the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 273. the nays are 156. the amendment is adopted. the question is on engrossment and third reading of the joint resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. third reading. the clerk: a joint resolution making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2015 and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the house will be in order. members, please take your seats. he house will be in order.

members will take their seats. he house will be in order. he house will be in order. the house will be in order. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i have a motion to recommit at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: is the gentlewoman opposed to the joint resolution. >> i am opposed in the current form. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman qualifies. the clerk: ms. bustos of illinois moves to move to recommit the house joint resolution to the committee on appropriations with instructions to report the same back to the house forthwith with the following amendment -- page 21 --

mrs. bustos: i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to dispense with the reading? without objection. the house will be in order. pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from illinois is recognized for five minutes in support of her motion. mrs. bustos: mr. speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill. it will not delay or kill the bill or send it back to committee. if adopted, the bill will proceed immediately to final passage, as amended. this amendment reinforces our commitment to the middle class and making sure that jobs are created right here in america, not overseas, by taking five key steps. first, it would extend the re-authorization of the export-import bank for seven years. illinois companies like john deere and caterpillar as well as large and small businesses across our country deserve the certainty that a long-term re-authorization would provide. second, it would help ensure

that employers provide equal pay for equal work. equal pay is not simply a women's issue. it is an issue -- mr. speaker, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady will suspend. the gentleman is correct. the house is not in order. members are asked to remove their conversations from the house floor. the house will be in order. the house will be in order. the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. bustos: the second of our five issues here are to ensure that employers provide equal pay for equal work. equal pay is not simply a women's issue. it is an issue for all in the middle class. with many households being led by women, equal pay will help those families get further ahead. boosting women's earnings also will increase the purchasing power of families and help our economy. third, my amendment will make

the minimum wage a living wage. the cost of living has skyrocketed in recent years, but wages have remained stagnant. working full time and year round at illinois' $8.25 minimum wage will earn a worker salary ,500 per year, a that is below the federal poverty line. raising the minimum wage would not only lift many families out of poverty but it would also increase the earning power of households across the country, leading to an increase in overall economic activity. fourth, my amendment would allow students with outstanding student loan debt to refinance their loans at the lower interest rates that are currently offered to borrowers. student loan debt not only harms young people and prevents them from reaching their personal financial potential, such as purchasing a home and starting a family, but it is dead weight, pulling down our entire economy and preventing economic growth.

fifth and finally, my amendment would prevent government contracts from going to companies that have moved their operations overseas. the government should not be giving taxpayer dollars to companies that shift jobs overseas and take advantage of corporate inversions to avoid paying their fair share. these five commonsense elements would strengthen the middle class and help create jobs right here in america. too many families are struggling, and enough is enough. for too long, lawmakers have been looking out for themselves instead of looking out for the middle class. i urge my colleagues to support this amendment. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from illinois yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. rogers: in opposition to the moment. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized for five minutes in opposition to the motion to recommit. mr. rogers: mr. speaker, this is a clean, straightforward

continuing resolution that has bipartisan and bicameral support. it's our best, most clear path forward to keep the lights on in our federal government before the fiscal year ends. the american people rely on the federal government to provide certain vital programs and services and they expect the congress that can come together to ensure these programs continue. i would prefer to be standing here presenting a bill that finalizing the hard work of this body, to fund the entire government for the entire fiscal year. unfortunately, the other body has refused to live up to their end of the equation. they've yet to pass or even consider a single appropriations bill through their chamber. because the senate leaves us with no alternative, we must replace politics with responsibility and pass the c.r. before us. this motion to recommit only increases the possibility of a

government shutdown. ignoring the tireless efforts of members on both sides of the aisle to keep that from happening. the motion to recommit would also put our national security at stake. ith the addition of the mckeon amendment, this will train and equip syrian rebels to help degrade and destroy the terrorist organization isil. sadly, the minority is trying to hijack the process at the 11th hour. they've reached deep into the grab bag of partisan agenda items in an attempt to attach without fair consideration sweeping policy changes that could place undue burdens on our economy, an effort that is designed nothing to do nothing but score political points. funding our government and defeating isil are of grave national importance. .

i urge the members to vote no on the motion to recommit. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the question is ordered. the question is on the motion. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the noes have it. the motion is not agreed to. mrs. bustos: i ask for a recorded vote the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having isen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 199 and the nays are 228. the motion is not adopted. question is on passage of the joint resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. he ayes have it. mr. rogers: i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 319. the nays are 108. the joint resolution is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the unfinished business is the question on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal, which the chair will

put de novo. the question is on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the journal stands approved. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that when the house adjourns today it adjourn to meet at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

the chair lays before the house a message. the clerk: to the congress of the united states, section 202-d of the national emergencies act, 50 u.s.c. 6022-d provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration the president publishes in the federal register and transmits to the congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue beyond effect the anniversary date. in accordance with this provision, i have sent to the federal register the enclosed notice stating that the emergency status with respect to persons who threaten to commit or support terrorism declared in executive in 132-24 in september 30, 2001, is to continue in effect beyond september 23, 2014.

the crisis constituted by the grave acts of terrorism and threats of terrorism committed by foreign terrorists, including the terrorist attacks on september 11, 2001, in new york and pennsylvania and against the pentagon and the continuing and immediate threat of further attacks on the united states nationals or the united states that led to the declaration of a national emergency on september 23, 2001, has not been resolved. these actions continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the united states. for this reason i have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in executive order 132-24 with respect to persons who commit, threaten to commit or support terrorism. signed, barack obama, the white house, september 15, -- 17, 2014. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the committee on foreign affairs and ordered printed.

the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend and the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the house is not in order. members will please remove their conversations from the house floor. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i

rise today to recognize constitution day, which is celebrated today, september 17. on this day we commemorate the day our framers, 39 delegates from 12 states signed our nation's charter to the constitutional convention in philadelphia, pennsylvania, in 1787. mr. speaker, the constitution is more than just a document. it's the enduring structure of our nation's government. it's the distinctive system of checks and balances, separation of powers and protections of freedoms that has guided our nation since the founding. today we reiterate freedom, justice and opportunity that have provided america with generations of prosperity, and today we honor the framers of our constitution and the principles they put forth more than 227 years ago. mr. speaker, the future of our nation is strong if we continue to hold these principles dear. happy constitution day. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition?

ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: on monday, september 15, 2014, i was unavoidably detained attending representational activities and thus unable to return in had time for "roll call" number -- roll call 497. had i been present i would have voted aye on roll call number 49 , h.r. 5108, to establish a law school clinic certification program of the united states patent and trademark office and for other purposes. i ask this be placed appropriately in the record, i ask unanimous consent. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman's statement will be placed in the record. the speaker pro tempore: i thank the speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. mr. becerra: i rise to mark the retirement of an incredible man

-- >> los angeles judge michael mash. as presiding judge of the juvenile court of 16 years, his retirement is a huge loss for the community and the entire los angeles system. he brought numerous changes to the court, drug courts, the development of protocols to foster communication, coordination between the courts and simple changes such as lowering the judge's bench so that children in his court could better participate in the proceedings. while i know judge nash will always continue to be a champion for children and families, i want to thank him for his twrished career and congratulate him on his well-earned retirement. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to speak for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, today we

commemorate the 227th birthday of the constitutional convention and the creation of america's most cherished document, our constitution. today is constitution day. mr. yoho: our founding fathers, 38 brave americans, created a document that till this day is the foundation of our country and is mired by people around the world. the british statesman, william gladstone, said of our constitution, the american constitution is so far as i can see the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man. i wholeheartedly agree with this statement. the framers established a new form of government that for the first time respected the rights of the individual, no longer would a king or dictator rule over their citizens. power of the government would derive the consent of the governed, responsibility of good governance is not just placed on the political leaders but on the participation of those citizens who have voted for them.

benjamin franklin when asked outside of independence hall by a curious woman as to what sort of government was created -- a republic, ma'am, if you dare keep it. i yield back. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. are there any more requests for one-minute speeches? under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the entlewoman from arizona, ms. sinema, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. ms. sinema: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and their remarks include extraneous material on the subject of my special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. sinema: mr. speaker, september is suicide prevention month, a time to raise awareness.

tens of thousands die each year purposelessly by their own actions. they are our neighbors and our friends, our sons and our daughters and too often they are the men and women who have served our country honorably in the united states military. an estimated 22 veterans commit suicide every day in our country. 65 is one life lost every minutes. one year ago we came together in this chamber during a special bipartisan order to send a clear message that this epidemic of veteran suicide must end. now one year later the fight isn't over and more work needs to be done. tonight we demonstrate our ongoing support for the individuals, organizations and agencies devoted to preventing the epidemic of veteran suicide. and we challenge the v.a., the department of defense and our fellow lawmakers to do more.

we are failing in our obligation to do right by those who have served so honorably. and finally, we send a message to military families who've experienced this tragedy. your family's loss is not forgotten. we will work to stop this epidemic. we work for the memory of your loved one. mr. speaker, i'd like to yield the floor to my friend and colleague from florida, representative yoho. mr. yoho: i'd like to thank my colleague from the state of arizona. i'd like to take just a quick moment, again, to thank my colleague, representative sinema, for the invitation to speak today on the very important issue of veteran suicide prevention. she's been a true champion of improving access to quality care for our nation's veterans and has been a leader in congress pushing for the real reforms to combat veteran suicide. by shining a light on veteran suicide rates of approximately 22 per day, we as a nation can start to understand the urgency

to which we need to solve and prevent this epidemic that our veterans, their families and their friends struggle with daily. not coping with the stress and anxiety early enough all too often leads to the veterans taking their own life. i want to be clear, this is not an issue that affects veterans alone. it affects all of us. our government asked these soldiers to place themselves in harm's way, and if veterans -- if when a veteran returns home they are struggling to cope, we as a nation must come together to ensure a strong support system is in place. this means we must remove the stigma associated with seeking help. this means we must hire more mental health professionals and more who have served in combat zones themselves. this means the v.a. must provide after-hour services. the v.a. must review its group therapy model. there must be a review of discharge -- discharge that

results from mental health conditions and the department of defense and v.a. must better coordinate the transition from d.o.d. care to v.a. care. i've spoken with veterans throughout my district and the common theme that emerges is they have lost faith in the v.a. they feel abandoned by the very system, the very country which they fought for to preserve and to protect the liberties and freedoms we have the privileges of experiencing daily. i had a young man send me a letter directly to my house, and i want to share some of it. he served in the gulf war and had been seeking care over the course of the last 10 years. and time and time again, his appointments had either been canceled or rescheduled and gotten to a point where he tried to get care and over the last 13 appointments, they were canceled or rescheduled.

he ended the letter with saying that he was pleading for help and he said if i do not get the help and care that i need, because i have no where else to turn, i'm afraid i'm either going to hurt somebody or myself. we reached out to this young man and we had him come into my office and seen a troubled individual who had given up on life and had no hope for the future. we intervened. we called the v.a. system and got him in that night. and since then i'm happy to report that the man has called us and said it was a-life changing experience for him and could only have imagined what would have happened if he had not gotten interdiction. our soldiers need to have the care. but should not take an act of congress or a congressman or

woman to intercreed to get the care they need and deserve. our colleagues will fix the shortcomings of the d.o.d. and the v.a. system. america and americans cannot sit by and bear witness to the path of devastation and destruction left in the wake of a veteran's suicide for their family and friends to deal with. i thank my colleague for her bringing this very important subject to light. and we all need to work in a bipartisan fashion to solve this. and i thank my colleague. and i yield back. ms. sinema: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, representative yoho and thank you for sharing the story of the veteran your office helped. we hear countless stories of veterans who reach out to our offices. sometimes the last resort as they are facing or contemplating

suicide and i'm proud to say many members of this body have done what it has taken to help those individuals recover and stay in touch. mr. speaker, i now would like to turn the time over to my colleague from arizona, mr. ron barber, for his remarks. mr. barber: thank you for bringing us together on this important topic. i represent 85,000 veterans in my district, one of the largest communities of veterans in the country. my father was a veteran of world ar ii, of korea and vietnam. he would be appalled if he were alive today to see what has been happening at the veterans administration in our state and other parts of the country. and i'm really proud this congress has taken action to address those concerns to give the secretary the authority he needs to address those concerns.

mr. speaker, nearly a decade and a half of brutal conflict overseas has taken its toll on our men and women who serve in the armed forces. i was in afghanistan about three months ago, and i saw the conditions under which our military operates, the stress is immense. everywhere you go, there's a threat. extended deployments, multiple deployments has taken its toll on people we have sent to protect our country and to fight the battles we asked them to fight it's estimated that perhaps as many as 500,000 veterans from iraq and afghanistan will return home when all is said and done, with serious wounds -- the wounds are signature wounds of these conflicts. post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. military service creates a

culture that demands that our soldiers are tough. and the culture can also prevent many of our service members from seeking the help they need. and as a result, they are left to face the ghosts of war alone. the suicide rate among our country's brave servicemen and women and veterans is at a frightening level. some estimates have shown that as many as 22 veterans take their own lives every day. we must combat veteran and military suicide with the same conviction that we take on the enemy of war because it is killing our men and women in and out of uniform and we must wage a well-funded, well-planned campaign to fight this heart-breaking epidemic. i have been pushing for better access for health care for veterans. one of the first bills i introduced was the veterans

health access act to ensure that veterans could get the mental health care that they needed without having to endure longer commutes and longer wait times at v.a. facilities. government disfunction cannot be the enemy and we must do more to cut the red tape that has kept our veterans from top-quality mental health care. the bill we passed allows the v.a. to contract out for services close to where the veteran lives. this is essential for treatment of mental health issues. mr. speaker, we must do more, for those who have borne the brunt of war. we must come together, congress, the administration, the health care community, mental health experts to build upon a plan that will help our veterans who have served this nation so courageously and may still be suffering. i thank the gentlelady from

arizona to bringing this to the house floor this evening and i stand ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do what we can do for our veterans in arizona, but nationwide. and i yield back. ms. sinema: last year, i shared with you a story of a young veteran in my district, sergeant fillmers. diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, he ultimately took his own life. after struggling with the v.a. bureaucracy and not getting the help he needed in time. together with the family, we worked to prevent veterans' suicide and access tore health care. ensure all vet nsrans get immediate access to mental health care.

it included this legislation in a larger veterans' package and we expect it to be on the floor before the end of the year. while this is an important step, we have much more work to do. i would like to take a moment to yield to the floor to my colleague from california and riend, representative lamalfa. mr. lamalfa: i appreciate your efforts on this. when you become a member of the house of representatives and you start receiving those calls from veterans in your district on the difficulty they have with what they thought they were promised by their government when they enlisted and went into the military, it really hits home, it affects your heart to see these veterans that have struggled to at least be heard for their claims, for their health care by the v.a., by the

treatment centers. we have to do better than this. to see the suicide rate among veterans the way it is, to know how it felt to have their backs turned, the government has turned their backs to them. it's appalling. we have to give them the hope. my office, i know my colleagues have turned towards helping as much as they can. so my message, just a brief message to veterans out there, do not give up. know we are trying to reform the v.a. system, trying to reform to the measures that have been brought up the way v.a. treats and gets help to veterans who serve us. we need to keep the promise to them. and from them feeling hopeless and can't get treatment is one

of the biggest shames we have had as a country. we asked them to do a lot. we need to be prepared to take care of them properly if they need it when they come home. so i appreciate again you are having this time tonight in the house to put a spotlight on this and what i have tried to do any office and hard work by my own staff have our veterans be treated respectfully and hopeful that someone hears their plea and then address their needs timely and respectfully. they should not be homeless or feel that suicide is an alternative. mr. speaker, i turn it back. ms. sinema: thank you, representative, lamalfa to your commitment. your comment, don't give up, is one we must all repeat every day. not just in words, but in our actions, as members of congress,

to continue to reform the v.a. system and send a clear message to veterans that we won't give up either and taking care of them. i shared the story of sergeant daniel summers. the v.a. failed sergeant summers and we have since learned that the v.a. has failed thousands of . her veterans veterans across the country were placed on secret lists and had to wait months before seeing a doctor. the v.a. inspector general's report on the phoenix v.a. system which was released last month confirms that the phoenix v.a. left 3,00 veterans at the risk of never receiving care. additionally, 1,400 veterans on the official electronic waiting list were left waiting for

unseptemberbly long periods of care. 20 veterans failed to receive care passed away. this is immoral, un-american and puts our veterans at risk. in arizona, we are not waiting for washington to take action, we are taking action ourselves. in phoenix, we established a working group of community providers, veteran service organizations and the local v.a. to work together to improve access to services. we also co-hosted our first veterans first clinic which brought together community providers, phoenix v.a. and 20 veteran-serving organizations to help veterans. approximately 400 veterans and their families attended and got the care that they earned and deserved. we set aside partisanship and focus on putting veterans first

to help meet their needs. mr. speaker, i want to share a story from my district. last month, a local veteran, peter, came to our district office. he came to ask for help with his claim and help navigating the v.a. after meeting with my social work staff for two hours, peter told one of my case workers that he had thoughts of suicide and he had the ability to carry out those thoughts. in fact, he said the only thing from keeping him from doing so was his daughters. so our office met with peter for an additional two hours listening him to his feelings and offering solutions and next steps. we shared with him our veteran resource guide which let him know about available community programs and organizations did he dedicated to supporting veterans from mental health treatment to financial assistance. peter told us he had no idea

there were so many organizations that support local veterans and he left feeling better than when he arrived. i spoke with him personally just a few days later. he told me he never heard of an office that would respond and care about his suicidal ideas, his depression and his needs. i'm grateful that peter came to our office. i'm even more grateful that we were able to help him. since meeting with peter and other veterans in our district, we released a veterans' resource guide in arizona, a comprehensive, 27-page document that provides local veterans with detailed information about community resources that are available to them. we hope that this resource guide will be replicated in districts across the country. mr. speaker, the issue of

veterans' suicide require a substantial local and national effort. my colleagues here today believe as i believe that no one who comes home after serving our country should ever feel like he or she has no where to turn. in response to the v.a. crisis, congress recently passed and the president signed into law the veterans access to care through choice, accountability and transparency act. this legislation makes needed reforms to the v.a. health care system and will ensure that arizona veterans will get access to the care they earned. this will act builds on our work to address the crisis in phoenix by allowing veterans who have been waiting for medical care for more than 0 days to receive care from non-v.a. zooktors and authorizes to fire senior managers who knew about these cover-ups across the country and

reviews scheduling so fewer veterans slip through the cracks. it provides resources for more physicians and medical staff to work in v.a. hospitals across the country and creates an independent commission to investigate the veterans administration to find out what went wrong and evaluate access to care throughout the v.a. health care system. mr. speaker, this legislation was an important step forward, but more action is required and the first step is speedy and effective implementation of this important bill. i urge the v.a. and agencies locally who are working with the v.a., to speed the implementation of this important legislation and show a change of culture at the v.a. . carl mclaugh land, a 38-year-old army veteran, committed suicide on december

19 of 2013. carl had been stakesed in bosnia. and he was released from the army on a medical discharge in 2004. so starting in 2006, carl was treated at the phoenix v.a. but his time went on -- but as time went on, it became increasingly difficult for carl to see his doctor. and according to carl's mother, teri, at the time of his death, carl was waiting to hear back from the phoenix v.a. to have his medications adjusted and to see his doctor. carl suffered from recurring pain caused by shoulder injury, severe hearing loss, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. his depression worsened over time. teri, carl's mom, told us, and i quote, the last time i saw carl was a few days before his death. he looked really depressed. and i asked him if he had a doctor's appointment scheduled because i know he'd been waiting over four weeks for a call back from the doctor's

office. he said, no. he was still waiting. he called them the next day six times. he left three messages. he was put on hold and hung up on the other three times. this problem of calling and being hung up on and not getting call it's back had been going on for -- calls back had been going on for one to two years. teri asked us to share her son's story in the hope that his tragedy doesn't happen to another family. so recently i co-sponsored legislation called the clay hunt suicide prevention for american veterans act. this bill reviews mental health staffing requirements and creases the ability of the v.a. to re-- increases the ability of the v.a. to recruit and train psychiatrists. congress should pass this legislation this year, to make it easy for veterans like carl to see a behavioral health specialist. mr. speaker and members, i want to thank my colleagues who

joined me this evening. our thoughts are with the families who have lost a loved one. each of us can do something to raise awareness, to be that light for a struggling veteran in our community. businesses can display signs to let veterans know that help is always available to them. mental health professionals can volunteer with organizations like give an hour, to provide free counseling to veterans, their family members and active duty members and their families. and we can all learn to recognize the signs of crisis by visiting veteranscrisisline.net. and then reaching out to the veterans in our lives. here in congress we can do more. we need a v.a. that provides real and meaningful help to veterans in need, that put veterans first, and works aggressively with community providers to improve the quality and accessibility of care. we need a v.a. that is transparent and open to restore

the trust and credibility it has lost. we who enjoy our freedom every day thanks to the sacrifice of our military service members, we must all step up to end the epidemic of veteran suicide. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. a few things that we do here are more important than taking care of the men and women who have fought to protect our nation. and doing is -- doing something about the issue of suicide is incredibly important. not so very long ago i had the opportunity to talk to a person who i had known for a very long time, i'd met while serving in the legislature, who told me that his son, who was a veteran, had come back and was

doing fine. mr. gallego: and yet one day he got the phone call that his son had committed suicide. no family, no family should go through that. and here in the congress, we have an opportunity to do something about that. and it is my hope that congress, working in a bipartisan fashion, can work together to do something about this problem, to take better care across the board of the men and women who have fought every day, day in and day out, to serve our country. and thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentlewoman from minnesota, mrs. bachmann, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mrs. bachmann: mr. speaker, i thank you so much for the opportunity to be able to speak today and i expect that shortly a colleague will be here that i will hand off to for a few

minutes to deal with several housekeeping issues. but for the moments that i have, i want to focus on an issue that has gained the attention, as well it should, of the american people. because the number one duty of government, mr. speaker, is to secure the safety and the security of the american people. that's why we have a government. that is why we exist. it is the reason why countries enjoy sovereignty. and declare themselves sovereign nations. that means that they are a separate political unit and they exist for the purpose of preserving the safety and security of the their people. -- of their people. that is our duty and that is our government. it seems, mr. speaker, that throughout each generation, that somehow, some way, there a a force that comes against nation. and in different eras we've had different foes. that the united states has had to contend with. beginning at our founding when

the united states of america, through our declaration of independence and through our constitution, on this, our constitution day, and by the way, we say, happy constitution day to all americans, we're very proud of our united states constitution. but contained within the constitution is the admonition to the president, to the congress, to the supreme court, again, to ensure that in our founding document we understand that it is the duty of the government to secure the safety and the security of the american people. what led up to the writing of the declaration of independence and to the american revolution and then ultimately to america's founding document was the united states constitution, was a reaction of the colonists against a great oppression that was coming against the united states. nd that was from the british

motherland that the united states was a colony of. we push back against that oppression -- pushed back against that oppression, for many reasons. some of which were taxation. others were taking away rights of the american citizens. whether it was forcing american citizens to take soldiers into their homes or taking away their rights for -- as free men under the magna carta. so the american people rose up and they said, we want to have freedom. and they threw off the chains of the totalitarianism of the day. the british empire. and then going further into the future with the war of 1812, again, the united states was pushed into a conflict with the british. and we had to throw off that enemy. and again we saw our own house come apart in the time of the civil war. there was the spanish american war and then the united states was engaged in a great totalitarianism in 1917 with

world war i. and again in world war ii. there's a conflict in the totalitarianism of our day, it was an evil known as communism. both from the soviet threat and also from naziism. and the united states came together as a nation and we threw off the yolk of the oppressor, the totalitarianism of our day. in other words, a regime that had an idea that it wanted to conquer the world with its evil and immoral philosophy. whether it was communism or whether it was naziism. it seems, mr. speaker, that every generation is confronted by a great evil and the moral questions of the day are related through that evil. the evil today, mr. speaker, that we are dealing with, is something known as islamic jihad. its face is ugly and its face has reared. not only just in recent decades and just the last few months of

this summer, but islamic jihad is something that's been around as long as the inception of islam itself. but that regime of jihad has been defeated time and time again throughout history. but it was defeated through military might. it wasn't defeated through diplomacy. it was defeated through military might. and defeated it was. it was defeated at the battle of the gates of vienna. it was defeated again with the collapse of the ottoman empire in the 1920's. but it was defeated militarily. it was an idea that had grizzly consequences. and those consequences were ones that led to bloodshed and suffering and misery for thousands of people across the world. today's no different. today we see the same level of bloodshed across the world.

and that bloodshed is coming to us again at the tip of the sword. and it's now known, this summer, as the islamic state. some people know it as isis. some people know it by the name isil. the president uses the term isil. this organization is just a continuation of al qaeda and a continuation of something even greater than al qaeda and that is the concept known as islamic jihad. well, baghdadi, the head of the islamic state, initially called them isis. which means the islamic state of iraq and syria. that was the territory that baghdadi was seeking to conquer. he did in fact conquer much of that territory. then he changed the name of his organization to isil, the islamic state in the lavant. the lavant is a geographical

area that is greater than syria and iraq, it would comprise much of eastern turkey, israel, gaza, lebanon and so forth. the greater area if you will of the central mediterranean area. they issued another name change, the islamic state -il ed to drop the i-s and and known as the islamic state more than just syria and turkey, israel or lebanon or gaza. far bigger. the islamic state, you see, mr. speaker, encompasses the entire

globe, the planet earth. every part of this earth, you see, mr. speaker, is what is intended. t is the ultimate in to tall tarianism. control of the world under the umbrellas of communism and saw themselves defeated militarily. and what the nazis saw, mr. speaker, as control of the world through national socialism and nazi party movement and ultimately were defeated militarily, so, too, the islamic cruel, s violent, bloody philosophy would encompass the earth. that would include the united states of america. that would include our great ally israel and encompass north america and the asian nations, the entire world now, mr.

speaker, is a threat from this. and often it is said, never despise small beginnings. it is breathtaking what we have seen accomplished by the islamic state. the leader again is a man named baghdadi. baghdadi was a part of the franchise known as al qaeda in iraq. al qaeda began, we know about osama bin laden. well, an affiliate was baghdadi who is the head of the islamic state. when baghdadi was in the franchise, he was number three. we were able to kill number one and number two in the power structure in iraq. that led baghdadi as the next in command. he decided not only did he want to be the leader of al qaeda in

iraq, he wanted so much more. but you see, baghdadi was waylaid for a period of time in his life. because baghdadi was captured by the united states. he was found to be a terrorist. detention knee iraq. so we had him. the leader of the islamic state, the organization responsible for the behe had headings of james foley and james sotloff, in this saturday, the beheading of another british journalist, baghdadi is responsible for all of that and so much more. baghdadi was responsible for ordering the murdering of literally hundreds and thousands of individuals in iraq. we saw baghdadi line up hundreds soldiers in iraq, iraqi

soldiers and were brutally and murdered, being shot in the back. we saw beheadings occur and we heard the horrific tales of how stooped soamic state low that they buried alive women and children in graves in august. mr. speaker, i despise being as graphic as i am, but i -- we must be face-to-face with the facts we are facing. this is an evil philosophy with an evil goal. they are equally committed to killing jews, as they are committed to killing christians, as they are committed to killing any muslim who doesn't agree with their sick, failed

philosophy. the other thing we need to recognize, mr. speaker, is that this has a religious motivation, not because i say so but because baghdadi and the terrorists of the islamic state say so. their motivation is their religion. they say that islam drives them to do what they are doing. that's why it is perplexing, mr. speaker, that a week ago, the president of the united states said in a televised address, that islam has nothing to do with the islamic state. he said there are two fallacies. number one, he said it is not islam. mr. president, you may not think it is islam. but ask the leaders of islamic jihad. they say that their motivation for beheading individuals, for

burying women and children alive for establishing ar global power to enforce their sick religious ideas upon the world is based upon their religion of islam. that's their reasoning, mr. speaker. out of their mouths. and i believe that it's prudent and wise to listen to the enemy to find out what their meet vacations are. we look forward to the leader of the nazi party as he was rising in the 190's, when he wrote his book, and in his book, he wrote his detailed plan. you see, he wasn't being secret, mr. speaker, about the evil that he wanted to bring against the jewish people. he was very forte right. the same can be said about ofhdadi who is the same head

the islamic state. as a matter of fact, this is what the leader of the islamic state had to say. this is in january. and he said this to the united states, and i quote. in a speech in january of this year, baghdadi said to the united states, quote, soon we will be indirect confrontation. so watch out for us. for we are with you, watching. i repeat. soon we will be indirect confrontation, meaning with the united states, so watch out for us, for we are with you, watching. that tells me, mr. speaker, that baghdadi and the islamic state don't intend to confine their bloodletting in iraq, syria, jordan or lebanon. they are designed for the united

states as well. and we have been told and read that there is an enormous amount of chatter through the social media by members of the islamic state and those that promote islamic jihad and bring about atrocities within the confines of our soil. our sovereign soil has been invaded. our sovereign soil was invaded at benghazi. when ambassador chris stevens lost his life was islamic soil. they entered our our soil and killed our u.s. ambassador on that sovereign soil. and islamic jid haddists took over the airport in baghdad and we saw an embassy in libya, and tripoli abandoned.

united states personnel were forced to flee in tripoli and leave and gain escape through tunisia. it is quite sobering when you think of the advances of islamic jihad in the region. and that's why i don't understand, i don't understand the thinking of the president when it is coming against this evil. i don't understand it. because you see, the islamic state has not only declared their intention -- they have declared that they are at war with the united states. they have declared their war. they have declared that they are a caliphate. they are a government. an islamic government. they have a leader in baghdadi. they have already conquered territory, about half of iraq, about half of syria, which they control, also other parts of the

middle east as well. they also control part of northern lebanon. they have made absolutely breathtaking strides in their shortenure of advancement. they have land. they have a name. they have a leader. they have a government. it's known as shari'a law. they have an administration. a council and a line of hirke arcy and organizational flow chart of how they are going to run the islamic state and they have an arm, 12,000 are presumably in the islamic army and brutal they are, beheading, women raped. innocent children shot in the head. it's absolutely devastating. we see christians have been chased out. the numbers are owe dramatic of

christians who have had to flee iraq. christians in most you will who lived there. and the old town of nineveh. and that town is most you will. christians have been in that town since the time of christ. most you will no longer has christians. they were chased out of that city. christians have been chased repeatedly out of iraq and being chased out of baghdad and being chased out of northern iraq and western iraq as jews were chased out long ago and now in syria. e hear of christians held, beheaded. jews have been slaughtered and beheaded because they name the name of their god. is there any greater intolerance, than the

intolerance that have been shown brutally by the islamic state against jews and christians and yes muslims, which they degree with? it is a very sobering time. quite rightly our president in his remarks called upon the congress to help him do do something. i listened with open ears and it was very curious to me because the president of the united states developed a strategy that consists of items that the united states is already doing. there was nothing new here. the president called for an increase of 475 advisers to go into iraq. the president said there wouldn't be any boots on the ground. he did not say that we are at war, even though the islamic state has declared war against

the united states. the president did not say that the united states was going to war. in fact, mr. speaker, something like seven weeks ago, in the rise of the islamic state in iraq with a horrific, breath-taking advances and murders, the president of the united states said he wanted the congress to withdraw the aumf, which is the authorization of military force for the united states to be in iraq. it was an unthinkable, bizarre request. would you please withdraw, the president said, my ability to bring about military force in iraq. from my perspective, either the president and his advisers were incredibly shortsighted with the rise, which didn't occur in the last three or four months. i'm priveled to serve on the

intelligence committee in the house of representatives, we have watched for the last several years, the rise of the islamic state. we saw thm coming. that information was available to the president of the united states as well. he knew they were on the rise. there has always been the islamic jihad in the middle east. it has been on the rise. and baghdadi in his early to mid-40's, a well educated man with a doctorate degree, who has decades of veterans, senior-level experience in al qaeda, declaring war against the united states literally for decades, put himself in the position of being the top man at the very top of the hierarchy, the top of the line of the chain of command of the islamic state. baghdadi knew he needed to be

financially self-sustaining. he ordered the robbing of banks particularly beginning in northern iraq. me reports say the islamic state stolen as much as $400 million. but we know he was determined and intended to advance and knew he couldn't feed an army unless he had money to do so and robbed it from the banks to begin his army. then he began to build that army by opening up prison doors and having prison breaks and bringing terrorists who had been jailed out of the prison to join his band. send an army of terrorists and trained them even further and paid them with money he stold from banks. and baghdadi did something very strategic and stole the oil fields in northern iraq, very

productive oil fields. one estimate is worth that it is worth about 10 billion barrels of oil. whether or not that is true, that is one of the accounts that i have read. if that is true, it would be equal to about the value of the bacan oil field which prove yench to be extremely productive and very lucrative in north dakota in the united states. baghdadi is selling oil on the black market today to finance his terrorism. oil fields that he stole from northern iraq and in the area. he knew to be viable, he also had toville refined energy products. what did he do? he then stole and secured an oil refinery so he could have oil products in order to vm energy to run his army.

and also to be able to provide for the people under his protect ate. that is a generate way of saying dictatorship in his caliphate. you see, he is the head guy in s new self-described islamic state, the caliphate. he took over so he could be the one who supplies electricity to the people, so that the people would be beholden to him. he put his people in charge of roads and supply lines. baghdadi also took over an oil -- or a gas field in central syria. that gas field also could be used to sell the gas for productivity or deny that gas to assad or to anyone he considered his enemy. you see, baghdadi was

strategic. in august i had the ability and the privilege to go over and visit both turkey and jordan and meet with leadership there on the issue of isis. and while i was there, it was stunning. there was a public display in jordan of well over 15,000 who were protesting against israel and in favor of the muslim brotherhood, the foreign terrorist designated organization known as hamas. there's also a reported demonstration of 7,000 jordanians who were protesting in favor of the islamic state. so there is pressure on jordan, pressure within and pressure from without. the islamic state now controls czech points -- check points, so much so that there's effectively no longer a border between iraq and syria. that's been erased. now iraq and syria have been

joined to one another under the control and authority of the islamic state. they control checkpoints not only on lebanon but also israel. it was horrifying to read that the islamic state had joined up with the free syrian army, the army that the united states has been involved with, so called vetting moderates and training and equipping to fight against the islamic state. and yet the free syrian army reports say, had actually joined up with other islamic ihadists known as the front, and they took over the checkpoint that controls the area of the golan heights leading into israel. there were upwards of 20 to 40 different u.n. peace keepers at that checkpoint and that checkpoint was taken over. 200 yards from israel. as if israel didn't have enough

to deal with, with the terrorist organization known as hezbollah, which is an iranian proxy on her north, and from sovene yet influences -- soviet nuns or russian influence as well -- influence or russian influence as welcoming in. and syria, as well as from the muss lick brotherhood franchise known as -- muslim brotherhood franchise known as hamas in gaza. it's been an extremely difficult summer. i met with refugees while i was in the middle east region. people who were just peaceful, freedom-loving people, just wanting to live their lives and raise their families and love people and worship their god. they were uprooted over this summer and late spring by islamic jihad, both in iraq, people, one woman i spoke to, she and her family were uprooted from their home in iraq, they had to flee their

home and bain done everything they owned -- abandon everything they owned and flee to syria. once they were in syria there was a rise of the islamic jihad in syria. they had to flee syria and make their way to turkey. when i spoke with her, she was on the southern border of turkey and she was hoping that she would have the ability, with her family, to move to the united states of america. she was going to go for yet one more final interview in the end of september and she was hoping that her family would have that chance, to come and live in freedom. that's our wish, mr. speaker, for all men. we want all men to have the dignity of living in peace. it is why we honor the american constitution today, on constitution day. you see, this constitution and this country means something for the rest of the world. we think that the norms and the peacefulness that we enjoy and the prosperity that is here in the united states must be somewhat normtive across the world. we think, well, we have it

really probably the best. but sometimes we don't recognize really how great we do have it. and it isn't by accident. it's by design. and it came at a great cost and a great sacrifice. because our founders recognized that these ideals, recognizing number one that all men are created equal and that we are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, rights that aren't given by government, rights that are only given by god, the right to life, to our liberty, our freedom and to the pursuit of happiness, which means we have the privilege to work and once we work we get to keep the fruit of our own labors. what a brilliant concept. where across the world do people have the right to life? certainly not in iraq today. certainly not in syria today. they don't join the unfettered access to their right to life.

because their life is imperiled by the islamic state which says to them, under pain of death, uconn vert to islam or we kill you. you convert to islam or you pay a tax. you convert to islam or you have to abandon everythinging you know and get as far away from us as you possibly can in the short-term because we're coming after you in the long-term. that's no life at all. but here in the united states our founders wisely understood that all of humanity's happiness springs from the right to life. number two liberty, freedom. that is the hallmark and the emblem of the united states of america. if there is any ideal and any value, mr. speaker, that our constitution champions, it is this. it is liberty. freedom. freedom. freedom from an oppressive

government that would force its will on an individual human's life. because the holy scriptures teach that life is precious. we are but a flower that quickly fades. we are but a puff of smoke, the old testament teaches and the proverbs. there is this life that god has given to us, that is breathed into every human being, he created every human being in his image and his likeness, this is it. this is no dress rehearsal. this is the main event. and so our founders wisely understood that it is for freedom that we've been set free. so that we can then aspire to do whatever it is that we choose to do. the way that we take our finger and write the poetry of each of our lives. and then in the declaration of independence, our founders rightly said through the pen of thomas jefferson that we are

also endowed by our creator, again, not by a government, not by any government, only a god who created us, gave us the inalienable right to pursue happiness, which means we can pursue whatever employment, whatever labor that we so desire and then we have the right, the unfettered right, to keep the fruit of our labor. to build a home, to start -- to marry, to start a family, to be able to go out and further and help our community. oh, what a nation we have today, mr. speaker. the economic powerhouse of the world. the military engine of the world. this is such a great and wonderful gift that was given to us. that's why it is right and fitting and proper for us to honor and recognize this constitution day. i am so grateful and so honored and privileged that we can do

exactly that and honor that day and that's why we have to stand for this liberty. something that people in other countries cannot do. we must therefore observe. and it's why we have to make sure, when there is a great -- when there is a great totalitarianism like the islamic state, which has declared war against the united states, we have a decision to make. anyone can declare war on you. it is another thing to bring about war-like acts against you. in an attempt to defeat you. that's exactly what the islamic state has done. that's exactly what they have stated their intention is. and i believe if there's anything, mr. speaker, that history has taught us, it is this. it is when a madman speaks, we should listen. baghdadi most certainly is rational from his point of view, but his ideas are mad. and even further, they are immoral and they are evil.

to deprive life, liberty and happiness to people. and if i could just pause and ask the speaker, is there a time limitation? that we are looking at? how much time remains? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman has 27 minutes remaining. mrs. bachmann: thank you so much, mr. speaker. i appreciate that update. as we look at the threat that the united states is looking at from the islamic state, the fact that they have declared war against the united states, the fact that they have already killed intentionally, in a cruel and barbaric manner, american citizens, the fact that they are recruiting american citizens to come and join them in their evil deed, the fact that american citizens have left the islamic state and, as terrorist, under the crede of the islamic state, their crede says that those who join the islamic state abandon any allegiance to any other government, including the

american government. they then become part of the islamic state and their duty and allegiance is to the islamic state. once they leave the islamic state and return to the united states, then they have the ability to come in and be terrorists in the united states. this is nonsensical to me. and you see, mr. speaker, earlier this summer i asked the f.b.i. for classified briefing. i did so because my home state of minnesota has a tragic, very unfortunate nexus of terrorism. we have the distinction of having the only convicted terrorists of 9/11 being from the state of minnesota. his name is moussaoui. we also have a high number of minnesotans who left minnesota and abandoned the united states to go and fight on behalf of another al qaeda organization al shabab. that's an al qaeda affiliate in somalia.

well over 50 minnesotans traveled to join al-shabab and fight in the cause of islamic jihad. we also had terrorists financing cases which were successfully prosecuted in minnesota. two women were con vipsvicted of terrorist financing cases in the minneapolis federal district court. two women were convicted of terrorist financing in rochester, minnesota. in federal district court. then we had the westgate shopping mall terror act in kenya. and from the terrorists who were involved and claim sponsorship of this horrific act, of the shooting at the westgate mall in kenya, the report was that two minnesotans were part of that effort. then we saw, although it hasn't been confirmed by our government, the terrorists have named two minnesotans. then we saw recruitment, very sophisticated recruitment videos were put forth to recruit individuals to come and join al qaeda.

when this occurred, three of them were featured from minnesota. they were called the minnesota martyrs. three young men. one was a caucasian american. his name was tr ombing y castigar. he had been converted to islam at a mosque in bloomington, minnesota. where many of the individuals who have gone to fight on behalf of the islamic state made as their religious home. that he was honored to be a traitor to america. that was a part of his conviction to the islamic state. he turned on his country. so when i asked the f.b.i. earlier this summer and of course, we have had according to the f.b.i. a minimum of 20 that joined the islamic state and the first two americans who were killed on behalf of the islamic

state and on behalf of the state of minnesota. three young girls left minnesota and abandoned their families and joined the islamic state. we have a nexus. i asked the f.b.i. if i could come in and answer their questions. i wanted to know number one, had the minnesotans left the united states and joined the united states. and unform, there were two. it was classified information at the beginning of the summer. now tragically, it has been reported worldwide the first two were minnesotans fighting for the islamic state. i asked if these terrorists choose not to blow themselves up or if they are not killed fighting on behalf of the

islamic state and choose to fly back to the united states or gain entry to the united states legally through some other means with a u.s.-held passport, would they be gained entry. i was floored when they said, yes, of course, these terrorists would be allowed to come into the united states. why, i ask, and how? they told me, we track them and we put their names on a watch list that isn't perfect but the f.b.i. puts the names on a watch list and i asked what happens, and i was told that u.s. with passports who have joined the islamic state and become terrorists and then returning to the united states would be asked additional questions at screening at an airport before they come into the upes. well, mr. speaker, i asked additional questions at the

airport. how could this be possible? and i was told that they would be given entry and allowed to return to their lives in the united states. mr. speaker, i submit, that is pure madness for us to do that. if there is one thing we should do, it is follow our constitution and follow the way of all nations, which is, to secure the safety and security and sovereignty of that nation, to do that, mr. speaker, we must take the passports of anyone who has joined up with the islamic state and do everything that we can to prevent terrorists from re-entering the united states. these terrorists would have had battlefield experience and they potentially may have a plan for terrorist activity in the united states.

that should and must be done. but what we also must do, and i agree with the president of the united states, we must defeat this enemy, the islamic state has declared war against the united states. we must declare war against the islamic state. but that is not what president obama proposed. president obama from his wrote, has essentially made clear that he believes war is obsolete in the 21st century. that isn't the view of the islamic state or the totalitarian regime that has declared war. war isn't obsolete. and the president of the united states isn't choosing to engage the united states in war. it is this odd hybrid where the president wants to say he wants to defeat the islamic state and

yet not willing to do what it takes to defeat the islamic state. why do i say that? the united states military is the greatest military, army, navy and air force in the world. there is nothing even that remotely can compare to the united states military. and yet our president stated both last in his address to the ation as well as today at fort magdill air force, that this there will be no boots on the ground, no u.s. military presence. he is willing to use the american air force to fly missions and have air strikes but not boots on the ground. you see, it doesn't work that way. military is a cohesive unit. and this is going up 50,000 feet. we have to understand, yes, we

have a problem. americans are being killed by the jihadist islamic state. they are using all possible means to advance themselves to their goal. they are imagining in strength every day. huge swaggets of territory. they are increasing the size of their territory and making threats against the united states. and what is our response? the president of the united states is unwilling to declare war against this enemy. he is unwilling to use our united states military to defeat this enemy. he has asked partners whether it is muslim, arab nations, our traditionalal jice to join him. he has received nods of the head that allies would help him.

there isn't one word that one country is going to supply troops or supply training. we don't know wait is that the president has put together. and yet somehow, sway, he believes this enemy is going to be defeated. it was some advisors in the embassy in baghdad, but not boots on the ground and his other avenue of defeat is to have united states tax dollars vet syrians, mostly iraqis and train them to be part of a military effort and give them arma meant. i don't understand this methodology when we have the best military in the world and the president has decided to put the best option that we have on

the sidelines and create an ad hoc army on the ground with at est, loyalties to our ultimate objective. the rand corporation dook a look at those who were trained, vetted and on the ground and fighting in the free-syrian army and the rand corporation found hat about half, 50% of those that the united states had etted the so-called veterans trained, have not only be sympathetic but cooperated and joined up with the enemy, the islamic state on the al nusra front. if the rand corporation is accurate and lost 50% of those we trained, i say we don't have a good success ratio. what i would say if the islamic state has an incredible success

ratio, because we will have at taxpayer expense, identified vetted, trained and armed ar whole new level of the army for the islamic state, the enemy. so who's this working for? not us. who's this defeating? not them. because the islamic state continues to grow. and we are pay-go for part of their military training in armaments. the same story that came out last week said that the islamic state had raided our united states weapons depots that we armed for arming the pre--syrian army. the president wanted the united states congress to get behind his effort to increase the amount of training and arming of

the islamic state. you see, these moderates have more ore than a mirage, than a char raid for more than a period of time. there was an article today and i'm not trouncing anyone's vote in this chamber. both sides of the aisle, republican and democrat wrestled with their vote and everyone struggled what to do, should we back the president, should we not back the president. i give all goodwill to every member of congress. i cast no one for the vote they cast today. this is a vote of conscience and every member needs to speak for themselves. i speak for myself tonight, mr. speaker. this came out yesterday. the leader of the free syrian aerial, the army that the

president wants us to spend $500 million to train even more individuals under this commander, this is what the article says. that the free syrian army announced they will not sign up to the u.s.-led coalition to destroy the militants in the iraq and syria. i want to repeat that again. e free syrian army announced it will not destroy them numb iraq and syria. the toppling the syrian president is their priority and they will not join forces with u.s.-led efforts without a guarantee that the united states is committed to his overthrow. if they want to see the free syrian army on our side, they should give assurances on a plan including revolutionary

principles. this is the army we are entrusting to win this effort against isis. they are not interested. the announcement appears to be reversing an earlier statement on the national coalition opposition the free syrian wing said it was ready to work. the political arm said yes, but the guys who have the boots on the grouped say we are not going to be fighting isis. hey called on u.s. politicians to authorize the financing of the syrian army as soon as possible. this is from the article that came out yesterday. at best, we got a very, very weak case, a very weak case and there are articles which i agree with, that puts the choice before us and it says again, do

we have an enemy? yes. what do we need to do? defeat the enemy. i get that. but we have been unwilling to declare war against this enemy and unwilling to put the u.s. military against this enemy but the united states wants the united states to train some syrians for 3 1/2 wreaks. we have spent how many billions training the iraqis and the iraqi army could not stand up against the islamic state army. we had trained them for a very extensive period of time with the finest training that we possibly could. they were well equipped and united states resideal forces were pulled, the iraqi army could not stand up against the islamic state and they ran. and we think that 3 1/2 weeks of training is going to do the job?

i don't think so. i think what the united states is asked to do is be a scape goat in his failed strategy. he wants to point to the congress and say the congress gave me the authority to do it. i don't want to do that. i didn't do that today. i chose to vote no. my thinking on that is that i am willing to vote for a world war ii strategy, meaning i'm all in. i believe we need to declare war against this evil empire of the islamic state. we need to put all reis sources with the full plan with an exit strategy in the defeating the islamic state, which we can. this can be done. but i won't agree to a vietnam war-style strategy, which is exactly, in my opinion, what president obama chooses, chose

to engage. with dribs and drabs, increasing a little here and there. the president would have been ell served if he also would vm demonstrated even more humbleness regarding our strategy, meaning for the president to be absolutely adamant last night as well as today, for the secretary of state kerry to be adamant today there will be no more u.s. boots on the ground, it sends a signal that we are not serious about defeating this islamic state. and so i ask the question, mr. speaker, who on the ground will be calling for the air strikes against the islamic state in someone on the ground needs to do it. that's how war works, someone who is on the ground needs to call for those air strikes. you cannot win a war when you only have overhead