commodity futures trading commission. we expect them to gavel out in recess after that because g.o.p. leadership elections are set for 2:00 p.m. eastern. we'll have coverage from capitol hill. later, after those elections, we expect the house to come back in and finish up work on the 2015 defense spending bill. they started that yesterday. now live to the house floor here on c-span.

the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered today by our guest chaplain, mr. rajan zed, universal society of hinduism, reno, evada. the chaplain: ohm. the transnenl glory on the supreme, who is inside the heart, inside the life of the sky and inside the soul of the heaven. may he stimulate and illuminate

our minds. lead us from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. fulfill all your duties, action is better than inaction, selfish actions imprison the world, act selflessly without any part of personal profit. strive constantly to solve the welfare of the world. by devotion to selfless work, one attained to the supreme goal of life. may we become united with the all powerful and all-knowing lord who dwells in the hearts of all, is the supreme goal of life and infinite peace and love. lord, be kind to us with your

invisible form, lead us to eternal joy, fill our hearts with unending peace and free us from all bondage. abandon us not. ohm. thank you. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentlelady rom maryland, ms. edwards. ms. edwards: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: without objection, the gentleman from california, mr. honda, is recognized for one minute. thank you, mr.

speaker. mr. speaker, it is my privilege to welcome mr. rajan zed to offer the opening prayer before the house of representatives. a native of the state of nevada, he attended san jose university of california, my alma mater. as president of-duism and part of the religious diplomacy, he's advocated for religious freedom throughout the world and looking for tolerance also. his contributions to the religious community worldwide led him to be invited by the president of the european parliament in brussels, belgium, for a meeting to promote interfaith dialogue. he's particularly known for his work within the community, acting as a voice for the human rights of the 15 million roma

in europe. this body supports diversity of spirituality and culture is a testament to our great institution. for his continuous spiritual leadership and for traveling from afar, i would like to thank mr. zed for having led us in prayer. i yield back. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the chair will entertain up to 15 further requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend y remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. mr. conaway: thank you, mr. speaker. as chairman of the committee on ethics, along with my colleague, linda sanchez, the ranking member, and other members of the committee, past and present, we rise today to honor the life and work of carol dixon.

every so often through hard work, immense talent and a zealous dedication to the mission of this body, a staffer becomes an institution in the house. carol dixon had achieved that status. known to many simply as the ethics lady, carol's intelligence, cannedor and infectious laugh made the house a better and honorable place. director of our education sector, she was unmatched,, those who sought out carol to specifically ask for her guidance. her sudden passing this weekend is a tremendous loss for both the ethics committee and the house. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized. recognize rise to

carol dixon. carol provided wise counsel to honors of members and to thousands of staff. this house will miss carol's sage advice and her deep institutional knowledge. the members and staff of the ethics committee will also miss our good friend. while carol loved her job, her co-workers in the house, most of all, carol loved her family. we know this because she spoke of them warmly and often. ms. sanchez: carol's mother and father and family members are here with us today. on behalf of all of the members and staff of the ethics committee, thank you so much for sharing carol with us. mr. speaker, at this time i'd ask for everyone to rise to observe a moment of silence in the house to honor the life and memory of carol dixon.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i couldn't believe my ears when the i.r.s. revealed last week they lost all of the emails that have been received and sent out by lois lerner from 2009 to 2011. mr. paulsen: could he inns decent dently, this time frame is part of the investigation of i.r.s. going against americans. despite the agency's promise of fall cooperation, the promise of full disclosure, we now know that is not happening. turns out the i.r.s. knew since february and they sat on this knowledge that they would not be able to produce ms. lerner's emails. they waited for three months

and then buried it in a 27-page report and released it on a friday afternoon. this is not the transparency the american people deserve. mr. speaker, enough is enough. while the house will continue its investigation to get answers, it's time for full accountability and the department of justice to step up to the plate and fully investigate targeting of americans by the i.r.s. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. mr. veasey: mr. speaker, i rise today to express my sadness and also honor the passing of a great man, pastor maurice edward barnes. pastor barnes lived the life of service for both the church and community. born on july 30, 1945, to christy and late reverend robert barnes sr., he grew up in the lake cuomo community in fort worth. after completing his studies at texas wesleyan university,

trinity university and southern bible institute, he answered the call to preaching. for over 20 years he was the faithful servant in the church he grew up, succeeding the reverend bristol, at the zion missionary baptist church in the cuomo community. as a man who diligently served those around him, pastor barnes was not only a leader in the church but also showed great leadership in organizations aimed at improving the community, like the naacp. my heart felt sympathies to his wife, first lady deborah watson barnes, his children and extended friends. pastor barnes made a positive impact on my life. i ask my colleagues to join me in remembering this great man. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas, mr. williams, seek recognition? mr. williams: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. williams: mr. speaker, a national crisis is happening right now in my home state of texas. thousands upon thousands of people from central america are

coming across our so-called southern border and are bankrupting texas and wearing out our resources. a recent headline reads, feds looking for babysitters to help with the illegal immigrant kids. this is where our tax dollars are going. the border towns in texas are literally overflowing with unaccompanied minors. more than 162,000 people from countries other than mexico have crossed the southern border of the united states since last october. that's more than 100% increase than the previous year. as my democratic colleague, congressman henry cuellar, said, if we don't send the message that they can't come and stay here, this problem will continue to continue and it's going to get worse. the answer is secure the border. if we don't secure the border our work in congress is obsolete. of course, the president is absent in this crisis. enforce the laws of the land and secure our borders. in god we trust. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? ms. hahn: i ask unanimous consent to address the house

for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. hahn: thank you, mr. speaker. pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers. a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is often a death sentence. of all the patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, 73% die within the first year. most within the first three to six months. i think we should reverse these alarming statistics and give hope to those who are affected by this disease. you know, 50 years ago women were dying of breast cancer at an alarming rate. but today with more scientific research, early detection techniques and affordable health care, the survival rate is much higher and women are fighting and beating this cancer. i think we should invest more funding for advanced research for pancreatic cancer that could save thousands of lives. pancreatic cancer, unfortunately, cuts the life of my friend, larry clark, former mayor in california, but thanks to successful surgery, clinical

trials, larry is alive and well and now he's dedicated his life of working with the pancreatic cancer action network to help others fight this deadly disease. they were here monday, walking the halls of congress, urging us for more research money. my hope is that the awareness of this critical issue will be an impetus for action and improvement of the way we treat pancreatic cancer in order to fight this disease and save lives. i yield my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. desjarlais: mr. speaker, i rise today to honor a courageous american and proud son of tennessee, sergeant haynes. mr. haynes of murphysboro was only 20 years old when he entered the army in 1942 at the height of world war ii. he served on the front lines of europe and was the first to land on omaha beach. he fought also in the battle of st. loew, the battle of the

bulge. he credits the good lord for saving his life numerous times in congress. he was eventually captured and spent four months in a prisoner of war camp and was able to escape aid. after the war, he became a successful businessman, operating the haynes brothers candy company in murfreesboro. known as the flag man, he sells thousands of american flags each year. thank you, sergeant haynes, for your service. you truly embody the spirit of the greatest generation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? chu: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. chu: every day it's becoming more difficult to vote. today it's nearly one year after the supreme court's shelby decision, which gutted provisions of the voting rights

act. states quickly moved to restrict voting rights. in fact, hours after shelby, texas announced its voter i.d. law would be implemented immediately. thank goodness the federal court blocked it. without these protections, minority communities would be disproportionately affected. the voting rights act ensured equal access to the ballot box and it protected voters like rose thompson. rose is 79 years old and voted all her life but this november she'll be likely to be turned away. she was born at home in jackson, mississippi, and never received a birth certificate. so she can't obtain a voter i.d. as her state requires. without an i.d., rose loses a fundamental right that was guaranteed to all americans. now is the time for action. i urge my colleagues to support the bipartisan voting rights amendment act and restore our ability to have a voice in this democracy. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired.

for what purpose does the gentleman from texas, mr. johnson, seek recognition? mr. johnson: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. you know, we've heard the horror stories of our veterans experiencing long wait times, subpar care or worse, no care at all, at v.a.'s across the country. while we can't fix a broken v.a. system overnight, we can do something now to help our brave men and women in uniform. that's why i'm introducing the helping veterans save for health care act, that would allow veterans who receive care to ugh the v.a. to continue have a health savings account. such savings could then be used by the veteran or their family. veterans want, need and deserve more choices when it comes to saving for health care. particularly when our vets' v.a. is failing to provide the care they earned.

we must continue to put our veterans first and we can start by making it easier for them to save through an h.s.a. for quality care. i ask my colleagues to join me in this effort. it's the right thing to do. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? the gentleman from california is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the life and service of scott hule, a police officer in stockton, california, who died as a result of injuries in the line of duty. on may 28, officer hule and his partner were headed to assist another officer with an armed suspect when their car crashed. both officers sustained serious injuries and officer hule sadly dyed on june 11. only 33 years old, the officer was a graduate of san francisco state university and joined the stockton police department in september, 2012. he was well liked on the force, he trained at the sacramento

police academy and worked with the sacramento sheriff's department. officer hule was the 11th officer to die in the line of duty at stockton, the first since 1993. our law enforcement officials risk their lives every day to work to protect ours. our community mourns the loss of officer scott hule and our thoughts and prayers are with his family. i ask my colleagues to remember officer hule and all the fallen officers and to thank our first responders for their service. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, seek recognition? mr. smith: address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors are surging across our southern border. according to an internal border patrol report, the blame falls squarely on the president. reports show that 95% of the illegal immigrants interviewed

came to the u.s. to get a free pass from the president's announced amnesty policy. his failure to enforce immigration laws and his promise of amnesty by executive order entices these immigrant children to enter the u.s. illegally. the assessment for this year alone is expected to reach 90,000, 15 times more than four years ago. the president's solution is to issue public service announcements in central america. but the administration's actions speak louder than their words. the president's pro-amnesty policies have caused this crisis. the real solution to the border surge is to enforce current immigration laws, not undermine them as the president has done. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from illinois seek recognition? the gentlelady is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. as kids across the country celebrate the end of the school year, i want to take a moment

to recognize the outstanding students and educators who make our communities better. when good teachers involve parents, innovative curriculum and motivated students come together, our communities shine. today i recognize antoine lamon of washington high in chicago, who was recently recognized by the president at the white house maker fair. this event celebrated students who's innovative technologies and techniques will transform america's way of life. ms. kelly: along with a team of pioneering washington students, antoine created ballers life, a 3-d interactive game whose objective was to provide a nonviolent educational experience that stimulates the minds of adults and children alike. it's so good that even the president noticed. antoine's achievements include placing in chicago's academic decathlon, completing rigorous a.p. courses, maintaining an honor average, all while

competing on washington's football, wrestling, track, basketball and volleyball teams. as antoine prepares for colonel at northern illinois university this -- college at northern illinois university this fall, i'm reminded that not only was the second district made better by him, it has a brighter future because of students like him itcht yield back -- like him. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? the gentleman from florida is recognized. birlbirl thank you, mr. speaker -- mr. bilirakis: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise to ask for the collective prayers for -- of this chamber to help bring my constituents back home to tarpon springs, florida. robert maine, james kelly garrett, devon butler, nick cook and steve, and also michael maine are the crew of the ock with aquest, a boat company hired to teach locals in honduras how to safely scuba dive. on a quest to do good, these men have been illegally

detained without benefit of due process for 44 days and have spent several, as i said, several weeks in a delap dated hon douran jail, -- honduren jail, living in unacceptable conditions. together with my colleague, congressman mike fitzpatrick, we urged the state department and hon douran officials to work toward a quick resolution, to free these men so that they may return to the loving arms of their families. your prayers are appreciated and i have confidence that we'll bring them home. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this year we mark the 50th anniversary of the 1964 freedom summer, when hundreds of americans traveled to mississippi to fight discrimination and advance voting rights and equality under the law. mr. deutch: today i rise to

recognize three americans who gave their lives in that struggle. james chaney, michael sworner and andrew goodman. on june 21, 1964, these three activists, one african-american and two jewish, were kidnapped and murdered for working to register black voters. their lives, the lives of james chaney, michael sworner and michael goodman, were claimed by hate, yet their faith and quality and justice and right to vote lives on today through the black jewish alliance borne out of the civil rights movement. i proudly honor these men and i'd like to thank the organization for ethnic understanding for championing this cause. for 25 years, the foundation has advanced the values shared by the jewish and african-american communities, including tolerance, equal rights and justice. as a jewish american, it's an honor to fight for these values here in congress today and every day. thank you, mr. chairman, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the

balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania eek recognition? the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the situation unfolding in iraq is a tragedy. almost 4,500 fellow americans made the ultimate sacrifice in iraq defending our freedom and fighting oppression and tyranny. more than 3,2 -- 32,000 men and women who served our country in iraq bear the wounds of war and all who served had extraordinary pressures put on their families. unless you have lived it, one cannot begin to know the pain experienced by the families of the fallen and the wounded. our men and women in uniform fought for an ideal. that ideal is freedom. the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, the freedom to assemble and vote and make one's voice heard, freedom like those we have right here in this chamber. that ideal will never die. during these difficult days,

mr. speaker, let us make sure we are mindful of the sacrifice of so many and let us always rally to the families of the fallen and stand in solidarity with all of our veterans. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas seek recognition? ms. johnson: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from texas is recognized. ms. johnson: thank you very much, mr. speaker. the senate voted last week to pass comprehensive legislation aimed at addressing the longstanding issues within the department of veterans affairs' health care system. now it is time for the republican house leadership to bring a comprehensive package to the floor. with more than eight million veterans turning to the v.a. for medical care each year, it is absolutely critical that we thoroughly address these issues in a timely fashion.

that is why i commend congresswoman kirkpatrick for introducing companion legislation to the sanders-mccain bill, to improve the quality of care within the v.a. our veterans should not have to endure excessive long waits, tolerate canceled appointments nd question quality of care. nor should the persons reporting these activities be punished. the legislation would increase access to care while also improving on the quality of care. and it is something that we can act upon today. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? the gentleman from illinois is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor the mccain county educator of the -- cane county educator of the year.

for carol, teaching is in her blood. her grandfather was a principal and her aunt was a teacher in chicago public schools. carol has been an exemplary first grade teacher for decades who has touched many lives through her exceptional teaching skills and care for her students. she has served on the east aurora district's school improvement team, language arts curriculum council, reading leaders committee and the reading task force. mr. hultgren: teachers like carol have one of the hardest but most influential jobs in the country. they are in charge of shaping our future generations and they have the ability to make a huge impact on our youth. i'm grateful for carol's undying patience and care for our children in cane county, ensuring that the impact is a positive one. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. higgins: mr. speaker, i

rise today to honor juneteenth, each june 19 we celebrate juneteenth to commemorate the announcement of the end of slavery in the united states. juneteenth is a celebration of african-american freedom, but it is also an opportunity to reflect on opportunities for self-improvement and set goals for the future. this past weekend i was honored to take part in a 39th annual juneteenth festival in buffalo. started in 1976, this festival has grown over the years to become one of the largest of such celebrations in the world and has established its position as an important tradition within the buffalo community. mr. speaker, i am honored to recognize juneteenth today to celebrate our nation's rich african-american history and express my thanks to those who organize these important community celebrations of culture and heritage. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition?

the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. events in iraq over the past week serve as a chilling reminder of the fact that the world is not getting safer. i am disturbed by these events, but i am not surprised. over the past few years, my colleagues and i have warned against our nation's weakening foreign policy and the devastating defense cuts this president insisted on making on the backs of our men and women in uniform. the result is a strained military and a world where our enemies don't fear us and our friends no longer trust us. mesa verde e u.s.s. entered the persian gulf with 550 marines onboard. plazzplazz these ships have a -- palestine palestine these ships have a long history -- mr. palazzo: this ship sitting in the persian gulf full of marines send as clear message. we will not waiver in defense of american interests or protecting american lives. i believe we need to keep

sending that message. we must adequately fund our nation's military and we must provide for more ships like the l.p.d. class of amphibious warships so we can ensure the safety and security of our nation and those who defend it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? the gentlelady from california is recognized. >> thank you. mr. speaker, with the stroke of a pen, president obama will extend workplace protections to 14 million lgbt federal contractors. thankfully, lgbf san diegoans are already protected by state law. but this is not the case for all americans. i applaud the president for doing the right thing. mrs. davis: now it's time for congress to end discrimination for all workers. california and 17 other states have shown that these protections aren't just the right thing to do, they're good policy and good business.

discrimination has no place in government. discrimination has no place in the workplace. it's past time for congress to listen to the american people. the senate has already passed the employee nondiscrimination act. let's bring enda to the floor and pass it today. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? mr. bishop: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. bishop: mr. speaker, utah has some large educational shoes to fill. martell, the state superintendent of public instruction in utah is ending a nearly four-decade career in public education. he served kids as a classroom teacher, counselor, administrator and he was my superintendent while i was teaching. twice he was named

superintendent of the year in utah before he joined the state office in 2009. his wife, state representative rhonda rudman, also is a career educator and is retiring after five terms in the utah state legislature. utah is losing a great team who inspired kids. they will be missed and we want to wish both martell and rhonda all the best in the new adventures they will be taking together. we thank you for what you've done for kids in utah. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from nevada seek recognition? ms. titus: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from nevada is recognized. ms. titus: thank you, mr. speaker. nevada lost a good man, and i lost a good friend this past week when jim rogers lost his long battle with cancer at the age of 75. those who knew or briefly

encountered jim quickly realized that he had no fear. an usiness ackuemen, if i ropic made him a game changer. while it was improving the education or strengthening the integrity of the media, jim never shied away from his convictions or back down from his steadfast commitment to progress and quality. he started the conversation, directed the dialogue and produced results that propeled nevada, sometimes kicking and screaming, towards a brighter future. my thoughts go out to his wife, beverly, his son, his other family members and the people who worked with him and for him at channel 3. they brought the world into our living rooms every evening. we all miss him very much and so will that. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i se today to congratulate actuated medical, incorporated, a medical device company, that focused on state-of-the-art minimally invasive instruments for being recognized as a 2014 award winner. the s.b.a. presents the award to companies who exemplify the best of small business, innovation research program. recipients of the award are selected by a panel of judges based on the economic impact of their innovation, how they supported federal research and development needs and their ability to increase commercialization of federal research. as a former member of the small -- house small business committee, i witnessed firsthand as this grow from a

young startup to the national sbir funded company in pennsylvania for 2013, placing them fifth in the country. mr. speaker, small businesses remain the backbone of our economy and innovators like actuated medical not only create devices that save lives and change the face of modern health care, they also provide good-paying family sustaining jobs in my community. i want to congratulate everyone at actuated medical and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from ohio seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from ohio is recognized. mrs. beatty: thank you, mr. speaker. we heard a lot about education today. probably because education is the economic engine of our future. the ohio state university plays a pivotal role in k through life education. it's located in my district, and it serves not only my

district but the nation. today i rise to acknowledge the ohio state university's outgoing interim president, dr. joseph aluta. a former colleague and a friend, and to welcome incoming president dr. michael drake. thank you, joe, for your leadership in preparing the next generation of teachers, artists, medical, corporate and community leaders. in an era where innovation in science and technology and creative entrepreneurialism will determine our global station in the world, it is critical that we have capable leaders at the helm of our education and research institutions. i thank joseph for his service to the ohio state university, the single largest campus university in the country. god speed and good luck. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from ohio yields back her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas, mr.

sessions, seek recognition. mr. sessions: mr. speaker, by the direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 629 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 113, house resolution 629. resolved, that at any time after adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill h.r. 4413, to re-authorize the commodity futures trading commission, to better protect futures customers, to provide end users with market certainty, to make basic reforms to ensure transparency and accountability at the commission, to help farmers, ranchers, and end users manage risks to help keep consumer costs low, and for other purposes. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. general debate shall be confined to the bill and amendments specified in this

resolution and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on agriculture. after general debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. it shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 113-47. that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. all points of order against that amendment in the nature of a substitute are waived. no amendment to that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution. each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for

division of the question in the house or in the committee of the whole. all points of order against such amendments are waived. at the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment the committee shall rise and report the bill to the house with such amendments as may have been adopted. any member may demand a separate vote in the house on any amendment adopted in the committee of the whole to the bill or to the amendment in the nature of a substitute made in order as original text. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or ithout instructions. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. sessions, is recognized for one hour. mr. sessions: mr. speaker, thank you very much. for the purpose of debate only, i yield the customary 30 minutes to my dear friend, the gentleman from florida, mr. hastings. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sessions: pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he wishes to use. mr. sessions: during consideration of this resolution, all time is yielded for purpose of debate only.

mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks . the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. sessions: mr. speaker, house resolution 629 provides for a structured rule for consideration of h.r. 4413,. this rule makes in order eight amendments which provides the opportunity for members of the minority and the majority to participate in this debate. the legislation before us today re-authorizes the commodity futures trading commission, known as the cftc. through fiscal year 2018, and makes important reforms to promote market stability and to protect end users from unnecessary regulations. most of all, mr. speaker, we're here because we want to learn from the past, be prepared for the future and to allow this organization to be as -- adapt as it is -- as it needs to be to produce better decisions and better outcomes in the future,

and that is why republicans are here today and this bipartisan bill out of the agriculture committee does exactly that. over the past 20 years, financial services companies have started to employ financial derivatives. historically used by farmers, ranchers and utility co-ops to manage risk as new types of investment vehicles, they are a part of the day-to-day life of many millions of people across this country that help us to not only get better prices but to be able to hedge against the uncertainty. today the derivatives marketplace represents trillions of dollars worth of futures contracts, swaps and other similar financial instruments. in response to the incredible growth of the derivatives market, the cftc has promulgated rules and regulations designed to promote

fairness and stability through the economy directly in relationship to this activity. unfortunately, regulations have been written so broadly and with such inconsistency that many end users, such as farmers, ranchers, few pal rers and utility -- municipal utility companies are forced to comply with rules intended for sophisticated investment firms rather than the instruments of which they rely and use for their own trading and commodity work. such blind enforcement of the law is not fair nor efficient. and unnecessarily punishes small businesses that are trying to effectively manage their risk.

simply put, as a direct result of the cftc's regulations, american families are paying more for everything from a box of cereal to a new dishwasher. monthly energy bills also. in recognition of this fact, .r. 4413 exempts end users from these regulations to restore fairness, to promote american companies and to give them flexibility that they need to run their day-to-day operations and to protect consumers from unnecessary price increases. mr. speaker, this bill has been well understood by the agriculture committee on a bipartisan basis all the way to the top on both sides of the committee. here is an agreement about how to move forward with effectiveness, with efficiency and to allow those end users to

be able to have the market strategies available to them, to hedge their own risk and to understand the things that are in their own natural best interest and that is stability of prices, a marketplace that they understand and perhaps more importantly one which keeps american jobs in america and secondly, that allows americans to be able to invest in america from american-made products to american-made users. so what we're here to do today is to bring this common sense piece of legislation to the floor on behalf of a bipartisan large group of members. it's common sense, it's pro-business, it promotes appropriate regulations of our nation's derivatives market. it is well thought through, and what this will allow is this house to be able to get on record, put themselves to where

they can then go to the conference to meet with the senate if they believe it's the right thing to do and move forward to make the cftc even better than what it is -- was today based upon the history and based upon where it wants to go. the discussion we had at the rules committee was very uplifting on a bipartisan basis, and i believe the effort that we're going to bring together today with that legislation means that we can vote not only yes but have confidence that we have made better the things which we touch today. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida, mr. hastings. mr. hastings: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he wishes to use. mr. hastings: thank you. i thank the gentleman, my good friend, chairman of the rules committee, mr. sessions, for

yielding the customary 30 minutes to me. i rise today in opposition to the ule for h.r. 4413, customer protection and end user relief act, which re-authorizes through 2018 the commoditys futures trading commission. mr. speaker, the cftc plays a critical role in protecting market participants and our nation's economy from fraud, manipulation, abusive practices and systemic risk related to derivatives. both futures and swaps, as well as in fostering transparent, open, competitive and financially sound markets. however, h.r. 4413 contains

several harmful provisions that impede the cftc's ability to enforce existing derivatives rules and roll back meaningful reforms in the dodd-frank wall street reform and consumer protection act. specifically, title 2 of this bill carves out the cftc from the administrative procedure act process, for which establishing regulations which represents the most longstanding and broadly applicable requirements for federal rule make and was written to bring -- making and was written to bring regulator and predictability to -- regularity and predictability to rulemaking. furthermore, section 203 of the regulation proposes burdensome cost-benefit requirements that likely serve only to prevent, delay or weaken any rules that implement dodd-frank.

current law already requires , cftc and other agencies pursuant to conduct economic analysis, pursuant to the paperwork reduction act, the congressional review act, and regulatory flexibility act. in addition, the cftc is also bound by the commodity exchange act to consider the production of market participants and the public. the efficiency, competitiveness and financial integrity of futures markets, price discovery, sound risk management practices, and other public interest considerations under the supervision of the courts. the redundant cost-benefit requirements contained in h.r. 4413 will not only hamper the appropriate consideration and promulgation of new rules, but

expose the cftc to greater industry litigation. finally, h.r. 4413 threatens american taxpayers by deregulating foreign derivatives transactions. under section 722-d of the dodd-frank, the cftc is authorized to oversee derivatives transactions that, i quote from the act itself, have a direct and significant connection with activities in effect on commerce of the united states. section 359 of this bill exempts overseas derivatives transactions from regulation, creating a loophole in our system of regulatory oversight that could be gained -- gamed by large multinational swaps dealers. just six years ago, derivatives

trading related to the activities of the corporate structure a.i.g. and lehman brothers nearly brought down our economy and it did in fact cost every american household more than $50,000. i related last night in the rules committee that we were there, ms. slaughter and i, the chairman, mr. sessions, all of us, when mr. paulson and mr. bernanke brought to us the notion on three or four paragraphs and two pages that this nation was about to go bust. it's clear that derivatives transactions outside of the united states pose real risks to united states financial institutions. yet instead of strengthening the cftc's ability to effectively regulate derivatives transactions

involving the foreign operation of banks, h.r. 4413 presumes that they will be governed by foreign rules, disregarding whether those foreign rules are adequate if the trades will import risk back to the united states. moreover, this presumption can only be overturned after the cftc and securities and exchange commission go to considerable procedural lengths to make a joint determination that a foreign country's regulations are not broadly equivalent to united states regulations. the futures and swaps markets are essential to our economy and the way that businesses and investors manage risk, particularly for farmers, hospitals, manufacturers and certain utilities industries. while i share my colleagues' -- colleague's concern regarding

issues affecting many of these end users, i believe that this legislation falls short of the goals of comprehensive wall street reform and ensuring that derivatives transactions do not contribute to another global economic crisis. i also said last night, yesterday, in the rules committee, that i predict that if this measure were to become law, that we could reasonably expect that we would have the same kind of financial crisis that we did six years ago. instead of creating new heavy administrative burdens, we should further empower the cftc to be able to carry out its responsibilities, including those under dodd-frank. just last week, house republicans proposed to dangerously underfund the cftc at 22% below the president's request, with an appropriation

that will likely lead to either agency-wide closures or employee layoffs. this would make the already underfunded cftc less effective at protecting consumers, end users and investors. additionally, because this bill retroactively reverses rules that have already gone into effect, and many of those that are in the pipeline, it increases uncertainty and cost to businesses and end users that will unnecessarily have the rules of the game changed on them. i simply don't understand this logic. reducing the cftc's ability to effectively oversee these financial activities only increases the likelihood that we will find ourselves in another potentially disastrous situation. additionally, i would also like to take this opportunity to point out that several of my

colleagues on the financial services committee share these concerns. and it was pointed out by my colleague that this came out unanimously from the agriculture committee. it did in fact do so. but in the rules committee, we had the prerogative, if we so chose, to allow the financial services committee to be able to make presentations that i believe and in a bipartisan way other members, particularly those of the financial services committee, believe should be a part of this discussion today. however, this rule cuts them out of the debate. in fact, h.r. 4413 rehashes several earlier bills that financial services committee members have previously voiced concern over. including h.r. 1256, the swap

jurisdiction certainty act, and h.r. 1003, to improve consideration by the commodity futures trading commission of the cost and benefits of its regulations and orders. and the administration has also come out in opposition to the bill. we can't continue with more of the same failed partisan practices and affect a different outcome. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves the balance of his time. mr. sessions, the gentleman from texas, is recognized. mr. sessions: mr. speaker, thank you very much. and i appreciate the gentleman from florida bringing up a few of the ideas and assertions that he believes, i believe that he thinks are frailtyies in the bill. so what i'd like -- frailties in the bill. so what i would like to do is, if i can, let him know we had a full hearing yesterday. enabled our members to read and understand and hear these ideas

and we were assured yesterday by the chairman of the committee and the ranking member, this is a good process. we are not trying to do an end run around anybody. and, mr. speaker, there's something known as, which is well established, understanding, something known as the administrative procedures act. and what this is is an opportunity for agencies to interact with each other through an agreement. to where they consult with each other and provide information and procedurally be able to walk through who is doing what and how things might be done. i don't think it means they always have to have consent. i don't think it means they always have to have agreement. but there's a process that goes on. and it's important to note, and i would refer to the gentleman to section 211 of the bill,

section 211, that's on page 18, for the gentleman to be able to look at it. and section 211 says quite clearly, no ambiguity here, that everything in this act is meant to comply with and give guidance to the administrative procedures act. which means that there is nothing in here that says that its ftc does not share information, understand its rulings, work with the f.t.c., work with the s.e.c., work with anyone about those rules that they're going go -- going to prum you will gate. as a matter of fact, it -- promulgate. as a matter of fact, it says that that agency, the cftc, does have the ability to do that. oh, and instead of them making their own rules and regulations without working through the administrative procedures act,

would be a mistake. it's authorized here in law. and further, if one goes back of later section, page 47 the bill, section 359, mr. speaker, i'll just throw that to you, i'm sure you don't have a copy in front of you, but the members of congress that are sitting in their offices and are very interested in this would want to know that, and the bill, this bipartisan bill, by two senior members, by the way, one a former chairman and the current chairman today, say section 359, cross-border regulations of derivatives transactions. that means that in a world market, we want to make sure that japanese, russian, indian, german, whatever the marketplace holds for a

commodity that we're talking about in particular, that this would mean that as the bill says, not later than 270 days after entitlement of this act, that they shall -- that the securities and exchange commission and the commodities future commission shall jointly issue rules setting forth the application of united states swaps requirements of the security exchange act of 1934 and the commodities and exchange act related to cross-border swaps and security-based swaps transactions involving u.s. ersons and non-u.s. persons. mr. speaker, we're trying to do the right thing. this is not about causing some market crash or failure. this is on a bipartisan basis out of the agriculture

committee, making sure that they very effectively in section 211, section 359, address exactly what we're being told we didn't do. we're trying to have this government know what the right hand and left hand is doing, not the reverse. and i believe it simply is not the -- a true statement to say that we're not trying to accomplish this. . we don't have to agree on this, but on a bipartisan basis unanimous out of the agriculture committee, they thought they did a pretty good product. i think they did a pretty good product, and my job is to come defend us on the floor. when somebody says, you did something wrong, i say, read the bill. i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves his time.

gentleman from florida, mr. hastings, is recognized. mr. hastings: mr. chairman, i would remind the chairman, my good friend, that good intentions don't always manifest themselves in a positive way. i'm sure before we had the recession that there were good intentions. my prediction is without appropriate regulation we can reasonably expect that these same kinds of measures might come into play. and i recognize my good friend, the chairman, has the crypt together when it comes to something bipartisan coming out of the agriculture committee. but i also know that this is an end run around the financial services committee that also has germane interest in the particular legislation at hand. mr. speaker, i'm very pleased at this time to yield to my very good friend, the gentlewoman from new york, the ranking member of the rules committee,

ms. slaughter, three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized for three minutes. ms. slaughter: i thank you very much. i thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. mr. speaker, how quickly we forget what got us into the economic mess in the first place. i was here six short years ago when the recklessness on wall street triggered the worst financial crisis since the great depression. and cost millions of hardworking americans their jobs and their homes. since then a democrat majorities in the house and senate at that time enacted reforms known commonly as dodd-frank, to stop the worst of these abuses with the aim of preventing another economic meltdown. obviously since that time copeous american dollars have been spent and legions of lobbyists to try to undo dodd-frank. this is the first of bills we'll try to do away with regulation.

unfortunately, the authorization passed out of the rules committee last night, is a backdoor attempt to undo some of the crucial reforms and is a precursor to another financial crisis. why would the rules committee give equal debate time to the financial services committee, which has real jurisdiction over what we are doing here today? why would they disallow that? because they didn't want anybody to hear it. if the agriculture committee was unanimous, i don't know what that reason was, but many democrats, and certainly those of us on the rules committee and others who are going to be here today, want to be solidly in the no column because if what we fear happens happens, we want the country to know that somebody tried to stop it. the reforms we talk about in this bill, this bill will handcuff and will obstruct law enforcement officials who were charged with overseeing the markets and enforcing the regulations on wall street. what we found out six years ago,

i was a member of the leadership then and chair of the rules committee, we got a message on saturday afternoon, three paragraphs, mr. hastings did a wonderful job of explaining this, talk about from secretary paulsen and the head of the fed, mr. bernanke, it was very short and quite succinct. basically, if we did not provide them, the treasury and fed, with $800 billion, this was saturday, by tuesday, that the financial services of the united states would be defunct. we would be finished. this was pre-friday, all we knew fancy things were going on on wall street, mortgages were being chopped up and sold in pieces. i think they unloaded a lot of it on germany. we not only affected our economy, we affected other parts of the world. it was a disaster. people lost the houses they had spent their lives trying to get.

children displaced from their homes and schools. people without their jobs. simply because they were playing tricks, passing paper back and forth to each other, and there was not strong enough regulation if this country for the people who did oversight to even know what was going on. mr. hastings: yield the gentlelady an additional two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized for two minutes. ms. slaughter: this was one of the most awful things we had ever conquered to watch what happened to our neighbors, to other parts of this country where people were literally forced out into the street because of what wall street has done, not because of anything they had done. people who paid their mortgage faithfully every single month suddenly found out that this mortgage was worthless, that their houses and mortgages were more expensive to them at that time than there houses d.n.a. than their houses were on the market. why in the world would we have any attempt here to undo any of that? because those lobbyists and all

that money made their statements pretty clear. we are trying on our side to hold up the other side. we want to speak to those people who lost their jobs. we want to speak for those people who lost their homes. we want to say to the small business who had no access to capital and went under, we are trying to protect your interests here. so whatever happens, we know we don't have the votes. you've got them. and we do know that this is a majority that hates regulation, whether it's clean air, clean water, whatever it is. get rid of it. but when you come back down here to wall street and know the effect it has had, we haven't completely recovered from that recession. we are just -- god knows we have not passed any legislation in the house of representatives to create jobs and to make it any better, but do everything that we can just to benefit those people who have the money. we know how this movie ends. if it moves forward, it means we are sewing the -- sowing the seeds of future disaster in this

contry. last night in the rules committee we called for a no vote and we said specifically what we are doing. we want to be on record on our side as trying to protect the american public and their future. so they have some confidence in what they are doing. we would love it if banks would stop passing paper back to each other and make loans and get people back to work, but we, of course, were not able to do that. we'll see what happens when this comes to the floor as it certainly will. but we juster, as i said, want to make sure -- the last time this came up, we didn't have the opportunity to speak. we are the silent no. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. ms. slaughter: i thank you very much. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: i do appreciate the gentlewoman from new york, the ranking member of the rules committee, coming down and taking her very important time. i would with great respect reminder that -- and my

colleagues that are listening, the agriculture committee has juries decks over the cftc, not the financial services committee. the jurisdiction of cftc, which is why we are here doing this bill today, is not financial ervices' jurisdiction. agriculture. and i want to just say to the gentleman and the gentlewoman that if they are unable to give le e during the debate or now to their democrat colleagues that they would choose, i'm sure they would come talk to us and ask for time. don't see anybody lined up here to come down and argue the point , because this is a bipartisan bill. because this is a commonsense bill. because this makes sense that we are trying to avoid problems by getting this administration and

the commissions that are spoken about here to work together, to use the benefit of the knowledge of the past. this is not about deregulating or doing away with something or defunding somebody. that's just not the case. the case is section 211, section 359, the entire bill has been well vetted and well understood on a bipartisan basis. mr. collin peterson, the ranking member, came with the chairman, mr. lucas, from oklahoma. they sat there very succinctly and said they were going to work together. they were asking us to consider working together. we have had lots of bills, lots of appropriators. just the other day, armed services, bipartisan basis, brought us their bill. i'm sure there will be people that fight that also.

they'll say those darn republicans just want to ruin this country. they want to go back to the other ages. mr. speaker, not true. in fact, work gets done in our appropriations committee that's work that's done as an example the agriculture committee is done together. to try and address the problems. to try and see what the constituency, people who live in rural america, people who get up early, go to bed late, care about this country, do the things that i think are all american in my mind, including their sons and daughters joining our military and them helping each other, good neighbor, looking out for each other. that's what we are doing. that's what this is. this isn't a debate, have a debating group about things that are wrong. it's about things that can be done right.

so, look, i would just say if the democratic manager's unwilling to yield his time to ms. waters, the gentlewoman from who came up from financial services, she ought to ask a republican if we'll yield time and wouldn't surprise me if he does. i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves his time. the gentleman from florida, mr. hastings. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, i would advise my good friend through you that we have no further speakers and i'm prepared to close at this time if he is. mr. session: i would encourage the gentleman to do that. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. speaker. you know what transpired here is interesting. the agriculture committee had finished its product and then came yesterday to add provisions that in the final analysis are dealing with the securities exchange commission and then my friend, the chairman, would

argue that it's an agriculture urel bill. clearly it's smack dab in the lane of financial services an they were excluded. yes, ms. waters did come to the rules committee last night, and there is no requirement that she be here now, but what we could have done -- we keep saying last night. it was late yesterday evening. what we could have done is let the financial services people participate in this debate. what we have is we have the two people, the chairman and ranking member, who were given time with reference to this matter and the financial services committee is shut out of this debate. and that's just plain wrong, and i believe most people know that. mr. speaker, h.r. 4413 creates significant loopholes for derivatives by hamstringing the cftc and undermines comprehensive financial reform. six years after the great

recession, families are still struggling in this country. as of last week, three million americans have lost their emergency unemployment insurance since it expired in december, 2013. and i want to repeat that, three million americans have lost their emergency unemployment insurance since it expired in december, 2013. after my friends finish their reconstitution of their leadership this afternoon, i would hope their new leadership would come down here and put something on the floor that will allow us at least to have a vote, up or down, as to whether or not people should receive unemployment compensation. other things along with unemployment compensation that expired in december, the expiration of tax extender

provisions that help individual families and small businesses invest are also expiring. in the coming months, real soon, congress is going to be faced with even more pressing challenges on our nation's highway trust fund and it's expected to go .0, bankrupt, and the authorization for federal surface transportation projects will also expire. the export-import bank and terrorism risk insurance are set to expire. the house still has eight appropriations bills left to pass, and with each passing day of inaction on these items, we come closer to another economic crisis. republicans and democrats must come together to prevent this from happening, as well as to move our nation forward on comprehensive immigration and tax reform, raising the minimum

wage, protecting voter rights, and securing equal pay. let me go back through that. securing equal pay, protecting voter rights. i'm personally tired of the suppression and oppression measures with reference to voting in this country. why in the world would we want less people to vote than under the circumstances people that should be participating in this great democracy of ours and yet we have states, including my own, circumventing the process of voting, restoring, if you will, age-old problems having to do with voting rights. . how about raising the minimum wage? put something on the floor and vote for or against it. but don't have everybody believe that you're moving this country forward. i predict for you what's going to happen. 28 more days, 27 more days, are going to go through the rest of this process. there's going to be further obstruction from the majority

in this particular house of representatives and then we will go out and we will have an election and the american people will speak again to those of us that are in the house of representatives. most of us are likely to be back here. and we'll be right back here at what is referred to as a lame duck session and we'll hold that lame duck session, pass some kind of an omnibus bill and be off into the sunset for the 2016 election. enough already. stop pretending and have people know that we're confronted with real problems in this country and it's this institution that has a responsibility to attend to them. the re-authorization of cftc is both important and necessary. however, h.r. 4413 includes provisions that put the safety and the stability of the united states financial system at risk. therefore i urge a no vote on the rule and i yield back the

balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: mr. speaker, thank you very much. i appreciate the gentleman, my dear friend from florida, for not only attending the meetings, rules committee meetings, that were directly related to the subject, it took some time yesterday, offered -- he was offered an opportunity and took us up on asking questions. 'll tell you, not all of denmark is rotten, mr. speaker. not all of denmark is rotten. we're here today to put a bill on the floor, to re-authorize the cftc. we're not here for housing bills, we're not here for wall street bills, we're not here for all the problems of voter regulations. we're not here for all the problems of the world. i'm for world peace too by the way. but that's not what we're here to do today. what we're here to do is to re-authorize the commodities

and exchange commission, cftc, through a bill that was worked through by the agriculture committee, on a bipartisan basis. where they bring people together and actually listen to ideas and certain sections in here may have been written by a republican, certain may have been written by a democrat. but there was agreement that they saw the same direction. what did we do? we made sure we empowered by recognizing the role of what we're re-authorizing the cftc and gave them what we believe are the proper statutes and direction, which is what the congress of the united states is supposed to be doing. giving direction, working in consultation. and we've done this over and over and over. by the way, this is not a 3,000-page bill. this bill was read by members of congress before we passed it. section 211, right here, we

want people to work together. we'd like to ask tch administration to please work together. by the way, we include the federal courts in here also and we said, a person adversely affected by rule of the commission, promulgated under this act, may retain the review of this rule in the united states court of appeals for the district of columbia. so we included the court system in here. we went through a process to make sure that we were dealing properly with a bipartisan answer to the past and to make us better for the future. oh, did we include other countries to where we want others in the world marketplace to know what we're doing? yes, we did. section 359, cross-border regulations of derivatives. mr. speaker, we've tried to do the right thing. we don't debate every day every bill. we do debate lots of bills. we're trying to do the right

thing, we're trying to work together. we're even trying to give enough time. by the way, mr. speaker, how uch time remains on my side? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas has 12 1/2 minutes. mr. sessions: 12 1/2 minutes. my guess is that the gentleman from florida had at least 12 1/2 minutes. that's 24 minutes that we had available to where if there are that embers of the body would wish to come down and participate in this debate, they could do just that. i've not had anybody seek time. so, i think the arguments are fair. but i think that they hold less water than what some assume. what we are trying to do here today, the republican majority,

is to bring bills forward through regular order, through committees, where we know what we're doing, we try and get things -- try to get things done together. in this case, a successful rain dance has a lot to do with timing. the timing is right here today, mr. speaker, and we are right here op the floor with a bill -- here on the floor with a bill and i see very little in terms of content where people want to come down and beat up the product. and the reason why is because this product is kind of like an really product, it's pretty good. it is really a product of hard work, getting up early, going to bed late, being honest about it, trying to make things as efficient as they can. so i'm going to stand behind this product today. i'm going to stand behind this product because i think they did a good job. and i will tell you that i

think that our young chairman, frank lucas, is a great young leader, is doing drpping great thing -- great things. and that's why i can say i urge my colleagues to vote yes on this rule, yes on the underlying legislation and i can say with some 10 minutes left in time given me and some time about the same that was given to my democrat colleague, we're going to yield back the balance of our time because we believe that the job we did was worthy and the product will show itself. i move the previous question on the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. without objection, the previous question is ordered. the question is on adoption of the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the resolution agreed to and, without objection -- the gentleman from florida. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested.

all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. the chair will receive a message. max: mr. speaker, a message from the president of the united states. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i'm directed by the president of the united states to deliver to the house of representatives a message in writing. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the

sending secretary of state john kerry to iraq. reporters are gathered at the briefing room, the briefing that was originally scheduled for 12:30, then 1:15. obviously running a bit late. the "wall street journal" writing the administration is signaling it wants a new government in iraq without maliki.

we'll stay here waiting for president obama and comments on iraq.

>> about this strike, he said last week he was with the australian prime minister here at the white house one week ago where he said that he might need to authorize a short-term, immediate action of some sort to respond to this threat by isis. it now seems as if that threat has abated or that urgency has abated and there might be a couple reasons why. i talked to a senior intelligence official this week who said that they feel that the -- it's very different from the

soldiers you saw in the northern part of the country. maybe because of the makeup of the soldiers in baghdad. the fact there are going to be more shiia. the fact they are going to be more prone to not laying down their arms in the capital city. that really reduced the threat in their mind that baghdad would fall. that took that urgency away. it gave the president and his national security team room to breathe and go through these options. even time to consult with congress. you heard a few moments ago that john boehner earlier this morning that the president's white house, the wheels are coming off his presidency. we did hear from the speaker's office earlier is that they feel and a lot of republicans feel on capitol hill the president, the national security team, chief of staff have been in greater contact with them. the consultations with congress have been more robust as opposed

to what happened during the bergdahl case. isis threatycies -- that seems very, very urgent before getting on marine one leaving for california, i get the sense from this white house and talking to officials here they are just not in the same situation that they were a week ago. baghdad did not fall. the shiias are starting to rise up and take the fight to isis. that was created some room here for the president to perhaps put together a more comprehensive strategy. i think that's what we'll hear in a few moments. we'll not talk about military strengths, we may talk about advisors or special operation forces going to iraq. but it appears the strategy of the president will lay out is more comprehensive than air strikes. as people here at the white house say, jay, this presidency

-- this presidency has been about ending wars not starting them. that's why you may hear more caution from the president as opposed to what we heard last week.

>> this is two audiences, the american public. prosecutorial maliki has been the roadblock all week as the

united states has considered -- >> good afternoon, everybody. i just met with my national security team to discuss the situation in iraq. we have been meeting regularly to review the situation since isil, terrorist organization that operates in iraq and syria, made advances inside iran. i said last week as i it poses a threat to the american people, to the region, and to u.s. interests. today i want to provide you an update to how we are responding to the situation. first, we are waiting to secure

or embassy and personnel inside iraq. as president i have no greater priority than the safety of our men and women serving overseas. so i have taken steps to relocate some of our embassy personnel and we have sent reinforcements to better secure the facilities. second, at my direction we have significantly increased our intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets so we have a better picture of what's taking place inside of iraq. this will give us a greater understanding what isil is doing, where it's located, and how we might support efforts to counter this threat. third, the united states will continue to increase our support to iraqi security forces. we are prepared to create joint operation centers in baghdad and northern iraq, to share intelligence, and planning to confront the terrorist threat of isil. our new counterterrorism partnership fund we are prepared to work with congress to provide additional equipment.

we have had advisors in iraq through our embassy and we are prepared to spend a small number of additional american military advisors, up to 300, to assess how we can best train, advise, and support iraqi security forces going forward. american forces will not be returning to combat in iraq. but we will have iraqis -- help iraqis as they take the fight to terrorists who threaten the iraqi people, the region, and american interests as well. third, we positioned additional u.s. military assets in the region. because we increase intelligence resources we are developing more information about potential targets associated with isil. going forward we'll be prepared to take targeted and precise military action if and when we determine the situation on the ground requires it. if we do, i will cult sult closer to congress with regions

in iraq and the region. the best and most effective response to a threat like isil will ultimately involve partnerships where iraqis take the lead. finally, the united states will lead a diplomatic effort to work with iraqi leaders and the countries in the region to support stability in iraq. at my direction secretary kerry will depart this weekend where we'll be able to consult wour allies and partners. just as all iraqis must respect iraq's territory integrity, all of iraq's neighbors have a vital interest in ensuring that iraq does not descend into civil war and become a safe haven for terrorists. above all, iraqi leaders must rise above their differences and come together around a political plan for iraq's future. shiia, sunni, kurds, all iraqis

must have confidence they can advance their interests and aspirations through the political process rather than through violence. national unity meetings have to go forward to build consensus among iraq's different communities. that are as a result of iraq's recent election vs. been certified. a new parliament should convene as soon as possible. the formation of a new government will be an opportunity to begin a genuine dialogue and form a government that represents the legitimate interests of all iraqis. now, it's not the place for the united states to choose iraq's leaders. it is clear, though, that only leaders that can govern with an inclusive agenda will be able to truly bring the iraqi people together and help them through this crisis. meanwhile, the united states will not pursue military actions to support one secretary in-- sect inside iraq at the expense of another. there is no military solution inside iraq. certainly not one that is led by the united states. but there is an urgent need for an inclusive political process,

a more capable iraqi security force, and counterterrorism effort that deny groups like isil a safe haven. in closing, recent days have reminded us of the deep scars left by america's war in iraq. alongside the loss of nearly 4,500 american patriots, many veterans carry the wounds of that war and will for the rest of their lives. here at home, iraq sparked the biggest debate and intense emotions in the past and we have some of those debates resurface, but what's clear from the last decade is the need for the united states to ask hard questions before we take action abroad. take away military action. the most important question we should all be asking, the issue that we have to keep front and center, the issue i keep front and certainty, is what is in the national security interest of the united states of america? as commander in chief that's

what i stay focused on. as americans, that's what all of us should be focused on. in going forward we'll continue to consult closely with congress . we'll keep the american people informed. we'll remain vigilant, and we'll continue to do everything in our power to perfect the security of the united states and the safety of the american people. with that i'm going to take a couple questions. the "wall street journal." prime president, you have minister maliki -- can maliki bring political stability to iraq? >> as i said it's not our job to choose iraq's leaders. part of what the patriots fought for during many years in iraq was the right and the opportunity for iraqis to determine their own destiny and choose their own leaders. but i don't think there's any

secret that right now, at least, there's deep divisions between sunni, shiia, and kurdish leaders. as long as those deep divisions continue or worsen, it's going to be very hard for an iraqi central government to direct an iraqi military to deal with these threats. and so we consulted with prime minister maliki and we have said to him privately, we have said it publicly that whether he's prime minister or any other leader aspires to lead the country, that it has to be an agenda in which sunni, shiia, and kurd all feel that they have the opportunity to advance their interest through the political process. we have seen over the last two ears actually dating back to 2008-2009, but i think worse over the last two years, the

sense among sunnis that their interests were not being served. that legislation that had been promised around, for gample, -- example -- you hear similar complaints that the government in baghdad has not sufficiently reached out to some of the tribes and been able to bring them in to a process that gives them a sense of being part of a ity government or single nation state. and that has to be part of the reason why we saw better equipped iraqi security forces with larger numbers not be able to hold contested territory against isil.

privately -- probably reflects that lack of -- a sense of commitment on the part of sunni communities to work with baghdad. and that has to be fixed if we are going to get through this crisis. >> thank you, mr. president. americans may look at this decision that you're making today as a sneak preview of coming attractions. that the number of advisors you're planning to send in may be the beginning of boots on the ground scenario down the road. why is iraq's civil war and national security interest of the united states, and are you concerned about the potential for mission creep? >> i think we always have to guard against mission creep. let me repeat what i said in the past. american combat troops are not going to be fighting in iraq again. we do not have the ability to simply solve this problem by

send ising in tens of thousands of troops and committing the kinds of blood and treasure that also already been expended in iraq. ultimately this is something that has to be solved by the iraqis. it is in our national security interests not to see an all-out civil war inside iraq. not just for humanitarian reasons, but because that ultimately can be destabilizing throughout the region and in addition to having strong allies there that we are committed to protecting, obviously issues like energy and global energy markets continues to be important. we also have an interest in making sure we don't have a safe haven that continues to grow for isil and other extremist jihadist groups who could use

that as a base of operations for planning and targeting ourselves, our personnel, and eventually the homeland. if they accumulate more money, they accumulate more ammunition, more military capability, larger numbers, that poses great dangers not just to allies of ours like jordan which is very close by, but it also poses a great danger, potentially, to europe and ultimately the united states. we have already seen inside of syria that groups like isil that right now are fighting the other extremist groups or an assad regime that was nonresponsive to sunni majority there, that that has attracted more and more jihadists or would-be jihadists. some from europe.

they then start traveling back to europe and that over time can create a cadre of terrorist that is could harm us. we have humanitarian interest in preventing blood shed. we have strategic interest in stability in the region. we have counterterrorism interests. all those have to be addressed. the initial effort is situational awareness to the reconnaissance and surveillance that we have already done, coupled with some of our best people on the ground doing assessments of exactly what the situation is, starting, by the way, with the -- with baghdad and make sure that's not overrun. that does not foreshadow a larger commitment of troops to

actually fight in iraq. that would not be effective in meeting the core interest that we have. >> very quickly, do you wish you left a residual force in iraq? any regrets? >> keep in mind, that wasn't a decision made by me. that was a decision made by the iraqi government. we offered a modest residual force to help continue to train and advise iraqi's security forces. we had a requirement which we require in any situation where we have u.s. troops overseas, and that is that they are provided immunity simply being invited by the sovereign government there, if, for example, they end up acting in self-defense if they are ttacked and find themselves in a tough situation, that they are not somehow held before a foreign court.

that's a core requirement that we have for u.s. troop presence anywhere. e iraqi government and mr. maliki declined to provide us that immunity. so i think it is important, though, to recognize that despite that decision, that we have continued to provide them with very intensive advice and support and have continued throughout this process over the last five years to not only offer them assistance militarily, but we have also continued to urge the kinds of political compromises that we think are ultimately necessary in order for them to have nctioning multisectarian emocracy inside the country.

>> the united states -- training for the security operation. with the expansion of the syrian war into iraq change your mind about the weapons and training you are now willing to give them? is that what -- can you ewill be plate on what you are doing now? >> that assessment about the dangers of what was happening in syria existed since we -- since the very beginning of the syrian civil war. the question has never been whether we thought this was a serious problem. the question has always been is there the capacity of moderate opposition on the ground to absorb and counteract extremists that might have been pouring in as well as an assad regime

supported by iran and russia that outmanned them and was ruthless. so we have consistently provided that opposition with support. oftentimes the challenge is if you have former farmers or who now or pharmacists are taking up opposition against battle hardened regime with support from external actors that have a lot at stake, how quickly can you get them trained? how effective are you able to mobilize them? and that continues to be a challenge. and even before the situation that we saw with isil going into iraq, we had already tried to maximize what we can do to

support modern opposition that not only can counteract the brutality of assad, but also can make sure that in the minds of sunnis they don't think that their only alternative is either mr. assad or extremist groups like isil. to both hink the key syria and iraq is going to be a combination of what happened inside the country working with moderate syrian opposition, working with an iraqi government that's inclusive, and that's laying down a more effective counterterrorism platform that gets all the countries in the region pulling in the same direction.

i talked about it today with respect to the counterterrorism partnership fund. there's going to be a long-term problem in this region in which we have to partner with countries that are committed to all interests -- our interests, our values, and at the same time we have immediate problems with terrorist organizations that may be advancing. ather than try to play whack-a-mole wherever these terrorist organizations have popped up, we have to build effective partnerships. make sure that they have capacity. some of the assets that have been devoted solely to afghanistan over the last decade, we've got to shift to make sure that we have coverage

in the middle east and north africa. you look at a country like yemen , very impoverished country, and own ethnic its divisions. we do have a committed partner in the president and his government, and we have been able to help to develop their capacities without putting large numbers of u.s. troops on the ground. at the same time as we got enough c.t., counterterrorism capabilities, go after folks that might try to hit our embassy or might be trying to export terrorism into europe or the united states. looking at how we can put more of those models is going to be part of the solution in dealing with both syria and iraq, but in order for us to do that, we still need to have actual

governments on the ground we can partner with and have confidence are going to pursue the political policies of influenciveness in yemen for example, a wide ranging national dialogue that took a long time, but helped to give people a sense that there is a legitimate political outlay for grievances that they may have. >> thank you. going back to where you see prime minister maliki playing a role at this point, you said that it's time to rise above differences. there is need for more influencive government. is he a unifier? how much clout does the united states ultimately have with any of the leadership in iraq at this point, really? >> well, we still provide them significant assistance. i think they recognize that unlike some other players in the region we don't have territorial

ambitions in their country. we are not looking to control heir assets or their energy. we want to make sure that we are vindicating the enormous effort and sacrifice that was made by our troops in giving them an portunity to build a stable, inclusive society that can prosper and deliver for the basic needs and aspirations of the iraqi people. and at the same time they are a sovereign country. they have their own politics. and what we have tried to do is to give them our best advice their w they can solve political problems now that they are in crisis, we are indicating to them, that there's not going to be a simple military solution to this issue.

the various seeing groups inside iraq go to their respective corners, then it is almost certain that baghdad, the central government, will not be able to control huge chunks of their own country. the only way they can do that is if there are credible sunni leaders, both at the national level and at the local level, who have confidence that a shiia majority, that the kurds, that all those folks are committed to a fair and just governance of the country. right now that doesn't exist. there's too much suspicion and mistrust. the good news is that an election took place in which

despite all this mistrust, despite all this frustration, despite all this anger, you still have millions of iraqis turn out. in some cases in very dangerous circumstances. you now have a court that has certified those elections and you have a constitutional process to advance a government formation. the one bit of improving news we have seen inside iraq is that all the parties have said they continue to be committed to choosing a leadership and a government through the existing constitutional order. so what you're seeing i think is the prospects of civil war heighten, many iraqi leaders stepping back and saying, let's not plunge back into the abyss.

let's see if we can resolve this politically. but they don't have a lot of time. and you have a group like isil that is doing everything that it can to send the country back into chaos. one of the messages that we have for prime minister maliki, but also for the speaker of the house and the other leadership inside iraq is, get going on this government formation. it will make it a lot easier for them to shape a military strategy. it will also make it possible for us to partner much more effectively than we can currently. >> given the prime minister's track record, is he a unifier? can he play that role after what we have seen play out over the last couple weeks? the crisis is before him and other iraqi leaders as we speak. right now they can make a series of decisions.

regardless of what happened in the past, right now is a moment where the fate of iraq hangs in the balance. and the test for all of them is going to be whether they can overcome the mistrust, the deep sectarian divisions, in some cases just political opportunism and say this is bigger than any one of us and we have to make sure that we do what's right for the iraqi people. and that's a challenge. that's not something that the united states can do for them. that's not something, by the way, the united states armed forces can do for them. we can provide them the space, we can provide them the tools, but ultimately they are going to have to make those decisions. in the meantime, my job is to make sure that american personnel there are safe. that we are consulting with the iraqi security forces. that we are giving a better

assessment of what's on the ground, and that we are recognizing the dangers of isil over the long term and developing the kinds of comprehensive counterterrorism strategies we are going to need to deal with this issue. somehat's going to involve short-term responses to make ure that isil is not obtaining capacity to engage with us directly or our allies and partners, but it's also going to require some long-term strategies as well. because part of what we have -- with respect to isil is a broader trend that i talked about at west point, rather than a single network, a discreate network of terrorists, this

fluid combination of harden terrorists, disaffected local leadership, and where there's vacuums, they are filling it and creating the potential for serious danger for all concerned. >> any word on what you're willing to do -- >> our view is that iran can play a constructive role. if it is helping to send the same message to the iraqi government that we are sending. which is that iraqi only holds together if it's inclusive. and that if the interests of sunni, shiia, and kurd are all respected. iran is coming in solely as an armed force on behalf of the shiia, and if it's framed in

that fashion, then that probably worsens the situation and the prospect for government formation that would actually be constructive over the long term. just as iraq's leaders have to make decisions, we have indicated to iran it is important to avoid steps that might encourage the kind of sectarian splits that might lead to civil war. and the one thing that i think be emphasized, we have deep differences with iran with a whole host of issues. obviously, what happ