th consecutive year for this honor by the "u.s. news and world report" in a category of engineering schools whose highest degree is a bachelor's or master's degree. founded in 1874 and located in terre haute, indiana, rose holman delivers the world's best undergraduate science engineers and mathematics education in an environment of individual attention and support. i commend rose holman for their excellent leadership and dedication and thank them for the important role they play as a world leader in the education of the stem work force of the future. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from nevada rise? >> i ask for one minute to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to discuss a portion of our community in nevada's fourth

congressional district that are being negatively affected under the sequestration and would be under a government shutdown. mr. horsford: i'm proud to speak on behalf of the nell list air force base in my -- nellis air force base in my district. it employs over 3,000 civilian employees. they work as engineers, physicians, nurses, and administrators. i recently spoke with the commander about the negative effects that sequestration has already had on nellis air force base. for the past three years the salaries of these civilian employees has been frozen. physicians are being elimit nate -- positions are being eliminated. the civilian employees of nellis air force base are undergoing increasingly heavy responsibilities at work without any increase in pay and for nellis air force base, sequestration has already meant a decrease of over 40,000

flights, which affect their readiness at a time of combat. it's time for this congress to reach a deal on the budget, a clean continuing resolution does not jeopardize personnel, a deal that i hope we will work together to accomplish on behalf of nellis air force base and all of our civilians. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from idaho -- >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. you're recognized for one minute. mr. labrador: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor the heroic efforts of colonel fisher of the united states air force and lieutenant thomas roland norris of the united states navy. both of whom are medal of honor recipients from idaho. colonel fisher was with the first air commando squadron and awarded the medal of honor for his gallantry on march 10, 1966, in the republic of vietnam. a special forces camp was under

attack and hostile troops had positioned themselves between the airstrip and camp. colonel fisher observed a fellow airman crash on the airstrip. in the belief the pilot was injured, he decided to attempt a rescue, he landed and taxied the full length of the runway to rescue the pilot. in the face of fire he applied power and took off at the overrun airstrip. lieutenant norris was a seal advisor and awarded the'd million of honor for supreme bravery in action from april 10 to april 131972 in vet ram. a five man team established a forward operating base deep within heavily controlled enemy territory to conduct the rescue of several downed pilots. it is for their outstanding display of leadership and courage that i'm proud to honor and remember the actions of colonel bernard francis fisher and lieutenant thomas roland norris. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from ohio rise? >> to address the house for one

minute. including extraneous material in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. miss capture: -- ms. kaptur: i rise today to honor a remarkable american, mr. jim finnly, who has proudly served our nation as an air force veteran and our toledo community throughout his life as a successful entrepreneur, sfroord philanthropist, and true friend to so many. he's the epitome of a gentleman. his influence and compassion have impacted the lives of thousands. he served as a coach to our youth, mentor to our young adults, he's always there for those who seek a champion for their cause. his support of local initiatives is keep and legislative endary and he was a fundraising -- legendary, and he was a fundraising chair for so many years. a 0-year member of the lutheran church, a founding board member of the house of emanuel. he attended high school and university of toledo where he began his love affair with the u.t. rockets as well as the 1947 homecoming queen. he and seala were mare lid for

more than 50 years until her passing in 2004. he's a dedicated family man to his children, a beloved grandfather, and wonderful companion to p.j. schaffer. jim founded impact product and upon his retirement in typical jim finnly fashion he gave the company to his employees. the company's name impact is a testament to the impact that one person can selflessly make on the lives of so many. we the family of toledo and northeast ohio are blessed and honored to know and pay tribute to our dear friend who in good times and times of great struggle teach us by way of his courageous and generous example. may blessings flow to jim now and his loved ones. we love you, jim. now and always. and we thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? without objection, so ordered, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. we are five days away from what

the "chicago tribune" today called a massively ambitious redesign of national health care, echoing what we've been saying here on the house floor since it was passed. but the details of illinois' health exchange are still thin. co-pays, deductibles, premiums, still a mystery, the paper says. will your doctor and your hospital be included in the insurance networks? still a mystery. mr. hultgren: this past week i tried to get answers from my -- for my concerned constituents. i tried to meet with one of illinois' so-called navigators but they weren't ready to show me how to sign up for health care. their navigators were still getting trained up. with less than a week left. the triple premiums we're seeing in other states aren't encouraging. we know that six million mostly middle class families may face a tax for not buying qualifying health plans. middle class families may have to pay hundreds more in taxes each year. i urge americans to explore how obamacare will affect them. calm your exchange and ask if you can keep your doctor.

ask them what personal information the navigaters will collect. be ready -- navigators will collect. be ready. buyer beware. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the entleman from california rise? without objection, so ordered, the gentleman is recognized for ne minute. mr. denham: mr. speaker, it's kind of interesting to hear all the chatter about government shutdown here that seems to be coming from the other side. i think they may be protesting too loudly. republicans have acted to give the senate and the president the tools, the means, to avoid a government shutdown. we've acted on two occasions to pass the language of the full faith and credit act, to ensure the government continues paying its bills in the event of an impasse in budget negotiations. however, the senate has failed to tack on -- act on a commonsense proposal which would preserve our nation's credit rating, continue paying the military, protect social security and other essential services. where is the senate's actions on this mission? what is the president doing to

help? he's instead more willing to foreign leaders and unwilling to talk to us in the house here. mr. speaker, is this what the american people asked for? that we have an impasse amongst the three legs of the legislative process in this country? that we can't even talk to each other, we'd rather talk to foreign leaders first on the important key issues like what we have coming up, continuing resolution, sequester, debt limit, and the impending obamacare takeover of our health system? i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina rise? ms. foxx: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. obamacare's dead weight on a stagnant job market. millions are out of work and millions more are underemployed. crunching numbers around kitchen table, trying to make ends meet. yet obamacare is undermining growth and making it harder for businesses, large and small, to hire more full-time workers or

even maintain part-time workers . it is cited as a leading cause for why nearly three out of four people hired this year were offered only part-time jobs. the stagnant economic report we received earlier this month is a continued reminder that obamacare is not the job creator or economic driver that the president promised. it's a burden on employers and it is translating into prolonged, under-- prolonged underemployment for working american families. republicans and democrats need to work together to repeal, defund, delay and replace obamacare for these families. meaningful reform is worth the effort. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas rise? ms. jackson lee: i ask to address the house, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: mr. chair, i think the real message should be that the president should not negotiate against the civil

rights of americans. sometimes it's important for those of us who have had life experiences to reflect on them. i remember as a younger girl, writing in a segregated -- riding in a segregated rail car. isolated from others because of the color of my skin. civil rights has expanded, but there are many who stood against it. the 1957 bill, the 1964 and 1965. americans will find out that health care is a civil right. and that this is one of the most historic and life-changing bills ever passed, the affordable care act. and rather than stand in the way to defund obamacare, i want to stand with the young cancer victim who will now be able to get insurance. i want to stand with the young child that had leukemia, who was denied insurance and died. i want to stand with small businesses who will now be able to provide health insurance for their workers.

i want to stand with understanding that in fact this bill is going to work. that's the fear on the other side. they're willing to defund the government because they don't want america to know that one of their civil rights, good health care, is coming and going to work. i ask everybody to get on a health care -- get on healthcare.gov because your civil rights are coming october 1. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. poe: mr. speaker, the president says he will negotiate with syria over chemical weapons. he is negotiating with the russians about negotiating with the syrians over nuclear weapons. he's offered to talk and compromise with iran over nuclear weapons. but the president says, i will not negotiate with those in the house of representatives. no compromise on the debt. i will not negotiate with

america. too bad the president is more interested with negotiating -- with negotiation and compromise with russia, syria, iran and now the united nations than he is working with members of the house of representatives and the american people. to keep the government from shutting down. it's been mentioned that the president or it's been mentioned today of this philosophy of my way or the highway. that's the president's philosophy. it's my way, says the president, or it's the highway. he won't talk to us about it because he's out campaigning about how obamacare is really good for the nation. train wreck of stubbornness which will lead and has led to chaos in america. come home, mr. president. let's sit down and talk about what we're going to do over the debt limit and the continuing resolution. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. seeing no further speakers -- speaker requests for one-minutes, then pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20,

proceedings will resume on questions previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order. h.r. 3095 by the yeas and nays. h.r. 2600 by the yeas and nays. and approval of the journal de novo. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be fuctuct -- will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the volt on the motion of -- vote on the motion of the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. petri, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3095 on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 165, h.r. 3095, a bill to ensure that any new or revised requirement providing for the screening, testing or treatment of individuals operating commercial motor vehicles for sleep disorders is adopted pursuant to a rulemaking proceeding and for

other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. and this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 405, the nays are zero. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from north carolina, mr. mchenry, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2600 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2600, a bill to amend the interstate land sales full disclosure act to clarify how the act applies to condominiums. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill.

members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 410. the nays are zero. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the unfinished business is on agreeing to the speaker's approval to the journal. the question is on agreeing -- for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. hastings: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: those in favor say aye, those opposed, no. the gentleman from washington requests the yeas and nays. the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking is vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by

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

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 260, the nays are 137 with two members present. the journal is approved. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington rise? mr. hastings: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill h.r. 687. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. pursuant to house resolution 351 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 387 -- 687. the chair appoints the gentleman from nebraska, mr. terry, to preside over the ommittee of the whole.

the chair: the house is in the committee of the wholeous -- whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 687 which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bill to facilitate the efficient extraction of mineral resources in southeast arizona by authorizing and directing an exchange of federal and nonfederal land -- non-federal land and for other purposes. the chair: pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the first time. the gentleman from washington, mr. hastings, and the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington and the house will be in order. the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, i rise today in strong support of h.r. 687, the southeast arizona land exchange and conservation act. as our nation continues to suffer from high unemployment,

a rising national debt and annual deficits, congress' top priority should be advancing solutions that put americans back to work and help to strengthen and grow the economy. the bill before us does just that. mr. chairman, the house is not in order. the chair: the gentleman is correct. the gentleman is correct. the house is not in order. please remove your conversations off the floor. to the cloakroom or the speaker's lobby, please. -- the gentleman may proceed. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, the southeast arizona land exchange and conservation act sponsored by our colleague, the natural resource committee member, mr. gosar from arizona, is a bipartisan measure that will create thousands of new american jobs and boost our economy through u.s. increased mineral production. the bill authorizes an equal value land exchange between

resolution copper and the federal government that will open up the third largest undeveloped copper resource in the world. the bill requires that the cost of the land exchange be fully paid for by the mine developer, copper resolution, in this case. ensuring that there will be fair treatment, therefore, for taxpayers. this project will provide substantial benefits to the united states and the state of arizona in the form of job creation, economic growth and for the united states' increased national security. the mining project is estimated to support 3,700 new jobs. these are good-paying, family-wage american jocks that will equate to more than -- jobs that a will equate to more than $220 million in annual wages. at a time when our economy continues to struggle, this mining project will provide a much-needed boost through private investment. this mining activity will have over a $60 billion economic

impact and will generate an estimated $20 billion in total federal, state, county and local tax revenue through the life of the project. this bill is a perfect example of how safely and responsibly harvesting our resources will generate revenue and get our economy back on track. the importance of u.s. copper production cannot be overstated. our nation has become increasingly reliant on foreign countries for our mineral resources. placing our economic competitiveness and national security at risk. the u.s. currently imports 30% of the copper we need and we will continue to be dependent on foreign countries if we fail to develop our own resources right here at home. the copper produced from this single project is estimated to meet 25% of the united states' entire copper demand. this comer could be used for a variety of items, ranging from

medical devices, plumbing, computers and even, mr. chairman, hybrid cars. it's also essential for our national defense equipment and technology. including satellites, space and aviation, and weapons guidance and communications systems. the benefits and reasons to pass this bill are plentiful. however, we are likely to hear several inaccurate claims from those who are opposed to mining in the united states. i'd like to take a moment to set the record straight right from the beginning. first, this bill follows the standard federal land appraisal process procedures issued by the department of justice, which has been in use for decades. the appraisal requires full market value to be paid for both the land and the minerals located within the land. if by chance there is a copper production beyond the appraised value, the mine developer will be required to pay the united

states the difference. and this, mr. chairman, will be assessed annually. this is an added guarantee to ensure that taxpayers get a fair return for these copper resources. second, as i mentioned earlier, this bill is about creating nearly 3,700 american jobs. it's not about helping foreign mining interests at home, as some have charged. opposing this mine and not producing copper in the u.s. is what truly benefits foreign nations, by sending american jobs overseas and making us increasingly reliant on foreign sources of critical minerals. and finally, the bill requires full compliance with environmental laws and tribal consultation prior to constructing the mine. this bill provides more conservation and protection of culturally sensitive critical habitats than otherwise would occur. this bill does not, mr. chairman, does not waive any

existing laws or protections for sacred sites under federal law. it upholds the native american repatriation act and the american indian religious freedom act. it will not allow the desecration of any sacred sites. but it does, mr. chairman, specifically and permanently protect a site called the apache leap that is well known and special to arizonans and the area tribes. h.r. 687 is about creating new american jobs, strengthening our economy, and decreasing our dependence on foreign material -- minerals. the bill has broad support from over 50 local and national organizations and governmental agencies and entities including arizona governor. the arizona chamber of commerce, the u.s. chamber of commerce, the national association of manufacturing, and national mining association

all support this bill. furthermore, the arizona republic editorial board has endorsed this bill. they highlighted the bipartisan support from the arizona congressional delegation and noted, and i quote, it has the potential to be an economic bananza for our state and national security boone to our country, end quote. so i strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill, to put americans back to work, and end our dependency on foreign minerals and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you very much, mr. chairman. i rise to oppose h.r. 687. and at a time when the majority -- thank ngress has you, mr. speaker. at a time when this majority in the congress is bringing our nation -- has brought our nation to the brink of

potential shutdown, a looming hardship and economic crisis, with regards to the debt ceiling, no progress on the jobs plan, no progress on immigration reform, here we are today debating a sweetheart piece of legislation that hurts xpayers and comforts, yes, foreign, multinational mining corporations. one has to wonder about what the priorities for this congress really are. we have seen at least five different legislative versions of this legislation over over the past 10 years -- over the past 10 years. originally filed in the 109th as h.r. 2681, sponsored by our former colleague from arizona. that version begat h.r. 3301 in the 110th congress by our colleague, congressman pastor. that begat h.r. 2509, on the

111th congress, by congresswoman kirkpatrick. and then that begat in the 112th, h.r. 1904, by my friend from arizona, congressman gosar. which begat this present version, h.r. 687 in the 113th, again sponsored by my colleague, mr. gosar. if the definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting different results, we all might need to spend some time getting our heads examined. h.r. 687 facilitates a land exchange so that a subsidiary of two foreign-owned multinational mining companies can build a massive copper mine on federal land set aside by president eisenhower for recreation in 1955. the town of superior has been torn apart by this legislation.

the city attorney issued a legal opinion in section 9 of this bill which was stripped during the markup process, which was not something the town could legally approve. this raised concerns about the financial obligations of the town, that they would be under if they accepted arrangements with resolution copper as it was written. the town was willing to negotiate with resolution copper, but the company demanded support of the legislation as any precondition to further talks. they also stated rather flatly that there would be no additional money coming to superior from resolution copper from any negotiations. resolution copper continues to oppose any requirement of filing a mining plan of operation before this legislation is passed. it's been 10 years since this project was proposed and we still have no mining plan. the community has been driven by boom and bust promises of mining companies for decades. retired miners have become

accustomed to losing their pensions that they earned in contract negotiations from mining corporations, especially when dealing with foreign entities. this is not an economic miracle waiting to happen. even if the town were to reverse its position, the legal and political issues that have been raised cannot can be ignored. the town, environmental organizations and native american nations will be negatively impacted by this trade. resolution copper, after 10 years of pushing and pushing, has yet to acknowledge those impacts. there are just too many unanswered questions and shortcuts. opposition to the bill from the community that will be impacted the most is a clear indication that the process needs to start over. but superior's withdrawal of support is just one of many red flags. all native american nations in arizona overwhelmingly oppose the bill. the tribal council of arizona

and the national congress of american indians have both passed resolutions in opposition. their strong opposition stems from the outright violation of the consultation protocol that mandates advanced, informed and appropriate government-to-government consultation with indian tribes, nations and communities. h.r. 687 trades away federal lands that contain significant cultural resources without complying with nepa. this means that there would be no environmental review or formal consultations with affiliated tribal governments before the land becomes private property. i repeat, before the land ecomes private property. to postpone an environmental review until after the land exchanges is one of the main reasons local support for this bill has eroded. once the land is exchanged, as mandated by the bill, there is no guarantee a full e.i.s. under nepa will occur.

that means no independent hydrology study to access impacts of local water resources. that means no mining plan of operation, an independent jobs and economics report. that means no objective appraisal of the lands to be exchanged. we're stuck relying on the companies' numbers to guest te the value added to the -- guesstimate the value added to the taxpayers. i was astounded that the majority decided to shield the company from testifying in the hearing on this bill. we all would have benefited greatly from the benefit of hearing from resolution copper on the record for their support of the bill, their validity of the study, the lack of mining operations, the lack of a hydrology study associated with a real mining plan of operations and the negligent disregard for nepa standards and native american tribal

consultation processes. how is the house expected to make an informed decision on this deeply controversial bill when the committee of jurisdiction didn't even bother owners and he proponents, resolution copper? all we know about the proposed mine is purely speculative and comes from data and reports produced by resolution copper itself and the common refrain from supporters to trust don't validation, worry, it about all work out. those are not the due diligence requirements that this congress has on a major land exchange as we are facing today. the number of jobs it claims the project will create is a moving target. the numbers' always changing. at one point the company claimed the mine would have 5,000 jobs. the last estimate is 1,400 direct jobs through the life --

through the life of the mine. again, these numbers come from a study conducted by resolution copper and are not supported by a mining plan of operation. until we have a plan, there's really no way to know. the numbers tossed around by the majority come from a study that assume the mine would produce the same amount of copper and support the same amount of jobs year after year for its entire 50-year life span. we know this won't be the case. mining operations react to market demand. one number not tossed around by the proponents of 687 is royalty for the extraction of his very valuable mineral on federal land. royalties to deal with remediation, to deal with any mitigation that might occur after the fact and to deal with some level of return after the taxpayer. the boom and bust cycles of mining can't be washed away with a public relations document masquerading as a

study. that assumes the very best and brushes aside any reality. construction of this mine will benefit too large foreign corporations. it will not diversify the local economy or even guarantee any real jobs for the local people in the area. it will, on the other hand, diminish recreation value of the area, jeopardize the availability of water and threaten the sacred site, all for cents on the dollar. 687 is not in the best interest of the american taxpayer and i urge my colleagues to oppose this reckless expedited land exchange. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, i'm very pleased to yield five minutes to the author of this legislation, the gentleman from arizona, mr. gosar. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. gosar: thank you, chairman hastings. i appreciate the house spending time to consider this important jobs legislation this week.

my home state of arizona is known for its five c's, cattle, citrus, climate, cotton and ultimately copper. people have been digging in arizona for precious metals like copper for centuries. nearly one in every four people in arizona were miners in the 1800's. they made arizona the state it is today. today the mining industry is alive but not what it used to be. nevertheless, a wide array of other minerals such as copper, coal, lime, potash, are mined throughout my district. these pro >> employ hundreds of my constituents with high-paying jobs, jobs that pay over $50,000 to $60,000 a year plus benefits. in arizona those jobs are few and far between. rural arizonans recognize the benefits that it will bring to our region and our state which is why it is one of the first initiatives brought to my attention when i first came to congress. the southwest arizona land exchange and conservation act

is a bill that protects environmentally sensitive lands in the state and opens up over 3,700 jobs at resolution copper mine. my legislation is the result of years of negotiation and compromise that achieves a care alf balance between conservation and resource utilization and arizona just wants congress to get it done. that's why my colleague on the other side of the aisle, congresswoman ann kirkpatrick and i, came together at the beginning of this congress and jointly introduced this legislation. in fact, just last week, the largest paper in arizona, "the arizona republic" issued an op-ed on this bill. the editorial board stated, congress needs to get this done. a copper mine proposed near superior is a winner. it has bipartisan support from arizona's congressional delegation and how often does that happen? it also has the potential to be an economic bonanza for our state and a national security

boom for our country. the proposal has been around so long it has old timer's status in our state of arizona. i guess that says it all. our bill is a win-win for arizona. that's why it has strong bipartisan support in arizona and across the nation. that support includes arizona governor jan brewer, 4/5 of the highly polarized arizona state legislature, nearly every municipal government in southern and central arizona, the u.s. chamber of commerce, the general contractors, the truckers and the manufacturers and conservation organizations like the arizona game and fish commission. why so much buzz about this project you ask. it's called jobs, jobs and jobs. upon passage of the bill, resolution copper estimates it will be able to employ nearly 3,000 workers during a six-year construction period, and that's just the start. the mine, given the company's mine plan of operation, when it complies with all environmental laws, will directly employ

around 1,400 people. these are high-paying jobs ranging from $40,000 to $120,000 salaries per year in a region that's struggling economically. as many people familiar with the mining communities know, an influx of over 1,000 mining jobs will spur additional economic growth in the community. these mine workers need to eat at restaurants, convenient stores to shop at and homes to live in. a recent economic study estimates an additional 2,300 jobs will be created due to these demands. that brings the estimated total number of jobs resulting from this legislation to about 3,700. overall, the independent analysis estimates that the total economic impact of the project will be around $61 billion. that is over $1 billion per mine er the life of the which equates to over $19 billion in federal, state, county and local tax revenue. $19 billion in tax revenue. in these tough times, tough fiscal times, i think we can

all agree that local government and certainly the u.s. treasury could use those funds. this legislation also has national security implications. the u.s. currently imports 30% of its copy and its demand is skyrocketing. this critical mineral is used in virtually all modern day technology, ranging from renewable energy in hybrid cars to your everyday electronics like cell phones and ipods. our country must use our domestic resources to meet this growing demand, and this project, as said earlier, can meet enough copper to meet 20% of the current demand. this legislation is not only a jobs bill, it's a conservation bill. the lands the federal government acquire in the exchange are highly coveted recreation and conservation lands. it protects one of the few remaining undammed rivers in arizona, the san pedro river, the description spring property is a superb hiking and climbing location. the cave creek location will protect a corridor as well as

numerous archaeological sites and nearly 100 acres of private land -- mr. hastings: i yield the gentleman an additional minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. gosar: the land is being placed into federal stewardship. this proposal truly has bipartisan support on the ground in our state and across the country. we can preserve lands that advance the public interests and protecting wildlife habitat, cultural and historical resources while enabling the development of a project that will generate benefits t economic and employment. i ask my colleagues to vote yes on h.r. 687 and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman continues to reserve. the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. chairman. i yield as much time as the gentleman consumes, the ranking member of the resources committee, congressman defazio. the chair: the gentleman from oregon is recognized for as much time as he may consume.

mr. defazio: i thank my colleague for giving me the time. here we are, about to get into massive fight over whether or not we are going to increase the debt limit or default on our obligations, which involves many trillions of dollars, and today we're going to give away a taxpayer asset that will -- that is worth billions of dollars. we are going to give it away. we are going to get some pretty land in exchange. pretty land in exchange. that's valuable. that's nice. but you know, for many billions of dollars, we could probably buy a lot more land if we wanted it or we could have a little debt reduction. i had a simple amendment. my amendment would have said that we would charge an 8% royalty, 8% of the value of the copper coming from these publicly owned lands would be paid to the treasury of the united states of america. guess what. the americans didn't allow the amendment. what are they afraid of? maybe some of their tea party guys over there might vote for

it, want to run government like a business, don't give away assets. that's what we're doing here. you'd still get the jobs. bill ou know, the -- this contains -- they say oh, we'll get some money. maybe, sort of, kind of. except treasury. nobody can interpret the language of this bill. it's a speculative, future possible payment scheme which could be controlled entirely by the company. of course they're going to volunteer to pay money. it's not going to happen. we are going to trade away a multibillion-dollar asset for a few thousand acres of recreation land. i'd say from any other day i wouldn't hear from the republican side of the aisle that's a good idea, giving away asset for recreational land. this isn't about the surface. it's about the fact that a foreign corporation, foreign

corporations not going to pay anything or very little for the value of the minerals that are extracted from this land. in fact, i understand they pretty much stopped any exploration around the world, because this is the richest copper load in north america, one of the richest in the world and they want to go to these pidly places, indonesia, australia. they're focusing all their energy for copper right here. guess where the copper will go and after it's mind and they won't pay for us taking it out of the ground? it's going to china. yeah, we'll get some jobs. you know, and if they paid a royalty, we'd still get the jobs and we'd make the taxpayers -- now, the oil and gas industry pays 12.5% royalty to the government for the value of the resources they extract. why shouldn't the mining industry pay? well, they don't pay because we're operating under an 1872

law signed by ulice us s. grant. that's what governs mining here. now, come on here. it's time to update that law. if they don't want to update the law, they could begin to charge some royalties for the extraction of these minerals. we have given away billions of dollars of gold mines to foreign corporations, platinum, everything. now we're going to give away our greatest copper resource to a foreign corporation with no royalties, no charge. they'll shelter most of their earnings overseas. they won't pay little, if anything, in u.s. taxes. yes, their employees will pay taxes. they'll pay taxes. of course, we'll extract that out of the employees but the company will find a way to shelter that overseas. it's a foreign corporation. this is outrageous. absolutely outrageous. then, there are the issues regarding the environmental waivers and other things that mr. grijalva talked about. we are going to evaluate this after the asset is transferred

to the mining company. and we're going to, you know, then -- then the mining company will someday, you know, go through this bizarre speculative scheme and might pay us something in the future. let's have a plain and simple and fair 8% royalty, make the taxpayers whole and run this government like a little bit more responsibly, guys. the chair: the gentleman continues to reserve. the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. hastings: thank you very much, mr. chairman. i'm pleased to yield three minutes to another gentleman from arizona, our colleague, mr. salmon, three minutes. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. . mr. salmon: you have already heard this is a very bipartisan measure that is supported by people on both sides of the aisle. in fact i'd like to point out a little story that i think is interesting. i think many gosar might be embarrassed and his partner on the other side of the aisle in getting this through, but i

think it's really interesting to note that mr. gosar beat mr. kirkpatrick in a campaign a few years ago. yet they were able to put all differences aside to come together for what's best for the state, what's best ultimately for the nation. we are talking about 3,700 jobs. every town hall meeting that i have held this year, and i think the same thing could be said for most folks in this body on both sides of the aisle, the number one issue that keeps coming up is jobs, jobs, jobs. people want to get back to work again. arizona was hit really hard by this great recession. and the prospect of getting 3,700 jobs in our state for this great project will provide 25% of the copper for this country is phenomenal. that's why the arizona republic, our largest state newspaper came out and editorialized for it. that's why you are seeing these different entities on both sides of the aisle coming out in

support of this idea. i find it incredulous as we try to balance a budget, we try to start widelling down the deficit, stop having to pay a third of our debt to china, that we have folks on the other side of the aisle that are not willing to either cut spending or create jobs. i find that incredulous. this is a phenomenal opportunity. it's a win-win across the board. and i think a lot of our young people would call a no-brainer. i would like to really commend the other gentleman from arizona, representative paul gosar, for his undying support and incredible hard work to get this done. the end his colleague on other side of the aisle, ann kirkpatrick, for her work on this. i want to say in closing that this is extremely important to the folks in arizona. it's been going on since i left congress the first time, and that was 12 years ago. it's time to put this to bed. and honestly it's passed the

house on several occasions. it gets all caught up in the senate. i think we got the opportunity to get it done this year. i think common sense will prevail, and i'd like to again compliment the gentleman from arizona for his great work. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. hairman. i think the great senator, senator moynihan once said people are entitled to their own opinions but they are not entitled to their own facts. fact, allowing the immediate exploration on and under over prior to the re view contemplated in section 4-j of the act would constitute an irretrievable commitment of resources. that is part of what is already in the legislation.

what's also in the legislation is section 4-c of h.r. 687 that requires consultation only after enactment of the act, making any consultation with native communities a near formality. secretary vilsack said prior in written comments, it is important that this bill engage of formal tribal consultation to ensure both tribal participation and the protection of the sacred sites. this is the principal concern with regard to 687 and that's why it did not receive the support of the department. i mention those things because they are part of the legislation. this legislation was written for the convenience of the company and to facilitate a trade that at the end of the day offers no, not only any benefit, but circumvents any he protections we have to deal with in-- any protections we have to deal with

intended and unintended consequences. with that if i may, mr. chairman, yield two minutes to congressman kildee for his comments. thank you. the chair: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for two minutes. mr. kildee: thank you, mr. chairman. thank you, my friend, mr. grijalva for your leadership and yielding the time. i rise in strong opposition to this bill. i have consulted with many native american tribes, including the saginaw, chippewa tribe which i represent. this bill simply does not rise to the standard that allows me to support it. i talked to the tribes, their concern is the bill does not adequately support the protection of sacred lands, nor does it adequately confer with native americans on these critical issues. the gentleman mentioned that the two co-sponsors of this legislation have setaside their differences. i have great respect for both members that offered this

legislation, it's commendable they have setaside their differences, unfortunately with this bill -- what this bill does is also setaside the objections of the native american tribes of this nation, of this country who object to the bill. it's bad for a couple reasons. one, it waves nepa protections that require mining companies to publicly disclose the environmental impacts they'll create create, including on our water resources. second, basically this bill provides a multibillion dollar give away to a foreign mining conglomerate that is engaged in mining uranium in iran. third, this bill would potentially destroy sacred and religious lands. i know something first hand about the importance of preserving sacred tribal sites. when i was the president of the ginny see county land bank back home in flint, michigan, we discovered sacred ancestral remains on a work site. instead of simply continuing on

the project, as many would have had us do, we did the right thing, we stopped the development. worked with local and tribal officials, identified and protected the sacred remains, and returned the land to the saginaw chippewa tribe. the federal government has a legal and trust responsibility to indian tribes and to protect and preserve sacred tribal lands , and we should take that role very seriously. i suggest and implore my colleagues to oppose this bill, thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: mr. chairman, i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the subcommittee chairman on the natural resources committee that deals with this issue, mr. lamborn. the chair: the gentleman from colorado is recognized for three minutes. mr. lamborn: i want to thank the chairman of the full committee, representative hastings, for his leadership on this and many other resource issues, and i want to thank the sponsors of

the bill and particularly point out to the american people that paul gosar has been -- representative gosar has been working night and day on this issue for years. it's amazing to me, sign of his dedication, to disdistrict and the people of arizona, that brought this bill to where it's at right now. it's taken a loft work and dedication, and i -- a lot of work and dedication and i admire that. a lot has been said about the good that will come to arizona, the 3,700 well paying jobs, but i want to talk about the good that's going to come to america. copper is the second most needed defense material that the department of defense has. i'm on the armed services committee and i'm sensitive to making sure that our men and women in uniform have the best weapons and supplies that they could have. the d.o.d. says that copper is the second most necessary mineral to meeting the needs of the military.

the first happens to be aluminum. richthis is the third most site of copper in the entire world, in my understanding. and it would supply up to one quarter of this nation's copper needs. and right now we are importing 30% of our needs. it almost wipes out our trade deficit in copper. copper is a critical metal. if you want to have a growing economy, you've got to have copper. so i just want to say this is good for america. it's good to have this resource. and it's good for the jobs that it produces in arizona. and finally i am he' just going to conclude by saying it amazes me when i hear people who profess to be for the working families, the working men and women of this country, stumble over a golden opportunity like this that would create thousands of great jobs, and they just throw it away.

and i would urge that we not listen to them. we look at the good that comes from this bill and the resource and the jobs that this would produce, and the good that it does to our national economy, including our defense industry. and with that, mr. chairman, i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: before i yield to my colleague from utah, it ould be noted that 1/14th of 1% is the impact copper has on the arizona economy. it used to be 4% about 10, 15 years ago. conversely, 421 million annually is spended in the surrounding area around oak flats in terms of ecotourism and visitorship revenue. with that let me yield one minute to the gentleman from utah, mr. mathison. the chair: the gentleman from utah is recognized for one minute. mr. mathison: thank you.

mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 687, the southeast arizona lands exchange conservation act. copper is such a critical part of our economy, using electronics, plumbing, cars, and yet according to the latest data from the u.s. geological survey, the united states remains a net importer of copper with over a third of copper consumed in this country coming from foreign sources. this piece of bipartisan legislation offers us a chance at one of the largest undeveloped copper resources in the world. this project will produce enough copper annually to meet 25% of u.s. demand. it will create ,800 high-paying jobs, averaging over $65,000. this has been the product of a lengthy stakeholder negotiation process. it's been supported by local elected officials of both parties. i commend mr. gosar for his leadership on this issue and working with congresswoman kirkpatrick as well. i urge passage of this bill. i yield back my time.

the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: mr. chairman, i'll reserve my time. the chair: the gentleman from washington reserves. the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you. if i may, mr. chairman, talk a little bit about proponents claiming that 687 will bolster the u.s. economy. the copper will likely benefit china more than the united states. 9% of the parent company of resolution copper is owned by the state patrolled aluminum corporation of china. long-established partnership to supply copper to china they have repeatedly stated and at a hearing he refused to say what percentage of the copper generated from federal lands would be retained and processed in the united states. they will continue to market and supply their mined copper and other ores to meet the greatest

needs. at this point, international copy study group forecast a 377 ton global shortage this year alone, driven not by u.s. demand but that of china. the bill does not even require that the ore extract interested this mine be processed in the united states, much less marketed or sold here. and our time and focus should be on supporting u.s. industry, maintaining jobs, we should not trade away billions and billions of dollars and tonnage of copper to supply china's ever-growing need. point out like to another issue that my friend rom -- mr. kildee pointed out. at one point we have continued important inquiry that has not been finalized or formalized and that is is the parent company in

by tion of the resolution this congress and by previous congress on sanctions against iran because of their development of potential weapons -- nuclear weapons? any company doing business with was not to be able to do business with the united states. it co-manages in partnership a uranium mine, in africa, and i think that merits we look into it before we are in violation of our own resolution and more importantly that we are not violating a resolution that we passed. it is an issue of commerce and treasury are responsible for that sanction enforcement to do so, and i think it would satisfy many of us to know the results of that, and it would satisfy the american people to know that

their resource, a shared taxpayer resource, copper on federal land, is not in violation of sanctions resolution by this congress against iran. with that let me reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from arizona reserves. the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: mr. chairman, i would ask my friend from arizona, i have no more requests for time on general debate, and if he's prepared to yield back his time on general debate, i'm prepared to close. the chair: the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. chairman. i at this point don't have any further speakers, so -- mr. hastings: i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from washington reserves. the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. chairman. before -- in closing, let me just summarize i think the three important points in this debate. 687 reflects all the previous five variations of this

legislation. you're doing a post-nepa with no enforcement, you're turning the regulatory process and the oversight process to the state of arizona who have weak mining laws and also are not in a position to make the requirements that have to be part of this prior to any land exchange. that would be hydrology, that would be consultation, that will be a nepa review as to water issues that could occur, subsurface damage to the area around apache leap and oak flats. those become important issues. the sanction issues important to resolve against iran. we are not in violation by creating a partnership and exchange with a foreign corporation that is doing business with iran. and i think the most important issue is the taxpayer issue. the taxpayer issue because as congress, and

certainly many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and this side of the aisle as well talk so much about the taxpayer, talk so much about budget cuts and how to relieve the taxpayer, talk so much about deficits and how we need to reduce those deficits to the benefit of the taxpayer. and we have no jobs bill to help the taxpayer, but we talk about those things. and here we are before us trading away federal land in an exchange not knowing what the real value is because that's proprietary, not knowing what the real production is going to be by the company because that's proprietary, not requiring the same regulatory process, nepa process that is required of any other land exchange because this is a special deal. and at the end of the day, exported copper processed outside the united states, one,

no gain to the taxpayer. no royalties requirement. loss to the taxpayer. no real understanding of the full value of what's underneath that ground and what protections and mitigations would have to be put in place in order to make sure that those areas are taken care of, not a problem. violation of the government-to-government consultation on sacred sites and cull rale sites, -- cultural sites, we ignore that too. i think this rush to judgment -- and it's been 10 years to a rush to judgment -- if the company 10 years ago would agree to do a post-nepa, we would have all the information this congress needed to make an informed, due diligent decision. if 10 years ago they would have sat down with the tribes and honestly and equally did

government-to-government consultation, we could be on our way. if 10 years ago they would have made the guarantees about returning -- fair return to the taxpayer, how much more is going to be domestically marketed and remain in the united states and how much is going to be processed, we could be on our way. that was 10 years ago. the same piece of legislation, same insistence on the company nd it's a bad deal for the taxpayers and it is a bad deal for the state of arizona. we would be the poster child or one of the worst expedited, sweetheart deals of the people of arizona, the tribes of arizona and the revenue that that county, pinal, enjoys. mr. chairman, how much time do i have? the chair: the gentleman from arizona has five minutes. mr. grijalva: i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentlelady

from arizona, mrs. kirkpatrick. the chair: the gentlelady from arizona is recognized for two minutes. mrs. kirkpatrick: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of this legislation. i thank my colleague, mr. grijalva, for yielding time to me and also thank him for his work and his comments. i also want to thank my colleague across the side of the aisle, congressman gosar, for working with me in a bipartisan way on this legislation. i just want people to know that the town of superior has been the copper corridor of arizona. arizona's unemployment is higher than the national unemployment. but in our rural communities it's even higher. and this is an area where people have been miners for generations and they want these jobs. you know, if folks in a small town like superior can come together, we as members of congress can come together. and i urge my colleagues to vote for this legislation. it's an opportunity for us as members of congress to show the

american people that, yes, we can work together and get things done. let's make sure that this gets done, and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from arizona reserves. the gentleman from -- mr. hastings: i'm still prepared to close. the chair: the gentleman from washington reserves. the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: with this i'll close. some point we as members of this august body has to define what bipartisanship is. the last time this bill was before us and passed the house, it had seven members on this side of the aisle, democrats, voted for it. eight members on this side of the aisle voted against it. i mention that because this bill is about precedence. it's about the kind of precedence we're going to set as members of this body,

ignoring our due diligence, ignoring the fact that we have before us a piece of gislation that has failed to get out of the senate and more importantly that on two occasions the administration has indicated strongly they do not support it. so we'll go on with the exercise of futility at the expense of real business that this congress should be doing for the american people. and with that i yield back the balance of my time and thank the chairman. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: mr. chairman, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. hastings: mr. chairman, i just want to make a few comments here in response to what my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have been saying regarding this legislation. and certainly there is a great deal of hyperbole going on that think it doesn't meet the street test. maybe it implies by one of my

colleagues that this legislation waives environmental law. mr. chairman, i want to say this does not waive any environmental law. but let me walk back to how this works, because my friends on the other side of the aisle are talking about nepa review. well, nepa is a pretty important environmental law. i certainly understand that. but let's put this in context. first of all, this legislation is a land exchange legislation. you exchange this piece of land for this piece of land. now, that is a policy decision that we are debating and making here on the floor of the house. we are making a policy decision on exchanging this piece of land for another piece of land. now, if that exchange is done and this becomes law, then, yes, there will be a copper mine on that land that's exchanged. we acknowledge that. but my friends on the other side of the aisle suggest that we should have a nepa review before we make a law.

how absurd is that? are we going to have a nepa review on every law that we -- mr. chairman, don't we make the policy here in this country? and yet their criticism is we are not allowing a nepa review before it. i did not know that the nepa policy said, before there is a land exchange or before congress passes a statute you have to have a nepa review. yet, that's what their argument is in this case. now, after the land exchange, then the process starts of developing a mine. then, you'll go through all those environmental loopholes or hoops, i should say, that you normally go through in these -- this sort of activity. so i just want to clarify that. i hope that my friends on the other side of the aisle aren't suggesting by their argument of a nepa review that we should ave a nepa review before -- on

congress' action. a nepa review on a statute, that doesn't make sense. so, mr. chairman, this is a good piece of legislation. it's been worked very hard by mr. gosar and others from the arizona delegation in a bipartisan basis. obviously arizonans broadly support this, at least by the evidence we see in the media and so forth. this is a good bill. we have several amendments. we'll debate those and address those issues during that debate. i urge my colleagues to vote for this legislation, and i yield back my time. the chair: the gentleman from washington yields back the balance of his time. all time for general debate has expired. pursuant to the rule, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on natural resources, printed in the bill, shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of the amendment under the five-minute rule and shall be considered as read. no amendment to the committee amendment in the nature of a

substitute shall be in order except those printed in part a of the house report 113-215. each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report and by a member designated in the report and shall be considered as read, be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to an amendment and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question. it is now in order to consider amendment number 1 printed in part a of the house report 113-215. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. chairman. i have an amendment at the desk . the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 1 printed in part a of house report 113-215 offered by mr. grijalva of arizona.

the chair: pursuant to the 351, the lution gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, and a member opposed, will each control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you very much, mr. chairman. repeatedly, we've heard this bill is about jobs. and heard it a lot continue to hear it. we have to pass this bill, so goes the refrain, because it's about jobs and a part of arizona that really needs jobs. i understand how important it is to help rural parts of the state. i understand how important it is to help rural communities across the country. i talk about this all the time. to try to work to advance a policy agenda that translates into real meaningful opportunities for all americans , and those sectors of our

state, as was pointed out by my colleague, congresswoman kirkpatrick, in which unemployment is very, very severe. that's why i think it's important to make sure this bill translates to real and meaningful jobs for the communities that will bear the biggest burden of the proposed line. the remote operating center of the mine be located in the town of superior, arizona, ored a jaysent to another -- adjacent to another mining community. mod rn blockade mines use a range of automation technology and most of the human labor is done offsite at the remote operation center. like other -- like other mines operated resolution copper's parent company, the remote operation center will likely be in a metro area. the presently operating

australian mine from 800 miles away in a large metro center. our amendment will ensure that this is not the case in superior. if this legislion is really about jobs and lifting up the local economy, it is important to guarantee that local residents will have access to the jobs that were promised and the jobs that were created. my amendment guarantees that the jobs this mine create will benefit the local community. this amendment, at the very minimum, will realize some real jobs if this legislation were to ever be implemented. them ne reads and hears brag about automation and technology and the progress in mining where less labor is needed and listen to the wild variations about jobs from 3,700 to 5,000 to 1200 to 1,400 -- 1,200 to 1,400, the recent one from the company's website is 1,400, one asks, what's the

real number? since no mining plan of operation has been done, it's hard to estimate so how do we know? there's nothing in h.r. 687 that guarantees jobs for superior, arizona, or any other nearby mining community. with my amendment, we can at least make sure the remote operating center isn't in utah where resolution copper is headquartered or some far-flung place. my amendment would require, as part of this legislation, that that center be located in superior and that the opportunities promised and the jobs created would go into that area. i urge adoption of my amendment and i yield back the balance of my time, mr. chairman. . the chair: the gentleman from arizona reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition. mr. hastings: mr. chairman, i rise to claim time in opposition to the amendment. the clerk: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hastings: i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. chairman, the fundamental

purpose of h.r. 687 is to facilitate a land exchange and then after that land exchange is done there would be a production in mining of copper which of course would create thousands of jobs, american jobs. now, the way this amendment is written, i have to say, mr. chairman, i think it would make it impossible by creating mandates that just simply couldn't be achieved. i have to give my friend from arizona credit. he has made no bones about the fact that he he does not like this bill. he said that very, very well. i don't agree with him but he he has said it very well. generally when you offer amendment to a bill, however, you offer an amendment to improve the bill. believe me, mr. chairman, this will not improve the bill. in likelihood if adopted it would probably kill the bill, because it dictates a precise town where the mine operations should be.

i suspect the company will have some offices in those areas, that stands to reason if you're going to invest some money, but the federal government should not be dictating where somebody should set up an enterprise specifically in what town. mr. chairman, if you want to go to the absurd, if the idea is to help a distressed area by dictating where you should locate some facility or manufacturing or some company, one could say that, gee whiz, what city in the united states is really hurting? the first city that comes to mind is detroit, michigan. are we going to suggest, for example, the federal government dictate that apple should be relocated to detroit, for example? of course that's absurd. but, yes -- yet you start this precedent here that is suggested in this amendment, one could lead to that conclusion in the future. i would urge my colleagues to

reject this amendment and pass the underlying bill. i reserve the balance of my ime. the chair: the gentleman from washington reserves the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you again, mr. chairman. interesting enough 687 does mandate that the federal government decide when and how nepa is applied. that the federal government mandate what the valuation of the exchange is. independent of process driven by the company. and it mandates that we deal with water issues after the fact who gets water protection and who doesn't. all my bill whether it is 10 jobs or 1,000 jobs does is hold the company's feet to the fire. you have talked about jobs. you have talked about providing them and saving that community and rebounding the arizona economy. here's an opportunity by guaranteeing that that claim

will indeed be a reality if this bill is implemented. i think my amendment actually improves it because it picks some of the rhetoric of promoting the mind and makes it language and legislation that makes the company back it up. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from arizona yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: mr. chairman, i am very pleased to yield one minute to the sponsor of this legislation. the chair: the gentleman from arizona is recognized for one minute. mr. gosar: thank you, mr. chairman. i want to reiterate this isn't a of ine, this mine operations exists currently there today. modern day practices and resolution copper plants to implement are not new. many mines across the world implement them. in fact, there is a similar project about half the size of our proposed project that uses the same strategy and technology and employs 1,000 people.

that is real life proof that humans will work at this mine at the site in arizona. i thank the chairman for yielding me the opportunity and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from arizona. mr. hastings: i understand the gentleman from arizona yielded back his time. yield back my time. the chair: the gentleman from washington yields back the balance of his time. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. mr. grijalva: mr. chairman. the chair: the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: on that i like to request a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona will be postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 2 printed in part a of house report 113-215. for what purpose does the gentleman from new mexico seek recognition.

mr. lujan: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 2, printed in part a of house report number 113-2 15, offered by mr. ben ray lujan of new mexico. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 351, the gentleman from new mexico, mr. lujan, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new mexico. mr. lujan: mr. chairman, thank you. i rise today to offer an amendment that would protect native american sacred and cultural sites associated with the land conveyance outlined in the bill. this bill transfers land out of the public domain and into the hands of a prife mining company with no guarantee of protecting sacred sites. currently the cultural and sacred sites of apache are and oak flat are located on public land and not an indian reservation. although they are not a vest vation -- reservation, they are still sacred to tribes in arizona just as the catholic

church where i practice my faith considered a holy place, even though it's not he located in vatican city. because these sacred and cultural sites are currently on public land, they are protected under certain federal laws. this bill would transfer the land that contained these sacred sites through a private company for private ownership, effectively taking away any protections under federal law. additionally, it is important to protect the subsurface area of these sacred sites which this bill does not do. native american sacred sites just as a church or temple have both surface and subsurface religious qualities. would we allow subsurface mining below the national cathedral? i say not. i heard from my colleagues the mining would take place below the ground and leave the sites undisturbed, this is absurd and not factual. mr. chairman, i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from new mexico reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. hastings: i rise to claim time in opposition. the chair: the gentleman is

recognized for five minutes. mr. hastings: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from arizona, the sponsor of the bill, mr. gosar. the chair: the gentleman from arizona is recognized for two minutes. mr. he gosar: thank you, mr. chairman. -- mr. gosar: thank you, mr. chairman, for allowing me to address this amendment. the lujan amendment is misguided. it would put forward policy that would undermine existing law that ensures tribal consult's and protection of sacred sites. by giving the secretary of the interior unilateral discretion to determine what a sacred site is, congress would be unwillingly undermine a variety of public laws congress put in place to protect verified sacred sites. let me be clear. this land exchange is crafted in such a way as to protect relevant native american historical and cultural sites. section 4-i and 4-j require compliance with federal laws and regulations pertaining to conveyances of federal land and

mine operation. that includes national historic preservation act, endangered species act, executive orders pertaining to wetlands, floodplains, and hazardous material surveys. i see my colleague may have a picture of apache leap. my bill exclusively protects apache leap. the bill protects it by the following. it conveys 110 acres of apache leap currently owned by resolution copper to the u.s. forest service, that would be section 5-a-e. explicitly prohibits any type of extraction activity at apache leap, section 5-c. withdrawing apache leap and any land acquired by the u.s. under this act, section 7, requiring the secretary of to develop a planned -- management plan for apache leap that preserves the natural character of the site and protects archaeological and cultural resources, section . before i conclude, i want to underscore h.r. 687 does not

exchange any reservation land. the next federal parcel is located over 20 miles from the boundaries of the san carlos apache tribe reservation. the lujan amendment undermines that very mission. please join me in opposing the amendment. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington reserves. the gentleman from new mexico. mr. lujan: mr. chairman, i yield to the very distinguished member from minnesota, one of the co-chairs of the native american caucus, one minute. the chair: the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, i rise in strong support of this amendment. the united states has an obligation to protect and preserve native american sacred sites located on federal land. it is a responsibility we have established through federal laws, including american indian religious freedom act. ms. mccollum: the national historic preservation act, the native american graves protection and represent perfectation be act. mr. lujan's amendment would make

sure we follow these laws, that's what his amendment does. it protects these laws. that's why over 80 tribal organizations support our amendment. my colleagues who oppose this amendment, they claim that all sacred spaces have been protected in this bill. those claims are simply false. the san carlos apache tribe is currently working with the tonto national forest to conduct a survey of their sacred site. they have found arty farkts and cultural materials and may yet still -- artifacts and cultural materials and may yet still find sacred sites. so i urge -- the chair: the gentlelady's time has expired. ms. mccollum: so that the surveyed process and tribal consultations can continue. i yield back. the chair: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from new mexico. the gentleman from new mexico reserves. gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: i tell my friend from new mexico i'm prepared to close on this amendment if the gentleman is prepared to close. mr. lujan: mr. chairman, --

the chair: the gentleman from new mexico is recognized. mr. lujan: i don't know where to begin with the comments suggested by one of my colleagues, mr. gosar. look, i don't know how to be more clear. the sacred site is on public land. i think it would be a new low for this congress to go and tell tribes across america that sacred sites that are not located on a reservation are no longer sacred. i'm surprised, appalled, and i think tribes across the country would be as well. let me be clear, section 4-i and 4-j i ask the author of the legislation to come back and maybe read it with me. the way i read this there is only one section of law that's referred to, that can't be enforced because this is on private lands not on public lands. and the area that's identified, the national environmental policy act. what happens when this land is given from a public -- from a public perspective back to a private perspective is we lose

the opportunity and ability to enforce the national historic preservation act. the native american graves preservation and repatriation act, and the administration's december 2012 member dumb of understanding of protecting sacred sites. i ask unanimous consent to submit into the order all of the organizations including tribes across america and all the tribes from arizona that are opposed to this underlying legislation. the chair: the gentleman's request will be covered by general leave. mr. lujan: mr. chairman, i have here not a picture of apache leap, but a picture of what happens with blockade mining. so even the attempts talking about trying to address apache leap, the author of the legislation failed to include oak flat, a sacred site, that would be covered here. this is what happens with blockade mining. don't cake my word for it. i would also ask unanimous consent to submit into the

record a presentation by resolution copper mining, mr. chairman. the chair: the gentleman's request will be considered by general leave. mr. lujan: in this which i wish i would have blown up, resolution copper shows pictures of how this starts to cave in. so it eventually looks like this. this is a commonsense piece of legislation, and mr. chairman, in your words, this will improve the law. this will improve what we are trying to do here. this doesn't give the secretary blanket authority to do anything. let's just protect sacred sites and work together. the congress has always done this. there's a reason why democrats and republicans have come together to create a native american caucus and advocate for tribes across america. the congress -- the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. lujan: with that, mr. consideration my colleagues and support to this amendment. i hope to work with the majority -- the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. lieu hahn: get this address -- mr. lujan: get this addressed.

thank you. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: i have three minutes remaining. i yield myself the balance of the time. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hastings: it is critical that the congress listen to and show respect to indian tribes and their elected leaders. and the purpose was to ensure a special form for issues and concerns important to indian tribes and to native people. it's important that indian tribes have a role and are consulted on decisions that affect their land ander that reservation's land. but i -- and their reservation's land. but i just want to make a couple of points. this bill buzz not waive any existing laws dealing -- does

not waive any existing laws dealing with native americans. none whatsoever. as -- if i have time, i'll be more than happy to yield. but more -- probably more specific on this, this area we're talking about in arizona known as the copper triangle has been mined, well, for a long time. and this particular land exchange is right kind of in the middle of this copper triangle. and the closest indian reservation is some 20 miles away. now, i understand that, as in my area in central washington, i know native americans move around. that's certainly the case in arizona. i understand that. but the effect of this amendment, the fact that this amendment would underlie our responsibility in congress by giving total authority, total authority to the secretary of the interior to make determinations on whether sacred sites or other things

important to native americans are violated, i think that's contrary to what our role is here. again, this law does not waive any, any existing laws. none at all. in fact, we specifically, notwithstanding the fact, the nearest reservation is 20 miles away, we specifically say there should be consultation before this project goes forward. so i think this amendment is unnecessary. i'd be happy to yield to the gentleman from new mexico. mr. lujan: mr. speaker, i don't believe anyone is suggesting that items are being waived. the fact of the matter is when land is transferred from a public domain to a private domain, it goes away. that's the problem here. i'm glad to hear -- and i know the respect, the profound respect that chairman hastings has for tribes across the country and the psyche red sites -- and the sacred sites -- mr. hastings: reclaiming my time. reclaiming my time. the gentleman's intent is to address native american issues.

that's what we should be debating. i'm just simply say, if you affect native american issues by implication, you'd be waiving them. we are not waiving anything. we're respecting the laws that are in place right now. nothing changes under this except -- the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. hastings: i urge rejection of the amendment. the chair: the question is on the ealt -- amendment offered by the gentleman from new jersey. -- from new mexico. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. mr. lujan: mr. chairman, i respectfully ask for the yeas and nays even though there's three democrats and two republicans on the floor. the chair: does the gentleman ask for a recorded vote? mr. lujan: i ask for a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from new mexico will be postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 3 printed in

part a of house report 113-215. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? mrs. napolitano: mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 3 printed in part a of house report 113-215 offered by mrs. napolitano of california. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 351, the gentlewoman from california, mrs. napolitano, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. mrs. napolitano: thank you, mr. chairman. my amendment is very simple. on page 25 after line 12, it adds a new section. section 10. the savings clause would require that there be no adverse impact on water quantity and water quality in the development of this project. this year, over half of our nation experiencing moderate to severe -- experienced moderate to severe drought. as of last week, 75% of the

state of arizona is in severe to moderate -- moderate to severe drought. the lifeblood of any nation or country is water. we must do everything we can to protect this precious resource. resolution copper is a joint subsidiary of australian b.h.p. and of angelo australian rio tinto group. mining activities would require an enormous amount of water, as much as 40,000 acre-feet per year. the forest service testified the impact of this mine on the local water supplies is still, quote, and unquote, outstanding. on the average, one acre-foot of water is enough for -- water for a family of four for a year. resolution copper's water -- could use an equivalent of 20,000 household water supply for the year. they also erroneously suggest

that their own water demands could be solved by the use of the central arizona project water, called the c.v.p. as with most of the west, demand also exceeds supply and the bulk of the water for the central arizona project is already dedicated to other end users in arizona. this includes for the use in future arizona indian water rights settlement. the proposed mining operation would also require significant excavation thousands of feet below the surface. h.r. 687 does not require an environmental review, does not include consideration of mitigation measures of the mining project before the land exchange is completed. i repeat, it does not require environmental review, consideration of mitigation measures of the mining project before the land exchange is completed. the mining company is also not required to submit a plan of

operations until three years, three years after the land exchange is codified. absent to the nepa process, the impacts to water would not be known prior to the land exchange. neighboring communities have already seen an impact of water resources from other mining activities. chairman rambler testified in march right here in washington, d.c., that a neighboring community's water supply had been significantly depleted since resolution copper began pumping groundwater to dewater parts of the mine. h.r. 687 permits the mine in oak and brings up similar problems to the tribe. we should not be considering it. those impacts of water resource to the tribes. we should ensure that we do not .iolate existing laws

it protects the water quality and water quantity. my amendment seeks to protect our most precious resource, and i urge my colleagues to vote yes on this amendment. mr. chairman, i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. hastings: mr. chairman, i rise to claim time in opposition. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. hastings: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. hastings: mr. chairman, i urge my colleagues to reject this amendment because this amendment in no way risks water supply or safety. in fact, it upholds existing laws that protect water quality and availability. and probably the best way to illustrate that is to simply look at the support for this bill, especially from those that reside in the state of arizona and represent people in the state of arizona. we all know that arizona is a very diverse state.

i have a very diverse state. washington. california is diverse geographically. there are areas in that state that's dry. water is very, very important. now, i dare say that no member from arizona would support a bill that would jeopardize water in arizona. and yet we have heard on the floor here, the bipartisan support of those from arizona representing arizonans that support this bill. so i think that issue frankly is simply not valid at all. it may sound like -- this amendment may sound like it's well-intended, but what it -- y will do would end up there would be red tape involved with this because the vagueness of the language in this amendment. and i think really what this open nt is an

invitation. may t, mr. chairman, you say it starts lawsuits for this issue. one more area. goodness knows there will be lawsuits anyway. this would be one more, in my view, if this -- if this amendment is passed. and finally, i would just say this. 100% of the water needs of this mine will be secured before production commences. and so with that i urge rejection of the amendment and i reserve my time. the chair: the gentleman from washington reserves. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. mrs. napolitano: thank you, mr. chairman. i might add that the town of -- nearby superior opposes this ll and believe the mayor opposed it. we have businesses and other entities supporting it but the residents in the nearby areas, especially tribal areas, are opposed to it for a majority of reasons.

because they are in drought conditions and they are not assured that their water will be protected. or that they will be able to have enough water for their own needs. and so i request that this amendment be included. and i'd leek to introduce in the record the current drought monitor dated september 24, including the areas which indicates the drought condition. the chair: the gentlewoman's request will be covered under general leave. mrs. napolitano: thank you, mr. chairman. i don't have no speakers so i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: i'm very pleased to yield one minute, again, to the sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from arizona, mr. gosar. the chair: the gentleman from arizona is recognized for one minute. mr. gosar: thank you, mr. chairman. this is another amendment that's well-intentioned but misguided. an amendment to include a savings clause assumes that my legislation circumvents existing laws, protecting water

quality and availability. that is simply not the case. the nepa process on the -- and the mine plan of operation required by my legislation will be managed by the united states forest service where they oversee an independent third party consultant to assess all environmental impacts of the proposed resolution process, including impacts to groundwater and surface water. the nepa process considers public as well as other e.p.a., state, county and local input all along the way. any issues pertaining to water will be addressed once resolution copper files a mine plan of operation, and the subsequent of state and environmental analysis is conducted. as in accordance to existing law. this is like government overseeing government. that's ludicrous. and i ask my colleagues to vote no on this amendment. the chair: the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: mr. chairman, i understand my friend from california has yielded back, so i'd yield back after saying i urge my colleagues to reject this amendment.

i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from washington yields back the balance of his time. the question son the amendment offered by -- the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from california. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the amendment is -- mrs. napolitano: mr. chairman, request a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from california will be postponed. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, proceedings will now resume on those amendments printed in part a of house report 113-215 on which further proceedings were postponed in the following order -- amendment number 1 by mr. grijalva of arizona,

amendment number 3 by mrs. napolitano of california. the chair will reduce to two minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote after the first vote in this series. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 1 printed in part a of the house report 113-215 by the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 1 printed in part a of house report 113-215 offered by mr. grijalva of arizona. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise nd be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a 15-minute vote.

[captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house essly prohibited by the ercial u.s. house of representatives.]

the chair: on this vote the yeas are 180. the nays are 227. he amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is the quest for a recorded vote on amendment number 3 printed in part a of the house report 113-215 by the gentlewoman from california, mrs. napolitano, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 3 printed in part a of house report 113-215 offered by mrs. napolitano of california. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise nd be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation

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

the chair: on this vote the yeas are 191, the nays are 217, he amendment is not adopted. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. hastings: mr. chairman, i move that the committee do now rise. the chair: the question is on the motion that the committee rise. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it, the motion is adopted. accordingly, the committee rises. the speaker pro tempore: mr. hairman. the chair: mr. speaker, the committee of the whole house on

the state of the union has had under consideration h.r. 687 and direct mess to report that it has come to no resolution thron. -- thereon. the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has under consideration h.r. 687 and has come to nos remain title of the resolution thereon -- to no esolution thereon. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? ms. speier: mr. speaker, i would like to ask unanimous consent that mr. bachus be removed as a co-sponsor to h.r. 2914. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. speier: and i would also like unanimous consent that ms. jackson lee be removed as a co-sponsor of h.r. 2914. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. speier: thank you.

the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house an enrolled bill. the clerk: senate 793, an act to support revitalization and reform of the organization of american states and for other urposes. the speaker pro tempore: the ouse will be in order. members, please remove your conversations from the floor.

the house will be in order. please remove your onversations from the floor. the chair is now prepared to entertain one-minute requests. for what purpose does the entleman from nebraska rise? he house will be in order.

members, please take your conversations off the floor. he house will be in order. the gentleman from nebraska is ecognized. the house will be in order. please take your conversations off the floor. the gentleman from nebraska is ecognized. mr. fortenberry: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, many americans are bewildered as to what is happening in washington and understandably so. but really the goal is pretty simple. we do need to keep this government running while also protecting americans from the harmful effects of the new health care law known as obamacare. until now, the debate over

health care has been largely in the abstract. but now many americans are recognizing just how hurtful this is. mr. speaker, we need the right type of health care reform, but we don't need skyrocketing premiums or plans that erode health care liberties. mr. speaker, yvonne just wrote to me from nebraska. she said this, of her family of five, their monthly insurance premiums are going to nearly double. she asked, how can we call in the affordable care act? rodney just wrote to me, he's a self-employed truck driver, he told me he may have to sell his truck just to afford the insurance. mr. speaker, since parts of this law have already been delayed, isn't it only fair that we delay the entire implementation for at least a year, giving us time to create the right type of health care reform, one that reduces cost and improves health care outcomes while also protecting the vulnerable in our society? that's what americans deserve.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island rise? mr. langevin: ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. he house will be in order. mr. langevin: mr. speaker, i recently met with a passionate group of constituents from rhode island who told me of their families' struggle with pancreatic cancer. in particular, katie boucher, recently rounted her story of her mother, marie boucher, who was diagnosed in 2008 and passed away just a year later, in 2009. the age of 59. her story resonated with me not only because my own grandfather battled pancreatic cancer and ultimately passed away from the disease, but because an estimated 45,000 people were diagnosed with this illness in

2013 alone. despite great advances in medical science, we are still woefully behind the mark when it comes to pancreatic cancer. to make matters worse, the budgetary impacts of sequestration are forcing cutbacks at the national institutes of health, which is responsible for funding much of the biomedic research across the country. mr. speaker, we can achieve deficit reduction without sacrificing the vital research that not only drives better health outcomes but also drives our local economy. mr. speaker, i ask my colleague to join -- colleagues to join me in urging stronger funding for n.i.h. and stronger focus on biomedical research, not just for marie boucher and her daughter, but for the thousands of people who are fighting for their lives every single -- in every single district acrour cross our country. thank you -- across our country. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek rec thigs? -- seek recognition? without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you,

mr. speaker. i'd like to take a minute today to recognize a remarkable south florida organization, the port rican bar association of florida, that will soon be celebrating its 10th-year anniversary in miami. over the past 10 years the association has been dedicated to public service in my home state of florida, preserving the civil rights, the political rights, and responsibilities of port ricans as americans as well as as floridians. the puerto rican bar association of florida also serves as an educatal tool for undergraduate, graduate and law students through a competition which will be held this year in conjunction with the association's historic anniversary. i congratulate its president, richard roblis, for his impressive work, and wish everyone in the association continued success on behalf of the puerto rican community of florida. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back.

for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? without objection. mr. pocan: thank you, mr. speaker. the american people have been bombarded on their tv screens by this creepy image of uncle sam appearing between a young woman's legs. this ad is funded by the idealistic sounding generation opportunity. but guess who is really behind this add? -- the ad -- this ad? the not so idealistic koch brothers who are spending their wealth telling people not to get health insurance. their sole purpose is to keep young people from getting quality, affordable care and in doing so, they hope to destroy the affordable care act. but what would coch care look like? insurance companies could deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. you could be thrown into bankruptcy because of lifetime caps. insurance companies would be able to charge women more than men and tens of millions of americans would be without

health insurance. oh, and uncle sam would be standing between a woman and her doctor when it comes to reproductive health, just like you see the g.o.p. trying to do across the country. that's what the g.o.p. and the koch brothers want. fewer options, less health care and higher costs. that certainly doesn't seem like an opportunity for a generation to me. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek ecognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. coffman: mr. speaker, we in congress need to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used wisely. no federal department should get a free pass. especially one responsible for managing over 50% of all annual discretionary spending. the law requires all federal agencies, including the department of defense, to present honorable financial

statements to congress. unfortunately, it has been over 16 years and the pentagon has yet to comply with this law. how can we be expected to oversee the pentagon spending habits when we have no confidence in the numbers that .o.d. has presented? my bill has an approach to address this issue. it gives d.o.d. transfer authority if it receives a clean audit, allowing greater flexibility through program funds among accounts. failure to achieve a clean audit will result in serious consequences. i urge my colleagues to support this bill, which improves fiscal accountability and oversight of the pentagon's budget process. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition? does any member seek recognition?

for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. we are seeing significant natural disasters this month from the historic floods that are wreaking havoc across colorado to the third largest fire in california, in and around yosemite national park. these are taken lives from their families and homes and will take years and many millions of dollars to clean up and repair all of the damage. yes, these are natural disasters, but that doesn't mean that we aren't culpable. the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, as well as the british immediate yorlogical office, found in a study that half of last year's worst weather events, human activities made them more likely and more speer. mr. huffman: human influence on climate change had an affect on

superstorm sandy, drought in europe. but the climate deniers in congress continue to ignore what's happening right in front of our eyes. we must get beyond extreme politics and start addressing the extreme damage of climate change. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. wolf: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. wolf: mr. speaker, yesterday, fox news reported that massive amounts of highly sensitive u.s. military equipment has been stolen in libya by militia groups alleged in align with terrorists. these new reports, along with surface-to-air missiles have been stolen around the time of the benghazi attack begged the question -- just what has the u.s. been doing in benghazi and libya over the last year? and today, the state department inspector general issued a new report criticizing the department for failing to take

any meaningful steps to improve diplomatic security at high-risk posts, like the facility attack in benghazi over the last year. that's why, mr. speaker, a select committee is needed now more than ever. not just to investigate the attack in benghazi, but also to answer the question about u.s. erations in libya, involving stolen weapons and arms transfers over last year. 177 members have co-sponsored a bill to create a select committee. without a select committee, we are not going to know what happened in benghazi. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. kingston: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. kingston: thank you, mr. speaker. obamacare, as affectionately been called, was to make health care more affordable and number two, more accessible, pure and simple. let's talk about that. does anyone know anybody whose

premium has gone down? my daughter's 30 years old, very healthy. her premium went up from $170 a month to $270 a month. i speak to businesses all the ime who have had 25%, 35%, 40% premium increases. my telenumber in my office is 202-225-5831. if your premium has gone down, i'd like to know about it. the second thing obamacare was meant to do was to make health care more accessible. one announced that it will no longer be covering the spouses of 15,000 employees. the other one announced that 20,000 part tirme employees will no longer be covered under their health care. so i don't know of any examples where accessibility has increased for the average person. zero for two, higher costs and

less access. let's repeal obamacare. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from minnesota seek recognition? the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. mccollum: mr. speaker, i rise today to talk about a very important i shall -- mrs. bachmann: mr. speaker, i rise today to talk about an important issue in my district. this is a unique time in my district, because next week, every american in the united states will be subject to the new requirements, the new mandates of obamacare. this is a time that's very important, and we need to focus on what's about to happen next week, and we have an opportunity in the next few days to keep misery and suffering from millions of americans. the republicans have been ridiculed by the democrats

saying we want to somehow shut down government. we don't. it's curious to note that in the -- since the 1970's, the federal government has been shut down. it's been shut down 17 times. and numerous times because the democratic party sought to shut it down. if you go back to the 1970's, the democrats repeatedly tried to shut down the government over the issue of abortion. what we're talking about is the issue of preventing suffering and misery for americans. surely that's worth a conversation. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection. mr. culberson: the founding fathers created this magnificent institution to protect our liberty. the house, the senate, the entire federal government was created to protect our liberty

and house republicans are united in our objection to obamacare because it is the most massive intrusions in the individual privacy of americans that the federal government's ever attempted. it's an attempt to socialize the greatest health care system the world has ever seen, and we will see intrusions into the private lives of americans on a level of scale never seen before. so i just want to reassure the american people that we are united as conservatives, as constitutional conservatives to do everything in our power to repeal, defund, delay, do whatever it takes to stop the socialization of american medicine and the destruction of the most important right we have as americans to be left alone. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington 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. mr. mcdermott: mr. speaker, as we approach the first of october when everyone in this country is going to have an opportunity to have health

insurance, you know that there are some people who always like the status quo and they will say anything and do anything. the public today is being subjected to a propaganda campaign, the likes of which we have never seen in this country , against obamacare. somehow it is the worst thing that ever happened. the sky is going to fall. the world is going to end as we have known it. we should run and pray that in the latter days we will be saved. now, the fact is that obamacare is going to go into effect. the supreme court's looked at it, said it's constitutional, going to happen, folks. will there be a few problems? of course. you can't make a change in bringing 30 million people into a program without having a problem here and there. some of the complaints i hear on the other side are from people saying, oh, it's going

to do this, it's going to do that, it's going to do this, it's going to do that, but they didn't want to make one single change to make it better. we should stay calm. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor linda, a life-long resident. she's been a dedicated teacher to the students of murray county, helping to enrich the lives of the young people, both inside and outside of her classroom. mr. graves: it was in 1968 that she returned to murray county high school as an english teacher and over those next 30 years, for many years after her retirement in 1998, she devoted herself to teaching young georgians, helping them value their education and succeed in life. during her teaching career, she rved as a drama sponsor --

scholar bowl sponsor, yearbook sponsor, cheerleading sponsor, and much, much more. s. lunsford has done so much to her community that murray county is dedicating october as the first linda lunsford day. i join in celebrating october 5 as linda lunsford day and thank her for many contributions for us in georgia. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. are there any one-minute requests? under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentlewoman from arizona, ms. sinema, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. ms. sinema: thank you, mr. speaker. september is suicide prevention month, a time for our nation to raise awareness about the persistent scourge of suicide. tens of thousands of americans die each year purposefully by their own action.

they're our neighbors and our friends. they're our sons and our daughters. and too often they are the men and women who have served our country honorably in the united states military. an estimated 22 veterans commit suicide every day in our country. that's one life lost every 65 minutes. we've assembled today's special order to accomplish three things. first, we seek to demonstrate our continuing support for the individuals, organizations and agencies whose efforts in addressing this preventable epidemic continue in the face of difficulty. second, we are here to challenge the v.a., the department of defense and our fellow lawmakers to do more. the number of veteran deaths by suicide is increasing, despite current efforts. clearly, what we are doing now isn't working. we're failing in our obligation to do right by those who have served so honorably. and finally, we send a message to military families who've

experienced this tragedy. to grieving families across america, know that your family's lost isn't forgotten. we are working to stop this epidemic and prevent future sue sides. we work for the memory of your loved ones and for the prevention of future losses. my colleagues here today believe, as i believe, that no one who comes home after serving their country should ever feel they have nowhere to turn. sadly, many of our young vets feel just that. earlier this year, a young veteran in my district committed suicide. daniel summers was an army veteran of two tours in iraq. he served on task force lightning, an intelligence unit. he ran over 400 combat missions as a machine gunner in the tourette of a humvee. part of his role required him to interrogate dozen of terrorist suspects and his work was deemed classified.

like many veterans, daniel was haunted by the war when he returned. he suffered from flashbacks, nightmares, depression and additional symptoms of pdspds made worse by a -- posttraumatic stress disorder made worse by a brain injury. daniel needed help. he and his family asked for help the best way they knew how. unfortunately, the v.a. enrolled daniel in group therapy sessions instead of connecting him with a private counselor or therapist where he would be able to talk confidentialally about his experiences. he attended the v.a. group sessions even though he knew due to the classified nature of his work that he could not fully share what gave him nightmares. like many, daniel's isolation got worse when he transitioned home to civilian life. he tried to provide for his family, but he was unable to work due to his disability. daniel struggled with the v.a. bureaucracy. his disability appeal had been pending for two years in the system without any resolution. daniel didn't get the help he

needed in time. on june 10 of 2013, daniel wrote a letter to his family. it begins -- i am sorry that it has come to this. the fact is for as long as i can remember, my motivation for getting up each day has been so you would not have to bury me. as things have continued to get worse, it has become clear that this alone is not a sufficient reason to carry on. the fact is i am not getting better. i am not going to get better. and i will most certainly deteriorate further as time goes on. from a logical standpoint it is simply better to end things quickly and let any repercussions for that play out in the short term rather than drag things out into the long term. . he goes on to say, i am left with basically nothing. too trapped at war to be at peace, too damaged to be at war, abandon i by those who would take the easy route and a liability to those who stick it

out and thus deserve better. so you see, not only am i better off dead, but the world is better without me in it. this is what brought me to my actual final mission. daniel's parents, howard and gene, were devastated. but in the midst of their pain, they bravely shared daniel's story and created a mission of their own. their mission is to ensure that daniel's story brings light to america's deadliest war. the 22 veterans that we lose every day to suicide. i am grateful to howard and jean for their courage and their strength. but we cannot leave this great task to howard and jean alone. the rest of the country must stand and join howard and jean in their work to prevent suicide. each of us can do something to raise awareness, to be that light for a struggling veteran in our community. businesses can display signs like this one to let veterans know that help is always available. mental health professionals can

volunteer with organizations like give an hour, to provide free counseling to veterans and their families. and we can all learn to recognize the signs of crisis by viticrisisline t and reaching out to the -- veteranscrisisline.net. we who enjoy freedom every day, thanks to the sacrifices our military service members, we must all step up to end the epidemic of vet ran suicide -- veteran suicide. thank you, mr. speaker. i now yield to the gentleman from michigan, congressman dan benishek. mr. benishek: thank you. i want to thank my colleague from arizona for doing this special order today. this is an issue that's very close to me as well. i want to join the rest of my

colleagues here today in recognizing september as the veterans suicide prevention month. as my colleague mentioned, a veteran in this country commits suicide every 65 minutes. that's 22 lives extinguished every day. as the father of a veteran, as a doctor that's worked at the v.a. hospital in northern michigan for over 20 years, and as a chairman of the house subcommittee on veterans affairs, i know that the challenges of military life do not end once our service members retire from active duty. the mental wounds of war may be invisible, but no less real to the young men and women suffering from them. facing high unemployment rates, the stigma of posttraumatic stress disorder and the loss of military fellowship, returning veterans often face a crisis of confidence at the very moment they should feel nothing but relief and rest.

this year we will bring 34,000 troops home from afghanistan. the president has indicated he may withdraw all of the 63,000 member-strong force by the end of 2014. the time to act to address this epidemic of veteran suicide is now. i am pleased that the v.a. leadership has made veteran suicide a priority. new programs, putting research to work on reviewing health records for suicide risk factors is one example of the important steps that are being taken. but more, much more needs to be done. we cannot and we will not allow 22 suicides a day to become the new normal. as friends and families of our veterans, and those serving our country, there are some things we all can do. we can work to recognize the symptoms that could indicate

serious problems and identify where and how to get assistance when we need it. to all veterans who are ruggling whether to take their own life know there is no shame in asking for help. you are not broken. god has not forgotten you. you volunteered to go to war for us. and we have failed to provide you adequate support when you were returned home. that is changing. and i beg you to reach out to your local v.a., veterans center, veterans service organizations, or local member of congress for help. together we can begin to turn the tide on veteran suicide. everyone can help fight this epidemic. and be there for those that were there for us. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back.

ms. sinema: thank you, congressman benishek. i appreciate your words very much. our next speaker who will join us this afternoon is my colleague from florida, congressman patrick murphy. i yield to him. mr. murphy: first of all, i'd like to thank the gentlelady from arizona for bringing us all together for this very important issue. and i stand in support of my colleagues that are here today to support our brave men and women of the united states military who are willing to give life and limb in service of our great nation. those who have fought for our freedom have earned america's gratitude and support as they re-enter society after the trauma of serving in prolonged war zones. our nation must remain focused on the health and well-being of the brave men and women who have served. this means treating even the wounds that are not visible. september is suicide prevention month. and it's incumbent that every one of us takes the time to reach out to service members

and veterans that may be struggling. it should shake every member of this body to know that we lose 22 heroes every day to suicide. yesterday i was honored to join with local veteran groups to bring attention to this troubling issue. i want to take this opportunity to thank mary with the renew coalition, dr. mandi with the west palm beach v.a. medical center and dr. diaz for not only joining me at this important event yesterday but for the important work they are doing to assist the veterans and their families in our community every day. i also want to recognize the great work of the veterans crisis line. which has fueled over 89 -- fielded over 890,000 calls since 2007 and provides important comprehensive mental health care at v.a. medical centers across the nation. for o want to thank lynn

her hard work and dedication with angel fire. another organization in my district which helps our wounded veterans transition back to civilian life. for suicide prevention month, let's recommit ourselves to providing our heroes who have sacrificed so much for our nation with the respect, the benefits and the care that they have earned through their service by raising awareness, ending the significant ma and treating their inadvice -- stigma and treating their invisible wounds. thank you very much. ms. sinema: thank you, mr. murphy. i will now yield to another colleague from the great state of florida, mr. yoho. mr. yoho: i thank my colleague from arizona for putting this together. new mexico, i'm sorry. mr. speaker, i rise today to speak about the epidemic of veterans who not only commit but consider suicide. and again i want to quote what

my colleague talked about, the quote of too trapped in war to be at peace, too damaged to be at war. and these are the words left behind by that soldier, daniel. who tragically took his own life a few months ago. and daniel is one of many who are affected by ptsd and who come back from war with suicidal thoughts. this is an epidemic among our service men and women and it must be stopped. and it's estimated that, again, more than 22 veterans take their life each day. and that's 30% of all veterans have considered suicide and in florida's third congressional district alone, there are over 120,000 veterans which according to current data means that's about 36,000 veterans in my district that have thought about suicide. this is unacceptable and we must remedy this. we need to do all we can for those that have sacrificed the most for our nation. and that cannot just extend -- and that just cannot extend to

the battlefield. we must continue to take care of our soldiers when they come back home. that includes setting up programs to help veterans deal with ptsz and other psychological issues -- ptsd and other psychological issues. we need to make veteran suicide prevention a priority and i will work tirelessly towards that end. george washington said, to judge a nation's future military force and loyalty to that nation's military will be determined on how well that nation takes care of their veterans. before our nation engages in another war, i hope we look at the true cost of that war. if we look at the cost of the wars in afghanistan, in iraq, it's not just the trillions of dollars or the thousands of lives that have been lost. but the true cost of that war will be felt by this nation for the next 60, 70, 80 years. and we need to make sure that

we take care of those veterans and we think long and hard before we ever do that again. mr. speaker, i yield back and i thank my colleagues. ms. sinema: thank you, mr. yoho. next i'd like to yield time to the distinguished congressman from illinois, a proud veteran herself, representative tammy duckworth. ms. duckworth: duck i thank the gentlelady from arizona for pulling -- ms. duckworth: i thank the gentlelady from arizona for pulling us together on this very important issue. our veterans throughout their military career are taught to be physically tough and mentally strong. and just because they suffer from posttraumatic stress does not negate that. they deserve every opportunity to achieve the same american dream that they defended for the rest of us. yet, unfortunately too many of our veterans suffer from posttraumatic stress or other mental injuries resulting from their service. posttraumatic stress and mental injuries are not always the

result of combat, but can also include such trauma as that of sexual assault. regardless of how the trauma is suffered, we still must take care of our veterans. we cannot allow these injuries to prevent them from living the lives that they deserve. and in some cases these injuries have led these brave men and women to taking their own lives. it's been almost eight years since my own injury and in that time, if the 22 suicide as day rate were counted, there have been at least 24,000 veteran suicides. this is simply unacceptable. when i was director of the illinois department of veterans affairs, one of the very first things that i did was to create a 24/7 hotline for mental health available for vets. we have one now across the nation and our telephone number is-888-273-talk.

888-273-talk. please put that on your refrigerator doors. you never know when that number could save a life. you know, we started that hotline because caring for our veterans and their mental well-being is not a secondary priority. it is a mission that we must pursue each and every day. we cannot rest until we end veteran suicide in our nation. we need to care for these warriors' invisible wounds with as much dedication and as much resources as we do their other combat injuries. yet, because they are invisible, we often overlook these wounds. i am asking all levels of government, business and ordinary citizens, to make preventing veteran suicide our mission. we must come together and reduce the stigma of posttraumatic stress, we must provide the funding and the support that our heroes need. they fought for us, now it is time for us to tight for them.

i yield back. -- us to fight for them. i yield back. ms. sinema: thank you. i i'll now yield to another colleague -- i'll now yield to another colleague from illinois, mr. rodney davis. mr. davis: thank you to the gentlelady from arizona for putting this special order together. it is a true privilege to stand here to highlight an issue that needs to be dealt with here in america. our veterans are those who have protected our freedoms that allow us to stand on this floor and debate the issues of the day. without their sacrifices, we wouldn't have the america that we know today. i'm surprised when i read the statistics about veteran suicide, the number who die by their own hands each year is greater than the official number of all u.s. war deaths in more than a decade of fighting in iraq and afghanistan. between 2005 and 2011, over 49,000 veterans have taken their lives. and more than 69% of all veteran suicides were among

those 50 and older. nearly one in five suicides nationally is a veteran, even though veterans only make up 10% of the u.s. population. we need to take steps to ensure our veterans have the mental health resources they need, we need to make sure that we raise awareness and do away with the stigma of suicide, so that veterans feel comfortable finally reaching out for help. when soldiers are scared to come forward about their mental health problems because they're afraid they'll be labeled a coward, they continue on a dark and lonely path. instead we need to ask our veterans to ask for help. the department of veterans affairs launched a crisis line that since 2007 has answered more than 90,000 calls and made over 30,000 rescues. in 2009 they added a chat line

for texts and over 108,000 texts have been sent. these are the types of resources we need to provide those who have provided so much protection and freedom for us here in america. i stand here today to work with my colleagues across the aisle to make things happen. thank you again to the gentlelady from arizona and i yield back. ms. sinn ma: thank you, mr. davis. i now yield to my colleague from the great state of california, susan davis. mrs. davis: thank you. i'm pleased to have an opportunity to join with my colleague from arizona, congresswoman sinn ma, to talk about the issue of veterans' suicide today and to do it from a personal perspective here as ell. daniel somers, as the congresswoman noted, was a talented young man, a decorated war hero and proud soldier he

asked for help he did. he reached out to the v.a. in hopes of being admitted to their suicide prevention unit but he was informed at that time there was no in-patient availability. no appointment that he could get right away. we know now that daniel took his life just a few days later. his case was brought home to me live in my arents former district and actually were friends of mine and friends of people that i knew. when i first heard the story, i was taken as anybody would be by their gat had happened and the fact that we just cannot let that happen again. i think they asked the question that we all ask -- how could a young man like that fall through the cracks? how come it was that people didn't respond to him. how can we make a promise to

was in battle and care for his widow and orphan? we have to listen to our constituents and what i have found to be so rewarding, really, is that parents with this kind of grief can work through that and using their son's words to become strong advocates for what is needed in the system. i know, having served on the personnel committee, it was very important to me to work through this issue for a number of years and we know of the many causes of suicide among those who have served in the military. we know that some of them, in fact, the major reasons, are not necessarily combat stress.

recent reports have shown us that financial hardship and relationship strife are major causes of suicide among the military. but it points out to us how critically important this discussion of mental health is in our country. sometimes i feel like we've arrived a bit, we plan, i know agencies throughout our country and throughout the v.a. plan so hard that these kinds of tragedies do not occur. but they do occur. no matter how hard the effort is. and we have got to redouble those efforts. we have got to listen. and we have got to encourage our families to do what they can and what they think is right. i actually think that one of the reasons that the somers family has become such strong advocates is because people did respond to them. they didn't push them aside and

say, well, you know, this is a terrible story and we're sad that it happened, we're not sure we can do anything about it. we can do something about it and we will. i thank my colleague for bringing this forward. i thank the somers family as well. ms. sinn ma: thank you, congresswoman davis. i now yield to congressman mcdermott. mr. mcdermott: mr. speaker, members, i applaud my colleague from arizona for bringing this issue to the floor. 45 years ago, i was a part of another era, when there was a draft. and everybody was subject to that draft. nand 1975, we stopped that draft. but we changed the nature of our military. we've made it an all-voluntary

military. what we've done in this country is we've taken 1% of the people and said, it's your -- you volunteered for this, you go and do this for us. and we buy the guns and the bullets and everything else and send them out there. nd when they come back, we don't know them. there's a fascinating book called "breach of trust" by a man named andrew vasovich. a colonel in the united states army he lost a son in iraq. and he has written an incisive account of what the problem today is. the subtitle is "how americans fail their soldiers and their country." then they return from war -- i know about ptsd, i dealt with it as a psychiatrist with people coming back from vietnam. the kids in "apocalypse now" were the kids in my clinic.

i saw what people who went through tough war was all about. and what is happening today, in fact, we do it here on this floor. i'm always uneasy when we do it. we stand up and have a moment of silence. that's nice. you know, we should do it, and we do it. and we thank people for their service. every veteran finds that as hollow, because they didn't go and get us a cup of coffee. they were under orders to go and kill people. and they did it on our behalf. and we bear the responsibility for sending them out there to do it. everyone on this floor. all 435 of us. bear the responsibility. as does the american public. when we receive people back what do they get? homelessness? joblessness? they get ptsd that may or may

not be treated. we say the veterans administration will take care of that you can't put it off on the veterans administration, it's all our responsibility. sexual assault, the number of sexual assaults, you can see a movie call "the hidden war" about what happens to women serving in the military. if you look at the total brain injury, kids who could do all kinds of things come back and can't remember their phone number. can't remember what their house is and they're suffering from things that happened to them because of the war they've been involved with and what happens to them is they get isolated. they get isolated, feeling nobody really understands what's going on. and for some, suicide seems like the only way. , , native american tribes

more ancient people, understand this when they sent warriors out to war, they received them back into the tribe. the am rye did it. there was a -- the samurai did it. there was a whole process by which we bring people back in and cleanse them of the guilt of what they've done on our behalf that collateral damage you read about or hear about is our responsibility as well as theirs for having actually pulled the trigger. we sent them and they did it on our behalf. we cannot get away from that. and we have put a provision in the national defense authorization act that will create a commission for high level people to look at how we bring these people back. it's more than just fixing the process at the v.a. that's not enough. there is a much larger process of getting us to accept what we are sending people to do.

this recent brush we had with syria, we were about to send people down there to kill people all over the place and say, well, the air force did it, i didn't direct the smart bomb to go in there. yes, you did. yes i did. yes all of us did. and so when we talk about suicide, and these isolated young men and women who come back and feel there's no other hope, it is a much bigger issue, it's an issue of getting them to come and talk to us and tell us what they've done and accept, as we accept the grief from that kind of event. i thank you for the time and i encourage you to read the book. "breach of trust." ms. sinn ma: thank you, congressman. i yield to my distinguished colleague from california, congressman tony cardenas.

mr. cardenas: i would like to first thank congresswoman sinn ma for bringing us together so we can speak -- sinn ma for bringing us together -- congresswoman sinema for bringing us together. this isn't something i should have to talk about, this is something nobody should have to bring up. but here we are. too many veterans are taking their own lives. our soldiers and veterans who are all volunteers should not be killing themselves. too many are. and it's at an epidemic rate. this is entirely unacceptable. while veteran suicide is frequently reported in the press and focused on by the v.a., it's rarely mentioned that last year 349 active duty servicemen and women killed themselves. that is more active duty deaths by suicide than in all combat deaths combined during the same

year, 2012, including the deaths in afghanistan. alongside our active duty forces, nearly two dozen veterans kill themselves every day. that's almost one every hour. that number is going up, not own. 30% of service members have considered taking their own life and 45% say they know an iraq or afghanistan veteran who has attempted suicide. the department of veterans' affairs has devoted some resource to this effort but more can be done and it starts here in congress. we fund the v.a. the v.a. does not fund itself. it is important that we let military families know that those who have experienced these tragedies, that their experiences matter. we need to provide resources, real support for our veterans and their families.

we owe this to the men and women who kept their promise to protect and serve our nation because we now know and we can molestation tant in combat does not just impact our nation as a whole but forever impacts our men and women to whom we owe so much. this suicide prevention month, let us make a true effort to provide mental health support for our veterans and their families. over $1 trillion have been provided and spent on two wars ver the last decade. we have dedicated too little, very little. $1 trillion sounds like a lot of money. almost one veteran an hour in this country takes his or her life. what's that price, ladies and gentlemen? what's that value? i believe that we have a backwards system in our country

-- 25 can pop off and billion, $50 billion, $100 billion, it keeps going and going, and we create more and more veterans who come back, they love their country, they would like to come back and feel normal but they don't feel right. and because of that, they take their life. and we should be ashamed of ourselves because we have the answers, we know the answers and one of those answers is for congress to dedicate more money to our veterans so that when they come home, they won't take their life. we have the answers, ladies and gentlemen. but we're not willing to heed the call. we need to do so. perhaps what we should consider doing in these chambers from now on is every time we spend a dollar to go to war, dedicate $1 for our vet ans -- veterans when they come back. fair enough.

we lose count of the money we send to war but count every penny we send to the v.a. and we squeeze them and tell them there's no more. there's always more money for war for some reason, somehow, there's always more money for war. regardless of what the economy is, regardless of how much revenue we have. there's always more money for war. but there's never enough money for us to dedicate to the veterans who need us. ho didn't question us. who we helped them change their lives forever. and for some, they took their life once they came back home and realized that we are not here for them. i hope that we're all listening. mr. speaker, mr. chairman, i hope that we're all listening. and thank you. -- and thank you, congress

woman sinema, for this opportunity, and yield back the balance of my time. ms. sinema: thank you. i now yield to my friend and colleague from southern arizona, congressman ron arber. mr. barber: i want to thank my colleague from arizona, congresswoman cinema, for -- congresswoman sinema, for bringing us together this evening on this truly critical issue in our country. mr. speaker, i want to speak directly to the men and women who have served this country. to those of you who have borne a decade of war, and to those of you who have endured the psychological scars that these wars have brought, scars from traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress, i know that your wounds and you know

that your wounds cannot always be seen, but you also know, and know, too, that they're real. i implore you to consider the grief and loss, the sadness that your families will feel if you're no longer with them. they love you, they want you to live. i implore you, suicide is not the answer. for 22 years i worked in the field of mental health services. i know from the many, the thousands of success stories, that mental illness, posttraumatic stress, emotional issues are treatable. you can recover. if you're hurting and need help, it is there for you. it is there in your friends, in

your family members, and it is there in the professional services offered in your community and at the veterans administration. if you learn that someone is contemplatiui you have a responsibility to intervene. let them know how much they mean to you. help they need. it is everyone's responsibility to stop this terrible tragedy that is occurring every single day. it has been said already, 22 men and women who have served us in uniform are committing suicide when they return home to civilian life. you each deserve the full resources of this government. and of your communities.

and of your friends. and it is there for you. here in congress i am very pleased to say that while we talk a lot about gridlock, we talk a lot about not getting things done, and the lack of bipartisanship, this is one issue on which we are truly in a bipartisan coalition. we are fighting for you to make sure that you get the support and the help and the gratitude that you deserve after serving our country so bravely. just this week i was deeply honored to welcome she esswoman tammy, tammy, was amazing, tammy duckworth, to my district. when i think about the greeting that she received when we went to the university of arizona, from the veterans who saw her courage, i knew that she was an inspiration not only to them but to veterans all over the country.

a great model of someone who has been through so much and yet has found a reason to live and to serve her country. we went to the veterans center at the university of arizona where veterans were helping other veterans. not only deal with the transition back into civilian life and into school life, but also to deal with the emotional issues that they have as they make that transition. help is there. it is there for each and every one of you who have served us so well. and i implore you, look for the .elp, give the help this is everyone's responsibility, to reach out to the men and women who have served us and to extend a helping hand and to get them to the services that they need. they can and will be treated and treatment will in fact help them succeed and they will in fact go through this terrible time that they're dealing with when they contemplate suicide. i want to thank the gentlelady from arizona once again for

bringing us together to talk about this very important topic, to all americans. and i yield back. ms. sinema: thank you so much, congressman barber. i now will yield to my colleague from nevada, congresswoman titus. ms. titus: i too would like to thank my friend from the southwest, congresswoman sinema, for hosting this special hour, to draw attention to -- draw attention to suicide prevention month which we recognize here in september. suicide within any population is a traumatic thing to deal with. but we are learning that it is increasingly important and increasingly a problem among our military and our veterans. it's critical that we work to address, to recognize, to prevent, to eliminate military suicide, and i hope that today's special order will help to shine a bright light on this very important topic.

suicide within the military is a national problem. you have heard my colleagues speak about it in their districts and their state and across the country. but it is especially acute in my home state of nevada. a recent study done by the state of nevada found that veterans in the silver state commit suicide at a rate of more than 2 1/2 times higher than nonveterans and quadruple the national rate. the study further reported that nevada's female veterans, those often hidden veterans, commit suicide at more than triple the overall rate for females statewide, and nearly six times, six times the national rate for females. the study also found that in 2010 suicide accounted for more than a quarter of the death among young veterans, those between 24 years and younger, throughout the state of nevada.

this is a trend we just cannot allow to continue. as other speakers have noted, every day 22 veterans take their own lives. almost every hour one of our nation's heroes takes his or her life. nearly one in five suicides nationally is a veteran, even though veterans make up only about 10% of the u.s. population. as ranking member of the house veterans affairs subcommittee on disability assistance, i'm working every day with my colleagues to ensure that veterans receive all the benefits that they've earned and the care that they need. so if you are a veteran who is struggling with thoughts of sued side -- of suicide or you're a friend or family member of a veteran who needs help, please contact us, reach out to us, because we need to know what the v.a. can do to better support and serve you. i would also encourage my colleagues to co-sponsor h.r.

2527, which is the national guard military sexual trauma parity act. this would ensure that members of the guard receive all the care they need if they're a victim of military sexual trauma while on training missions. we know that if you're a victim and you suffer such trauma, that can often lead to suicide. on our committee we're constantly working to ensure that the v.a. is providing care for veterans struggling with the thought of suicide. but it's also important that we reach out and assure veterans that they know that receiving help is not a sign of weakness. instead it's a sign of strength. when army staff sergeant ty carter received the medal of honor, he encouraged his fellow soldiers to reach out. and for the civilian community to support them. he said to the public, know that they are not damaged, they are simply burdened with living with what others do not.

we are resilient and will emerge even stronger over time. sergeant carter, we know that because of leaders like you and supported by a grateful nation, we can win the battle against military suicide. so again, let us hear from you and let me remind veterans and those who love them that the v.a. operates a confidential support center that's open 365 days a year, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. and please call if you need support. their phone number is 1-800-273-8255. and then just press number one. you can also send a text message to 838-255. so don't hesitate to reach out. someone will be there to hear you. just as you never leave a fellow soldier on the battlefield, we can't leave anyone behind when they come

home. when they come home with wounds that are both visible and hidden, we should be there. so thank you to my colleagues and to the congresswoman from arizona for giving us an opportunity to send this message loud and clear. ms. sinema: thank you so much, congresswoman titus. i now yield to my colleague from pennsylvania, congressman cart write. cartwright. mr. cartwright: thank you for this special order. congresswoman sinema, i say to you that you bring honor and credit to the ninth district of arizona in taking a leadership position in this role. i also, mr. speaker, want to point out that congresswoman sinema has brought the house together on these issues.

she has brought democrats and republicans together in this special order hour, in case that fact has escaped your notice. we speak as one voice on behalf of american veterans. and i'm happy to lend my voice to that today. i come from pennsylvania, which is home to nearly one million american veterans. these brave men and women served our country and unfortunately we are here to say, we have not always served them. the united states department of housing and urban development timates that nationwide, 62,619 veterans are homeless on any given night. and many of these veterans do suffer from mental illness. a recently released study from the department of veterans affairs found that 22 veterans

commit suicide every day. now, i heard that several months ago, mr. speaker, and at first i shrugged it off. we're sort of callous around here. we're used to numbers, we're used to statistics being bandied about, so when somebody said, be shocked, it's 22 american veterans committing suicide every day, i thought, well, what's that? out of 400, 500 suicides nationwide every day? no, it wasn't that. and s somewhere between 80 110 american suicides every day. so we're not talking about a small proportion. we're talking about, ladies and gentlemen, mr. speaker, we're talking about upwards of 20% of the suicides every day are american veterans committing suicide. and we heard earlier in this hour that it's something less than 10% of americans are veterans. so it's hugely disproportion

ate, the number of people committing suicide in this country are hugely disproportionately veterans in this country. and that is a national embarrassment. as someone who cares deeply about veterans issues, i'm here to tell you, i have introduced two bills, after i heard that statistic. first, the veterans mental health accessibility act. and, second, the expediting hiring for v.a.-trained psychiatrists act. the veterans mental health accessibility act aims to provide for our brave service men and women when they return from combat with both easily visible and difficult-to-detect wounds. well, the physical wounds of war are evident immediately. mental health issues obviously may take longer to discover. as many as 30% of the operation iraqi and enduring freedom

veterans face the possibly diagnosis of a mental health disorder. however, after five postservice years, and this is the rule in the v.a., after five years, veterans would go to the back of the line for psychiatric health care, with the average wait time for a veteran to receive benefits at 273 days. this could mean the difference between life and death. it's like a five-year statute of limitations. after a service member is separated from the service, if he or she does not report a combat-related mental disorder within five years, it's as if they do not qualify for psychiatric care. the veterans mental health accessibility act would ensure that no veteran be denied mental health treatment, no matter when combat-related mental health disorders first appear. it eliminates that ridiculous five-year rule.

additionally i've expedited the v.a. trained psychiatrists act to allow the secretary of veterans affairs to fast track the hiring of psychiatrists who completed a residency at a v.a. facility. mr. speaker, i believe we owe a great debt to those who serve our nation through military service, including those who stood ready at a moment's notice to fight for our freedom. as long as i am a member of this congress, i will be working to increase knowledge of benefits available to the veterans community, to correct shortcomings in the v.a. system, and to ensure that the men and women of the armed forces who bravely serve this country receive all of the benefits to which they are so richly entitled. thank you, mr. speaker, and at this time, i yield back to the gentlelady from arizona. ms. sinema: thank you, representative cartwright.

i now turn the time to my colleague from illinois -- oh, sorry, i now yield to my colleague from new york, congressman bill owens. thank you, bill. mr. owens: i thank you, congresswoman sinema. i appreciate the work you've done in bringing a bipartisan group together to address this issue. enge it's important we understand a number of things. in my district, particularly upstate new york, there are 48 attempted suicides every year. the hotline, which was addressed before, received 137,000 calls on average annually. and that is statistics gathered from 2007 to 2012. that number, and i'll repeat this again, for any veteran listening today, is

00-273-8255. how many of us have known someone who has committed suicide and have thought to ourselves, i didn't see it coming? how could i have helped? we hear that constantly when we talk to the families of those who have committed suicide. "the new york times" reports that being a veteran increases your risk of suicide double, so you have two times a greater risk of committing suicide if you have served your country. to stay alert, to make sure that we are focused on watching those amongst us who may show signs of suicide, and it is incumbent upon congress to provide the funding to defeat this terrible disease. in my district, a young man

committed suicide who came from glens falls, who was assigned to the 10th mountain division in watertown, new york. he was a skilled black huck mc. and the theme i mentioned before was repeated by his friends and co-workers. i didn't see it coming. how could i have helped? we say thank you to our veterans by oftentimes saying thank you for your service. but do we provide the service to them that they deserve? we do not nearly enough and we should. hank you and i yield back. ms. sinema: thank you, congressman owens. i now yield to congresswoman annie kuster of new hampshire. ms. kuster: thank you, congresswoman sinema an thank you for bringing us together today.

this is a unique experience since i've been here in the yeats congress. today we've heard from republicans and democrats, men and women, people from literally every corner of our country, young and old, who have served this country and who honor those who have served us. each of us has been touched by this issue. and i want to say if a personal perspective, having been raised by a combat veteran, my husband and i are both the chern of combat veterans, my father was a world war ii pilate. and he flew in 63 missions before he was shot down and served in a p.o.w. camp. my father-in-law landed on the beaches of normandy when my father was flying overhead. both my husband and i were raised in households that,

although successful, had many dark secrets. these were households where we lived with ptsd and i want to say to the veteran who was served our country, of every era, that we are here to serve you and and we will not leave you on the battlefield. i serve on the veterans afares committee and it's a tremendous honor and with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, led by congressman benishek, who you heard from today on the health subcommittee, we will stand by the veterans who have served our country. we will work to provide the resources and to help the men and women working across this country in our veterans administration to provide you with the services and the treatment and the support that you need. it's been a tremendous honor for me as i travel around the state of new hampshire in my

district to work with veterans' groups, to sit in veterans' centers and to see the one-on-one support from the d.s.o.'s from those who have worked in this field, from people who understand the dark secrets that you carry. we are here for you, we will work together, and under the leadership of congresswoman sinema and all of us who serve on the veterans afares committee and throughout this u.s. congress, please know that we are here for you and we will not forget. thank you for yourer is vess. ms. sinema: thank you, congresswoman. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker a message from the senate. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. e secretary: i have been asked to inform the house that

the senate has agreed to the house amendment to the act. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman may proceed. ms. sinema: i wreeled to my colleague from illinois, congressman william enyart. mr. enyart: thank you. mr. speaker, always ready, always there -- that's the motto of the national guard. that motto is engraved on this commander's coin, my commander's cone that i carry with me wherever i go. before i came to congress, i had the honor, the privilege, and responsibility for five years to exercise command over

the illinois army and air national guard. i commanded 10,000 soldiers and 3,000 airmen. it was my responsibility to train them, equip them, and order them into war. most of them came back. 34 of them did not. 19 of them during my command. in ry those names with me my breast pocket, ranks, names, ages, hometowns. what i don't carry are the two soldiers that i lost to suicide. i don't know why i don't have those names.

i should have those names. they didn't come back either. most of those soldiers that i rdered to go to war came home, those few didn't. many came home wounded. some of those wounds not visible. first time a soldier under my command committed suicide, my staff came to me and said, general, are you going to go to the funeral? i said, of course i'm going to the funeral. they said, your predecessor didn't go to funerals for soldiers who committed suicide. i said, i do. we took them whole, took them to war, and they came back broken. that's my responsibility. i broke them.

congressman jim mcdermott earlier spoke about responsibility. he talked about how we in congress and we as a nation must take responsibility for these broken lives. i accept responsibility for what i have done. i accept responsibility for taking whole men and women and sending them to war. i take responsibility for those two soldiers who committed suicide under my command, under my watch. it's not an easy thing to do. but that's what you have to do as a soldier, because you're always ready and you're always there.

illinois is very -- was very lucky in my command, we went several years without a single suicide while other states were losing soldiers and airmen. and we were very proud of that. we thought we were doing a great job. and of course, oh, it was -- because we were doing such a great job, we drove it down to the lowest levels, it was ok to be stressed and ok to get help and those were good things and they were the right things to do but it wasn't all that we did. because i know those figures were a lie. i know those zero suicides were a lie. because we had soldiers who were drunk at 2:00 in the morning riding motorcycles who died. we had soldiers driving cars at 120 miles per hour two months after coming home from a deployment and that was a suicide.

we must respond to that. and every soldier who comes home must take responsibility for another soldier so that we can save them. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. ms. sinema: thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house an enrolled bill. the clerk: h.r. 3092, an act to amend the missing children's assistance act and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. poe: mr. speaker, i also want to thank ms. sinema from the state of arizona for her holding the last special order, bipartisan, to talk about this terrible plight that has happened to our veterans. 22 veterans a day.

americans. commit suicide system of thank you for bringing that to the attention of the house and to the american public and that's an issue that we will continue to work on on a bipartisan way to help our veterans. so i would like to, mr. speaker, at this time, yield as much time as she wishes to consume to the great lady from he state of florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you to the great gentleman from the wonderful state of texas, i'm glad the gentleman brings up the word bipartisan to describe witnessed, very heart felt testimony, but we have a lot of work to do right here in the house as well and with the senate and with the president because it's time for all parties to work together in a genuine, bipartisan, and adult manner who avoid a government shutdown. a shutdown is not some abstract