compounding. title 2 based on representative bob latta's safeguarding america's pharmaceutical act, addresses the safety of our nation's drug -- prescription drug supply chain as drugs travel from the manufacturer to the farmcy. it creates -- pharmacy. it creates a uniform national standard for drug supply chain security to protect americans gent counterfeit drugs while eliminating needless levels of bureaucracy. the drug quality and security act is the result of months of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations, and i would like to thank chairman upton, ranking member waxman, chair emeritus dingell, representative griffith, latta, pallone, degette, and green for their work on important legislation and also senators harkin and alexander in the senate. finally, i would like to thank the staff of the energy and commerce subcommittee on our side, especially clay, paul,

carly, heide, and monica. this bill is supported by phrma, the generic pharmaceutical association, the national community pharmacist association, the health care supply chain association, and the pharmaceutical distribution security alliance, among others. and i would urge all of my colleagues to support this commonsense, bipartisan legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. waxman: at this time i'd like to yield three minutes to the ranking member on the health subcommittee, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, thank you, mr. waxman. i want to rise in support of the drug quality and security act. this bill represents a bipartisan, bicameral effort to clarify current pharmaceutical compounding laws and secure our nation's pharmaceutical drug supply chain. it's the culmination of several months of hard work and tireless negotiations between our committee and the senate health committee.

as a result of the terrible tragedy in massachusetts, the house energy and commerce committee held hearings and engaged with stakeholders and the f.d.a. in order to understand the existing problems and the best options for addressing them. what became clear was the need for patients and providers to have access to safe compounded drugs. this legislation helps ensure that quality compounded drugs are available to patients who need them. this effort also makes clear that f.d.a.'s authorities over compounding pharmacies needed to be fixed. a court's split decision over the statute had hampered f.d.a.'s ability to effectively enforce their authority over compounding pharmacies and assure the safety and effectiveness of compounded medications. the bill before us will fix this constitutional flaw by deleting the provisions that were keeped unconstitution albie the court -- deemed unconstitutional by the courts. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. the house is not in order. mr. pallone: thank you. mr. speaker, the bill will

permit compounders who wish to practice outside the scope of traditional pharmacy to register as outsourcing facilities but those who choose to remain traditional pharmacies will continue to be regulated. this gives doctors and hospitals the ability to purchase compounded drugs so hat patients meeting facilities oversight. this provides better information about compounded drugs by directing f.d.a. to make a list of f.d.a.-regulated outsourcing facilities available and requiring detailing labeling on compounded drugs. it will also improve communications and coordination with f.d.a. and state authorities. now, the second title of the bill establishes a uniform national drug tracing framework to track prescription drugs from the manufacturer to the pharmacy and raises the standards for prescription drug whole salers and third-party logistic providers across the u.s. this is the result of several years of work to address the growing problems of pharmaceutical theft, counterfeiting and diversion. the bill before us today makes significant improvements from

the bill that passed the house earlier this year. most notably it develops a workable pathway to unit level interoperable tracing in a decade. i think we should all be proud of the work our staffs have done. i'd like to thank again mr. waxman, mr. upton, chairman pits -- chairman pitts, mr. latta and mr. griffith for their work on this bill. mr. speaker, the american people deserve the peace of mind to know that the medicines they take are safe and effective. the drug quality and security act is a critically important step in protecting the public's health. and i urge members to support this bipartisan, bicameral legislation. i yield back the balance of my time. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. upton: mr. speaker, i would yield two minutes to the gentleman from ohio, mr. latta, a member of the committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized for two minutes. mr. latta: i thank the chairman for yielding. mr. chairman, i rise today in support of the drug quality and security act of 2013. title 2 of this legislation, drug supply chain securities

based on h.r. 1919, the safeguarding america's pharmaceuticals act of 2013, which i introduced along with congressman matheson, h.r. 1919 was passed on the floor by a voice vote on june 3 of this year. title 2 of this bill relates to the drug supply chain and i am pleased that a bipartisan, bicameral agreement was reached to secure our drug supply chain and protect patients. securing our nation's pharmaceutical supply chain is extremely important and passage of this bill is an important step forward for protecting america's families. pharmaceutical distribution occurs nationwide and it's estimated that within the united states there are more than four billion prescriptions filled each year. by replacing the current patchwork of multiple state laws with a uniform national standard, we're improving safety, eliminating duplicative regulations, and creating certainty for all members of the pharmaceutical supply chain. when anyone takes a prescribed

medication, he or she should have a full confidence that the medication is as prescribed and that no counterfeit or adult rated drug has entered the supply chain. protect patients' safety, the bill creates a uniform national standard for securing the drug distribution supply chain. therefore, preventing duplicative state and federal requirements relating to tracing. no state can impose additional and inconsistent regulations related to tracing products on the supply chain members. the bill increases security of the supply chain by establishing tracer requirements for manufacturers, wholesale distributors, pharmacies and others. the bill also establishes a collaborative, transparent process between the f.d.a. and stakeholders to study ways to even further secure the drug supply chain through public meetings and private projects. the user fee law allows

hospital systems to repackage drugs within a hospital system and the -- mr. upton: 30 more seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 30 additional seconds. mr. latta: thank you very much. within a hospital system in the instance of a drug short and. i will continue working with the hospital systems to prepare batches of compounded drugs in advance of the specific physician prescription or order. mr. speaker, i want to thank especially chairman upton and subcommittee chairman pitts for all their assistance in advancing this legislation. i ant with a -- i want to thank the health committee staff, especially my legislative director, ellison, for all their hard work. that, mr. chairman, or mr. speaker, i would urge full support of h.r. 3204 and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. members are advised not to traffic the well. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. waxman: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the chairman emeasure tus of our committee, the gentleman from -- emeritus of our committee, the gentleman from michigan,

mr. dingell. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. dingell: i thank the chair. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. dingell: mr. speaker, this is a good bill. it's not perfect. but it is a huge stride forward. it represents a major step in securing our pharmaceutical supply chain. improving f.d.a.'s authority to oversee compounding pharmacies. it also is done under a bipartisan, bicameral, cooperative and enthusiastic effort by members on both sides of the aisle and all the capitol working together. it addresses the problems of the deadly fungus meningitis outbreak of several years ago. which were traced to lots of supposedly steroid injections made at the new england compounding center. there were 264 cases of fungal meningitis in my home state and

19 deaths. this will address that concern in a very excellent way. it also sees to it that the f.d.a. and the states are able to cooperate together, they have better funding and more authority over compounding pharmacies. it also does something else which is very important. it sees to it that now we can track and trace pharmaceuticals through the channels of trade. a very, very important need. and it is for the first time going to see to it that americans are able to address their concerns about safety of pharmaceuticals in these important areas. i want to thank chairman upton for his leadership, ranking member waxman, representatives pallone, matheson, degette and latta and pitts and griffith and my good friend mr. green

for their hard work on this legislation. i hope that we can quickly send this legislation to the president's desk for signature. and now just one thought. why is it that on legislation of this kind this body can work together and we are not capable of dealing with massive problems like government shutdown and dealing with continuing resolution -- with a continuing resolution? perhaps maybe a little bit of informed, intelligent behavior by this house on other matters would be in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. upton: thank you, mr. speaker. at this point i would yield three minutes to the gentleman from virginia, mr. griffith, who played a very large part on the compounding side of this legislation. three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. the chair will remind all persons in the gallery that they are here as guests of the house and that any manifestation of approval or disapproval of proceedings or

other audible conversation is in violation of the rules of the house. the gentleman is recognized. mr. griffith: thank you. thank you, mr. chairman for yielding me -- mr. chairman, for yielding me some time on this. and thank you, and subcommittee chairman pitts, for giving me the freedom to work on this. i appreciate it very much. it has been a year since last fall's fungal meningitis outbreak associated with the taintedster aisle compounded drugs from -- tainted sterile compounded drugs from the new england center. we had several deaths, we had 50 confirmed cases we had approximately 1,400 patients who were notified they could have been exposed to fungal men giants because they received -- meningitis because they received tainted injections. in working on this bill, i appreciated the bipartisan manner that we used to address this and to work on this matter, particularly with my colleagues across the aisle, representatives green and degette, for whom i am very

grateful for all of their time and effort, both by them and by their staffs. i should also thank my staff member who worked on this most which was adam. having said that, in the bill, while i agree with mr. dingell, it is a good bill, it is not a perfect bill. but i am glad to see that language from the griffith -green-degette effort was adopted. and the f.d.a. will be required to engage in meaningful communication with all of the states when potential problems are identified. as this has always been my priority. in my opinion, this was the biggest failure of the f.d.a. in handling the necc case, as they were warned about problems in advance, at least two states prior to this problem coming to the forefront with all of these deaths and with this horrible situation two states had sent out a warning signal -- situation. two states had sent out a warning signal. colorado said sade, wait a minute, we're not going to let these folks operate here, and the state of ohio had notified the f.d.a. that they had

concerns about necc being a manufacturer. and yet there was not any swift action taken on necc or even an attempt to alert other states, including the state of massachusetts, to the problems that were happening. now, i will tell that you this bill does not change -- i know there's a lot of concern out there by some in the medical community, particularly the doctors and some others, that this does not change the existing law on office use and it does not change the existing law on repackaging. there were legal questions that were involved with this situation, surrounding the advertising requirements of the original bill. i was a little surprised that the f.d.a. had waited 10 years to bring that up. but this bill fixes that problem and takes away that cloud of uncertainty as to whether or not the whole bill was not constitutional because the advertising sections were not constitutional. this is a good bill. i'm just talking about the compounding sections, but also the track and trace sections are very good. i think we are drawing a clear

line, defining so that the f.d.a. can better determine who are the traditional compounding pharmacies and who are really outsourcers or manufacturers. and i think that is great in and this bill has that -- great and this bill has that in there. i would be remiss if i didn't tell a story that struck me last week because we are on that one-year anniversary. and i was -- am i out of time? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. upton: i yield an additional minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. griffith: i would say that last week i went to have lunch with my sons at their elementary school. and the elementary school secretary said to me as i was going in, she said, i know i probably shouldn't say anything but i want to thank you for working on this compounding bill. doug, who died a year ago, was my family's best friend. and he and his wife were supposed to be on a cruise for their 25th anniversary and instead we were attending their funeral. his wife last week was on that cruise with her son, but we can never bring her husband back.

but this bill will make sure that we don't have that problem again and the other dougs of the world will not have to die in order for us to change the law to make a better protected system for the american people. thank you and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. waxman: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from the state of colorado, ms. degette. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. degette: thank you, mr. speaker. almost exactly one year ago as you have heard there was a tragic meningitis outbreak in massachusetts. 64 people lost their lives, and 750 people were sickened. in the investigation of necc, the compounding pharmacy, there was found black special floating in the vials. there was found fungal material. the factory itself had greenish

yellow residue on supposedly sterile equipment, and surfaces that tested positive for mold and bacteria. in a series of hearings in our committee, we learned that the food and drug administration modernization act of 1997 left a loophole large enough to allow large drug compounders to escape oversight by the f.d.a. the wording of the act also led to litigation and confusing court decisions about the f.d.a.'s authority over those manufacturers. this bill takes the first albeit important step to address these issues. it incorporates important pieces of bipartisan legislation as you have heard that i introduced with mr. griffith and mr. green. it deletes the provisions from existing law that were deemed unconstitutional by the courts. it also enhances cooperation between state boards of pharmacy and the f.d.a. and it gives doctors and

hospitals the ability to purchase compounded drugs for their patients made in a facility that is subject to stringent f.d.a. quality standards and oversight. importantly, all other compounding pharmacies would be -- would continue to be subject to current law. finally, the drug quality and security act will require within a decade the implementation of a nationwide system for the tracking and tracing of drugs as they move through the supply chain from manufacturer to pharmacy. i believe this will go a long way toward preventing dangerous counterfeit and substandard medicines from entering our drug supply. we still have work to do. we all agree with that. and i am committed to strengthening the law. may i have an additional 15 seconds? mr. waxman: i yield. ms. degette: i am committed to strengthening this law so that we never have any other tragedy that mr. griffith discussed

where we have a doug wingate who right now is missing his 25th anniversary cruise because he was killed by these tainted drugs. i'm proud to have worked with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle. i associate myself with the chairman emeritus remarks we should be able to do this on the continuing resolution and the debt limit, and i also want to thank all of our staffs, in particular my chief of staff, lisa, who spent the entire august recess. i thank the chairman and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. upton: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, dr. burgess, vice chair of both the health and the o and i subcommittee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. burgess: i thank the chairman for yielding. as an original co-sponsor, negotiator of the house legislation, i rise in the strongest support of the track and trace provisions which protect the public and give confidence to doctors in practice that the drugs they are

ispensing in fact came from the in regard to the language over compounding, there is, in fact, much to like. there was additional work that could have been done, but unfortunately due to the intransigent insistence of the senate, we are considering these two issues together. 60 american lives were lost a year ago. excellent investigative work was done by our subcommittee on oversight and investigations, and it is disturbing to me personally that not one person at the food and drug administration has been held accountable for their failure to use existing authority or informing the state on what they knew. by test for consideration of new categories is it must not impact the traditional practice of medicine, pharmacy, or compounding. mr. speaker, no bill is perfect. there is always the risk of unintended consequences. i sincerely hope this language will pass this test, but if it does not i hope our committee and this body stands ready to do the necessary oversight and

correct the consequences of unintended consequences. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. waxman: i'm pleased at this time to yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. green. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. members, i rise in strong support of the drug quality and security act. this important bill is the result of weeks of bipartisan and bicamera negotiations. i want to thank my colleagues, representative morgan griffith, and dianne degette for joining me in our effort over many months. i also want to thank chairman upton, ranking member waxman, chairman pitts, ranking member pallone, chairman emeritus dingell, and my good friend, congressman matheson, for all their leadership through this process and commitment to getting this final product to the floor. it was a group effort which is how this body should function all the time. this bill is not perfect, we heard those concerns and we have tried to address them, but the nature of compromise is not getting everything.

the energy and commerce committee investigateded last year's outbreak and found there was break down in regulation at the state and most concerning on the federal level. large operators were able to sell products interstate in unregulated gray area. in the case of the necc their stirl facilities were far from sterile. they operated without fear of penalties and for far too long and people died because of that. i'm proud to say that this bill fixes the problems that led to the outbreak and requires the f.d.a. to succeed where it failed in the past. bad actors concerning more profit than public health will now be allowed to operate with immunity again. i hope the f.d.a. uses their enforcement discretion to maintain patient access to important drugs from nuclear pharmacies, certain repackaged drugs, and drugs for office use. while i acknowledge there are problems, it is most important we act to protect the public health. our constituents when in seek care will have the confidence it's a starblee compounded product is sterile.

we must make sure another fungal meningitis outbreak is never allowed to occur again. i'm proud to sport this bill. i -- support this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. upton: i yield three minutes to the chairman of the oversight investigation subcommittee, dr. murphy from pennsylvania. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. murphy: i thank the chairman. thank you, mr. speaker. we are here here -- today in part to deal with the compounding pharmacies that allows the f.d.a. to have greater oversight over interstate sales. how we got here is a tragedy. oversight and investigation committee we found that some 64 people died from this pain medication manufactured by the new england compounding center. these patients trusted the steroids inject food their spine and joints to relieve chronic pain was perfectly safe because the confidence our nation's health care providers place in the food and drug administration. that drug was contaminated with n gas and -- fungus and hurt

people dramatically. most are living with unbarnle who aror not knowing whether they will survive and must spend weeks in the hospital missing work, holidays, and time with families and must take large doses of morphine to ease the pain. each day they live under the deadly threat of infection that could reach their brains and kill them. this outbreak someone of the worst public health disasters in our country's history and a terrible tragedy and epic failure. sadly during our hearings it was ponted out that while the f.d.a. was still having multiple visits to compounding pharmacist, they told us they did not have the authority. unfortunately, several years had dragged on where the f.d.a. heard numerous complaints about the problems with necc. they told us it was too complex to act on it. but clearly it was not complex, nor was it a surprise. neither necc or sister company were operating in the shadows. they were under the nose of the f.d.a. for a decade. field staff were aware of it. there were warnings signs.

alarm bells, flashing red lights, complaints from fashewrents, nurses, pharmacists, hospitals, drug companies. and so the f.d.a. told us they needed more authority. this bill will grant it to them. i must say in the context of this when the doctor told us it was too complex, i applaud dr. woodcongress they need to think more like physicians and less like attorneys. that is the right attitude. with the passage of this bill the f.d.a. will have the authority it needs. we have to also make sure that they have the fortitude to take action on any compounding pharmacy that they see not up to the high level standards the f.d.a. sets that all citizens expect. the drug quality and security act will end these problems we hope and these inspection holidays and reassure the american public that these medications, wherever they are manufactured, and most by compounding pharmacies who do a superb job of 345eu7b taining starblee conditions, but in all cases the f.d.a. will have the authority to make sure they have

the inspections and team that can go in there and take solid action when these centers do not. -- do not adhere to those high standards. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. waxman: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from utah, mr. matheson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. matheson: thank you, mr. speaker. the bill before us today has two main components. we talk about the issue of the drug compounding issue and also the issue of the drug supply chain, how we can track medications through the supply chain to make sure the materials are safe and not be subject to counterfeit medications entering that supply chain. i'd like to speak primarily about the supply chain. that component of the bill is the product of several years of work and collaboration between a number of members on both sides of the aisle working with beyond members a lot of stakeholders.

food and drug administration, and others. and this act in part is going to provide immediate steps to help threaten our drug supply chain from counterfeiters and other bad actors. it also establishes a clear and defined bath toward full electronic product level traceability. we have seen in recent press reports counter fit meds have slipped into our drug supply and it's so tempting that the counters think last year alone the prescription drug market in the united states, americans spent $325 billion on perfect scrigsmeds. this is a lucrative market, it's very tempting for counterfeiters, that's why it's important we ensure the integrity of the drug supply chain. this bill will work to do just that. the other thing this bill does is provide some needed regulatory certainty for everyone in the supply chain. establish a national uniform standard for strengthening the integrity of the supply chain and that's important as opposed to having each state do their own thing because the participants in the supply chain have to deal with 50 different sets of rules.

that doesn't make sense. finally the bill establishes a collaborative process between the f.d.a. and industry to establish protocols for taking this terroristibility where you can track the meds all the way down to the unit level. that's going to provide the ultimate level of security and certainty for consumers across america in the integrity of the drug supply chain. i want to thank so many people but i in particular want to thank chairman upton and ranking member waxman for their work on this. i also would like to thank a couple of colleagues who worked on this issue before who are no longer members of congress, mr. buyer and mr. bilbray who spent a lot of time. in the current congress, congressman latta and mr. dingell as well. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. upton: mr. speaker, i would make an inquiry, we have no more further speakers on our side. i'mied -- i'm ready to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. waxman: mr. speaker, at this time i'd like to yield two minutes to a good friend from the state of connecticut, ms. delauro. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady is recognized. . delauro: i rise in opposition to the act before us. i support the track and trace provisions to prevent fake medication from entering the drug supply, and i commend the ranking member for his effort. but the voluntary approach to regulating large-scale compounding pharmacist in this bill is not strong enough to ensure the public safety in this arena. this is a life and death issue. last year one single compounding pharmacy in massachusetts cause add fungal meningitis outbreak that sickened over 700 people and caused over 60 deaths, which is why i introduced legislation to draw a clear line between whether a business is a traditional compounding pharmacy or a drug manufacturer like the one in new england, and to ensure proper mandatory f.d.a. regulation of compounding drug manufacturers, shipping mass amounts of drugs across state lines. under this bill, large-scale,

high-risk compounding manufacturers would voluntarily register with the food and drug administration without meaning ful enough penalties for failing to comply. that new england compounding center responsible for over 60 deaths would not have to register. this voluntary approach will continue to expose patients to potentially unsafe, mass-produced compounded drugs that are not approved or evaluated by the f.d.a. for safety, he cancy, and adequate directions for use. it is an approach that can do real harm. it is time for the f.d.a. to be the regulatory agency it was intended to be. at the very least given that lives are at stake, the house should consider this issue as a stand alone bill through regular order with the opportunity for amendments. it should not be on a suspension calendar. and as it is on the suspension calendar, i must oppose this bill and i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. r. upton: we have no further speakers. mr. waxman: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. waxman: i yield one minute to the gentleman from new york, r. engel. mr. engel: i thank the gentleman for yielding to me and i rise in support of this compromised legislation before us today. i believe this will enable our country to further secure our pharmaceutical distribution chain and help keep patients who depend on compounding pharmacies safe. i'm proud of the energy and commerce committee because concerns that many of us had about the previous version of this track and trace legislation have been taken care of in this bill, it's been addressed by this bill. and the previous bill was h.r. 1919 and we had difficulty with it. so i look forward to supporting this bill. we held hearings, we are compromising on both sides. i wish congress would take our lead over other issues and

compromise -- on other issues and compromise. i urge my colleagues to vote aye. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. upton: i just have myself to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. waxman: mr. speaker, i yield myself the balance of our time. i want to thank chairman upton and chairman pittsburgh and ranking member pallone -- pitts and ranking member pallone on the democratic staff. tiffany from mr. pallone, greg from mr. dingell, rachel from ms. degette, lisa from ms. degette's office. nate from mr. green's office. joe from mr. matheson's office. karen and rachel, all of these people played an essential role in getting this bill through. i want to single out mr. griffin who introduced the bill in the house, along with ms. degette and mr. green. this served as a foundation for the compounding debate. mr. matheson, mr. latta

introduced the house track and trace bill. everybody didn't get what they wanted. this bill is a compromise. this institution has to reach compromises to get things done. we cannot have every issue litigated and relitigated. once the law is settled, we must go on. and i am chagrinned that we are likely to close the government because on the other side of the aisle the leadership in this house wants to keep the fight going on the affordable care act. it is the law, it is a firm -- it has been affirmed by the courts, it's about to be put in place. we should work together to solve our country's problems, not make them worse. by failing to compromise and work with each other. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. upton: mr. speaker, i yield myself the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. upton: mr. speaker, this legislation that we hopefully will pass in the next few

minutes is very important. it clearly i think would have saved the lives of those folks that were taken. and it reflects the hard work of our committee in a bipartisan basis. from the very start the oversight and investigation subcommittee went to work. we got to the very bottom of a very tragic situation that impacted some 20 states, hundreds and hundreds of people . and we've changed that system now. because of their work and their investigation, we came back and moved legislation through the proper channels, regular order, through the health subcommittee and through our committee and worked very closely with republicans and democrats in the senate to craft this bill that would have stopped this awful thing that happened a year ago. congress does work and can work when we work together. and i am proud of this product.

i'm proud of this legislation. i would urge the senate to take it up in the next day or two so that we in fact can get it pot president's desk and i think -- it get it to the president's desk, and i think every member who works so hard, and we saw today the perm impact on all of our districts, -- permanent impact on all of our districts, but personal folks who were impacted through death or impacted because of the impact on their own lives as they still try to recuperate andsoi colleagues to vote yes and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 3204. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the

table. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass house resolution 2848, house of representatives 2848 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman call up h.r. 2848? >> we do. the operations and embassy

security authorization act. mr. speaker. as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2848, a bill to authorize appropriations for the department of state for fiscal year 2014 and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. meeks, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm going to ask unanimous consent that members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to place any extraneous material in the record on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. royce: thank you. thank you. i yield myself such time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. the department of state operations and embassy security authorization act is a measure to provide our diplomats with

the tools that any need to do the job effectively, as efficiently as possible, as safely as possible, and it's been over 10 years now since the last department of state authorization bill was passed into law. now, in the interim, colleagues, our ability to exercise oversight and push for reform within the department has been eroded. that is why it is so essential that we get this authorization into law. because it's not good for congress, it is not good for the department, it's not good for the taxpayer. authorizing these programs are going to increase our oversight ability. it will improve members' ability to legislate new programs, it will save money, it will reform old programs and when we do not authorize, as you know, departments are less

accountable, they can drift. as members know, the department's findings and failings on security were laid bare in benghazi, libya. the accountability review board looking into benghazi found, and i will quote from that report, systemic failures in leadership and management deficiencies. at senior levels, within two bureaus of the state department , which resulted in a special mission security posture that was inadequate for benghazi and grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place, unquote. that was the finding. the local guard force in place to protect benghazi was inadequate. the closure of 21 u.s. embassies in august and the recent closure of our embassy in beirut demonstrate the continued threat to our facilities and personnel

overseas. indeed this week the department renewed its global terrorism alert for u.s. citizens. and this is why this bill authorizes full funding for embassy security. one of the principle functions of the department is to protect our facilities and personnel that are stationed overseas. the other body, our colleagues in the senate, have also introduced legislation on embassy security, and we have been in consultation with them because we intend to have this signed into law. this legislation carries much of the same language, including language requirements for diplomatic security personnel in line with the a.r.b. report recommendations. we need the security personnel to be able to speak that local dialect. implementation of the expanded marine security guard program, including a plan to deploy these additional personnel and station them appropriately.

we need the marines at the gate, we need to be able to guard the gate, it needs to be re-enforced. authority to protect soft targets overseas. and regulations for the re-employment of personnel to fill staffing gaps at high-risk, high-threat posts. we need that personnel to be able to get that retraining to speak the local dialect in order to help protect that facility. importantly this bill contains a provision champions by committee members, mr. ray dal and r. rangel, -- radel, mr. rangel, which will award security contracts now on the basis of best value rather than lowest cost. for our highest threat posts we need only the highest quality security personnel. not personnel that's going to flee in the face of a threat.

this bill also requires the department to develop contingency plans for increasing security at high-threat posts. these plans must include options for deploying additional military personnel and equipment, to bolster security in response to a threat, as well as plans for a rapid deployment of assets in response to an attack. we need a rapid response force to be stood up so that they can be called into action if there's a threat in this part of the world. to our cons lates or to our embassies -- consulaets or two our embassies. the strong emphasis on this and over in the senate is timely and responsive to urgent needs. working in a bipartisan manner, this bill was able to authorize

full funding for embassy security wlile still producing a fiscally responsible product. overall this bill is 9% -- a 9% cut from the fiscal year 2012 level and this includes a cut of nearly 22%, that's $2.4 billion, in department administration costs. further savings to the taxpayer have been achieved by placing a cap on pay for those personnel stationed overseas, by closing a bureaucratic loophole that allowed personnel to draw both a pension and a salary, accept in the most extenuating of circumstances -- except in the most extenuating circumstances, by capping the amount of paid time off for employees, and authorizing current employees to fill staffing vacancies, and by doing it that way we negate the need to hire more foreign service officers. so this bill also reforms some of the core management functions of the department, by

prohibiting those convicted of fraud or embezzlement or theft or other offenses from receiving government contracts in the future. the bill also prohibits funding for proposed foreign affairs a security training center, unless there's an independent feasibility study that's completed and presented to the appropriate congressional committee. this bill also has strong bipartisan support. when i say strong, mr. engel and myself have worked with members on both sides of the aisle, we took some 11 amendments, we've worked out the differences, we got bipartisan support in the committee, and i urge my colleagues to vote for this legislation so it can be prom promptly sent to the senate and -- so it can be promptly sent to the senate and then on to the president for his signature, thereby assuring that our embassies and personnel stationed abroad are protected at the time of their greatest need and i would reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, is recognized. mr. engel: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 2848, the department of state operations and embassy security authorization act, and i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: thank you. i want to say once again, it has been a pleasure to work with chairman royce once again in a bipartisan fashion. i'm very proud of what we've done on the foreign affairs committee this year in a bipartisan fashion and this is just another example of it. everybody had input, all sides had corrections, we incorporated many, many different things together, and i think we have a very, very good product. this important legislation authorizes the resources necessary to protect our dedicated diplomats and provides basic authorities for the state department to advance united states interests and values around the world. the funds authorized in this bill support all of the state department's global operations for less than 3% of the defense

department's total budget. to me that's a very, very wise investment in u.s. national security. as all of us know, our diplomats and aide workers face unprecedented threats in the middle east, south asia, north africa and other volatile regions of the world. the attack on our consulate in afghanistan two weeks ago is a stark reminder of these very real dangers. the bill before us today fully funds the president's request for diplomatic security. this will allow the state department to construct six new secure embassies, support 151 new diplomatic security personnel, and build facilities for 26 additional marine security guard detachments. . this legislation also includes a number of other provisions to wetter protect our men and women serving abroad, including many that were included in an embassy security bill i introduced earlier this year.

among other things h.r. 2848 would enhance the coordination between state and defense department in times of emergency, require security and language training for state department employees before they deploy to dangerous locations, and improve the process by which the state department makes security related decisions. in addition, this legislation includes elements of a bipartisan bill introduced by representativesry dell and frankel to award local guard contracts at high threat posts on the basis of best value rather than on who had the lowest bid. in the past, having to accept the lowest bid sometimes resulted in poorly trained local security forces that endangered the safety of our diplomats and development experts. finally, this legislation includes another bipartisan provision drafted by representatives perfect will i and message, that provides

additional accountability for state department officials when the job performance is unsatisfactory. mr. speaker, i'd like to point out that we haven't had a state department authorization bill signed into law since 2002. and the chairman and i are both convinced this is something that needs to be changed. that's another reason we are doing this very, very important bill. in order for congress to properly oversee the state department's operations and activities, we need to resume the practice of passing our authorization bill on a regular basis and encourage our senate colleagues to do the same. again i want to commend chairman royce for his hard work on this legislation and i look forward to working with him to further improve the bill as it moves through the legislative process again in a bipartisan manner. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to yield three

minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, chairman of the foreign affairs subcommittee on africa, global health, global human rights, and international organizations, and i would add, spreebling, -- mr. speaker, the author of important state authorization and embassy security laws in past congresses. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: i want to thank chairman royce and ranking member eliot engel for crafting this extraordinarily timely and important legislation. this is an important bill and it must be passed and signed into law. mr. speaker, on tuesday of this week my subcommittee staff director and i returned from a four-day trip to nigeria, including the city of jost, the scene of recent firebombings of christian churches by a terrorist organization that has killed thousands of nigerian christians and some muslims as well. ike al-shabab, poses serious

and escalating threats to africans and american personnel overseas. the embassy security act like the security embassy construction from 1999, is designed to enhance protections of our mission abroad. specifically that law more than a dozen years ago came to the floor on the heels of an al qaeda bombing in nairobi and dar es salaam back in 1998. i chaired the hearings following that tragic loss of life. admiral crowell testified who led the accountability review board at that time. but it is clear that the promised action following those earlier attacks have not been fully implemented. there are serious, significant security gaps that must be remedied more than a decade later, and this bill does that. we seem not to have learned the lesson even from the terror attacks against our ambassador

and three brave indivbenghazi. the bil before us today contains a number of specific provisions, including necessary upgrades for our embassies and consequence lats abroad. our embassy in nigeria, mr. speaker, was constructed with the upgrades recommended by earlier legislation. we saw that firsthand this week. but so many older facilities do not meet those high standards, including lifesaving setbacks from roads and thorough fairs. chairman royce's bill will address those gaps and security feed tures at our overseas posts. i'm especially appreciative that the committee accepted my amendment that i originally got passed in the international megans law three years ago to limit to one year, it passed the house, never got through the senate, but limits to one year such time as the secretary of state shall determine appropriate the period of validity of a passport issued to a convicted sex offender.

in 2008, the general accountability office found that some 4,500 convicted pedophiles got passports. that's every jeer much year. that's almost 50,000 over a 10-year period the life of passport. they traveled to place was impunity in bangkok and all over the world, and they abused children. poverty worldwide has made it even more accessible because more kids now are being exploited. this will now give more power to the secretary of state and the president to mitigate their travel to abused children. this is an excellent bill. again i commend chairman royce and eliot engel for working in such a constructive bipartisan way and i thank the leadership for bringing it to the floor. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time i'd like to yield three minutes to a very senior and important member of the foreign affairs committee, mr. meeks of new york.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. meeks: thank you, mr. speaker. first let me thank chairman royce and ranking member engel for providing leadership and working together to get a bill done. in a bipartisan manner. this is a bill where everybody had their input and everybody gave some and everybody said what was involved and were able to come up with a bill that is a compromise bill that's in the best interest of all of us, especially the men and women who serve us in the state department abroad. you see there's generally two people, two groups of individuals that we have a huge responsibility to. our men and women on the battlefield who are in the military and we need to make sure they have everything that they need for their protection and their success in their mission. likewise the men and women who

. rve as our diplomats what huge and important job that thefment and we have an absolute responsibility -- that they have. and we have an absolute responsibility to make sure that we give them everything that they need to make sure that they are secure so their missions can be successful. and that's what this bill does. it looks at it, the security issue, in a manner to make sure that we give them and our embassies a safe and secure. for example, it wants to make sure it establishes a working group to ensure that new -- the opening posts are provided the necessary security measures and . nded they did get what they need. they require a strategic review of the bureau of diplomatic security to ensure that its

missions and activities are meeting current and projected needs. tremendously important. and it authorizes the state to utilize best value rather than lowest cost for security guard contracts at high-risk and high-threat posts. furthermore, which i think is absolutely key, it gives full authorization for the national endowment for democracy of which i once sat as a board member, to support the work of the full affiliated core institute, including the national democratic institute and the american international labor solidarity to develop independent media, human rights protections, and other essential democratic institutions values and processes around the world. this is great work. this is work that will flourish democracy throughout this place we call earth, making it a more peaceful and better place for us all to get along as we have seen

recently, we have come a long way in the last four weeks moving diplomatically and trying to resolve issues together, if we allow our diplomats and give them the kind of protection that they need, then i believe that we can make sure that this base place we call earth is much safer tomorrow than it is today. and i thank again the chairman and the ranking member for the manner in which they worked to resolve and bring this bill to the floor. i urge my colleagues to vote for it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from virginia, mr. forbes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. forbes: thank you, mr. speaker. i first want to compliment the chairman, ranking member for their hard work on this bill for the arguments that have been presented in favor of the bill today, but it's because of those arguments that i have to rise today in grave opposition to this bill because of a provision in this bill that could seriously undercut our nation's ability to protect its embassies. it's been over a year since

terrorists attacked our diplomatic mission in benghazi, leaving four americans dead. and the -- in the wake of the attack the state department's investigation board questioned the grossly inadequate security at the mission and recommended that staff at high-threat posts undergo extensive security training at a state department center. the independent, nonpartisan government accountability office, however, has called current training facilities inadequate and has said that they pose a critical challenge. the state department has long recognized the serious deficiency and has been looking for a dedicated training site for over three years. in testimony before congress this year, assistant secretary gregory starr said the capacity of the current facility cannot meet our training needs, doesn't even meet our highest threat level requirements, and at some point may not be available to us. and yet this bill on the floor of the house today specifically prohibits the department of state from developing the center

it so critically needs for diplomatic security. it's not because of cost, it's not because of efishency, it's because of a protection for those inadequate facilities because of the districts they are in. this is an urgent need that must be accomplished in a fiscally responsible manner, it's bun that this body cannot and must not delay with more bureaucracy. that's exactly what this bill will do. america has an obligation that we have adequately trained those responsible for the protection of our diplomats and their families around the world. it's absolutely unconscionable that we are prohibiting the state department from moving forward on the facility they need to prevent another benghazi attack. and i urge my colleagues to vote against this bill. no vote might not stop it but it will send a message to the senate to fix it in conference. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california.

mr. royce: if i could seek time here. the speaker pro tempore: gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i want to assure the gentleman from virginia and all members here, mr. speaker, that this committee has been highly attentive to the benghazi attack, and indeed that's one of the reasons we are here on this bill, but if i could reclaim my time at this time, mr. speaker, to respond. i would like to do that. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: thank you. i'm going to yield myself such time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: the gentleman from virginia who spoke earlier, i would just note if standing up a new foreign affairs training center in his district as has been proposed is a good use of our limited fiscal resources, then he has nothing to fear from this bill. while there have been proposals to completely prohibit such an

expenditure, they are not included in this legislation. but what our bill does do is it requires an independent feasibility study first to assess whether current facilities are inadequate before we spend the better part of $1 billion on a completely new facility. now, if mr. forbes is coming out against this bill, if the gentleman from virginia is suggesting he's opposed to this legislation, then i would point out that initial estimates by department of state or that this new facility could cost up to $950 million, and at least $450 million, i would also call attention to the members of this body that congress has not received a copy of any feasibility studies related to the proposed new foreign . sistance training center

there are valid concerns that the fast c center is not needed and that the same functions could be achieved by collaborating with the department of homeland security, federal law enforcement training facility, and further, i would point out, that the federal law enforcement training facility has quoted a price nearly 50% lower than what it would cost to build the new fast c facility. . before the state moves forward, the congress needs more information and the department of state needs to demonstrate more due diligence on this endeve canner, especially in -- endeavor. especially in light of the recent facility construction debacles that we've seen around the world, including in afghanistan. and i'd further point out that in july, the state department noted, and i'll quote from their report, ongoing serious fiscal challenges, unquote, and

need for, quote, additional due diligence in determining how to move forward with the fast c facility. and lastly, mr. speaker, there are serious questions about whether the existing d.h.s. facility in glen could he, georgia, could be used -- glenco, georgia, could be used as a much lower cost to the taxpayer. we all understand the responsibility to represent our districts. but it need not -- it should ot come at the cost of blocking legislation that will answer the need in terms of security for our personnel overseas and again i would point out that this does not prohibit such an expenditure,

it merely requires an independent feasibility study to assess whether or not it is appropriate. and i yield back. i'll reserve the balance of my time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized -- the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time i'd like to yield three minutes to a very valuable member of the foreign affairs committee, whose provision will hold the state department more accountable and per provision was incorporated into this -- can and her provision was incorpsed -- .ncorporated into this bill ms. meng: thank you, mr. speaker. this bill authorizes funds for the state department to advance u.s. interests around the world and strengthen our national security. the bill fully funds the president's request for a diplomatic security, as i have long urged that it should.

importantly, it also makes several important changes to how we protect our diplomats in embassies abroad and how we ensure accountability at the state department. mr. speaker, this past december accountability review board or a.r.b. was convened to assess the state department's policies and response to the attack in benghazi. however, under the current authorizing statute, an a.r.b. can only remedies minutesary action against the state department employee where there has been a quote-unquote breach of duty, a standard which is both very high and very hard to understand. as a result, the ben depazzy a.r.b. was un-- benghazi a.r.b. was unable to have a disciplinary action against a single state department employee. i refer to you 414 of the bill before us today. it is entitled the revision of provisions related to personnel recommendations of the a.r.b. the section was drafted and inserted by me and my esteemed colleague from pennsylvania,

mr. perry. by making it easier for our future a.r.b.'s to remedies minutesary actions, section 414 will assure greater accountabilityability and responsibility at the state department in the years to come and help prevent future benghazis. this effort on the part of myself and mr. perry is representative of the bipartisan nature of this bill. the first such bill that would pass congress in over a decade. on a variety of issues, including the crucial maintenance and strengthening of iran's sanctions, the committee has worked effectively and constructively as our country needs it to. this is in large part due to the stellar leadership of chairman royce and ranking member engel. and i thank them so much for their mentorship. it is ironic that our committee stands on the verge of a significant bipartisan breakthrough at this time. perhaps our work can inspire some much-needed reasonableness

and compromise in these halls in the hours, weeks and days to come. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: mr. speaker, i'm going to continue to reserve at this time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. i mentioned before, mrs. frankel had worked very hard and we incorporated some of her work into this bill as well. so i'd like to recognize ms. frankel of florida for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. frankel: thank you, mr. mr. speaker, t a very good example of what happens when colleagues work together, i want to thank mr. royce and mr. engel very much for including in this legislation language from a bipartisan bill sponsored by myself and my colleague, mr. radel, also from florida. and this particular provision

would authorize the state department to use the best value contracting award method in high-risk, high-threat areas around the world, ensuring the safety of american men and women serving our country abroad. and with this bipartisan effort, the state department will be allowed to consider factors beyond only price in making security contracts, giving the state department the flexibility and tools they need to keep those who serve us abroad safe from harm and ensures taxpayer money is being used effectively. mr. speaker, the attack on our embassy in benghazi was a tragic reminder of the security environment in which many of our diplomats serve. and it is our responsibility here in congress to do everything in our power to protect americans in our embassies overseas. again, thank you, mr. speaker, and thank you to mr. royce and mr. engel for your good work.

i yield the rest of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: mr. speaker, i'm going to continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: it's my pleasure now to call upon a former member of our committee, ms. jackson lee of texas, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. jackson lee: thank you very much. and i want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for the great work on an issue that so many of us have noted and advocated for over the years. as a former member of this committee, during the time of the democratic majority, i still continue to have a great sense of the importance of the work. and having traveled to a number of countries and engaged with our diplomatic staff and the

state department, let me put on the record of the crucial work that our diplomatic corps, our diplomatic staff, the staff of the state department, the secretary of state does and is engaged in for the safety and security of the american people. their work is vital. they are partners with the defense, but more importantly they're partners for reconciliation and coming together. it is evident by their great work, where we are in syria, along with the president, and of course most recently some of the outreach that has gone on with iran. but my main point for speaking today is having physically visited a number of the diplomatic sites in high-risk and high-threat posts. i'm ecstatic about this legislation that provides a matrix, along with working groups for security measures,

and funding, along with the review of the diplomatic security, the support of the national endowment for democracy, which when i went to -- overseas, the algerian election, they were very much involved as they are and as they were in egypt and as they were in many other places, where there are difficult circumstances. and then of course to be able to enhance security for the diplomatic staff and security. to protect the civilian but also the military. our marines are very able, as those who are there at posts, they provide enhanced security for those particular posts. let me conclude -- can i get 30 seconds? mr. engel: i yield the gentlelady another minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. jackson lee: thank you very much. one of the things that i am most excited about and i thank the author of the amendment and that is the issue of best value for security.

that is a crucial bipartisan agreement that makes common sense. and that on the security of our men and women who leave these shores and to be instruments of peace, diplomatic engagement, and be the face of the american people in very difficult posts, whether it's iraq, afghanistan, whether it may be egypt, whether it may be pakistan and other places beyond, that it is our duty to ensure that the post that their in -- they're in has the highest level of security quality, both from technology and also from the physical bricks and mortar. so i rise today because i wanted to first acknowledge the valiant service of all those who have served and i want to make note of those who we've lost. who served in the diplomatic corps in places far beyond our borders and to thank them and thank those who serve in the state department and who are serving -- and who are serving as we speak and the united states marines who have crossed the nation -- across the world

secured these very valiant public servants. with that i support the legislation, i thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i would say, mr. speaker, i just wish to reserve my right to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. to conclude. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: thank you. i again would like to thank chairman roadways for his efforts in putting this bill together -- royce for his efforts in putting this bill together. i have a copy of the bill in front of me and it says in the house of representatives, introduced july 30, mr. royce for himself and mr. engel, introduced the following bill which is referred to the committee on foreign affairs. i read that because i think again it highlights that so many of our colleagues -- as so many of our colleagues have said that this bill is really congress at its best and the committee at its best. people had concerns, we worked

together, we thrashed them out, we put together a product that those people who are most concerned with this were able to agree. and i hope that that will be infectious and perhaps we can take it out of our committee on ove it to the congress other things that we're not having so much agreement with these days. but i again want to thank chairman royce. the state authorization, and embassy security bill, is a very, very important part of our oversight of the state department. and the bill will bolster the state department's security efforts and who really can oppose that? so i urge its passage, i thank the chairman again and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank mr. engel and i would point out again that in the past state department authorization bills that have passed the house, even under suspension, have failed due to inaction in the other body.

strong because of the bicameral interest in embassy security, we have an opportunity to break this bad core nd return to our responsibility. congressman engel from new york and myself have discussed these issues not only with our members but with members of the senate. and if enacted, this bill of course will only be the fourth time in the last 17 years that congress has passed a state department authorization. and we need to seize this opportunity, to move meaningful legislation at a time when members in this body and in the senate understand that this is a chance to direct this issue of embassy security and provide that additional security. i very much want to express my appreciation for the

collaboration i've had with mr. engel, with our ranking member, on this piece of legislation. this is a bipartisan bill, as he's shared with you. together we have worked to incorporate the ideas of the members of our committee, a large number of those committee members have offered amendments that are in this legislation. so to conclude, i would point ut that 2848 is a strongly bipartisan measure, it is fiscally responsible, it is constructive in its reforms, it is deliberate in its efforts to keep our personnel stationed overseas as safe as we can keep them, and i thank you again, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 2848, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair,

2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the -- for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. pursuant to clause 12a of rule 1, t

>> just a breakup of the situation yesterday, the senate passed its funding bill, scale back the funding to mid- november, and got rid of a language that would have defunded the health care law. as far as the new bill in the house, politico reports senate democrats will reject it or to pressure house republicans to approve the senate plan. one the senate democratic aide said we are not discussing extensions. the only way out of this is for the house to pass our claim continuing resolution.

a second eta set a one-year delay will not pass the senate, and the house knows appear to be senate, not scheduled back in until monday, 2:00 eastern time. .he republicans met earlier the house speaker, john weiner, was in the basement of the capitol and he walked right by the reporters as they were waiting for any comments. coming out of that meeting, trying to decide what house republicans would do about the funding bill. some of the members tweeted out afterwards, to tweets from later todayder that the house would vote on two amendments to the senate's continuing resolution that would keep the government open and stop as much obamacare as possible. that is from majority leader eric cantor. a second one from him this as the first at the lays obamacare by one year, and the second to permanently repeal obamacare's medical device tax that is sending jobs overseas. tweet, ohio

congresswoman marcia fudge says the house gop refuses to have it transparent democratic process. they will not allow democrats and put on the bill to stop the government shutdown. you can also weigh in, twitter.com/c-span. we talked to a reporter earlier about the situation on capitol hill. a staffeuhauser is writer for roll call, and he joins us from the capital. house republicans were meeting, speaker banner made no marks -- remarks here and what we you able to glean from the remarks? together around the plan to send acr back to the senate that would obey her -- would delay obamacare for a full year and would repeal the medical device tax that would help fund the law. and a separate bill that would encase of a shutdown, exempt the militaryfrom cuts, the

still gets paid. >> why go this way with the delay in the military amendment? why take this route? >> well, there is a tremendous amount of rusher from the right to happy house gop fight for delay of obamacare. on law becoming implemented october 1, the exchanges open. in a lot of ways, the last chance to really try to get rid of this law before it becomes too entrenched to do away with. this is sort of a last ditch effort to do it. this is the venue they see appropriate to do it in. the medical device tax, and why is it important to house republicans? lawt is just a part of the that helps fund it. medical devices, wheelchairs, so on. republicans care about this less than they care about getting rid of the law and full, but they did see this as one piece that they can chip away.

some democrats have supported it. senator harry reid says he does not like it. they sort of see this as something the senate might take up and a small victory that they can get out of democrats. support isn't a going to get when it goes to the senate? >> harry reid has already said that they will not take up anything other than a clean cr. they will merely wait and run up the clock and see if house republicans forced into voting on a clean cr. more peoplemore and are saying this looks like we're heading for a government shutdown for the first time in 17 years. reconcilable -- irreconcilable at this point. >> one of the vote supposed to happen in the house?

>> it will vote first on the rules and then they will vote on the actual bill. one interesting thing is they will vote on each of these separately, so in essence the senate could take up one of them or two of them and not have to vote on the whole thing, or the senate could send back a clean cr again and see with the house does. it may happen on monday, but the senate just passed as they clean cr one more time into the back to the house, and in the house will be forced to decide whether or not to take that up. if they don't, then it would be a government shutdown. >> daniel, your write-down -- you are right there on the ground of the capital. are the republicans coming together at all? >> it sound like there unanimously about -- behind this. wilkins, -- some republicans fear like this is maybe not the best strategy but they will go along with the right now just to see where it goes in the end.

some of these folks were saying that they would rather pass a clean cr. if they do not pass a clean cr, at least pass something in the senate, any metal device taxes one of those things, even though harry said that is not something they would take up. right now, we will see what happens when monday comes. , staffel neuhauser writer for roll call, thank you for joining us from the capital. >> thank you cured >> you can keep up with the situation on the hill by going to c-span's order feeds from journalist and lawmakers and also weigh in yourself on facebook. we have a question up -- who is responsible for the current fiscal cellmate and washington? movee house continues to on the resolution, we will slit -- shift gears to the shootings that happened having navy yard a few weeks ago on washington, d.c. this conversation was from today's "washington journal."

>> a discussion about the update on the navy yard shooting, and joining us is rear at oral john kirby with the u.s. navy, served as the chief of information. thank you for joining us. since the navy shooting took place, as far as the investigation is concerned, what is going on? announced what we judge advocate general manual investigation. it will be headed by a four-star navy admiral, and that investigation will be on a fairly tight timeline, as they tend to be. in addition to that, secretary mavis has ordered four rapid reviews right in the wake of the shooting. one was on physical security at our bases, one was designed to get at a little better sense of aaron alexis and a time in the navy, one is to the degree of which contractors have to get in touch with the navy when a clear and employee, and another is a

broader view on security clearances in general and how the process is supposed to work or how that is supposed to change. that will fold up into a review that secretary defense hegel ordered last week. these are due to sedentary mavis on the first of october. one authority complete, we took a deep dive into aaron alexis' career. the other three are due on october 1. that will help inform, so there are several different reviews and investigations. host: you said aaron alexis' career, does this include his problems as well? guest: not as mental health issues, but he was a reserve sailor from 2007 to 2011, and we dissected those four years to get a better sense of what kind of sailor he was, what kind of

behavior issues did he have, that the navy had to deal with. host: as for security, how did he manage to get in as easily as he did? guest: because he was an authorized navy contractor working on our networks,he had a card that allowed them to get on the base, i have one, too, and he had a building pass to get into that building, building 197, so he had access to the base in the building. host: does you have to pass through some kind of magnetometer or some kind of thing -- in the house of congress, they go through metal detector. guest: because of the access he had, and i have to go through throughd not have to go

deeper layers of security other than the car to get on base and the access into the building to another swipe card, but no, he had to have had authorized access. host: are there questions about the future of that process because of what happened? guest: absolutely. because of the rapid review we are doing now and the broad review on security access and clearance in general, we are going to be taking a look at that. do there need to be any changes in the physical asks us that we allow to our facilities? but we need to be careful, too. you have to balance the security concerns versus access. you don't want to be so restrictive and have so many constraints that business shuts down, that you have got long lines of people trying to get into a base just to get into work everyday. the work of the navy, the work of the military has to continue, therefore you have to strike a very delicate balance between access and security. host: as far as the security clearance, what questions are going to have to be asked? guest: we know how he got his

clearance and how it was able to stay in effect when he left the navy, and of course we believe that helped him get his job at the experts. what we're looking at -- does the security clearance issuance policy and program need to change? right now, security clearance is designed to help protect secrets, not safety. we are looking back and try to determine whether you are going to be a blackmail threat, and other words, if somebody going to try to use your pass against you to get secrets? it is not designed to protect physical safety. does it need to be changed? does the criteria need to be amended? host: one of the highlights, the firm, usic, was once an arm of the federal government, was spun off into the predecessor in

1990. meeting revenue goals after is bought out in 2007 by providence equity partners for 1.5 million dollars, so some of the questions will be directed how does this firm do business. guest: i think so. you have to take a firm hand with usis and usis did do the background investigation checks. host: the average length of time on national security clearance check was over 120 days, but bring it to 2013, under 40 days now. guest: is that too fast? is it comprehensive enough? host: have you had direct discussions with usis? guest: not in the navy, no. this is a contract by opm, an

and that is their purview, not the navy. the navy got information from opm, who got it from usis about mr. alexis in particular. we use the information we got from opm to determine eligibility and eventual approval of security clearance for an individual. these are discussions that opm needs to have with usis. host: rear admiral john kirby talking with us in light of the navy yard shooting. your questions are welcome on one of four lines this morning. (202) 585-3880 for democrats. (202) 585-3881 for republicans. (202) 585-3882 for independent. and for those of you retired or active navy, we want to be your thoughts as well. (202) 585-3883. our first call, this is from joe, california, republican line, good morning. caller: good morning. i am a retired engineering officer for the united states navy. i can confidently tell you that --

host: i think the caller -- caller, are you there? i think he hung up. ernest. caller: i tried to get through on the other part of the program. i got in on the independent line. i do not know if i'm an independent or democrat. host: we have completed that section. we are talking about security of the navy yard. caller: did you take calls on the other? host: we will. none the less, as far as your investigations go, talk a little bit about the process, i know you have the forward snap reviews, longer reviews going on as well. what is the coordination now

between you and the pentagon and the department of defense as far as putting together information? guest: the secretary of defense and his staff, he also conducts a deeper dive and review, investigation into all of this. i might add, and i forgot to add this earlier, we are staying closely aligned with the fbi, who is co-leading the criminal investigative. we are integrated and plugged in with all these investigations, criminal investigation and investigation that is going to be done by secretary defense hagel. it what we're doing start a support and a conflict with those. host: lynn, good morning, silver spring, maryland, democrat line. caller: thank you so much, pedro, and thank you, admiral. what i'm wondering is if the navy or any of the other u.s. intelligence agencies have discovered anything concerning mr. alexis' statements about being targeted with

electromagnetic frequencies. i'm not a big fan of jesse ventura, but he even did a program on that, and i know there is a lot of information online. i am wondering, you know, if that might -- even if he did have some kind of mental illness, if there might not be some credibility to his statements. thank you very much. guest: thank you, ma'am, for your question. that is really more of a question for law enforcement to deal with. the fbi has been looking into his recent past here and what led him to this horrific crime. ncis it certainly supporting that. we in the navy are not targeting that issue with the investigation that we are going to do. that is really more of a fact- finding investigation about the scene into what we can do to help prevent that. clearly from -- and i am not a

psychologist, but it clearly looks like mr. alexis had mental health issues, but i do not know that we are in a position that we could accurately try to depict for you or for people what exactly was going on in his head. host: what about the fact that he had serious past misconduct issues but was able to get the clearance he did? guest: we talked about that earlier this week. his conduct issues in the navy were not serious, really, when you look at the things he went to nonjudicial punishment for, they were fairly minor. only one nonjudicial punishments stuck in his career, and that was drunk and disorderly conduct. this was an average sailor, certainly not a superstar in the navy, but there was no indication by his conduct that he was going to be capable of this kind of horrific crime. host: so that was lynn from silver spring, maryland. our next call is peggy from wyoming, democrats line.

caller: i have a son who is mentally ill, and they say it is bad people who do the shooting, i guess everybody who is mentally ill is a bad person? no, they are not bad. they cannot just get the help they need. this man reached out for help, and he never got it. and it is so hard. as a parent of a mentally ill person, we don't approve of things that happen, but they are mentally ill, and they need help, and it is so hard for us to get help for them, and it is so hard for them to get the help because when we go in and we try to get help for them, we are told well, they are

an adult, they can help themselves. well, i am sorry, but they cannot help themselves. guest: ma'am, thank you for that. let me express my deep admiration and gratitude for what you are doing for your son. i can only imagine how hard that must be for you, but also how courageous you are for trying to seek that help, and i would completely agree with you. certainly nobody in the navy or the military wants to label folks that have mentally -- mental issues or mental health issues as bad. as a matter fact, one of the things we're working real hard on as we come out of 10 years of war is to encourage our troops, regardless of their service or how long may have been in or how many deployments they have made, if they believe they need to seek mental health counseling, that they do that. we have to work very hard at removing the stigma that is attached to mental health issues inside the military. this came up earlier with respect to the security clearance issue. the question was asked -- how could somebody with mental

health issues be given a security clearance? one of the things we want to make sure we do is not hold a security clearance over somebody's head as they try to seek mental health care. we are working real hard at that. we want our people to come forward and to admit that they are struggling with something and to seek the help and not have to worry about the risks to their career or their clearance as a result. there is a fine line that you have to walk there, and as i told pedro, we're going to look at the whole security clearance issue and whether we need to change criteria, but one thing we don't want to do is discourage people from seeking the help that they need. .again, my thanks for what you youare doing for your son, and my best wishes for you and your family. host: jan ness asked on twitter is the military reevaluating using private contractors and private screening services? guest: we are going to look at the whole process. secretary hagel and secretary mavis have made that clear. i would not want to judge what those would lead us to, but we believe it is healthy right now

to review the whole issue of security clearance is and how they are granted, how they are renewed and quite frankly under what criteria they are remote. -- revoked. host: can you do it in-house? guest: we are going to look at it next. host: washington, d.c., up next, this is joyce. caller: thank you for taking my call. i'm concerned at the way contractors and employees should be fully screened before bringing anything into the government buildings, that includes bulk items, such as what the shooter had on him. i don't think that employees or consultants should be given abbreviated screening. i think they should be screened as we are screened at the airport. it may take a long time, but that is the way the world has become. i just think that should be looked at when you are looking at the whole -- when they went

into the schools, kids coming in with those long coats on and the long guns, we are going to have to get away from -- my point is, we need to get away from those abbreviated screening because that is the way the world has become, and it is an assault to the people that are honest people. they have to treat everybody alike. that is all i have to say. guest: thank you, ma'am. we are asking ourselves those hard questions right now, as i described with the different reviews that are going on. there is one specifically aimed at the physical security to our installations and facilities. we're going to ask those same tough questions. but you also have to find a balance between proper access and 100% security. it is very difficult to get 100% secure, even on a military base, simply because the work of the navy has to continue, which means they will have to be able to get onto the facility, their ships come into their offices to

do important work. so we have got to find the right balance here so that we do not completely shut down a date with the work. -- a day's work. but your point is well taken, and it is very much one we will be looking at. host: the inspector general released a report looking at issues on the navy's looking at security issues on the navy securities. rapidgate did not effectively mitigate the access control risk of contractors accessing navy installations. first, what is rapidgate? guest: this is a system that we use for lower-level untracked or access, people who do deliveries, that kind of thing, not people like aaron alexis. this system that the ig report refers to is not the same contractor system or just read that mr. alexis was signed up under. this is for much lower level access to our facility. we are reviewing this ig report very carefully right now and is determining what, if anything, we need to do a little bit better.

we certainly recognize with security, it is a very dynamic process, we want to always improve. rapidgate is a system which lower-level contractors are given short term, temporary access, i would not say accelerate, but an easier manner than having to come -- let's say, you are delivering water to a base, instead of having to come in and sign a get a visitors pass for every sale they do you deliver water, it will last for 30, 45 days, this rapidgate system allows you to have access for the temporary period of time while you are doing this fairly mediocre contract work. host: is that is a walk in, could they drive a vehicle in? packages? guest: sure, it could be both,

it could be all that. but the system is designed to adapt to the type of deliveries or the type of work a contractor is doing. it is just at a lower level. sadly, for all of the findings in the ig report, and again, we're are still looking at this, it would not have prevented the attack on the -- host: so aaron alexis -- guest: he had a common access card, the same card i have, because he was cleared and designed to help us refreshing upgrade, some of the networks at the navy yard. host: and that is more evaluation to get that kind of access. guest: absolutely. his access did not come under the system. host: next call from north carolina on our line for military. this is gary. hello. caller: hi. my name is gary, and i was in a mental health clinic on a base in panama city. i had bipolar issues and depression issues. i got on a base with a regular

d.o.t. card. i would go to the appointments, get my prescriptions and things like that run on the base. with my issues, i would never consider ever raising a weapon to another person or harming another person, and hearing all this about a person with mental health issues -- it just really scares me because i don't consider myself in that category, but i'm afraid anybody else might. guest: sir, thank you again. i will also offer my thoughts for you and thank you for being able to talk about your mental health issues. and for seeking that help and actively going out there and trying to get it. to the previous caller, i would say the same -- we do not want to nor would we ever think of trying to label people who are struggling with mental health issues as bad or sinister or evil. i think we need to be real careful here before we start drawing conclusions on mr.

alexis and what happened. clearly the indications are he was struggling with internal demons. the fbi's investigation is active and we do not need to get out ahead of this. we certainly should not -- no matter what the outcome of this investigation -- get into a name-calling or labeling game when it comes to people with mental health issues. we are coming off of in years of war. we have many troops that are struggling with ptsd and traumatic brain injuries. we want them to seek the help because they need to get on that with their lives. many continue to serve with their uniforms in the country. thank you for what you do. host: 52 convicted felons received routine access to navy installations even though their felony convictions occurred before they were issued a rapidgate credential. guest: we will go through the

report carefully and quickly. we will be able to talk about it soon. we take the report seriously. we thank them for the work they have done to point out areas where the system might be able to be improved. where there are gaps, we will close them. we will get better at this. host: this chart says it is installation contractor vetting. it does say three lack the resources to do so and six lacked capability. guest: we are going through the ig report. we will assess what we can do better. security is a dynamic issue. you will always learn ways to improve. to the degree we have made mistakes, we will own up to that.

host: a viewer asked who initiated the policy that trained servicemen are not allowed to carry their sidearms on base? guest: not everybody in the military is issued sidearms. that is a common misunderstanding. i have been trained to fire a rifle and pistol, but that does not mean i am issued one every day when i go to work in the pentagon. on a normal, daily basis, the only people that are armed and are supposed to be armed are those working in security jobs. these are guards and other security officers on a base or facility. not every sailor, airman, marine, coast guard men, or soldier carries a weapon every day. there would be no need to do so. host: our next call for admiral john kirby. caller: this is a great program.

i want to commend rear admiral kirby for trying to strike the proper balance. the last couple of callers, the gentleman from north carolina and the two ladies, the one with the son with a mental illness, whether we look at aurora, newtown, the shooting of gabrielle giffords or the recent tragedy in the navy yard, the thread of folks with mental illness and guns we have been dealing with this for 20 or 30 years. we've got to have common sense dealing with folks with mental illness. the aclu has had many lawsuits. doctors and psychiatrists are afraid to report this to proper authorities when they are dealing with. the gentleman in aurora, he told the psychiatrist what he was going to do.

the guy does not reported to law enforcement or anyone out of fear of lawsuits. this has got to change. we are putting innocent people in harms way when we allow folks with mental illness to carry guns. it is crazy and it needs to end. do more people have to die? guest: good point, sir. what you are getting at is not so much how we treat people with mental health issues but the reporting requirements and trying to perceive whether an individual is a threat to himself or others. that is another step. it is not about getting help for mental health. it is trying to assess if someone is a threat. that is a more difficult thing. it is something we will be looking at trying to learn lessons from the case. were there moments when we or his employer had indications he was a threat and whether those thoughts were reported. it is a difficult balance to

strike. it is, where do you draw the line? how do you make the determination? we are all going to look to see if there are things we can do better. host: michael asks off of twitter if possession of personal defensive firearms is being considered for personnel on base. guest: those wearing or possessing firearms are those trained to do it and their job requires them to do it. we still believe that is the right approach. i do not see any change to policy that governs the degree to which more people have the ability to carry firearms on base. host: bill, a retired navy man from philadelphia, good morning. caller: in 1960 when i went in

the navy, i was in the ceremonial honor guard in d.c. at the anacostia receiving station. i had to go through a background check. in boot camp, i found out the fbi was at my house. i had to go through clearance because of our closeness to being around the president and all, so i went through quite a background check. after that, i went on the ship and became a corpsman. when i went to shore duty at a hospital, i became a psychiatric technician. all through my process in the military, i know i was being vetted no matter what i did because of what my jobs were. i became well aware of what the situations were with mental health when i became that.

somewhere along the line, people have said ronald reagan closed all of the mental hospitals. john f. kennedy was the person who started that. i do not know the bill but he wanted everyone released from mental hospitals. ronald reagan only closed the empty hospitals. people have nowhere to go anymore. in philadelphia, there used to be several mental health facilities they could go to. today that is limited. people are stigmatized by mental health, being called that no matter what it is. i suffer from depression. i have been treated for it and am very happy. this is the point of it. people who stigmatized these things -- i cannot believe in washington, d.c., if they vetted these people that there are

people who do not have backgrounds in mental health and possibly criminal backgrounds. host: we will leave it there. thanks. guest: thank you for your service and being courageous enough to seek help yourself. i will go back to what i said before. we take mental health issues seriously in the military. the army has done a superb job trying to get after this problem with so many soldiers after 10 years of war. we are all looking at this very hard. there are mental health facilities and services available to our currently serving members and the v.a. is also looking at this very hard. they do a terrific job. i cannot speak for the history, but i can tell you across dod and in the v.a. there is a sharp focus on mental health issues

and helping veterans and those currently serving to get the help they need. we are being mindful of the fact that there can be a stigma ch we're doing everything we can to remove that. host: there is a quote from the employer of aaron alexis. it is saying, how will they improve security when everyone in the government is being asked to do more with less money? guest: we do not economize when it comes to safety and security. even with talk of the shut down next week, there will be accepted activities that will still be allowed to go on. those are safety of life, protection of property. we do not economize when it comes to physical security. host: even with sequester cuts? guest: even with sequester cuts.

we are not going to penny pinch on trying to protect our people. host: new york, jeff, democrats line. caller: good morning. admiral, hello? host: you are on. go ahead. caller: i want to make a suggestion that it would be a good idea to search through mr. alexis' rebuttal statement. i'm hearing a lot about his misconduct. when i was in the military, i served in the army from 1980 to 1982, i was made the fall guy in an administrative setting. i was the only clerk. the way we were set up, it only

required one clerk. i went to the unit after going to administrative school. i thought the administrative systems were in shambles. i was made the fall guy. the one month i was in the unit, i was made the fall guy and i was replaced with a transferee. host: what would you like our guest to address? caller: i would like you to address what brought aaron to the state of meltdown. guest: we do not know, sir. the investigation is ongoing, the criminal investigation. i would not begin to speculate what was going to mr. alexis' mind.

we took a deep look at his time in the navy. what we found was an average to below average sailor who got in a bit of trouble but nothing so serious that would indicate he would ever be a harm to himself or others. that is what we were responsible for looking for in his time in uniform. that is what we found. host: the next call is on the republican line. caller: thank you for taking my call. my suggestion would be similar to having a policy of no weapons in and out. i know most of the military cards have a microchip or something. my suggestion would be on base if we had designated areas for those personnel that are authorized to carry a firearm, that they get them from a locker with an access code that prevents individuals that do not have the necessity to have a

firearm on base to have one. that would mean screening and checking at the gate if you do not have one of those cards. the mental health thing, i appreciate the compliments made. on the other hand, what is to say a normal person or average joe is not going to do something because you do not know what will make someone snap at any given moment sometimes even over the smallest issues? the security on base, limited access to those who have necessity for a firearm. guest: thank you for the two points you made. we are looking at security on bases. there are already restrictions to firearms. we will look at this holistically and whether we have policy gaps we need to close. your other point on mental

health is a good point. we have to be careful we do not rush to blame on any one factor. we need to let the investigators finish their work. we've got to remain mindful of not stigmatizing the whole issue of mental health. host: a couple of questions about sequester. the government executive magazine posted a story yesterday talking about ray mabus talking about sequester. guest: the biggest effect is long-term readiness. we are working hard to make sure our forward deployed forces have all the training, materials, readiness they need to do the job requested of them. we are making sure they are

ready for the missions they will be assigned. when you get beyond those, it gets hard. the next two or three years it will be difficult to maintain a higher level of readiness to meet all of our missions effectively and efficiently. that is our biggest concern. it is not just about training. it is about maintenance. if sequester continues, it will have an effect on our procurement ability to buy new ships and aircraft. that leads to long-term readiness problems. host: there are production delays that have contributed to major cost increases to the program to build aircraft carriers. guest: if sequestration remains the law of the land, it will have an impact on our ability to contract new work on ships. it could delay the start of other ships that have not begun to be built yet.

i am not an expert on the f35 program. host: will the sequester have an impact on future purchases? guest: it will have an impact on just about everything. host: harris christopher, active navy, hi. caller: i had a quick comment and question. i wanted to point out for most of us on bases, we are civilians. even the active-duty working in systems command are civilians or come to work in civilian clothes and are not armed. there is a security force and all of that. it is the same setup on every military base. i wanted to ask a question with

regards to the history of firearms on military bases. there is a lot of information flying around after this event. some of it links to previous policies that have been repealed or revoked. one was clinton's changes to firearms on base in 1993. maybe you have personal experience or could elaborate as to how policies have changed on military bases over the years with regards to carrying firearms. guest: thank you for your service. i am afraid i do not have much history and knowledge about that. i would not begin to try to speculate about how policies have changed over time.

we are looking at all aspects of physical security on base. host: when will you have your full assessment of security? guest: the quick look secretary mabus ordered is due october 1. i expect we will be able to speak about that and whatever policy changes might emerge as a result of that soon, in the next two or three weeks i would guess. there is a longer-term, deeper jag investigation that will probably take many more weeks to complete. host: our guest has been admiral john kirby talking about navy >> taking aty issues. look at some of the tweet ahead of the government shutdown. members are tweeting as they work on them funding bill today. he says they will vote to

prevent a shutdown to delay obamacare for one year, and ensured the troops must pay. says that speaker boehner for this on the floor. the house also took a they don't dealing with medical compound sensors -- centers after a meningitis outbreak. the houses currently in recess, expected to eat and later to make changes to the senate bill that extends funding through mid-december and delaying the health care law for a little -- for a year. in creating a separate measure

-- soldiers surfers are paid in the the the government shuts down. a vote by republicans is pointless. the senate will reject any republican attempt to force changes to the affordable care act. president obama has said he would veto such measures. the senate will reject both the one-year delay of the affordable care act and the repeal of the medi-cal -- medical device tax. they must decide whether to force the government shutdown or repeal. we will have live coverage on the action on the floor of the house as soon as numbers gavel in. we will keep you updated with any remarks from this. will e-mail what we can --

what is going on on capitol hill. who is responsible for the current fiscal stalemate in washington. we're going to take a look at what happened at the you in yesterday. this for removing chemical weapons to serious. separated require a resolution. we heard from ban ki-moon and john kerry among others. this took about an hour and a half. and and 38 meeting of the council is called to order. the provisional agenda is the situation in the middle east. the agenda is adopted. the primewelcome

minister of luxembourg. those resident in the security council chamber tonight. the security council will now .egin its consideration members have before them the documents. i note that this document theains an annex which is text of a decision by the executive council of the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons on the 27th of september. destruction of syrian cable -- chemical weapons.

it is my understanding that the council is ready to proceed to the votes on the draft before it. like to thank all council members for cosponsoring the draft resolution which is now a presidential test. i will put the draft resolution to the vote now. contained in favor 2013.575.nt please raise your hand. the results of the voting is as follows. the job resolution received 15 votes in favor. the draft resolution has been

adopted unanimously. i now give the floor to the secretary-general, his excellent ban ki-moon. honorablesident, today isf the council, a historic resolution. first on syria in a long time. i have said that the use of chemical weapons would require a firm and united response. tonight the committee has delivered. i commend the members of the council. grateful for the russian federation foreign minister and u.s. secretary of state john kerry.

chemical weapons were used in syria. this must be brought to justice. they will complete the fact-finding activities by next week. final report to you. hasinternational community a responsibility to ensure these weapons of mass destruction never reemerge as an instrument of war or terror. serious secession to

implement on a basis. it is realistic for the elimination of the syrian program. andn the scope of this test the continuing conflict in syria, the united nations have a preliminary agreement that will be fully developed based on this resolution. we will be dispatching those two damascus on tuesday. the inspection teams will have full support from all relevant united nations departments and

offices. ensures thatution the elimination of the cynical chemical weapons programs happens as soon as possible and with the utmost transparency and accountability. the destruction of chemical weapons is a difficult task. in syria, the experts will have to contend with the realities on the continuing conflict. the success of this mission depends on the syrian government implementing his obligations faithfully and without delay. ensuring the safety and security of you and personnel. cooperation of this may also be important.

all sides share a common interest in the permanent destruction of these weapons. this process will also required the activity engagement of the international community. in the days ahead, they will further explore how to facilitate the elimination of serious chemical weapons program. i will provide the recommendations to the secret counsel in due course. mr. president, distinguished members, as we mark this important step we must never horrorshat the continues with the bombs and tanks and guns. it does not mean a green light for others.

a license to kill with conventional weapons. all of the violence must end. fall silent.must we must unify by focusing on two other equally crucial dimensions of the country. we expect council members to form the demand that the syrian government and the opposition uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law including the lifting of all humanitarian access. some communities have received some and no more than 10 months. the council has agreed that the agreement is a conclusive and syrian led polity process based

on the geneva. they implemented be geneva convention as soon as possible. make this happen as soon as possible. the united nations have completed all the pair tori walks. president assad has stated that thes prepared to send and theyn to syria have discussed their willingness to engage. our conversations over the last week have vocus on launching geneva. we agreed to make sure that the per dispense come to negotiate

in good faith. join the special representative and i continue these discussions with the member states. we are aiming for a conference in mid-november. in the meantime, he will launch all the necessary reparations to ensure success. one is naive to the challenges of ending this country peacefully. must engageide constructively toward the creation of a democratic state that guarantees the human rights of all in syria. it undermines the process and those who do not fully respect this.

collectively they have a key in ushering the geneva process forward to a lasting and peaceful solution. i enqueue. >> thank you. i thank you. >> thank you for your statement. i now give the floor to the minister of foreign affairs of the russian federation. >> this is pulling in keeping with the russian/american agreement. this is a result of coordinated efforts by all the members of the security council. pursuant to the resolution, the leading outcome relies with the opcw. the yuan will provide existence.

we believe -- un will provide assistance. we believe we will work toward the sovereignty of this country. there is a need to do everything possible to make sure the syrian andnals are under control have in a timely and effective way that would respect all involved. we will cooperate closely and in short court -- ensure cooperation. the accommodations of the general including issues of thering the safety of international personnel. russia stands ready to stand in support. important area is damascus has shown readiness for real cooperation by joining the cwc. syria has started the limitation

by providing the opcw with a detailed list of its holdings. we believe that damascus will continue to cooperate with the national and spec tours here at the responsibility for and lamenting this lies not only with the government of syria but with the council. reports shall be submitted regarding the course of implementation regarding the resolution. we will have to recover the situation. it is not fall on chapter seven of the u.n. charger or allow for any automatic use of course. it reaffirmed the agreement which was reached in geneva regarding the fact that violations as well as the use of

chemical weapons by anyone will have to be carefully investigated by the security council whittle stand ready to take actions under chapter seven to standwill be ready to take actions under chapter seven. this will have to be improvement by 100%. thee who sponsored operations have to make sure weapons do not fall into the hands of extremists. there are relevant requirement to all countries, especially syria's neighbors. what is even more unacceptable is that they should support such a thing. all cases will be immediately considered with an objective to take necessary measures. resolution will

prompt us on a decision of the creation in the middle east of a zone free of weapons and the means of delivery. the resolution sets out the framework for the diplomatic changing. genevats the communication of july 2012 and a platform for settlement. this could take place as early as the middle of november. a need forut of that diverse opposition. they will be able to state their readiness to participate in the conference.

we all upon the sponsors to exert the necessary pressures. the russian federation will anticipate and implementing the disarmament program. i thank you. let's thank you. to mr. johnhe floor state of theary of united states. >> thank you very much. secretary-general. ago the world saw rows upon rows of murdered hospitallying on a chair alone or slain, all wrapped in on bloodied burial shroud. the conscience was shot. our collective resolve hardens.

tonight with a strong and forcible resolution requiring resolution to give up the weapons, the united nations has demonstrated that diplomacy can peacefullyful it can defuse the worst weapons of war. are the lyric -- declaring for the first time that the use of chemical weapons which the world determined to be beyond the bounds of the critical human behavior. as a community of nations, we reaffirm our responsibility to defend the defenseless, those who lives remain at risk every day that anyone believes they can use weapons of mass mass impunity.h

together the world with a single voice for the first time i is imposing binding obligations on the assad regime, requiring it to get rid of weapons that have been used to devastating act. important resolution reflects what president obama and colleagues around the world set out to do. i want to a the foreign minister for his personal efforts and cooperation beginning before geneva and continuing through this week so that we could find common ground. to thank my good friends and counterparts who have been partners every step of the way. the option of military force that president obama has kept on the table could achieve that.

resolution accomplishes even more. through peaceful means it will for the first time the to nation's entirely a chemical weapons capability. in this case, specifically syria's. on-site inspections of the places these weapons are stored will begin by november and under the terms of the agreement they will be removed and destroyed by the will of neck steer. -- by the middle of next year. clear thattion makes those responsible for this heinous act must be held accountable. n this revolution -- council hasthe

endorsed the communicate which calls for a transfer of power to a transitional governing body paving the way for democratic government that can be chosen by the people of syria to represent the people of syria. we start a legally binding resolution. that is what the security council has adopted. sincee first time seriously civil war began, the council is spelling out in detail what's. must do to comply with its legal obligations. or rejectot select inspectors. syria must get those inspectors any and allccess to sites into any and all people. that is what they have adopted. havee here because we consequences. should they fail to act, there

will be consequences. progress will be reported back to the security council frequently. impose measures under chapter seven of the u.n. charger. two weeks ago when the syrian regime would not even acknowledge the vast supply of chemical weapons and say that they existed, it would have been utterly unimaginable. and to the cooperation with in 5 and our friends and partners around the world, many of whom who are here in this aside politicsut for the common good, we are still capable of doing big wings. provided this resolution is fully implemented, we will have eliminated one of the largest chemical weapons programs on earth from one of the most volatile places on earth. carries this by

meeting the agreement. when it comes to those who murder their own citizens, the world patient needs to be short. world stillthe carries the burden of doing what we must do to and mass killing why other means. we must work together with the same determination and same cooperation that has brought us here tonight in order to end the conflict that continues to tear syria a part. we must continue to provide desperately needed humanitarian aid. neither assad nor anyone else did stand between that feed in the people who need it. only when we do these things will we have fulfilled our responsibility to the syrian people and to ourselves. only then will we have advanced our own interests and security and that of our allies in the region.

have shownill we that the un security council is meeting its responsibility to enforce international peace and security we are here in support of our believe that international institutions do matter. international norms matter. we say with one voice that atrocities. out with the world's most heinous weapons will not be tolerated. when institutions stand up to defend the principles that we , the world will unite against them and it will lead not only to a safer syria but it will lead to a safer world. inc. you. give the floor to his excellency.

>> thank you. the 21st of august chemical weapons attack in syria or, while terrific and its nature the secretary- general has described it as a war crime, it is welcome that the council has recognized the toalling nature of the act agree with it far-reaching response. firste adopted the resolution in 17 months. i pay particular tribute to my s for all the work they have done to make this possible. it is a groundbreaking resolution. it recognizes that any use of chemical weapons is a threat to international peace and security.

this is essential in the wake of the syrian regime of appalling actions. it upholds the principle of accountability for its proven use of chemical weapons. it imposes enforceable comply with the ocpw decision of doctors earlier this evening. it makes clear that this council should impose measures under chapter seven. it endorses the geneva communique of june 2012. , if properly implemented, it will prevent a repeat of the atrocities august.d on the 21st of the united kingdom will play its full part in this.

i can announce the u.k. is making an initial contribution of $3 million to the ocpw/syria trust fund. provideey should voluntary expertise to achieve what will be a vital task. let us not forget the council action today has come only after two one five years of unchecked brutality and over 100,000 dead .nd millions displaced the crimes have resulted in a culture were the brutal regime believed it could get with murdering its own men, women, and children. counciltal that the built on the consensus we have reached today to make progress toward a sustainable resolution of the crisis with renewed purpose and resolve. we need to achieve a political

transition. that is why i welcome the fact that we have agreed upon the merman in -- permanent committee and aim for the start of geneva two. this'll be a difficult process involving tough choices and compromise. to making committed our best collective efforts to make it work. the goal is something on which we all agree and negotiate be transition again he with the governing body with full executive powers warmed on the basis of mutual consent. can deliver process results immediately. until it does we must also make a greater effort on the crisis.rian it is truly horrific. i hundred thousand dead and millions displayed -- displays. they provided a total of $800 million to the humanitarian response soap bar -- so far.

we have yet to reach those inside syria. we need to new and progress. we believe in the next few dead the council must apply its weight and authority to securing unfettered and immediate access to those in need in syria. days resolution is about ensuring that the horrors of the 21st of august cannot happen again. the immediate need now is to focus on the everyday horrors of the dire humanitarian situation. need toto redouble our secure a better future for syria. thank you. >> thank you. i give the floor to his excellency, deputy prime minister and foreign affairs of luxembourg.

the resolution that we just adopted unanimously as a milestone and contain strong to respect its obligations everything chemical weapons from being used once again in syria. the council has put in place a robust mechanism that creates legally binding obligations through rigorous verification measures. the objective is clear. syria must fully cooperate with nations and the united with a key to dismantling this as quickly as possible. if they fully respect their obligations, it this'll make it possible to eliminate one of the most in again chemical weapons programs in the world through nonmilitary means. we have all borne witness to the in the suburbcre

of damascus. what occurred on the 21st of august each of us was able to on with their own eyes dozens of videos, unbearable images of the agony of victims, dozens of children corpses lined up. it is important that these events never be reproduced. this resolution is in the right direction in terms of the normative liberal -- level. the use of chemical weapons, wherever it occurs is a threat to peace and international security. beauthorizes the council to freed of the future. this is significant progress. the resolution is innovative and another critical area. for the first time they were the to agree to endorse geneva communique, calling for of the government

body with full executive powers in syria. this will not and and to the war nor the suffering of the people. security challenge cannot be resolved in any other way is there a negotiated political solution to the crisis. syria must engage in a process that leads to respecting the aspiration of all syrians. concernedge all parties to take advantage of the positive dynamic that has been to progress toward the sensation of hostilities toward the holding of geneva and toward the necessary political transition in syria. a delay will only lead to more death and suffering. while our attention is focused on the most recent chapter concerning chemical weapons, we

cannot forget the humanitarian catastrophe which continues to unfold in syria and its neighboring countries. i would like to quote the high commissioner. "syria's become the greatest tragedy of the century, a humanitarian calamity which is full of suffering and displacement of people without precedent in recent history." the syrians in need assistance and they need it now. right to this assistance based on the right. of humanity. this is codified in international law. it is urgent that syria respond facilitatehis and free access to the effective population. it is urgent to lift bureaucratic obstacles and ensure supplies and medical humanitarian open

routes to make access across borders and across lines to the populations that are effective. luxembourg is and on implementing the demands. and anchoring a common message of the council. we hope these efforts will very silly to the adoption of a strong humanitarian tax. they must also assume responsibility. i listen with interest to the minister of foreign affairs. i would like to reiterate our convictions that the defenders perpetuate on the 21st of august and are behind other atrocities since the beginning of hostilities and they must be held accountable. thisime has come to refer to the criminal courts. >> i give the floor to his

excellency, minister for foreign affairs. >> representatives of the member states of the security tonight the syrian tragedy, the security council has finally lived up to its name. regime has committed an action that was simply unacceptable.

a thousandd close to 400 civilians including hundreds of children. weapons ischemical so horrible that they have been bound for hundreds of years. all the evidence points to the regime. faith could deny this. as a result of the threat of s we have finally moved during -- move things forward. that untilemind you now they had tonight the existence of chemical weapons in turn thes they had to ly.ition around complete

france took its responsibility. we consider this has paid off. resolution meets the three the frenchs which republic and myself had set out at the beginning of this week which will perhaps go down in iran aswhether syria or theinternational week beginning of the end of chemical weapons. this qualifies the use of chemical weapons to the threat of peace and security. as the chemical disarmament. the perpetrators of such crimes

will have to answer for their actions. they have worked a great deal to achieve this. provides other commitment and measures will be taken on chapter seven. ladies and gentlemen, this resolution is not an endpoint. it is a first stage. one cannot simply believe every sheen -- a recent regime was just denied. joint mission. it was adopted today. seriously operation will have to eat in condition.

the security council will decide. to ensureke measures this is achieved. in short, the resolution must not only be sorted past but it also must be implemented. france will see to it. the humanitarian tragedy continues in syria. our responsibility is to act put an end to this. france finally achieved to progress with you to put an end to the fighting and see peace prevail again.

this provides us with the transfer of executive power to a transition body. alan like to thank them for their work. assess just been done on the chemical weapons aspect. shared a meeting with the president of the syrian national coalition. he confirmed that he stands ready to send a delegation as part of geneva t2. thatwill have to assure us they will make similar commitments. invite them to take every possible interest.

this was just held. results.d positive france will back all of these we know that despite willone resolution alone not save syria. this is why the security council must assume its responsibility in see them through to the end. about oneve to think thing alone, namely the syrian people and their martyrdom which must come to an end. this will be france's position. it will remain firm and go. and lending it will support to the search for peace.

>> thank you for your statements. i now give the floor to his excellency. >> thank you. >> thank you. he welcomes the adoption of 21 and expresses his hope that the strong position demonstrated today by the council will contribute to finding the political solution to the conflict in syria, putting an end to this suffering and ensuring compliance with their obligations and commitments under international law. we are grateful to the mission to investigate allegations of the use of the medical weapons for the work they have done in the extremely challenging positions. it is essential that they complete this to all delegations

of the use of chemical weapons in syria and submit the final report. continued support by all concerns is critical to that end. condemn the use of chemical weapons in syria. the resolution just adopted the use of chemical weapons constitutes a syria's violation has aernational law and threat to international peace and security. it is important they expressed their strong conviction that those individuals responsible should be held accountable. --. sirius chemical weapons stockpiled the decision adopted the prohibition of chemical weapons. the key objective is to ensure the compliance with the decision

and the limitation of the security council resolution. it is critical while this can create legally binding obligations the limitation is undern syria chapter seven of the human chapter. on june 2012 and calling for international confidence. they paved the way for a peaceful transition. it is imperative that all parties engage in the political progress they commit to the limitation. it is important that they just reaffirmed the strong commitment he -- integrity or integrity of syria.

resolution.e thank you very much. thank you for his statements. i give the floor to his excellency. president, the republic of korea welcomes the adoption of the resolution. moment in a historic the security council. they have finally come to unify this under the crisis in syria. it is my sincere hope that this forensus gives us pause giving us the long overdue responsibility. koreas regard republic of has intensive effort made by the united states and other state holders as well as secretary general ban ki-moon.

the republic of korea condemns the use of chemical weapons in andstrongest possible terms reiterates the view that all chemical weapons, not just in syria or in other states should be permanently eliminated. the use of chemical weapons is a grave war crime and a series violation of international law. i say theficantly, use of chemical weapons anywhere constitutes international peace and security. this is an important step. it'll determine the true value of our collective enterprise. the robust language of this resolution reflects the strong to eliminate chemical weapons in syria. resolution shows

this in case of a noncompliance. tasklieve that it is the of the entire international community to encourage that are and prompt implementation of this resolution. although this is focused on the elimination of a chemical weapon in syria. the international community can impunity.o show the security council must see to that those responsible for chemical weapons are held accountable. we are calling for the convening of an international on brent to implement the geneva community.

the republic of korea hopes that the conference will be convened as soon as possible to put an end to the tragic suffering of the syrian people and the regional instability. inc. you. >> thank you. >> i give the floor to the minister of foreign affairs for the people's republic of china. >> the issue of syria is not the top concern of the international community. in the past two years, over seven million syrians became homeless. the security council has discussed the major issues involving war.

neither can afford another war. in dealing with this issue, the security council must keep in mind the purposes of the human charger and responsibilities to the people and they ensure that thedecision cannot stand test of history. several weeks ago, the war overshadowed the issues and the many countries that were deeply worried. china opposes the use of force in international relations. we believe they cannot solve this issue. it will bring greater turmoil. justecurity council has adopted a resolution. they're putting this but to the track and presenting a new

politicaly for settlement of the issue. this is the first time that the security council takes a joint major action on the syrian issue this -- issue. this is in keeping with the settlement of the issue and reflects the role of the security council and ups the solidarity of the security council. it welcomes the adoption of the resolution. benefit by invaders during the second world war. we are firmly opposed to the use of chemical weapons by any group or any individual were ever the chemical weapons should be condemned by all. china welcomes the fact that the syrian government joins the chemical weapons convention. they have set out the overall objective of the structure of

chemical weapons in syria. they stay in close corporation. they can achieve a proper settlement of chemical weapons in syria. the humanitarian situation is getting grimmer. it will provide over 24 for emergency.

the syrian refugees are continuing to provide humanitarian help. political settlement is the only way out for syria. this should go with the process of the destruction of chemical weapons in syria. implementation of the complications of the problem. mind and interest of syria and its people. an end to the process through dialogue and review homes for syrians. china hopes the international community will promote the geneva council. china will continue with its and joins.

neither distraction of chemical weapons or the process of a political settlement will be plain. there will probably be this problem. we hope all parties will keep that and compose it. of thethe principle settlement of disputes and speak to a political settlement as a permanent member of the security channel. china stands ready to work with all of the parties and makes the long-term settlement of the syrian issue. thank you. his now give the floor to excellency, minister of foreign affairs of the city of guatemala. president, our delegation for the last 18 months has been lamenting the fact the security council has been an capable of stepping up to one of the bloodiest and painful internal conflicts of our time.

i am referring of course to the situation in syria and also in passing to the impact on its neighbors and the painful humanitarian costs. despite the fact that on two occasions we came together to produce resolutions 2022 and 2033, the fact that there were divisions prevented further progress. fact that this, the there was a point of convergence between the russian federation in the united states over the use of chemical weapons should be welcomed. we welcome them for their initiatives that gave life to the framework of the 14th of september. we appreciate their efforts in codifying that agreement so that both the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons and the security council to act

today. we believe this step is highly significant or its intrinsic value and because it breathes new life into efforts to resolve the underlying issues, put an end to the violence, resolve the humanitarian crisis and meet the demands of the syrian. reasons we have consistently supported the final communique of the action group for syria of june 2012 and the need for an international, and with a view for its implementation. this explains why my delegation sponsored resolution 2018 which was just adopted. theet forth a mechanism for destruction of chemical weapons in syria. it provides for the principle of accountability and it provides for the urgency of a political and theon process

question of compliance by syria with the condition set forth in this agreement. the adoption of this resolution is of vital importance considering the fact that the last resolution this council was in april 2012 last year. what we would also like to emphasize is that this decision was taken unanimously by this council. resolution isis not the victory of any single country in particular. it is a great victory for the united nations and through the united nations it is a victory for all of mankind. we would like to stress the following point. first. we understand the sensitivity around this particular situation as well as the urgency. despite our understanding of this, we would have preferred to

have a greater opportunity to participate in the development of this resolution and we might have been able to contribute positively. it is necessary to look forward and commit to ensuring strict this recently of approved resolution. we recognize the importance of -- especially in terms of personal access, safety, operational support, and sufficient resources in order to carry out their duties. as a result of the aforementioned, we trust that in the short term, compliance will take place so that the international conference known , andneva 2 will take place a transitional government can be established with mutual consent

of all parties. all these parties will engage constructively in the search for stability and reconciliation. we believe that it is essential that a be an inclusive government and take advantage of the positive aspects of institutions developed over decades i the syrian state. having said all of the above, we can reaffirm our commitment to the objectives contained in the charter of the united nations and the final communiqué of june 2012. the express our hope that a cease-fire will be reached in the short term. thank you. >> i think his excellency for his statement. advisorhe floor to the of the islamic republic of pakistan.

>> thank you. the resolution adopted this evening is a landmark in the syrian conflict. --euniting behind the, cause the common cause, it is effective and responsive. -- all sponsorship of the resolution is a clear manifestation that the security council has ownership of the implementation taken by the executive of the organization for appropriate visitation -- privatization -- prohibiting chemical weapons.

it is the responsibility for the omen nation of these dangerous weapons. the security council is meant to augment and implements the decision. non-implementation could lead to serious consequences. the spirit of cooperation and this newfound unity will be maintained. it is the first step to navigate difficult waters. our focus should be on the people of syria. their suffering must end. any action we can take to keep the people at the center, elimination of chemical weapons is important. it is not the remedy of the other problems plaguing this unfortunate country. tilly's have to stop rate 100,000 people have already lost their lives. -- killings have to stop. 100,000 people have lost their

lives. it is time to move back to geneva. it calls for establishment of a transitional authority with full executive power. the resolution adopted today outlines a similar process. thee contained in communiqué. therefore it is imperative it is implemented. the announcement regarding convening by november is another to initiate a political process aimed at ending the conflict. and fulfillment of the legitimate operations of the syrian people. this road is not going to be easy. there is no military solution to the situation in syria. moveresident, we have to

beyond differences on interpretation of the geneva communiqué and pursue the political process with purpose. we must fully sees the opportunity and work towards diplomacy. there is still time for millions who safety is at risk. this should remain in our minds. thank you. >> i think his excellency for his statement. i give the floor to his affairs ofa foreign morocco. >> thank you very much. last.t, at the security council was able to agree on a resolution.

it was able to agree on a very important resolution on the syrian situation that reflects determination and genuine will to begin to put an end to the syrian state. and paving the road to a political settlement to the crisis. we highly appreciate the efforts made by the five permanent members of the security council towards a solution that would find the syrian chemical weapons destroyed and ensure they are never used again. we appreciate the intense efforts made by secretary kerry and foreign minister laffer all of -- lavrov.

we pay tribute to the united nations with the secretary- general as its head for responding promptly to the use of chemical weapons in syria through the setting up of the expectations committee -- commission led by dr. sell undertook a major effort despite security problems that confronts it at the inspection efforts. let me add the legal arab states also undertook a leadership role lead oferein the initiatives concerning the situation in syria and the use of chemical weapons.

itsondemns it roundly in decision of september 1. the resolution before us is his stork by any measure. in addition, it provides steps for dealing with the steering chemical weapons according to the framework agreement between the united states and russian federation. it insurance is the geneva agreement towards the holding of geneva 2. for that tothe need be held. the resolution is also a legal precedent. for the first time, and in a general term, it recognizes that medical weapons are a threat to international security, and this will ease the acquisition of

such weapons in the future. the resolution will also prevent the repetition of awful massacres we witnessed in the recent past. the resolution will eliminate one of the largest arsenals of chemical weapons in the middle east by peaceful means. the resolution may also be considered a preamble to the creation of a weapons of mass distraction free zone in the middle east. proceeding from the above, the single -- the kingdom of morocco supports the resolution. we cosponsored it and hope this dynamic continues with the setting of a date for the holding of geneva to as soon as possible satisfying the

aspirations of the syrian people for democratic state, preserving the sovereignty of syria. in conclusion, let me recall as other colleagues have already. on thed to follow-up humanitarian situation on the ground. it is a catastrophe. catastrophe being meted on the syrian people, hundreds of thousands. every effort must be made to support united nation's agencies to help in that regard. a deserve our appreciation for what you have and continue to do to bring to those in need. we must pay attention to neighboring countries. they are suffering just as the

refugees are suffering. they buffeted by the political humanitarian and security are percussions of the syrian crisis, including particularly the surge of syrian refugees to their lands. we value their resolution. we truly hope it is a first step towards a final settlement. thank you. >> i think his excellency. -- i think his excellency. excellency.is >> thank you. whichfolding horror show moved the world on the 20 first of august was neither an isolated nor unpredictable event. for more than two years, week after week, especially after we joined the security council in

january, we heard nothing reports which accounted for more deaths, more refugees, more displaced persons, supplies of weapons, skepticism around the appropriateness or need for peaceful solution and political solution, and the dangerous bet on military action. that is why we can not, especially we cannot give rise to the understanding to the drama existing in syria existed because of the attacks in august, but the horror all the and -- open the door to a peaceful conflict -- open the door to a peaceful end to the conflict. thatps what happened is more than the thousands of victims of that day, the world

of the victims, and so with clarity how heavy geopolitical interests were at play in the region. many were more interested in deepening the conflict than ending it. -- committed toirmly nonproliferation and the elimination of all weapons of mass distraction. -- distraction -- destruction. there is no leeway for double standards or euphemisms. these of chemical weapons is a

a crime against humanity. those see use them cannot go unpunished. the cancel is assuming its responsibility to stabilize the situation and contribute to lasting peace. a collective security system established by the united nations charter as the only guarantee against the might is right prevailing. we agree with those that believe that this resolution can lay the foundation for working towards a negotiated with a cool to the crisis in serious, reflecting legitimate aspirations in the man's of its people, and establishing the basis for lasting peace. we applaud the fact the security council made its own communiqué soon.g for a geneva t2

this resolution establishes a specific mechanism for the elimination of chemical weapons in syria based on the framework agreement of geneva established by the net nations and the russian federation on the 14th of september. it is fair to point to the fact that it also concerns and proposes put forth over the last few months, the aspect decisive for my country to cosponsor the resolution. in keeping with the article 25 of the united nations charter, the decisions of the security council are to be complied with by all members. while we trust the various actors that intervene in the conflict will act in good faith also theirte, it is it is the council of this to

take measures deemed fit under chapter seven of the charter. to conclude. my country wishes to reiterate the horror of the use of chemical weapons, the use of which is a crime against humanity should not overshadow the fact that 99% of the victims were felled mike -- failed by conventional weapons. this suggestion by argentina is in agreement with what is expressed by the secretary- ,eneral of the united nations and the desire by many women who want peace. -- desire by men and women who want peace. the planetary disaster impacting millions of syrians deeply affects institutional stability,

living conditions of the people in neighboring countries, and exacerbates sectarian tensions in the region. the step that was -- was taken today was inevitable. there are other steps that must be taken as well. argentina will continue to advocate for effective accountability, referring to the situation in series to the international camel court -- criminal court. we will continue to advocate for measures to stem the transfer of weapons to all parties in the conflict. the rejection of the use of --ce, and a peaceful solo and apiece. lucian. -- and a peaceful solution. --

you, mr. president. the world is preparing to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the genocide perpetrated against rwanda. a failure the security council .o serve -- it is in its 30th month. we president, never again said after what happened in rwanda. powerless her rent is massacres and ethnic cleansing in many corners of the world. in 1994, the security council was prevented to intervene in rwanda because of politics

prevailing. the council was once again ,nable to save more of them 100,000 people in syria because of ever present divisions among world and members. the core were of the syrian -- the horror of the chemical lives were taken by poisonous weapons, band a century ago. by whole world was shocked the painful images of children struggling to push their last breaths. as they say in france, [speaking

french]. the images seem to have opened our eyes. i am therefore grateful the united states of america and the russian federation for the framework they have agreed on, related to the destruction of chemical weapons, which was translated into the security council resolution we have adopted unanimously. we were encouraged that the resolution contains provisions for the destruction of syrian chemical weapons. particularly --

should complyties with these resolution. the security council agreed on the need for accountability and for the revival of the geneva process. syrians, we cannot lose sight of the fact that more than 100,000 men, women, and children were massacred for the last 30 months with conventional weapons. a know for a fact that military solution has so far failed in syria i cannot be a viable solution for the country and the region. the political transition in syria. i take this opportunity to urge

,he security council particularly those permanent tobers who have influence ensure the international conference on syria are convened as soon as possible, the parties negotiate in good faith, with a sense of responsibility, to find a lasting solution. i was encouraged by the information provided tonight. reached to been start a geneva 2 convention. ,he crimes committed in syria any political solution should ensure that those who committed

crimes in syria are held accountable before a court of law. we therefore welcome the provision of accountability contained in the adaptive resolution. for wanda will play its part to ensure they are implemented. let me conclude with the message conveyed from the president ever rwanda.- fo it is the responsibility protect. the agreed objectives of maintaining international peace and security will be pointless prevailegic interests over the lives of innocent men, women, and children. i commend the security council

for slowly evolving on the issue . and rwanda informed by our experience, 1994, and in the ensure thatncil to protection of human lives and integrity of women and children are always a dissenter. i thank you. >> i think his excellency for his statement. i give the floor to his excellency of togo to the united nations. togo welcomes the adoption of this resolution. provisions, we welcome the spirit of compromise which prevailed between the negotiator of the text with the eminent members, especially the

united states and the russian federation. there is no doubt that the framework has paved the way for this compromise. i would like to hear again reiterate our gratitude to the u.s. secretary of state and the russian military -- russian minister. this tax, weng wish to underscore the deed for the destruction of the chemical weapons, but especially to read our world of this type of weapons, and other weapons of mass destruction. today, the council but speak with a single voice on syria. this is a strong message to send to parties of the syrian conflict.

resolutionn of this marks a decisive step taken along the settlement of the crisis in syria. the council must step up its work for the advent of the future of syria, by doing everything it can to organize the geneva 2 conference. we welcome the announcement made by the secretary-general at this conference could be heard as early as november. this union between the permanent members of the council, which led to the adoption of this resolution should be maintained parties tol the commit to constructive dialogue to launch a political transition process in this country. a transition governments

should spell out the urgent task to be carried out, including launching a syrian reconstruction process. our counsel will also have to bear in mind and pay attention to the terrorist violations committed in syria which threaten the country at a time when terrorists are vying with creativity to territories. i would like to seize this opportunity to express my concerns regarding the unitarian crisis, along with the human rights violations in syria. togo associates itself with initiatives aimed to adopt a

resolution to mobilize and help refugees in the country. thank you. >> i think his excellency. i shall now make the statement in my capacity as the representative of australia. adoption of this resolution is a stork moment for the council. the hope will mark a turning point in the council's approach to the syrian conflict. we can take decisive action and can use authority to help shape the future for all syrians. avrovink foreign minister l and secretary kerry for their teams for the effective work they have done in difficult circumstances to present the conclusion to the council a chemical weapons were used on 21 august in damascus.

the resolution does a number of important things. it makes clear the use of chemical weapons constitutes a threat to international peace and security. this statement from the council strengthens a fundamental norm of international relations we have had for 90 years. the use of chemical weapons by anyone in whatever circumstances is important and constitutes a breach of international law. the resolution imposes legally binding obligations on syria to secure and destroy chemical weapons, and the syrian authorities must cooperate unconditionally with the opcw and the u.n., and put chemical weapons and related materials fully under international supervision and control and andre their complete

enforceable destruction. they council has decided there will be consequences under chapter seven if syria does not comply. it is our responsibility to remain vigilant in assessing compliance with the resolution. importantly, the resolution reaffirms those who have perpetrated this atrocity against their citizens must be held accountable for their actions. the australian assessment is that the evidence shows it was the syrian authorities who were responsible for this crime. this incident has confirmed wall street has said. the council should refer the situation to the international criminal court. the historic significance of tonight's resolution goes well beyond the michael weapons. it has been 15 months since the geneva communiqué on the transition was agreed. for the first time, it has been endorsed the security council. we must build on this is a matter of urgency and.

we need to bring the syrian parties together and agree on a cease fire. whatever the importance of tonight's decision, the terrible themselvest syrians on the global community face an ever accelerating humanitarian catastrophe. the secretary-general tonight called aall at -- catalog of horrors. 8 million in need of assistance over a third of syrians housing destroyed. we must address this humanitarian crisis more decisively. it is the intention of australia and luxembourg to circulate a text shortly which will give support to the work of humanitarian agencies and sets up the concrete steps which all parties must take to address the military needs of the syrian people. i ask my council colleagues to

consider this favorably once it has circulated. easterly delay creates another 6000 syrian refugees. i resume my saying -- my function as president of the council. this is been a momentous decision. i hope we continue the legacy in the days ahead. the security council has concluded the present stage of consideration of the item on its agenda. the meeting is adjourned. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013]

[no audio] >> coming back to capitol hill, the house is in recess. the rules committee you can see here expected to get underway at any moment. they're going to work on the bill to fund the federal government past monday night admin night. it is currently set to run out of funding. the house proposal would extend the funding through mid-december and delay the health care law

for one year, something the senate says it will not accept. they're going to do away with the medical devices taxable go towards the health care law, and create a separate measure to pay soldiers in the event that the government is shut down. this is set to begin any moment now. they try to work on the funding bill. house democrats are going to have a closed meeting tonight at 6:00 eastern. they will hold a news conference at 7:00 in the capital. we will bring that to you. building.capitol we will bring that to you.

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thank you very much for joining us this evening. i want to thank everyone for being here. this rules committee considers a combined role for important pieces of legislation we are going to consider. the first rule will allow the house to consider the senate amendment, the appropriations act of fiscal year 2014. this is in an effort to avoid a government shutdown. this role will provide for consideration of hr 3210, which is designed to ensure our nation's military, including the many women who protect america, continue to receive paychecks in

the event the senate does not adopt necessary cr, and would force our government into a shutdown. i want to thing only the gentleman, but the gentleman from -- the gentleman from new york work together on this important effort, and to be here this evening. i'm delighted both of you are here. i could say i would like to yield time. >> i do not have any statement at this time. >> thank you. we recognize that every minute we take now delays us getting to the floor to be heard. father conroy is here. -- ave divided some if you choose to pray for notre dame also, we would completely understand that.

[laughter] the gentleman from oklahoma was enjoying the game too much. we welcome both of you and thank you for your time without objection. kentucky isn from recognized. >> mr. chairman, members of the committee, thank you for hearing us. >> we are going to have people that closer to you. to seek anere appropriate role to provide for the consideration by the house, response the senate amendment to hj president9 -- 59. we face a very short deadline. with the amendments that are proposed, we will need to send

the bill back to the senate for approval. we have only three legislative days to get this to the president. for his signature. to avoid a government shutdown. ofo not need to remind you the terrible setbacks that a government shutdown would do for the country. the american people seem to be speaking to us. they do not want a government shutdown. it would hamper economic growth and put national security in jeopardy. it was set up to our people that the governing bodies do not have the best interest at heart. play-- who would rather politics than do the job we were sent here to do. the base provisions of this will remain similar to the version the house passed. the funding level is maintained of the current oc quest race in

level of $986 billion. the senate made only a few minor noncontroversial tweaks to the underlying legislation. i am proposing an amendment to the senate amendment that makes three changes. the end date would be changed back to what we sent to the senate. december 15. i have been flexible on the length of the cr. a later date will provide us the additional time should we need it to reach an agreement on the overall discretionary number, and complete the regular appropriations bills for fiscal number,once we get that it will be able to work out the details of the 12 appropriations

do theand then in turn same work with the other body. that is going to take some time. is a more december 15 realistic number. my mimicked would also make a technical change to one of the anomalies for the eisenhower commission. added by the senate, that change will simply allow the current status of the project to be maintained. lastly, my mimicked would add a new anomaly to extend the authority for the united states to issue special immigrant visas . this authority is necessary to ensure these is continue for a rockies -- iraqis who assisted during the war who put their lives in the line to do so. . the house can readily accept

these changes and pass the bill to provide good governance and keep the lights on in our government as we continue to work towards a solution. the immediate future of this country is on the line here. i hope my colleagues in the house and the senate recognize and realize the gravity of the situation we're in, and act accordingly. while i believe that continuing resolution is not the proper way to fund the government, it is absolutely necessary in a situation we are in that we passed this legislation today. thank you. >> thank you very much. your testimony is clear to me. i appreciate the simplicity by which you added the other amendments.

gentleman -- gentlewoman from new york is recognized. >> thank you. i will oppose the latest version of the continuing resolution, which borders on the ridiculous to me. i testified chairman rogers and i would have to come back when we were faced with another crisis. once again, here we are, discussing yet another unworkable republican bill that pushes us closer to a completely avoidable and necessary shutdown . my colleagues on the other side of the aisle know full well the president will never sign a continuing resolution with extraneous provisions, tempting to roll back the affordable care act. it was passed by the house and senate. signed by the president, and

upheld by the supreme court. undermining the implementation of the aca gives our medical choices back to the insurance companies, and keeps health insurance costs too high for too many families. knowsmember of this body where this is headed. the all heard this and it majority leader say these aca writers are dead on arrival. this is neither the time nor the place to relitigate health care reform. we are two days away from a government shutdown. the effect that -- it injects uncertainty into an economy just getting back on its feet. my republican colleagues unfortunately are playing with fire. the bill before us is a waste of valuable time we should be using

solutions tortisan sustain economic recovery and put more americans to work. finally, the house majority intends to vote on a separate bill, ensuring our troops are paid in the event of a government shutdown. as the new york times said an admission the outcome is all but sealed. if republicans really do not want a shutdown, they wouldn't be putting up a bill to avert one of the most politically damaging results. wereu know, my colleagues close together and i bipartisan way. we were hoping that we could complete our work, complete all senate,, work with the

with a number that is agreeable. that is what conferences are all about. unfortunately, we are here today. colleagues tomy stop this madness by rejecting this version of the continuing resolution. we already know we need to act responsibly and immediately pass a clean cr to keep the government functioning. i yield back. >> thank you very much. there are many things that the committee normally would engage you on if this were a monday or tuesday and we had time. i want to thank both of you equally for not only representing the minority rogers.but mr.

i want to thank both of you. the fire will take place as soon as we get done for. -- done here. thank you for being here. i have no questions. >> thank you very much. i think our -- i think our colleagues for being here. i have no questions. >> thank you. i have a lot of respect for both of you. , we knowre here for exactly what is going to happen here. a vote for this rule is a government shutdown. there is no two ways about it. i would like to give the administration unanimous consent. the ministration strongly .pposes the house amendment making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2014 -- the

senate acted on a responsible manner to maintain government functions and avoid a government shutdown. rather than taking up that legislation, the houses -- the house of threatens the nation's economy by including measures that have no place in the .overnment funding bill house republicans are pushing the government towards a shutdown. the house of representatives should pass the senate bill brady senate continuing resolution provides a short-term bridge to allow critical funding.t -- and preserves funding for

critical national priorities, protects national security, makes investments to spur economic growth, and if the president was presented with this, he would veto the bill. those of us will live through a government shutdown know the pain and anguish they cause. a lot of pain and anguish has been caused. believe me, you haven't seen anything yet. i yield back. i asked last time about the additional money put in their -- put in there. i do not think there is anything i could ask for the any of us

couldn't do on the floor. i will yield back. >> i want to thank you for being here. it is hard for me to believe we are meeting at this late hour with 2.5 days left before government shutdown considering a bill that will lead to a shutdown. just read thetion opinion. the senate majority has made his views clear. john mccain said this is a bad idea that is going nowhere. it made the point elections have consequences. tomade -- he is sympathetic the tea party wing are trying to do but the bottom line is the votes are not there. keeping a government running is too big of a deal to play this gamesmanship.

policies -- not the mid -- not the men that you mentioned, but the others regarding the i affordable care act. if that were to become the law of the land, it would have serious consequences for people right now anticipating to get health care. if you are 19 years old right now and you able to get on your parents insurance, if you need to. if this becomes law of the land on tuesday, you turn 19 years old, you would not be able to do that anymore. among other things. this is the wrong thing to do. i was hoping the grownups in the republican conference would prevail and we wouldn't be here. i guess that is not the case. i thank you for being here. we will see you on the floor.

you say the president has threatened to veto the bill. >> he hasn't threatened. he absolutely will veto. >> he has john a redline? redline? drawn a [laughter] he is very serious about this. him.not just about it is about a lot of people are entitled to health care. they are in jeopardy of not getting it. i think the gentleman from being here. .> the gentleman from oklahoma >> normally i would wax about my wonderful friends. we are going to say law on the floor. with that, yield back my time. judge hastings.

>> the judgment has no questions. >> i think there is confusion about what the language will and won't do. i look for to the time and the floor to straighten that out. i thank you for being here. >> the gentleman yield sistan. -- yields his time. meant -- our people in colorado, expectations of your colleagues did materialize. we held a vigil for you while you were busy. we are delighted you are back. >> the gentleman is recognized. >> i think the committee for reaching out during the time of floods. i have a quick question on that. i know that the chairman was quite ough to do a call

[indiscernible] i want to thank them for doing so. i would inquire what the path forward is in the cr, since it was presented to us now. forthe path forward is lifting the cap on the transportation emergency funds? >> lumia to the comments about colorado. a terrible ordeal that you're going through. we checked on immediately. eligible, the state's for fema money, that disaster relief fund has a balance of $9.1 billion. the cr will provide an additional $7 billion for fiscal

14. there is plenty of money in the fund to cover that section of your destruction. the state is also eligible for and $100 million in the sandy supplemental for the same program. mentioned, the bill would expand eligibility to receive a prorated dollars for highway reconstruction. that bill is waiting consideration in the house. we have been pleased to work with him. he has been able dollar and pushing that -- he has been a bulldog in pushing that. we will continue to work with that with you and answer

questions you have along the way. we want to help. lex thank you. -- >> thank you for clarifying. this is not an additional appropriation buried there is money in the fund. this is simply lifting a policy cap. it would cover a small percentage of the damage to the infrastructure. i have given the opportunity to speak about raising that state cap. >> let me just say if i may, these are the kinds of terrible tragedies that have caused so much suffering and loss of life. you talk about the oil spills, millions of dollars.

it is one of the reasons where i have been proud to serve on the appropriations committee. our committee was helpful in responding to sandy in new york. i'm glad we have been able to work for all the hard-working people in colorado who are still suffering, and doing their own work to try and repair. it is another example of how important our government is and this appropriations committee is. we have a role to play in emergencies such as this. i wish you continued strength and good luck. -- theink the german chairman on the matter. we look forward to getting this into some piece of legislation that reaches the president's desk.

i would implore the chair and ranking member that there is urgency with regard to this as we build our infrastructure and try to build roads that allow families to get back to their homes. i yield back. >> thank you. recognize support, we the plight that you are under with the timing in colorado. >> thank you. i want to concur with my very good friend from georgia. looking under the roll and on the legislation, i think we have an opportunity to clarify some be waee can.may the gentleman from orlando, florida.

the gentleman from lewisville, texas. >> thank you very much to both of you. we appreciate you taking the time. thank you very much. thank you very much. thank you very, very much. we now will welcome the second panel. it appears as though we have for members of congress i believe that are prepared. the gentleman from texas appeared to be here first. it will be the three of you. great. i'm sorry. screwed over.

i did not mean to suggest you were going to. i thought you were here to testify. i am glad you are here to speak. thank you very much. the gentleman from connecticut is recognize. thank you very much. thes our understanding committee is considering an amendment to pass a resolution that will ensure a government shutdown. we do not have time for this sort of recklessness. resolutions, the majority is trying to use the budget process to take the central provisions ofhe

the affordable care act. because of the act, americans with existing conditions finally have coverage. on ans health is finally equal footing. i understand that it would strike down preventative services provided for women for provided forrvices the first time. women's health is finally on equal footing. maternity and pediatric care is covered. this puts them and not the insurers back at the center of care. we all have experience insurance companies that have said pre- , you haveondition reached your limit. no lifetime limits, no annual cap. is at leastrance

affordable for more american families. they seek to roll that back. let me address for a moment the budget cut in the underlying resolution. harnessingm congressional budget office and ben bernanke warned us earlier in the year the automatic cuts would cost as many as 750,000 jobs. it would appear the majority wants to make the cuts permanent. even the appropriations committee was just here. it is unrealistic. this must be brought to an end. this aims to make these public.s games

because to the deep cuts, over 57,000 children whose access to learning access through head start. the shoulder will never get this opportunity back. it is not come back. i'll mechanical research is being curtailed or lost. this is of concern to me. i am a cancer survivor. by the grace of god i am alive today. why we would want to see the deep cuts in the national institute of health and other of and health-care curtailed, how many lives did we put at risk? supportive services are being sharply reduced. in five andone children currently live in poverty, hundreds and thousands of adult are losing access to job training program. low income seniors lose out on congregate and home delivered

meals. 15% of seniors are going hungry. mental health oh grams are being gutted. the list goes on. it appears to me they like to pretend these have not already been cut. they have been cut deeply. they have adjusted for inflation and population growth. this is a platform for which i i 17% --ey will be cut by 17%. asare mortgaging our future a nation. we're setting ourselves back. we stand on the verge of a government shutdown. ,his is a behaving responsibly working toward a reasonable compromise, the majority continues to put ideology above the fundamental priorities of the american people. and thathat is wrong

we should move forward to try to get to some reasonable compromise so that we do keep the government open and we help you try to make a difference. i thank you. >> thank you very much. i appreciate you taking time. committee respects your testimony in the time he had taken to be here. >> thank you. i appreciate the opportunity to testify before you this afternoon. to speak in opposition to the role before you. it inappropriately mixes a settled policy matter with what should be a simple hunting bill that will avoid a costly government shutdown. this is nothing more than an attempt to achieve legislative goals of both chambers of congress. is house republican congress forcing a vote to halt implementation of the affordable

care act. law by theed into president and rolled unconstitutional by the united states to print court. defunding ord that delaying is a nonstarter. here we are again. the work 48 hours left hunting -- funding runs out, this is both tactically unwise and harmful to our nation. is government shutdown projected to cost u.s. taxpayers $150 million a day. the impact of a government shutdown will be hundreds of thousands of federal employees making far less than we do here in congress. negatively impacting them personally and also spending a ripple effect throughout the economy. they planned vacations and meals out with their families. disability pay will be disrupted.

farmers and ranchers will halt to the tune of 100 billion dollars a month. federal research will cease here at the national institute of help will stop receiving new patients. i am a breast cancer survivor. both can understand the dramatic impact of what happens if we cut back on important health care research. the tens of thousands of people harmingput away restaurants and hotels and gas stations that employs thousands of non-federal employees. that for all these reasons i propose this harmful indestructible. it does not have to be this way. and separate two completely different issues.

i encourage the committee to .llow for passage if they would deny millions of americans to quality health care, they should do so through regular order not through brinksmanship with our economy. thank the gentleman from florida not only for her friendship to me this committee but for taking time to be with us tonight and taking time to know what your thoughts are. want to welcome my colleague from texas was just entered the room and asked that the gentlewoman go ahead. are you here to get testimony? i would ask that you would please allow, if you could please get her a chair and allow her to come? we are trying to quickly get committeethrough the

and to the rule so we can move forward. that is an understanding that we all have on this committee. anything you have in writing will be entered into the record. thank you for allowing me to make a presentation. let me first start by saying these are very difficult times and issues. as i was walking over and thinking about my remarks and asked the question to myself is this a debate over issues of morale at sea, whether or not the position to oppose a continuing resolution is a will havef morality

or high calling goal for this nation. this is not in any way to political opposition. the appealing obamacare. issue ofioned the research. like was here earlier. they depend pacifica on research work. strides.making great being ad my voice to survivor as well. i am thinking of the cr. one is bought down with the

opposition to obamacare which had in it a very large portion of research money. eliminate obamacare would in researchances start and its track. women or family needing to have health care for their family or a newly pregnant wife past the age of 26. i thought about the excitement of a young person past the age of 26 being able to get health insurance for the very first time between $100 and $130 in premiums. would includen the elimination of obamacare. would injure and harm

millions of individuals who are uninsured. i am in opposition. i think when you look at the decision oron -- question, it is allowing americans to seek good health care in a reasonable amount of money that they might be able to secure. also the research question is very disturbing to me. is the sequester numbers. i know we cannot escape. it has to be regular order. we are not even contending with that. it has hurt so much in job creation and economic development. we are just asking for a simple cr to continued the government. we're asking for the additionation that in to the amendment that i know will be worth coming on military

pay, i live in acuity with a high number of seniors that need the processing of social security and medicare staff persons who will then not be there to assist in the seniors. i am in a federal building. i have even come down in the lobby when the doors are locked and there are people standing in line trying to get in for social security issues. the staff persons will no longer be there. i want to make a point of what may happen in the shutdown. differentt is in a matrix. there are certain elements that will not be funded because of a potential shutdown. a clean cr would have the other body joining. it would have this body joining and we would have the ability in for these very fine numbers to go in regular order to eliminate sequester, to

have a budget that may be and to be able to address the issues that i know the chairman and myself are committed to. affinity andve an affection for nasa. we are not doing well in nasa. like to be able to see us go through regular order. in my recent research i have determined that we actually make the utilization of the affordable care act. we actually have money coming in . paul ryan actually use what has been targeted now i the republican congress -- conference. he used medicare savings to put in his budget. medicare savings has nothing to do with cutting benefits of seniors. i have come to conclude my remarks to say two things in conclusion. pass allike to see us the things that i have said it

may be that which i have not about what is the moral question that causes the republican housess to offer to this i doogged down by issues not believe have a moral weight except for wanting to make sure our soldiers our paid. if we go forward, allow us to have the opportunity to add our treeess true -- christmas to the cr and may be an amendment that in the sequester. maybe that allowed the allen's. -- the balance. common that we can find ground and proceed with regular order. i think the ranking member for her courtesy. i'm happy to yield back at this time. >> i appreciate very much the

.entleman welcome to the committee. overwhelmed with e-mail calls rahm those who have the great the harm by affordable care act. they have lost their insurance. they lost their dog yours. they have been told their quality of life -- their daughters they have been told their quality of life may change. the 700 billion dollar cuts to medicare were cut to reimbursement, not directly to seniors. have been my district advised they will not be getting ae care they want did. it is big deal. he their life going. it is a big deal only.

anything like this in regard to actual damage that is being done. i very much appreciate doing what the president has acknowledged needs to be done. that is was ponying parts of the affordable care act. since the president has done it -- that is postponing part of the affordable care act. says the president has done it for them, we would like to do it for everybody in america. union members are begging. they are begging to please let us have the same advantage that big is this has. do not force this on us right now. i applaud what is the effort that is being done here. pushing for over 2.5 years to try to get the military paid in the event there was a shutdown. i really hope there is not to shut. i know the president has

threatened a veto. he also threatened a veto on a payroll tax extension that he withdrew. he threatened to veto on the nda a that he went through. i hope when he looks at this he will realize that i was willing to do it for my big is this friend so why should my doing a -- why should i not do it for the union members? from a procedural standpoint i have a request. that to amendment -- two amendments were going to go over as the original senate amendment of hr-59. my understanding now is that we , whatll text of the the senate sent back.

on one we have the postponement of obamacare for one year. 59 withull text of hr the addition of the military .eing paid according to the parliamentarian of the senate, that means when these arrived separately favorable arrived together at the same time the full text is there. it is attached to the fulltext provisions. they may table be one that would provide help to so many people that are facing the loss of their treatment or care. or senate could table that could only take up the amendment with the military being paid on the other in the medical device tax.

and then send the one back without having every senator cast a vote to let their constituent know whether they stand with the president for big is this only. i would encourage the rules committee to structure it in such a way that there is one sentiment -- senate amendment and that's all of the amendments that they allow that they go to amendment in one where one can be tabled and the other taken and passed. >> thank you very much. we appreciate your testimony today and you taking the time to be with us today. if the gentleman will please stick around, we are owing to allow you a chance to speak to us. we are going to allow us an

opportunity. >> thank you. i have no questions. >> i am nerd -- i have never heard anything like that either. i do believe that hearing today from three cancer survivors, and that thisfor that, can certainly give us pause. say thatall heard me the human genome project that i have been intent with has said that within four years they could've had the cure for cancer. we are putting a stop to that. he is losing scientists.

none of this makes sense. i can imagine what we think we are doing here you make the best but people areld wearing about the things they lost on a bill that has not given them pay. you have a problem. no question about it. i do not have anymore questions. i think we have said just about everything we can. would you tell us again what walter scott said? a second. we weave tangled webn when we practice to deceive. a lot of deception is happening.

>> thank you for being here. >> inc. you very much. -- thank you very much. a lot of people would tell me they are thrilled the children could stay in the world. i see citizens great getting preventive care without getting co-pays. going to say one thing to my colleague as i look forward to setting the record straight. the way this should work is that it should be pretty straight by the time you get here. we have a process where we are not doing hearings or markups. todaye a bill before us that we saw over an hour ago that came out of a private meeting that you had.

we do not even know what we're going to talk about today. i point that out. you are going to go to the floor under this close rule were there will be no amendments. my guess is that you will hit talking points back and forth. of spurts ofe people want to understand how the health care works. delayingbe harmed by the implementation of this bill? i point this out because this is the rules committee. is the process committee. i am not saying that democrats and not mess things up on occasion when we were in charge. we are at aon this

point where the government will shut down in a matter of hours. we are playing this game. it is a really dangerous game to play. there is a cost to the american taxpayer when the government shut down. this is not great. pe can get a better process. i think the gentleman for the time. >> i'm sorry. may i just officially put on the record i did not say it as to make a request. and lastly just to my good anything, i have heard from my district seniors who have lost themselves in the doughnut hole. >> does the gentleman was to extend time?

>> that there is one point we can say for all seniors is the doughnut hole we had previously aided by the article care at the seniors have appreciated that they have no longer fall into a long cost. i think he. >> thank you very much. >> i think my colleagues for being here. i have no questions at this time. >> thank you. >> i just want to say to my friend from texas who i think is widely considered to be one of the most conservative members in this body. he went through not just today but last night on the floor. heartfelt recitation of folks in his district who have been hurt. i also see knobs. some folks have been helped as well.

i do not say that lightly. i see a real opportunity for folks to come here. i think be gentleman for making this point so well. you mention in your district seniors are being told that they will not live as long and they are being advised that they will not get the same care. >> fair hearing from the doctors themselves. we have had doctors decide to leave the this. will no longer be doing that because of the cuts to reimbursement under the obamacare bill.

>> they're telling their patients they will not live as long? thereelieve dr. stem is license. as longot going to live without any medical reason to do that. >> they are being told by their doctors that are some things that will not be paid for because of the cuts to reimbursement after the first of the year. the patients know those treatments have helped them keep going. the doctors will no longer come. they say they cannot afford to be going back and forth to balance -- dallas. they will not be able to continue the treatment to keep her alive. the doctors tell them what treatments they will not get. the patients know what has been keeping them alive. >> under the affordable care act