representatives will get kickbacks because they are going to say, you build the juvenile system. it is an ongoing thing that spirals out of control when local government, state government gets involved. it sends their juvenile officers. their friends build juvenile detention centers. we have $130 million prison in iowa that is empty. host: we will have to leave it at your comment. if you're interested in the topic, i would encourage others to go to the "christian science monitor" website to read stacy teicher khadaroo's story. we thank you for your time. guest: thank you, greta. host: now, live coverage of the house. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] the house will be in order. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, march 18, 2015.

i hereby appoint the honorable cresent hardy to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 6, 2015, the chair will now recognize members from the list submitted by the majority and minority leaders for the morning hour debate. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to five minutes, but in no event shall the debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer, for five minutes.

mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. amidst the troubling picture coming out of the israeli elections, there was some good news from the middle east for a change. the israeli government announced that it would double the amount of water it sells to gaza from five million to 10 million cubic feet annually. this is positive momentum we must build upon, because while it is an important step, the quantity is insufficient to prevent a humanitarian disaster looming for gaza and the region. now, the tunnels that were dug by hamas into gaza from israel -- from gaza into israel were not the only things underground that should generate public concern. without rapid action the drinking water beneath gaza or

the lack thereof poses a threat to the region that is severe or worse than hamas' tunnels. that's because the coastal aquifer, the only source of drinking water for 8.9 million gazzans is almost collapsed by 2016. they currently not meet its water needs from within its boundaries. it now consumes three times the amount of water that is naturally replenished from rain water. the massive amount of water withdrawn over the last several decades has allowed salty mediterranean sea water to contaminate the water at an ever increasingly rate. a 2012 united nations report said that 90% of the coastal aquafer were too great for

drinking purposes. to date that figure is 95% and by the end of 2016 the entire aquafer will be unfit for human consumption and unless action is taken by 2020, that damage will be irreversible. now, to make matters worse, gaza does not have large and modern sewage treatment plants. the sewage further pollutes the groundwater and risks the outbreak of pandemic diseases like cholera and typhoid. sewage remains untreated as 90,000 cubic meters of sewage, raw sewage flows into the mediterranean every day. israeli intelligence knew about and warned about hamas' tunnels long before they were used. but israeli politicians chose not to take their counsel. well, environmental and water experts have been warning for many years about the imminent

collapse of gaza's coastal aquifer but they have failed to respond. now, while we don't want to minimize the important move to authorize additional water into gaza we shouldn't overstate its impact in averting the region's looming water crisis. what's going to happen if thousands of gazz -- gazans rush to the fences trying to get the water? what if it broadens the appeal of hamas' malice in gaza? look at the recent history in syria where the collapse of civil order and the civil war was precipitated by persistent drought that drove people from the countryside into the city. such dire outcomes could be avoided if additional and long-term measures were employed. based on the infrastructure, israel has the potential to double overnight the quantity of water supplies to gaza. and a waste water treatment

plant recently -- built under the management of the world bank in gaza could reduce by a third the amount of untreated waste water that pollutes both the groundwater and the beaches from both israel and gaza. it's clearly in israel's interest to facilitate the public-private partnerships to lead to greater energy independence and assist the palestinian water authority. strengthening the palestinian authority by increasing the flow of water into gaza and dealing with the sanitation crisis weakens hamas and highlights their inability to provide public services. last night's election was deeply troubling about the future of israeli politics and a two-state solution long the policy of the united states and until recently the leadership of israel. but taking action on water and sanitation is a small

critical, important step that everyone can support and will benefit israelis and palestinians alike. i hope this will be an important focus by those of us in congress as we look at our aid packages going forward. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. holding, for five minutes. mr. holding: mr. speaker, i rise today in remembrance of winona heading, a beloved woman who passed away in the arms of our loving lord. when she married after high school and then began her career as an assistant with the department of defense. throughout her 36-year career she held positions at the pentagon and at military ocean terminal sunny point in north carolina. there she met general james

doolittle, general dwight d. eisenhower. she helped usher in the postwar era alongside many military officers and personnel. mr. speaker, winona was proud to be an american and she was equally proud of being a north carolinian. someone once said of winona that she was made of the stuff that makes life worth living. and though known only by those lucky enough to come within her orbit, winona lived a life of honesty and hard work and instilled those traits in her son, her grandson and her many nieces and nephews. she was a loving and successful mother and grandmother, a smiling joy, an inspiration to her friends and those that came in contact with her. in short, winona hayden lived a long and contributing life which brightened the lives of many others, including mine.

my thoughts and prayers are with her family and members of the temple baptist church who are mourning the loss of a beloved woman. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair will now recognize the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. mcgovern, for five minutes. mr. mcgovern: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. mr. speaker, with the release of yesterday's budget it's official, republicans have declared war on poor working families in this country and i'm deeply disappointed but i can't say i'm all that surprised. yesterday's house budget once again slashes safety net programs that provide critical assistance to low and middle-income families while offering big tax breaks to the superwealthy. i've seen this movie before. i didn't like it the first time and i sure don't like it now. following in the footsteps of the recent ryan budgets chairman price's budget guts the supplemental nutrition

assistance program, or snap, the nation's premiere anti-hunger program. like republican budgets of past years, this year's budget converts snap into a block grant for states. mr. speaker, this would end snap as we know it. previous estimates of the impact of block granting snap show that it will result in about $130 billion cut to the program. a cut of that magnitude to snap would have serious harmful consequences to the 46 million americans who relied on snap last year to put food on their tables. this is the same budget that includes a number of other devastating funding cuts to programs that support children seniors. the republican budget would end the medicare guarantees. block grant medicaid and repeal the affordable care act, which has helped 16.4 million americans gain affordable high-quality health insurance. the republican budget also includes reconciliation instructions to the agriculture

committee, requiring additional cuts to programs within the committee's jurisdiction. now, mr. speaker, i couldn't support last year's farm bill because it included an $8.6 billion cut to snap. but the agriculture committee finished its work on a re-authorization bill. it's done. we should not be reopening the farm bill in this budget process. it's bad enough that snap has been cut by nearly $20 billion in recent years with cuts coming in both the farm bill and with the expiration of the provisions that resulted in an across-the-board cut for all snap beneficiaries, every single one of those who were on snap received a cut. we certainly should not be making hunger worse by cutting our premiere anti-hunger program even further. mr. speaker, republicans' fixation with attacking snap just doesn't make sense. snap is one of the most effective and efficient of all federal programs. its error rate is at an all-time low and that includes underpayments as well as

overpayments. in recent years, usda has successfully cracked down on trafficking of snap benefits. the purpose of snap is to feed hungry people which it does. snap is a program that works. without snap hunger would be much worse in this country. and we know from recent c.b.o. estimates that snap spending in caseloads have already begun to decline and will continue to do so as our economy continues to recover from the great recession. we also know that snap is not contributing to our long-term deficit. according to c.b.o., its share of the economy will continue to decline. mr. speaker, we should not be balancing the federal budget on the backs of the working poor, period. cutting food assistance and making hunger worse in this country will not solve our fiscal challenges. snap is not the problem. for republicans, cuts to programs for low-income americans might rally their base but not solve our

challenges. poor and working families did not cause our fiscal problems but time and time again, programs that help them survive tough times and provide them with opportunities to get out of poverty are always targeted for drastic cuts. and what's especially troubling to me that the poorest and most vulnerable americans continue to be the target of false and even mean-spirited rhetoric in this chamber. it is time for that to stop. instead of cutting snap we should be strengthening the program we should increase the program so it lets them buy more healthy foods. about $1.40 per person per meal and many families run out of food three weeks into the month because the benefit level is already so low. we also should be working to address one of the biggest flaws in our social safety net, the so-called food stamp cliff, where someone gets a job and loses their benefits but still earns so little that they end

up worse off and are back to struggling to food on their table. we know that budgets are not just about priorities, they are moral documents that represent a vision for this country. the vision laid out by republicans in yesterday's budget is deeply troubling. we should be striving to make the lives of every american better. we should be striving to end hunger now. unfortunately, it makes hunger worse in this country and that, to be blunt, is shameful. with that i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair will now recognize the gentleman from illinois, mr. kinzinger, for five minutes. mr. kinzinger: thank you, mr. speaker. today i'd like to address russia and its aggression in ukraine. ukraine is ultimately a story of a ruler whose goal is to stifle opposition and turn away from a failing economy corruption and authoritarianism in his own country by creating the semblance of economic

support. we must strife to make sure that the story is not allowed to continue. putin is aiming to distract the focus from the west and his regime to have an external enemy which has the potential to become a model of western democracy and that country's ukraine. just over a year ago, not even a week after the end of the sochi olympics which president putin staged for a record of $50 billion to boost his popularity in russia and the world, putin quickly shed the garb and sent his troops to reclaim an illegally annex crimea, then trump up a referendum in an attempt to justify this annexation. . with his mobilization of the russian military, putin planned to send a signal to the citizens and the world he remained popular and strong in the face of growing calls from protesters in ukraine for the pro-russian president to step down.

but putin's goal to maintain popularity through military force failed. although it conjured up national sentimentalist -- meanwhile, putin continued to ignore with impunity calls by the united states and europe to reverse the illegal annexation of crimea and remove russian military forces. not only did he refuse to withdraw force from those countries or reverse the annexation, he armed pro-russian separatists in ukraine with missiles which down add civilian airliner and killed nearly 300 passengers and crew to the horror of the united states and american europe just after the sochi olympics. less than three months ago on this floor in december, 201, i underlined my deep concern about russia's aggression in ukraine georgia, and moldova. i appreciate your support condemning russian aggression as a violation of international law

and breach of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ukraine georgia, and moldova. putin did not listen to our allies. a month later in january 2015, russian troops re-engaged with ukrainian forces breaking the cease-fire protocol sinneded in misk in september 201. although leaders agreed to reinstate the cease-fire on february 12 of this year, russian forces violated the agreement within days. attacking a railway hub in ukraine and threatening other cities. russia's inability to honor a cease-fire underlines the importance of expanding the scope of u.s. military assistance to ukraine, including the provision of lethal military weapons. putin and his advisors consistently denied economic sanctions have hurt russia, adding that the drop of the price of oil have resulted in plunging russia's g.d.p. and lowering the standard of living in russia. in addition to suffering economically, russians have enjoyed no freedom of expression

under his rule. such denial of basic human freedoms await the citizens of ukraine should russian aggression continue. the latest travesty proving putin's stifling of descent to his authoritarian rule is the gunning down of prominent and popular opposition leader, boris nement off -- nemtsov. not only was he a threat to putin, he was fearless. he exposed the truth of putin's rule corrupt practice fraudent elections he held in 2011 2012 that allowed him to return to the presidency. the former prime minister stated there was only one explanation for the murder, he was shot for telling the truth. the events over the past year have made our path clear forward, we must convince the administration to change the u.s. policy towards russia. putin's aggression in ukraine in violation of the most recrept cease-fires and leak to the

assassination are directing people's attention away to the corruption and authoritarianism to an external threat. the united states must work to restore the country's territorial integrity and ensure russian military forces are removed from sovereign nations. we must convince the president that putin's continuation of the war in ukraine is continuation of his desperate attempt to direct to an external threat. i also call on russia to release the ukrainian air force pilot who remains a prisoner in russia. i call on the administration and congress to fund lethal military assistance to the ukrainian government. with that, mr. speaker, i thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair will now recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois mrs. bustos, for five minutes. mrs. bustos: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in opposition of the anti-middle class budget introduced yesterday by the house republicans. i view a budget as a statement of priorities.

where we allocate our resources in a clear demonstration that he we value our priorities as a nation. this budget moves the middle class backward, hurts families across my region the state of illinois, and in our nation. their budget makes deep cuts to investments in education. i view education as a long-term down payment not only for the lives of individual students and families, but for the future of our country. last week, i toured a region of our state that i am privileged to represent, and i spoke with community college students about programs that help make college affordable and accessible to them. i spoke with a young lady named anna who attends spoon river college in canton, illinois. she's one of eight children in her family. she's been raised by a single mother. her father was addicted to drugs and left their family in debt.

she's a full-time community college student and also works 38 hours a week as a cashier at a local grocery store. her family relies on her income to help make ends meet. she depends on pell grants and student loans to finance her education, which she knows is a better path for her life ahead. anna is studying psychology so she can one day work as a school psychologist and help other students with the same kind of problems she's had to go through herself. she knows that access to education is also a pathway to so many other students in our region and, again, throughout our state and nation. she wants to give back to the community that has given her opportunity to move beyond the circumstances in which she was born. we need to invest in students like anna and the future of our communities, not slash spending on our young people's futures.

let's stop pulling the rug from underneath our students and saddling them with a lifetime of debt. we need a budget that invests in working families and in the middle class and creates opportunities for all to succeed in today's economy. that's why i'm leading what i would call a commonsense approach to give more flexibility to pell grant recipients so students can take advantage of this program year-round. many of those who would benefit most are nontraditional students who want to complete their corresponds faster so they can get back into the work force. and also with smaller student loan debt. i urge all of my colleagues, both democrats and republicans, to join with me and support our young people, our students, and the economic well-being of our communities by opposing the shortsighted cuts to investments in our young people. thank you mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from nevada, mr.

hardy, for five minutes. mr. hardy: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to speak on a bill i just introduced, my first as a member of this body. the land acquisition to cut the national debt or land act. is a commonsense piece of legislation that would prohibit the secretary of interior from using federal dollars to purchase land resulting in a net increase in rakeage under the jurisdiction of the national park service, the u.s. fish and wildlife, and bureau of land management unless the federal budget is balanced for the year in which the land would be purchased. the same would go to the secretary of agriculture unless the federal budget for the given year is balanced, no net increase in the land, acreage may be included in the national forest system. now, mr. speaker, some of this body may wonder why i have chosen to take up this charge in the 114th congress.

for my friends on both sides of the aisle, many whom may not be too familiar with the life out west, let me give you some background. just before i arrived to washington, the national debt was over $18 trillion. as a former small business owner the federal government's spending habits and utter disregard for the american taxpayer's hard-earned dollars continues to frustrate me today. like countless nevadans, it pains me to watch as we saddle our grandchildren with such unsustainable debt burden, borrowing against the very future we are responsible for providing them. now mr. speaker, my father always said don't come to me with a problem unless you have a solution for it. i don't pretend to have all the answers on the biggest issues facing this government and this country but i do bring the private sector, western

sensibility to tackling the problem before we get too far out of hand. that's why i'm introducing the land act. simply put, the bill tells the federal government that responsibility and effectively managing 640 million acres of land it already controls must be a higher priority than acquiring even more private state and tribal lands. think about that number for a moment, mr. speaker. 640 million acres. that's roughly 1/ of the united states. and on those acres the federal bureaucracies has kept within its iron grip, there is currently existing an estimated deferred maintenance backlog of $23 billion. that is with a b. so what does that tell the american people, mr. speaker? it tells them that the federal government has bitten off more than it can chew. it cannot be trusted to serve the responsible stewardship of even more of our lands and resources.

mr. speaker i'm a nevadan. and the federal government controls 81% of my state and i think i speak for most of my constituents when i say, enough is enough. it boggles the mind to think that each of the 640 million acres the federal government controls is too valuable to be parted with in order to improve the overall management. let alone the fact that the feds want to acquire even more land on top of an already embarrassing maintenance backlog. the department's of interior and agriculture like to tout the important acquisition of -- acquisitions for its conserving species, providing space and recreation, and preserving culture and significant sights. my bill would allow them to continue to acquire land as a tool for these purposes. but it would require them to focus their efforts on the lands that truly need oversight by turning over unnecessary land to

those who are best able to manage it, the states. mr. speaker let's be clear. the department would have the opportunity to net more acreage under the aforementioned agencies' jurisdiction under my bill. that is no longer as a federal budget -- that is as long as the federal budget is balanced for the given year. i do not believe this is too much to ask, where i come from in the private sector, if you don't have a successful business plan, you don't budget well, you go out of business. we all know the b.l.m., fish and wildlife service, and park service aren't going out of business any time soon. much to my chagrin but at least we can force them to he behave more like one on the land that currently control by ensuring that our tax dollars no longer go towards more land for these agencies. at a time when our debt continues to soar, we can ill afford irresponsible budgets like the interior's $13 billion

request. we need to get our fiscal house in order and we can help that process along by passing this, my bill. let's allow the state and local tribal governments to invest in developing their lands, creating jobs, and growing the economy instead of letting them fall in disrepair on the federal government's watch. let's pass the land act. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from puerto rico, mr. pierluisi, for five minutes. mr. pierluisi: mr. speaker today i'm refiling two bills to he eliminate disparatities that puerto rico faces under the federal medicare program. at the outset, i want to make clear that the only reason that i have to introduce this bill is because puerto rico's a u.s. territory. i look forward to the day when puerto rico becomes a u.s. state, when it is automatically treated fairly under federal

programs and when the island's elected officials no longer need to implore congress to treat our constituents the same as their fellow american citizens. that is why six weeks ago i introduced legislation that would provide for puerto rico's admission as a state once a majority of island voters affirm their desire for statehood in a federally sponsored vote. the bill already has 80 co-sponsors and strong bipartisan support. the first bill i am he' filing today involves medicare part a which covers in-patient hospital services. the federal government reimburses hospitals with medicare patients under a system known as the in-patient prospective payment system. the payment made to the hospital is intended to cover the operating and capital cost that is a hospital incurs in furnishing care. each hospital is paid a base rate which can then be adjusted upwards based on a variety of

factors. every hospital in the states whether in new york city or rural alaska is paid the same base rate, about $5,870. in puerto rico however, hospitals are paid a base rate that is just over $5,000, about 14% lower than the base rate for stateside hospitals. this adversely affects patient care in puerto rico and the financial stability of island hospitals. . the american hospital associationes that endorsed my legislation and i urge my colleagues in congress to enact it into law. the second bill i'm filing today involves medicare part b which covers doctors' services and outpatient hospital services. puerto rico is the only u.s. jurisdiction where individuals who become eligible for part a are not automatically enrolled

in part b but rather most often get part b coverage. those that don't enroll in the seven-month enrollment period which starts several months before they turn 65 and ends several months after they turn 65 are required to pay a late enrollment penalty. the penalty is significant and lasts for as long as that individual receives medicare. this system has operated to puerto rico's detriment. there are tens of thousands of seniors on the island who enrolled late in part b and each year they pay millions of dollars in late penalties to the federal government. there are also over 100,000 seniors in puerto rico who are enrolled in part a but not in part b. when those individuals seek to enroll in part b in the future they, too, will be required to pay lifetime penalties. i'm working to address this

issue on both the administrative and the legislative front. i persuaded the federal government to improve the written materials they make available to island seniors so that they're better informed by the part b enrollment period and the financial consequences of late enrollment. in addition i'm refiling legislation today that would convert puerto rico from the nation's only opt in jurisdiction to an opt out jurisdiction just like every other u.s. state and territory. my bill would also reduce the late penalties now being paid by puerto rico seniors who enrolled late and authorize a special enrollment period during which island seniors who do not have part b could enroll on favorable terms. i urge my colleagues to sport the bills i'm filing today. until the day that puerto rico becomes a state and is treated equally as a matter of course i will continue to fight for fair

treatment for my constituents under all federal health programs. the 3.5 million american citizens of puerto rico deserve no less. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair will now recognize the gentleman from georgia mr. collins, for five minutes. mr. collins: thank you mr. speaker. thank you mr. speaker. you know, it seems now more than any time in recent history christians around the world are being singled out and persecuted. most recently and unfortunately were occurrences in pakistan where two churches were targeted by suicide bombers. the two attacks occurred, resulted in the deaths of 14 people and injured at least 70. the bombings were obviously coordinated as they occurred fairly close in proximity and time. one suicide bomber detonated inside one church and the other was stopped at a security checkpoint and detonated when being tackled by a guard. pakistan whose track record of

protecting religious minority groups spotty at best has a history of attacks on christians. in an op-ed piece i wrote in "the washington times" in february i discussed the suffering of religious minorities around the world. a mob of 1200 lynched christians accused of burning a koran and a judge sentenced one to death for blasphemy. the religious report for 2013 highlights pakistan's inability to protect christians under its jurisdiction. the report speaks of pakistan's enforcement of blasphemy laws and are the symbols of religious intolerance. while the government is vocal of its condemnation of attack on christians and other religious communities it has not taken proper steps to make sure the attackers of such atrocities are not brought to justice. it seems that words matter more than actions to them. pakistan is by far not the only country to possess such a

dismal record of protecting christians. in my op-ed i speak of china and north korea as countries that target christians. across, also, middle east and north africa muslim terrorists organizations search out christians and kill them violently and in graphic ways only because the person chose to pray to a different god. fellow americans, when you think about what i just said, when you think about the freedom that we have here and the very essence of our religious freedom in america is the freedom for all to express their religious beliefs or express none at all. and yet all over the world countries such as pakistan islamic extremist groups such as isis and others who have no part in a civilized society and need to be banished away with in a civilized society choose to horrendously kill someone for who they pray and the faith

that they have. explain to me how you are supposed to worship a god that says it's ok to behead 16 christians or to blow up their death or desecrate their facilities. it is something that must be addressed. you see these atrocities should not just startle those of religious faith -- nonreligious faith as well, they should shock the world to realize this is something that must cease. for me it is personal as a christian, as one of faith, my faith is described to me as being one in christ with other believers. so for me when one is beheaded we are all persecuted, including those here in our comfort in america. you see, religious freedom is not just something that we talk about in the comfort of america but must be rung loud and true throughout the world.

you see having a member of a common faith that is being decapitated burned alive, impaled crucified, these are family members to me but in reality to the world as the poet once said, every man's death is a tragedy. when it takes the form of religious intolerance by people who want their own views believed. you see, i desire now that president seriously take into consideration the recommendation of the u.s. commission on international religious freedom. it provides recommendations to congress and the president about the lack of religious freedoms in other countries and advises the white house on nonlethal actions that can be taken against those countries. since 2002, they have recommended that pakistan be named as a country of particular concern. the designation of a country of particular concern allows the government to use nonmilitary policies to encourage a country to increase protection for religious minorities. i strongly encourage the white house to consider looking to designating pakistan as a

country of particular concern. i ask the question to this administration and to the world how many more christians have to be blown up? how many more have to be beaten in prison? how many more have to have their heads taken off before we act? when i deployed to iraq, i saw the multitude of faiths and lack of faith. i have seen it come together and i understand what we are fighting for. when we talk about those who act in the name of a god and islamic extremists who want nothing but to eradicate other people's beliefs, this is something that cannot be tolerated. i cringe when i think of this. while i disagree the decisions made at 1600 pennsylvania, i ask that this administration take this very seriously and consider religious freedom for all around the world. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair will now recognize the gentleman from illinois mr. dold, for five minutes. mr. dold: thank you, mr.

speaker. and i certainly want to thank my good friend for raising an important issue about religious freedom. it certainly is critical, and as we look at some of the atrocities that are happening around the world, mr. speaker, i want to rise today to talk about the armenian genocide that happened nearly 100 years ago. this year marks the 100th anniversary. as the eyes of the world focus on isis and the brutal killings of innocent christians in the middle east, we must recognize the horrors of the past if we hope to avoid repeating them in the future. mr. speaker, this marks -- this year marks the 100th anniversary of the armenian genocide during which have the ottoman turks systematically exterminated over 1.5 armenians and christian minorities. this genocide is a fact and cannot be ignored. it has settled history -- it is settled history.

turkey has not accepted the responsibility and has continued to hide behind its brutal tactics that shroud human rights. even as 11 of our nato allies and 42 u.s. states has recognized turkey's leading role in this atrocity this body has yet to do so. the continued campaign of denial sets a dangerous precedent that makes future atrocities in my opinion mr. speaker, more likely. while ordering his military leaders to attack poland, adolf hitler rationalized who, after all, speaks today of the anational lakes of the armenians. mr. speaker, if we deny that these atrocities exist, we actually perpetuate the potential that it may happen again. we must join the international community to speak with the unified voice against this genocide. our bipartisan armenian genocide truth in justice

resolution just dropped, h.res. 154 would send an unequivocal message that we will never forget those that were lost nor will we tolerate human rights abuses of any kind. today, mr. speaker, i rise to remember the 100th anniversary on april 24, to be specific, of the armenian genocide, and i call on our colleagues in the united states congress to speak out by passing the armenian genocide truth in justice resolution so that we can end the denial once and for all. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until noon today.

the house coming up at 11:00 a.m. eastern now. we will have that live on c-span.org. and blogging about that, "roll call" this morning facing the prospect of a open revolt, the house budget committee is poised to add more defense dollars. a picture here of president obama. this is in "the hill." they write about his trip today to cleveland to, quote wage battle with republicans over the economy. they write "the white house is seeking to draw a stark contrast with house republicans who took aim at a key obama

priorities like health care programs to the poor and elderly while cutting trillions of dollars in spending in their new budget proposal." the president's address in cleveland will be live as well on c-span.org. we'll take you live to the house budget committee coming up at 1 11:00 a.m. eastern. -- 11:00 a.m. eastern. tom price, supported by other house republicans, members of the committee, released the budget yesterday and took questions from reporters. mr. price: top of the morning to you. happy st. patrick's day to all. i'm very, very proud to join my colleagues, members of the

house budget committee to present a balanced budget for a stronger america. when i talk with folks back in my district, back in georgia, and talk with folks around the country, they are very concerned. some are angry. some are really frustrated about the direction of our great country. they feel we are adrift. that washington seems incapable of addressing their concerns. that the federal government is getting in the way and impeding the very spirit of the american people. and the president's response in his budget, more taxes, more spending, more borrowing, more debt, more stagnant growth. remember that every single dollar, every dollar that's taken for taxes or that's taken to borrow money is a dollar that can't be spent to buy car, pay the rent, to send a child to college, or to technical school, to buy a house, to expand the business, or grow a business, create jobs. we think there's a better way. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, admiral mike mullen, said a few years

ago, when asked what the number one threat to america's national security, the number one threat, he said the debt. the debt. what he knows and what the american people know is that unless we have economic security we cannot have national security. instead of the insecurity and uncertainty of the president's plan, we think there's a better way. we believe in promoting the greatest amount of opportunity for the greatest number of americans so that the greatest amount of success can be realized and the greatest number of american dreams can be found. in doing so, in a way that demonstrates real hope and real optimism and real compassion and real fairness without washington picking winners and losers. our balanced budget for a stronger america saves $5.5 trillion. gets to balance within 10 years without raising taxes. we responsibly lay out a plan for a healthy economy. an opportunity economy. one that opens the doors for people not subjects them to the dictates of washington, d.c.

we save and strengthen medicare and medicaid instead of allowing them to continue on the path of insolvency which is what the president's plan is. we recognize the imperative of providing for the military men and women and their families the resources needed to protect our national security and respect their service. in fact, our budget spends more on national defense than the president's and we do so in a responsible way that addresses current law and lays out a path to address the ongoing concerns of the military so that they are better able to plan and prepare to meet current challenges and those in the future. we believe in america. we believe in americans. we understand our problems are significant and we hear the people of this nation crying out for leadership here in washington, d.c. this balanced budget, this balanced budget, for a stronger america, will result in a government that is more efficient and effective and accountable. one that frees up the american spirit, american optimism, and enthusiasm to do great things and to meet great challenges.

and we encourage our colleagues and fellow citizens across this nation to join us in this exciting opportunity. go to budget.house.gov and download our blueprint budget. got a few members of the house budget committee who will make some comments about some specific areas of our budget. first up is the gentleman from indiana, the vice chairman of the budget committee, mr. rokita. mr. rokita: thank you, chairman. todd rokita, indiana, vice chairman of the committee. i want to first say how proud i am to stand in front of my fellow colleagues here. we have taken our job very seriously. hours of member meetings putting this responsible and accurate document together. not hours of staff meetings, hours of member meetings. we each have been actively engaged in this process. i think that's worth noting. first and foremost it's important to know that this

balance, this budget balances within 10 years. now, that is the quickest of any of the recently passed house budgets. and it's also important to note that it's a very stark contrast to the president's budget. that never balances. how can we begin to pay our debt if we can't even get to balance under the president's plan? our plan does that. it does it in a responsible way. after that, after we balance we begin to pay down our debt so that future generations aren't saddled with irresponsible decisions that have been made in the past. a balanced budget is crucial to giving individuals, families, and businesses greater certainty for the future and it shows the american people and frankly the rest of the world that we are ready to make the tough decisions and hold government accountable in how it spends our hard-earned tax dollars and why america should be the financial leader for years to come.

thank you, mr. chairman. mr. woodall: thank you, mr. chairman. my name's rob woodall, from the seventh district of georgia. i want to talk about the job opportunities in the budget. the budget a moral document t -- that talks about where your values are. and what this committee values, what this conference values is the opportunity for job creation. i happen to be with a group of manufacturers this morning completely unsolicited, well, you can give us bad news or give us good news, but what we need is certainty. if we can have certainty, then we can get back to the business of creating jobs. in an uncertain economy, in a world where the president's budget purports to borrow not just next year, not just 10 years from now but 20 years from now, 30 years from now, and 40 years from now job creators know there is no certainty. this budget balances in a responsible way. provides certainty on issues of

interest rates and borrowing because we know america's government will no longer be that dominant borrower. provides certainty in a tax code. how many state of the union speeches have we all sat through where we talked about the importance of reforming the tax code in order to create american jobs? how many proposals have we seen come forward from downtown? this budget, this budget anticipates that fundamentally structuring of the tax code that allows us to be the absolute magnet for job creation around the globe. from streamlining regulations to focusing on energy production, item after item you will see that commitment to certainty. i'm very proud of what budget committee has done. i'm proud of what the last four budget committees have done. but we never had an opportunity to partner that the senate to actually provide that certainty for good. i hope you look carefully at what is different this year

when folks are playing with the opportunity for the first time in my short congressional career to actually bring a budget to the united states of america. i'm grateful to the chairman for his leadership. i look forward to being a great part of it. thank you very much. mr. price: thank you. mrs. black. mrs. black: thank you, mr. chairman. good morning to all of you. let me say that it is an honor to be here with my members of the committee and each of you as we unveil this, a balanced budget for a stronger america. i'm pleased to tell you this budget repeals all of obamacare. the onerous taxes the mandates, the regulations that are wreaking havoc on our health care system and our economy. we additionally end obamacare's $700 billion-plus raid on medicare and we put forward a proposal to save and strengthen the program for today's seniors and future retirees.

further, our budget empowers states by giving them the flexibility that's needed to tailor their medicaid programs that fit the unique needs of their own populations, and we call on policymakers to start over with a health care reform that puts patients, families, and doctors in charge not washington bureaucrats. i'm very proud of this budget and i look forward to future action to put this budget in action and pass it into law. thank you, mr. chairman. mr. price: thank you. thank you so much. we're enthusiastic, enthusiastic about the future of our great country. we recognize there are huge challenges and know that economic security is the key to national security, and the key to a brighter more hopeful future for all americans. again, our budget, a balanced budget for a stronger america,

is a path forward to that brighter future. for government lives within its means, for washington is efficient, effective, and accountable. we embrace the challenge and the opportunity and we call again on our colleagues and our fellow citizens across this great country as we move forward together. a balanced budget for a stronger america budget.house.gov. i'm happy to take a few questions. >> dr. price, which committees do you intend to issue reconciliation instructions to and what do you plan to use reconciliation for? mr. price: the great opportunity we have with a senate that is now in republican hands is that we have an opportunity to have a unified budget between the two chambers and do something called reconciliation, which is an opportunity to pass a piece of legislation out of the house and out of the senate with just 51 votes in the united states senate and put it on the president's desk to put forward good policy and to provide a contrast for the american people to see who's trying to solve these challenges and who might be standing in the way. our reconciliation directives

will direct eight or nine different committees to identify areas of savings and have the flexibility to be able to address the issue of obamacare repeal, has flexibility to address other items should the conference desire to do so. we have specific language that identifies calls on the committees of jurisdiction to identify ways in which obamacare might be able to be repealed. >> to follow up on that. looking at the instructions it looks like it's about $5 billion which comes a lot short than the $5 trillion you are talking about. why not go for a higher number on reconciliation? mr. price: the amount of savings we find in the budget ourself and demonstrate over a 10-year period of time are two different things. the reconciliation instructions given to the committee are put an appropriate level that allows them to go above it. that's a floor not ceiling. so we are able to address the kind of deficit reduction that we might desire. again, it's also an opportunity to provide a positive solution that the american people desire, put it on the

president's desk and encourage him to sign. >> you say that the budget raise taxes but assumes the c.b.o. baseline which assumes the expiration of tax extenders which would amount to a $900 billion revenue increase from current policy. secondly, you claim that you're repealing all of the obamacare taxes but you have the c.b.o. baseline on revenue. can you square those two things? mr. price: we believe in the american people and believe in growth. the amount of spending that's done here in washington we believe to be at a level that we can rein in, just decreasing spending or reining in spending will not get us to the kind of economy we want or allow the american people to get back to work and realize their dreams. the tax reform we have identified and the proposals we put forward we believe will result in significant increase in growth. it's important for people to appreciate this. the congressional budget office has decreased its estimate on

growth in this country from 3% four years ago to 2.3% annually over the next 10 years. 2.3%. recognize the average for the last 40 years has been 3.3% growth. what's that difference mean? what's that 1% difference mean? that means over $3 trillion, $3 trillion over that period of time in greater revenue to the federal government because of the greater increase in economic activity. so as i mentioned before, we believe in the american people. we believe in the vitality of their enthusiasm and the vitality of an economy. if you let it loose. if you let it go. that's what we embrace. >> are you claiming that economic growth just magically matches the c.b.o. baseline and that that $900 billion for the extenders -- mr. price: we not only believe it will, we believe it will exceed it. it isn't accounted for in our budget in numerical values because we believe if you

increase growth from 2.2% to 2.3% the increase will be over $3 trillion over that period of time. more than covering the baseline of the c.b.o. estimate. >> over the $5 trillion in savings -- [inaudible] could you -- or is it filled? mr. price: let me encourage you to take a peek at a balanced budget for a strong america, i encourage you to go there and courage the american people to go there, budget.house.gov. has all of the specifics. i encourage you to go there and all the -- >> i'm looking at it. it says other mandatory. it doesn't specify. mr. price: if you go through the document there are specific notations where that money comes from. all the mandatory programs, so the kinds of programs the welfare programs. we encourage working as a component of participating in the welfare program for abled

bodies adults. the snap program, the food stamps program we believe is much better run at the state level than the federal level. it gives you a certain amount of savings and the good news is over the constellation of all of them results in significant savings for the american people, again, so we can get the economy rolling. >> last question. >> just to clarify on tax reform. is it your intention that tax reform will be revenue neutral, you wnt won't be capturing revenue for [inaudible] mr. price: we don't count it because of the question that andy asked. how can you plug a number in there when you don't know what it's exactly going to be? we feel confidentially as has happened every time that federal government reduced taxes for the american people it's increased revenue to the federal government so we believe that a strong and vibrant economy rests on pro-growth tax reform and we allow a path to make that happen. >> why does the c.b.o. only give you $147 billion when --

deficit reduction from the economic growth, why is that number not bigger? mr. price: because the process they go through to score, as you know, is by and large static scoring which doesn't recognize the feedback that happens in the dynamic way that our economy works. so we're excited about the opportunity that we have. i can't tell you how proud i am of the men and women standing behind me and the work they've done on the budget committee. we look forward to having this in markup tomorrow we look forward to having it on the floor next week and happy to answer any questions after this press conference. take care. god bless. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> and that 2016 budget on the minds of the defense secretary as he testifies this morning before the armed services

committee. carter warning lawmakers that president obama will veto legislation that keeps defense spending caps in place. "the hill" reports carter also said he supported obama's goal of removing the sequester. "i support the president's commitment to vetoing any bill that locks in sequestration because to do otherwise would be both unsafe and wasteful." carter testified at the house armed services committee. by the way, that hearing under way now and live on our companion network c-span3. . we

are going to take you momentarily to the house budget markup that you just saw moments ago on there are screen, a guest on our "washington journal" this morning. defense will come up. c.q. roll call reporting facing a prospect from open revolt of defense hawks. the house committee is poised to add more defense dollars to a proposal that goeson the spending request. the armed service committee members met tuesday before the rugget's the g.o.p. leadership has moving ahead michael turner told defense industry representatives tuesday morning to call budget committee members, call republican leadership and quote, let them know that we are in absolute crisis. you can see members gathering. the markup session should get under way. and we will have it for you shortly. here on c-span.

mr. price: the committee will now come to order. i ask unanimous consent that mr. buchanan of florida be allowed to sit at the dais pending his official appointment by the house this afternoon. without objection. so ordered.

we will proceed with consideration of the fiscal year 2016 concurrent resolution on the budget. i want to begin by thanking ranking member, mr. van hollen of maryland, for working with me to develop an agreement for this markup that closely follows what's been done in the past. our goal is to consider the budget resolution in a timely fashion. we have a long day ahead of us and i want to thank everyone for their cooperation. we will complete our work by midnight. in fact, i hope we can finish sooner than midnight. under the agreement we have reached with the minority, we'll begin by having presentations on the budget 45 minutes controlled by the majority, 45 minutes controlled by the minority. i'll make an opening statement then the ranking member will make his opening statement and after those opening statements, the majority will use the remaining time left in its 45-minute block and the minority will use its remaining time left in its 45-minute block. any member that doesn't get an opportunity to speak during that period of time or has additional comments made submit them for the record.

after the presentations are concluded, we will have a staff walkthrough in which our members may ask any questions. the walkthrough will be for one hour, and the minority may ask any questions they like with respect to the chairman's mark and after the walkthrough, we'll proceed to the amendments in accordance with the agreement that we have worked out with the ranking member. and i'll describe that process in more detail when we get to that point. let me just make the comment about this great committee that we all love and that is that by its very nature it generates passionate debate on both sides. our custom and tradition is to set an example for the entire house and do so in a collegial manner. our ideological disagreements don't have to result in personal attacks. i request we operate with the appropriate courtesy and decorum. i want to thank you-all for your cooperation with that request. i recognize the gentleman from indiana. >> i thank the chair.

especially for that statement. i ask unanimous consent that consist is tent with clause 4, house rule 16, the chairman be authorized to declare a recess at any time. mr. price: without objection. so ordered. we will now move into opening statements. i want to once again welcome everybody and thank you for being here. we meet here today to consider the fiscal year 2016 budget resolution. i can't thank enough every individual who's been part of developing these positive solutions to address our nation's fiscal and economic challenges. when we look at america today, we see a nation that's not living up to its economic and leadership potential. too many of our neighbors are out of work or living paycheck to paycheck. too many hardworking taxpayers are learning to do more with less. while washington is unwilling or unable to solve the challenges with positive solutions. we know we can do bert and we must do better.

on behalf of the individuals families, and job creators all over this great contry. those that get up every single day to do their part to make their communities safe and strong. the budget proposal we are considering here today is a plan to make washington more efficient, more effective, and more accountable to those that we serve. to create a genuine opportunity and healthier economy. our plan honors our commitments to the american people so that we deliver real results. first and foremost, we balance the budget. we achieve $5.5 trillion in savings over a 10-year period of time eliminate annual deficits so we can begin to pay down the debt and avoid the fiscal crisis that is threatening our nation's very future. this isn't just some accounting exercise. remember that every single dollar that's used to -- in taxes, to pay taxes every single dollar that's borrowed is a dollar that can't be used to buy a carks pay the rent, send a kid to college or technical school to pay the mortgage, to

expand a job. getting our debt under control will create meaningful and measurable results that will benefit every single american. a balanced budget means a healthier economy where folks can have more confidence and certainty about the future. it means we avoid an out-of-control growth in our nation's debt, and interest payments on that debt, which by themselves will swallow critical spending priorities. we avoid future tax increases and true austerity measures that will harm families and job creators. our budget sets forth positive solutions that save strengthen, and secure programs like medicare and medicaid so they can actually deliver on the commitments that we have made to the american people. in our budget, we ensure we are meeting our responsibility to provide for the defense of our nation. so we have a stronger, safer, more secure america. the brave men and women who protect our freedom need the resources to complete their mission. this budget honors our commitment to them, their families, and to the veterans whose proud legacy they carry

with them. in a dangerous world, a future fiscal crisis would make the job of protecting and defending the american people that much more difficult. in fact, the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, admiral mike mullen, highest ranking military officer in the country a few years ago, was asked what the single greatest threat to our nation was and he said the nation's debt. that's a flet our budget aims to -- that's a threat our budget aims to meet head on. as we all know, too often washington folks is on short-term political considerations rather than real problem solving. where rhetoric takes the place of real results. in our budget, we take an honest look at our vital government commitments. whether it's seniors on medicare or veterans who serve this nation with honor and distinction. we make certain, we make certain that the promises are kept and real results are achieved. when it comes to controlling spending, we do not ask the american people to bail out washington with higher taxes and

more debt. we take our responsibility seriously and genuinely. we genuinely address the drivers of that debt. our budget puts a premium on accountability and efficientcy and effectiveness in all areas of federal government. we streamline government functions with regulatory authority to stop taxpayer dollars from being wasted on programs that simply are not working. we also acknowledge that the best ideas don't necessarily come from washington. year after year we see more power concentrated here in washington where decisions are made with a one-size-fits-all top down approach. america is a diverse nation. our cities and our states and our local communities know best how to develop solutions that will best serve their people. our budget realigns the relationship the federal government has with states and local communities by respecting and restoring the principle of federalism to provide more choices and opportunity to folks across our land. from health care to education, states will be empowered to create their own solutions, free of the onerous washington

mandates and overregulation. this plan, this balanced budget for a stronger america, this is a blueprint for how we solve our nation's fiscal and economic challenges. the success of these ideas is dependent on the courage and the commonsense of policymakers to breakway from the failed policies of the past and pursue a new course, a hopeful course. wire ready to turn these words into actions and produce real results for the american people. again, i want appreciate so very much the diligent work of our members and our committee and their staffs and committee staff for their work on this important endeavor. i look forward to today's -- sincerely look forward to an open and honest and productive conversation. i now recognize the ranking member, mr. van hollen. mr. van hollen: thank you, chairman price. as we gather here today we face some good news some bad news, and some very bad news. the good news is that the economy is improving an more

americans are working. the private sector has now added 12 million new jobs over the last 60 months. it's not all rosy. many americans are still looking for work. but the unemployment rate has fallen to 5.5% and trends are good. the bad news is that americans are working harder than ever but their paychecks are flat. this is not a new problem. it has become a chronic problem that dates back to the 1970's. as this chart shows, there has been a growing gap between the increased value workers are creating in the economy, which is that blue line, and the paychecks that they are taking home. worker productivity, steadily climbing. paychecks, flat lined. so where are the gains from that hard work going? well, income gains from increased worker productivity have gone overwhelmingly to those at the very top of the income scale as this next chart

shows. the red line are the income gains from the top 1%. everybody else pretty much flatline. it's no wonder people i talk to in maryland and around the country feel like they are running in place or falling behind. now, right after the last election there was some hope that republican leaders understood this problem. speaker boehner and republican senate leader mcconnell wrote in the "wall street journal" they were humbled by the opportunity to, quote, help struggling middle class americans. and deal with, quote, wage stagnation. but with today's republican budget, the country gets the very bad news. they were just kicked. this republican budget is very hard on hardworking americans and those looking to find a job. it says, work harder, take home even less. it will do nothing, nothing to increase paychecks and take-home

pay for working families. in fact, it squeezes them even more. it will increase the tax burden on millions of families, those in the middle class, and those working to join the middle class. amazingly, it cuts higher education tax credits and ends the boost in the child tax credit. millions of americans will lose access to tax credits for affordable health care. the cuts in student loans and pell grants will make college less affordable and add to the already huge student debt load. seniors who have worked hard for a financially secure retirement will immediately have to pay higher medicare premiums, bigger co-pays for preventive care higher costs for prescription drugs, and more for nursing home care. while this budget raises the costs and further squeezes hardworking families students, and seniors, it paves the way for the romney-ryan plan to cut

tax rates for millionaires. it's based on the tired and disproven theory we can grow our economy through trickle-down economics, a theory that ran aground in the real world under george w. bush. where the only things that went up were the incomes of the folks already doing well. and the deficit. everybody else fell behind. and while this budget will immediately make life harder in the daily lives of working families, it also disinvests in our future. it slashes the part of the budget we use to invest in our kids' education, from early education to k through 12. it's a sad day when we start chopping away at the rungs of the ladder of opportunity in america. it devastates the investments we make in scientific research and innovation investments that have helped power our economy and kept us at the cutting edge of technology, provides no solution for the looming shortfall and the transportation trugs fund. -- trust fund. by the way when i say disinvest

in america it's not rhetoric it's math. let me show you what it does over the next 10 years. that horizontal line is the lowest level we have seen as a share of the economy invested in our education and scientific research since the 1950's. this takes us 40% below the lowest level since we have been keeping records. and it does it without balancing the budget. mr. chairman this budget doesn't come close to balancing. in fact, it takes budget sort of quackery and creativity to new level. let me tell what you it does. it actually assumes the revenue and savings from the affordable care act while claiming it gets rid of the affordable care act. it doesn't account for the costs almost $1 trillion in business tax cuts that our colleagues

have called for. and it plays a shameless shell game with our defense spending. it would make enron accountants blush. now, most americans would agree that the policies in this budget, cutting tax rates for the wealthy while increasing the tax burden on working americans increasing costs on students and seniors, cutting vital investments simmably stacks the deck even -- simply stacks the deck even more in favor of the already powerful. we can do bert. we can do much better. next week the democrats in the house will propose a budget that promotes a more rapidly growing economy with more broadly shared prosperity. that is the right direction for the country. i thank you, mr. chairman. i look forward to a vigorous debate today. mr. price: i thank the ranking member. we'll now proceed to opening statements from members of the majority. we'll use the baffle our 45 minutes. following which the minority will use the balance of their 45 minutes.

we will begin with the vice chairman of the budget committee, mr. rokita from indiana. mr. rokita: thank you, mr. chairman. i want to thank you and the members of the committee for their commitment to produce a responsible federal budget that balances in less than 10 years and empowers all americans to build better lives for themselves and families. i say members of the budget committee, i mean both republicans and democrats. this is my fifth budget i have been proud to be a part of, and in all those discussions with the majority and minority members i would say we get a better product every year. this is the quickest that the budget balances in the last several that we have done. and it is in stark contrast to the president's budget. a budget that never balances, ever. this budget takes responsibility for actually addressing our $18

trillion national debt with another $100 trillion or so on the way over the next 30 to 40 years. the president would like the american people to believe that we can continue down the path we are on spending money we don't have without any consequence. let me tell u. the average hoosier in my district understands that they can't spend more money than they make, at least not for long. you certainly can't spend your way to pros -- prosperity. a balanced budget is crucial to giving individuals families, and job creators greater certainty for the future. it shows we are ready to make tough decisions and hold the government accountable for how it spends our taxpayer dollars, our property. the budget reduces spending by $5.5 trillion without, mr. van hollen without tax increases and accounting compimgimics. it delivers real results. promotes what's going on in the states. the trust states. the laboratories of democracy. it demands accountability, efficientcy, and effectiveness from us in the federal

government. this plan truly balances our budget which will result in a stronger america, a stronger future. i also like to point out even under this budget plan the federal government will still spend trillions of dollars annually and more than $43 trillion in the next 10 years. that is a lot of money. americans deserve to know that their hard-earned property is being spent wisely. as we begin this markup today, i encourage my colleagues to abandon the tired, by now, political and dogmatic approach to how we talk about these programs. instead of asking how much more money can we throw at these programs a simple formula that has every observation not worked, we must ask are these programs working? and if not, how can we improve them? how can we make them strorninge and sustainable for future generations? these are the questions that were asked the house majority members crafted this product. i'm proud of this budget and commend the chairman and my colleagues for their diligent work. with that i yield back. mr. price: thank you.

i now yield to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. garrett. mr. garrett: thank you. i'd like to begin by thanking the chair, chairman price, and committee as well for their hard work on the budget resolution that this committee will consider today. mr. chairman, as you know back on january 20, 2009, president obama took office, the federal debt stood at that time at $10.6 trillion. now the federal debt is now over $18 trillion. that's an increase over 70%. so the debt now represents more than 100% of the g.d.p. what does that mean? in other words americans owe more money to ids creditors than the value of all the goods and services produced in the united states in an entire year. this level of debt, put it mildly is unsustainable. in fact, the nonpartisan congressional budget office states that, quote, our high and rising debt would have serious negative consequences for both the economy and the federal budget. admiral mike mullen perhaps put it best when he said that quote, the single biggest threat

to our national security is our debt. so we do a disservice to the american people if we are not up front about the debt. as elected representatives of the people, we must be honest about the budget crisis facing this country and what it will take to address it. we must identify duplications, areas of waste, and opportunities for reform in all areas of spending including our entitlements and defense spending. by ensuring that taxpayer doll sars are wisely and responsibly spent. we will strengthen and preserve our social safety net, as well as ensure america's national security. so today, today will be the day we embark on a new path a. path where democrats and republicans work nogget good faith, put forth plan that transparently and honestly balance the budget. i hope that it is. that is why i commend chairman price for his efforts and urge all members of this committee to support the budget as he and his staff put forth together and put before us today. with that i yield back. mr. price: i thank the

gentleman. i now recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock. mr. mcclintock: i thank you, mr. chairman. the elephant in the room is the national debt. that has doubled in eight years. and on its current trajectory will sink this contry. according to the c.b.o., in decade the interest cost for this debt will exceed our entire defense budget. that's why the chairman warned -- chairman of joint chiefs of staff warned us this was the greatest single threat to our national security. and i might add that was five years and $4.5 trillion of debt ago. we cannot provide for the common defense if we cannot pay for it. history warns us that countries that bankrupt themselves aren't around very long. debt however, is driven principally not by the 1/3 of our spending that's discretionary, but 2/3 that's mandatory. we cannot continue to ignore the increasingly dire warnings that both medicare and social

security will collapse on an entire generation of americans in just a few years unless immediate steps are taken to restore them to solvency. for the past four years this committee and this house have passed budgets to address these issues, bring us back into balance within the decade, and thereafter pay down the enormous debt that directly threatens the prosperity and security of our children's generation. for four critical years, these budgets fell on deaf ears in the senate. fortunately with the new majority, we have the fleeting opportunity to enact a budget that averts the predictable crisis just ahead of us. that will involve compromises in polcy, but in doing so we must not compromise the integrity of this budget document. among the most chilling words in history attributed to louie the 15th, after us the flood. let that not be the eny taff of our again -- eny taff of our

generation. mr. price: i recognize the gentlelady from tennessee, miss blark. mrs. black: thank you, mr. chairman for your leadership on this important issue. unlike the president's plan, this budget is a serious proposal that balances our budget and helps grow the economy. our nation is $18 trillion in debt, and if we want to preserve this country for our children and grandchildren, we must reform the way washington works. everyone knows that medicare will soon go bankrupt. and that's why i'm pleased that this budget proposal saves this important program for today's seniors and tomorrow's retirees. by transitioning to a premium support program, we can preserve medicare for those who are in or near retirement and strengthen medicare for younger generations. furthermore, this budget obamacare's raid on the medicare trust fund and repeals obamacare's independent payment advisory board an un-elected

and unaccountable board of bureaucrats charged with making coverage decisions for medicare. despite what some critics say, this does not eliminate traditional medicare. instead, it ensures that americans will always have traditional medicare as an option. under this plan, every senior will have the support they need to get the care they deserve. those who attack this reform without offering a credible alternative are complicit in medicare's demise. i want to commend chairman price for leading on this issue and putting forward a solution to ensure that medicare can continue to deliver quality care for years to come. one way or another, this country will have to address our out-of-control debt and deficits and this budget does so responsibly. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. mr. price: i thank the gentlelady. i now recognizes the gentlelady from missouri, mrs. hartzler. mrs. hartzler: thank you, mr. chairman.

first of all i want to commend you and the rest of the colleagues on this committee for building a fiscally responsible budget that goes a long way to address our out-of-control spending program and the debt the nation has fostered over the last few years. unlike the president's proposal, our budget repeals obamacare, most importantly, it balances. as i look at why this budget is important, i go back to the people in my district and how this impacts them. it's good for people because it helps them in areas where the government has overreached. the obamacare is hurting families. this budget provides health care that helps provide them choice. people in my district are reeling from the energy costs. our budget helps provide a path to affordable energy american energy indpevens. for the senior citizens in this country, who have uncertainty about the future of medicare and

other safety net programs, we take steps here to address that, preserve and protect t we encourage entrepreneurship, which is so important to allow our economy to grow. we reduce the tax burden, the families in my district are facial, and all of our american families are facial april 15. it's important. it will reduce the tax burden and it gets us to a path out of the crushing debt for all of the children in our district. and what their future entails. i commend the chairman and this committee for putting forth this budget and truly it will provide a balanced budget for a stronger america. i yield back. mr. price: i thank the gentlelady. i now am pleased to recognize the gentleman from north carolina, mr. rice. mr. rice: our economy continues to limp along. each year c.b.o. lowers its forecast for growth over the next 10 years. 3% two years ago. 2 1/2% last year. and now 2.1% for the next 10

years predicted this year. one of the reasons for this, maybe the primary reason for this is the uncertainty that comes from washington that we put upon our economy because of our failure to deal with large problems. problems that i think everybody in this room recognize. i don't think anybody in this room would argue that our spending, our debt is on an unsustainable pace. i think everybody in this room would agree that we need tax reform in some measure. regulatory reform. everybody understands and agrees, i think, that the social security trust fund is on a path to insolvency. and the medicare trust fund. and the highway trust fund. but we seem unable to grapple with these large issues. this budget doesn't solve these

issues, but it lays out our position on many of the major issues that faces us. it lifts some of the clouds of uncertainty. this budget lays out an objective for tax reform. it lays out a path to make medicare solvent. it does it in a way that our budget balances in 10 years. we relieve the increasing burden of debt from our children and grandchildren. the budget's not perfect. we are not going to agree on everything. but it's a huge step in the right direction. i yield. mr. price: i thank the gentleman. i'm pleased to yield to the gentleman from the great state of yinch, mr. stutzman. mr. stutzman: thank you for your leadership and all the members on this committee who have worked really hard as we work towards putting a federal budget together again. there's no doubt that america's

experiencing serious financial issues. the latest -- one of the latest polls show that the greatest concern of americans across the country is the government. and that just should not be the case. people should be able to be proud of their government's operations and how we work together to accomplish and address the challenges that we face. our national debt has soared past $18 trillion. our entitlement programs are unfunded liabilities. over 90 million people are not participating in the work force. it is our responsibility not only as members of congress, but specifically as members of this committee, to produce a budget that will return washington to a time of fiscal responsibility and that will strengthen our country's economy. unfortunately, the president in his budget submission chose political short cuts over long-term solutions. instead of working towards

meaningful reforms, he chose to grow the size of the federal government with more taxes and more spending. on top of that, his budget never balances. ever. the budget before us, however s. a bold plan to solve many of our fiscal problems that we face. for starters, it does balance within 10 years. it reforms our entitlement programs and saves our social safety nets for future generations. it also reforms our mandatory spending which currently makes up 2/3 of government spending. it provides the necessary resources to keep our military strong in a time when the world becomes more and more dangerous. it reforms our tax code, cuts regulation, and creates a certainty our economy desperately needs. the bottom line, this is a budget that our constituents can find open. it's a balanced budget for a stronger america and i hope that we as a committee in a bipartisan way can pass this budget. thank you, mr. chairman. i yield back. mr. price: i thank the gentleman. pleased to yield to mr. sanford

from south carolina. mr. sanford: i thank the chairman. i find it astounding that it took us about 200 years to go from zero to $5 trillion in national debt. and then over the eight years of the bush administration, we went from $5 to 10, it doubled. now the obama administration, it will double again from 10 to 20. that is geometric growth in significance in the way that the deficit and the debts that are accumulated. i find it equally startling you look about 2025 or so and our country, our civilization, will reach a crossroads where there will only be enough money for interest and entitlements and nothing else based on the current revenue stream unless we substantially raise taxes or draconian -- bring about draconian cuts to government or go out and borrow a bunch more money. we are at a crossroads. mr. chairman, therefore, i just want to thank you for what you and other members of the committee have done in proposing this budget. to my colleague from maryland's

point, it's not a perfect budget but i think when it's compared against what the president proposed, where he's talking about $2 trillion in new debt and $8.5 trillion in new deficits, and structural deficits of $500 billion to $1.1 trillion in size over the 10-year window, it really is a marketed improvement n that regard wholeheartedly support and look forward to working with you on amendments today. thank you again for what you have done, mr. chairman. i yield back. mr. price: i thank the gentleman. i'm now pleased to yield to the newest member of our committee, from the great state of florida mr. buchanan. mr. buchanan: thank you, mr. chairman. appreciate the opportunity. also want to thank and look forward to working with the ranking member van hollen as well as all the members here on the committee. everybody has a different reason why they run for congress. for me personally i was concerned eight years ago about the debt and deficit. came in 2007. we were $8 trillion and change,

today we are at $18 trillion. you look at 49 out of 50 governors. they have to balance the budget. i look at florida after 2008, we had a lot less revenues. the next couple years, they made the tough choice that is made danchese. today we are more prosperous than ever in terms of what's going on in florida. it's not when -- if you look back historically about democrats have been the problem or republicans. it's been both. over 50 years we balance the budget four or five times. i grew up in the city of detroit. it was a great city. we were the fourth largest city in the country. it went bankrupt. when you look at the cost of our debt today at $18 trillion, normally the cost of money is not 1%, it's 4% or 5%. 5% on soon-to-be $20 trillion, $1 trillion year. look at the overall, how many dollars we take in in terms of taxes and revenue, $3 trillion. it's a third. could be as high as a third of the overall debt. that's why i believe in a constitutional balanced budget

amendment that we can work towards. i think this is a good start. it's not perfect. as some other members have mentioned. i think if we don't do it, at some point, i don't know when that is, it ends badly. that's why i want to do everything i can to move forward in terms of a balanced budget at some point in the future. thank you. i yield back. mr. price: i appreciate the gentleman's comments. i'm pleased to yield to mr. womack. mr. womack: i thank the chairman and have great respect for our chairman and ranking member van hollen for your leadership on this particular committee. it's a great honor to serve here. this is arguably the most fundamental of our legislative duties. and i'm mindful of the fact that there are as many opinions on the priorities of federal spending in the united states of america as there are members seated around this dais. indeed, the total membership of the house. nonetheless, it is our duty to coalless around a budget that

meets the commands of the world's greatest nation. the end result of our work showed at a minimum -- should at a minimum keep our nation safe. it should address the long-term drivers of the deficits and debt that have been mentioned so often in this discussion. and contribute to a climate that creates jobs and opportunities for all americans. it is my opinion that the two things most important for our country that this congress can do right now is to balance its budget and to bring regular order to its legislative process. we are about to air our differences in this markup. what is sad is we are going to be here for several hours doing what the average american does every night sitting around their kitchen table in a matter of minutes. i am hopeful that we can do it in a constructive way so that those we represent are served by this effort. i yield back. mr. price: thank the gentleman.

pleased to yield to the gentleman from virginia. mr. brat. mr. brat: thank you, mr. chairman. it's a pleasure to work under your chairmanship. thank you to all my committee members, both sides as well. i don't want to reiterate the basics but i just take pride of the basic components of this budget as well. i was an economics professor for the past 18 years. i'm most proud of three fundamentals that this budget has embedded inside it. first it balances within 10 years. i taught college kids in an age bracket. we are going to be putting that debt $18 trillion, on their generation. so for me making so many inroads on pearing -- parring back that defment i think we know interest rates will go up not down. this is a true benefit for the college kids i taught for the past 18 years. i always told them to come up here. they are the one group that does not have a lobbyist and not represented up here. i take that part of our job

especially seriously. secondly, the debt that $18 trillion, the entitlements should go down to the bottom of the debt clock, about $127 trillion. depending who you look at a purple group estimates it in the ballpark of $200 trillion. so those entitlement programs will take up the entire federal budget by 2032 if we don't get our house in order. this budget starts to address those major, major issues. none of those programs will be in existence in 2032 if we don't start addressing them now. third, i did my ph.d. way back when on economic growth. that matters perhaps more than anything else. if you have growth, a lot of other issues fade in significance. and this budget takes into account pro-growth incentives. so for all three of those reasons, i'm proud to be associated with the work this budget committee has done.

with that i yield back. mr. price: i thank the gentleman. i'm pleased to yield to the gentleman from iowa. >> thank you mr. chairman. also i'd like to thank you for your leadership on the budget committee. multicomments do not agree on most things, but they do agree on this, mr. chairman. when a country's debt exceeds the size of its economy, bad things happen. that is happening today. slow sluggish economic growth. that's what we inherit interested this administration and policies. mr. blum: this budget because of those policies contains an average annual g.d.p. growth of 2.3%. versus the 40-year average of 3.3%. in spite of this, in spite of this, this budget actually balances emphasize the word balances because the president's budget never balances.

it balances in less than 10 years without increasing taxes. and i'd like to add this footnote. if the president and the administration would implement pro-growth economic policies, this budget would balance in far less than 10 years. ronald reagan in 1980 said, no nation can tax and spend its way to prosperity. he was right in 1980 and he is right today. with that profile and thought, i yield my time back, mr. chair. mr. price: i thank the gentleman. pleased to yield to the gentleman from alabama, mr. palmer. mr. palmer: thank you mr. chairman. first of all i'd like to commend you and mr. rokita for your vision and integrity and leadership of this committee and commend the other misdemeanors of the committee for the work that they put in on this. mr. chairman, we are in a crisis. every year we spend more than we are and try to convince ourselves that deficits don't matter.

in 2014, washington spent nearly $3.5 trillion while only collecting $3 trillion in revenues resulting in a deficit that is literally 14 cents on the dollar. in other words, every dollar we spend, we borrowed 14 cents against our children's future. votes turned out in the last election, this past november they came to the ballot box because many of them lost their health insurance plans or premiums had skyrocketed because of obamacare. they voted because severe overregulation cost them their jobs because businesses cut back or closed. we are at a point now where the united states now ranks 12th among nations in terms of business start-ups. we now have more businesses closing than are opening up. the american people voted because they have seen enough of the reckless status quo in washington and they demanded a change. a responsible budget would show

them that this congress is listening. i appreciate the work that went into this budget. this budget authors a framework for how to begin decreasing the size and scope of government. some of the best provisions include adding work requirements to welfare reform programs, to welfare programs. eliminating the department of defense's unnecessary and ineffective renewable energy goals. and lifting the ban on exporting the united states' wealth of crude oil. these are good ideas with real impact and we need more of them. we also need ideas that establish an environment in which business can star start up and thrive and create the economic growth we need and more jobs. but we cannot keep putting off the real reforms that will help us get to a fiscally responsible budget. i look forward to working with this committee and other members on policies that will help us get our fiscal house in order. thank you, mr. chairman. i yield back the balance of my time. mr. price: i thank the gentleman. pleased to yield to the

gentleman from michigan. >> thank you, mr. chairman. overspending by the federal government and a lack of fiscal discipline have expanded our nation's debt. in 2014, revenues to the federal government was 49% higher than it was in 2000. yet spending for the same year was 95% higher, nearly double what it was in 2000. spending on unsustainable government programs is a percentage of n.d.p. has increased dramatically and crowded out funding for national security and other programs. mr. moolenaar: more spent funding the entire federal government in 2004. with $18 trillion in debt, and 320 million americans, an individual's share of the debt is $56,250, or $225,000 for a

family of four. the budget we are proposing today keeps the promises we have made to our seniors and those near retirement age. it stabilizes and preserves social security by eliminating the double dipping between disability insurance and unemployment benefits. this budget also enhances our country's national security. the number of people, includingairman have mentioned admiral mullen called the debt the single biggest threat to our national security. and as a senator the president called the debt a hidden domestic enemy. this house republican budget addresses the debt in meaningful way. and changes the trajectory of government spending. this budget balances within 10 years and doesn't raise taxes on hardworking americans. this budget puts our country on a path toward a more stable and responsible fiscal future and will boost our slow growing economy, create jobs, raise wages, and build a more prosperous america.

i yield back. mr. price: i thank the gentleman. pleased to yield to the gentleman, mr. westerman. mr. westerman: thank you mr. chairman. i, too, voice my appreciate for your leadership on this committee, integrity and genuine concern for a better future for our country. in 1969 a fellow arkansans said, today we are taking an historic chance to make welfare what it is meant to be a. second chance not a way of life. when president clinton signed the welfare reform act he said it's far from perfect legislation, but will go a long way toward overcoming the flaws of the welfare system for the people who are trapped in it. during the ceremony, he also quoted another iconic figure across the aisle, robert kennedy, who said, work is the meaning of what this country is all about. we need it as individuals. we need it -- we need it as a

society and as a people. even president franklin roosevelt said in a 1935 address to congress, the sustained welfare program are a subtle destroyer of the human spirit. it is in violation of the traditions of america. work must be found for ablee bodied but destitute works. this budget provides a blueprint for abled bodied working age adults while protecting services for the aged, blind disabled, and children. we get what we incentivize and we are incentivizing able-bodied working aged adults not to work. case in point, in my state, we accepted the free money from washington d.c., for medicaid expansion under the a.c.a. the enrollment data results are back for the largest welfare expansion program in my state's history.

please note this program provided 100% federal government funded health care not for the aged blind disabled, and children that were already and are still covered under traditional medicaid but for able-bodied working age adults, of that population, 40% have zero earned income. four out of 10 have no job and no incentive to get one. this budget provides the framework to allow states to compel able-bodied working-aged adults to work if they receive federal benefits. it saves hundreds of billions of dollars and allows these programs to be solvent in the future and to function as those before us intended. president clinton said in 1996 that this is not the end of welfare reform this is the beginning. we have to all assume responsibility. i encourage my friends across the aisle to assume responsibility with us and create a balanced budget for a stronger america.

i yield back the balance of my time. mr. price: i thank the gentleman. i want to thank all of my colleagues on the majority side for their cogent remarks and for their really wise statements as it relates to the challenges that we face right now. it couldn't be more clear the difficulty that is we have. sometimes, though, our constituents say it best. i had a former colleague who called me and said, price, it's just math. that's all it is. it's just math. i said, hank what do you mean? he said, we spend about $12,000 for every man, woman, and child in this country every year we only take about $10,000 for every man, woman, and child in this contry. just doesn't work. can't work in your home. can't work in your business. so what we are putting forward here is a balanced budget for a stronger america. positive solutions. i want to underscore a couple comments that were made. few folks talked about the growth that's occurring right now. you talk about stagnant growth.

this is the lowest, slowest economic recovery ever in the history of the country out of an economic down turn. if people are honest with themselves, folks in this audience, people across this country, if you're honest with yourself you have to step back and say why? what's happening? why is it the slowest economic recover ever? why has the congressional budget office estimated growth over the next 10 years, four years ago at 3% three years ago at 2.9%, two years ago at 2.7%, and now 2.3%. why is that that this congressional budget office says that growth is slowing down? if we are honest it's because of the policies that are coming out of this town. so what we are trying to do is to say to our friends on the other side of the aisle, look there are solutions, positive solutions that can meet these challenges. that's what our budget does. this balanced budget for a stronger america.

my colleagues talked about the budget that gets to balance. it does get to balance. we'll hear a lot of talk today from our friends that it doesn't get to balance. when there's more revenue coming in to the federal government than going out that's called balance. that's what our budget does. it's important to appreciate that. it's also important to appreciate you began begin paying off the debt until you have a surplus. the debt continues to go up and the more it increases, the more we are paying interest on the debt. folks talked about the kinds of volume of money that we are going to require to be needed to just pay the interest at the end of this 10 years the congressional budget office estimates it will be $1 trillion a year. $1 trillion a year. just interest on the debt. every one of those dollars is dollars that can't be used by the american people for productive kinds of activity. we ought to be aslamed of ourselves if that's all we can do in this town as it relates to

budgeting. we balance the budget. balance the budget in less than 10 years. we do so without raising taxes. taxes are at this point when taxes are raised on the american people, it actually decreases their vitality. decreases their economic ability to improve their lives in this great country. we do so in a way that recognizes that the programs that exist out there for individuals, that there are challenges there as well. medicare not according to yours truly but according to medicare experts is going broke. the president's plan apparently is to let it go broke. the budget doesn't address it. in fact, his programs, not just budget, his programs take monny, raid medicare. $716 billion to prop up another program, obamacare, that frankly s. not just a problem for our economy, it's a problem for our health.

as a formererly practicing physician, can i say there are real challenges in that arena. what we do is save and strengthen and secure medicare and provide a program that would be a guarantee program for individuals, seniors, to have health coverage. have an array of options, choices, choice that is my friends on the other side of the aisle will remember the congressional budget office says is appropriately designed, actually saves money for seniors and saves money for the federal government. that's what we call a win-win. what we call a real solution. and it's guaranteed program for seniors and allows them the kind of choices they need to respond to the needs that they have in their own lives. we recognize that this is a very dangerous world. very dangerous world. and what we believe is that the appropriate resources need to be put in place for our military to respond to the mission, to respond to the challenges that

they have in way that protects our liberty and protects our freedom. the president's budget, what does he do? he makes up a number. makes up a number. throws it out there. says this is a good dream. i'd like to this have number. we would, too. the fact of the matter is he doesn't lay out a plan to reform the law, to change the law, to get to that number. that's what we do. we lay out a plan. a concrete, honest, sincere plan. transparent plan. that says this is what we need to do and this is how we are going to get there. the challenge we have in changing the law, because that's what's required s. that we need some help from the other side of the aisle. sadly, that's been lacking. and the president's been less than helpful and comes to the table to solve the challenge we've got and make certain our military has the resources that it needs. we embrace the notion of federalism. it's at the heart of our nation. not just because we think that

states are governments that are closer to the american people and therefore most often make more responsive decision force their people. but tause because it provides greater choices and opportunity for individuals back home. what's right in georgia isn't necessarily what's right in indiana or in maryland or california or new york. so providing greater flexibility, greater opportunity, greater choices for local government, state governments, that's how you solve these challenges. people know that they can contact their state legislator more readily than they contact their member of congress or the united states senate. that's where -- when it's appropriate to have those decisions made locally that's where they ought to be made. i am's sited. enthusiastic about the budget we are putting forward. this balanced budget for a stronger america. we are going to have a great conversation and a great discussion today. our friends on the other side are going to offer all sorts of suggestions and amendments to this budget.

i would urge folks to listen carefully. how many times taxes will be raised. how much more money they want to take out of your pocketbook in order to pay for their priorities. and oftentimes their priorities that frankly haven't worked. they are the kinds of programs that have gotten us to this slow growth. we look forward to the days ahead, we look forward to the conversations that we'll have, and i want -- once again want to thank the members of the majority who have worked tirelessly along with their staffs to come forward with this positive solution, positive solution for the challenges that we face. a balanced budget for a stronger america. and i now recognize the ranking member who will control the remaining time for the minority to provide the presentation. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. chairman. i'm going to turn this debate over to my colleagues in a minute. to quickly respond to a few of the points you have raised. i can't emphasize enough the fact that this republican budget does not balance.

don't take it from me. take it from republicans including the new senate leader on the senate budget committee, senatorencey, who pointed out using the affordable care act revenue to balance the budget is a gimmick. here's what he says. one of the problems i've had with budgets that i have looked at is they use a lot of gimmicks. he points out that it assumes the obamacare will go away, but all the money would still be there. then he says i'd like to see us get to real accounting with the budget. also trillion dollars in business tax cuts that have been proposed by our colleagues on the floor of the house. some last year, some this year. not counted for in this budget. let's talk about defense spending. the chairman said the president doesn't have a plan? actually, the president does have a plan. he got rid of the provision in the law that caps defense spending where it is. he did it the straightforward, transparent way. the reason we are late today, we

were supposed to start at 10:30 now 11 we know our republican colleagues couldn't figure out what they want to do on defense spending. what did they come up with? they come up with a total scam, we'll talk about it a little later. senator mccain said, quote it's not legitimate budgeting. putting all the money in the o.c.o. account when the joint chiefs of staff say they don't need those funds for overseas operations? we'll have an interesting discussion today. we'll hear about the comments our colleagues made last year about how we shouldn't be using o.c.o. as a slush faund. it's a joke. so -- fund. it's a joke. so, mr. chairman, this budget is not balanced. not by a long shot. let's talk about medicare. it's interesting -- >> we'll leave this hearing at this point of the the house budget committee is due to be in until late this evening, possibly beyond. as they mark up the 2016 republican budget plan. you can continue watching the hearing online at c-span.org. and we'll return to live coverage this afternoon after the house adjourns for the day.

live picture of the house floor now as work is about to get under way on a bill prohibiting the e.p.a. from finalizing rules unless all scientific and technical information is made publicly available. this is live coverage of the u.s. house here on c-span.