bill h.r. 3008, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- mrs. lummis: mr. speaker, on that i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until approximately 6:30 p.m. today. >> three bills on the floor today. with a capitolr

hill reporter to look at the week ahead on capitol hill. a look at the week ahead in congress. he is a conner responded for he is al journal -- correspondent for "national journal." reaction?e >> the reaction has been kind of quiet. the members are only trickling in here for the week. they will have a special election and a special time for those who want to run. two or three people are expected to run. including connie mack. this is unexpended, but in terms of right before the state, good to get the bad news out. >> tomorrow, the state of the

union address. you recently wrote about a memo that republican leaders in the house sent to members about the hetero -- federal health care law. what are its implications ahead of the speech? >> it was an interesting memo sent out today by kevin mccarthy of california. clearly intended to remind and underscore that house republicans have in the last session and the first part of this session focused on dismantling or undoing parts or all of the affordable care act. it included statistics of how many votes the bill has been voted on. stateshot is there are where democrats have started voting for some of these names, and as this election year continues [indiscernible]

on democrats for republicans to on for these votes. this process will continue for house republicans making the affordable care act a key issue. begin house expended to -- expecting to begin debate on a bill limiting abortion. how much support does that have from democrats? >> no support from house democrats. there might be a handful. essentially it is a bill designed to create through nothing else the perception that these health-care exchanges in the affordable care act could fees or other charges that would go to abortions. they do not know if this is true or not. this bill is written to make sure that does not happen. also, it does everything like

they call a ban on d.c.' s abortion program. it is more of a messaging bill, but has irritated democrats along with bigger issues. >> one of the other issues is the farm bill. what is the status of the farm bill? >> that is something that is breaking right now. it appears just a couple of minutes ago that some report landed in the house rules committee sometime after 6:30 tonight. bipartisan support. procedures will be set. this could be voted on by wednesday morning. that is a key deadline in terms of getting something done this week, because house publicans will break for their annual strategy retreat on

wednesday afternoon. vote at they latest. >> what are the key issues they will be grappling with at the retreat? >> what they want to do about the debt limit, and there is a lot of talk that some republicans still have a big issue and hold out for some concessions, whatever they may ight be. there may be the announcement last month -- or earlier this intends toner, he announce some immigration reform principles. whether that goes beyond some of the rhetoric rick -- rhetoric republicans have already given that we do not know, but there could be principles or movement toward immigration reform. so there could be some clouds gathering in cambridge, where

held,treat is being where exactly they want to go with immigration reform in this election year. house covering the house. ask for joining us. >> thanks, glad to be here. >> tonight at 9:00 eastern, the latest installment of the first hillary.es, law onto facebook to weigh in on the question, should hillary clinton run for president in 2014? a couple comments, i love her, i will vote for her in a heartbeat. she run?should yeah, back to arkansas. the question we asked one of our guests on washington journal this morning, before the house comes back into vote, here is that conversation.

is there a plane for hillary -- is there a planet hillary? this morning we are going to talk to the author and political reporter of "the new york times." if you could just walk us through your story and tell us what you found out about the clinton universe. guest: i found they are really unique in american politics. bill clinton has been collecting people since kindergarten. they want to help and they all want to be heard. they all have an interest in getting hillary clinton elected. in 2008 that led to a lot of voices, a lot of cooks in the kitchen. can she align these people and make sure chaos doesn't ensue?

host: there are concerns about bill clinton and his legacy. guest: people i spoke to said he is differential. he knows exactly what a loss would do not just his wife and his family but his own legacy. his people around him are concerned. his legacy building is part of his philanthropic work. i think he is very aware of that. i think he is also very interested. i heard building up grassroots support for her candidacy -- bill clinton called one of the people attending to check in on things and see how it was going. he is definitely feeling things out. host: i wanted to ask you about that cover. how did that come about? guest: i write the words, i did

not have anything to do with the cover. from what i heard, i already described the story as hillary clinton's universe. they liken it to the movie "space cowboys." it was a space theme when we were talking about this. i did not see it until a couple of days before the story ran. i knew it would spark some attention. host: there has certainly been a lot of conversation. one idea that has struck me is who makes up the hillary clinton circle? is that old guard people or are there new faces there? guest: she really has inspired loyalty.

the women around her we have heard about around her are people she has had since the white house. they are not necessarily on the payroll now. they are her closest advisors, her friends, people who give her advice. and then she has brought in new people. that might be a promising sign for a 2016 campaign. people from the state department, jake sullivan is a policy guy who works for biden now that she is close to. it is sort of a mix. but it is made up of this core group of people. host: if she does in fact run, how much help will she get from president barack obama, the one who toppled her in 2008? guest: priority usa has said it will work towards getting

clinton elected. i think they are going to bring in some obama people. people i talk to said they don't even need that. by 2016 campaigns will be waged and even more data-driven in an advanced way. and can they find that new generation? they sort of snapped everyone in 2008. axelrod describes putting together obama's team as oceans 11. they picked the star guys who were not already working on clinton's campaign. that worked out amazingly for them. that is the challenge, go out there and find new generation. host: talk to us about the reporting process. this is a lengthy story. how much access did you get to do it? guest: they gave me access to her closest advisors, to talk about this concept of loyalty and why they had worked for secretary clinton for so long. i also talked to some of the new

people. that was something -- they wanted me to have that perspective. they want this narrative out. the state department was run nothing like 2008. 2008 was chaos, there was a lack of management. i talked to friends who have known them in the days before they were so rich and famous and powerful. that was really interesting as well. host: i want to ask you about something you mentioned earlier, in 2016 there will be the number crunching and code-breaking hackers. do they still exist or are they face is that we will see emerge if she does run? guest: one interesting element,

chelsea clinton is mostly running the foundation now. she seems like she could be an interesting merging of old and new guard. i wondered if she would eventually emerge in some kind of role to find those people. she does have that business, hedge fund, consulting background. host: the former secretary says she is months away from deciding about her political future. any idea what the timetable actually looks like? guest: this is like a science of analyzing everything she says along those lines. i had heard she said in a private speech with a hedge fund in new york last year, the question was a good one. if someone was to run for

president, what would they need to logistically decide? he said by the middle of 2014. host: we have been talking with the author of the "planet hillary" piece. >> hillary clinton's career again inside this holding at the university of arkansas where she was a professor. she taught classes in primitive -- criminal law. llary was a law school grad who worked in d.c.. lady hillary clinton at

9:00 eastern, live on c-span, c- span3, also on c-span radio and www.c-span.org. >> as we stabilize the financial system, we also took steps to get our economy growing again, save as many jobs as possible, who are them unemployed. that is what you we increased unemployment benefits for more than 18 million americans, made health insurance 65% cheaper or family to get their coverage through cobra, and past play five different tax cut -- passed cuts.ferent tax we cut taxes for small businesses. we cut taxes for first-time homebuyers. we cut taxes for parents trying to care for their children. we cut taxes for eight million americans paying for college. >> watch president obama deliver this year's address.

tuesday night at 8:00 eastern, the president at 9:00, followed a the response from republican, and your reaction. the state of the union, tuesday night, live on c-span, c-span radio, and www.c-span.org. c-span starts off tomorrow morning with analysis of the state of the union on "washington journal." we start with ken walsh, andowed by jason chaffetz, then vermont senator bernie sanders. we will also answer your phone calls. live tomorrow morning and every morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. the house back in in about 15 minutes. 6:30 eastern time, voting on two bills dealing with natural resources. later on the week banning

federal funding for abortions and work on the farm bill. house and senate negotiators have announced they have reached an agreement on a final form build. before those votes, we will take a look at some of the analysis of the state of the union address from today's washington journal. washington -- the back is the washington car respondents -- correspondence. headsow president obama to capitol hill for his state of the union. what are you looking for? guest: his sixth speech. those of us who work around here , let's be honest. rare occasionse when the public pays attention to the president and congress. they pay attention at other times, and things pop up when there is a big news event, but this is the one chance to capture the attention of the

country in prime time. ratings last year were down for the state of the union. among the lowest in the last 20 or 30 years. viewers, whichon is a lot. it is not celebrity bachelor. all the networks carry it. you are looking for public attention to him and that is the president's opportunity. he has a congress that is recalcitrant to month that is not coming along with his agenda in any way. the only thing congress is getting done is among itself, things that have to get them like fiscal cliffs and spending bills, 16 days late. it looks like we are on the cusp of a farm bill. they have been working on it for two years.

most people watching the speech should know legislatively it is not going anywhere, especially in election year. what the white house is told us to expect is a president who will work for the congress when he can. he uses executive power to get things done. the president can issue executive orders. this is a president who is traveling a lot, getting with ceos, getting with captains of industry so that he can be seen as doing something for an agenda when congress won't come along. congress is extraordinarily unpopular. the president is not doing great

if you are going to say past this, then your legacy becomes tied with what the public sees as your dysfunction. try to go around them, see what you can do on your own, and see what you can be perceived to do on your own without congress in a time when the middle-class is not doing well and the country is hobbling back to economic recovery. people do not like washington, but they want to see some measure of action. that is the marketing million milieu the white house is operating under.

host: how much of the president's approach will be tied to the fact that 2014 is election year, a number of competitive races, democrats hoping to regain control of the house and senate? guest: democrats, roughly half the people are looking up at that podium and saying give us some firm ground to stand on as democrats. you mentioned taking back the house. we can name one or two -- i would say they have a good chance of taking back the house. really, what democrats are fighting for is preserving the senate.

democrats coordinated a message that started to emerge a couple of months ago. we saw a lot of debate over extending unemployment benefits dovetails with a large part of the message you are going to hear from president. the white house is recasting this as economic mobility. as the country is limping toward recovery, middle-class wages are stagnant and have been for many years. that is not new. you are going to see a message the democrats like that they think appeals to a lot of modern voters. -- moderate voters. one of income equality, employment insurance, minimum wage increase, making college more affordable. the bread-and-butter middle- class issues you are going to see the president mentioned. we just got done talking about

the fact that congress is not terribly interested, particularly the republican house and the senate minority, in passing anything the president will call for. the president can go around and say i have my pen and i have my phone and i am going to be executive about these things. article one of the constitution does not give him a lot of leeway in terms of federal minimum wage increase. the white house has not said this directly, but there are people who know the policy here saying the white house can do something about the minimum wage. i don't know if there is a federal employee that makes minimum wage. the president can drag his pen across an executive order and say that federal agencies have

to favor contracts from private companies. they have to favor companies that offer at least $10 an hour. that is the increased democrats want. that provides a little bit of a market push and it will cause employers who do business with the federal government, which we all know is worth billions, to boost the wages of their workers. and for those workers, questionable about what kind of accomplishment can be agreed upon. host: our first call comes from milford, delaware. caller: i think in the state of the union -- i hope he does address the minimum wage. what the guy just said about favoring companies, using executive powers to lead them towards that. i hope he also addresses immigration policy.

i think that will help in 2016 with taking back some of the seats. don't think we can take back the house, but i do think the democrats could gain a lot of momentum. minimum wage is something everybody needs and wants. i thank god i do not have to work under minimum wage. i have a great job. i don't know how much, but i think it needs to be raised. host: the caller mentioned immigration, which is something i left out. i bet you a dollar we will hear the president talk about immigration. actually, in a congress that does relatively little, immigration has a pulse all of a sudden.

democrats have been confident that the immigration issue is playing well for them. they either get the policy -- politically untenable for any party that wants to run nationally. in a midterm election, they have their own local issues, not as big a deal, but republican leaders know that something has to get done for 2016. and they do have to improve their position. but we are told to expect from the republicans and immigration plan that is designed to get bipartisan support. one of the key areas of disagreement between the president and house republicans is a pathway to citizenship.

not expecting republicans to have a pathway to citizenship in their bill. republican leaders have been telling us that this is specifically designed to sit down and try to get something passed. this might be the one bright legislative spot you see early this year. i would say after immigration, the only other thing that gets done in this congress is things like the debt limit. host: jay carney was on abc's this week. let's take a look at what he had to say. let's take a look what he had to say. [video clip] >> what we saw this week was a

washington that did not deliver to the people. folks want to come up to the middle class. guest: congress has had a bad year and the president has had a bad year in terms of the public's perception. the president has not had a lot of legislative victories. not big legislative successes. they perceive that conservative republicans caused it. it affects everyone's rating. obamacare was a disaster, that did not help the president. the worsening way in syria has not helped the president. if you remember back a couple of months, a sort of diplomatic stumbling where russia came to the rescue and rescued the

syrian chemical weapons confrontation. that did not play well for the president. they are looking for some perception victories as well. the state of the union is as good a place for any for the president to regain his footing and push off on solid ground. democrats, want that, too. the risk very little room except maybe on immigration for this divided congress and this president to come together on major policy issues. going it alone is the best he can do right now. host: eric is on the line from baltimore. caller: good morning. i think the state of the union is like a traditional thing to be done. it does not resonate with the american people like i believe it used to.

we are not united in any way. some of the things obama wants to accomplish, he will not be able to do. his big that the house that in light of resignation of the gentleman from florida, mr. ray dal, the whole number of the house is 432. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on motions to suspend the rules previously postponed. votes will be taken padres, padre

the vote is on the motion of the gentlewoman from wyoming, mrs. lummis, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2161 as amended -- 2166 as amended on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: a bill to direct the secretary of the interior and secretary of agriculture to grant access to certain federal lands for search and recovery issues and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended? members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 394, the nays are zero. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the the gentlewoman from from wyoming, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3008 as amended on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 213, h.r. 3008, a bill to provide for the conveyance of a small parcel of forest land in the loss padres national forest

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

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 367, the nays are 27. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the chair lays before the house the following personal requests.

the clerk: leaves of absence requested for mr. farr of california for today, mr. honda of california for today, mr. jones of north carolina for today and the balance of the week, and mr. tipton of colorado for today and the balance of the week. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the requests are granted. the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. the house is not in order. the sgrealt from florida is recognize -- the gentlelady from

florida is recognized. ms. rostrost: thank you, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. rostrost: i rise to honor and -- ms. ros-lehtinen: i rise today to honor gene prescott. gene received the 2014 he tellier hall of fame award from the florida restaurant and lodging association for his success in managing a network of hotels that provide exquisite accommodations and excellent service. mr. prescott's dedication to excellence is best reflected in his leadership role of a 10-year, $40 million ren nation -- renovation of the builtmore hotel, an a-- of the biltmore hotel located in the heart of my congressional district, as all good things are. thank you, gene, for helping

make south florida an even more welcoming destination for tourists who keep our economy strong and congratulations on this well-deserved honor. you make us proud, amigo. congratulations to gene prescott. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. >> one of my -- mr. cohen: one of my constituents will retire from the navy with the honor of being female or most enlisted in the navy. she was on u.s.s. abraham lincoln in support of iraqi freedom, she most recently rved as command chief at the

indianapolis. manied flunesed myshipwomen. she was at the navy yard on september 15 the day of the tragic shooting. she knew many, if not all, the victims personally and attended the funerals of each of the 11 victims and the shooter. 120 days, lack for to remember those victims, 10 days for each and 10 for the shooter as well. i thank her for her service to her cubry and welcome her back to memphis, tennessee. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: will members please clear the floor with their conversations. the gentleman is recognized.

>> i rise today to congratulation two wisetta high school national bowl teams for winning first and second place at the regional competitions. these teams of dedicated students competed against dozens of neighboring high school stools for a chance to represent at the national science bowl. more than 225,000 students, mr. speaker, participate in the national science bowl since it first was established in 1991. the top 16 high school teams in the national finals will win $1,000 for their school science departments. the winning team of amanda, joseph, giant, william, and april will head to washington, d.c. to compete against other teams across the country in fields of bilinge, chemistry, physics and math. i want to encourage everyone to keep up the great work studying science and math. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition?

>> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarksful the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one inute. >> mr. speaker, i rise to recognize the -- to recognize depha. she was a dallas civil rights leader and made a significant impact in her life. mr. veasey: she was the first latina to graduate from smu school of law and practiced in dallas for many years, mentoring many along the way. she's well known for her civil rights work to eliminate racial barrier, stop immigrant abuse and improve education in the state of texas. during her dedication of an elementary school named after her in dallas last year, she told the audience, only through

education will we make the world a better place than we found it. may her commitment to improving education and her legacy of working on behalf of a better texas continue through her family and all those lives she has touched throughout the decades. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for onemen and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. poe: mr. speaker, the tragedy of human sex trafficking cannot be fully realized until one sees the pain of hopelessness in the victims' eyes. on a recent trip to honduras, i visited two shelters for sex trafficking victims. some of these victims were as young as 12 years of age. they had been raped, drugged, abused, and exploited. these shelters are helping them to regain their lives, their dignity, and yes, hope.

don't be fooled into thinking that this vile crime of sex trafficking only happens somewhere else. it happens in the united states as well. the average age of girls trafficked in the united states is between 12 and 14 years of age. like honduras, our country lacks shelters for these girls. there are about 5,000 shelters for animals throughout the country, according to the spca. but there are only 226 beds available for domestic minor sex trafficking victims, according to shared hope. this has got to change, mr. speaker. it's time for us to rescue the child victims of sex slavery and then put the traffickers and the child abusers in the jailhouse where they belong. that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york, mr. tonko, seek recognition? mr. tonko: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

mr. tonko: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise this evening this recognize and congratulate the albany symphony orchestra and conductor david allen miller for winning a coveted grammy award last night for best classical instrumental solo. it's the first accomplishment of its kind for this orchestra. the composition was regarded at the troy ceyings bank music hall, also in the 20th congressional district, and gave our area yet another reason to be proud of the capital regions arts and cultural scene. for 84 year the albany symphony orchestra has been giving voice to beautifully written pieces of music and enriching our lives in the capital region. i again congratulation david allen miller and the albany symphony orchestra for their accomplishments and their victory last night at the grammy awards. i yield back the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the

gentlelady from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized -- the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: i thank the speaker. in a few minutes i will join my colleagues in the congressional black caucus to discuss a very important topic that has long been one of our crucial issues, proliferating now across america and around the world. income inequality. but i wanted to rise as i understand the farm bill is now prepared to go to the rules committee and now will be on the floor of the house this week. an associated press article of the new age or the new face of food stamps, working-age americans. now in 2013-2014, 50% of those receiving food stamps are working americans. such as the young lady pictured here, 25 years old, with a

3-year-old son who, yes, was in the united states army. when are we going to realize that even though the economy is churning, the jobs being created are low-wage jobs, the working and middle class need our help, it's not a handout, it is not a way to be able to close the deficit and the debt, which is closing, but breaking the backs of hardworking americans. what a shame that a farm bill would come forward as it has never come forward before and it takes away a lifeline for hardworking americans. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i've seen reports that the president is going to come to this chamber tomorrow and talk about avoiding dealing with congress. he's going to pick up his pen and sign executive orders

without coming to this institution and following our constitution. well, mr. president, if you're that willing to pick up your pen, then pick it up and sign the keystone pipeline permit so we can start creating jobs in this country. mr. davis: and get 40,000 people off the unemployment rolls and into good paying jobs that are careers. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. johnson: to address this body for one minute, to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for one minute. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. as a member of the safe climate caucus, i urge my republican colleagues to lift their heads from the sand so that they can see the effects of climate change throughout our country. scientists agree that climate change is causing the extreme weather that is devastating our citizens and our economy. the republican response has

been to deny the science. year after year republicans in congress not only refused to do something about climate change, they insist on policies that actually make things worse. because republicans are determined to ignore the threats posed by climate change, the president has no choice but to use executive authority to protect the american people. i look forward to hearing the president's proposals tomorrow at the state of the union address. hopefully the congress can begin to show some leadership on this issue, before it's too late. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the body for one minute, and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, a manufacturing plant in the district i represent, employers are having

a hard time finding the skilled workers they need. and many other employers can't find low-skilled workers to fill openings. at colleges across the country, students face the reality that after graduation they'll have to leave this country to achieve their dreams elsewhere. shideshide this is but some of the faces of -- mr. schneider: this is but some of the faces of immigration reform. a dreamer told her story and didn't leave a dry eye in the room. i invited her as my guest to the state of the union tomorrow night to personify the need for comprehensive reform. as her story is moving, but it is in no way unique. with comprehensive immigration reform, the world's most gifted stem minds will help us achieve 21st century success. our economy will be injected with a talent -- with the talent and skills it needs to thrive. 11 million people will pay taxes and become fully engaged

in our democracy for the first time. i rise in strong support of comprehensive immigration reform. i urge my colleagues to do the same. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i seek permission to address the for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one inute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to talk about the 23rd district. i want to talk about the home of the low bose. they're noun -- lobos. their high school is known for their athletic programs, but also as -- on the academic side as the host of one of the preeminent, one of the biggest speech and debate tournaments in west texas. mr. gallego: it's located off of i-20. the economy is booming. high-paying jobs, an active

full-service chamber of commerce, one of the more active in the region. and if you're looking for recreation, the sand hill state park has sand dunes 70 feet high, sand boarding, sand football, sand surfing, hiking and even horseback riding. now if you go there in the spring, for example, the rattlesnake army airbase will be a new museum and it's one of the largest bomber training bases of world war ii and was a temporary home of the dropping of the atomic bomb in world war ii, scheduled to open in march. the 23rd district, 24% of texas nearly is in one district, it's an incredible stretch. and i'm so proud to have the opportunity to represent this area. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. under the speaker's announced the of january 3, 2013, gentleman from, no, mr. jeffries, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.

mr. jeffries: i ask unanimous consent that all members be given five days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. jeffries: mr. speaker, it's an honor and privilege to once again have this opportunity to come to the floor of the house of representatives and to anchor, along with my good friend and colleague, the distinguished gentleman from nevada, representative steven horsford, the congressional black caucus special order. where for the next 60 minutes we have an opportunity to speak directly to the american people about an issue of great significance for the communitieses that we represent, as well as -- communities that we represent, as well as the entire country. income inequality is an issue that is of increasing concern to working families, low-income americans, middle-class folks, those who aspire to be part of the middle class. we know that at this moment in

time, in 2014, income inequality is the worst that it's been in america since the great depression. now, we live in the wealthiest country in the world. yet we know that all across america there are people who are struggling to put food on the table, clothing on their backs, or provide shelter for their families. that's an unacceptable situation. and we know that things have gotten worse over the last five years. since the collapse of the economy. and the recovery, while progress has been made, has been uneven, inconsistent and schizophrenic in many ways. some have benefited, particularly those amongst the wealthiest 5% to 10% of americans, but others have

fallen behind. and so today the congressional black caucus will speak to the issue of income inequality, but also propose why it is, it's something that needs to be addressed, and what are some of the things that congress can do in working with the president to deal with this pressing issue in america. we've been joined by several distinguished members of the congressional black caucus, and it's now my honor and privilege to yield some time to the dean of new york's congressional delegation, a legendary member of the house of representatives , the lion of lennox avenue, and the distinguished gentleman from new york, representative charles b. rangel. mr. rangel: i ask permission to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. rangel: let me thank my friend and my colleague from new york for bringing this important issue to the attention of our congress and

the nation. it's a strange thing about those americans that have been raised in poor communities. and that is that as they grow older, it seems that god has blessed them to remember just the good things that they've enjoyed and the misery and the pain somehow fades away. but i think that the most important thing that comes out of this is to hope for the future. very few americans have not witnessed in their families devastating economic impacts. but that was more than compensated for because they knew if they had to be in any country in the world that some of these problems could be resolved through opportunity, it would be the united states of america. the tragic thing that we have today is that this dream

appears to be fading for the poor, as well as the middle class. and when that happens, i think what makes america different from so many other countries is that it is possible to have classes that are locked in frigid concrete, as it used to be the case in europe, that is dramatically changing to be more fluid as it relates up toward mobility, while it appears to us that today if you are born in poverty, you're almost destined to remain in poverty. what a sinful historic condition that would make. what a tragic example it would set for the rest of the world example used us as an

as to what human beings can do. and what is it that the economists don't see? because poverty is not only painful, but it destroys the very fiber of our economic productivity. sick people, poor people are not productive people. there's inclinations for them to cost more in terms of dollars and cents than if we provided them with the tools or them to acquire decent jobs with decent living wages. people are talking about equality in wages and i'm not comfortable with that expression. because i don't want some of my friends on the other side of the aisle thinking that i think everyone should have the same income in terms of equality. but when it comes to equality of opportunity, when it comes to making certain that you can tell your kids that you're doing pretty good, but you know that they do better, when it comes to those dreams being hurt because of the examples that we find in this country, then the whole idea of

manufacturers wanting to have their workers be in a position to buy the things that they are manufacturing, or the services they are provideed -- providing. and so i am so glad that we have this time tonight to go beyond the pain of poverty and talk about the hopes and the dreams that people have in coming to this country. they come here not to remain poor, they don't come here to get rich. they come here because of the opportunity we have. and poverty is a poison that can get into any economy and make it impossible for poor folks to get out of it. so thank you so much for constantly reminding this great country that we can't afford to lose that greatness, because a lot of it was in god we trust and i do hope, as a result of our voices, that we hear from some of the people that hear directly from god, our

ministers and our arye buys, to be -- our rabbis, to be able to understand that jesus may have said that the meek shall inherit the earth, but he sure didn't mean that the meek should suffer while the rich just get richer. thank you so much for this opportunity, i yield back the balance of my time. . mr. jeffries: i thank the gentleman from new york for his always eloquent observations. it's my honor and hi privilege, we have been -- and my privilege, we have been ginned by the representative from -- joined by the representative from texas who has been a fighter a voice for the voiceless, someone who is always on the front lines trying to deal with sose yo economic inequality wherever it might be found in america but certainly in her home district in houston, texas, let me now yield to representative sheila jackson lee. ms. jackson lee: i thank the

distinguished co-leader of the task force for presenting our case to the american people, the distinguished gentleman, and i say it with great affection and respect, new york, and his co-leader, mr. horsford, the distinguished gentleman from nevada. i know our chairman of the agriculture committee is poised for a moment, i'll continue until that moment to raise the ag bill on the floor and certainly we know members work hard and we know that we will pause on that moment. but i couldn't think of a more crucial discussion, and let me quickly indicate that income equality raised by the congressional black caucus, the task force on poverty, our chairwoman, the honorable marcia fudge, my colleague, barbara lee, and myself and others through the years. one might offer to say decades. and you'll hear from other members, the distinguished dean of new york eloquently gave a

history, i know the distinguished gentleman from new jersey is on the floor and as well, our southern anchor and representative, mr. g.k. butterfield and again new york's new york, new york's representative yvette clarke. income inequality refers to the way in which income is unequally distributed. the inequality has been growing for the past 30 years. u.s. income inequality has been rising steadily over the last four decades and let me emphasize that it's reaching levels not seen since the 1920's. for those of us who read the history books, we know of the financial clappings leading to the depression of that era. that's frightening. and in the midst of that discussion, we're hearing babble and conversation about reducing

the debt, closing the deficit, when we have decidedly made a mark on that over the last decade. we did so with president obama fixing and working to turn wall street back on its feet, we did wit the stimulus package, which infused dollars into the economy, we fixed the mortgage meltdown and so now we find that houses are being sold, banks want to be able to relax how they give money to their various clients that are seeking to buy a house. we are at a point when we need to stop talking about the deficit and the debt, which is closing and the debt going down and start talking about investing in america and closing the horror and horrificness of wealth inequll -- inequality. somebody is going to understand from whence they came and know that america was always a place that someone without shoes could

walk into the opportunities and sunlight of opportunity. lyndon baines johnson's history tells of a very poor growing up after the loss of income from his father. it was on his mind that people who are poor should not be treated with indignity. so one of the biggest factors driving the increase in income inequality since 2000 is the stagnation of the typical american household in terms of income. one, we need to raise the minimum wage. and we need to stop blaming poor people and suggesting that their condition is their own. two studies by the university of wisconsin and university of kentucky, let me say these facts a low-wage job, supplemented with food stamps, is becoming more common for the working poor. a job and they have to get food stamps. that's not their desire. they're working people. they want to be respected for their work. many of the u.s. jobs now being

created are low income or minimum wage, part time, or in areas such as retail or fast food. yes, jobs. we don't denigrate them. but it brings about the highest level of income inequality and then on top of it, then on top of it, we are cutting billions from food stamps. as i told you, the young lady in texas makes $10 an hour working to be able to provide for her family. without shame she has to get on food stamps. since twune, 50% of the people getting food stamps are working. that's a point we need to realize. we need to increase the minimum wage and we realize the highest number are high school graduates. that's the bulk of the food stamp households. but college graduates or those who have had some college are also in food stamps. income inequality. as recently as 1998, the working

age of food stamp households was 44, now up to 50678 we are finding ourselveses in an economy of globalization, automation, and outsourcing. i'd like to work with my republican friends on curing that disease, the disease of outsourcing, giving up people's jobs, cutting down on manufacturing, which in actuality under president obama we've been able to surge up. i'd like them to look at legislation that says if you're chronically unemployed you'll get training and credit, you get the unemployment, you don't have to touch that, you get a training credit or stipend to change your life. the young lady in this newspaper article is trying to save money to get paramedic train, she wanted to be a nurse, had to drop out because of the lack of money. what are we doing about people like that? let me close and be able to indicate that i hope in america, and the cnn article, mr.

jeffries, the cnn commentary on the cnn programming did indicate that the words, or the individual that gave these words is a prominent, wealthy gentleman who is a senior citizen. i have great respect for senior citizens, i really do. they're all over my district. but i hope that we don't have to come to a time that the idea of trying to balance wealth inequality gets accused of being like nazis. my heart has broken. to be able to think that someone would misconstrue of helping this young 25-year-old suffering with low wages and trying to close the income gap as low -- as ridiculous comparison as that. freedom of speech, of course, but that is ridiculous. let me show this form as my final expression here. we are still fighting to get

unemployment beb fittings now. the numbers are past 1.9 million. let me be very clear. four of five beneficiaries have at least one other adult in the household. many support children, single adults, multiple adults in the household. these people need unemployment extension for base exbenefits and we can't do it. we used to do it on an emergency basis under the breath of talking about debt and deficit. we need to invest in america's people. we need infrastructure to create jobs and close the wealth inequality. one of of the people who -- one-half of the people who need unemployment ex-pension have some college and over nine in 10 live in households with total income of less than $75,000 a year, they need that bridge to keep them going and shamefully, shamefully, unfortunately, we have not done that. i want to thank the gentleman for giving me the opportunity. i feel bipartisanship coming

from my colleagues as they begin to talk on the floor and that bipartisanship wants to have increase in the minimum wage, make it a livable wage, pass the emergency unemployment insurance and have a reconsideration even though i know there's a conference coming on, conference bill but we can't cut food stamps to those who are suffering. i thank the gentleman and i look forward to investing in jobs that will be equal in income. i look forward to dealing with making automake works -- automake work for those who want to work, closing the outsourcing gap and boosting manufacturing to give hardworking americans who want something more than unemployment but need it now, who want something more than low-skilled jobs but need jobs now and want something more than having to get food stamps but need it now to be able to close this heinous income inequality that's plaguing america. it's an epidemic we must fight with every bit of our breath.

i yield back to the gentleman. mr. jeffries: i thank the gentlelady from texas. we're going to continue the special order momentarily but let me now yield briefly to the distinguished chair of the agriculture committee. >> i thank my colleague for the courtesy. pursuant to clause 7 of rule 22, i present a conference report on the bill h.r. 2642, the agricultural act of 2014. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: conference report to accompany h.r. 2642, an act to provide for the reform and continuation of agriculture and other programs of the department of agriculture through fiscal year 2018 and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: ordered to be print. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. jeffries: earlier this month we marked the 50th anniversary of the deck la reag of the war on poverty. in this chamber in january of

1964, president lyndon baines johnson spoke before a joint session of congress and announced a series of initiatives designed to combat chronic poverty in america. as a result of this effort, there were several legislative battles that were won in the march toward trying to create, as president johnson said, the great society, medicare, medicaid a food stamp act, school breakfast program, college work study, job corps, minimum wage enhancement. these were all part of the war on poverty but unfortunately, as we stand here today in 2014, some in this chamber have abandoned this war on poverty and instead have launched a war on the poor. as a result, we have seen income inequality grow and that's why it's such an important issue for us to confront right now. i'm pleased we have been joined

by one of the strongest voices in the congress for dealing with is issue, the distinguished gentleman from north carolina, someone who is the vice cheer of the congressional black caucus, representative g.k. butterfield. mr. butterfield: thank you, mr. jeffries, for yielding time and thank you for your passion and your willingness to come to this floor each week to raise up issues that are very important to the congressional black caucus and should be important to every american. i thank you so very much and thank you for your energy and the way you represent your district in brooklyn. thank you also to mr. horsford for your tireless efforts as well. mr. speaker, i'm looking forward to the is state of the union message tomorrow night. i have seen probably nine or 10 since i have been in congress and each one is unique in its own way but i am really looking forward to the state of the union message tomorrow night from president barack obama. if press reports are correct, it

seems to me that the president is ready to pull off the band-aid and expose the disease of income inequality in this country. hopefully the president will lay out a plan tomorrow night to address poverty and to address the huge income disparity that we see in our country. these are the facts. 46.5 million americans live below the poverty level. mr. jeffries, there are 308 million people in america and one out of six of those lives in poverty. that is unacceptable. in my district in north carolina, one of four, yes, one of four, lives in poverty. and that includes some 73,000 children. my congressional district is in the bottom 10 tissue among the with the tom 10 of all the congressional districts in the

country. -- among the bottom 10 of all the congressional districts in the country. people are losing purchasing power. across the country, purchasing power is getting less. why is that? wages are flat. workers are not experiencing pay raises and raises in their income as other americans are. wages are flat. 10% of wage earners today earn 50% of the nation's income. each year, the top 1% makes 26 times what a minimum wage worker makes on average. these are the facts. these are the statistics. we have not concocted this theory of people living in poverty, it is real and nearly 50 million americans are living in poverty. and so, we must get serious. we must get serious about enabling the american dream for millions of low-income americans

and millions of middle income americans. i heard the gentlelady from texas a few moments ago, congresswoman sheila jackson lee, talk about the minimum wage. she's absolutely correct, it's time for the minimum wage to be raised. raising the wage to $10.10 an hour would immediately, immediately lift 4.6 million americans out of poverty and many of those who are in poverty are the working poor. it's time for corporate america to use their record profits, and they are experiencing record profits, and good for them, but they must use their record profits to provide higher wages and better benefits. the fact is that corporate profits are enhanced when workers and their families are secure. so mr. speaker, i look forward to the state of the union message on tomorrow evening and urge the president to demonstrate, to demonstrate his resolve to give equal

opportunity to every american. finally, finally, the congressional black caucus has finally made the point that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of communities across america represented by republicans and democrats that have poverty rates in excess of 20%. some of those communities have had those rates for more than 30 years. the congressional black caucus has asked president obama to use his executive authority to target at least 10% more resources to these communities. the congressional black caucus as framed this as the 10-20-30 plan. i ask our president to target more resources this low-income communities and i thank you, mr. jeffries, for yielding time. mr. jeffries: i thank the distinguished gentleman from north carolina and as you pointed out, the income inequality and poverty should not be a partisan issue. it impacts urban america and it

impacts rural america. it impacts blue states and it impacts red states. it impacts the north, the south, the east, and the west, and the heartland of this country. and that's why it's been unfortunate that heretofor we've seen a refuse albie some of our friends on the other side of the -- refusal by some of our friends on the other side of the aisle to refuse to do things like raise the minimum wage which would lift the working poor out of poverty and set them on a pathway toward the middle class. now, one of the places where income inequality is particularly pronounced is in my hometown of new york city. one of the greatest cities in the world, one of the richest cities in the world. but 25% of the population in new york city lives below the poverty line. in the shadow of wall street, the engine that drives the world economy, that is an a

unfortunate reality. and -- an unfortunate reality. and one of the people who have been raising this issue and fighting hard to address this back home in new york city in s my distinguished colleague who represents -- is my distinguished colleague who represents the ninth congressional district, immediately adjacent to the one that i'm privileged to represent, mites honor right now to yield -- it's my honor right now to yield to the distinguished gentlelady from new york. ms. clarke: mr. speaker, i thank the gentleman from brooklyn, new york, my good friend and colleague, mr. jeffries, for yielding. and the gentleman from nevada, the honorable mr. horsford, for anchoring these special orders of the congressional black caucus. and i join with my colleagues of the congressional black caucus in rising this evening to address the issue of income inequality that continues to splinter the foundation of our nation. in brooklyn, the lowest income

in the lowest fifth of households took home about 2.5% the borough's income in 2011. the top 5% claimed 24%. almost 22% of the population of brooklyn lives in poverty. while the causes of this polarization are complex, i believe they're not insurmountable. the people of brooklyn have started to stand up and demand action on the issue. we know that the wage stagnation contributes largely to income disparities, so let's raise the minimum wage. we know that education is the true ladder of opportunity in our communities, so let's make the vital investments in education. we know that unemployment insurance is not only an essential tool for individuals, a bridge to find new work, but it is also a stimulus to our

local businesses. so let us extend unemployment insurance. most importantly, we must make every effort to make sure that no american is allowed to fall through our social safety net. and that we, as their national representives, truly look out for those who have been driven deeper into desperation and poverty by the recent financial crisis. so our message today is simple. the economic disparity that has creeped across our nation is threatening america's fundamental promise of opportunity for all. we must take action. opportunities for entrepreneurship and job creation, maintain our social compact so that no american has to go hungry, that we provide

the food assistance through a robust supplemental nutrition assistance program. let's provide the unemployment insurance for family -- that families need to maintain until they get those jobs they've been seeking. we must take action. that's what we've been sworn to do. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back to the gentleman from brooklyn, new york. mr. jeffries: i thank my good friend and colleague and look forward to continuing the fight and the march toward socioeconomic justice on behalf of the people we represent back at home in brooklyn and new york city. it's now my honor and my privilege to yield to another good friend, the dean of the freshman class of the c.b.c., someone who has continued in the great tradition that had been set forth by his father and his predecessor and is carving out his own reputation as a fighter for justice on

behalf of the people he represents back at home in new jersey. let me now yield too the distinguished gentleman -- to the distinguished gentleman from the garden state, representative donald payne jr. mr. payne: thank you, mr. speaker. and let me begin by thanking the dynamic duo of the c.b.c.'s freshman class, mr. horsford and mr. jeffries, for their tireless leadership in the 113th congress and now the second session of the 113th congress. they have demonstrated that they have hit the ground running and understand the issues that are important to the people of the united states . so, mr. speaker, in the gap between the rich and poor in this country has really become staggering. and that gap is increasing every single day.

nowhere is that more true than in my home state of new jersey. the number of wealthy families has doubled. meanwhile the poorest income brackets have increased sharply. in my district alone, more than a quarter of the people live in poverty. and this is likely really underestimated. due to the high cost of living in new jersey. not only is there a growing gap , but unemployment is high, the minimum wage is stagnant and there's a lack of opportunity throughout this nation for people to find the jobs that they need to have their families live in the manner in which they should. this in the richest country in the world, the greatest nation n the world, it's absolutely

unacceptable. all of these contribute to growing income inequality. and the gentleman from new york was correct, mr. rangel, we're not saying that everyone should have the same standard of living or the same salary or income. but the opportunity to rise to those salaries and incomes are the issue of today. and one thing that the congress can do to help lessen this inequality is to extend unemployment insurance right away. you know, mr. speaker, it is interesting how some of this issue is couched and maybe people just don't want to get up and look for a job and if they take that menial job, then what's the problem?

the problem is you can't feed your children, you can't buy the clothes they need to go to school. ou can't educate them. therein lies the problem. we are in a time now where there are more than one million long-term unemployed who literally have been left out in the cold. you see, mr. speaker, i know what it's like to be unemployed. i know what it's like to be down on your luck. at one time a company that i for for a decade -- for a decade, which i thought would be my career, i'd retire from there, get the gold watch, well, mr. speaker, it didn't work out that way. and the company closed its doors and i found myself unemployed. going down to the unemployment office to get the paperwork

needed and checking across my community to attempt to get a job. that's another thing people don't understand about this, mr. speaker. you see, you can't just sit around and not look for a job. in order to collect nemployment insurance. and that it has not been extended is almost a crime. because, you see, some of these people have paid into this system for five years and 10 years and 20 years and now that they need it, we're saying to those people that have played by the rules and done the things that we've said they sthud do -- should do, that it's over for you. i know what it's like not to have a paycheck, to go paycheck-to-paycheck. now, i was fortunate in my situation. i was able to move back home.

but what i understand, mr. speaker, is that everyone does not have that opportunity. o i will continue to fight for what is right and what this nation should stand for. take it from me. you know, being unemployed, out looking for a job is hard work. and it wears on you mentally and emotionally. because a job isn't just a paycheck. it's not just about one's livelihood. a job defines your purpose in life. the hundreds of thousands of unemployed in new jersey remain hopeful and optimistic that if they keep working hard, they keep playing by the rules, they will be rewarded one day and find their new purpose in life. we must fulfill that promise that we have made to them.

the faces of the unemployed are those living in poverty in new jersey, they're numerous and diverse. mr. speaker, there's another dynamic. we have the dynamic of people who have great qualifications not being able to find a job. because it's an employer's market and, you know, apparently the bottom line is what is the most important ? ing for people to lose a percentage on their gains or the pesage of income they make for their shareholders is the most important thing. so they're willing to let people lose their incomes to keep those numbers where they are. they are middle-aged workers who after decades with a company they loved find

themselves unemployed. they're young people with college and master's degrees who did everything right but can't seem to find a job, no matter how qualified they are. so i'm asking my friends on both sides of the aisle to look at the face of the long-term unemployed. to look at the faces of minimum wage workers. to look at the faces of the men and women and children living in poverty. i'm asking my friends on both sides of the aisle to leave behind their political agendas and move forward with a human agenda. because, ladies and gentlemen, there are, mr. speaker, there is no reason that in the greatest nation on the face of the earth, that we have these issues to the degree that we do. so, i just want to close by in ng that there are people

this nation that play by the rules. there are people in this nation that have done everything that we've asked them to do. so it is our obligation in this nation, as its leaders, to find those opportunities for people to live and continue the type life they've had in the american way and i am just here to say that i will continue to fight for the less fortunate because i will not turn my back on any american that wants to play by the rules and have done what we've said in this nation you need to do, the land of the free and the home of the brave, that still should mean something. mr. speaker, i yield back. mr. jeffries: i thank the gentleman for his thoughtful observations and for focusing on the need to re-authorize unemoy