reviewing the $10 billion portfolio in africa, the center for global development reported that if the money had been used for natural gas plants rather than renewables, an additional 60 million people would have had electricity but that's not politically correct. opic pays for the bad business decisions of large corporations and underwrites job creation abroad, all ultimately underwritten by hardworking american taxpayers and what's not to like about that? i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. royce: reclaiming my time. mr. speaker, now, i share the gentleman's concern about corporate welfare and i have spent years pressing on opic for greater transparency and finally in this measure we have a whole host of reforms. but i will remind this body that years back we exposed and helped kill opic's investment funds that were helping olitical cronies.

and i would also remind this body that we're only willing to give opec a shoverple extension by redirecting it to focus on an area that lacks investment and will have a major impact on the long-term growth of the country, and that is electricity. i cab assure the gentleman from california that this committee will continue its opec oversight but i should note that opec is not a free service. opec charges fee this is a generate a financial return for the u.s. treasury. to ensure that opec is not crowding out the private sector, they must demonstrate that no commercial bank is willing to provide the financing package requested directly from opec and this is the case in doing business in africa. the temporary authorization for opec, by the way, was included in the introduced version of the electry fie africa act and

has remined in -- remain nevered following version. i would also point out that this bill includes the significant reforms, additional reforms, that i and others have been trying to get into opec. for example, opec's operations will finally be transparent to the public as the agency will be required to post specific information about all of its projects online, including each project's financing. the location. the partners. the bill also creates an opec inspector general. it forces opec's board to become for the first time in history, bipartisan. this ensure this is a organizations interested in working with opec will be able to get a balanced perspective when reaching out to the agency. i will also close in response by noting that opec's last multiyear authorization expired

in 2007. the agency has been extended 28 times on appropriations bills and continuing resolutions with zero reforms. so we come to the floor here in an open process to try to this opec and to give it mission. thing legislation accomplishes a great deal on both fronts. i continue to resthemb balance of my time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from noverbing is ecognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. this bill had and continues to have strong bipartisan support. one of the co-sponsors on the bill is our ranking member on the african subcommittee, ms. bass of california and i yield her such time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for such time as she may consume. ms. bass: i rise in strong

support of h.r. 2548, the electrify africa act of 2014, a bill that directs the president to expand electrify case in subsahara after chasm i would like to thank my good -- sub-sahara africa. i would like to thank chairman royce and my colleagues for all the work they've done on this bill. h.r. 2548 directs the president to establish a multiyear trategy to assist countries in sub-saharan africa to develop power solutions to provide lectricity to -- electricity to people in rural areas. with greater access to electricity, africa has the capacity to grow its economies and grow trade. greater access to electricity also enables africa to expand

human capacity and address critical choofpbles underemployment. access to additional power will help additional countries address infrastructure challenges related to things like roads, rails and ports, all of which contributes to increase in capacity of african nations and the continent as a whole. greater access to electricity improves the quality of life for not only urban but rural communities. even though we're well into the 2 st semplery it's difficult to imagine 2/3 of the population of sub-saharan africa lives without electricity including 85% without electricity. children study by candlelight and doctors and midwifes are delivering babies while relying on flats. life -- on flashlights.

a life without electricity means millions of africans suffer. i think we're taking a strong step in the right direction. this bill provides an opportunity to work with the governments and private sectors of african countries anxious to increase their individual and combined regional access to electricity. we all know that seven of the 10 fastest growing economies are on the african continent and this is a great step forward toward addressing poverty and changing the paradigm in u.s.-africa relations. i agree with the chair of the committee who talked about reforms to opec. i would differ with my colleague from california, though, because i do believe that as the economies of africa strengthen that increases the ability for those countries and businesses on the continent to do business with u.s. companies which in my opinion also increases jobs in the united

states. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h. reform 2548 the electrify africa act of 2014 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from california. >> i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. in closing i'd like to once again point out that this is a bipartisan bill. the four original co-sponsors, chairman royce and chairman smith on the republican side, myself as the ranking member and ms. bass as the ranking member on the africa subcommittee on the democratic side system of this is truly a bipartisan collaboration that is very important, well thought out and i agree with everything the chairman said. this bill will reform opec and reform how this kind of aid is

done. so i'd like to again thank chairman royce for being an outstanding partner in drafting this legislation and for his leadership in passing the bill out of our committee unanimously. that's another thing that i think is so important to what we do on the committee, we tried to pass things in consensus and tried to let everybody put his or her thoughts into the bill this passed unanimously out of the committee that doesn't happen lightly or easily. it's done because lots of concerns were taken into consideration, things were ameliorated, things were changed and what sweff a very, very good product. as has been said, this legislation has the potential o impact millions of people in sub-saharan africa, a doctor in kenya will be able to treat a patient without worrying that her equipment will shut they've bottom line is that reliable access to electricity will help

build african economies and reduce their reliance on foreign aid, saving the united states money. i hope the senate will also take action on this bill which has broad bipartisan support in the senate and i urge my colleagues to support this positive piece of legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yields back. the gentleman from california. mr. rohrabacher: thank you mr. speaker. i want to thank ranking member engel of new york and ranking member karen bass of the africa subcommittee for working osely with me to craft the elect -- mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank ranking member engel and ranking member karen bass of the africa subcommittee for working close he with me to craft this bill. china has stepped in and we are speaking at a time when the premiere of china son the ground -- premier of china is on the ground right now in

africa. china is directing $2 billion to africa. this bill will counter china's growing influence. what else will the bill do? unlocking the constraint on african economic growth means a continent less reliant on aid. the bill promotes an all of the above approach to electricity that includes natural gas and clean coal and hide row. the c.b.o. estimates that -- and hydro. the c.b.o. estimate this is a this bill will save the u.s. treasury $86 million. electrify africa imposes permanent reforl on the overseas corporation, focuses opec on promoting electricity in africa, forces oversight, demands transparency on the institution, lays that out and makes the opec board bipartisan. there is every reason to support effort this is a

encourage economic independence, that strengthen trading partners and that compete with chinese influence in a vital region, as someone once said. i also want to recognize the wide range of enthusiasm for this bill. we have received letters of support from 35 africa ambassadors, the chamber of commerce, the corporate counsel of after character the national rural electric cooperative association, the american academy of pediatrics, and we know from karen bass' testimony why they are in support. and from the one campaign. many of these supporters have joined us today in the house gallery to watch this landmark vote. the united states has economic and national security interests in the continued development of the african continent. this bill sets out a comprehensible -- a comprehensive, sustainable, market-based plan to bring

close to 600 million africans out of the dark and into the global economy, benefiting american businesses and workers at the same time. so mr. speaker, i urge members to support h.r. 2548, the electrify africa act. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2548 as amended? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair -- >> mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman asks for the yeas and nays. >> i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceed thonings question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. royce: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass house resolution 418 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the

clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 418, resolution urging the government of burma to end the rohingya n of the people and respect internationally recognized human rights for all ethnic and religious groups within burr massachusetts the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i ask that all members have fife legislative days to revise and extend their remark and include extraneous material in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, ord. mr. royce: i yield myself such time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of house resolution 418. this is a bipartisan resolution offered by the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. mcgovern, calling on the government of burma to end its persecution of the rohingya muslims and respect the rights of all

ethnic and religious groups within burr massachusetts the rohingya muslims are one of the most persecuted groups in the world. according to burma's 1996 law, allowed to are not hold burmese citizenship despite living in burma for generations. the government has denied them the most basic of human rights, while subjecting them to unspeakable abuses. since 2012, 140,000 rohingya and other muslims in burma have been displaced by violence with hundreds killed. on january 13, unknown assailants entered a village and killed 48 people while they slept. this is what happens when a government refuses to recognize its own people. in fact a nongovernmental organization based in southeast asia recently disclosed

credible documents detailing the full extent of state involvement in persecuting rohingyas. not long ago the government of burma expelled doctors without borders from the country denying once again the most basic of human rights. the government of burma cannot claim progress toward meeting its goals for reform if it does not improve the treatment of rohingya muslims and other minority groups. the united states must prioritize the protection of human rights in its -- in its engagement with burr masm i urge the state department to take off the rose colored glasses and recognize the progress on human rights in burma is indeed limited. now is the time for the state department to bring additional leverage to bear in this -- and this resolution will help us do that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from york is ecognized.

mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. i urning in support of this resolution -- i urge in -- i rise in support of this resolution, urging the burmese government to protect these people. i would like to thank my good friend and co-chairman of the tom lantos human rights commission, mr. mcgovern, the gentleman from massachusetts, for authoring this important resolution. h.res. 418 calls on the government of burma to end its persecution of the rohingya people and to respect the human rights of all ethnic and religious minority groups. the polite of rohingya gets very -- plight of rohingya gets very little attention. the state department's 2013 country of reports on human rights practices acknowledged, and i quote, credible reports of extra judicial killings, rape and sexual violence, arbitrary detentions and torture and mistreatment in detention, deaths in custody

and systemic denial of due process and fair trial rights, overwhelmingly perpetrated against the rohingya, unquote. last month the u.n. special repertoire on human rights in burma stated that the recent developments in burma reflect a, quote, long history of discrimination and persecution against the rohingya muslim community which could amount to crimes against humanity. unquote. the u.n. is also describe -- has also described the rohingya community as virtually friendless because they are denied citizenship and face severe restrictions on marriage, employment, health care, education and daily movement. in february the burmese government expelled doctors without borders and since then deaths due to preventable complications during pregnancy have occurred on an almost daily basis in rohingya camps. where pregnant women make up 1/4 of the group's emergency referrals. mr. speaker, the government of burma transitioned from decades-long military rule to a

civilian government, it is important to hold it accountable for persistent human rights abuses. the killings, arbitrary detentions and destruction of homes have caused 140,000 people to be internally displaced and hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee to neighboring countries including thailand, bangladesh and malaysia. if burma truly seeks to rejoin the international community, the manner in which it treats its own people will be a key marker of the government's sincerity. burma must abide by human rights principles of equality and human dignity and this resolution calls upon the burmese government to do just that. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h.res. 418 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: mr. speaker, i yield five minutes to the gentleman from ohio, mr. chabot. he is the chairman of the foreign affairs subcommittee on

asia and the pacific. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized for five minutes. mr. chabot: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise today as a strong supporter and co-sponsor of h.res. 418, urging the government of burma to end the persecution of the ro hingea people -- rohingya people and respect internationally recognized human rights for all ethnic and religious minority groups within burma. and i want to commend the gentleman from massachusetts, my friend and colleague, mr. mcgovern, for offering this legislation which is certainly timely and we appreciate his leadership on this. as chairman of the subcommittee on asia and the pacific, i believe it's imperative that the u.s. and the international community raise awareness of this ongoing crisis in burma. and the need for its government to respect the human rights of all its ethnic and religious minority groups. which it's clearly not doing at

this time. last year we held two hearings in my subcommittee to examine the deteriorating human rights situation and ethnic unrest in burma. it's become abundantly clear, the political and social situation there is extremely fragile. and the continuing persecution of the minority rohingya population is just as was said, a profound crisis. some 140,000 displaced rohingya have been forced to live in camps described as open-air prisons. doctors without borders was forced out by the burmese government and since then nearly 150 rohingya have died of medically related causes. this particular photo illustrates the doctors without borders clinic, it's shuttered, they're gone, the people are not getting the medical care that they're entitled to and people are literally dying as a

result of this. further, mob violence has made a number of other international n.g.o.'s evacuate burma, for fear, and being essentially excluded by the government and they were doing good work for people who really needed it. were in dire straits. the burmese government has taken few, if any, steps to fornl a peaceful, harmoan rosie -- forge a peaceful, harmonious and prosperous future for the rohingya state. it is explicit in extrajudicial killings, rape, arbitrary detention, torture, deaths in detention and for denial of due process and fair trial rights for the rohingya. as these horribly repressed people, who are afforded no identity by the burmese government, have been forced into camps, the burmese government has confiscated their land, their homes and property for redistribution to

the buddhist majority. a recent report by a group, united to end genocide, found that nowhere else in the world are there more precursors to genocide, signs of genocide may well happen, than in burma right now. this is why i recently introduced h.r. 4377, the burma human rights and democracy act of 2014, with my colleague from new york, a democrat, mr. crowley. this legislation would place conditions on providing international military and educational training or for military financing assistance to the burmese government. in light of the burmese government's and military's complissity in these ongoing human rights abuses against the rohingya and other ethnic groups, it's much too soon for us to be engaging at a level that provides u.s. foreign assistance to burma's corrupt and abusive military.

it concerns me that the administration still refuses to cooperate or detail what its strategy really is for the future of military engagement with burma. mr. speaker, h.res. 41 highlights the need -- 419 highlights the need for the community to continue pressuring burma to end its blatant persecution and discrimination of the rohingya population. i want to again thank mr. mcgovern, mr. franks, mr. pitts, and mrs. smith for co-sponsoring this resolution. i believe pass and of the resolution will send a strong message to the burmese government and i would urge my colleagues to support this measure. and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio yields back. the gentleman from california refreshes -- reserves. the gentleman from new york. is recognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. i now yield to the author of the resolution, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr.

mcgovern, as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. mcgovern: thank you, mr. speakers and i want to thank my colleague, mr. engel, for yielding me the time and for his leadership on this and so ny other issues of human rights. i also want to thank chairman royce for his support and chairman chabot, i appreciate all that you do for human rights. i admire all these gentleman who were here on the floor. they have been outspoken for human rights not only in burma but all around the world. mr. speaker, i'm very proud to rise in support of this resolution, urging the government of burma to end the persecution of the rohingya people and respect internationally recognized human rights for all ethnic and religious minority groups within burma. i especially want to also thank my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from pennsylvania, congressman joe pitts, for his leadership on this issue and for joining me in introducing this bipartisan resolution. over 800,000 people of rohingya ethnicity live in burma. even though many rohingyas have

lived in the area for generations, the burma citizenship law of 1982 has excluded them from approved ethnic groups. thereby rendering them stateless and vulnerable to exploitation, violence and abuse. and while the rohingya and other minorities in burma have historically experienced severe discrimination, there has been a dramatic increase in discrimination and violence against them in the past two years. attacks in june and july of 2012 resulted in the deaths of at least 57 muslims and the destruction of 1,336 rohingya homes. on october 23, 2012, at least 70 rohingyas were killed in their -- and their township was destroyed. further, the united nations high commissioner for human rights reported possessing credible evidence of the deaths of at least 48 rohingyas in january of this year. and human rights groups reported mass arrests and arbitrary detention of rohingya in the aftermath of this

violence. in addition, other muslim my mortgages -- minorities have also suffered from violent attacks and many have lost their lives and property in the last year and a half. such violence against ethnic muslim populations including the rohingya is part of a larger troubling pattern of violence against ethnic and religious minorities in burma. the government of burma remains apathetic to the plight of the rohingya population and has failed to properly investigate the major events of anti-rohingya violence. instead, both the state and central government continue to impose explicitly racist policies that seek to control the everyday lives of the rohingya. authorities require rohingya to obtain official permission for marriages and have often singled out rohingya for forced labor and arbitrary arrests. the government of bush ma -- burma has put them into camps where they lack decent shelter, access to clean water, food, sanitation, health care and the

ability to support themselves or basic education for their children. the rohingya are the sole targets of the two-child policy and are the subjects to severe restrictions of movement. further, as evidenced by the latest census in burma, the burmese government continues to deny the rohingyas their right for self-identification. sending a clear message that the rohingya are outsiders who have no place in burma. today approximately 140,000 rohingya are internally displaced and hundreds of thousands have fled to neighboring countries by boats, many have died at sea. those who remain in the country live in dire poferts and deprivation. some relief used to come from humanitarian organizations like doctors without borders but even that aid is no longer available. the government of burma expelled doctors without borders in march, allegedly after the group cared for the victims of a violent assault on a rohingya village, which the government denies ever

happened. increasingly severe restrictions and violent attacks on other humanitarian aid groups have forced the majority of them to flee the state. and the rohingya now remain with no one and nowhere to turn for help and health care. every day more and more people die of causes that could be preventable or treatable, if humanitarian groups had the chance to help. according to a march 14 article in "the new york times," nearly 750,000 people, the majority of them rohingya, have been deprived of medical services since the burmese government banned the operations of doctors without borders. according to the article, during the first two weeks of march alone, about 150 of those most vulnerable and in need of care died. including 20 pregnant women facing life-threatening deliveries. when doctors without borders were able to work in the state, they sent approximately 400 emergency cases every month to

local hospitals but according to the world health organization, less than 20 people received referrals by the government for emergency care in march. such a difference suggests that the rohingya, in desperate need of emergency care, are left to suffer or to die. in light of these disturbing events, it is important that the house speak with one voice today. and call on the government of burma to end all forms of persecution and discrimination of the rohingya people and ensure respect for internationally recognized human rights for all ethnic and rnls minority groups within burma -- religious minority groups within burma. the burmese government need to recognize the rohingya as an ethnic group indigenous to burma and work with the rohingya to resolve their citizenship status and the u.s. government needs to make the removal of state-sanctioned discriminatory policies a priority in their engagement with the government of burma. let me be clear. the situation is dire and rapidly deteriorating. multiple recognized independent

human rights n.g.o.'s, as well as the u.n. special repertoire on human rights in burma have stated that the series of actions directed at the rohingyas in burma could amount to crimes against humanity. further, a recent report by the u.s. states that nowhere in the world are there more precursors to genocide than in burma right now. in the past few weeks, we have all taken time to remember the -- and commemorate the victims of the armenian genocide, the holocaust and the genocide in rwanda. we saw the same disturbing signs in other moments of history and we know what the consequences are of not paying attention. showing support for this bill is one step that we can take today toward fulfilling the solemn pledge of never again. i urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i'll continue to

reserve unless the gentleman from new york wants to make a closing statement at this time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: in closing, i would like to thank congressman mcgovern, for drafting this important resolution. and chairman royce for his continued bipartisan leadership. as has been said, this resolution calls upon the burmese government to end the persecution of all religious minority groups. it has been ignored by the international community. so they cannot be ignored any longer. time for the united states to send a clear and strong message to the government of the burma, we will not tolerate the persecution of ethnic minorities and must abide if it is to rejoin the international community.

i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yields back. the gentleman from california. mr. royce: again, i want to thank the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. mcgovern, for his support of the rohingya people and for his dedication of human rights. i have had the opportunity to work with mr. mcgovern on a number of human rights' bills and he eloquently explained tonight the challenge that we face here and i was proud to join him as a co-sponsor of this measure and work with him. and i want to thank the gentleman from new york for his continued focus on human rights around the world. on this issue, you know it's true that the burmese government has taken steps to open its closed society, but the reality is that the recent events here

are deeply, deeply troubling to yone who is watching, as i indicated, 48 rohingya were murdered, aid workers trying to care for thousands of displaced have been attacked in the country, doctors without borders, kicked out of burma. this resolution calls on the government of burma to immediately recognize the rohingya as an ethnic minority and grant them citizenship, a step that is long overdue, as mr. mcgovern pointed out. i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan resolution. let's send a message that the current situation in burma is unacceptable and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back. will the house agree to house resolution 418.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the rules are suspended and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. rush of illinois for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request is granted. pursuant to clause 12-a, the thee stands in recess subto call of the chair.

return for morning speeches and noon for legislative work. for more on the benghazi resolution, we talk to politico editor. >> the headline and politico says, behind the benghazi committee, details on how they

plan to create a new select committee to investigate. stephen sloan is the deputy editor with politico all stop why as house leadership seeking a new committee? with a judicial launch. >> is the intent of this committee to take all of the other invest occasions and funnel them into one touch and mark >> i think that is where this is heading. i do not know what percentage will abandon their interest in benghazi. i think that this will be center stage.

>> one of the question marks out there is whether democrats intend to participate? any word on whether democrats will be part of it? >> they will have two more republicans than democrats. it will be lopsided in favor of theblicans will stop majority has a majority. that it is upink in the air. now thatporting right nancy pelosi is leaning against appointing members to this panel . she does not want to participate. >> assuming the house gives its approval on a largely republican basis to this new committee on benghazi, how soon would speaker boehner select committee

members? what has the lobbying been like? whoare some of the people are early favorites to be selected? >> it would conceivably begin very quickly. as soon as this resolution passes all stop you can imagine that the speaker to do that. you have seen a few different people who are pushing for that. it includes a freshman misery representative. california.r from you soon the arms -- he is on the armed services committee. >> you mentioned that nancy pelosi is leaning against is a fading. if democrats had their choice as to who they would see on the committee, who would that be? >> it is unclear.

the ranking member on the oversight committee is elijah cummings the top he is from maryland. he has landed the democratic response to the republican ifestigation into benghazi. she is leaning that way, you would be hard-pressed to find any democrats who would want to be part of this committee. >> he tweeted out some comments by the chairman of the committee. gop is fundaid raising off the benghazi. that the new panel chair think that it is a bad idea. what do we know? why does he say it is a bad idea? >> you have seen nbc's morning joe. he was asked if he would raise money off of benghazi. that he would not. he may seek campaign cash.

it is very tragic death of or americans. he would not advise his colleagues to do that. >> stephen sloan is the deputy congressional editor with a libido. -- with politico. thank you for joining us. >> on the next washington journal, congressman adam schiff from california. he discusses the new investigation into the 2012 attack in benghazi. representative luke messer talks about charter schools. later, nicole lee, the outgoing resident of transafrica this gus's efforts to search for the nigerian schoolgirls who were captured. washington journal is on at 7:00 a.m. he could join the conversation --his book, twitter stop

these worked when -- facebook or twitter. >> we set up our own prison. we set up our own trap. drugs,u get addicted to every signal the world is sending -- that is a beautiful sunrise. it is a beautiful day. people love you, but everything gets closed-end. all i could think about was, i got to go all stop we get caught up in those traps. we take it on personally. we can see what is really out there. there are angels and mentors to care for you. is "it tv/book selection calls you back." it is by a former gang member,

louise rodriguez -- luis rodriguez. join the conversation in our book club chat room. find us on book tv.org. the house is in recess. our live coverage will continue on c-span when members return. earlier, the house adopted a resolution finding lois lerner in contempt of congress. that was for refusing to testify before the oversight committee about alleged targeting of conservative groups. well we wait for the house to return, we will show you some debate on the floor earlier today all stop we will start with darrell issa. so ordered. the gentleman from california. mr. issa: i yield myself two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. 2013, : on march 29,

the congress started an investigation into whether the i.r.s. used a flawed process to find tax exempt organizations. to wit, i subpoenaed lois lerner because she was in charge of the office that executed and we believe targeted conservative group thesms two divisions of the i.r.a. most involved with the targeting were the e.o. determinations unit in cincinnati and the e.o. technical unit in washington, d.c., headed by lois lerner. before the hearing, ms. lerner's lawyer notified the committee that she would invoke her fifth amendment privilege and decline to answer any questions from our committee members. instead of doing, ms. lerner read a voluntary statement,

self-selected statement, included a series of specific declarations of her innocence. she said -- mr. speaker, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. the house will please come to order. the gentleman is recognized. mr. issa: she said, i have not done anything wrong. i have not broken any laws. i have not violated any i.r.s. rules or regulations. and i have not provided false information to this or any other committee. she then refused to answer our questions, she invoked her fifth amendment right. she wouldn't even answer questions about declarations she made during her opening statement. he said, that is not how the fifth amendment, mr. speaker, that is not how the fifth amendment is meant to be used.

the fifth amendment is protection, it is a shield, lois lerner used it as a sword to cut and then defend herself from any response. a witness cannot come before the committee to make a voluntary statement, self-serving statement and then refuse to answer questions. you don't get to use the public hearing to tell the press and public your side of the story and then invoke the fifth. additionally, mr. speaker, when asked about -- after invoking the fifth, when asked about previous testimony she made and document she answered and authenticated those and then again went back to asserting her fifth amendment rights. it is disappointing that things have come to this point. lois lerner had almost a year to reconsider her decision not to answer questions to congress. she gave a game -- -- the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman will suspend. would the gentleman from california like to yield himself additional time? mr. issa: i would be happy to any time the chair tells me my time is expired. the speaker pro tempore: your time has expired. mr. issa: i yield myself 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. mr. issa: in the meantime, after invoke, she gave a no strings attached interview to the justice department, this was sent to the press entirely, voluntarily, before a large gathering. her position with respect to complying with a duly issued subpoena has become clear. she won't. her testimony is a missing piece of the investigation into i.r.s. targeting. we have now conducted 40 transcribed interviews and reviewed hundreds of thousands of documents and mr. speaker, the facts lead to lois lerner. i reserve the plans of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from maryland is

recognized. mr. cummings: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cummings: just shy of a year ago, the secretary general of facts administration reported the i.r.s. had used inappropriate criteria to review applicants for tax exempt status. the same day, chairman issa wept on national tv, before he received a single document or interviewed a single witness, and said the following. this was the targeting of the president's political enemies. targeting of d -- the president's political enemies and lies about it,ent end of quote. the republicans have spent the last year trying to prove these allegations. the i.r.s. has produced more than half a million pages of documents. we have interviewed 39 witnesses, 40 witnesses, i.r.s. witnesses, treasury department employees. and after all of that, we have

not found any evidence of white house involvement or political motivation. yesterday, i issued a report with key portions from the nearly 40 interviews conducted by the committee to date. these were witnesses called by the majority. these interviews showed definitely, definitively, that there was no evidence of any white house direction or political bias. instead they described in detail how the inappropriate terms were first developed and how there was inadequate guidance or -- on how to process the application. now let me be clear, i'm not defending ms. lerner. i wanted to hear what she had to say. i have questions about why she was unaware of the inappropriate criteria for more than a year after they were reated. i want to know -- after they were created. i want to know why she did not mention the inappropriate criteria in her letters to congress. but i cannot vote to violate an

individual's fifth amendment rights just because i want to hear what she has to say. a much greater principle is at stake here today. the sanctity of the fifth endment rights for all citizens of the united states of america. i will not walk a path that has been tread by senator mccarthy and house un-american activities committee. in this case, a vote for contempt not only would endanger the rights of american citize, but it would be a pointless and costly exercise. when senator mccarthy pursued a similar case, the judge dismissed it. the supreme court has said that a witness does not waive her rights by professing her innocence. in addition, more than 30 independent experts have now come forward to conclude that chairman issa botched the contempt procedure by not giving ms. lerner the proper warnings as a -- at the march 5

hearing when he rushed to cut off my microphone and adjourn the hearing before any democrat had the chance to utter a syllable. for instance, stan grant who served as house counsel from 1976 to 1983, concluded that chairman issa's actions were, quote, fatal to any subsequent prosecution, end of quote. the experts who came forward are from all across the country and all across the political spectrum. jay richard bro began, a member of the -- brogan a member of the republican national lawyers association and a law professor, concluded that ms. lerner, and i quolet, would likely have a defense to any ensuing criminal prosecution for contempt pursuant to the existing supreme court precedent, end of quote. i didn't say that, the republican national lawyers

association member said that. rather than squandering our valuable resources pursuing a contempt vote that more than 30 independent experts have concluded will fail in court, we should release the nearly 40 transcripts in their entirety that have not yet been made public and allow all americans to read the unvarnished facts for themselves. with that, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. issa: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from ohio, mr. jordan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. jordan: i thank the chairman for yielding, i thank the speaker. here's what we know. lois lerner was at the center of the scandal from the get-go. we know she waived her fifth amendment rights, on two separate occasions, she came in front of committee, as che chairman pointed out and made multiple factual statements.

when you make fultpl factual assertions you can't say, i invoke my fifth amendment privileges. she waived it a second time when she agreed to sit down with the department of justice. when you waive it in one proceedings, you can't ignore that in another. the new i.r.s. commissioner said it may take as many as two years for him to get us all lois lerner's emails and most importantly, we know that lois lerner and the internal revenue service systemically targeted american citizens, systemically targeted groups for exercising their first amendment rights. think about that, mr. chairman. think about your first amendment rights, freedom of press, freedom of religion, freedom of speech and speech in particular that's political. to speak out against your government, your most fundamental right. that's what they targeted.

and so, to get to the truth, we need to use every tool we can to compel ms. learner, the lady at the center they have scandal, to come forward and answer our questions so the american people can understand why their first amendment rights were targeted. because we know, we know, the criminal investigation department of justice is a sham. they've already leaked to the "wall street journal," no one will be prosecute. they already had the head of the executive branch, the president of the united states, go on national television and -- national television and say, no corruption, not even a smidgen, and the person leading the investigation is a maxed out contributor to the president's campaign. the only route to the truth is through the house of representatives and compelling ms. lerner to answer our questions. that's why this resolution is so important. that's why i'm supporting it. that's why i hope my colleagues on the other side will support it as well. it's about this most fundamental right and ms. lerner is at the center of the storm. we want her simply to answer the questions.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california continue to reserve? the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. cummings: i would say to the gentleman, as the professor said, it's explicit that a person does not waive a fifth amendment right by answering questions outside a formal setting or by making statements that were not under oath, when he referred to the issue of her making statements to the justice department. with that, i yield to the distinguished gentlelady, a member of our committee, ms. speer for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the entlelady is recognized. ms. speier: i thank the gentleman for his leadership and to say a few minutes here on the floor. i'm not here to defend lois lerner today but i am here to defend the constitution and every american's right to assert the fifth amendment so as not to incriminate themselves. and every single member of this body should be as committed to doing the same thing. i'm also here to defend the integrity of the committee and the rules of that committee.

lois lerner pled the fifth amendment before our committee. and she also professed her innocence. pure and simple. 30 independent legal experts have said the proceedings were constitutionally deficient to bring a contempt proceeding. they were constitutionally deficient because the chair did not overrule ms. lerner's fifth amendment assertion and order her to answer the question. and as long as that deficiency is there, there is no reason to move forward with this effort today. but let's move on to the bigger picture. every single 501-c-4 that was in the queue before the i.r.s. could have self-certified. they didn't even need to be in

that queue. so whether or not there was a list of progressive organizations and conservative organizations that they were through omehow get the thousands of applications they had, they could have moved aside and self-certified. there have been 39 witnesses before this committee, there have been 530 pages of documents. there is no smoking gun. but the other side is locked and loaded, they're just shooting blanks. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. does the gentleman from maryland reserve? the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. issa: if they hasn't made their applications perhaps they wouldn't have been asked the abusive questions like what books do you read, who are your donors, inappropriate questions that happened. with that i yield one minute to the distinguished member from virginia, the leader of the

house, mr. cantor. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for one minute. mr. cantor: mr. speaker, i thank the gentleman, chairman from california. mr. speaker, i rise today in support -- in strong support of this resolution to hold ms. had lois lerner in contempt -- ms. lois lerner in contempt. the substance of this resolution should not be taken lightly. the contempt of the u.s. house of representatives is a serious matter and one that must be taken only when duly warranted. there's no doubt in my mind the conditions have been met for today's actions. mr. speaker, there are few government abuses more serious than using the i.r.s. to punish american citizens for their political beliefs. the very idea of the i.r.s. being used to intimidate and silence critics of a certain political philosophy is egregious.

it is so egregious that it is practically -- that it has practically been a cliche of government corruption in works of fiction for decades since president nixon's administration. yet, mr. speaker, unfortunately in this instance, under ms. lerner's watch, this corruption became all too real. conservatives were routinely targeted and silenced by the i.r.s., leading up to the 2012 election, unjustly and with malice. those targeted were deprived of their civil rights to an unbiased administration of law. these citizens, these moms and dads simply trying to play within the rules and make their voices heard were left waiting without answers until election day had come and gone. liberal groups were not targeted, as my colleagues

across the aisle like to claim. only conservative groups were deliberately singled out because of their political beliefs and they were subjected to delays, inappropriate questions and unjust denials. mr. speaker, the american people are owed a government that they can trust, not a government that they fear. the only way to rebuild this trust is to investigate exactly how these abuses occurred and to ensure that they never happen again. whether you're a conservative or a liberal, a republican or a democrat, or hold any other political or philosophical position, your rights must be protected from this administration and all those that come after it. for nearly a full year lois lerner has refused to testify

before this house about the singling out and targeting of conservative organizations. she spoke up and gave a detailed assertion of her innocence and then refused to answer questions. she later spoke with d.o.j. attorneys for hours but still refused to answer a lawful subpoena and testify to the american public. as a public servant, she decided to forego cooperation, to forego truth and transparency. in 2013, ms. lerner joked in one uncovered email that perhaps she could get a job with organizing for america, president obama's political arm. this is no surprise. our committees have found ms. lerner used her position to unfairly deny conservative groups equal pre