we have seen a lot of those but we are seeing that they are confident. roskam saying- it's definitely going to pass but come down to the wire. we will be interested in that there. >> we will be keeping a close eye on things on and off the floor. you can read his reporting at the hill.com and also on twitter. thanks for that update. vote on thell republican budget tomorrow. live coverage of the house begins at 9:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span. now, some of today's debate. this our antenna portion begins with budget committee chairman paul ryan. minute portion begins with a to committee chairman paul ryan. chairman.

resuming debate we left off yesterday. let me try and give a summary of what this is all about. this is all about getting our fiscal house in order. this is all about prioritizing hardworking taxpayer dollars. this is all about doing in our generation what we need to do to make sure the next generation has a secure future, a debt-free future. so that's why we are bringing a budget to the floor and that's why we are making those difficult decision, and that's why we are advocating for these important reforms. in much of the 20th century, a lot of programs were created. a lot of laudable goals were established. but now in the 21st century, i think we have learned a thing or two about how we can better accomplish and abelieve some of these goals such as retirement security. because the way these programs were designed nearly a

generation ago, they are now going into bankruptcy in this generation. and if we allow that to happen, then we will pull out from underneath those who depend on these programs for their health and retirement security. we will renege on that social contract. more to the point, we are going to do damage to our economy if we keep this deficit and debt going on its current course. we asked the congressional budget office, take a look at the kind of deficit and deficit reduction we are proposing and tell us over the long period, over the course of this budget, what does that do for america, for our economy? and they tell us, getting your economic and fiscal house in order, reducing the deaf, and balancing the budget so you can begin paying off the debt, is good for economic growth. in fact, it will increase economic output by 1.8 percentage points, that's a lot. what does that mean to every person in america?

about $1,100 in more take-home pay, in higher income because we did our jobs here. but more importantly, what it means for the next generation is instead of sending our bills to them to work hard, to pay their taxes, to pay off our bills, then they have to start working for themselves, we are going to give them a better future, because we right now, c.b.o. tells us this much, they are going to inherit a diminished future. that's point number one. point number two is, we've got to stop spending money we don't have. he we will hear all of these arguments about the draconian cuts and the slashing and all of this. these are the same arguments we heard time and again, and when those arguments have prevailed, they have brought us to where we are today. extraordinarily high deficits. deficits going back to $1 trillion by the end of this budget period. a debt that's about to take off. if we don't get this under

control, we will not have the kind of economy that the people of this country deserve. we don't want washington to stand in the way of people's success. we want washington to play its rightful supporting role so that people can become successful. we believe in a system of natural rights and equality of opportunities so people can make the most of their lives. we don't believe in a system where government thinks they must take this commanding role within the middle of people's lives that end up bankrupting this contry. diminishing the future -- country. diminishing the future, he lowering economic growth and prosperity. big difference in approaches. we want to tackle these challenges. what i would also say is, we have an important obligation to secure this country and protect our national defense. america, like it or not, is the superpower nation in the world. and a duty befalls upon us to take that responsibility seriously.

with that responsibility also comes the ability to chart our own course in the world, to help preserve the peace, and to help pave the way for prosperity so that we can have economic opportunity, so that we can advance our views and our values and the protection of individual and human rights and democracy. these things are good for america. a strong america, a strong military helps make for a peaceful america, a prosperous america. so we need to take the needed reforms to make sure that these critical retirement programs are there, not only intact for people in the near retirement, but there for those of us who are younger when we hope to retire. we need to get our spenting under control so we cannle balance our budget and pay off debt. we need to commact pro-growth reforms to create -- enact pro-growth reforms to create jobs today. and yielding myself 15 seconds to say, instead of growing

government spending at 5.2%, we are proposing to go to 3.5% over the next 10 years. hardly draconian. with that, mr. speaker -- mr. chairman, i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from wisconsin reserves his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. chairman. some things do not improve with age, and we are here one day later in this republican budget -- and this republican budget is just as bad for the country today as it was yesterday. our republican colleagues are going to have to choose. either you claim your budget balances, or you fess up to the american people that you're keeping big parts to the affordable care act. because you can't do both. as we talked yesterday the house republican budget only reaches their claim of balance in 10 years if they take the revenues from the affordable care act and all the savings from the affordable care act. and if they are going to claim that they are repealing that, as they voted 54-plus times to do

on this floor, then their budget is automatically out of balance. now, all these budgets significantly reduce the deficit as a share of our economy in the out years. the fundamental question is what choices these budgets make in getting there. and the democratic budget that's been proposed, the president's budget, all those budgets say we need to have shared responsibility. we need to work together to accomplish that goal. the republican budget breaks the rules in the favor of the most powerful, most wealthy. if you are a millionaire under the republican budget, you get your top tax rate cut by a full 1/3. and everybody else in this budget gets walloped. if you're a senior on medicare, you will immediately see your prescription drugs cost rise if you have high prescription drug costs. because they reopen the prescription drug doughnut hole. that's a choice they make in the republican budget for seniors

today even as they choose to protect special interest tax breaks for the very powerful. they choose in this budget to say that students while they are still in college will be charged interest rates on their student loans, that saves them $40 billion, while they protect tax breaks for hedge fund owners. we don't think that's the right choice. and i'm now pleased to yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from washington state, member of the budget committee, and the ways and means committee, who is always focused on making the right choice for the american people, mr. mcdermott. the chair: the gentleman from washington is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. without objection, so ordered. mr. chairman, this budget is not a real plan to address the urgent needs of the american people. this budget is announcement of a campaign for the presidency of the united states. this bill is intended not to

stir great debate in congress that ultimately delivers fiercely needed solutions for americans, instead this bill is written for the 2016 republican national convention. when you listen to the chairman talk about this budget, what you're really hearing is the inaugural address of the 45th president of the united states. a rousing address that asks not what you can do for your country, but proudly proclaims your country refuses to do a thing for you. millions of seniors tossed off medicare. the social safety net gutted to pay for millionaire tax cuts. infrastructure projects left to rot. denying millions of americans health security and medicaid slashed to the bone. that's just going to be the first 100 days. remember as you vote a budget is a statement of your moral principles of what you think ought to go on in society.

today's vote is the first vote for -- if that kind ever people get elected either in the senate or in the presidency in 2016. this is what you're going to see. they are putting it right out there for everybody in america to see. and that's why you must vote no. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: wow. that's a doozy, i have to say. that's a doozy. if that kind of people get elected. we want the government to pay off our debt. if those kind of people get collected, great. with that i'd like to yield four minutes to our distinguished majority whip, mr. mccarthy. the chair: the gentleman from california is recognized for four minutes. mr. mccarthy: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise today in support of the path to prosperity budget. every day millions of americans are competing in a race with an economy that asks us to accept a new normal.

and aeven inic growth, an obama -- an anemic growth, an obama can economy. i was recently at a high school speaking of the challenge that america had and a student asked me a question about it. i asked him, did he play a sport me? happened to be on the swim team. so i said, let me give you an analogy of america competing worldwide by a swim meet. picture america in a swim competition with every other country. many times at the early years, after the 1980's, we'd jump into the pool, we'd swim and we'd win. we'd hang those championship banners out. but in this new obama economy, things changed. stimulus spending. that meant we had to add a weight belt. about 20 pounds. then the tax increases came, we had to add more weight. onslaught of regulation, pretty soon you're up to 100 pounds. we jump into that pool, we

don't always win. and nobody says, take the weight belt off, they just say, you just don't swim like you used to. you just don't swim like you used to. think about it. since the recession, part time employment has increased at the expense to full time. 90 million americans are out of the work force altogether. 46 million live in poverty. you know, the c.b.o., congressional budget office, now says the new natural rate for unemployment is 6%. that means 11 million americans not working is somehow natural in america. that's what a weight will do for you -- weight belt will do for you, it will drown you. today's different. we're going to take that weight belt off. we have a budget that creates a tax code that is simpler and fairer. one that lets you keep more money in your pocket and lets you invest differently. one that balances, takes away

that debt of the weight belt. one that unshackles the energy, more jobs, cheaper fuel, more manufacturing jobs to be able to grow. we strengthen medicare and medicaid. so we take care of the current and the future. we plan to swim for years and compete for years in the future. i tell you today there are two different directions. you can stay with this anemic growth or you can jump into a pool with a future brighter than we've seen before and one that we know will hang a new banner of championships that america will rise once -- championships, that america will rise once again with the prose pert of a balanced budget -- prosperity of a balanced budget, one that will take us into a future of strength. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. chairman. the gentleman referenced several times the congressional budget office in the -- and the economy. i urge all my colleagues to read the congressional budget office report.

it indicates that this house republican budget will actually slow down economic growth over the next couple years and slow down job growth over the next couple years. yes, we need a simpler, fairer tax code, but this house republican budget would provide a huge tax break to the very wealthy and increase the tax burden on the middle class. in fact, they cut the top rate from 39% to 25%. that's a full 1/3 tax cut. so millionaires get an average of $87,000 tax break. middle income taxpayers have to finance that cut for the folks at the top. that means ancreased tax burden of -- an increased tax burden of $2,000 for a middle class family. that is not good, fair tax reform. somebody who knows a lot about the economy and doing it right, i'm pleased to yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from kentucky, a member of the budget committee, mr. yarmuth.

the chair: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mr. yarmuth: i thank my colleague from maryland. mr. chairman, budgets are a reflection of our values. they're a statement of our priorities and they are about the choices we make to set the course for our future. with this budget, republicans are choosing the well off and well connected over middle class families. choosing, for instance, $45 billion in tax subsidies for oil companies whose own executives say they don't need it over veterans of the wars in afghanistan and iraq who are out of work. they choose a new average tax cut can of $200,000 per millionaire, per year, over 17,000 of our nation's most vulnerable children who would lose head start services. you know, mr. chairman, we just finished with march madness and i'm very proud of the university of kentucky wildcats. they had a great season. but isn't one of the cruel ironies of this debate that coach calipari of the university of kentucky, who makes $5 million a year roughly, under the republican budget would get a tax cut, an additional tax cut of $700,000

a year while the students who support his program would see their pell grants slashed nationwide by a total of $145 billion over 10 years, isn't that something? a man who makes $5 million coaching basketball get cans a $700,000 tax break -- gets a $ 700,000 tax breaks while students get slashed. this is one of the choices that budgets are about, this is why the republican budget is totally out of step with american values and this is why we should reject the republican budget. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: boy, i wonder what tax bill they're talking about because it's not the one that's in the republican budget. the ways and means writes tax laws. we put out the outlines of tax reform that says there's $1 trillion a year of tax expenditures, of loopholes that can be closed. if you give us a fairers, simpler tax code to lower taxes for everybody, all families and businesses, not whatever it is

they're saying, pell grants, give myself 30 extra seconds. the we're saying is keep award where it is, the maximum award, and fully fund iter to the decade. that's slarbing -- fund it for the decade. that's slashing it? that's opposed to the president who is saying, let's grow it and then have some cliff and show no way or means of paying for it. the president in his budget is making a promise in pell grants that he shows no way of keeping. we think we should make a promise and keep it. that's why we fully fund the current awarded pell and oh, by the way we also are cognizant of the effect that many studies show us we are rising tuition, we are contributing to tuition inflation and we need to get to the bottom of that before we keep throwing more money at a ystem that is raising tuition. with that i'll yield two minutes to the gentleman from

ohio, mr. -- or three minutes to the gentleman from ohio, mr. wenstrup. the chair: the gentleman from ohio is recognized for three minutes. mr. owens: thank you. thank you -- mr. wenstrup: thank you. thank you. mr. speaker, in this house we take the constitutional power of the purse very seriously. and we also take the future of young americans very seriously. and we take the notion of leaving something better for the next generation very seriously. again this year the majority has proposed a budget that responsibly balances our budget within 10 years. it secures, secures ourselves -- can scures our social safety net for the -- is a cures our social safety net -- is he cures our social safety net for -- secures our social safety net for our seniors. the budget begins to unburden future generations from the tyranny of debt can, being left to them by today's decision makers. the c.b.o. estimates we'll pay $223 billion in interest payments this year. $223 billion in interest. at's enough to build 100 new

bridges which is an aging bridge that spans the ohio river in cincinnati, a critical artery for our nation's highways, reaching from michigan to florida. going back to those interest payments. left uncheck canned, they'll balloon to $880 billion within 10 years. and that's about how much we're spending on social security every year right now. american prosperity cannot afford to throw our money away to interest payments. vice president joe biden is fond of saying, don't tell me what you value, show me your budget and i'll tell you what you value. it's a revealing quote, mr. speaker, especially since senate democrats yet again refuse to even consider a budget. i guess according to the vice president, senate democrats don't really value anything at all. it's disrespectful to the american people and to hardworking americans that this budget debate isn't happening in the senate. as we have seen in recent years, the senate majority leader has decided not to

introduce a budget. in fact, the only time the senate has introduced a budget recently was when the senators knew that they wouldn't be paid unless they did so. i know that ohio families and ohio businesses budget and plan for the future. they should be able to expect at least as much from their government and the house is meeting our obligation with this budget. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. speaker. i just want to respond to a couple points the chairman made about tax reform. you know, republican ideology in washington has been that of trickledown economics. the idea is you provide the wealthiest people in the country with a tax break and somehow it trickles down and lifts everybody up. the problem is, that theory was proven bankrupt in the early 2000's. under the bush administration we tried that, lowered tax rates at the top, the economy did not do any better. in fact, what we got were huge

deficits. now in this republican budget, they're right back to the same old failed theory. and they call for reducing the top tax rate for millionaires from 39% down to 25%. and they claim that they're going to do this in a deficit-neutral way. but when you do the math, what that means is you are going to have to increase the tax burden on middle class taxpayers to finance tax breaks for folks at the top. and just to give our republican colleagues an opportunity to say that that's not what they intended, in the budget committee we offered an amendment calling the -- called protecting the american middle class from tax increases. saying, ok, at least tell the ways and means committee that one of your principles as you reduce tax breaks for millionaires is not to increase the tax burden on the middle class. and every republican on the budget committee voted against that provision. and i'm pleased that we have the author of that amendment with us on the floor right now,

that's mr. pascrell from the great state of new jersey. mr. pascrell. the chair: how much time? mr. van hollen: i yield him a minute and a half. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pascrell: this budget is fundamentally unserious. we've heard this now for four years in a ree. my friends on the other side of the aisle come down to the floor with their draconian budget, claiming they are reluctantly forced to make tough decisions because the specter of a debt crisis is around the corner. this, despite the fact that our deficit is falling at the fastest rate since the end of the second world war. we said this, we would do it, and we did it. the supposedly looming debt crisis is going to be so incredibly bad for this country

that we need to reluctantly gut programs that help low and moderate americans -- and you stand there and stand up there and talk to us about tax and spend democrats? you can't balance your budget without the affordable care act . isn't that a honey? you've done everything to dismantle it, over 50 votes to get rid of it, now you're using it in the revenues to balance your budget. ho, ho, ho. how very convenient of you. their prescription to prevent this impending disaster is their world view prescribes in the first place. tax cuts for the wealthy paid for on the backs of those not so wealthy. unfortunately it leads to only one conclusion. the republican party does not care about our deficit. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. van hollen: i yield the

entleman another 15 seconds. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pascrell: in the words of vice president, remember him, dick cheney, he proclaimed, deficits don't matter. so, you've had a call to religion, you've come back. your budget, the deficit is simply can an excuse to gut the social safety net. so i say, let's vote down this phony budget, let's get on with the real things, mr. speaker. thank you very much for your indulgence. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair would remind members to direct their remarks to the chair. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. ryan: in order to balance the time out, i think we'll let the gentleman from maryland go with another speaker so we can catch up. mr. van hollen: if i can inquire can how much time remains on both sides. the chair: the gentleman from maryland has 20 3/4 minutes remaining. and the gentleman from wisconsin has 18 minutes remaining. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. chairman. i'm now pleased to yield a

minute and a half to a terrific member of the budget committee from the great state of new york, mr. jeffries. the chair: the gentleman from new york is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mr. jeffries: i thank my distinguished friend for yielding. the g.o.p. budget is a product of the same type of extreme philosophy that gave rise to the reckless republican shutdown last year. . it is like a heat seeking missile aimed directly at the american people. it is a parade of horribles too numerous to catalog, but in the time i have allotted i will simply try to highlight the most egregious aspects. it will cut $125 billion from the snap program, making it difficult for millions of food insecure americans to get access to the nutrition needed to lead a healthy life.

it will cut $260 billion from higher education spending, depriving young americans of the opportunity to get a college education and robustly pursue the american dream. it will cut $732 billion from the medicaid program, making it hard for older americans to get access to this vital safety net program. it will turn medicare into a voucher program, that's a trojan horse, effectively ending medicare as we know it. it will balance the budget on the backs of working families, middle class folks, senior citizens, the poor, the sick, and the afflicted. the democratic plan is designed to create progress for the greatest number of americans possible. the republican plan is all about prosperity for the few and for that reason we should vote it down. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: mr. chairman, yesterday i was track cue la. . w i'm -- dracula

and now i'm sending heat seeking missiles to the american people. with that i'd like to yield three minutes to the distinguished member of the budget committee, the gentlelady from tennessee, mrs. blackburn. the chair: the gentlelady from tennessee is recognized for three minutes. mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. speaker. i appreciate the chairman and the opportunity to stand and discuss the budget that we have before us. i find it so interesting that our constituents are watching this. and they are paying attention because they are concerned. and with good reason as one of my constituents said in a town hall meeting, i've got to tell you, i've got too much month left at the end of my money. and i'm tired of it. i'm tired of what this economy has been doing to my opportunities.

wage stagnation, increases in health care costs, the american people are over it. and they are ready to see the federal government start to live within its means. think about it like this, this is the week when millions of americans are sitting around the kitchen table looking at their income tax form, filling it out, trying to make certain that they do it right. let me ask you a question, is it fair, is it right for the men and women, the taxpayers, hardworking taxpayers in this country, is it right and fair to require them to send money to washington monthly that they don't have? money that causes them to struggle to meet their bills and to live within their means. they are struggling every month. they have to send money to

washington to a government that refuses to live within its means. this is what we are talking about and this is why a budget that actually makes $5.1 trillion worth of spending cuts is important. it's why it's important that we have a budget that says there is a pathway to economic growth. it is because it is what the american people want to see happen. now, i think our constituents find it very interesting that our colleagues across the aisle came to the budget committee room. what do they want to do? plus it up. spend more. $1.5 trillion in taxes. more, let's take more from the taxpayer. let's grow the size of the government. let's make it bigger, let's make it more bloated. that is their solution to how to deal with what we have here in

washington as a spending crisis. we don't have a revenue problem. we have a spending problem. we have a priority problem. and we see this play out regularly. mr. speaker, it is why it's important for us to have a budget that balances in 10 years. i have to tell yous -- you as a mom and grand mom, i look a lot at what is happening to our children and grandchildren. you-all can call it -- the chair: is recognized for an additional minutes. mrs. blackburn: you can call it draconian. you can call it all these names. but let me tell you what this is. this is a budget that is for our children. because it is for reduced regulation, reduced taxation, reducing litigation. it is for innovation and job creation.

that is what this budget is for. it is for fairness because if we don't get this under control, it will be my 5-year-old and 4-year-old grandchild that are facing draconian taxes, draconian rates, draconian cuts in order to be able to stand and live here in america. so as we look at this, yes, we put the focus on right sizing government, flexibility for the states, accountability to the american taxpayer, accountabilityle to the children who are going to inherit the consequences of the decisions we make today. i yield back. the chair: the time of the gentlelady has expired. the gentleman from maryland. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. chairman. the gentlelady used the term draconian a couple times and the chairman keeps referring to

comments that democrats have made as overblown. i would just remind the body it was just a few days ago that the senior republican, the chairman of the house appropriations committee, called the budget we are debating on the floor of the house draconian. that's what he called it, not a democrat. so i think members should keep that in mind as we proceed. i'm now very pleased to yield a minute and a half to the gentlelady from florida, terrific member of the budget committee, ms. castor. the chair: the gentlelady from florida is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. ms. castor: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, the people i know, the people i meet work very hard every day. they want an opportunity for a good job, want good schools, safe communities, and the promise that when they retire they can live their years in dignity. they want a government that is fair and helps make progress towards the american dream. but this republican budget is not for the hard work --

hardworking people of america. this republican budget is crafted by the special interest for the special interest. republicans stack the deck against working families and small businesses. incomes of c.e.o.'s and the top 1% are soaring, but everyone else is working harder to get by. we need an economy that's firing on all cylinders for everybody. creating jobs that pay enough to keep up. yet the republican budget raises taxes on middle class families in order to cut taxes for people who earn over $1 million republicans ignore one of the most important ways to cut the debt and deficit, and that's have more americans working. if the middle class succeeds, then america succeeds. republicans refuse to find one special interest loophole in the tax code, and if you're incredibly rich, then you are incredibly lucky because this budget is for you. you pay less. but if you're like the vast majority of americans hold on,

because you are going to pay more. if you're a student who wants to attend college, republicans make that harder by cutting pell grants and student loans. if you have a job in construction at america's ports and transportation, this republican budget -- mr. van hollen: i yield another 30 seconds. miss carsor: if you believe -- ms. castor: if you believe america should remain the leader in research, sorry, the republican budget slashes riche at the national institutes of health, our universities, and research institutions. if you're an older american, the republicans budget asks you to pay much more for medicare, long-term care, nursing care. takes away that secure lifeline that's been in place since democratic congress passed medicare and medicaid that you'll be able to live your retirement years in dignity without the fear of poverty. this republican budget is a cynical special interest driven vision of america. i recommend a strong no vote in

opposition. the chair: the time of the gentlelady has expired. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. van hollen: i'm now pleased to yield one minute to the gentleman from virginia, distinguished member of the foreign affairs committee, mr. connolly. the chair: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for one minute. mr. connolly: i thank the chair and i thank my colleague. this budget, i'm not going to call somebody track cue la -- track ue la -- dracula, i'm sure it's sincere, but it's about cutting taxes at the public's expense. it disinvests in america. we disinvest in r&d, in our future. the gentlelady from tennessee talked about children and the tax burden. what about their education? what about opportunity? what about the roads and bridges and tunnels and transit systems they won't have because they have crumbled because we have disinvested? that's what this budget is all

about. and it's -- it's absolutely on the wrong path and handing over our future to foreign competition. i urge defeat of this budget and i urge more sensible solutions to the future. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: when we call for revenue neutral tax reform, that means tax reform that keeps raising the same amount of revenue we raise today, do it through a better tax code so we are not picking winners and losers, so we can grow the economy and create jobs. with that i'd like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from indiana, mr. bucshon. the chair: the gentleman from indiana is recognized for three minutes. mr. bucshon: thank you, mr. speaker. when i tour businesses in the eighth district of indiana and meet with hoosier families, they tell me they are concerned about the enormous debt burdening our country. just like hoosier families and businesses that have to make hard decision when is money is tight, washington must do the same in order to sustain our role as the leader in the free world. we are over $17 trillion in

debt, it's clear washington, d.c. has a spending problem, and there are two very different pathways to address this issue. my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would continue us on the failed status pathway of more spending, more taxes, more debt. their plan does not address the long-term drivers of our debt. it raises taxes on families who are already struggling to make ends meet, and has no intention of balancing ever. it does nothing to protect and strengthen the medicare safety net promised to our seniors. put simply, their plan does not implement serious reforms necessary to put us on a path to a sustainable future. mr. speaker, our budget has a different vision for america. our budget plan saves $5.1 trillion over the next decade. pays down our debt. and encourages a growing and healthy economy. our plan expands opportunities for all americans by focusing on

higher education and job training. we encourage a simpler, fairer tax code that saves americans thousands of hours spent every year on tax compliance. our plan protects the social safety net programs by encouraging upward mobility and providing states with the flexibility to meet the needs of their residents. one of the most important aspects of our budget plan protects social security and medicare for our nation's seniors. we preserve traditional medicare for those in or near retirement, while also offering options for medicare that strengthens this vital program so it's still around for future generations. for these reasons, mr. speaker, i support the ryan budget plan which puts our country on a pathway back to prosperity. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. chairman. it does not strengthen medicare

to reopen the prescription drug doughnut hole. which is exactly what this republican congressional budget does. so if you're a senior with high prescription drug costs, under this budget, it will cost you $1,200 more per year. the whole reason we closed the prescription drug doughnut hole was to prevent seniors in that position from having to undergo such economic hardship. but this republican budget reopens that doughnut hole now. now with respect to tax reform and picking winners and losers, the reality is that this republican budget does pick winners and losers. the big winners are people at the very top of the income scale because millionaires will see their top tax rate cut by a full 1/3. now, the results of that is that middle income taxpayers are going to have to finance that in order to maintain what they call the deficit neutrality of it.

that means that middle income taxpayers with kids are going to to an average of $2,000 more finance the tax cuts for millionaires. so millionaires are the winners, middle class taxpayers are the losers, as i said just a minute ago, we gave our republican colleagues an opportunity to say no, that's not their intention. but they voted against the amendment to protect american middle class taxpayers. i'm now pleased to yield to one of our terrific members of the budget committee, a gentleman from wisconsin, mr. pocan. the chair: how much time? mr. van hollen: a minute and a half. the chair: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. . mr. pocan: thank you, mr. speaker. this is the fourth year in a row the republicans have introduced their road map for the future. who are the winners and losers? the chairman of the budget committee said this is a win-win budget. it's a win if you're in the top percent aisle, it's a win if

you're in the second percent aisle. but the rest of us, the 98%, certainly aren't winning. we lose 1.1 million jobs in 2015 and three million jobs in 2016 in the republican budget. that's like firing every single person in the state of wisconsin. we lose by slashing investments in infrastructure and science, transportation and education and our seniors and the middle class taxpayers pay for it and we also lose on the fact that this has fuzzy math and the logic is terrible. the status actually balances in -- to say this actually balances in 10 years is saying cheese whiz is like real wisconsin cheese. they cut the affordable care act benefits but they keep the revenues and the savings and that's simply impossible. so i hope the american public realizes that the republicans' takeover, this is their road map, these are the cuts you're going to see and i urge a no vote on the budget. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from wisconsin.

mr. ryan: i'll reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. van hollen: mr. chairman, i'm now pleased to yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from texas, a member of the budget committee and the ways and means committee, mr. doggett. the chair: the gentleman from texas is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mr. doggett: this budget is too weak. it's too weak in all the wrong places and all the wrong ways. it's weak on opportunity, it's weak on competitiveness, it's weak on dealing with the tax avoidance and loopholes that would allow us to invest in america. the house republican budget actually grows the deficit, the opportunity deficit. a strong budget would help our students earn a degree without mortgaging their future in order to achieve their full god-given potential. and it will enable an educated work force that will allow us to be competitive in the world economy. a strong budget would invest in life-saving medical research to

grow our economy and to respond to the folks from san antonio who are here today to ask for more for alzheimer's research, not by taking it from aids or cancer research, but by investing more to get the cures , to save the lives and create the jobs that america ought to be about. and a strong budget would invest in the infrastructure, in the roads and rails and bridges and harbors like the chinese are doing to move goods and move people and a be competitive. a strong budget would ensure seniors' dignity in retirement, not what aarp says about this budget, that it would weaken the programs that provide the very foundation of health and retirement security for current and future generations. i urge the rejection of this weak republican budget in favor of needed investments in our education, our infrastructure, our research, retirement security -- mr. van hollen: i yield the

gentleman another 30 seconds. the chair: are a the gentleman is recognized -- the gentleman is recognized. mr. doggett: those investments can be made simply by asking those who have been so privileged to enjoy so many tax loopholes to pay their fair share for the future of america. i believe it's an investment for a stronger america that affords more opportunity to every family. i ask for the rejection of this budget in favor of a strong budget that is strong for america, strong for our economy can and strong for opportunity and i yield back -- economy and strong for opportunity and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: apparently a strong budget needs we need to borrow more from the chinese to fund our government. with that, mr. chairman, i'd like to yield three minutes to the distinguished wisconsinite who does know the difference between real cheese and cheese whiz, mr. duffy can. the chair: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized for three minutes. mr. duffy: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. as i sit and listen to this debate today, no doubt the democrats' position is, let's

just keep the status quo. don't change anything. let's continue on with our $17 trillion debt, let's continue to borrow and spend and spend and borrow and never change course. and we know that's their position by way of the amendments they offered in the budget committee, by the conversation here on the floor today and, mr. speaker, we know that by way of the senate budget when they put one out because it never balances and we know that because of the president's budget that he puts out, it never balances. it passes off this massive liability to the next generation. and their policies have a real impact on the country as a whole. listen we talk about seniors. the medicare trust fund is going broke in 12 years. it's going bankrupt. and my friends across the aisle, mr. speaker, they don't want to change it. they want to leave our seniors today and our future seniors today in jeopardy with a trust fund that's gone broke. and it's hard to lead, it's

hard to put ideas on the table and say, listen, my friends, let's come together, let's be responsible, let's make it sustainable, let's fix it. and the response is, don't do a darn thing -- don't do a darn thing. continue on the course to a bankrupt trust fund. that doesn't serve our seniors well, that doesn't serve our next generation of seniorswoman. speaking of medicare, there is only one party in this town that took over $700 billion out of medicare and used it for obamacare. they raided it and that's the democrat party, mr. speaker. that's unacceptable. and to come to the floor today and tell us and the american people that they're here to protect it just isn't true. listen, we're on the course to a fiscal calamity. and if that happens, who are the people who are hurt the most among us? the people who are hurt the worst are the poorest. the ones who are most in need of government assistance.

i think, listen, we should look to our churches and our communities for that help, but there is a role for government. and if you have a debt crisis, if you have a fiscal crisis, and you have people who have a hard time heating their homes and putting food on the table or kids that want to go to college or you want to build roads and bridges, there's not money there for those projects. if you want to be able to invest in your future, you have to make sure you have a budget that's sustainable. when you pay $230 billion in interest alone today, when the fed is printing money to buy down that interest rate, the president says in 10 years, interest on the debt is going to be $880 billion. you can build a lot of roads, bridges, you can feed a lot of people, you can send a lot of kids to school for almost $is trillion a year -- $1 trillion a year. let's fix this problem, let's work together, let's balance our budget and start right here in the house in the budget committee. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman's time

has expired. the gentleman from maryland. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. chairman. i hope all of members of the house will check the facts with respect to the impact of the affordable care act on medicare. if you actually look at what's happened since the affordable care act was enacted, the per capita rate of increase in health care costs in this country has actually gone down. talk to seniors on medicare, anybody who's paying attention right now, i ask them, what has their part b premium done over the last couple of years? it's been steadier in fact this year, went down in real terms. and so the value that seniors have gotten under medicare has actually improved significantly in part due to the affordable care act. now, unlike the democratic budget, which used some of the savings from getting rid of overpayments to some of the big insurance companies in medicare and using those savings to strengthen things like the

prescription drug benefit, the republican budget keeps every dime, every dime of the medicare savings from the affordable care act, but they don't use any of it to strengthen medicare. in fact, they reopen the prescription drug doughnut hole. they start charging seniors now for preventive health services. and ultimately they actually end the medicare guarantee by turning medicare into a voucher program so that if you actually want to stay in traditional medicare, you'd be paying a whopping higher premium. that is not the way we should go can. and that's all in a budget that continues to provide tax breaks to the very wealthy in this country. those are not the right priorities for america. now i'd like to yield a minute and a half to somebody who has focused on the right priorities for america and recognizes that small business is the engine of growth and opportunity and that is the ranking member of the

small business committee, a member from new york, ms. velazquez. i yield a minute and a half. the chair: the gentleman from new york is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. ms. velazquez: thank you and thank the ranking member for yielding. and thank you for fighting and being a real fiscal leader for small businesses in this country. mr. speaker, i rise in strong opposition to this budget. far from being a path to prosperity, it is actually a path to the poor house. sadly, just as it falls short in so many other ways, the ryan budget clearly fails small businesses. under this budget, resources that help small companies launch, grow and hire will be cut by nearly $11 billion. a wide range of resources will be gutted, from contracts to access to capital to international trade assistance to job training. this budget is not the right

budget to help those businesses that are the backbone of the american, at a time when this economy is still struggling. studies have shown that many of these small business programs generate more than $3 in federal revenue for every $1 spent. what type of economic policy says that you cut programs that generate income for the treasury? we just held a press conference today with so many small business people who have benefited from these type of programs. they are businesses that open up into -- mr. van hollen: i yield the gentlelady another 30 seconds. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. velazquez: and today we have a lady who provides i.t. d.o.d. and to

many federal agencies. her business grew from six people to 130 employees. this is the type of program that we need in place in order to grow our economy. republicans like to say that they are the champions of small businesses, they oppose the a.c.a., claiming it will harm small firms. they oppose the dodd-frank saying that it will hinder the ability of small businesses to get lending from traditional financial services. and yet they cut the very programs that provide -- access to capital for small businesses. when we look -- mr. van hollen: i yield the gentlelady another 30 seconds. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized for 30 seconds. ms. velazquez: thank you. yet when we look at this project, we know that the rhetoric does not match the reality. rather than paying lip service to small businesses, we must invest in the programs that

help them drow -- can help them grow and create jobs. that's what we need. we must do better, vote no on this budget and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired -- the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: at this time, mr. chairman, i'd like to yield three minutes to the distinguished gentleman from illinois, mr. davis. the chair: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for three minutes. mr. davis: mr. speaker, i want to thank chairman ryan for engaging the house in this very important process. we're talking about real alternatives and routes we can take for the future of this country and the future of our children can. as a father to a 17-year-old daughter and twin 13-year-old boys, riding the fiscal path of this country is the reason that i ran -- righting the fiscal path of this country is the reason i ran to serve in this institution and part of serving in this institution is creating a vision for america's financial future. this budget balances, putting a budget on the floor of the house and putting forth a vision for america's fiscal

future that balances is something that we need to do on a regular basis. it's sad that i had to fight for a provision to be put into this bill called no budget, no pay. as we know, the senate will not take this budget process up. and they shouldn't be paid. i fought for that proposal because members of congress can, if they're not willing to put in the work to help balance our country's checkbook and fulfill their constitutional duties, they should not be paid. for hardworking taxpayers, this budget allows you to keep more of your paycheck while again balancing our budget. compare that with the president's budget, which we will have a chance to vote on this week. i'd urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to vote yes on president's budget if you think it is the future for america. but that budget raises taxes by more than $1 trillion and never balances. we have got a clear choice here, mr. speaker. for our seniors, this budget

ends obamacare's raid on medicare and puts seniors back in charge of their health care decisions. this budget also preserves medicare for our current seniors and ensures that had this vital program is available -- that this vital program is available for all future generations. for our students this budget guarantees pell grants that are still there for those who greem of going to college but need a little help. right now the program is estimated to become insolvent by 2016 and every year we don't have a plan we risk the future of millions of students and contribute to the rising cost of tuition. and as someone who represents nine universities and colleges and eight community college districts, no plan is unacceptable. for our veterans, it ensures veterans still receive their benefits regardless of what happens in washington. additionally, this budget would dedicate another $400 million to veterans programs. i did not come to washington to sit idly by and remain content

with the current state of our nation. i came here to make washington work and provide the hardworking taxpayers of illinois' 13th congressional district with a better vision for america. this is a better vision for america, mr. speaker. and the attacks will come. don't let the attacks get in the way of the facts. and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back his time of the the gentleman from maryland. mr. van hollen: mr. chairman, i reserve. the chair: the gentleman from maryland reserves his time. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: at this time i'd like to yield three minutes to the distinguished member of the budget committee and ways and means committee, mrs. black from tennessee. the chair: the gentlelady from tennessee is recognized for three minutes. mrs. black: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the distinguished chairman of the budget committee for yielding. our nation is $17.4 trillion in debt and out-of-control spending here in washington has no end in sight.

in fact, the nonpartisan congressional budget office estimates that on our current trajectory we will return to $1 trillion annual budget deficits by the year 2022. this situation is untenable, and it threatens the nation that we leave behind for our children and grandchildren. as i stand here and look at these young children up here or young adults, it looks to me, those are the ones that are going to have to pay for our lack of courage to do what we need to do to balance this budget and get our country and our spending under control. the vast majority of americans agree that the federal government should live within its means and that it should balance its budget the same way that american families do. that's why it's so disappointing that president obama's f.y. 2015 budget proposal would increase federal spending and never balance. yes, never balance, despite calling for an additional $1.8

trillion in taxes from hardworking americans. in fact, the president's budget proposal would add an additional $8.3 trillion to the national debt. the american people and these children deserve better than this. that's why i'm proud that my house republican budget colleagues and i have again acted where president obama and the congressional democrats failed to lead. the path to prosperity is our vision to control washington spending and to help get our economy moving again so americans can get back to work. this responsible budget proposal $5.1 ut spending by trillion, balance the budget in 10 years, and put us on a path to pay off our debt. we accomplish all of this without raising taxes on the hardworking american people. mr. speaker, i urge my

colleagues to join me in passing this budget proposal. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the time of the gentlelady has expired. the gentleman from maryland. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. chairman. i'm now pleased to yield three minutes to my fellow marylander, the distinguished democratic whip, mr. hoyer, who is focused on these important issues successfully for a long time. the chair: the minority whip is recognized for three minutes. mr. hoyer: i focused on them, how successfully is an item of debate. with myself. i thank the ranking member for yielding. this republican budget as i have said before is an exercise in how not to achieve fiscal sustainable -- sustainability. bob dole-is imson -- bowles-simpson is a combination

of balance and strategic investments in long-term economic growth. the bowles-simpson report says, and i quote, we must invest in education, infrastructure, and high value research and development to help our economy grow, keep us globally competitive, and make it easier for business to create jobs. the chairman of the budget committee voted against bowles-simpson. this budget disinvests in those priorities, which will help us create jobs and grow our middle class. it undercuts our ability to invest in economic competitiveness and the growth we need to secure the goal of a sustainable fiscal future. at the same time the republican budget does not follow the bipartisan commission's framework for achieving deficit savings, a balanced approach that combines new revenue with spending reductions. there are no new revenues in this budget, and it's spending

cuts are severe and irresponsible, cutting even deeper than the painful sequester. as i said yesterday, g.o.p. appropriations committee chairman hal rogers called the sequester levels unrealistic and ill-conceived. to which the chairman then rose and said, he said that last year. he made have said it last year, but you -- but the proposal you make are unchanged from last year, essentially. and this year he said your cuts were draconian. just a few days ago. the chair: the gentleman is dr hing remarks -- addressing remarks to the third person. mr. hoyer: i regret the chairman -- taking my remarks personally. of course they were meant simply from a policy perspective on how bad the policy itself is, not the chairman himself who is a wonderful individual.

in closing, let me say i urge everyone of my colleagues who is troubled about our deficits and debt who is deeply concerned about creating jobs and growing our economy to do the right thing. oppose this budget. now, the chairman of the appropriations committee, who has called the numbers in this budget draconian, apparently intends to vote for it. mr. speaker, i don't understand that. if i thought as i do that these numbers were draconian, the only alternative i would have is to vote no. i lament the fact that we are not addressing in a bipartisan comprehensive way putting america on a fiscally sustainable path. that would be the best economic stimulus that we could do for america. what a shame, what a shame that again we have wasted that

opportunity. i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the time of the gentleman has expired. who seeks time? the gentleman from -- mr. ryan: we have the right to close and have no more speakers. i reserve. the chair: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for four minutes. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. chairman. let me just pick up where mr. hoyer left off and ask the question, why would the republican chairman of the appropriations committee call this republican budget draconian? after all the chairman of the budget committee has told us today that don't worry, actually we are going to continue to grow the government just a little more slowly. but what that ignores is the fact that the portion of the budget that the chairman of the appropriations committee has jurisdiction over is that portion of the budget that we have used historically in this country to make investments that help our economy grow.

investments in our kids' education. from early education to k through 12. it college education. that's the part of the budget that we have used to invest in research and development, discoveries that place the like nasa that have had huge spinoff benefits for the rest of the country. and the economy. investments that actually help lead to the internet, that have been hugely beneficial to our economy. and that portion of the budget, that doesn't grow but a little less slowly, that cut that portion of the budget. in fact, as a share of our onomy it is cut by 40% below the lowest level since the 1950's, since we have been keeping track. and so that's why we are saying that our global economic competitors, they are going to be cheering this republican udget.

we'd like to see it in america agenda. this is accept america agenda. this actually provides tax cuts for u.s. corporations that move jobs overseas and yet cuts investments in jobs and economic development right here at home. that's why it's so misguided. that's why the republican chairman of the appropriations committee says it's draconian. now, what's worse is that it makes those cuts in our kids' education. it makes those cuts in basic r&d. makes the cut in the senior prescription drug benefit. it takes those while protecting these tax breaks for the most powerful and the very wealthy. the chairman referred a number of times to tax expenditures. he mentioned the other day that on an annual basis tax expenditures are over $1 trillion. in fact, more per year than social security, medicare, medicaid. some of those tax expenditures have worthy policy goals, but a

lot are there because very powerful special interests have gotten an exception to -- exemption for themselves. what we said we should get rid of some of those tax breaks for the purpose of helping to reduce our deficit so we don't have to hit our kids' education so hard. so we don't have to disinvest from basic r&d. so we don't have to make the kind of cuts that the republican chairman of the compropingses --appropriations committee calls draconian. no, republicans don't want to do that. they say every time you close a tax loophole, you got to use it to reduce the tax rate for wealthier americans. we don't say if you identify a spending program that no longer makes sense you have to go spend it somewhere else. but when it comes to special interest tax expenditures, that's exactly the republican position. you can only use it to bring down tax rates for multimillionaires.

and as a result, while the winners in this republican budget are those folks at the very top, they sock it to everybody else. they do sock it to seniors on medicare. they sock it to our kids' education. and they sock it to the fundamental economic power of this country when they disinvest in the things that have helped make us a global power. and that is the wrong decision for america. so i urge my colleagues to vote no on this washington republican budget. the chair: the time of the gentleman has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: mr. chairman, i yield myself the remainder of the time. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. ryan: let me try to translate for the viewer what's happening here. every time you hear the word from that means take hardworking taxpayers and spend

in washington. and then when that's not enough, invest means, borrow nearly half of which from other countries for the next generation and spend in washington. just so you know, when they keep saying invest, invest, you're not investing enough, it means tax, borrow, and spend here in washington as if we know better how people should spend their money. the same analysis we hear about job loss and this isn't going to work and cost all these jobs is the same analysis that said the stimulus was going to be a boon. it's the same analysis they said if we just borrow and spend $780 billion in washington on shovel worthy jobs, unemployment will never reach 10%, we'll create millions of new jobs. it didn't work. it all comes down to this. rather than prioritize our spending, rather than holding the federal government

accountable and more transparent to make sure that are taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely and prudently. rather than balancing the budget and paying off the debt so the next generation is a debt free inheritance, rather than taking on the bloated tax code that is mired with special interest give aways and tax breaks and loopholes, rather than opening up this incredible store of oil and gas that can give us a huge renaissance of more jobs and lower gas an home heating prices and a better foreign policy, rather than he preserving our military and giving our troops what they need, rather than growing our economy and creating what is estimated by the c.b.o. to give each person an average of $1,100 more in take-home pay because of that economic growth, rather than doing any of that just do more of the same.

stick with the status quo. that's what this rhetoric is. it's a strawman argument. it's an argument that says let's affix certain views to our opponents so we can defeat these awful views we say they have and win the debate by default so we can stick with the status quo and keep doing more of the same. mr. chairman, here's where we're headed. this debt, this red line is the status quo. this is where america is going. it's not a republican or democrat thing. it's a math thing. and what we're saying with this budget is the status quo isn't working. we can't comore of the same because we're head -- we can't do more of the same because we're headed in the wrong direction. everybody in this country knows this. this is our plan. it's actually a plan, pay off a debt, grow jobs and challenge the status quo and that's where i urge adoption of this budget.

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] votes on final passage of the republican bill and live coverage begins at 9:00 eastern here on c-span. at 10:00 eastern, kathleen sebelius testifies about her department's budget at a hearing and the senate finance committee. you can watch it live on c-span 3 and c-span.org. >> do you solemnly swear that and defend thet constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic and that swear faith and allegiance to the same, that you take this obligation freely without any reservation on

of the officesion you are about to enter so help you god? >> i do. collect congratulations. >> find more highlight on our facebook page. c-span created by american cable companies 35 years ago and brought to you today as a public service. >> during this month, c-span is pleased to resent this year's winning student cam video competition. it's the annual competition encouraging middle and high school students to think .ritically with the most important issue congress should consider in

2014? they are among this year's second prize winners. the juniors from pioneer high school in ann arbor, michigan, believes the environment is the most important issue. >> across the globe, the environment is rapidly changing from the arc to convert to the desert, no places lebanon harmed -- left unharmed. the earth is getting warmer transforming life everywhere. in the ocean, in the sky, and the mountains, the world as we know it is in danger. and fact, it hits much closer to home.

welcome to my hometown, ann arbor, michigan. mobile warming has affected the community in many ways from the food we eat to the safety of the city. the truth is that we, humans, are the cause. >> when we heat our homes, run our industries, other fossil fuels, that is the major contributor to climate change. >> there are still some people refuse to believe in the science of global warming. >> there are a substantial number of scientists that have manipulated data so that they have the dollars rolling in. >> 97% of all scientists agree that global warming exists and it is man-made. is no longerange

theoretical. we are seeing more. 12 of the last hottest years on record have been in the last 15 years. 97% of the crop was destroyed by product of global warming. the local businesses forced import cherries for the first time ever. >> they're seeing more wildfires. is warmer.overall >> on june 27, the severe weather affect hit ann arbor flooding streets and buildings across downtown and threatening the safety of the city. residents were found kayaking in the street in much of the community infrastructure was damaged. >> we have seen the series of

storms that have happened across our country. hurricane sandy shut the largest much a politician area in the country. it is beyond a doubt that it matches a trajectory that we are on. >> coastlines erode and it's having a huge economic impact. costather disasters have -- weather disasters have cost $200 billion. it kills 5 million people every year and this is just beginning. if we continue on this current trend, the effect will only get worse. they have implemented some measures to reduce greenhouse

gas emissions, but it is not enough. measures arehe right, they are not nearly enough to get us to the level scientists say we need to get to to avoid the worst effects of climate change. the house and senate need to work together on possible solutions to combating climate change. >> the environment in our country began very much as a bipartisan issue. over the last several years, it has become a deeply partisan issue. betweenthe ideology gap republicans and democrats is the greatest it's ever been. it was the least productive year of congress in history.

we need to achieve a solution to climate change or it's too late. >> as a nation, we need to go further. it should be a carbon cap. others say it should be economic measures like taxes. other people say there should be regulations that limit the amount of carbon that can be emitted. any of those approaches could work. as a nation, we need to work together to find a solution. >> there are things that congress can do that they have not chosen to do them. it is the kind of world that we are leaving to future generations. obama emphasized that in this climate change speech in june. this is about the world his leaving for his children and the

.orld that's being left for all >> the question now is whether we will have the courage to act before it's too late. father, andnt, as a as an american i'm here to say we need to act. >> the environment is getting worse and unless we act, they will be forced to taste the consequences of our choices. congress, we need your help to make this a better world for all. >> we do not need to continue the debate. to talk about it. we need to act now. we need to achieve global solutions. it's critical for the future. >> change that people think is doable than possible. it's part of what it means to be human. if we can do it, we must do it.

americanith in the people that we will get there. collect the environment, the most important issue facing congress in 2014. to watch all the winning videos, go to c-span.org and "studentcam." tweet us using #studentcam. >> the president and first lady attended the memorial service for the three victims of the base.ng at fort hood army he also spoke at a memorial service nearly five years ago after an army major shot and killed 13 people there. today's ceremony is one hour.

>> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. >> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. welcome to the ceremony as we honor the life and service of , timothy wrguson collins. thank you for gracing us with your presence. ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the national anthem sung by private first class from the for sustainment brigade and remain standing for the indication given by the chaplain. ♪ oh say can you see

by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming\m whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there o say does that star spangled

banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, chaplain matthew goff. momente enter the sacred

a memorial, we technology or the god of all comfort and mary c. we ask that you be with us collectively and individually to bring healing as we remember and honor our three fallen comrades, daniel, carlos, and timothy. walk with us through the valley and sustain us. encourage us by your spirit. andhe presence of family friends that gather around us, walked beside us, and lift our broken hearts. and now even as we grieve the loss of these three men we thank you for their selfless service and legacy they leave. bless their memory and may our thoughts of them and your healing touch sustain us each soldier, family and friend in the days ahead in your holy name we pray. amen. 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