for a child's college education, equal pay means building a pension that allows for a dignified retirement. equal pay means that everyone, regardless of their gender, gets a fair shot at living their american dream. thank you, mr. speaker. and i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. . for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, ordered. >> thank you, mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of the week of the young child, the national -- of the young child. the national association for the education of young children started the week of the young child in 1971 and since that time this week has focused attention on young children and young paraphernalias, two groups who don't have high-priced lobbyists to advocate for them

in washington. ms. meng: for this reason, i co-funned the congressional kids' safety caucus where we seek to raise awareness of preventable child injuries. in addition, assisting in the education and care of our youngest are among the highest yielding and most just investments our government can make. i call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to recommit themselves to working toward high quality early childhood education for all. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the entlewoman from ohio rise? without objection, so ordered. ms. kaptur: thank you, mr. speaker. with the tragic shooting at fort hoorked our country has once again been rah vadged by the mental instability and gun ram pages. as president obama did today, let's honor those lost to this tragedy. sernlt first place ferguson, and soldier carlos louzeny and

continue to pray for the injured as they recover as well as all those in uniform in our nation. as this is the second shooting at ford hao -- fort hood in recent years, we must ask ourselves, isn't it time for a national conversation on untreated mental illness? as a member of the appropriations defense subcommittee, we must use this moment to support early diagnosis as well as path breaking neurological research building on the president's brain initiative. we must probe the undiscovered if you thinks of the human mind and human performance. it will benefit both our deserving veterans and all americans who struggle -- struggle with the unknown reaches of the unquiet mindism lend my support to honor the heroes lost at fort hood and implore my colleagues to make certain this latest tragedy is indeed the last tragedy. let us measure up to this worthy challenge. i yield back. the chair: the -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from oregon rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to

address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ord. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in opposition to the 2015 ryan budget a budget that will hurt middle class americans while at the same time give breaks to some of the wealthiest in this country. early childhood education is important but the ryan budget cuts head start. ms. bonamici: millions of americans are still struggling to find work in a changing economy. instead of investing in programs to prepare the unemployeed for new careers, this budget cuts job training. nearly 16 million children are food insecure and we know that growing up hungry is directly correlated to a child's academic success. this budget guts the supplemental nutrition assistance program. for millions of young people with dreams of atepiding college, this budget offers them no hope. instead it cuts pell grant aid. we must do more to invest in this great nation if we want to

continue our economic recovery and create a brighter future. instead of robust investments in infrastructure and transportation, the ryan budget takes us backward. mr. speaker, we can and we should and we must do better. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> mr. speaker, i rise with an extremely heavy heart to pay tribute to the life of our beloved ann louise taylor who pass aid way last week. ms. lee: words cannot express my sadness as we money ann's untimely death. sesh -- she served as my district director for more than five years but more important, she was a trusted and loving friend. her contributions to the residents of the east bay were enormous. with true compassion and commitment she touched the lives of thousands of people. prior to joining my office,

ann's accomplished public career included working for california assembly member and california state board of equalization member johan hayes and head of government relations at california state east bay. not only was she a true public servant and an amazing woman, she was passionate. she loved the alameda antique fair and fourth of july parade. our don kondo lenses go out to ann's two exceptional daughters, eleanor and grace, and to her entire family of whom she loved deeply. our thoughts and trares -- prayers are with them in these difficult days. y her spirit continue to inspire us and her memory stay close to our hearts. she touched many lives. we know her soul is resting in peace.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ord. >> i rise today to honor kristen fulford, a member of my staff for the last nine years. chris tan has been an in-- trysten has been an a value yeeble member of team, shemened constituentse sure receive social security payments and helped students prepare for college. mr. barrow: she's taken pride for nearly a decade in helping those in our communities. all of us in congress know how hard our staffs work and we know woe wnt -- we wouldn't be here if it weren't for people like kristen who are our eyes, ears, and helping hands when we're not hope. i wish her well and i know folks in my district will miss her as much as i will.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the 75th anniversary of one of the greatest pieces of american literature, john stein beck's "grapes of wrath." the national steinbeck cent for the salina nass -- salinas, california, is celebrating all year with events throughout the country. mr. farr: the pulitzer prize-winning novel was published in 1949. it captured the brutal honesty, the story of migrant farmworkers, fleeing oklahoma's dust bowl in search of new opportunity in california. steinbeck wanted to shine a light on the social injusestieses that plagued the working -- injustices that plagued the working poor. it was banned an burned in many

parts of the country. inspired by the novel, first lady eleanor roosevelt helped pass new labor laws after touring the shocking conditions of the california camps. the -- "the grapes of wrath quats changed the way we view poverty in this country. that's why it figured prominently in the decision to award steinbeck the noble prize. even today the novel offers us hope, hope that our best days lie before us. steinbeck's words resonate as true today as they did 75 years ago. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> i ask unanimous -- unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> once again through the ryan budget, house leadership is seeking to balance the budget on the backs of hardworking american families and seniors. undermining the economic recovery and ending the medicare guarantee. as an emergency medicine physician, i know firsthand that

many of the senior is care for rely on the medicare they've earned. in fact, in riverside county, california, alone, other 250,000 seniors relie on medicare. mr. ruiz: our priority should be reducing health care costs in order to make medicare stronger and more sustainable. but this budget transforms medicare into a voucher program shifting the cost of health care to our seniors and ending medicare as we know it. we must work together to protect and preserve medicare, reduce our deficit, and decrease health care costs. the ryan budget is not the way to do that. this proposal has the wrong priorities for riverside county, california, and our nation. i urge my colleagues to end the partisan political gamesmanship and put american families and our seniors first. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut rise?

>> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> i rise with a great sense of pride on behalf of the entire delegation of the state of connecticut, who are indeed honored again to be national champions. mr. larson: our entire delegation will have an extended period of time to amplify the great accomplishments of the university of connecticut but for an unprecedented second time, first and foremost, our women's basketball team went undefeated and was perfect as they are and of course the men's team, in ralph hall's great state of texas where we've won the national championship three mes, again was able to win a national championship and kevin ollie's first year as the coach when the team was eligible for it. this is remarkable.

14 national championships in the game of basketball, we're very proud not only of our coaches and our student athletes but all the hard work and effort that goes into this and our delegation will be down here at another time to further extol the virtues of the university of connecticut and the great state it represents. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. carter of texas for april 7 through april 9, ms. jackson lee of texas for april 9 and 10, and mr. lewis of eorgia for today and tomorrow. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the requests are granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january -- policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman from texas, mr. neugebauer, is

recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. neugebauer: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. neugebauer: mr. speaker, it's an honor for me to rise tonight to recognize a great friend and great public servant and a great chancellor at texas tech university. when chancellor hans was first -- hance was first appointed at texas tech university, his motto was dream no little dreams. i think this is the perfect mot foe for a chancellor to use because that expresses the way he's lived his life. ken hance was born toray monday morrow, he enrolled in texas

tech university in 1961 and joined the fraternity delta tau delta where he often mention head became friends with a guy named john dorcendorf, who later became john denver. i think sometimes ken hance claim he is helped john denver with some of his material but we haven't been able to verify that. he became friends with john denver but hance graduated from texas tech in 1965 and with a business -- with a business degree and despite his better judgment entered law school at the university of texas and while he was at that school, they named him president of the student bar association and of course in the true red raider spirit. after graduating with his law degree he returned to west tooks to -- west texas to practice law and teach business law at texas tech. while teaching, undoubtedly the

most momentous meeting in his career was when he had a student by the name of randy neugebauer in his business law class. what's kind of unique about that, in that class my profess -- professor hance and student neugebauer, little did either of us know both of us would go on to be congressmen for the 19th district of texas. in 1974, kent decided to run for the texas senate and won in that west texas seat he served in the senate from 1974 through 1978, when he decided to run for congress for he 19th congressional district. interestingly enough, in that race, he defeated a young man from midland, texas, by the name of george w. bush. many of us know he became the future president of the united states. one of the things president bush would say is mr. hance and i accomplished something he wasn't able to accomplish, be elected

to congress, but he would spile and say, but i guess it worked out. after serving in the house of representatives from 1979 to 1985, he was known for his conservative voting record, a member of the boll weevil conservatives. when congressman h nambings ce became one of president reagan's closest allies in his 1981 tax package. in 19 4, hance decided to run for senate in texas a seat ultimately won by phil gramm. he was appointed to the texas railroad commission and the first republican to ever serve on the railroad commission in texas. due to his successes, he was re-elected in 1988 and in 1989, he was legitimated commission. after stepping down, he continued to practice law and in 2006, kent hance was the third chancellor of the texas tech

university position. he became implementing the motto dream no little dreams and no little dreams did he have for texas tech university. he said he was going to raise $1 billion and began a fundraising campaign, the largest one in the school's history. additionally, hance decided to grow the university from 40,000 students to meet the demands of a growing state. not only his fundraising campaign exceeded the $1 billion mark, he has grown the university system by doubling it nd adding angelo state and the texas tech science center. texas university has increased in the number of degrees by 46% between 2006 and 2012 and added theapter of the phi beta to

campus. he accomplished all of these things early and people recognized his talents and named him an alumni of texas tech. he announced he would be stepping down as chancellor while at texas tech and west texas would be losing one of the best advocates. we are extremely grateful and will serve as chairman. he will continue teaching his seminar classes on leadership. beforehanding over the floor to some of my colleagues that would like to say some things, i wanted to read a quick quote from george w. bush. he said texas tech was fortunate to have hance. he leaves behind a better university and i wish him all my

best to my friend. it's my pleasure, mr. speaker, to recognize the gentleman from, mr. hall, from texas, for three minutes. mr. hall: i thank you very much. i would like to recognize my former colleague, kent hance, a man who spent his life in public service for the benefit of our country and where he currently serves as chancellor. i'm especially proud to speak for kent, he was a very successful attorney and great member of the texas senate, real leader in the united states congress and important to me. he is and was and will always be

a super friend. kent and i served in the texas state senate and our paths did not pass until i was first elected to congress where he was already serving as congressman for the 19th district of texas. we are both conservative and worked with president reagan to carry out his tax cut in 1981. tonight we recognize kent for his efforts on behalf of texas education. for the last eight years, kevpbt has served texas tech university. and certainly has worked with the school to make tremendous strides and further the school advances for students. during his time, texas tech has far surpassed previous fundraising goals at all four institutions and worked to put texas tech on track for becoming a tier one research institution. i was pleased to support the legislation that spawned the law school at texas tech. i come from a family of teachers

and value quality education for our nation's students as i know kent does. education is directly tied to our future as well as american innovation and competitiveness. we look for leaders like kent to make sure students receive the best education possible, because i agree, as he agrees, that children are 25% of our population and 100% of our future. i thank kent for his friendship and service to our debate state of texas and our country. i congratulate him on his success as chancellor and i wish him all the very best in his future endeavors. and i yield back. mr. neugebauer: i thank the gentleman and i recognize mr. barton, for three minutes. mr. barton: i ask unanimous

consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. barton: we are here to honor a texas legend in his own time, he honorable kent hance. kent was born in west texas and has already been pointed out, he got elected to the texas senate at a very young age and got elected to the house of representatives in 1978 along ith such stalwarts as phil gramm and ralph hall came a little bit later, marvin lee from waco came later. weevilme known as a boll . president reagan asked a number of them to carry the reagan tax

cut, which really began the renaissance of america, and that young man was congressman kent hance of the 19th congressional district. he was on the ways and means ommittee as a democrat and prevailed -- i would assume the chairman was dan. in 1984, he decided to go back to texas and gave up his seat in.larry combest came bow rmiey, joe barton, boletter and max sweeney. he switched parties and became a republican and got appointed to the railroad commission. he was the first republican to be named chairman. he did run for governor a time

or two in that time span and did not have the same luck for governor. went into the private sector. became a consultant and an attorney and helped me politically on a number of issues. then as has been pointed out, became chancellor of texas tech and the students who hardly know what a chancellor is, most niversities, they call him the hancelor from text a as tech. the thing that impressed me the most. when people are elected to office and successful, we have lots of friends and call us and help us to do things and help us and support us, but when we lose or are not successful, normally the only people that try to raise our spirits are our family and sometimes people that we owe

money to. occasion, particular i had a political setback and i was really down and i was moping around my house and one morning, i want to say it was about 9:30 and my cell phone rang and it was kent hance and i'll never forget that. so we're here to honor you for your public service, but i'm also here to thank you for your personal friendship. you're a great man. i wish you well. and i hope you stay involved in the public sector, because people of your caliber are in short supply and are always needed. god bless you and god bless your family. mr. neugebauer: i thank the gentleman. i think what the gentleman said about mr. hance, he dedicated

himself to a life of public service and education, but when you ask people, kent hance was always available to be your friend and that is a unique characteristic for someone. he ules took time out to be a good friend to folks. mr. speaker, now i would like to recognize the gentleman from, mr. smith, from texas, for three minutes. mr. smith: i thank the gentleman from west texas for yielding me time and nice to have our friend and former member of the house down here on the floor with us tonight, kent hance. today we honor kent hans, who is about to enjoy a well earned retirement. he has served as chancellor for over seven years. texas tech is the only campus in texas that is home to a major university, a law school and medical school and the

university continues to expand to other parts of texas. for example, there is a satellite campus in my home district in the town of fredericksburg. under his tenure, texas tech set new student enrollment records and research ex pen tidurs have almost tripled. i have more red raiders in my d.c. office than any other college, so i know the quality of students who come from texas tech. you will continue to serve as chancellor at the university and teach a course in political leadership, no surprise there. this should not come as a great surprise since kent hance has loved the university as he first stepped foot on the campus in 1961. he likes to say dream no little dreams, end quote. his leadership in turning texas tech into one of the top higher

learning institutions in america reflects that motto. thank you, chancellor hance for all you have done for texas tech university and all you have done for the great state of texas. mr. neugebauer: i thank the gentleman. my neighbor to the south, mr. conaway from texas is recognized. kent away: mr. speaker, haps was headed for a life of crime before he attended texas tech university. it would not be -- it would not be where it is today wouldn't chancellor hance but he wouldn't be who he was without having attended texas tech in 1961. a storied career as a political servant, one of his political accomplishments was that he is the only person to defeat george bush george bush in election. he won the seat with his humor,

quick witt and good old-fashioned hard work. he once remarked had president bush defeated him in the congressional race, bush would have wound up as chairman of the agricultural committee instead of president of the united states. everyone has a kent hance story and his ability to weave experiences, real and imagined into -- to make a point is legendary. he has been known as many things, an attorney, a professor, railroad commissioner, congressman and friend. but i believe his best role has been as chancellor of texas tech university. we thank you for your service, your leadership and legacy will shine bright for years to come. and i wish kent hance and his family god speed in the next chapter of their lives. i yield back. mr. neugebauer: the gentleman from texas, dr. burgess, is

ecognized for three minutes. i recognize the gentleman from from houston texas for three minutes. mr. olson: i thank my colleague from lubbock for hosting this special order. to celebrate another texan from lubbock, good friend from kent. we became friends in 1998. i was working at the time for united states senator phil gramm. we talked about kent's achievements, i would like to pull back the curtain and show the real kent hance. he joined us on november 14, 1942.

e is now 71 years young. -- re kent was born, he was he worked at several places. kent went to different high .chools, graduating in 1961 -- went to dement high school, dwradge waiting in 1961. they have two mascots, the bobcats for the boys and the bobbies for the girls. ent and his best buddy, spider spent a lot of time at the carlisle theater trying to find

the love of their lives. spider found his love in corpus hristi, texas. kent met his true love suzy they both were lawyers. they worked hard and they played hard. and they loved races at the track. one hard week after -- after one hard work of -- week of working hard and playing hard they went to el paso, texas, and went to juarez to go to races at the track. the cab driver had very poor english, he took them to a very

special track. monkey jockeys riding gray hounds. -- grayhounds. kent learned two things that night. suzy will follow him anywhere in the world and he needed to learn more spanish, especially the word horse in spanish. one more personal story about kent hance. on an time together aircraft carrier. to come aboard a carrier, you fly a different approach. a controlled crash. you have these wires across the back of the deck, hooking the aircraft to catch them. the plane goes to full power before it's hooked. to take off, off catapult, zero to 140 miles per hour in 300 feet. i have never heard a human being scream so loudly with terror and joy then kent hance on that

aircraft. i'll close by talking about kent's tenure at texas tech niversity. they gave him his education and his life in the business world. because of kent hance, texas tech has a medical school in peal sew, texas. kent chased this down doggedly. getting a big donation, $50 million, from alumni to make this dream happen. and raider nation is thrilled to have this building on campus, the kent hance chapel. it gives students a place when they're struggling a place of peace. a place of prayer. at ce to have a wedding

texas tech. texas tech behind , some talk about, is he the greatest chancellor we've ever had? to paraphrase bum phillips, kent hance may not be in a class by himself but whatever class he's in, it don't take lock to call the roll. kent, my friend, as you move on to your next challenge, you have my best. it's not very good but it's my best. god bless you. mr. neugebauer: i thank the gentleman for bringing up a point that, you know, while chancellor hance was out raising money for the university, over $1 billion, i think what it exemplifies who kent hance is he put his money up too, contributing to building that chapel on the campus of texas tech, where, as the gentleman

mentioned a lot of weddings have been held but students go over there and spend time for prayer. i think that says a lot about the character of the man we honor today. it's now my pleasure to recognize another one of my neighbors, my neighbor to the west, the gentleman from new mexico, mr. pearce, recognized for three minutes. mr. pearce: i thank the gentleman from lubbock for yielding. many would ask, what does representative -- former representative from texas have to do with new mexico? new mexico's second district is bordered on two sides by texas and in those days growing up three miles from texas, often we new mexico guys slid across the state line in the middle of the night, we found things to entertain us there and be back home by daylight. so west texas and eastern new mexico have a lot in common. i had the opportunity to meet mr. hance when he was in congress. i was flying as the corporate

pilot for the congressman from the second district of new mexico, and during that association had the opportunity to meet the congressman from lubbock. started watching him from aties tans there. many people are going to recount the good thing this is a the tite -- the titles he's had, the positions he's had. i'd like to recount that as someone watching kent hance from a distance, as he made his way through congress and later became chancellor at texas tech, the university that is host to many students from new mexico, watching from aties tans, i can say that mr. hance did the thing this is a all leaders are called to do. he served with honor, with distinction, but he made tough choices when called on a couple of years ago, a couple of years ago a high -- when called on. -- texasof years ook a

tech needed a tough hand on the shoulder. texas tech has been better off because he was there as a strong person in times when they needed strong leadership. again from new mexico side of the border, we would like to say thank you for guiding an institution that's been home to so many new mexicans, thank you for your distinction in your service, for your commitment to principles, for your commitment to honor and duty. we all from new mexico say god bless you, god speed to you and thanks for your years of service. i yield back. mr. neugebauer: i thank the gentleman. now the gentleman from dallas, texas, mr. sessions is recognized for three minutes. for essions: thank you inviting the texas delegation and our friends from new mexico to come and honor our dear friend, kent hance, tonight. he's not just a living legend, she a man who served not only the state of texas but our great

nation with honor and distinction. kent hance, as chancellor of texas tech has also done the same thing for thousands of young people who came not only to texas tech and lubbock, texas, for a great education, he helped make their experiences and their college education even better. as randy neugebauer knows, as the member of congress from the 19th district of texas, the high plains of texas offers a unique opportunity not only for the kind of people who live there, the kinds of circumstances as god rolls thunder across sand and sand storms and rain across nort texas but it provides the kind of unique experiences that people who live there love it. they love where they're from and t builds a kind of person that has spirit and opportunity but who sees themselves not just as a proud texan but as an

american. and kent hance truly has lived up to that. there's been a discussion tonight about suzy, kent's beloved suzy this beautiful young woman who, albeit from dallas, texas, who was stolen away by the marauding kent hance and taken up to lubbock, texas, we still miss suze as she lives in lubbock and enjoys her life there and the girls, but i want you to know, mr. speaker, that tonight, tonight the texas delegation, so many others are here on the floor to talk about the life and times of a young man who came to congress, who served the state of texas, his nation, and now served in providing education that is superior, second to none, building not just a medical school that is second to none but a law school and an undergraduate degree, engineering and other areas that have made texas tech university not just on the map, literally,

but has made it better because of his personal commitment to excellence. i want to join the texas dell jation -- delegation, chairman neugebauer tonight as we give a big texas salute and a thank you to the gentleman from lubbocking texas, the gentleman, kent hance. i thank you for yielding me the time, injury. mr. neugebauer: i thank the gentleman. another gentleman from texas, mr. stockman is recognized for three minutes. mr. stockman: i have to tell you, when i first got elected, it was none other than kent hance who came down there i was young guy, he gave me a lot of advice but i knew him before he knew me. because ronald reagan was in trouble and kent hance stepped forward, against a lot of his party's wishes, and took the bull by the horns and changed the united states which is is amazing. and -- but one of the thick this is a kent, you've always done,

you reached out to me when you didn't have to. the most important thing is that you have the birthday on the proper day. november 14. which is also my birthday. and everybody talks about he raised $1 billion but the thing i like the most is that you ran and beat somebody and that person you beat was none other han the -- than the next president of the united states, george bush, yet you reach aid cross after you beat george bush you became his number one fan. i just -- i'm amazed, i western we could do this more often where we reach across the aisles and demonstrate love beyond partisanship. that speaks volumes about you and what's also amazing and touch misheart, you are texas. when you think about your life story, i don't know if you're going to write a book, if you've written a book you need to write a book because your stories i hear from other friends, we have mutual friends, it's phenomenal. one thing i do ask, you need to

teach me how to raise money because you raised $1 billion, that's phenomenal, and you did it for good causes. i think i had a dream once you were going to give me $250 million. mutual friend of ours in dallas told me that story, you said you had a dream that he -- i thought, that's the cleverest thing to do but again i want to express my friendship to you and how much you've helped me throughout the years and you've been really gracious to me and with that, i yield back the time. mr. neugebauer: i thank the gentleman. now another great texan, the gentleman from dallas, dr. burgess is recognized for three minutes. mr. burgess: i thank the gentleman for the recognition, i'm pleased to come to the floor of the house tonight to offer the congratulations to the a great texan, hent hance -- kent hance, chancellor of texas tech university, former member of congress, former state senator,

i've had the good fortune to know mr. hance since i arrived here. i know firsthand of his commitment to education. and the reason i know this is there is hardly a smester that gos by that i don't have at least one tech intern working in the office. mr. hance understands the value of education for young people, he also understands the value of placing them in situations where they may have an opportunity to do something that they would probably never have an opportunity to do again, work in a member of congress' office, sometimes it's unglom rouse, sorting mail or helping organize letters for reply but sometimes going to a congressional hearing, sometimes going to a congressional hearing that's of significant importance. so certainly, again, i want to thank you for always having the foresight to have your students in the offices here in the

capitol of the united states because i think it makes a big difference, not just to us, not just to texas tech but it makes a big difference to texas and the nation. on a personal note, i want to acknowledge that i was not someone who was in political life all my life. i ran a medical practice for a number of years and then rather unexpectedly, won a race for congress. shortly after winning the nomination, prior to the fall election, mr. hance and i crossed paths and he has provided me wise counsel and guidance from time to time and of that, i'm certainly appreciative. one thing i will never forget, i don't even remember the trouble that was going on here in washington, but it was something and it affected a lot of us and it affected a lot of us personally. i woke up one morning and there was a letter to the editor of the "dallas morning news" from kent hance thanking me for my service. got my attention that day, lifted my spirits and whenever

whenever i get down -- and whenever i get down with the things going on here in washington, i think back to that day and how kent hance helped lift me up, i hope i've been able to return the favor to others, but mr. hance you showed me the way, i'm grateful to your wise counsel other the years. i yield back. mr. neugebauer: i thank the gentleman. one of the things about this evening, we had some other members planning to be here tonight to honor the chancellor but as you know there was a memorial service in texas at fort hood today and so some of our members have flown to texas to participate in that. and i have letters from some of those folks that i -- remarks that i want to enter for the record. but i have a very special letter here from the speaker of the house which i'm going to put in the record, i won't read the whole letter, it's a nice letter, it talks about all the many accomplishments of chancellor hance and his service

here in congress and he closes that letter by saying, congratulations to chancellor hance as he moves on to a new chapter and i thank him for his leadership, his vision, and his lifetime of public service. here's another letter from governor rick perry. he says my pleasure to join your friends and colleagues in recognizing the remarkable job you have done as a leader in the texas tech university system. you have presided over an incredible era, highlighted by profound growth and positive change with the addition of angelo state university and the system has doubled in size since 2007 and enrollment has increased dramatically and students are enjoying the work force. nearly 10,000 degrees were earned in 2012 and almost

doubled the ones awarded a year ago. many students have passed through your institution and they will make incredible contributions to our community, state and nation. you have furthered the individual success and collective achievement. we thank you for your service to the state of texas and wish you enjoyable retirement. governor rick perry. randy sanders, a former editor from texas. during the six years i was editor, i would call hance when i was in a dilemma. many times without taking a breath, he would tell you let me tell you what i would do if i were in your issues. his advice was spot on. no one knows west texas better than kent hance, he cuts to the

chase and will develop a plan in the most beneficial and possible manner. from one of the regents, tim lancaster and he writes, no matter where you start you have to prioritize how inclusive you have become. it has been a great career. there are few people that can include in the same category as kent hance. these individuals like you don't come along often enough. one of our senators, senator john cornyn, says this about kent haps. i send my greetings and best wishes on your retirement as chancellor after more than eight years at the texas tech university. from your career in the texas senate and house of representatives and railroad commission, you have dedicated your life to the betterment of

texas. your energy and experience has been an important force in ensuring quality to higher education and expansion of research at texas tech. mr. cruz, says on behalf of the great state, thank you for your great service to the state of texas and texas tech university. your strong moral character and entrepreneurial spirit has created a legacy that will not be forgotten. the mayor of lubbock, let me offer you my congratulations and thank you for your service to texas. your love and dedication to texas tech has brought the university to new heights from your graduation in 1965 to leading the way to raising over $1 billion. the time you have been at texas tech has made a lasting impression on the university. your strength ties and your

efforts to increase enrollment have led to new students and families calling lubbock home. you ar true servant of the state. thank you for your years of service and dedicated to making lubbock and west texas, a better place to live. congressman roger williams was originally going to be here and is a good friend of chancellor hance but he went down to the memorial service today at fort hood. he says i recognize a great friend of texas. texas tech university system chancellor kent hance. in his eight years as head, he has become a staple in the community and beloved figure. famous for knowing every texas mascot, a trathe that he and i -- a trait that he and i share.

from the cats to the pipers, there is not a student on campus he hasn't won over with his down-to-earth demeanor. quick witt and famous stories and steadfast dedication will be missed upon his retirement. i wish my friend the best of luck in his next endeavor and thank him for his tremendous legacy. from his early days in texas politics to his service in the u.s. congress, chancellor hance makes a difference. he lives by his own motto, dream no little dreams and i look forward to seeing what his dreams have in store for him next. another member that went down to the fort hood memorial service was congressman john carter. he says today, i rise today to honor the distinguished career of chancellor kent hance.

he will soon close his incredible service to texas tech. and begin the next chapter of his life. chancellor hance's dedication to public service began in politics, texas senate, u.s. house and since becoming chancellor in 2006, he has made incredible achievements and the university continues to thrive because of his accomplishments. retirement is to be celebrated and enjoyed and not the end of a career but the beginning of a new adventure. i speak for myself as well as my red raider family, unconditional love for texas tech combined with miss leadership leaves behind a legacy that will never be forgotten. i commend him for his dedication and wish him the best in the years to come. one of the things that chancellor hance is very hands-on and gets involved with the students at texas tech and

greets them one on one and teaches a leadership class there. and so i think it's kind of fitting we asked some of the students that had known the chancellor. these are the people that he is working for and worked tirelessly for. john, who is the texas tech board of regular events graduate said, let it be said that he an abiding love to texas tech. chancellor hance has given much more than the eight years. those who know him knows his love affair began shortly after his parents dropped him off in 1961. since then, he has served his family and his constituents with honor, going all the way back to the late 1970's, when he served in this hallowed body. he is well known to saying to the freshman, i love texas tech and truly kent hance loves texas

tech. wanted to read a few quotes from stephanie, who is an intern in our office and worked in the chancellor office and says this. chancellor hance is committed to excellence in every area of his life. thinks enthusiasm is very evident and the impact he has left on texas tech university as well as everyone he meets. his passion for investing in the students is second to none and hard to imagine that that texas tech without the chancellor. it has been a pleasure serving his office as student assistant and will carry that experience with me. pat campbell, who once said, you could easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those, who he can -- who can do nothing for him, chancellor hance goes above and beyond the call of duty as an administrator and i'm proud to call him a friend. when chancellor haps says he

loves texas tech, he truly means it. lee bobit, a former student body president wrote this. he had high expectations for himself and all those who worked around him. he improved the university and through his work taught me and many others to be servant leaders, to be good listeners and more importantly how to connect with people through the fine art of storytelling. he is one of a kind and i'm lucky to have called him mentor and friend. mr. speaker, i have many other letters here and testimony which we will be glad to enter into the record. and we talked about chancellor hance's former member of congress, former state senator, former railroad commissioner and his life of public service has been obviously he dreamed no little dream. for a minute, i would like to talk about the kent hans, not

the one i call chancellor but one i call friend. we had the opportunity to mentor and talk to each other and i consider his advice to be a treasure in my life. and i can always call him up and when there's an issue or something i want to get his reflection on, he is quick to take my call. you know, it's not just what kent hance says and what we have seen tonight, it's how he lived his life. a lot of people -- out in west texas, we say some people talk the talk, but some people that you really pay attention to are the people that walk the walk. and what i would say about my friend kent hance, he dreamed no little dream and he walked the walk. it has been my pleasure tonight to recognize a good friend, a great american, a great texan

and a good friend. go red raider. go tech. the speaker pro tempore: members are reminded not to make reference to guests on the house floor. under the speaker's announced 3, 2013, the ry gentleman from wisconsin, mr. polk and is recognized as the -- pocan is recognized as the designee of the minority leader. mr. pocan: i'm glad to be here on behalf of the progressive caucus special order hour. we are going to be talking about the budget. everyone's talking about the budget that paul ryan republican budget, progressive caucus budget and other budgets we have had before us. and we have our own version of a budget. the budget that invests in the economy, creates 8.8 million

jobs and does tremendous job of dealing with issues that are at the forefront of what america needs to deal with. but we have a huge contract in the budget that we have in this body before us that the republicans have introduced that will be voting on this week, tomorrow, in this very body and tonight we would like to have a little talk about that. as you look at the better off budget in blue versus the g.o.p. budget, the better off budget creates 8.8 million jobs by investing in infrastructure, investing in our schools, investing in energy and a number of programs across the country. on the contrast, the republican budget actually costs the economy 3.1 million jobs. that's as many people as the entire work force of the state of wisconsin get fired in a simple budget. so it's one of the biggest issues about the budget is what

we are doing about jobs and the economy. we have been told by the congressional budget office, that the number one issue this year, the number one thing that causes our deficit, three-quarters of a deficit in 2014 is caused by unemployment and underemployment. and our budget directly addresses that and the g.o.p. budget does just the opposite. i would like to yield some time to one of my colleagues, a strong member of the progressive caucus, outstanding member of our california delegation and yield some time to mr. lowenthal. mr. lowenthal: i thank the gentleman from wisconsin for his work on the congressional progressive caucus budget, and for just being an all-around good guy. the nondiscretionary side of the beating in king a

recent years with extreme cuts to its programs. the ryan budget continues this damage with even deeper cuts to discretionary programs. now what do i mean by discretionary programs? we're talking about education, ublic safety, clean drinking water, food safety, roads, bridges, our transportation system, air traffic controllers, medical research to find cures for diseases, among others. the the questioncy -- the question i ask is, what is discretionary about any of these basic needs? what's discretionary about making sure that children can read? or making sure that drinking water is safe, or that bridges don't collapse. there is nothing discretionary

about these programs. i think part of the problem is simply the word discretionary. need to stop calling this discretionary and to start calling this beleaguered side of the budget what it is -- essential. these are the essential, nondefense programs. my dear friend, the main difference between the ryan budget proposal and the c.p.c. budget proposal is that mr. ryan believes that the government funding of these essential programs is a drain on the economy and a drain on taxpayers. recognizes however, the investment in these essential programs is fundamental to the vitality of

our country, moves us forward, and as you pointed out, create millions of jobs over -- of jobs. over 4.6 million in the year 2014, almost three million in the year 2015, and close to 1.3 million in the year 2016. they move us forward, these -- this investment in essential programs, drive intervention, innovation, they create jobs, they stimulate the economy, and put our government and our country on a sustainable path to prosperity. my friend, mr. ryan's economic model of austerity contrasts sharply with our model of investment and progress in a fiscally responsible way.

we believe that educating our work force, building our infrastructure, ensuring access to safe and healthy environment that includes water and food safeguards is the ticket to a future, a secure future for our country. that is the difference between the ryan budget and the c.p.c. budget. i thank you. i yield back my time. mr. poe can: thank you, mr. lowenthal. -- mr. pocan: thank you, mr. lowenthal. thank you for those comments about discretionary. people don't understand what we mean by discretionary. mr. lowenthal: they think this is the last thing, you can cut these because these are nonessential. and these are not nonessential you tell a child that his ocean -- his education is nonessential or a family, tell a family that

public health or health research to those families that are -- or to those folks, those scientists who are trying to find cures for some of the worth diseases that they are just discretionary, we will lose the momentum that this country has and we will no longer be the world lead for the democracy but also in innovation and job creation. no, this -- these are not discretionary programs. these are essential programs that are different than defense programs, but to call them discretionary does a great disservice to the great of rtance and centerpiece our budget that they really occupy and should occupy and all americans should understand. mr. pocan: thank you, mr. lowenthal, for your service and your hard work on this budget and all you do for the people of california. when we talk about discretionary funds, it's interesting because when we had the se quester that

is done a huge cut to these programs, that affect people in all of our states, the paul ryan republican budget doubles down makes ester cuts and deeper cuts in a number of areas. i want to go through a little bit of a chart. now unfortunately, i found out i can't use a marker on the house floor because that's against the rules so we're going to use this in a different way to try to have you take a look at this and decide where the difference is and who winds up winning on the side of the g.o.p. paul ryan budget and the congressional progressive caucus' better off budget. we want to go through a few program this is a would matter. let's start with this. unemployed workers. when you look at the better off budget, as i showed before, 8.8 million jobs are created by the better off budget the republican budget, according to the

economic policy institute, would cut three million jobs. three million jobs by the year 2016. if you are someone who is unemployed, the better off budget would make sure we extend emergency none immaterial -- unemployment benefits. the g.o.p. budget, silent. crickets. absolutely nothing to help people who in a tough economy worked hard all their life, played by the rules, have lost their benefits. snap. for people who are getting supplemental nutrition assistance program or food stamps. by and large, 2/3 of those people are children, seniors, and people with severe disabilities. as a working poor, you're at 92% of the people receive theegs benefits. the democrats restore the cuts that happened this year in the farm bill and previous cuts to the program. $31.50 a week is what someone was making in the snap program to help them get by with food.

this is one of the best programs to get out of poverty. what does the ryan budget do? you may remember the debate on the farm bill. originally the republicans wanted to cut the snap program by about $20 billion and couldn't get enough votes because republicans wanted to cut it even more and they finally cut it $39 billion. when we got to conference committee with the senate we were able to get that down to $8 billion of cuts. but this is cuts to people as i mentioned, children, seniors, people with severe disabilities, and the working poor. 2/3 of which are seniors, children, and people with severe disabilities. what does the paul ryan budget do? does it cut the $20 billion they couldn't cut originally? does it cut the $39 billion like the republicans wanted? not nearly enough. it cuts $125 billion. to the supplemental nutrition

assistance program in the paul ryan budget. let's look at jobs. costs three million jobs. doesnology for long-term unemployment extension and cuts assistance to the needy by $120 billion. i would say that the progressive caucus democratic budget by far would win out in that category. let's look at education. we've got pre-k. k to 12, and college students. let's look at these areas. the better off budget invests $100 million into stimulus for teachers and schools so that we can help do what we need to be competitive globally by investing in our students through our teachers and schools. we provide funding for desperately -- for rehiring teachers that lost their jobs through the bad economy in the last several years. we invest in early childhood development which is crucial to someone to get a fair start in life and we invest in job training. that's what the congressional progressive caucus better off

budget includes. what does the republican budget include? let's start with pre-k. pre-k, there's $18 billion cut to early education programs. right off the bat. investing more, $18 billion cut. once again, the progressive caucus budget leads us. next on k to 12, we invest in hiring teachers, investing in our schools, what does the republican budget do? the republican budget, off child in k through 12 public education in this country, an $le 9 billion cut -- an $89 billion cut. again, $89 billion in cuts for informsing in our teachers and schools. once again the progress i budget outdoes the republican budget. how about college students. this is where you'll see some big differences. we informs in the very financial aid program this is a people need. we invest in higher education. because in order to be competitive in the global economy, we have to have the most talented, the smartest, the most innovative people we can

possibly have in the economy to create the jobs we need to for the future. what does the republican budget do? it cuts $205 billion in higher education services. $205 billion. and i'm not even counting pell grants. pell grants to help some of our neediest students get access to higher education, $145 billion cut. we are talking overall just in higher education almost $350 billion. so we invest more in those educational opportunities, and the republican budget cuts over $350 billion. overall, those three areas in education alone, the republicans cut $871 billion to education. that's what we do for middle class families and those aspiring to be in the middle class in the budget that this

house will likely pass tomorrow. let's look at the next category. seniors. seniors you put your entire life into this country. you worked all your life. you expect to have a retirement that you've invested in and you've put your hours in. and what is the difference in the budgets? the congressional progressive caucus does a number of things. one, we protect social security and medicare. we make future investments in those programs. we protect funding in the medicaid program. we allow medicare to negotiate for better prescription drug prices so that seniors can pay less on drugs they have to pay a larger percent of their income on so they can get by in those years. we help put overall america on a path toward an option to offer sing pailer option. what does the republican budget

do when it comes to seniors? first of all they end medicare as we know it. under the republican budget you now have a voucher program. you don't get medicare, you get a voucher. something you can trade in, hopefully for something in the future which will very likely be a cut in the very health care that you have now and that you receive. they increase the cost for seniors on cre pre-scription drugs by getting rid of the doughnut hole. they now -- i'm sorry they reopen the doughnut hole which ill cost seniors $4.1 billion, extra, on prescription drugs. seniors will pay more for the prescription drugs they need. they raise the medicare eligibility aming to 67 and put seniors who rely on medicaid at risk because they're doing big cuts to the medicaid program. $ 32 billion in cuts in the medicaid program. once again for seniors, it's cuts, it's paying more for prescription drugs, it's putting you at risk due to -- through

the medicare and medicaid program. the democrats and progressive caucus protects all those programs that seniors relie on so very much. our next group, vets, vets have served our country with distinction. if it wasn't for the veterans that we have, we wouldn't be able to protect the liberties and free dms -- freedom this is a we have as a citizenry. what does the progressive caucus bunnell do? we adopt a cost of living adjustment that takes into account realistic retiree expenses and fully fund veterans programs in advance. we're protecting the programs so that they have the guarantee, veteran who was done the guarantees they promised, put their time in for the country, we protect those program to ensure they'll have those policemans in the future. the republican, we hear a lot of lip service about veterans and protecting veterans especially around memorial day and veterans day but the proof is in the budget. what do the republicans to? they cut funding for veterans by 2016 by $1.7 billion.

now we saw what they did back in the budget in december where they cut the pensions for people, for families in the military, but now in their budget in 2016, an additional $1.7 billion cut to veterans. this is the sort of lip service that you get when a holiday comes up and we show up and the retail is what we vote on on this floor. once again for veterans, they lose money under the republican budget and we protect program this is a veterans deserve. in our budget. the middle class. what does our budget have for the middle class? what does the republican budget have for the middle class? a couple of things. around taxes. one of the things we have been very careful to do is get rid of some of the tax loophole this is a benefit special interests. the tax breaks are big oil and big gas. the tax breaks that go to company this is a send jobs

overseas and doesn't even make any sense yet we incentivize those company this is a send those jobs overseas rather than creating jobs in america. we protect middle class taxpayers by going back to the clinton era tax rates, for households who make more than $250,000 and add new brackets at $1 million. that allows us to bring in revenue from those who can most afford and and protecting the middle class that are the back bone of this economy. by doing that and protecting health care and protecting our seniors and protecting education, investing in infrastructure for the roads and services people count on, we're doing everything we can to protect the middle class. this is one area where the distinction could not be more clear. the republicans have given a lot of lip service about trying to protect the middle class. once again the proof is in the budget. the budget shows their real values. what does it do?

it lowers the top tax rate down to 25%. that top tax bracket you know what percent of taxpayer are in that top tax bracket? less than one-half of one percent. when chairman ryan described the budget to the budget committee which i served on, we spent two and a half hours debating the budget he, said the budget was a win-win. if he means a winner in top 1% and a win for the second percentile, i'll agree. for the other 98% of us pay for those two wins that are out there and by lowering that rate to 25%, that gives the average millionaire a $200,000 tax break. mm millionaires gets big, big tax breaks and the middle class, how do you pay for that? there's only one way. you're going to have to put the taxes onto the backs of the middle class and it's estimated it will be about $2,000 pyramiddle class family to pay for those big tax cuts for the

wealthiest few in this nation. when it comes to the middle class, there's no question our budget does more for the middle class and the republican budget is a direct attack on the middle class, by what we are able to do, by making them pay for the very tax breaks that the wealthiest have put out there. so when you look at all this, there's one group that wins, the very bottom. i mentioned it once. the millionaires and billionaires. i have to give that edge to the republican budget. you're going to get a great tax break, a great big check from uncle sam at the courtesy of the middle class taxpayers in this country. that's the only winner under the republican budget. and every other category, clearly the progressive caucus and the democratic budgets are superior to that budget introduced by the republicans. you're going to hear how it balances the budget in 10 years. that's distribute only talking point the republicans have, they don't want to talk about

the specifics, because they lose in every single category. but the one thing that they claim they have is that they balance the budget in 10 years. they don't mention on the backs of the middle class, but they say they're going to balance the budget in 10 years. well, i wish their math were only as accurate as their rhetoric. because the math simply doesn't add up. let me tell you why. let me give you one big glaring example of why the budget doesn't add up. the republican budget repeals the benefits of the affordable care act. so it repeals all the positive things, the fact that when you go to get insurance, if you have a pre-existing condition you can now get access, you've got pro eventtive care provided so we can save long-term health costs, so you don't have a lifetime cap on your insurance, your children can stay on your policy until they're 26. all of the benefits that were incorporated into the affordable care act and we just saw from the enrollment

numbers, have had a success, millions of people more have access to health care. it repeals those benefits but get this, it keeps the revenue and the savings of the affordable care act in order to make the numbers balance out for that 10-year allegedly balancing of the budget. now, it doesn't take a much more than a fourth grader to understand that doesn't work out. you can't repeal a program but still keep the revenue and the savings from that program. but the republicans -- but the republicans are trying to pass up that. they're trying to sell you that bill of goods. and a you now how much that bill of goods is, that fuzzy math? trillion is the amount that they're using fuzzy math, to try to claim their budget claim, that it balances in 10 years. now, it doesn't take a lot to poke the holes in the fact that their budget doesn't balance out. so if their budget doesn't

balance out and it doesn't benefit the middle class and it only benefits the wealthiest, we have a really bad budget that this house will be voting on tomorrow and we are going to do everything we can to make sure that that budget doesn't pass. but i think one really important note that people have to realize, from all that we describe that's in that budget, is even if it doesn't become the law of the land, thankfully we have the senate and the president still, it is the road map that the republicans have if they were to take control. if they were to keep the house of representatives, if they were to take the u.s. senate, if they were to take the presidency, this is the fourth year in a row they have laid out this essential road map. this road map that benefits the top 1% or 2% and that every other person, every other american has to pay to subsidize those people. and we lose those important programs in health care and education and veterans and for

the unemployed and those struggling to get by in our society. there is a very clear distinction between what the democrats and the progressive caucus have put out as our budget, that we've put forth to the american people, and what the republicans are actually offering. they have warmed over austerity, again, cuts, cuts, cuts will somehow make the economy work. that is simply impossible to happen. what i would like to do at this time is introduce another member of the progressive caucus who has been a very hard worker on behalf of the middle class, not just in his district, in the state of pennsylvania, but across the country, i'd like to yield some time to representative matt cartwright from the great state of pennsylvania. mr. cartwright: i thank the gentleman and, madam speaker, i of the only in support congressional progressive caucus budget, but in opposition to the abomination

that is this ryan budget. i'm from scranton, pennsylvania , i represent the great northeast part a of pennsylvania, in the 17th congressional district. but i wanted to talk this evening a little bit about a couple of guys that came from cranton and first one is the vice president of the united states, joseph biden. and i mentioned vice president biden tonight because it was vice president biden who intoned the phrase and continues to do so that there are a lot of people out there that love to talk about their values. they'll tell you all day about their values. their values on this, their values on that, and they'll

wear you out, they'll give you a good ear beating about their values. but vice president biden says, look, don't tell me about your values, show me your budget. and let me read it. and i'll tell you about what your values are. because that's what a budget is. it is a statement of your values. it is a statement of your principles. and your priorities. and when we see something like this ryan budget that cuts everything, that cuts pre-k -- what does that say? it says you don't care that much about educating your kids. and you don't care, even though you know that if you start kids off behind all the other kids they're going to be struggling the rest of their academic careers, it's going to affect their self-confidence in their ac democrat canic lives, --

academic lives and they're not going to go as far in school and it has ripple effects, a higher percentage of them will get in trp trouble with the law and how much -- trouble with the law and how much do we end up paying for all of those things? if you don't devote money to pre-k it says you don't care about those things. those things are not included in your set of values. but i also want to talk about another fellow. because when you go and you slash pre-k and k-12 and pell grants for colleges and you turn your backs on seniors and the ns and you favor haves against the have-nots and even the middle class, when you do those things, you do that all in the name of austerity and cutting and -- because you're worried about the deficit and you're worried $17 $16 trillion and

trillion is the highest -- is higher than anyone's counted in the history of man kind so we have to cut, cut, cut. a lot of that is well intentioned, it really is, because people are afraid. but you have to look at the current debt of this nation in context. in the context of what the gross domestic product is. and the truth is, it is not the highest it's ever been, our national debt, in connection with and in comparison to the gross domestic product it is not anywhere near the highest it's ever been. and that is something pointed out by another fellow from scranton, former secretary of reach.robert robert reach is all of about 5'0" tall on his tiptoes but he's a giant when it comes to labor policy, when it comes to economics and he points out forcefully, time and time again, that if you compare the

national debt to the gross domestic product, the highest it ever was, in that ratio, was after world war ii. it was after we defeated the nazis, after we defeated the is powers and after we had engineered the new deal and brought this nation out of the great depression, where upwards of 25% of people were unemployed, where we had done all of that and robert remembers vividly his father saying to him in the late 1940's, into the early 1950's, it's this roosevelt debt we've been left with, this roosevelt debt. you're going to be paying this off the rest of your life and your children will be paying that roosevelt debt off the rest of your life and your grandchildren, too. and that's not what happened,

though. and robert happily tells the way it played out. the way it played out, what a did we do? we believed in ourselves. we believed in the strength and the vision of americans and we did things like we did the marshall plan and we rebuilt europe and we rebuilt japan and we built the interstate highway system in this country and we sent the g.i.'s to college under the g.i. bill and, for crying out loud, we sent a man to the moon. and we did all those things because we were bullish on america and we need to continue that approach and it's something that robert likes to point out. and he says, you know, by the late 1960's, nobody could mention the roosevelt debt with a straight face. so i'm here to say, madam speaker, that we need to do

that again. we need to grow our way out of the debt. it's nowhere near as bad as it was after the -- after world war ii, but we still have to grow our way out of it by believing in ourselves, by being bullish on america. and with that, mr. pocan, i yield back to you. mr. pocan: thank you again, mr. cartwright. the work you've done on behalf of the people not just of scranton, i've heard you mention scranton many times on the floor, but for all of pennsylvania and the entire country, thank you for all your efforts. really appreciate that. in closing, for this part of the progressive caucus special order hour, i just want to hit the main point again when it comes to the budget. we all know that the top three issues facing this country are jobs, jobs and jobs. there is such a difference between what the democrats and the progressives have proposed and what the republicans have proposed. again, the better off budget from the progressive caucus

shows an 8.8 million increase in the number of jobs in this country. we invest in our infrastructure. we invest in our schools, we invest in job training. and we create 8.8 million jobs. and the republican budget, according to the economic policy institute, would cost this country 3.1 million jobs. that 3.1 million jobs is as many people as we have working in the entire state of wisconsin. think about it. firing every single person in the state of wisconsin. that's the job loss that would come out of the republican budget. so, it is an honor to tonight talk on behalf a of the progressive caucus and our budget and to highlight the many problems we're going to have tomorrow when this body votes on the republican budget. and, madam speaker, i would like to at this point yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentlewoman from maryland, ms.

edwards, is recognized for 27 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. ms. edwards: thank you very much to the gentleman for his remarks, but also, madam speaker, thank you as well. i want to rise this evening to discuss our annual budget. congress has a number of responsibilities but a big one is that congress is tasked annually with developing a budget that lays out our nation's priorities in spending and lays out a budget that eflects our values. democrats have been working to provide a fair shot for everyone succeed by creating good-paying jobs and an opportunity for working families. our country is in fact strongest when our economy grows from the middle out and not from the top down. unfortunately, the fiscal year 2015 republican budget introduced by paul ryan takes the opposite approach.

it ben -- it benefits the few at the top by showering tax breaks corporations. once again mr. ryan and the republicans are convinced that the best way to help working families is to stop helping working families. unfortunately, the ryan budget resolution would harm family, most especially women and children. according to the economic policy institute, the ryan budget would cost jobs and slow our recovery, costing 1.1 million jobs in 2015 and rising to about three million in the following year. republicans are raising taxes on middle class families with children by an average of at least $2,000 a year in order to cut taxes for millionaires. let's just take a look at that, madam speaker. a recent analysis by citizens for tax justice finetsdz that

under the ryan plan, taxpayers with income exceeding $1 million in 2015 would receive an average net tax decrease of over $200,000 in that fiscal year. now let's balance this. families would -- families with children would have to pay an additional $2,000 and millionaires would get the benefit of a decrease in their taxes of $200,000. $2,000 for working families and $200,000 for millionaires. now, of course, the ryan budget doesn't tax -- touch tax breaks for big oil and gas company this is a ship jobs overseas. after all, you have to have priorities. and priorities and budgets that are a statement of values. o-- so it's very clear that the

ryan priorities and the ryan budget priorities benefit millionaires. it's very clear, unsurprisingly, that the ryan budget also repeals yet again the affordable care act. despite the fact that now 9.3 million people now have health care as a result of the affordable care act, that according to a rand corporation study. now, repealing the affordable care act would allow insurance companies once again to treat a woman, and being a woman, as a pre-existing condition. would once again enable insurance companies to charge women more than men. insurance companies would also be table deny women coverage because of pre-existing conditions including a history of domestic violence, breast and cervical cancer and c-section. under this budget, millions of women and their families would

be stripped of the private marketplace health plan and expanded medicaid coverage that they've obtained under the affordable care act. in fact, more than 47 million women would again have to pay out of pocket costs for life-saving preventive health services like mammograms and cervical cancer screenings. up to four million women seniors, that's right, four million women seniors would fall once again into the prescription drug doughnut hole. and they'd have to start reaching back into their pockets once again to pay for their prescription drugs because the ryan budget reopened the doughnut hole. i want to repeat that for the american people. the ryan budget reopens the doughnut hole that democrats closed. as a result, seniors in the doughnut hole will pay an additional $18,000 over 10 years on average for their prescription drugs. look, women make up about 55% of

medicare enrollees and they'd suffer the most, frankly, when the medicare guarantee is replaced under the ryan budget with a voucher in 2024. that's right, the ryan budget wants to change the medicare system, take away the medicare guarantee, for 55% of the enrollees who are women, for all enrollees, with premiums for traditional medicare going up about 50% on average. think what that means for americans -- for america's women who are seniors. indeed, the republican plan would draw traditional medicare into a death spiral. it would end it as we know it. not just that, but the ryan budget also slashes medicaid by $732 billion over 10 years or nearly 25% in 2024. with the largest impact on

women. and so with that, i will continue because the ryan budget does such devastation to america's women that it bears repeating, but with that, i will yield some time to my colleague from nevada, dina titus. ms. titus: thank you very much. i'd like to thank my friend, donna edwards, for organizing tonight's important colloquy and special order to talk about the ryan republican budget and its unacceptable impact on women. for the fourth year in a row, chairman ryan has proposed an uncompromising budget plan that is out of touch with nevada's priorities and the country's vision for the future. chairman ryan has used a lot of gimmicks in this budget but no amount of chicanery can hide what it means for women. instead of laying out a plan to

strengthen and grow the middle class, representative ryan's budget disproportionately harms low income women and the families they struggle to support. it also undermines the health and economic security of the elderly and the disabled, most of whom are women, as you have just pointed out. it would repeal the affordable care act and the critical protections and benefit this is landmark legislation offers to women. millions of women and their families would have to pay out of pocket for life-saving preventive health services such as mammograms and cervical cancer screenings. insurance companies would be allowed once again to treat being a woman as a pre-existing condition and over 200,000 women in nevada alone would lose access to affordable health insurance that's provided by the a.c.a. the ryan budget also threatens a laundry list of vital program this is a help southern nevada women and children such as snap, .i.c., head start, tanf, and

pell grants, to name a few. currently over 75,000 nevada women and children rely on w.i.c. and 358,000 nevadans depend on snap. 154,000 of whom are children. in addition, nearly 5,000 children in nevada participate in head start and 33,000 nevada students benefit from pell grants. under the ryan budget, women could lose access to these critical programs. program this is a help them put food on the table and give their children access to the education they need to succeed. the ryan budget also eliminates the brand u.s.a. program which fosters international tourism, an in-- an industry that employs many women in service jobs in nevada and around the country. instead of protecting women and children, representative ryan and the republican party would rather provide the richest one

tenth of one percent, those households making more than 3.-- making more than $3.3 million a ar with a $1.2 million tax cut. the federal budget, excuse me is a blueprint for our nation's future. it's a statement of our priorities as a nation and it should provide a path forward that we can all be proud of. my constituents in las vegas, and our constituents all around the country, deserve better than this rehashed ryan budget which slashes programs for children, dismantles health care, eliminates the safety net for seniors and defunds education and needed research and development. this budget is not a road to prosperity as representative ryan calls it, it's a road to ruin. and as someone said recently, it's like giving the middle finger to the middle class. instead, we need a balanced plan that protects women and their families while making

investments in our future. let's work on that kind of budget. so again, i want to thank my friends who have come to the floor tonight to point out these problems. i yield back to ms. edwards. ms. edwards: thank you very much to the gentlewoman from nevada pointing out the many ways in which the ryan budget impacts the women of nevada and the -- and impacts the women of this country. the gentlewoman mentioned something that i think again bears repeting. the ryan budget cuts food stamps by $137 billion over the next 10 years. which would in fact be devastating for millions of america's women because 62% of adult food stamp recipients in fact are women. at least 200,000 women and children would be dropped from the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children, if the 15% cut in 2016 nondefense

appropriations was applied across the board. the ryan budget calls for at least $500 billion in cuts to income support programs like the earned income tax credit and the child care -- child tax credit, unemployment insurance, low income housing and energy assistance, supplemental security income, temporary assistance for needy families and child nutrition programs, including school lunches. that's right, taking food right out of the mouths of our youngest children who need those -- that nutrition in order to learn and be 21st century learners. 60% -- 66% of individuals who depend on senior meals like meals on wheels are women. those senior moles -- meals would be cut by 16% in 2016 if the g.o.p. cut in nondefense appropriations with applied

proportionately. up to 5.6 million women students would find college less affordable due to $145 billion in cuts to pell grants under the ryan budget. 170,000 children would lose access to head start and up to 3.4 million disadvantaged children at 8,000 schools would lose vital title i education programs. i keep going on and it seems incredibly devastating to america's families and particularly to america's women. it is almost as though the ryan budget were a mac truck just running right over top of america's women. now democrats have an agenda and a budget that in fact reflects

our values of strengthening the middle class of course closing the opportunity gap, of ep abling women and their families to succeed. it is a budget that helps women and families address some of the biggest economic challenges facing them. it calls for raising the federal minimum wage, for ensuring equal pay for equal work. for expanding family and medical leave and for making child care more affordable. in my home state of maryland, child care costs for an infant can run to $12,936 a year. for child care for one infant. in a lot of cases that is more than you pay for a four-year institution or community college, just to have your child in child care. these are devastating for the america's families. families are ca's

spending 35% of their income, of their family's income, in child care. that's more than we're spending on mortgages, it's certainly more than we're saving, madam speaker. as we know, women make, on average, just 7 -- 77 cents on the dollar of what a man macs -- makes. for african-american and latinas, the gap is larger. african-american women earn just 64 cents and latinas just 54 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-hispanic men. 2/3 of the wage earners in this country are women. family and leave protections fail to cover nearly half of full-time employees. the democrats' budget in fact takes a look at these things and says you know what, people are working hard and they're trying to take care of themselves and their families. in fact, in this country work so many women who are either

principal breadwinners or certainly partner breadwinners in their families, the cuts envisioned by the ryan budget would be devastating for america's women. we the that child care expenses, for example, that are important to men and women, are consuming so much of american families' income yet the ryan budget would take $2,000 away from working families and enable millionaires to get the benefit of $200,000. think about that. your average family, $2,000, millionaires delrks 200,000. according to the ryan budget, the budget actually fails to call for bills promoting equal pay for equal work for women. it fails to increase the minimum wage. it fails to provide for paid sick days for workers. the ryan budget fails to help working families afford the

costs of child care. we do have solutions as democrats to these challenges. i mean, after all, it is really true that when women succeed, america succeeds. our agenda ensures that women will have the tools they need to fully participate in the 21st century economy. madam speaker, republican priorities are making tax cuts for the wealthy permanent and they're shrinking the size of government, regardless of the damage that it would cause. as i've detailed, the ryan budget doubles down on policies that in fact hurt working families. i think that it is time, madam speaker, for us to pay attention to what's happening to women. to women who are increasingly in the workplace but burdened and saddled with the burden of incomes that are not keeping

pace. needing assistance to help them get by, not because they're not working, not because they're not contributing. and the ryan budget does nor devastation to america's -- more devization to america's women. and so -- devastation to america's women. and so i would urge my colleagues to once again take a look at this and to say, you know, in a country that has so so much and that promises so much and where there really should be more opportunity for all, that we don't need a budget that just rips apart the lives of women and children and families. and the ryan budget does just that. i would urge my colleagues to really -- i mean, and i looked today at the congressional progressive caucus alternative budget. i voted for that because it's good for america. i looked at the congressional

black caucus budget, i voted for that because it's good for america. i look at the democratic alternative to the devastating ryan budget because it's good for america. it's good for america's families, it's good for america's women and, madam speaker, with that i would like to yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the madam yields back. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. collins, for 30 minutes. mr. collins: thank you, madam speaker. it is an honor to always come to this floor and especially talk about the needs and i think this republican majority speaks to the needs of our families, our moms and dads, and the struggles that they go through every day and one of those areas that i've been concerned about since coming to congress and also finding out is dealing with our independent pharmacies, dealing with the contracts and dealing with the

pharmacy benefit managers. these are things that need to be fixed because they're destroying some of the very fabric of our communities and these community pharmacists are just asking for a chance and right now they seem to be on the outside looking in when it comes to dealing with these. and tonight i am pleased to be joined by not only my good friend who served together not only in georgia but up here in washington as well, congressman austin scott, who is part of the co-chair of the congressional pharmacy caucus, and would love to have him be a part of this tonight. now i yield to him as much time as he would like to take. mr. scott: thank you, mr. collins. we served together and had a great relationship there in georgia, where democrats and republicans worked together to balance the budget and solve the problems and i sure wish we could get to that up here. but tonight we're here to talk about an issue that affects us all as well. and that is transparency and pharmacy pricing. and highlighting the need for our rural pharmacists, our community pharmacists and the challenges that they face with

medicare part d programs. just recently i met with a pharmacist from my district, mr. reynolds, and he like many farmers from the eighth district runs a small store and has been hurt by the lack of transparency and pricing and ultimately that hurts his patients because it makes it hard for him to stay in business. and while the big pharmacists want to -- big pharmacy change want to operate in the metropolitan areas, that's wonderful. we in the rural parts of our country need our rural and community pharmacists. pharmacists like darryl are a vital component of our national health care system, for those of us who live a great distances from the metropolitan areas. they know us by name, they know our drug interactions, they are able to work with us in our -- and our physicians and make sure we're taken care of and taking the right medications for the problems that we may have. in order to continue these relationships, we need to make sure that the medicare part d plans that they work through to help our seniors have the

pricing transparency with pharmacy benefit managers. in many cases our community pharmacists, because of the way the pharmacy benefit mansioners operate are reimbursed at less than what the drug actually cost the small community pharmacy. these contracts are nonnegotiable, they're vegas and opaque and most of the time -- vague and opaque and most of the time it puts a small community, independent businessman up against a multibillion-dollar company. these p.b.m.'s and their maximum allowable cost prices, they don't update them when the prices go up and that leaves the pharmacist paying more again for the drug than they actually get reimbursed for the drug. these are the pricing practices that need to be fixed for our community pharmacists. so i'm here with my colleague tonight, mr. collins, to bring light to this issue. c.m.s. recently proposed rules that would take an important step in addressing this need for generic drug pricing transparency. how can transprarnesy be a bad thing for medicare part d?

and it simply requires that medicare part d sponsors should agree in their contracts, with c.m.s., to update the prices in a timely manner to reflect the current market price. in rural districts like mine, access to the community pharmacist is critical for people to receive the medications they need. it's imperative for the health of our rural communities and wellness and i want to commend you, mr. collins, for your legislation and look forward to working with you to pass that and thank you for being here tonight on behalf of the community pharmacists. mr. collins: i appreciate that, to my good friend from south georgia. it is as i magazine -- mazing in those communities that you just spoke of. they need that -- the help. not that they're asking for a handout, they're just asking for fairness. that's what we miss so often today in our debates here on this floor and should be on this floor, is we talk about one group against the other. and really, madam speaker, this is about fairness. this is a simple issue of fairness in saying, we in the government need to be in a proper constitutional role and

look at it in the framework of not tilting the scale one way or the other but saying, what are we doing that helps the american people and also looking ahead to especially in an area such as health care in which we can find common ground and i believe we will as we go forward here. so when we're talking about medicare part d and some of the proposed changes to c.m.s. to part d, and really the need for generic drug reimbursement limits known as maximum allowable costs or m.a.c. a community pharmacist is kept in the dark as to how pharmacy benefit managers determine m.a.c. rates for these medications. you see, congress and c.m.s. must step in to give pharmacists more transparency into this process so they are empowered to evaluate specific contracts that will help them better serve our neighborhoods and families. i'm a big believer, madam speaker, that transparency's important. one of the reasons in the basic underlying trust today, when you look out among the country and you see the unfortunateness of the low esteem congress is

held in, i believe it goes back to a matter of trust. it goes back to a matter of trust of not believing that what goes on here has their best interest at heart. i think this is sort of this, what we're talking about tonight, with our pharmacists and pharmacists, no matter where they work, are wonderful individuals who truly i believe have their -- the best interest of the folks who come to see them at heart. the problem is in the system, especially when it deals with pharmacy benefit managers and the inherent falseness and the inherent problems that are faced with the pharmacy benefit managers and our independent pharmacists. pharmacists need an appeals process when disputes over m.a.c.'s arrive and timely adjustment of m.a.c. lists to ensure consumers have the information they need regarding co-pays. the status quo cannot continue. because right now an amount a pharmacy is paid at 4:00 in the morning for a particular medication can change to a different rate for the same medication in the same afternoon. for those who may be watching,

who will be watching, can you believe this? this isn't -- we're not talking about opec here. this is not an oil commodity. this is a drug cost. and yet they can't get the help that they need just for simple transparency. the uncertainty is devastating to pharmacies and the patients they serve. this process is further complicated by the fact that p.b.m.'s frequently maintained multiple m.a.c. list for the same health plan, one for the health plan and one for the pharmacy. one behind the mirror, one in front of the mirror. one outside, one inside. where's this going to stop? i've come to this floor many times and i just still boggles the mind for me. how can you do this? i'm concern canned that this provides p.b.m.'s with the power to obtain significant revenues through deceptive practices without consumers being any the wiser. pharmacies in northeast georgia work long hours each and every day to provide care and advice to our families and seniors but they're frustrated and tired by

the lack of transparency and generic drug pricing. p.b.m.'s have a track record of refusing to divulge the method they use to determine generic prescription drug price reimbursements in the take it or leave it contract cans pharmacists must sign to assist patients. in addition, p.b.m.'s often fail to update m.a.c. pricing in a timely fashion. conveniently this often occurs when this is a price spike, wouldn't you guess? oh, oops we forgot to update it. and by the way, the price went up. when you consider the generic prescription drugs make up approximately 80% of all the drugs, you can understand why pharmacies of all sizes and affiliations are frustrated. i was pleased with c.m.s. released its proposed rule for part d on january 7 of this year because it included several positive provisions. even though i did not support the rule in its entirety, i did support key provisions that would give independent community pharmacists the ability to try and compete in preferred pharmacy networks. provide important generic

pricing transparency reforms, although they were not as strong as i would liked to have seen them. the proposed rule also contained measures documenting the problems with mail order delivery delays and the difficulty beneficiaries have when trying to change their prescriptions over and automated telephone hotline. but unfortunately on march 10, c.m.s. announced it would be holding off on a finalizing certain provisions in the rule. one of those provisions being the any willing pharmacy clarification regarding preferred pharmacy networks. this was a devastating blow to northeast georgia pharmacies and the families that rely on them. and be frank to anyone listening, not just northeast georgia, madam speaker. it's all over the country. and this is something that is disturbing to me and many others. i continue to remain hopeful that the provisions on generic drug pricing transparency will be finalized when the rule is published. however i don't believe simply hoping is enough. in this country, i think we have found out over the past few years that hope is not a

plan. and hope is not something i'm going to sit by and watch when we look at this issue. so this evening along with my colleague, we introduced h.r. 4437, the genic drug pricing fairness act. this will provide much-needed although reasonable transparency by doing a few things. let me list those it. will provide clarity to plan sponsorers and pharmacies regarding how m.a.c. pricing is determine canned it. will establish an appeals process in which dispensing provider can contest a listed m.a.y c. price. it provides standardization for how products are selected for inclusion on a m.a.c. list. and it compels p.b.m. disclosures about the use of multiple m.a.c. lists and whether or not m.a.c. pricing is utilized more fail order products -- for mail order products. more than 80% of the prescriptions that community pharmacists dispense are generic. and that is good for both beneficiaries and for the solvency of the part d program. pharmacies deserve to know what they will be reimbursed for

when providing a service. when market factors cause the price of generics to change, pharmacies should be also informed of that change in a timely and efficient fashion. you know, again, i started this conversation with my dear friend from georgia about fairness. about simple fairness. and when there's a system set up in which a problem exists in which basically the system is picking winners and losers, the system is causing this unhealthy problematic problem for our independent pharmacies, then that is when we need to act. that is the government's role, is to remove the impediments toward a free market and be able to compete in those farm -- and those pharmacists need to know that washington cares. when you understand what people are looking for, then you can begin to act, as i think we are all elected to do, madam speaker. and that is to listen to our communities. that is to listen to our folks and understand that many times these kind of situations affect

the everyday lives of people get canning up and just trying to make a living. just trying to get the drugs and the necessities they need and what they're not understanding is why their independent pharmacists are struggling to stay afloat for one, and also struggling every day just to be able to provide basic care to them because they're under a system in which transparency is just not there. you see, the additional topic that i would like to talk about, not only concerning the transparency issues and the m.a.c. pricing, is that i hear from pharmacists back home, the readiness of centers for medicare and medicaid, c.m.s., to finalize the medicaid drug reimbursement changes in july, 2014, immediately federal upper limits for medicaid drugs as required under the affordable care act. they view medicaid reimbursement where the rt formula movement towards cost-based form

lal should be on charges based on pharmacy. they are overly ambitious for 2014. a side note here or obamacare is not only too optimistic but wrong for america but that is another special order for another night. when we look at this, the thing i want to look at, most states must take steps before implementation and corresponding diss pensioning fee changes. many states require regulatory changes to implement the new federal upper limits. for states that require legislative changes, there is not enough time to pass the necessary legislation. mover, in most states, budgets will be finalized before the federal upper limits are scheduled to be published. in november, 2013. c.m.s. said as states shift their methodologies, they must conduct cost of dispensing fee

surveys to determine total medicaid drug reimbursement rates. finally, most states will need to file a state plan amendment with c.m.s. prior to implementing the medicaid methodology changes and this adds extra time to the process. at the end of the day, it seems clear most states will be unable to meet c.m.s. expectations by july, 2014 deadline. i join several of my colleagues here in the house to write a letter encouraging c.m.s. to give states a one year block. as my colleagues and i wrote in the letter, this change will likely represent immediate and significant cuts to federal matching funds to the states for the medicaid drug reimbursement and/or cuts to federal medicaid reimbursement. ultimately, such a change could result in the unnecessary strain on state medicaid budget and medicaid drug access problems

for low-income americans. fair reimbursement for pharmacies is critical to ensure that medicaid beneficiaries and others maintain access to prescription drugs and pharmacy services. i want to take that for just a second and as we talked about when we had to pass a balanced budget in georgia, what a unique concept, every family does it and in the state of georgia, we couldn't go out and print or borrow more money from foreign governments. we actually had to do an actual budget and actual spending plans that actually balance. for most states this is an issue that is that isn't talked about because no one talks about the changes in the costs when state governments and i know in many other states they have to do you have to plan for this.

you have to put money in the budget to do this. and we aren't going to have time here to do so. here's the word again. fairness for all. you know, i'm often struck and before i continue here, i look at this -- and i talked to many of my independent farm asists and went to pharmacy schools and went back to local communities to open up small pharmacies and may have taken over for a family member and love the small-town atmosphere. they could have went anywhere and done a lot of things but chose to serve these communities across the 9th district. and when they do so, i think they were living up to our founders' belief when it was stated that we come here in this country for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. and the pursuit of happiness is what we have to look at. pursuit of happiness is not the guarantee.

there are some in this chamber that the government ought to guarantee. they said pursuit of happiness and life and liberty comes from that pursuit of happiness and we have to provide our independent pharmacies and all who live in this arena, fair and equitable transparency. it's about the pursuit of happiness as we look forward. but also, there is another important issue that i look forward to hearing back from c.m.s. we are waiting patiently to hear from c.m.s. i sent a letter to secretary of health and human services considering the medicare part d as proposed in january. as they make their final decision as to the contents, we reit rated our support that would make prescription drugs more affordable and beneficiary access to part d. our letter supported the proposals to maintain pharmacy access by allowing any willing pharmacy to participate in planned networks and utilized

preferred cost sharing. access for medication therapy management leading to improved patient outcome and decreased health care spending, ensure prescription drug pricing by providing updates on a regular basis and allow pharmacies to plan their business operations more efficiently. patients should be free to select their health plan that best fits them and utilize accessible pharmacies. they need to plan their business operations more efficiently to achieve a more effective part d program for beneficiaries. it is my hope that c.m.s. will adopt these proposals in the final rule. however, again, i don't live on hope. i do not believe hope is a plan. if they do not, i believe congress needs to act and we will continue to look for solutions there. i believe that further, if these changes that i talked about will

strengthen medicare part d program and make it even more successful than it is today. there are cost issues. medicare part d is no exception. but we've got to make it in a way which our local independent pharmacies and the health care system in general is helped by these doctors who want to help the people. they want to give them treatment and want to help the eligibility to the programs. they want to be able to talk to their patients and be able to help them get the best pricing and best plans for them and don't want to be locked out from a system in which managers are keeping them out and as i shared from this floor before, if we don't make changes and don't start looking to our independent pharmacies all across this country, the sad part one of them told me, if we can't be allowed to participate in the program, then we are looking forward to a time which independent pharmacies may

disappear from the business landscape and the medical community landscape. for me as i look and those who serve me and my family, i can't think of a place in the 9th district of georgia and the places that i serve and really anywhere else in which our communities would be better off without these local men and women who run businesses, who get up every morning because they want to serve and they want to help. when we look at that, is that not what america is about? is that not what we were founded on, is that pursuit of happiness, getting up and doing something that fulfills us that gives us the knowledge that makes a difference. unfortunately, the position of our government in some of these government programs is telling the independents, you are not valued. this member of congress values it and there are a lot of other members of congress that value them as well and we will continue to fight hard for the

changes i spoke to tonight as we look back. i do appreciate my friend from georgia coming and i do ask that all of our members look at h.r. 4437, generic drug pricing fairness act and be original co-sponsors and be part of the bill that has been dropped. we want them to be part of this because this is a conversation that both sides of the aisle can have when it comes to dealing with our folks back home and all across this country. fairness is what it's all about. and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. collins: i make a motion the house now adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted, accordingly the house stands

attended the service for the three victims of the shooting at fort hood. president obama also spoke at a fort hood service five years ago after an army major shot and called 13 people. an hour.mony is >> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated.

>> welcome to the fort hood we honor eremony as the life of daniel m. ferguson and sergeanto lose timothy w. owens. to the families of our fallen brothers thank you for presence. with your please rise for the national private devon galloway and remain standing for the invocation. ♪ oh say can you see y the dawn's early light we hailed at the

last gleaming♪ bright road stripes and sta oous through the peril ight o'er the ramparts we watched ing♪gallant ly stream ing tkpwhreglare, thered air, gave ing in through the night that our still there♪ say does that star spangled , o'er the land

and the home of the rave >> ladies and gentlemen, chapla colonel matthew m.goff. >> as we enter this sacred oment of memorial we pause to acknowledge you the god of all comfort and mercy. be with us you would collectively and individually and bring healing as we remember honor our three fallen

and des, daniel, carlos timot timothy. walk with us through the valley and r grief to console sustain us by your strong and steady hand. by your spirit and the presence of family and us, nds that gather around walk besides us and lift our broken hrarts. grieve the as we loss of these three men we thank selfless service and legacy they leave. and may our emory thoughts of them and your healing touch sustain us each soldier, family and friend in yokwraouyour holy name we pray. amen. >> please be seated. >> ladies and gentlemen, the ommanding general of the third

armor hood.ed corps in fort and mrs. obama, fox,y secretary of defense secretary mchugh, general and general and mrs. odierno, lieutenant give duwhurst, distinguishing and civiliansiers and most of all the families and and ds of our fall en wounded warriors, thank you all deeply for being here today. e sincerely and from our heart of hearts appreciate your and nce and your support

your compassion as we struggle .hrough a very difficult time today we mourn for those we lost one week ago on april 2. honor the lives they l led. three fallen soldiers came from as far as puerto rico and central illinois. hey had different hobbies, passes and different lives but they were united by a single esire, the desire to serve their country and their willingness to answer their in time of war. fallen, amilies of the although all of the words you the today are inadequate in face of the magnitude of your loss we want you to know that we at fort hood, we are here in central texas, we here in the and the ates army

entire nation want you to know e stand with you, that we grieve with you, and that we will be here for you. today, not just tomorrow, but forever. ourare in our hearts and in prayers. e will never forget your loved one's sacrifice for our nation. to the soldiers who were wounded to your families who wish you all a full and complete and .peedy recovery we here at hood will stop at sure tely nothing to make that you and your families have the resources and care that you .eed to heal many of you demonstrated in the face valor grave danger. collectively and individually is an inspiration to us all. to the heroic first responders who risked their very lives and the al teams who cared for

wounded and fallen, thank you all not only for what you did on you do every hat single day in the line of duty. nd to the central texas community and people all over the country and all over the world who have reached out to us at fort hood during there errible time -- this terrible time, your compassion gives us all greater strength. mourning, is a day of a day of mourning for the fallen. day to honor their ives and the service of staff sergeant of carlos lazaney-rodriguez. sergeant timothy owens. sergeant first class daniel ferguson. sacrificethe ultimate tragically not in a war zone in elsewheren or iraq or but here at home among their brothers and sisters in arms. the bane of losing our comrades the memory of sh

what made each of them unique and beloved. carlos rgeant lazaney-rodriguez came from a in puerto family rico. he enlisted at 18. deployed once to kuwait and twice to iraq. e provided critical logistical support to units as far-flung as fort bragg and hawaii. during almost 20 years of selfless service he earned umerous decorations including the combat action badge. he was tragically just months away from a well earned retirement. he's survived by his son, his parents, his sisters and a -- brother who are here today with us. timothy owens was from everi efficienti efficie

effingham, a small town in illinois. loved baseball, football, wrestling, tae kwon do. became a black belt and taught marshal arts 2004. joining the army in he served as a heavy vehicle driver and was stationed at fort georgia, and in kuwait, before moving to fort hood in 2011. in 2005 he deployed for an entire year in support of iraqi freedom. there he earned his combat action badge under fair. he's survived by his wife and three children and his mother join us today. ergeant first class daniel ferguson grew up in a small town florida. in high school he was an outstanding athlete. he played football, baseball and and also ran track. of military es service he was stationed in braases rmany, and

throughout the united states. kuwait.eployed to iraq and afghanistan. awards for ned many outstanding service including ronze star and three meritorious service medals. one week y, april 2, ago, sergeant ferguson died a hero. he was shot as he held a door closed to protect a roomful of soldiers. he put himself in the line of them.o save he's survived by his daughter, brothers and is sisters and at the time of his engaged to be married. of the united states military is here today is alongside ve served these three soldiers. they are part of eternity now gone.hey are not

they are not forgotten. they never will be. endure. they endure in the hartsdz -- loved them ose who and memories of 140,000 soldiers the ivilians who make up fort hood community. we will honor them not today but is to come we will honor them by striving to be worthy of their sacrifice. time of tragedy we see the true strength of our our people.d they say that steel is forged in all of unat fort hood and central texas have been you are he fire and strong and more determined than ever. although this is a day of grief a day of pride. pride in the military police faced down the gunman and helped to end that violence. step ould have taken a back and sought cover. she took a step forward.

and the chaplain who was with us as he ho was injured helped other soldiers escape from danger. who he wounded soldiers stayed cool under fire, provided first aid to themselves and presence of d the mind to dial 911 even though they were wounded. pride in every soldier and who quickly took decisive action in the face of danger. healthcaree talented professionals who rapidly cared soldiers.unded our resilient communities and any caring men and women who reached out to us with donations and other acts of service and pride in the service and sacrifice of staff sergeant odriguez, sergeant owens and sergeant first class ferguson, each of whom gave that last full measure of devotion in the service of their country. the fall en, s of to our wounded warriors and and to everyone in

our community with a need of bless each and every one of you and give you peace. hank you again for being with us today. i ask that each of you take care ofove yourselves, remember the l yourselves. band of warriors, army strong. >> ladies and gentlemen, the of the army f raymond t. odierno. >> good afternoon, everyone.

we come together today to care and their diers families who together have sacrificed so much over the last of war. we come together as an army to grieve the sudden and own.c loss of four of our we come together to help 16 soldiers heal. we come together to stand beside of the fallen and need.ed in their time of president an mrs. obama, your resence here today speaks volumes of your support and compassion for our soldiers and families. distinguished members of congress, thank you for coming today.ere deputy secretary of defense fox, secretary of the army mchugh, leader of our army dempsey and mrs.

other distinguished leaders, thank you for your support, your contributions to fort hood. i want to antly, thank the soldiers, the families civilians of fort hood and surrounding community. lieutenant ank general miller and scott schroder. fortunate to have such experienced dedicated leaders to difficulthrough these days. is to prepareders soldiers for the chaos of war. any soldier in any circumstance is a tragedy for a for a family. yet somehow the loss of comrades in the heat of battle is a risk we understand. we can accept. lost onse soldiers were

american soil and at the hands our own makes this tragedy heartbreak and inexplicable. to especially hits home linda and i because fort hood and the great community has been from home for more than seven years. here as a ed commander of a bridget the division in 3 kaufrps. i personally experienced the resiliency of the oldiers and families and community. the fort hood family has been central to the army's success 13 years of war. haring in our victories and grieving when we lost those dearest to us. for us and our families when we deployed to iraq or her

afghanistan. you were there for us when we struggled to understand and from the events of november 5, 2009. the loss of 13 people. today, we are here to tell you and show you that our army and our nation are here for you. we cannot help but feel the echoes of that most horrible day in the tragedy we now face. for many across the fort hood community, the events last week reopened the wounds of five years ago. we are heartbroken that those same units and soldiers, families and communities who have supported unit after unit of deployments to iraq and afghanistan and have sacrificed so much must endure yet another burden. we must come together as an army, as a community and as a

nation, to learn from wednesday's tragic events and support and heal one another. come together to identify the risk factors that lead to violence. to address the challenges of mental illness. to enhance the resolve of our soldiers and their families. soldier believes hurting oneself or others is the solution to the problems they face, we must ensure that the army family is there for them to show them another way forward and to lift them from their despair. lost on wednesday were three soldiers with more than 50 years of service to the united states army. sergeant first class danny ferguson served for nearly 20 years on assignments across america and around the world,

.ncluding four deployments his fiancée recently shared with us that the army was danny's life. he was proud to be part of our great service. staff sergeant rodriguez followed in the footsteps of his father to enlist for his hometown in puerto rico. during his nearly 20 years, carlos was known as being a meticulous soldier, leading from the front with a tough but kind, down to earth nature. enlistedtimothy owens in 2004 and served for more than transports a motor operator, including two .eployments to iraq and kuwait the loss of these three soldiers is a tragedy to our army family. our hearts and prayers go out to each of the soldiers families

and their units. every day, we learn from witnesses and the wounded about the her look at -- actions of first respondents who prevented the loss of even more lives. we are indebted to the first military police officer on scene, a soldier in the 89th military police brigade who advanced alone to confront the shooter in an effort to hold his rampage. we have learned of an army chaplain who sought to protect his fellow soldiers by breaking windows and helping them to escape the shooting. then there is the her wisdom of sergeant first class ferguson and major patrick miller, who were shot while trying to protect others behind closed doors. they blocked the advance of the shooter and undoubtedly saved the lives of many soldiers. we are grateful for the rapid reaction and exceptional professionalism of all the

emergency responders and hospital triage teams whose actions were nothing short of extraordinary. there are certain people who are able to step up in the most difficult times and do something heroic. no one quite understands what characteristics can cause somebody to display incredible courage or sacrifice, but we see it time and time again from the soldiers of this great army. the large majority of our soldiers have shown incredible resiliency and personal growth in the face of repeated deployments, as well as the normal stress of our everyday .ives there are some who have struggled to bounce back and to find peace. we do not know why one soldier is strengthened by tough times and another cannot see a way

forward. will be there for them. in the days and months ahead, our highest priority will be to care for our wounded service members, their families, and the families of the fallen. we will also do everything within our power to investigate , to learn, to adapt, and to protect our most valuable resource, the men and women of our u.s. army. i have once again been touched by the inherent strength of the american spirit that our country was built upon. the stories by about soldiers, families, civilians, communities, businesses, and private organizations giving so generously of themselves and their resources. groups, theeadiness red cross, the uso, and local businesses who immediately reached out to our fort hood

family. as we have during other difficult times, we will have .trength in unity we will all stand together as a community. we will all stand together as an army. we will all stand together as a nation. we will lift each other up with our compassion, our strength, and resilience because that is who we are. the strength of our nation is our army. at the strength of our army is our soldiers. the strength of our soldiers is our families. that is what makes us army strong. thank you very much. >> ladies and gentlemen, the

secretary of the army, the honorable john mchugh. >> good afternoon. obama,sident, misses thank you so much for being here . it means so much to the soldiers, to this army that their commander-in-chief and the first lady would be here to share in this great sorrow. deputy secretary of defense fox, chairman and misses dempsey, misses odierno, distinguished lieutenantcongress, governor dewhurst, lieutenant general and misses milley, and most of all, to the men and women of fort hood, soldiers, family members, civilians, our

army family -- we are here again far too soon to more and more loss all too great. as an army, we except this is a dangerous profession, and all who where this wonderful uniform and pledge to defend our nation and its way of life understand they may one day be called to .ake that ultimate sacrifice inside these gates, behind these walls, we would expect a much , a special sense of safety and security and brotherhood, simply a sense of home. time, horribled violence and unspeakable tragedy have breached these walls and

torn through our very souls, and once more, yet again, we come together to grieve and to remember, to console one another , and to give what strength we possibly can to the victims and their families. sergeant first class danny ferguson, staff surgeon carlos rodriguez, and sergeant timothy owens all-new, lived with, and accepted that inherent danger comes with being an american soldier. each deployed at various times during the longest period of war during the history of this great back, camey came back safely each and every time only to lose their lives here at home, a place of presumed safety. magnify the greatly

senselessness of it all. of coarse, these men weren't just soldiers. they were so much more. they were comrades. they were friends. they were leaders. of course, they were sons and .usbands and fathers they are rightly to be long and forevermourned, celebrated. we still have much to learn about what happened here last week, but already, we have heard the stories of remarkable courage, extraordinary sacrifice, actions that kept that moment of horror from becoming even greater. we may never know how many lives were saved or how many others might of been lost were it not for these heroes. e are incredibly grateful for their bravery and even more humbled by their selflessness. 150 years ago, president abraham

lincoln penned a letter to a mother who lost five sons during the civil war. the president said, "i feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine at a time of grief and loss so overwhelming." to the families of those we lost, to those recovering from their wounds, i truly wish i had the words that might begin to fill your heart and heal your ory's or express -- bodies express fully the depth of our collective sadness. matthew teaches, blessed are they who mourn for they shall be blessed. today, once again, we mourn together, together as a community, as an army, and as a nation. today, all days, we will

celebrate these truly remarkable lives, courageous and noble men taken from us far too soon, and we hope and we pray that in some together, by our memories and through our collective heart ache, we will bring some comfort to their families, friends, and comrades in arms. they will be truly and always missed. thank you for joining us. andbless our fallen heroes those still struggling towards recovery. god bless the united states of america and its glorious army that keeps us free. >> ladies and gentlemen, the --sident barack obama

president of the united states, president barack obama. >> in our lives, in our joys and we have learned that there is a time for every matter under heaven. we laugh and we weep. we celebrate and we mourn. we serve in war and we pray for peace. scripture also teaches us alongside the temporal, one thing is eternal -- love bears all things, believes all things,

hopes all things, endures all things. love never ends. deputy secretary fox, general dempsey, secretary mccuugh, generals odierno and milley, and most of all, the families of the soldiers who have been taken from us, the wounded, those who have returned to duty and those still recovering, and the entire community of fort hood, this great place -- it is love tested by tragedy that brings us together again. it was love for country that inspired these three americans to put on the uniform and join

the greatest army that the world has ever known. sergeant first class daniel ferguson, staff sergeant carlos lazaney-rodriguez, sergeant timothy owens. danny and carlos joined two decades ago in a time of peace and stayed as the nation went to war. timothy joined after 9/11, knowing he could be sent into harms way. between them, they deployed nine times. each served in iraq. danny came home from afghanistan just last year. they lived those shining values, loyalty, duty, honor, that keep us strong and free.

it was love for the army that made them the soldiers they were. for danny, said his fiancée, being in the army was his life. carlos, said a friend, was the epitome of what you would want a leader to be in the army. timothy helped counsel his fellow soldiers. said a friend, he was always the person you could go to talk to. and it was love for their comrades, for all of you, that defined their last moments. as we heard, when the gunman tried to push his way into that room, danny held the door shut, saving the lives of others while sacrificing his own. it is said that timothy, the counselor even then, gave his

life walking toward the gunman, trying to calm him down. for you, their families, no words are equal to your loss. we are here on behalf of the american people to honor your loved ones and to offer whatever comfort we can. know this -- we also draw strength from you. for even in your grief, even as your heart breaks, we see in you that eternal truth -- love never ends. for the parents of these men, to begin father, i cannot

to fathom your anguish, but i know that you poured your love and your hopes into your sons. i know that the men and soldiers they became, their sense of service and the patriotism, so much of that came from you. you gave your sons to america, and just as you will honor them always, so too will the nation that they have served. to the loves of their lives, timothy's wife, danny's fiancée, these soldiers cherished the army, but their hearts belonged to you. that is a bond that no earthly power can ever break. they have split from your embrace, but know you will never be alone. this army and this nation stands with you for all the days to come. to their children who live in a

dangerous world, your fathers served to keep you safe and a -- us safe. they knew you have so much to give to our country, that you would make them proud. timothy's daughter lori already has -- last wednesday, she posted this message online -- i just want everyone to think for a moment, love your families, she said, because you never know when they are going to be taken from you. i love you, daddy. to the men and women of ft. hood, it has already been mentioned, part of what makes this so painful is that we have been here before. this tragedy tears at wounds still raw from five years ago. we still do not yet know exactly

why, but we do know this. we must honor their lives not in word or talk but in deed and in truth. we must honor these men with a renewed commitment to keep our troops safe, not just in battle but on the home front, as well. in our open society and at vast bases like this, we can never eliminate every risk, but as a nation, we can do more to help counsel those with mental health issues, to keep firearms out of the hands of those who are having such deep difficulties.

as a military, we must continue to do everything in our power to secure our facilities in spare -- and spare others this pain. we must honor these men by doing more to care for our fellow americans living with mental illness, civilian and military. today, four american soldiers are gone, four army families are devastated. as commander-in-chief, i'm determined that we will continue to step up our efforts to reach our troops and veterans who are hurting to deliver to them the care that they need and to make sure we never stigmatize those who have the courage to seek help. finally, we must honor these men by recognizing that they were members of a generation that has bourn the burden of our security in more than a decade of war.

now our troops are coming home, and by the end of this year, our war in afghanistan will finally be over. in an era when fewer americans know someone in uniform, every american must see these men and women, our 9/11 generation, as the extraordinary citizens that they are. they love their families. they excel at their jobs. they serve their communities. they are leaders, and when we truly welcome our veterans home, when we show them that we need them not just to fight in other countries but to build up our own, our schools, our businesses, our community, our nation will be more successful, and america will be stronger and more united for decades to come.

sergeant first class daniel ferguson, staff sergeant carlos lazaney-rodriguez, sergeant timothy owens. like the 576 fort hood soldiers who have given their lives in iraq and afghanistan, they were taken from us much too soon. like the 13 americans we lost five years ago, their passing shakes our soul. in moments such as this, we summon once more what we have learned in these hard years of war. we reach within our wounded hearts. we lean on each other. we hold each other up. we carry on. with god's amazing grace, we

somehow bear what seems unbearable. love bears all things. believes all things. hopes all things. endures all things. love never ends. may god watch over these american soldiers. may he keep strong their families whose love endures. may god continue to bless the united states of america with patriots such as these.

>> ladies and gentlemen, at this time our staff sergeant will sing "amazing grace." ♪ grace ♪zing ♪ how sweet the sound wretch like me ♪

was lost ♪ found ♪w am i see ♪ind but now that taught ♪ fear ♪art to my sins released ♪ how precious did ♪

♪ that grace appear i first believed ♪ been here ♪ ♪ 10,000 years shining as the sun ♪ we know the day ♪ praise ♪ god's

we first begun ♪ ladies and gentlemen, at this time, the chaplain will provide a scripture reading. >> a reading from psalm 46. god is our refuge and strength and ever present help in trouble. forefore, we will not fear the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of roarea, where we waters and mountains quick with their surging. the lord almighty is with us. be still and know that he is god. the words here described a world that is in chaos.

things are not as they should be. some great force shake the foundations of life. for all of us here today, our world has been shaken by the tragic events of last week, by the sudden and unexpected loss of those we love, of those who are part of our team, a part of our family. there is a poignant poem that captures well the feelings expressed by the psalm and may capture your feelings, as well. the poem simply says -- when you lose someone you love, it hurts. it hurts in the middle of the night. it hurts the middle of the day. it hurts the middle of your stomach. it hurts to lose someone you love. the reason it hurts so much is because we love so much. we love the the one who is no longer with us, husband, son, father, brother, friend.

we loved them and now they are gone. we grieve their passing, but we must never forget that we do not walk through the valley of grief by ourselves. this.alm recognized he began his words by recognizing, god is our refuge and strength and ever present help in trouble, and he ended by saying, the lord almighty is with us. god walks with us and even carries us when life hits us hard, but not only does god want with us. others, alongside to walk the journey. family members, close friends, fellow soldiers, sometimes total strangers all, alongside to lift us andnd to two, if possible, use our burden and carry our grief.