groups. since its inception, the commission has been an invaluable watchdog for global religious freedom and conditions. the commission has been a voice for the imprisoned baha'i leader, languished and unjustly behind bars in iran. and many baha'is are behind the bars in iran. if it wasn't for the commission, no one would know. the commission has been a voice for the fearful iraqi nun, in the land of her birth. a more biblical activity took place in iraq than any other country of the world other than israel. abraham is from iraq. ezekiel is buried in iraq. jona. without the commission there would be nobody speaking out for the iraqi nun who's fearful for her life and fearful for the future of her church. the commission has been the voice of the buddhist monk, 130 of his fellow tibetans have set themselves aflame in

desperation of the abuses they suffered at the hands of the chinese government. if it was not for this commission, nobody would know how the buddhists are being persecuted in tibet. in short, the commission has been and with passage of this legislation will continue to be the voice of the marginalized, oppressed and persecuted people who dare to worship, who dare to worship, according to the dictates of their conscience. the commission can be relied upon to consistently give the unvarnished truth, as mr. smith said, about the true religious freedom in countries around the globe, whether they are strategic allies or adversaries. the commission is unhindered by the bureaucratic mores a that stymied the state department during democratic and republican administrations alike. given the state of religious freedom abroad today, the sobering reality is that the commission's voice is as needed more now than ever before.

. i urge unanimous passage of this and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. peterson: thank you, mr. speaker. i have no more speakers so i encourage all my colleagues to support h.r. 4653 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i again want to thank -- i yield myself such time as i may consume. just to conclude, i want to thank chairman wolf again for authoring in 1998 the international religious freedom act and what we authorize or re-authorize today is just one part of it and that is the international religious freedom commission. for the record, it is made up of nine commissioners, plus the ambassador at large, the current chair, as of july 1, it doctors, vice chairs, glenen

commissioner, dean schwartz who used to, as we all know, work up on the hill, on the democrat side as a staffer, who went on to work in the n.s.c. and worked on refugee policies, is also a commissioner. and daniel mark, the father thomas reast and hanna rosenthal who acted as four-time -- as the point person in combating anti-semitism. so -- and they work at their own expense. these are very, very dedicated individuals. they have a professional staff and, again, i would ask members to read their reports. they are among the best reports produced anywhere in this capitol or i should say in washington and it really does -- they go into great depth as to what some of the remedies ought to be. i want to thank again chairman wolf for his extraordinary

leadership for 34 years as a member of congress in combating all forms of human rights abuse, especially religious persecution. and this is just another manifestation of his extraordinary leadership and again i do ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include ex traunious material on this bill -- extraneous material on this bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 4653, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. smith: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.res. 588 as amended, sponsored by our distinguished colleague from the state of minnesota, clin peterson -- collin expediter -- peterson. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: resolution concerning the suspension of exit permit issuance by the government of the democrat public of congress o'for a-- congo for ado notted congolese children seeking to depart the country with their adoptive parents. the speaker pro tempore: mr. smith and mr. peterson each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. smith: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i yield my seven such time as i may consume. mr. speaker, i want to speak in strong support of the peterson resolution, h.res. 5le 8, concerning the suspension -- 58 , concerning the suspension of exit permit issuance by the

government of the democratic republic of congo for adopted congolese children seeking to depart the country with their adoptive parents. last year the department -- the democratic republic of congo suspended the issuance of exit permits for congolese children adopted by foreign parents. impacting hundreds of u.s. families. the suspension means that congolese children adopted by american parents cannot leave the country to go to their new homes, even though the parents have been officially declared the legal guardians under congolese law. what's more, despite the exit permit suspension, congolese courts have continued processing new adoptions, leading to a further backlog of adopted children who are unable to leave the country. it's estimated that over 900 american families are caught up in varying degrees and stages of this adoption limbo, breaking many, many hearts. this is deplorable. this situation, for these children. and for their distraught

families. the d.r.c. cannot and has not offered a clear explanation for the suspension. the government has provided no evidence of widespread abuse in the adoptive process. the peterson resolution underscores the importance of an ethical and transparent adoption process and there are currently robust procedures in place for ensuring that these children are indeed orphaned and going to a safe home. ultimately the d.r.c. is entitled to amend its adoption process going forward, but once parents' legal guardianship is approved and established by the congolese courts, the government should allow these children to depart the d.r.c. with their adoptive moms and dads. all children deserve a loving home with a mom and dad. i want to thank the gentleman from minnesota, collin expediter -- peterson, for authoring this important measure, which has strong bipartisan support. mr. peterson has always been a consistent voice in support of human dignity and the least of

the littlest among us, consistently defending the human person from womb to tomb. at the full committee markup, several adoptive parents denied the requisite permission to bringing their son or daughter home were in attendance at that markup and they told many of us when we went and spoke to them how incredibly grateful they are to you for your leadership and your compassion and for your authorship especially of this important resolution. i also want to thank my colleagues on the committee, chairman royce, ranking member engel, my subcommittee ranking member, congresswoman bass, for their leadership in marking up this resolution at both subcommittee and committee levels and helping to get it to the floor and to eric cantor and mr. speaker to ensuring that it was up for consideration today. again, more than 900 american families from across the u.s. and their representatives in congress are watching this very closely. indeed in april 170 members of

congress wrote and asked that the d.r.c. government lift the exit permit suspension. when secretary kerry visited congo in may he personally raised issue the with the president. i also call on president obama to raise this issue personally, when the two of them meet at the gathering of african heads of state here in washington during the first week of august. finally, i want to say a word those patients who have endured not -- parents who have endured not only the burdens that are financial but that are primarily emotional, separated from the children that they have graciously welcomed into their lives. your hardship and pain is deeply understood by my colleagues and me as well as our staff members, many of whom have worked not only on this resolution, but have also pushed their state department and the government of the d.r.c. to resolve this important issue. please, continue to persevere, don't give up hope, you will get to love and to have those

wonderful children in your homes. i also want to let the parents know that our africa subcommittee plans to hold another hearing to address the growing crisis of orphans in africa. to which adoption is one of the very important durable remedies and we specifically intend to address the situation that you are confronting with your children from the democratic republic of congo and i would hope that congressman peterson would lead off that testimony, again having been the man, the person in congress walking point on this very important issue. our approval today of house resolution 588, with support across party lines, will send a strong signal to the king that we need to unite these now affected families. they shouldn't be separated from these kids, they've done everything by the book and they ought to be with their loving parents and i yield or reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. peterson: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank foreign affairs

committee chair royce and the subcommittee chair, chris smith, and the ranking member, engel, and member bass for their support of this legislation. i first heard about this problem when a constituent from my district, chris tin zaddler, -- kristen zaddler, called my office to plain her family's situation. kristen and her husband greg adopted a 4-year-old girl from the democratic republic of congo. their adoption had been recognized by both united states government and the congolese government since december of 2012. but they're not being allowed to bring this little girl home. that's because in september, 2013, adoptions from the d.r.c. were effectively suspended as the congolese immigration authority stopped issuing exit permits to adopted children. the zaddler family has been fighting for the last year and a half to bring their little girl home.

this is just one example of more than 800 congolese children and their adopted american families who are caught up in the ongoing adoption crisis in the d.r.c. just to put this into context. this is over 10% of the total number of children that were adopted internationally by american families last year worldwide. the majority of the impacted cases are in their final stages and are merely awaiting the last step to bring home their legally adopted child. this legislation takes a pragmatic approach, seeking to keep both sides at the table and lead us toward a positive resolution. the resolution recognizes the congolese government's concern about the ethical and transparent adoption process, and respectfully requests that the issuance of exit permits and the adoption process resume. most importantly, h.r. 588 encourages a continued dialogue between our two countries on this issue. i hope that our mutual interest in the welfare of these children can lead us to a

solution. turmoil in the region makes official estimates difficult but we know there are millions of orphans living in the democratic republic of congo. with hundreds of american families like the zaddlers impacted by this suspension, we have a responsibility to act. a child's right to a family is a basic human right worthy of protection. i'm leading a letter with representatives eddie bernice johnson, michele bachmann and trent franks to president obama, asking him to address this issue when he meets with the president in the united states-africa leader summit here in washington, d.c., next month. i urge high colleagues who support thises remain -- my colleagues to who support this resolution today to also consider lining onto the liter -- onto the letter. so once again i'm very grateful to chairman royce, subcommittee chairman smith, for their attention to this important issue and i'm also grateful for the support of the adoption caucus co-chairs, congresswoman

bachmann, congresswoman bass, and ranking member engel, for their support. so with that, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i yield myself one minute. i do ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this important resolution. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. smith: i'll reserve the balance of our time. we have several speakers who want to be here but they're not physically present on the floor. mr. peterson: we have no further speak source i'd yield back. mr. smith: we yield back as well, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey yields the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 588 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair,

2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. without objection, the title is amended. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3488, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of

the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 383, h.r. 3488, a bill to establish the conditions under which the secretary of homeland security may establish preclearance facilities, conduct preclearance operations and provide custom services outside the united states, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. meehan, and the gentleman from new jersey, mr. payne, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. meehan: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and tend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. meehan: mr. speaker, yumeds. -- i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. meehan: mr. speaker, i rise in support of my bill, h.r. 3488. this legislation would require that the secretary of homeland security meet certain conditions and requirements prior to establishing any new u.s. customs and border

protection preclearance operations in foreign countries. the custom and border patrol's preclearance operations overseas inspect and examine travelers and their merchandise in foreign locations prior to their arrival in the united states, and then once cleared of foreign soil, passengers do not have to clear customs upon arrival in the united states. congress has a long history of supporting limited and specific preclearance operations. these facilitate travel and they improve homeland security. however, earlier this year ustoms and border patrol, or c.b.p., has clearance in abu dhabi without prior notification to congress, without concern to american jobs and without a clear homeland security benefit. this legislation ensures that the d.h.s. takes into account the impact on american jobs and

our global competitiveness, and as we enhance our security through future preclearance facilities. my bill requires d.h.s. to meet a series of benchmark to establish preclearance operation and requires transparency and prompt notification to congress while the department negotiates preclearance agreements with foreign governments. this legislation will go a long way towards preventing a repeat of c.b.p.'s mismanagement rollout of the preclearance facility in abu dab ue earlier this -- abu dhabi earlier this year. i have had concerns with abu dhabi, especially the way it was handled by the department and ultimately the disregard they had for the domestic airline industry. to correct that error, this bill requires extensive consultation with key stakeholders so that that never happens again.

abu dhabi was the first new preclearance location established since 9/11. prior to abu dhabi, the u.s. had preclearance locations in places like ireland, the bahamas and canada. we had an obligation to get this right, and c.b.p. did not. despite security focused rationale, this was conducted without suitable congressional notification or a thorough explanation for the rationale of preclearance facilities in abu dhabi. we know that a significant number of watch list originate from the region, but that does not excuse the lack of notification or more importantly not taking into account how such agreements affect american workers and their employers. the establishment of a preclearance facility in abu dhabi where no domestic carrier currently flies -- let me repeat that -- no domestic

carrier currently flies puts u.s. carriers at a competitive and significant disadvantage. as customs wait times are generally shorter at preclearance facilities compared to wait times in the united states. this facility provides a clear facilitation benefit to foreign airlines at the expense of u.s. carriers and u.s. jobs. and this is particularly egregious where the foreign-based airlines given subsidies designed to tilt the market unfairly in their direction. by requiring the secretary to consider the economic impact in establishing preclearance facilities, we protect american jobs and american workers. i support giving our security professionals the tools needed in their effort to push out borders, but we must do so in a way that makes us more secure, does not divert limited c.b.p. staffing resources or threaten

u.s. jobs and a vital economic engine provided by u.s. carriers. i'm breezed that over 150 of -- i'm please that had over 150 of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle co-sponsored this measure, and i urge all of my colleagues to support this important bill. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. payne: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 3488, the preclearance authorization act of 2014. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. payne: thank you, mr. speaker. as a member who represents a major international airport, i have deep reservations about the department of homeland security's decision to open a preclearance facility in abu dhabi earlier this year. i was concerned about the prospect that limited customs and border protection personnel

resources would be diverted from domestic airports, like newark liberty international airport to overseas posts which could result in wait times for clearing customs exceeding anyone's definition of reasonable. i also have concerns about d.h.s.'s decision to conduct preclearance at an overseas airport where u.s. carriers do not have a presence. thus, giving a competitive advantage to a foreign-owned airline. h.r. 3488 addresses both of my concerns. regarding customs proceedings times, the bill requires d.h.s. to certify to congress that the establishment of preclearance operations in an additional country will not significantly increase processing times at airports in the united states. as for opening preclearance facilities at airports where

u.s. carriers do not operate, this bill would prohibit d.h.s. forward.g so going the united states airlines and the jobs they create and support across the country are critical to our economy. efforts to push out our borders for security reasons must not come at the expense of the competitiveness of u.s.-owned and operated airlines. i comment the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. meehan, for recognizing this fact and for bringing forth this legislation before us today. if enacted, h.r. 3488 will result in stricter requirements as well as enhanced oversight and accountability regarding how d.h.s. decides to expand preclearance operations. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. meehan: mr. speaker, i now

recognize -- i recognize the gentlelady from michigan for as much time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from michigan is recognized for as much time as she needs. mrs. miller: thank you, mr. speaker. first of all, i certainly want to thank mr. meehan for his diligent work on this issue. for quite a long time, actually, he raised concerns with the department of homeland security preclearance operations very early on, and his leadership has been so important to the success of this bill and where we are today. you know, really, i think there have been few issues that kept c.b.p. leadership busier over the last year than preclearance. the troubled rollout of the preclearance in abu dhabi caused an awful lot of consternation in the congress. the preclearance facility in abu dhabi was the first such operation established since 9/11 primarily on a security rationale. therefore, the lack of appropriate congressional coordination and notification troubled many members on both sides of the aisle. in fact, preclearance operations were the subject of a limitation amendment to last

year's department of homeland appropriations bill that i co-sponsored with mr. meehan, and the bill under consideration today is sort of a fusion of mr. meehan's original text and the f.y. 2014 omnibus appropriations act, as well as ms. jackson lee's bill on this topic also. and it was very carefully crafted after numerous consultations with the department of homeland security, the airline industry and, again, members from both sides of the aisle. it really sets the contours for future preclearance notifications and certifications including a justification that outlines the homeland security benefit and impacted domestic staffing and wait times at any new preclearance operations would have. moreover, mr. speaker, this bill requires congress to be notified in the event that the department of homeland security modifies or changes an existing agreement. i certainly want to be clear that the house homeland security committee supports

preclearance where it makes sense. preclearance, of course, has been around as the security screening and trade facilitation tool since the 1950's, really, and since 9/11, the security of these have been heightened. however, this bill makes it absolutely clear that the department of homeland security cannot repeat the mistakes of the past. i would also like to just thank chairman camp of the ways and means committee who helped work with us with the homeland security committee to get this bill to the floor today. again, i want to thank mr. meehan and others who have worked hard to make sure that the american airlines are not negatively impacted by future preclearance operations overseas. i'd yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. payne: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the ranking member of the committee on homeland security, the gentleman from mississippi, mr. thompson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today in

support of h.r. 3488, the preclearance authorization act of 2014. earlier this year, the department of homeland security decided to alter the focus of customs and border protection's preclearance program from one aimed at passenger facilitation to one intended to ens hans security, or at least that is what we were -- enhanced security, or at least that is what was told when representatives led by mr. meehan and defazio asked hard questions about why a preclearance facility was being opened in abu dhabi, an airport which no u.s. flag carriers operate. since preclearance operations commenced in abu dhabi earlier this year, representatives from d.h.s., including secretary johnson, have repeatedly stated that they are looking to expand the program to other high-risk overseas airports.

enactment of h.r. 3488 would ensure that before d.h.s. entered into another preclearance agreement, thoughtful consideration is given to the potential homeland security benefits of such an expansion as well as the potential impact to c.b.p. staffing at domestic ports of entry. importantly, the bill also requires d.h.s. to report to congress on the potential economic competitive and job-related impacts opening such a facility would have on an united states air carrier. during committee consideration of the bill, an amendment that i offered was accepted that would require any passenger arriving in the u.s. who is determined to be a selectee to undergo security rescreening by the transportation security administration before being permitted to board a domestic flight in the united states. this provision would ensure that any traveler that is

determined to be potentially dangerous undergo security screening on u.s. soil before being allowed to border -- to board a domestic flight. finally, the bill prohibits the opening of a new preclearance facility unless at least one united states passenger carrier operates at the airport where preclearance operations would be established. this provision will ensure that we do not see a repeat of the circumstances surrounding the opening of the preclearance facility in abu dhabi where a foreign airline was provided a significant competitive advantage over u.s. carriers. with that, mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to vote yes on h.r. 3488, the preclearance authorization act of 2014, and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. meehan: mr. speaker, i yield as much time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from texas, the

chairman of the committee of homeland security, mr. mccaul. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to first commend the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. meehan, for his hard work and leadership on this issue on this bill. he rallied more than 150 members of congress. no small feat in this institution, to express his concern over the way the d.h.s. preclearance operation in abu dhabi, the way those operations were set up last year. and the commonsense bill before us today should be supported by every member of this body, pushing out the border through operations like preclearance allows customs and border protection to identify and intercept threats, including dangerous people and cargo long before they ever reach our shores. preclearance facilities have served america's interest by facilitating secure trade and travels since the 1950's and since 9/11 the security value of these facilities has only

increased. however, i share the concerns of many of my colleagues regarding the rollout of the preclearance facility recently established in abu dhabi. which was the first such facility set up after 9/11. the process by which they announced and created this facility was not transparent, it raised several questions about the suitability of that location. i recently had the opportunity to visit this preclearance facility in abu dhabi on a delegation that i led to the region. and i came away convinced that there is real security value in putting our officers overseas. however, i think it is appropriate that congress weigh in on how we go about establishing future preclearance operations, given the controversy and miss managed rollout of be a -- mismanaged rollout of abu dhabi. this strengthens the homeland security elements of preclearance operations by requiring that comparable aviation security screening

standards are in place prior to beginning preclearance operations. it would also require rescreening of passengers and cargo if security standards are not maintained overseas. this bill takes steps to reduce the potential for missteps by requiring a series of notifications and certifications to congress long before new preclearance facilities are established. under the requirements of this bill, d.h.s. must now certify that future facilities serve the national interest, stakeholders must be properly consulted and the u.s. airlines must have equal access to locations under consideration. this legislation we are considering is a result of extensive consultation with the industry, the department itself and members from both parties. and again i want to thank chairman meehan for his hard work and oversight on this important program and i want to thank the ranking member of the full committee, bennie

thompson, the ranking member of the subcommittee, for once again on our committee showing great bipartisanship to get the will of the people done in this house. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. >> mr. speaker, we have no more speakers. if the gentleman from pennsylvania doesn't have, we're prepared to close. mr. meehan: i have no more speakers and if the gentleman from new jersey has no more speakers, i'm prepared to close once the gentleman does. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized to close. mr. payne: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. payne: thank you. meak, -- mr. speaker, as you've heard, h.r. 3488 enjoys the support of members of the committee on homeland security. indeed, this is -- this has a bipartisan collection of 150 co--- 154 co-sponsors. with that, mr. speaker, i urge

all members to support h.r. 3488, the preclearance authorization act of 2014, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. r. meehan: mr. speaker, i want to express my deep appreciation to my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for responding so collectively to the importance of this issue. first and foremost, the principle that i think we stand from both sides of the aisle where important issues like this are raised that there be appropriate consultation with congress and appropriate understanding of the clear articulation by homeland security of the benefit that they expect to reach. as the chairman has identified, once he visited abu dhabi, he came away convinced that there was a benefit, but the idea that that would not have been

shared with us prior to entering that agreement is one of the critical things that we want to see addressed by this legislation. but it's also the inability for the department to appreciate or to take into consideration the impact that this will have, that may have, and in fact will have when there's no united states airline flying from abu dhabi, the competitive disadvantage that's event jated by the fact that -- that's generated by the fact that individuals who choose to fly the foreign airline come and get right into our country once they get through the preclearance facility, while those on american airlines coming into the same airport wait in long lines. it creates a competitive disadvantage and the real possibility of the loss of american jobs. mr. speaker, i urge all members to join me in supporting this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 3488, as amended.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. meehan: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4007 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4007, a bill to

recodify and re-authorize the chemical facility anti-terrorism standards program. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. meehan, and the gentleman from mississippi, mr. thompson, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. meehan: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. meehan: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. meehan: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 4007, the chemical facility anti-terrorism standards program authorization and accountability act of 2014. this bipartisan legislation continues our efforts to provide a sound plan and clear objectives for the department of homeland security's chemical facility anti-terrorism

standards or what we call cfats. before i discuss the merits of the bill itself, i'd like to extend a special debt of gratitude to chairman upton and subcommittee chairman shimkus of the energy and commerce committee without whom h.r. 4007 would not be on the floor today. the committee on homeland security and the committee on energy and commerce shared jurisdiction over the cfats program and our goal ensuring that cfatses is doing what needs to be done to protect american chemical facilities from acts of terrorism is a common one. therefore our two committees work together to create this bill. in fact, last summer chairman upton and chairman mccaul sent a letter to then secretary napolitano expressing their frustration with the department's delay in getting the cfats program up and running. they vowed to work together as the programs altogether -- programs' authorizers to provide the guidance and direction the program needed and to do so immediately. h.r. 4007 represents the

culmination of our collaborative efforts to fulfill the pledge. over the course of the past year, our two committees have worked in partnership with all of the cfat's key stakeholders, including both the regulated community and the department itself, to assess the programs -- program's strengths and shortcomings and develop a straightforward, practically-minded -- practical particularly minded piece of legislation -- practically minded piece of legislation. i'm very proud of chairman upton and shimkus in their support for allowing to us bring the bill to the floor swiftly. in the interest of seeing this legislation enacted in this congress, i'd like to note that the energy and commerce committees' exchange of letters with the homeland security committee in no way diminishes that committee's jurisdictional claim to or authority over the cfats program.

this bill represents the result of the legislative process done right. committees and members of congress working in partnership with one another to do what's best for america. and i'm proud to share the credit for the bill with chairman upton and chairman shimkus and my good friends and colleagues from the other side of the aisle. good governance is represented here today. cfats was created by the department of homeland security in 2007 after congress authorized the department to develop a set of vulnerability assessment standards for chemical plants. and to implement a corresponding set of regulations that will protect the highest-risk facilities from physical attack. prior to the attacks of 9/11, congress had established an array of laws aimed at preventing environmental disasters at facilities that produced or store potentially dangerous chemicals. while those laws remain, congress and the department of homeland security developed cfats specifically to prevent

intentional attack on chemical facilities. the program uses risk-based performance standards in order to provide individual facilities the flexibility to address their unique security challenges. importantly, the department developed a tiering structure that prevents cfats to focus their resources on higher risk facilities. by partnering with industries, cfats requires the covered chemical facilities to prepare security vulnerability assessments and to develop and implement site security plans that are based on those assessments. despite what we would agree are the best of intention, it's no secret that cfats have struggled throughout its seven-year history. from implementation problems to management flaws to insufficient feedback from facilities. highlighted in the aftermath of the west texas disaster. cfats has had a rocky start.

however, let's not -- let's be mindful that mismanagement is not synonymous with policy failure. our goal has been to identify both the major problems with the program and the progress made by d.h.s. to correct them. the assess. has given us the ability to craft a set of benchments that -- benchmarks that are complimentary to the president's executive order that was released after the tragic explosion of the west fertilizer plant in west, texas, last spring. for the past four years, cfats has relied on appropriations with no official guidance or authorizing statute from congress. past attempts to re-authorize the program have failed due to either overly ambitious proposals or sweeping overhauls that expand the scope of its intent. let's first fix the program before we debate granting greater responsibility. we've taken a modest practical

approach to re-authorization. we've determined that the site security plan approval process needs greater efficiency. the compliance process is greatly in need of better coordination. implementing a sensible and effective methodology in assessing risk will help d.h.s. better communication with state and local officials as well as other federal agencies and industry associations to identify facilities. this is important as we talk about issues like the west, texas, plant. cfats must remain on probation until the program proves its effectiveness. therefore the government accountability office should continue to assess the program and report to congress its findings on a biannual basis. all parts that are concluded in this bill. the resulting legislation, h.r. 4007, does all of these things and enjoys therefore support from a wide variety of stakeholders. republicans and democrats have

voiced their support for the bill. in addition to having two democratic co-sponsors, presentatives jean green and faleomavaega, secretary jay johnson explicitly endorsed h.r. 4007 in february of this year. we worked with the house energy and commerce committee and the senate homeland security and government affairs committee to produce legislation that puts the security of americans above politics and jurisdictional battles. to this bill has the support from the house, the senate, which is in the process of crafting a companion bill, which they plan to mark up this month, d.h.s. secretary jay johnson and industry stakeholders including the chamber of commerce of the united states, the american chemistry council, crop life america, and a coalition comprised of a broad spectrum of agriculture, mining, petroleum and transportation

organizations. at this time i'd like to enter those support letters in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. meehan: i'd specifically like to thank my co-sponsors, along with the homeland security committee staff, for their hard work and tireless efforts to make sure that the views of the regulated community and the administration were properly reflected and implemented in a realistic and achievable way with strict goals which will lift this program from stagnation to success. i'm proud of this legislation and its bipartisan support and i urge my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to pass h.r. 4007 to so we can ensure that the proper measures are in place to secure our communities from the devastating potential of a terrorist attack with that i reserve the balance of my time -- attack. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 4007, the chemical facility anti-terrorism standards program authorization and accountability act of 2014 and

i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, h.r. 4007 authorizes the chemical facility's anti-terrorism standards program within the department of homeland security . at the outset, i'd acknowledge that during consideration in committee, somewhat inclusive approach was taken and as a result, a number of amendments offered by democratic members were accepted. it is regrettable that now h.r. 4007 is before us today, the same opportunity is not being afforded to my colleagues in the house. the decision of the republican leadership to bring this measure up under suspension of the rules limits debates on the measure and effectively prevents any member from offering an amendment to make further improvements to the bill. despite my reservations about process, i am generally

supportive of h.r. 4007 as it would give d.h.s. and chemical facility owners and operators some measures of confidence about the program's future. since co-authoring legislation in the 109th congress to grant d.h.s. authority to regulate the chemical sector for security, i have consistently supported efforts enacting a comprehensive freestanding authorization bill. this, that followed there were complication efforts. as a result, renewal of the program has been at the mercy of the appropriation process since 2006. h.r. 4007 is the committee on homeland security's latest effort of achieving the goal of enacting cfat's legislation. the most significant prior effort was back in the 111th

congress when the house approved h.r. 2860, legislation that i introduced with then-energy and commerce chairman henry waxman, after a year and a half of intense negotiations. that bill eliminated the regulatory exemptions on water and waste water facilities that have been a major concern of every secretary of homeland security, especially secretary michael chertoff in the bush administration. the bill under consideration today bears little resemblance to h.r. 2868, but i suppose reflects the political realities of the 113th congress. i'm disappointed that it does not directly tackle the water and waste water exemptions that put communities and neighborhoods that are near those facilities at risk. though i'd note that the bill requires a security assessment of those exemptions so that the next time congress looks at

re-authorizing cfats, the debate will be better informed. i'm pleased in response to the deadly april, 2013, explosions at the plant in west texas, h.r. 4007 gives d.h.s. new authority to compel action by facilities that to date have not participated in a program that d.h.s. views as potentially high-risk facilities. 'm also pleased that h.r. 4007 includes language authored by congresswoman yvette clarke to make sure that they take a commonsense approach of employees who serve as -- who handles the shipping needs. there are few things that needs to be addressed before this measure reaches the president's desk. specifically, h.r. 4007 should provide adequate whistleblower protection for those risking their jobs to report violations of law or security

vulnerabilities. ensuring workers have a meaningful role in developing the security plans for their facilities and promote general adoption of best practices and inherently safer and secure technologies among high-risk facilities. the bill before us today is a good start, but there is more work to be done. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. meehan: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from texas, the chairman of the full committee, mr. mccaul. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 4007, the chemical facility anti-terrorism standards authorization and accountability act, introduced by chairman meehan and myself, along with my good friend, representative gene green from texas. i want to thank chairman meehan for his very hard work on this

legislation over the last year to get to the point where we are today. i also want to thank chairman upton and shimkus on the energy and commerce committee for allowing this bill to go forward for a vote today as well, and finally thank -- we don't thank our staff enough or what they do every day, joe worked tirelessly on this bill with both the administration and industry to i think deliver a very good product. this bipartisan bill provides a stability and the certainty that both the department and industry have been calling for while also making fundamental improvements to the cfats program. it's no secret that cfats have had a troubled history, but this bill will correct many of its shortcomings. after the tragic events of west, texas, in my home state, it is imperative we pass this bill. specifically, the bill ensures

that d.h.s. coordinates with other federal agencies, state and local officials, industry associations to make sure facilities aren't off the grid and ensure first responders are properly trained to deal with emergency incidents at cfats' facilities. it also improves the site security plan approval and d.h.s. accountability by requiring the secretary to certify the department's progress and by authorizing g.a.o. to regularly conduct assessments and report to congress. in addition to being good policy, this bill enjoys widespread support by the stakeholder community and was passed unanimously out of both the subcommittee and the full committee, something i think, mr. chairman, is almost unheard of in this congress here today, and i'm glad it came out of our committee, the homeland security committee. in fact, homeland security's secretary, jay johnson, explicitly endorsed this bill in his first appearance

testifying on the hill before our committee. i'd also finally like to, again, thank chairman meehan as well as all the co-sponsors of this bipartisan legislation, and i urge their support, and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from mississippi. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from new york, ms. yvette clarke, the ranking member on the cyber infrastructure subcommittee of the homeland security committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. clarke: thank you, mr. chairman, and i thank the ranking member who's done yeoman's job in helping alongside our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to move this forward. mr. chairman, the committee on homeland security has a great stake and a long history of trying to help the troubled chemical facility ti-terrorism standards, or

cfats' program succeed. consideration of h.r. 4007 today is our latest effort. while i feel it would have been better to bring this bill before the full house under a rule so that members could offer amendments, i want to commend my counterpart on the cybersecurity, infrastructure protection subcommittee, mr. meehan, for his diligence and commitment to moving the legislation through the regular order and committee. upon introduction of this bill, i had a number of concerns with the bill. amazingly, the original legislation had a requirement that required cfats to terminate after two years. it also did not provide an authorization of appropriations or codify the critical infrastructure protection program within the homeland security act. this was corrected by democratic amendments, many of which i offered, that were accepted in committee. and major impetus for action to authorize the cfats program was

certainly the explosion last april in west, texas, at a fertilizer facility containing a huge amount of ammonium nitrate. as we later learned, the facility was willfully off the regulatory grid and unknown to d.h.s. through the committee process, language was adopted to give d.h.s. new authority to bring so-called outlier facilities into compliance. we had an energetic debate at subcommittee with respect to whether nongovernmental third-party contractors should e utilized to have inspections. i believe that augments the work force in this fashion could be helpful with respect to the massive backlog of security inspections that exist in the cfats program. however, there are other ways to increase capacity without contracting out jobs. further, there is a troubled history with the cfats program of overreliance on contractors.

i believe that if d.h.s. goes down this path, there needs to be structures in place to ensure that work done by contractors is promptly and accurately fed into the regulatory system. that is why i offered language in committee to build an oversight and accountability. i'm pleased to say it was accepted. a lingering concern underscored by the steelworkers temperaturesters and others is even as there is broad recognition for that -- for cfats to work we need chemical workers to come forward to report security vulnerabilities and cfats compliance issues, no guaranteed whistleblower protections attached. men, women that risk their positions and paychecks to make their workplace, their communities and their nation more secure deserve access -- mr. chairman. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i yield an additional minute to the gentlelady. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. clarke: whistleblower

protections should h.r. 4007 be approved today, i would put whistleblower protections high on the to-do list for the senate. then there is statutory protections for waste water and other chemical facilities. the bill perpetuates the exemption without consideration of the arguments that former d.h.s. secretary michael chertoff and others have made about the rest. encouragingly, the committee accepted the amendment offered by ranking member thompson to require an independent study of the terrorism vulnerabilities associated with the limited authority granted to d.h.s. and the exemption on water and waste water facilities. the results of that study will be important to inform congress when the cfats is up for re-authorization in three years. overall, i would say that through the committee process the bill has been improved. is there more work to be done? certainly. that is why i am profoundly disappointed that h.r. 4007 is being considered on suspension.

many members of this body that do not have the privilege to sit on the homeland security committee have concerns about the vital critical infrastructure program that affects their districts, towns and neighborhoods. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from mississippi reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. meehan: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers at this time so i'll reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the chair recognizes the entleman from mississippi. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the ranking member of the committee on energy and commerce committee, the gentleman from california, mr. waxman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. waxman: i thank the gentleman for yielding to me. mr. speaker, since before the terrorist attack of september 11, 2001, experts have been concerned about the vulnerability of chemical plants to attack. these facilities hold large

stores of industrial chemicals which pose a safety and security risk to the american people if they are released or detonated. a recent report found that more than 134 million americans live in the vulnerability zones around these chemical facilities. i have such a facility in my district which is a very serious concern for the surrounding community. these risks have not been addressed adequately, and this bill falls short of what is needed. the chemical facility anti-terrorism standards program at the department of homeland security has not been successful. it was set up through an appropriations rider that did not give the department the tools it needed to succeed. the original statute blocked effective enforcement, leading to a lack of compliance. we saw the dangers of noncompliance when the west fertilizer company facility in

west, texas, exploded. unfortunately those limitations are the enforcement would be preserved by this bill. the original statute blocked the department from requiring measures to reduce the consequences of a terrorist attack, and in the process created serious obstacles to site security plans that failed to meet the program standards. this led to an approval process so complicated that it took more than five years for the department to complete its review of the first facility. this bill preserves those obstacles. there have been problems with the background requirements promulgated under the existing program. this bill would codify some of those problems. the president should be recognized for recognizing those deficiencies and taking action

to address them including taking action on chemical security last year. the working group created by the executive order has looked at how best to secure these facilities with fresh eyes and the administration is now moving to revise and improve the program. these reforms are important and necessary but they are not reflected in this bill. instead, this bill could limit the department's ability to improve the program. that just doesn't make sense. in its current form thrbling bill is simply not adequate to provide real protections for the public. my view is that we should strengthen this bill before sending it to the senate. if this bill passes today, we should work with the senate to strengthen the bill and enact legislation we can all support. i yield back the balance of my ime.

the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from mississippi. mr. thompson: i yield such time he -- mr. meehan: i yield such time heas may consume to the gentleman from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. green: i rise in support of h.r. 4007, legislation i introduced with congressman meehan and my friend chairman mike mccaul. this bipartisan legislation is the first time to codify the chemical facility anti-terrorism standards program which the d.o.d. has been operating under. last october, during the government shutdown, the american people saw without authorization of this program there would be no legally binding regulations to protect the nation's chemical facilities from attacks once the -- once they expired. i have the honor of representing

the houston ship channel. puts the program safe to -- safety of the people in my district in danger and we must do everything we can to protect them. i heard from those on my side of the aisle who do not support this legislation. i agree it's not perfect legislation. it does not solve every problem. but a number of congress -- but a member of congress -- but congress has had a chance to do this since 2007 but we haven't. we need to give congress the opportunity to oversee d.h.s. progress or lack thereof this bill would solve the personal security issue by our -- by allowing workers who have h.m.e. cards to have access without having to get another federal credential. representing those plants, i saw what happened after the card and the concern of folks who had to

pay more money for a federal i.d. card this bill, if passed, would protect that for folks who work in my plants. that's important to my constituents who have three cards and work in the plants and drive the trucks that deliver the raw materials and produce and move those products they produce. i urge my colleagues to join in the house homeland security committee which passed this legislation by voice vote and help homeland security secretary johnson who has been a vocal supporter of this legislation and vote in support of h.r. 4007. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from mississippi. mr. thompson: i have no more speakers, if the gentleman from pennsylvania has no more speakers, i am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. meehan: i have no more

speakers and since the gentleman from mississippi has no further speakers, i'm prepared to close once he does. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from mississippi. mr. thompson: thank you very much. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. in closing, i am supportive of advancing this legislation to the senate in the hopes of moving the process forward to provide a multiyear cfats program. there's more to be done. should h.r. 4007 be aproved today i will work with my colleagues in the other body to work to ensure the legislation provides adequate whistle blow brother texts for those risking their jobs to report violations of law or security vulnerabilities, ensures workers have a meaningful role in developing the security plans for their facilities and promotes greater adoption of best practices inherently safer

and secure technologies among high-risk facilities. the bill before us today is a good start but there is more work to be done. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. meehan: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to express my deep appreciation to my colleagues on my side of the aisle, but particularly as well to my colleagues on the homeland security committee and subcommittee, the ranking member, the gentleman from mississippi, and the ranking member of the subcommittee, the gentlelady from new york, who both have well articulated, there's more work to be done. nobody disputes that particular issue. but, we also appreciate that this is an issue which has been laying for a long period of time, without resolution, and we

are taking very responsible steps to take a big step forward in the authorization of this program. we worked with both sides of the aisle to try to handle as many issues as we could, as has been articulated 15 democratic amendments have been part of this bill. the wastewater issue was an important one, but the mature security programs do exist for that. it is one of the original critical infrastructures and as part of the sector coordinating council for d.h.s. but i agree, there's still more work to be done in that particular area. we are worried about outliers as well. the gentleman, one of the gentlemen raised the issue of the chemical facilities that have avoided scrutiny which led to the west, texas, situation. but it is for that reason that

this bill is so critically important and that we act now. it is because it gives d.h.s. the ability to reach out to those facilities that are not compliant. and this bill awards those who have taken responsible steps toward adecent -- identifying and creating the kinds of plans that are contemplated underneath this bill but also calls to challenge those who have been avoiding scrutiny. so the issues still may be there for future resolution, but we will in three years be able to bring this bill back up for recourse and during that period of time, we can work together on both sides of the aisle to assure that it is done appropriately. o i have -- at this point in time, i encourage my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to support this bipartisan bill and

i yield back me balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4007 as amended? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the notion reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the ntleman -- for what purpose does the gentlewoman from indiana seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4263, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of

the bill. kyle: union calendar number 356, h.r. 4263, a bill to amend the homeland security act of 2002 to authorize the department of homeland security to establish a social media working group and or other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from indiana, ms. brooks and the gentleman will each control five minutes. ms. brooks: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative kays to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. brooks: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. brooks: i rise in support of h.r. 4263, the social media working group act of 2014. as chairwoman of the committee on emergency preparedness response and communications, i introduced this bill along with

ranking member payne, chairman mccaul and representatives palazzo and swalswel in response to testimony we received at two social media hearings we held last year. social media is transforming the way the nation is communicating, before, during, and after a disaster. there are countless examples from recent disasters to how citizens are turning to facebook, twitter and instagram for public safety information, to comfort survivor, and request assistance. we've seen how important social media is becoming in preparation for disasters, particularly with superstorm sandy and in the aftermath of the boston marathon bombing. i sent out tweets to my constituents about a tornado warning and recommended they follow local news outlets for more information. last week, fema and other agencies along the east coast

used social media to inform people about hurricane arthur. this morning i had the opportunity along with chairman mccaul to visit the american red cross digital operations center, the first ever social media operations center for humanitarian relief. i was impressed to hear that during superstorm sandy, the red cross analyzed over 2 ppt 5 million pieces of social data and sent over 300 different pieces of information to operation teams to help with decision making. last year, the subcommittee held two hearings that focused on this new reality. one of the key takeaways from these hearings was that during and after a disaster, there needs to be a better communication between the public and private sectors, specifically with how to utilize social media as a communications tool. h.r. 4263 address this is recommendation by authorizing and enhancing the department of homeland security's virtual social media working group tone

sure information sharing between the department and appropriate stake holders and the leveraging of best practices. adecisionally, this bill will increase stake holder participation, particularly among the private sector and federal response agencies, creating a whole community dialogue on this issue. the bill will require the group to submit an annual report to congress highlighting best practices, lessons learned and any recommendation. lastly this bill will require the group to meet in person or virtually at least twice a year and will not be a financial burden on the department. in today's day and age, where new social media platforms and technologies can change the game almost instantly, we must ensure our first responders are nimble enough to adapt to an ever-changing landscape this group is but one way to facilitate this. the committee on homeland security approved h.r. 4263 by a bipartisan voice vote and i appreciate the man for the which my ranking member, mr. payne,

has worked with me on passage of this with our committee. i urge members to join me and the rest of our committee in supporting this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. payne: i rise in support of h.r. 4263, the social media working group act of 2014, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. thank you, mr. speaker. the internet has changed the world. it has changed how the government serves its citizens, how businesses serve its customers and how the public engages in activism. the responses to the boston rathon bombing and hurricane sandy which devastates -- devastated my state underscores the power of social media. after each of these devastating

events, we saw the internet used to galvanize ordinary citizens into action. in the wake they have boston bombing, bostonned residents used google docs to let marathoners know their homes were open to those who were unable to rush to their hotel. after hurricane sandy, survivors posted horrific images of homes washed away on twitter and facebook to help the world understand the strength of the storm. sorble media is used to -- social media is used to tell which gas stations and pharmacies were open. phng used social media to communicate with customers about how to prepare for the store to mitigate damage and about power restoration afterwards. public service electric and gas

use of socialial media was so effective that -- social media was so effective that it was recognized by j.d. power and associates as a best practice, and c.s. week, a nonprofit that focuses on customer service gave them an award for innovation and customer service . as though their use of social media was incredibly successful, there were important lessons learned that should be shared among organizations utilizing social media during a disaster response. or example, psn&g exceeded the allowable number of tweets a day and needed to reach out to twitter leadership for potential capacity. in addition to spikes in social media use during the disaster, ptn&g learned about important less orns learned about the tone, communications and the demand for information during a

disaster. h.r. 4263 would authorize the social media working group that fits with the science and chnology directorate about lessons learned relating to social media during disasters. the measure would also ensure that the federal government and first responders continue to fully utilize the capabilities of the internet and social media to communicate with more people during disasters. i would like to congratulate the subcommittee chairwoman, mrs. brooks, on the success of her efforts to ensure the way government officials and first responders communicate with the public before, during and after disaster strikes, keeps pace with the evolving technology. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 4263, and with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance

of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from indiana. mrs. brooks: mr. speaker, i have no more speakers. if the gentleman from new jersey has no further speakers i'm prepared to close once the gentlewoman does. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. payne: mr. speaker, i have no more speakers as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. does the gentleman yield? mr. payne: yes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from indiana. mrs. brooks: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. brooks: mr. speaker, we have seen the rise in the use of social media both before, during and after disasters. this legislation will help to ensure we're leveraging best practices, sharing and incorporating lessons learned for the use of social media in this area. i urge all members to join me in supporting this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. the question is will the house

suspend the rules and pass the amended. 4263, as those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- mr. payne: mr. speaker, i request 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. for what purpose does the gentlelady from indiana seek recognition? mrs. brooks: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4289. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 360. h.r. 4289, a bill to amend the homeland security act of 2002 to require the undersecretary for management of the department of homeland security to take administrative action

to achieve and maintain interoperable communications capabilities among the components of the department of homeland security, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from indiana, mrs. brooks, and the gentleman from new jersey, mr. payne, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from indiana. mrs. brooks: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. brooks: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. brooks: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 4289, the department of homeland security interoperability communications by the oduced gentleman from new jersey, mr. payne. i'm happy to be an original co-sponsor of this important legislation which the committee on homeland security also

approved last month by a bipartisan voice vote. this bill amends the homeland security act of 2002 to include, among the responsibilities of the department of homeland security's undersecretary for management, achieving and maintaining interoperable communications among the department's components. h.r. 4289 addresses the findings and recommendations of a november, 2012, d.h.s. office of inspector general report, which stated that the department does not have the appropriate oversight or governance structure to ensure communications interoperability among its own components. the department has been at the forefront to provide our nation's first responders with resources and tools needed to have effective interoperable communications. now the department needs to practice what they preach. it is vital that the department's own components are able to effectively communicate day-to-day and most importantly during emergencies. in order to ensure the

department is taking the necessary steps to achieve and maintain interoperable communications capability, h.r. 4289 requires the department's undersecretary for management to submit an interoperable communications strategy to the committee on homeland security no later than 120 days after enactment, and i applaud the ranking member for his work and leadership on bringing this to the floor, and i urge all members to join me in supporting this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. payne: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 4289, the department of homeland security interoperability communications act, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. payne: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, when i began my work on this subcommittee last year, i was shocked to learn

how much money has been spent on interoperable communications since the september 11 terrorist attacks. nationwide, we have spent over $13 billion to achieve interoperable communications at the state and local level, and we are not there yet. given the degree of attention that the federal government in general and d.h.s. in particular have devoted to interoperability, i was surprised to learn that d.h.s. as not achieved departmentwide interoperability. police officers and firefighters from newark to jersey city and across the 10th congressional district never leave my office without reminding me how important interoperable communications are. nevertheless, according to the november, 2012, inspector general report, d.h.s. has invest ready over $430 million

into communication capabilities for its 123,000 radio users since twee. but -- since 2003. but department personnel do not have reliable interoperable communications for daily perations planned -- daily operations, planned events and emergencies. indeed, the inspector general testified before the committee may that in 2012 it asked 479 d.h.s. field radio users to access and use the specified channel to communicate. only one of those 479 radio get -- one of 479 could on the common channel. failure rate.8% the problem is not technology.

instead, the inspector general found that the department had not established and implemented protocols to ensure that components put practices in place to achieve interoperability. h.r. 4289, the d.h.s. interoperable communications act, which i introduced with my colleague on the emergency preparedness subcommittee, chairwoman brooks, requires that certain actions be taken by d.h.s. leadership to drive components in the field towards interoperability. the legislation directs the undersecretary from management to issue policies and directives related to interoperability, develop a strategy to achieve d.h.s.-wide interoperability and report to congress biannually on the department's progress. interoperable communication capabilities are critical to the mission d.h.s. carries out and to first responders across

the united states. d.h.s. must lead by example. toward that end, i was encouraged that the department's acting undersecretary for management expressed his commitment to addressing this issue when he appeared before the subcommittee last month. it is my hope that this legislation will bolster his efforts and make it clear to everyone in the department that congress' looking to d.h.s. to achieve interoperability. before reserving my time, i'd like to thank subcommittee chairwoman brooks for working with me on this measure. we have found that there are many issues in terms of this matter, and we have worked in a bipartisan manner to make sure that these interoperability is achieved. i'd also like to thank chairman mccaul and ranking member thompson for their help in addressing this issue.

and mr. speaker, we have looked continue to , we talk to first responders throughout my district and throughout the nation and we know that these issues around homeland security are bipartisan and we've been able to work on this committee in a manner which we all have the same goal is to make sure this nation is safe and the homeland is secure. so i urge my colleagues to support improving the interoperable communications at . h.s. by voting for h.r. 4289 our communities are safer when d.h.s. has the capabilities necessary to effectively carry out its mission. and mr. speaker, we always have to make sure that we keep our first responders safe. and with that i yield back the balance of my time -- i reserve

. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from indiana. mrs. brooks: mr. speaker, i have no more speakers. if the gentleman from new jersey has no further speakers, i'm prepared to close once the gentleman does. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. payne: i have -- mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. payne: thank you. thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, interoperable communications are essential to d.h.s.'s ability to carry out its mission on a day-to-day basis when disaster strikes. h.r. 4289 would put d.h.s. on the path to achieving cross-component interoperable communications, and i urge my colleagues to support this measure. we must protect our protectors,

our first responders deserve the ability to communicate with each other, and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey yields. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from indiana. mrs. brooks: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. brooks: mr. speaker, it's vital that the various component agencies at the department of homeland security are able to communicate on a daily basis and particularly in times of crisis. as the ranking member's pointed out, it is not only our first responders but all of our federal agencies that deal with crisis daily. right now numerous components, including being led in part by i.c.e., fema and c.b.p. are working together to respond to the influx of unaccompanied alien children across our southern border. they must communicate together with one another. it's so important as they address this crisis.

this is just one example of the latest reason why communications interoperability must be achieved and maintained between and among department of homeland security's components. and i urge all members to join the ranking member and myself in supporting this very bipartisan legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. ms. jackson lee: would you yield? mrs. brooks: i will yield. ms. jackson lee: i want to say that i support all of the bills, including yours. i want to talk something about the preclearance bill. i want to thank mr. payne for his leadership. mrs. brooks, i want to thank you for yours. just make the point that we have worked in a bipartisan manner on homeland security very effectively, and i wanted to make mention in particular of a bill i worked on extensively, h.r. 3488, preclearance authorization act, and to indicate that this is a

bill under which the homeland security -- secretary of homeland security may establish and conduct preclearance operations and it's imperative as we seek to push out our nation's borders. so we've had this discussion and we've had a vigorous discussion about how you utilize these preclearance sites. i think it comes to mind some of the sites in the mideast and in light of where we are today, with t.s.a. having to put in place new requirements because of the potential threat, i think this is a very positive step. as i do of all the bills, including ones dealing with interoperability, which we dealt with during the tragedy of 9/11. so i wanted to ask unanimous consent to have my statement placed into the record and i would thank you all for yielding to me and i want to thank mr. payne and the full committee chair and ranking member for their leadership. i yield back. thank you. ms. brooks: i reiterate that i

urge all members to join me and ranking member payne in supporting this legislation and the gentlelady from texas has been very involved as well on the issues involving the unaccompanied alien children and interoperable communications issues and i yield back the balance of my time and appreciate her comments. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is will the howls suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4289? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection -- ms. brooks: on this vote, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. . pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed.

the chair lays before the house a message. kyle: to the congress of the united states -- the clerk: to the congress of the united states, pursuant to the emergency economic powers act i hereby report that i have issued an executive order taking additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in executive order 13413 of , and e. --.2006 in e.o. 13013 it was determined that the situation in the democratic republic of congo, marked by widespread violence and atrocities that continue to threaten regional stability and addressed by the united nations security council in resolution 1596 of april 18, 2005, resolution 18 of september 18 of 2005 and resolution 169 of july 31, 2006, constitutes an unusual

and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the united states. toray address that threat, e.o. 41313 blocks the property and interest and persons listed any to -- annex to e.o. 134013 meet criteria specified in e.o. 13413. 234 view of multiadditional united nations security council resolutions, including most recently resolution 2136 of january 30, 2014, i'm issuing the order to take additional steps to deal with the national emergency declare and address the continuation of activities that threaten the peace and stability of the democratic public of congo and surrounding regions, including operations by armed brupes, human rights abuses, recruitment and use of

child sole jerks attacks on peace keepers, obstruction of humanitarian operations and exploitation of natural resources to finance persons engaged in these activities. the order amends the designation criteria specified in e.o. 4 13413. as amended it provides for the designation of persons determined by the secretary of the treasury new york consultation with the secretary of state, to be a political or military leader of a foreign armed group operating in the democratic public of the congo that impedes the disarmament, voluntary repatriation, resettlement or reintegration of combatants. to be a leader of one, an entity, including any armed group that has or whose members have engaged in any activity december scribed above, or two an entity whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to e.o. 13413.

i have delegated to the secretary of the treasury in consultation with the secretary of state the authority to take actions including the prom all fwation of rules and regulations and to employ all powers granted to the president by iepea and the united nations participation act as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the order. all agencies of the united states government are directed to take appropriate measures within their authority to carry out provisions of the order. i'm enclosing a copy of the executive order i have issued. signed, barack obama, the white house. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the committee on foreign affairs and ordered printed. pursuant to clause 12a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess un

>> good afternoon, everybody. nice to see you all. i don't have any announcements, so why don't you get it started with questions. >> this morning on a conference call, a white house official said in working with congress, the white house is asking for the same authority to send people from central america back at the border that the administration has for people from mexico. can you give that authority to a border patrol agent as opposed to immigration judgets -- judges and still guarantee that these children have due process? >> what we are seeking, josh, is we are seeking a greater authority for the secretary of homeland security to exercise

greater discretion that will allow him to more efficiently and effectively remove and repatriate immigrants to this country that don't have a legal asis for remaining here. as you know, the law requires some additional steps as it relates to children and it also requires additional steps for children who have traveled from what are described as noncontiguous countries. what this law did not contemplate is what we are seeing now along the southwest border. what we are see sag spike in illegal migration from a handful of central american countries and what we would like is for the secretary of homeland security to exercise some greater discretion after the due process rights of those individuals had been

acknowledged and respected. so there's a due process system. what we are seeking, in addition to additional authority are additional resources where im-- immigration judges, ice prosecutors and asylum officials can be made available to expand the capacity of that system so that we can reduce the backlog that currently exists. but again the bottom line here is, this additional authority that we would like congress to give the secretary of homeland security, would allow him to exercise his discretion to more efficiently remove those individuals that do not have a legal basis for remaining in the country. >> those due process rights, does that include appearing before a judge or before someone other than a border patrol officer? >> it requires there is due process in place. those are basic due process rights that will be respected. there are also certain

humanitarian requirements in place. those aren't just part of a law. those are also consistent with the values of this country. we will meet both of those standards, we're committed to doing that we're also just as committed to enforcing the law and that means when it's found that an individual does not have the legal basis for remaining in this country, does not have a legal basis for being granted a humanitarian relief, those individuals will be remove and pe re-pay traited in collaboration with their home countries. >> the secretary was here this morning, talking about his concerns about the afghanistan elections process dragging out. can you talk a little bit about what he spoke with the president about on afghanistan? >> why don't i start with a readout of the president's meeting and we can go into additional information if you'd like. the president met with secretary eneral rasmussen in what was

secretary general rasmussen's final meeting at the white house before he departs his position this year. thisivity -- it gave the president the opportunity to talk about the strength of this ialliance during the president's recent visit to europe last month. as you know, we have a nato summit in september in wales that was an opportunity for them, the two leaders to review a number of issues heading into that meeting. they discussed ukraine, including implications of russia's aggression for european security and the efforts of the united states and other allies have been making over the last several months to reassure all allies of the iron-clad commitment to article 5 collective defense. they spoke about the need to improve allied defense investment and bolster the defense exathexass i have to nato's vast network of partners and they talked about planning

or nato's non-combat post-2014 missing. in terms of afghanistan you may be aware that building on secretary kerry's outreach to both of the presidential candidates in afghanistan, the president spoke last night to dr. abdullah as part of our ongoing effort to engage the candidates and call for calm and tie log. the president made -- and dialogue. the president made clear, as we have been saying publicly, that we expect a thorough review of all reasonable squall gations of fraud and that there's no reason to resort to violent or extra-constitutional measures. we know it would -- we have been clear that such actions would cost afghanistan the thovep united states of america. such serious accusations of fraud have been made but have yet to be investigate the preliminary are results anouned yesterday are neither final nor authoritative and may not predict the final outcome which

could change based on the find offings afghan's electoral bodies. i urge candidates to maintain calm among their supporters. there's a process in place for adjudicating concerns raised about fraud in that election and we're encouraging -- or we're encouraging both candidates and their supporters to allow that process to work its way through so that all of these claims or concerns that have been raised about fraud can be examined and adjudicated so that both sides can respect the outcome of this process. >> israel seems to be escalating quickly with air raid sirens in tel aviv this morning and calls for a possible ground invasion in gaza. what is the u.s. doing to calm the situation and is there any effort to negotiate a cease fire between hamas and israel? >> let me start by saying that we strongly condemn the continuing rocket firing into

israel and the deliberate targeting of civilians by terrorist organizations in gaza. no country can accept rocket fire aimed at civilians and we support israel's right to defend itself against these vicious attacks. at the same time, we appreciate the call that prime minister netanyahu has made publicly to act responsibly. we're concerned about the safety and security of civil quans on both sides this means both the residents of southern israel force t.d. live under rocket fire in their homes and the civilians in gaza who are subjected to the conflicts because of hamas' violence. as you know, secretary kerry spoke with prime minister netanyahu a couple of times over the weekend and reiterated the united states' concern about escalating tension and our willingness to engage robustly to stop the rocket fire and restore the 2004 cease fire as soon as possible.

these on sultations are ongoing. it's not in the interest of either side for this violence to continue and evenest ka lafmente we are hopeful that even as israel exercises their right to self-defense, that they'll leave open a channel for diplomacy to prevail and far cease fire or at least a de-escalation in the violence to commence. >> back on the supplemental request, is the white house willing to offer any budget cuts elsewhere to offset additional money? >> this falls in the category of emergency appropriations. i think that even -- both democrats and republicans would acknowledge that what we're eing is an emergent threat situation. there are serious implications if it relates to, you know, a pretty dire humanitarian situation throughout central shown in d it's being

the activity theats southwestern border of we need to resources to address the problem. >> the answer is no? >> this is an emergency supplemental funding request. with an emergency request like this, traditionally, congress hasn't sought to bog down that process in a search for offsets. >> speaker boehner made the point that he wants to see national guard used but that was not includeded -- included in the request. >> there are a couple of reasons for that the first is, there already has been made a historic investment in border security and we're seing the benefit of that investment of resources along the border. the -- to put it bluntly, the concern right now is that what we're seing is that a lot of immigrants seeking to enter the country without authorization aren't seeking to evade

detection by border patrol agents. rather these individuals are seeking out border patrol agents with the expect -- expectation that they'll be detained and with the hope they'll be allowed to remain in the country. we have made clear that those individuals who enter this country without authorization will be put through the immigration court proceeding and there are due process rights that they will -- that they are entitled to but at the conclusion of those proceedings, if it is found that those individuals do not have a legal basis for remaping in the country, they'll be remove and what we have sought, noigs this supplemental appropriations request, is authorization from congress for the secretary of homeland security to exercise greater discretion in ensuring the prompt removal of those individuals. >> yesterday we talked a little about this, you mentioned there was no piece in the request for border security. but it appears there is some of

that now. has that changed since yesterday? and if so, why? >> i don't remember ruling out any additional resources to be deployed to the border. in fact, the suggestion i made was that we need additional resources at the boarder to process claims more rapidly. and that is what a large chunk of this funding would be devoted oward, hiring judges, i.c.e. prosecutors and asylum officials to address the backlog that's cropped up in recent months. by addressing the backlog we can ensure that those individuals have prompt access to the due process to which they're entitled. it also means until the cases are resolved and as we expect in a majority of those cases, there will not be a basis for those individuals to remain in the couldn't rid and be granted humanitarian relief, we expect that the homeland security secretary will be able to exercise additional discretion to repatriate those individuals efficiently.

>> so things like surveillance and more resources for interdiction that was not -- that's not something that was added late, it was always going to be part of it? >> that was always going to be part of the package. those who are particularly concerned about these resource being deployed to the border and the suggestion that these resources are badly needed at the border should be advocates of strong immigration reform. even important steps included in this emergency funding request are not as significant as the investment in border security resources that's included in the commonsense immigration reform proposal passed by both parties in the senate. >> the president is going -- in the interview the president will have with the governor, what does the president expect to gain from this meeting? >> we have been working for a couple of days to set up a meeting between the president and local officials in the dallas area to discuss the

situation on the border. there are a number of nongovernmental organizations, including nonprofits and even some faith leaders in dallas, who have been trying to mobilize the resources to assist in the effort to meet the basic humanitarian needs of those who have arifed at the southwest border and attempted to enter the country without authorization. the president welcomes the efforts of those who are trying to contribute constructively to addressing this problem and we're seeing local officials and even some members of the faith community in dallas try to do exactly that the president is supportive of those efforts. that's why we're seeking to set up a meeting with those individuals. when governor perry sent a letter to the white house yesterday indicates a desire to meet with the president, we thought it made sense here to extend invitations to governor perry, allow him to participate in that meeting with other texans seeking to address the situation in a constructive manner. we're looking forward to governor perry, participating in

that meeting. apparently he has, just in the last hour or so, agreed to participate in that we are pleased by that >> i want to get clear, you are asking for -- that the h.h.s. secretary has great edition -- >> d.h.s. >> d.h.s. but you're not asking congress to change the law to make central american children treated the same as mexican children. you're not asking for a change in the law to cent the discrepancy in the way the children are handled? >> i think what we are tiing to do is try to restore some greater consistency in that in terms of the way immigrants from central america, whether it's mexico or other countries, the way that that law is implemented. there's a -- there are natural barriers to that. if somebody is edetain aid long the mexican border who is from mexico, it's easy to sort of turn them around and they're back in their home country. if someone, if an immigrant from

honduras is detained at the u.s.-mexico border, getting them back to honduras requires additional resources and requires some additional steps. so there are some logistical awpediments to enforcing the l as efficiently when it comes to those who originate in honduras, compared to those who originated in mexico. >> the 2008 law says the children have to be treated differently. >> that's correct. >> you're not asking congress to make changes to the 2008 law? >> well, right now, what we are seeking is we are seeking the congressional authorization for the secretary of homeland security to exercise greater discretion as he implements that law. so i don't want to suggest that we're fine with the law the way it is, because we're seeking greater discretion to enforce the law differently.

i'm not trying to be obtuse answering your question, i'm trying to be as specific as i can. we are seeking an end result that allowers in more efficient application and enforcement of that law that essentially means those individuals that don't have a legal basis for remaining in this country are returned to their home country. does that make sense? ok >> in the readout of the phone call last night you talked about losing the financial and security assistance for the united states. is that money and material or does that also extend to the presence of american forces on the ground? >> well, as you know, there is an issue of pending bilateral security agreement. this is an agreement that was struck between the united states and afghanistan many months ago now. what we have said is that we would seek for that adwreement -- agreement to be signed by the new president of afghanistan. the good news is that both

candidates, both of the remaining candidates in this runoff have indicated not just an openness but a desire to sign that agreement. we welcome that we believe the bilateral security agreement is in the best interest of america's security but also in the interest of the people of afghanistan. we're pleased they have indicated they will do that. for them to sign this election, the election needs to be concluded. buzz of the concerns that have been raised about fraud, the conclusion of that election is being drawn out a little bit. fortunately, there is in place a series of procedures to adjudicate concerns about fraud and we have sought, through diplomatic channels, tone courage both sides to allow that process to work. and we're hopeful that both candidates and their supporters will continue to support that process as it moves forward. >> and there are administrative

officials, lawmakers on capitol hill today about iraq and afghanistan. i'm wondering whether the time regular flects the conflict going into a new phase particularly as it relates to iraq. gr i'm not aware of the specific briefings you're talking about but because the consultation between the administration and our partners on capitol hill on these issues is frequent, i'm not surprised to hear that there are some meetings to discuss these issues. as you point out, these are dynamic situations that we're dealing with, so it makes sense that the consultations between senior administration officials and our counterparts on capitol hill are pretty frequent. so i don't know that there's any specific hope for today's meetings but rather that they are an indication that these conversations happen pretty regularly. >> there was german anger about this later spying rout. could you give more details

about how the u.s. plans to go about resolving this, as you said yesterday? >> i'm not in position to shed more light on -- either on those reports or our efforts to try to resolve the situation. other than to say whey said yesterday which is that the the d states highly values strong partnership we have with the germans, particularly when it comes to security cooperation and intelligence sharing activities. that strong partnership benefits american national security and we believe it benefits national security of germany as well. that's why we are committed to resolving the situation appropriately. there have been some communications in both law enforcement and diplomatic channels to begin to resolve this issue, but in terms of the substance of the reports, as i was yesterday, i'm not in a position to comment on them.

>> does the united states expect foreign nations, including perhaps some allies, to conduct a kind of operations intelligence -- intelligence operations that have been reported, you know, on the other side in the german media in the last few days? >> i'm sure there are some intelligence experts in our government who might be able to give you greater insight into the intelligence activities of other countries but i'm not in a position to do that from here. >> can you clarify, in terms of homeland security secretary getting more authority, you need congress' help, does congress have to pass a standalone bill? what are you waiting for, legally? >> it's my understanding that for the secretary of homeland security to exercise the kind of discretion that we would like him to be able to exercise, in terms of more efficiently removing those individuals that don't have a claim to remain in this country that that requires congressional authorization to give him that discretion.

>> have you heard from boehner or anyone, are they going to do this? >> we made this request last week in a letter to congress. since then, there have been a number of conversations between senior administration officials re and senior officials on capitol hill. so the discussions about trying to work this out have been under way for several days now. >> in terms of the changes to the president's schedule you hooked it to governor perry writing this letter yesterday -- >> i didn't mean to do that. >> what changed. for days you've been saying, not only is he not going to the border, he's fundraising and going to talk about the economy. >> i was being declarative about the fact that he was not going to travel to the border and he's not going to do that. he will spend some time, in addition to the other activities you mentioned, visiting with some texans who, both local government officials as well as the leaders in the faith community down there, who are seeking to mobilize resources in

support of an effort to effectively deal with the situation at the southwest border. the president welcomes their involvement. certainly pleased to see their interest in playing a constructive role in meeting the humanitarian needs of the individuals. governor perry indicated a desire to speak to the president about this and the president extended an invitation for governor perry to join this meeting with other texan whors working on that. >> in addition to governor perry you had that. how do you react? sort of government being paralyzed and not being able to fix this? >> the steps that this government announced not just today but over the last week or so are indicative of our proactive approach. the president has directed the resources be moved from the interior to the border region to address both the backlog and the influx of illegal