can also see more action on north carolina congressman mark meadows' efforts to have house speaker john boehner replaced. that effort began yesterday. could come to the floor today. in a moment live coverage of the u.s. house here on c-span. [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 speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by our chaplain father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. god of our ancestors, thank you for giving us another day. we pray you to be with the members of this house today and as they return to their home districts during the august recess. give them sound judgment and make them as practical as the american people who sent them here as their representatives. help them to withstand to open criticism when they know what is

right before you and conscience. often they are characterized by half truths and attributed motives that are far beneath them. uphold them at such times with personal integrity and compassion for those in most need. having called them to serve others to the best of their abilities, let them even higher by your grace and power to live and work for your greater honor and glory, both this day and throughout the remainder of the summer. amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces his approval. pursuant to clause 1, rule 1. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: i demand a vote on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journ.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the journal stands approved. mr. wilson: i object to the vote that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: further proceedings on this question are postponed. pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from new york, mr. higgins. mr. higgins: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain requests -- up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for one minute. mr. paulsen: mr. speaker, i roads today to recognize the service of richard kline who announced he will be retiring at the end of this year.

for over 20 years, chief kline has diligently served as head of the plymouth fire department during a time of tremendous growth and change. he led the way when it comes to bringing firefighting in the 21st century by embracing new technology and equipment techniques not only locally but being involved at the national level through education and speaking en-- engagements. he serves as chair of the health committee where his influence is felt throughout the state of minnesota. i'd like to thank chief kline fored leading our first responders and keeping our community safe. i know the plymouth community will miss him but chief kline's steadfast leadership leaves plymouth on a firm foundation for the future and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition? mr. langevin: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. langevin: mr. speaker this

past sunday marked the 25th anniversary of the americans with disabilities act. since its enactment, the a.d.a. has been a beacon of hope for people with disabilities both in the united states and around the world. passionate advocates and champions fought for the rights and protections enshrined in this law. thanks to their pioneering efforts people with disabilities can participate in more aspects of society than ever before. and where barriers exist, so too, do the opportunities to remove them, thanks to the protections and accommodations afforded under the a.d.a. we have come far since the passage of the a.d.a., but we still have much more work ahead. as we commemorate the silver anniversary of the a.d.a., i hope everyone will join me in celebrating the strides we made while also recommitting our efforts to achieving the full equality and opportunity on which the a.d.a. and our country were founded. thank you and i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. womack: mr. speaker i rise today with a heavy heart to remember the life of terry stambal of harrison, arkansas. terry died this week when his car was struck head on by a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed fleeing from police. it's heartbreaking to see the life of a community servant taking taken at the age of 61 or for any age for that matter under these circumstances. terry was chairman of the board of the harrison, arkansas regional chamber of commerce, president of the harrison rotary club, board member of the 14th judicial court special advocate program, past present of the harrison county board of realtors and worked in the trucking industry. in addition, he was deacon at the first christian church in harrison.

mr. speaker, terry was a man of tremendous faith, and while i know the entire harrison community will forever mourn his loss, we take comfort in the fact that god is real as terry stated in his final facebook posting, and that terry is now at his side. i stand in this well today, mr. speaker, to honor terry for his many years of service to his faith, his family and his beloved city of harrison and say a final thank you for this dedicated community leader. my prayers are with his wife, kerry, his children, angly, sarah and hannah his stepchildren, blake and logan cook, during this very difficult time for the family. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, i rise with great excitement to congratulate the houston city council and our chief charles

mccolan for naming our beacon of law enforcement building after edward alfred thomas, the longest serving and greatest patrol officer in the history of the houston police department so noted by fellow officers. edward alfred thomas was born in shreveport, louisiana, in 1920. he played football for southern university and as well he was drafted in world war ii where he saw action with the united states army at normandy, in northern africa and during the battle of the bulge. after the war with his honorable discharge edward thomas became one of the first african-american police officers in the city of houston. when he started he could not vote with our poll tax, where he worked for 63 years until his retirement on july 23 2011. he worked for more than six decades, way before the civil rights movement and his work was not without challenges. because of his work and because of his race, officer thomas was not allowed to drive a squad car or arrest white suspects without obtaining permission from his supervisor.

at one point in his career he was disciplined for speaking to a white meter maid who asked him to walk with her to not have the unwanted attention of construction workers. just extending himself and doing his job. i'm excited having his name on the 26 headquarters building and i am honored to say i will be coming home to present you with a number of resolutions in honor and i know that he wants the voting rights act re-authorized because he couldn't vote then but now he stands as the longest serving police officer and one of great service. i salute you to thomas -- to edward alfred thomas. thank you so very much. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentlewoman has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, i am grateful to congratulate the military chaplain corps on their 240th birthday. since their founding this day

on july 29, 1775, by the continental congress at the request of general george washington, military chaplains have served with courage honor and selflessness. i'm grateful that fort jackson, located in south carolina, serves as a training facility for this distinct group of individuals who do so much to pull fill the religious needs of our men and women in uniform. it is the home to the chaplain regimental museum association. this museum highlights those who have shared desire to minister to soldiers and their families. i appreciate the president of the association, chaplain brigadier general don rutherford and the board of directors for their dedicated service to our men and women in uniform. i know firsthand of the chaplain's extraordinary service during my and my son's national guard duty. i am grateful to have worked with air national guard chaplain lieutenant colonel brian baughman for his military

family nonpartisan operation thank you. congratulations on their 240th birthday. chaplains make a difference helping service members and families have a more fulfilling life. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. quigley: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, for the past 40 years, anti-choice politicians have convinced congress to maintain hyde amendment language while pushing for restricting access even further. for four decades, the hyde amendment has denied too many women their constitutional right to choose by prohibiting the use of federal funds to pay for abortion services. the fact that this restriction discriminates against women with limited resources at the very time in which they need the support the most is unconscionable. we have had enough of letting the majority restrict access to abortion services when the

majority of americans support a woman's right to choose. is it time to change -- it is time to change course. no matter how much she earns, how she is insured and where she lives, i ask my colleagues to support the each woman act. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of the life and service of united states marine private first class lupacini who was laid to rest with full military honors this evening. mr. fitzpatrick: he was two years out of high school when on december 9 150, he made the ultimate sacrifice for his nation in the mountains of north korea. while on a mission to rescue a group of fellow marines.

his platoon leader described him as a true fighting marine who was small in stature but enormously courageous. after more than 65 years, the private's spirit has returned home and now rests among our nation's bravest at arlington national cemetery. forever providing a place of reflection and remembrance for generations of family members and grateful americans. from the bottom of my heart, i express my gratitude to his membership in the eternal ranks of those who sacrificed at freedom's alter. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. higgins: visitors to the 1901 pan america expo significance were so astounded with the electric light powered by niagara falls that buffalo became known across the world as the city of light. last week "the new york times" reported to the nation, buffalo is back due again to our

investments in renewable energy. in 2005 we won a federal licensing settlement that directed $279 million from local hydropower proceeds to redevelop buffalo's waterfront. a transformation that has attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment. in access to cheap, clean hydropower convinced yahoo! to locate its data and call center in niagara county, creating thousands of jobs. steel winds project has built 14 wind turbines creating enough electricity to power 15000 homes. along the buffalo river, the largest solar panel manufacture in the western hemisphere is under construction which will create 3,500 jobs in the solar industry. at the turn of the cent -- 20th century, buffalo led an energy formation. buffalo has reclaimed its future. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. johnson: i ask unanimous

consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. speaker, yesterday a third plan parenthood video was released regarding the selling of aborted baby body parts and organs. the fact that this is going on is just vial. our constitution protects the right to life and its fore -- unfore give for any organization to -- unforgiveable for any organization to engage in this kind of trafficking. to make matters worse planned parenthood receives taxpayer dollars that ultimately helps support these vial acts. i fully support the house investigation into planned parenthood and i'm proud to support legislation that would stop all federal funding for planned parenthood until these investigations are over. that said, i believe washington should follow texas lead and permanently defund planned

parenthood. all life is sacred, and i will continue to do all i can to protect the lives of the unborn. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition? mr. cicilline: mr. cicilline: tomorrow, july 30 marks the 50th anniversary of president johnson soing the social security act amendments into law and creating medicare and medicaid to meet the health care needs of seniors, individuals with disabilities and working families. today 55 million americans receive benefits and 69 million americans rely on medicaid. one in three children receive their health insurance through medicaid. in rhode island's 1st district, more than 92,000 receive medicare benefits and 100,000 receive medicaid coverage.

access to quality health care should be a right to everyone. over the last half september try, medicare and medicaid provided millions of americans with access to quality, affordable health care. it's critical to strengthen these programs enhance benefits and make sure all americans can live with security and dignity. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. without objection. >> the "washington post" reports that the president knew of two secret side deals in the agreement with iran but failed to inform congress. more troubling, it reports that while the president and the secretary of state know the agreements exist neither has seen them. these agreements which are between iran and the u.n. atockic energy sptors and in its article, the "washington post" quotes the deputy of the u.n.

agency saying no american is ever going to get to see them, speaking of the side agreements. mr. speaker, no one believes we can believe with iran with a happenedshake so the lynch pin is inspections so why would the president make an agreement of secret deals that no american including him will ever see? it is beyond my comprehension. congress needs to reject this bad deal. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, this past sunday marked the 25th anniversary of the americans with disabilities act. this historic piece of

legislation prohibits discrimination against those with disabilities, giving them greater access and protections. but the a.d.a. does more than just open doors. it recognizes every individual's ability to succeed. yesterday i met with sarah goldman, a young woman with cerebral palsy earning her master's degree at florida state university. she came to my office to advocate on behalf of a.d.a. she has said we made great progress in the last 25 years but there is so much more work to be done. listen to sarah's words and continue the fight to make sure that all americans are empowered to achieve their own american dreams. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: i ry today to bid fair well and good luck to jack zarka who has been the minister for coppingsal affairs at the israeli embassy in washington, d.c.,. since 1991, josh has a long and distinguished career with the ministry of foreign affairs representing the jewish state of israel and indeed around the world. during his time here in d.c., josh has been a major influence in strengthening the u.s.-israel relationship and there is no doubt that his tireless work to promote and strengthen the ties between our two countries has contributed greatly to the safety and security of israel, its citizens and us here in the united states. josh can be proud of the work that he has done here but i know what he values the most is his family. his wife esther and their four

children. i wish josh and his family much success especially as they prepare for their daughter's upcoming wedding. we will miss you josh. stay in touch. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute. >> 50 years ago hundreds of unarmed men and women marched from selma to montgomery. they were met with violence, prejudice and hate but these brave men and women continue their push for equality and because of their sacrifice and determination, the historic voting rights act was passed. for over 40 years, the voting rights act was one of our best tools to combat historic discrimination and provided critical voter protections to ensure that americans of all back grouppeds had equal access

to the ballot box. but with the supreme court shelby decision two years ago, key provisions were gutted from this act that must be restored. as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the voting rights act, i urge my republican colleagues to restore dignity and ensure that this is a democracy of the people and by the people. allow us to vote on a meaningful legislation to restore the voting rights act. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> i would like to recognize one every day hero from southern illinois u.s. mail carrier don fitz. he felt something was wrong when he was taking mail up to a

house. don knew both residents were elderly and had difficulty getting around. he checked on around to the back door and heard mr. david nelson yell back he and his wife had fallen. don called paramedics who arrived on the scene. i honor the quick and caring action who is more than just a neighborhood mailman. he delivers more than just the mail to the residents. he delivers compassion. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from connecticut seek recognition? ms. delauro: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revie and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. esty: thank you, mr. speaker, in connecticut we know all too well the devastation caused by gun violence. we will never stop mourning the lives of 26 people who were

ripped from us by the horrific shootings in newtown. but just as tragic are the deaths that don't make national headlines. mr. speaker, we have a serious problem with gun violence in this country which no person or community is protected. this year alone in the capital city of hartford, gun violence has claimed 19 lives. and yet today this house is scheduled to adjourn for the next five weeks, refusing to bring this urgent public health matter to the house floor refusing to address gun violence that is hurting america. i have joined with colleagues from across the aisle to propose a bipartisan bill to expand background checks to all commercial gun sales. legislation that if enacted would have prevented several of the most recent mass shootings. i urge the leadership of this house to spend august thinking

about these 30,000 americans we lose each year to gun violence and to bring this urgent matter to the full house for a vote when we reconvene in september. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, today i rise to discuss a simple solution to a straightforward problem. 11 years after retiring from the military, one of my constituents received a bill for $1,500 for alleged overpayment by department of defense. this is more than a decade later. and first she is hearing about it is a letter demanding payment. the service member is expected to track down and find whatever resets or -- receipts may be relevant from 11 years ago.

this is happening to veterans across this nation. often these bills result in d.o.d. accounting system errors. if there is an error, whether the fault of the service member or d.o.d. steps should be taken to remedy that. but the government shouldn't wait a decade before sending the first letter. i'm introducing a bill today to replace the statute of limitation on d.o.d.'s authority to initiate a collection process. this does not prevent the d.o.d. from collecting debts but says you must do it in a timely fashion. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting of the soldier act. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from nebraska seek recognition? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. . mr. ashford: when we return from our recess we need to re-authorize the export-import

bank. in fact last year, my district exported over 60 million of nebraska manufactured goods all over the world. growing u.s. exports means growing jobs at home. secondly, we need to come together and pass a long-term transportation bill. according to a recent report, nearly a quarter of nebraska's bridges are structurally unsound. beyond safety, investments in infrastructure can create immediate jobs and long-term economic growth. lastly we also need to pass a responsible comprehensive immigration reform bill. this would pull hardworking people out of the shadows, work to attract the best talented people across the globe and make our businesses more competitive in the world economy. so upon our return, mr. speaker, let's commit ourselves to bipartisan solutions to these issues. thank you. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has been expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from tennessee seek recognition? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mrs. black: mr. speaker i stand here profoundly disappointed that the house will leave town today without taking a vote on my legislation to defund planned parenthood. over the past two weeks, we have seen the gruesome video showing the depravity of this organization. we made speeches and we have pledged action. now our constituents would like to know when we are going to follow through on that promise. today, i'm reminded of the words silence in the face of evil is it self evil. not to speak is to speak. not to act is to act. mr. speaker, we have a moral obligation to defund planned

parenthood and we must do it now. not when politicians and pundits think it is most politically expedient. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: flop the gentlewoman from alabama seek recognition? ms. sewell: address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. sewell: today i rise in recognition of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the signing of the voting rights act of 1965. our nation made an important step forward 50 years ago when, on august 6, 1965, president johnson signed into law this landmark legislation. it was a moment that brave men and women like our colleague john lewis marched for and were willing to die for as they dared to cross the edmund pettus dredge in selma.

the supreme court struck down federal protections for vulnerable communities. when the supreme court struck down section 4, it did not say that protections were not needed, rather it issued a challenge to us here in this house to come up with a modern-day formula. that is a challenge for us in this great house to come up with a modern-day formula to provide protections for vulnerable communities. on this anniversary on the landmark decision, let us mark this call to action and call worthy of our attention. on this recess, let us remark about how wonderful it was that we all came together, came together on march 7 1965, in order to do what was right. so now i ask all of you to please consider restoring the voting rights act of 1965. it's important for all americans.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentlelady has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. burgess: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and stepped my remarks. i want to recognize the upcoming sturg is more cycle rally celebrating in south dakota. since the rally eye inception in 1938 it has grown from a single race to a week-long event attended by hundreds of thousands from across the united states and around the globe. each year more and more are using their motorcycles to go to work or go for a ride. they ease road congestion and decrease wear and tear on our nation's infrastructure. as co-chairman of the congressional motorcycle, i wish

good weather and safe travels while celebrating the freedom to ride. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii seek recognition? ms. gabbard: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. gabbard: i rise to discuss religious minorities in bag will he --. it's -- bangladesh. their country is in turmoil. flawed elections were held last year and the political violence that has ensued. i'm particularly concerned over issues of religious freedom and specifically a tax against the minority's-dues christians and -- hindus, christians and buddhists in bang will he --. it's -- bangladesh. it's up to the government to protect the rights of these minorities. i'm introducing a resolution today calling on the government

of bangladesh to protect human rights of all of its citizens, particularly its vulnerable minorities strengthen democratic institutions and rule of law and prevent the growth of extremist groups. i ask my colleagues to support this resolution to help protect the religious freedoms of all people in bangladesh. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today as did my colleague, the gentleman from south carolina, to note that today marks the 240th birthday of the military chaplains corps which was originally founded by the continental congress. i stand today to honor the men and women who serve the spiritual needs of those in uniform. the military chap lanes who serve and -- chaplains who serve and have served bravely go with their fellow soldiers fill the role of pastor

counselors. they're held in especially high regard in my own office with captain david woody serving as chaplain as well as myly ason in the fourth district of arkansas. i want to thank chaplain witte and those and i yesh. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. johnson: i rise to address this body for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. this confederate flag, which is a symbol of systemic oppression and racial subjew gation was -- subgaited was recently lowered in the state of north carolina,

but this flag, is still flying high in a figuratively sense over our country. when the u.s. supreme court struck down the heart of the voting rights act, it signaled that african-american voting rights would no longer be protected. pretending that the legacy of poll taxes literacy tests and blatant discrimination was no longer taking place, the supreme court symbolically raised this flag when it gutted the voting rights act. now that this flag has come down from the halls of south carolina, it's time that we lower this flag from its perch over the voting rights of african-americans by passing the legislation in the u.s. congress to restore the voting rights act, and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore:

without objection, the gentleman is recognized. >> -- mr. poe: mr. speaker, the i.r.s. intimidated harassed many americans because of their political philosophy, and the people are still waiting for answers why their government is engaged in this soviet style of behavior. now we learned that the i.r.s. purposely used an internal messaging system an office communication simber on the sly. they offered not to archive these messages and kept them secret from the eyes of the citizens in congress. in one email, lois lerner said it was not archived. and her response, perfect. so we will never know what was in those messages that were intentionally scrubbed. there's a pattern here. the secretary of state was conducting official business on her own untraceable secret email server and the tax man used their own go dark system to evade transparency. just another day with the most

transparent administration in history. mr. speaker the public has a right to know and get answers to all these scandals. after years of stone walling its painfully obvious that this administration will not investigate this administration. and that's just the way it is. i'll yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? ms. chu: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. ms. chu: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the 50th anniversary of medicare and medicaid. when president lyndon b. johnson signed medicare and medicaid into law, he proclaimed that, quote, no longer will older americans be denied the healing miracle of modern medicine. no longer will destroy the savings they have so carefully put away over a lifetime so that they might enjoy a dignity

that their later years. ms. matsui: no longer will they see their own incomes and own hopes eaten abay because they are carrying out their deep moral obligation to their parents unquote. we need to continue to keep these promises by protecting and expanding medicare and medicaid. together these two programs provide health coverage for our nation's seniors, people with disabilities and moms and families. we must ensure that these programs are hear for now and for future generations. i thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentleman is recognized. >> before my time in congress, if someone told me that i would spent 90% of my time fighting

executive regulatory overreach, nobody would have believed me but it's the truth. but in the past seven months i have found out how out of control the overreach of this administration truly is. with rules such as waters of the united states and the clean power plan from e.p.a., this administration continues to trample on the rights of our citizens and states while hurting our economy along the way. that is why i was pleased to co-sponsor legislation to have 70 legislative days to review any rules with an economic impact over $100 million and ensures congress has oversight before any major rule goes to the president for a signature. by allowing congress to review these rules, we can restore accountability and the power of legislating to the legislative branch. i thank my colleagues in the house for passing this important legislation and call on those in the senate to take swift action to reduce

regulatory overreach. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. gallego: mr. speaker on august 6 we will celebrate the anniversary of the voting rights act of 1965. mr. speaker, this landmark law codified protections to guarantee every american's right to vote. they have broken down barriers to discourage or prohibit citizens from voting. the v.r.a. led to an inclusive electoral system. mr. speaker, the right to vote is central to who we are as americans and to our democracy. but this cornerstone of american civil rights is unfortunately being threatened today. in too many places across the country we have seen new measures that create barriers and make it harder to register or vote. on this 50th anniversary, we

must redouble our commitment to strengthening the voting rights act. we can restore the voting rights act to ensure the rights of all americans that go to the ballot box and cast a ballot are protect the. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. hultgren: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize the father of swimming, adolf kiefer from wadsworth, illinois. at age 17, he became the 100 meter gold medal winner at the 1936 berlin olympics. in addition to earning 17 world records, adolf was the first person to swim the 100 backstroke in under a minute and invented a flip turn still used today. he founded his own company inventing the first plastic kick board and first nylon swimsuit. upon joining the navy, he was shocked to learn many of his

comrades couldn't swim. he designed a program to teach millions of recruits what he doubled the -- dubbed the victory backstroke. he served the rad cross for 25 years, coordinating the learn to swim campaign for chicago, and overseeing lessons for thousands of children. mr. kiefer just celebrated his 97th birthday and still swims every day. i have submitted a letter of support for mr. kiefer for the presidential medal of freedom. i urge our country to honor a great man from illinois' 14th congressional district, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from the virgin islands seek recognition? ms. plaskett: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentlelady is recognized. ms. plaskett: thank you mr. speaker. i am upset that the house is heading in august recess today with so much unfinished work in front of us. we could be working to find a transportation bill that both we and the senate can agree on, a bill that would begin to fix our broken roads, bridges and

highways. in my district in the virgin islands has been hit by nearly six years of substantially reduced federal funding. we could be working on an appropriations bill to fund work important for this country. in my district in the virgin islands, the interior appropriations bill is vitally important. this funding would go towards the children in our schools. right now the schools are not structurally sound, decaying. in fact a new school hasn't been built in my home district on the island of st. croix or st. thomas in the last two decades. it is shameful to leave town without working on a voting rights act. the ability and ease of access to voting must be expanded, not restricted. it must also further expand to include the four million americans who do not have the right to vote for their president simply because they live in a territory. these men and women love their country. they fight for their country but are excluded from the most basic democratic function. we could be working to fix

these and the myriad of other things but instead we're leaving with these matters unintended. this is an embarrassment to this body and must not happen again. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentlelady has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. sessions: good morning, mr. speaker. by the direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 388 and ask for its immediate consideration . the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 52, house resolution 388 . resolved, that at any time after adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill h.r. 1994, to amend title 38, united states code, to provide for the removal or demotion of employees of the department of veterans affairs based on performance or misconduct, and for other purposes. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived.

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

amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the house or in the committee of the whole. all points of order against such amendments are waived. at the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment the committee shall rise and report the bill to the house with such amendments as may have been adopted. .any member may demand a separate vote in the house on any amendment adopted in the committee of the whole to the bill or to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions. sec. 2. upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill (h.r. 3236) to provide an extension of federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other programs funded out of the highway trust fund, to provide resource flexibility to the department of veterans affairs

for health care services and for other purposes. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. the bill shall be considered as read. all points of order against provisions in the bill are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided among and controlled by the respective chairs and ranking minority members of the committees on transportation and infrastructure, ways and means, and veterans' affairs; and (2) one motion to recommit. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is now recognized for one hour. mr. sessions: thank you very much. during consideration of this resolution, all time is yielded for purpose of debate only. i yield the customary 30 nipts to the gentleman from colorado, mr. polis pending myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman is recognized. mr. sessions: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. . mr. sessions: we are here at the end of the work that we are done before our break back home for the august break where we will have the opportunity to go back to the american people and talk with them as they are in our homes and cities and neighborhoods and schools and firehouses and places of worship. and we'll have a chance to meet and talk with them about the great work that republicans have done and achieved here in washington, d.c. during this first half of the year. and i'm very pleased to know that today as we are preparing to leave to go back home for our work session that we are going to be presenting several bills on the floor that are done to try and move forward not only

thoughts and ideas that we have in the house of representatives, but really to work in the spirit of things with the other body the united states senate, so that we can make sure that the american people, their vision, their needs are before the american people and that is why i am here today. mr. speaker, last year the american people were shocked once again by the news that dozens of our nation's veterans were left to die while they waited for medical care in the veterans administration. the v.a. hospital, which is located in so many of our communities around this great nation has simply not performed well and in several instances has had shocking results. and that is also why we're here today. in response, congress passed something that's called the choice act. it makes it easier to remove senior executives at the v.a. who had underperformed who had not done their job properly on

behalf of not just the taxpayer of this country, but on behalf of a grateful nation who is serving the men and women who have given their very best years and lives to this country through their service in the united states military. and we believe that removing people who cannot make wise choices and decisions at the v.a. was the right thing to do. we were trying to put the president, his administration, the secretary and senior managers at the v.a. not only on notice that we would not tolerate bad behavior, poor decisions and ineffective management, but we were going to do something about it. by the way, we felt like they were underperforming to a deserved crowd, and that is our veterans. well the president agreed with us, too. and the bill was signed into law. we got that done last year choice act. it was a good decision by this

body when we faced the times where we recognized not only in a public way, but in an outpouring of support from veterans who said this has to change. the republican congress did just that. our chairman of the veterans committee, from florida, jeff miller, very quickly and clearly went and did an investigation on a bipartisan basis, looked at the v.a. and made these zigs. that is what we did a year ago. since then, only two v.a. employees have been fired for their role in what is now known as the waiting list scandal. what is this waiting list scandal? the waiting list scandal is a way by which the v.a. denied people an opportunity, veterans an opportunity to come and get the health care that they needed by stringing them out and then deceiving others, included

themselves in the v.a. about what the waiting times were. they deceived not only these people who were given these long dates, they deceived the management and also deceived the united states congress. well, as happens many times, people find out. well we did find out. and this meant that the deaths that were covered up, the veterans that were neglected and the statistics that were provided to us and others were altered. but one year later, the waiting list grows longer and longer and longer. no doubt, we gave the administration the tools that they asked for and agreed with, only two people have been fired. mr. speaker, we were sincere about qua we did by giving them the authority and the responsibility. we expected them to clean it up. i looked to not only our chairman, jeff miller, but we

looked to the v.a. also to stand up and say they disagreed with that. not much has happened, certainly not enough. so we are back here again poor performances and bad actors still continue to undermine the v.a. and they continue to undermine not only the scheduling, undermine the service, they undermine the quality that should be available to our veterans. and as a result of this, the ability that we think we are providing to our veterans is diminished, the care for our veterans, wounded and sick veterans continues to lag. so republicans are back at the table. our young chairman jeff miller has stayed at the table. he has stayed working on this issue on a bipartisan basis with the members of the veterans committee by knowing what is happening all across this country.

learning more about not just the facts of the case but the stories that come from the veterans themselves. the stories that may come from people who are inside the v.a. they are important to us learning what's really happening. so, because the v.a. has a long and well documented history of failing to hold employees accountable, we are back here today with another bill. that's right. another bill that we are going to handle on the floor by this republican house with democrats on a bipartisan basis to make it easier to remove or deminnesota employees who do not do their job and who need to be out of that organization. we are going to give this organization exactly what they're asking for again. we are going to give the v.a. and their new veterans secretary the ability to clean up their

mess. we're trying our best to hold them accountable yet at the same time, expect them to do the right thing. yesterday in testimony, we had our chairman say he has confidence in the secretary. he has confidence that the secretary can adjust and make these changes. but the law needs to be updated and changed. that's why we're here today, to give the v.a. the tools that they need just like when i was a manager in the private sector, i needed the tools to run my organization properly and effectively. the ability to move employees that were not doing their job or to get rid of employees or even fire them if they are not only performing their job, but deceptively trying to harm patients in the process. mr. speaker, this bill would send a clear message to

employees of the v.a. and we intend to do that today. we are going to send a clear message to them that they either perform properly or if they are harming our effort to help our veterans, it is time for them to leave. if they're not up to doing the task very well, this department will be given the opportunity, the law and the leverage to do just that this bill would send another important signal also, if you choose to demonstrate the moral courage necessary to stand up for veterans and to blow the whistle on those who are not, we want to make sure that you are protected, that you can come forth inside your own organization of the v.a. to report and root out bad behavior. we must fix this. mr. speaker, too many times the testimony yesterday revealed

that these v.a. facilities in location after location after location around this country are death traps for our veterans. these elder veterans who go to seek help and we need to address this for the safety of men and women who have protected this great nation. congress needs to make it clear, and we can today. the superviseors at the v.a. cannot retaliate against whistleblowers. if there is someone in the organization who is willing to tell the truth and come forward you cannot retaliate against them because they are going to tell the truth about the poor service and responsibility towards aiding our veterans. it will not be tolerated. and every member will have the opportunity to say this is the right thing to do because this

is what the secretary is ask for. the american people deserve to know when our veterans are treated poorly, this bill will help them. when our v.a. employees understand that someone was going to turn a blind eye before now, we will no longer do that. we are going to give the v.a. the tools to root out the problems to make this better so we can honestly look at our men and women say thank you for your service. this grateful nation does care about you. it is time for sweeping cultural changes at the v.a. it's time to remove the bureaucrats who will make excuses, who will hide things and make circumstances dangerous and worst for our veterans. time to hold senior executives accountable when the v.a. underperforms and that's why i'm joining the american legion, the v.f.w. and other veterans' associations in supporting h.r. 1994.

that is what the testimony revealed yesterday at the rules committee when we heard from not only the chairman of the committee, but others, about the importance of this bill. the rule would also provide for debate for h.r. 3236, surface transportation and veterans health care choice improvement act of 2015. so we have two specific purposes that we're here. first for the v.a. and second to make sure that we authorize eastern extension for the federal surface transportation program through onth 29. it's a well known understanding that our young chairman bill shuster of the transportation committee, has been working and working and working. we indicated last year in november, again in december, that we would allow an extension to this date from last year and chairman shuster said he thought he could have a deal by now. well, as it turned out the

united states senate is debating that this week. they're going through a week-long process to determine what they would like their transportation bill to be like. the bottom line is 1,000-page bill that has not yet passed that we do not know the substance for, we are not going to agree with sight unseen. our young chairman bill shuster has asked that we offer a very polite and reasonable option and that is, give us an opportunity to review this. they have done the hard work the united states senate. we will do the same and we will get that done by october 29. it would avoid a shortfall that would keep the v.a. from closing hospitals across this country also. mr. speaker, this is the substance of what this rule and the underlying legislation is all about. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? mr. polis: i thank the gentleman from text yielding me 30 minutes and i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in opposition to the rule and the underlying bills, h.r. 3236, the surface transportation and veterans health care choice improvement act and h.r. 1994, the v.a. accountability act. yet again we have a grab-bag rule that covers multiple bills on widely different subjects, in this case transportation and veterans care in one bill and yet we have a closed rule that is pushing through a last-minute deal that kicks the can down the road when there is reason to believe if we simply stayed in town and worked another week we might be able to work with the senate with regard to a long-term re-authorization. . the bill has two entirely

unrelated aspects. i've never heard of a crazier name than the surface transportation and veterans health care choice improvement act. it's part of the problem of this body over the last several years the republican leadership has moved towards doing more and more omnibuses and mini buses. that means combining disparate bills. transportation-veterans in one bill which isn't healthy for accountability of this body among the electorate. if you vote against this bill, for instance, because you don't like the transportation division, does that mean you're against veterans? if you don't like the veteran provisions and vote against this bill, are you against transportation? how easy would it be simply to have two votes on each of these bills so members on both sides of the aisle can vote their conscience and our constituents could hold us accountable? of course it's necessary to give the v.a. the authority to transfer $3.3 billion for health care services. strong agreement on both sides. we could run the bill on suspension. we wouldn't even need to open it

up for a rule t would pass with more than 2/p. -- 2/3. there are problematic conditions and combined with another temporary fix for our nation's highway system instead of trying to stay in town another week and work on a more permanent fix to meet the transportation needs of our country. as you know, mr. speaker, 54% of our nation's major roads and bridges are rated poor or mediocre. 45% of americans don't have access to public transit. congestion produced by our legislative failures here wastes valuable time and money and detract from the growth of the american economy. it's estimated americans will lose $8.4 billion hours and 4.5 billion gallons of gas over a decade. that means the average consumer is wasting $800 a year and five whole days of their life away from their kids, their family, simply sitting in traffic. mr. speaker, that's

unacceptable. my constituents are no stranger to traffic. if you have been to fort collins, one of the largest city in my district and home to one of our great universities, you'll find on highway 25 my constituents endure gridlock traffic at rush hour, doubling or tripling their commuting times. expansion of highway 25 and high speed rail along highway 70 have been given -- highway, 36, have been given completion dates decades from now. 60 years in some cases. try to imagine being told your doctor wants to break down blockages in your arteries over a period of 60 years. you won't make it that far. our communities need to do something about traffic now. commerce is the lifeblood and for the towns to survive and thrive we need to tackle our transportation needs head-on. from our other speakers you'll hear a lot about the export-import bank. the one item that somehow with this grab bag that includes

veterans and transportation the one item that there's a strong bipartisan majority for re-authorizing the export-import bank, in fact 67 senators in the republican-led senate voted to re-authorize the export-import bank, and yet somehow that item didn't make the grab bag. one of the most important items if congress fails to act on will result concretely in the loss of tens of thousands of american jobs and make american companies less competitive for exports at a time when the global and competitiveness and global economy is more important than ever was left out of this grab bag of bills. look, i understand ideological issues with the export-import bank. in a perfect world i would agree with my colleagues that argue we shouldn't need to do this kind than ever of effective subsidy for exporters, but if other countries are doing it and it's permissible under w.t.o. and trade rules, we would truly be idiots to unilaterally disarm

and not engage in a legal practice that facilitates the credit of american exporting businesses. effectively would lead to the exporting of more jobs overseas and making american companies less competitive in selling their products. by all means let's have the discussion around multilateral adjustments to the type of credit facilities that country can engage in with exporting countries. but let's not look at unilateral disarmament that makes america less competitive and destroys jobs. you'll hear a lot about how simple it would be, my colleagues would indicate, to simply get this done before we leave. isn't it worth another week of our time to save tens of thousands of american jobs. the second part of the rule h.r. 1994, the v.a. accountability act, one of the main problems with it it would create culture of fear that would imperil the services our veterans need and deserve. the tragedy in the phoenix v.a. system is an example.

it became known because of a few courageous whistle blowers. had this legislation been in place, this tragedy could have been swept under the rug for many more years. without whistle blowers and frokeses, the v.a. hospital in my state of colorado in aurora could have been a worse situation if you can imagine that. this legislation is not just bad for whistle blowers, it's also unconstitutional. supreme court case can law is clearly outlined the new dew process that employees have before their jobs are takenway. this bill turns its back on new process and allows any v.a. employee to be fired on the spot for retribution. the limited process provided in this legislation is far below the constitutional requirements which is why the president has promised to veto this bill. all this bill is attempting to do is destroy the whistleblower and professional civil service system and thus the livelihood of thousands and the quality of service to our veterans. the appropriate action is to get the v.a. to do their job through appropriate legislation which

creates accountability, true accountability which this bill fails to achieve. or to discuss how we might reform the dollars we allocate to the v.a. to best serve our veterans however possible. we will debate an alternative today. my colleague mr. takano from california would retain due process but allow the v.a. to fire any employee who poses a health or safety risk to veterans. additionally it prevents employees from being paid on administrative leave by limiting that time to two weeks. one similarity to one of the positive aspects of the bill before us today. mr. takano's legislation for example would allow the v.a. to fire those responsible for the phoenix scandal and kept in place the whistleblower frokes that is allowed us to find out about the phoenix scandal. for these reasons i oppose the rule and the underlying legislation. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado reserves his time of the the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: mr. speaker, thank you very much.

i admire the gentleman very much. we work very well together. i think it's a misnomer to say this bill would allow people to be fired on the spot at the v.a. that is certainly -- i don't believe true at all. i believe it would have to be with cause and the v.a. would have to have a reason. there's nothing in this legislation where we would empower people to do things that would not follow proper federal law nor establish rules or procedure for an employee to have the proper amount of protection. but what is stated and understood is where an employee has been underperforming, misperforming, or has violated their oath of office where they have a diligence to people under their care or where they have misdone intentionally deeds and tried to cover it up, that would be cause. and that is what this is about. this is not about firing someone on the spot.

i think that it would be a misnomer to try to characterize this important legislation that's been well thought through as well as work with the v.a. as being that perspective. i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: if we defeat the previous question i'll offer an amendment to allow the house to vote on re-authorizing the export-import bank as proposed by mr. fincher yesterday. it's the same language that passed the senate by a vote of 67-29. mr. speaker the export-import bank allows american businesses to compete in global markets and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs. to discuss our proposal i yield three minutes to the distinguished gentleman from maryland the democratic whip, mr. hoyer. the speaker pro tempore: the democratic whip, mr. hoyer, is recognized for three minutes. mr. hoyer: i thank you mr. speaker. i thank mr. polis from colorado. i rise in opposition to this rule. this is our last day in session

before we leave for five weeks or six weeks. we then will have 13 days before the end of the fiscal year. we have a number of things that the american public expects us to do. that enjoys almost universal support on this floor and one of which enjoys a significant majority of support on this floor. mr. speaker let me quote the speaker of this house john boehner. quote, above all else he said as he assumed the speakership, we will welcome the battle of ideas encourage it, engage in it openly, honestly, and respectfully. as the chamber he went on to say closest to the people, he the --

the house works best when it is allowed to work its will. and he then asked all of us, i ask all members of this body to join me in recognizing this common truth. al gore, the former vice president of the united states would observe, however, that seems to be an inconvenient truth. it is an inconvenient truth because the chairman of the financial services committee representing the minority of this house is opposed to the export-import bank. he's been opposed to it since we adopted it 2012 with an overwhelming majority of vote from both sides of the aisle. as a matter of fact a unanimous vote from the democratic sliled -- side of the aisle, and over

140 members from the republican side of the aisle just three years ago. this rule makes in order, as the gentleman noticed, two bills. one of which i vigorously oppose but won't spend a lot of time on. and while the gentleman's probably correct, it is not immediate firing, it is a substantial undermining of the civil service act adopted so we would not have a patronage, politically ridden system, but a civil service system based on merit. and then this bill makes in order an extension of the highway bill but certainly we ought to do. it's somewhat ironic we say it's three months. we passed the five month. i voted for the five month. everybody ought to know we fund it for five months, of course. we call it three month. i hope that will satisfy senator mcconnell that he could then

pass it. and then we provide $3.4 billion or $3.3 billion so that we will make sure our veterans' hospitals and medical care stays in operation. both of those could have been passed on this house floor by unanimous consent. i thank the gentleman. but we now leave for another month the export-import bank, which is responsible for the creation and retaining of jobs in america. we all talk about jobs in america. but the speaker has said again, as i quote him, the failure to pass this bill is losing jobs right now. and yet my republican friends if in tipping their hat to the chairman of the financial services committee says we are not going to consider that. as they did last month.

in july. i know we haven't gotten out of july yet, but we'll go through august, then september. mr. fincher tells me he thinks that bill will be brought to the floor in some or another in september. it will have cost us jobs and competitiveness overseas with 60 countries that have an export-import bank. that are making sure that their purchasers of their goods made in their countries are cheaper than the goods sold in our country. that costs american jobs. we ought to reject this rule and we ought to do what the speaker of the house said we ought to do. treat one another with respect and let the house work its will. there are 240-plus, maybe 250, maybe 260, maybe 270 votes.

you only need 218, to pass the export-import bank on this floor. and i will yield to anybody who says, no, mr. hoyer, you're wrong. it doesn't have the majority of votes. 30 additional seconds. i will yield to anybody on this floor who will say, mr. hoyer, you're wrong. . apparently there is nobody on the floor who is going to suggest that the will of this house as represented by a majority that would vote on this bill, would not be for extending the export-import bank saving american jobs, making sure that america's competitive in the international market. my colleagues, reject this rule. exercise our responsibility to the american people and to

american workers and let's pass the export-import bank today before we go home. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the the gentleman from maryland has expired. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: i want to thank the distinguished gentleman for not only his words and the spirit of what he said, but i want him to know that several years ago as he approached me as i became chairman of the rules committee, i assured the gentleman that i would do my very best within my ability and he has done also as well as his team that also sits at the rules committee, and i want to thank the distinguished gentleman because part of what our job is yes, to represent our speaker and the things that are done but also make sure the spirit in which we do it is done properly. i appreciate the gentleman. i think his spirit was good today. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from colorado is

recognized. mr. polis: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from vermont a member of the government oversight and reform committee, mr. welch. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. well well two of the -- mr. welch: two of the things that a responsible nation will do know matter how challenging, one to invest in its future and two to care for its veterans. this bill present tends to do both, actually it does neither. yes, it will keep the highway bill on short-term life support. it's three months. and will allow the v.a. to make internal funds transfer to keep our hospitals open through september. once again in irresponsibility, congress is ignoring its duty to do its job to pass a long-term transportation bill. it leaves our communities and states in suspension. it recklessly adds unnecessary

construction costs to our taxpayers. we need a long-term transportation bill six years, not three months. regarding the v.a., do we meet our obligations to provide for the health care of our veterans through internal fund transfers? our veterans and our v.a. need a fully funded budget. it needs funds, not fund transfers. veteran health care demands shot up 10% but the budget is only up 2.8%, shack willed by mindless and sequester caps. we should end them. mr. speaker, this bill is not written to address problems. it's designed to deny they exist. mr. speaker, this bill is not an example of congress doing its job, it's yet another example of congress evading its responsibilities. i yield back and i will vote no.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: thank you very much. i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: i yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. jackson lee: let me thank the gentleman from colorado and let me thank my good friend from texas as well and let me use a great philosopher's statement a couple of decades ago, can we get along? as i stand on the veterans health care choice that is now with the rule before us, it's obvious that we are trying to take a difficult veering ent pathway. i was one of the first members

in congress to go down to my veterans' hospital to demand quality health care for our veterans. i take no back seat along with other members to ensuring that our veterans get what they need and stand in line to make sure that they are not defaulted on by the american people. but h.r. 199 eliminates the due process rights of whistleblowers who are key to any coverups taking place. they are bringing back to the floor this bill calling it an accountability bill but it is to go after hardworking employees and fire them and eliminating their opportunity to explain the process. that's not the american way. this is not a bill that helps veterans but takes away long consistent employees who see and say something. i'm voting no on the bill and

this rule. the surface transportation had a wonderful opportunity to do a six-year bill to look for pay-fors that members could bring together and support. but yet my metro, houston metro will be suffering. our highways and other transportation entities, safety will be suffering. employees will not be paid and here we go again because short-term opportunities. i remember doing a six-year transportation bill where it opened up the hike and bike trails in my community. i would offer to say that a highway bill six years or surface transportation bill for six years is a bipartisan american way to do things. why don't we do that for the american people? i yield back and vote no on the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is

recognized. mr. polis: i yield 1:45 to the gentleman from new york -- gentlewoman from new york, mrs. maloney. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute and 45 seconds. mrs. maloney: i thank the gentleman for his leadership and for yielding. this weekend 64 senators voted to renew the export-import's bank's charter which expired on june 30. 240 members are on record supporting the bank and according to the "wall street journal," there are many more. some republicans estimate that as many as 300 of the 434 current house members would support a measure similar to the one that passed the senate. yet, despite this overwhelming support, we have been denied on the floor of the house of representatives to renew the bank. last year, ex-imwrote $27

billion in u.s. exports and supported small businesses and 164,000 jobs across our country. since 2009, the bank has supported over $-- 1.3 million jobs and the bank does this at no cost, no cost to the american taxpayer. the bank sent $675 million to help pay down the deficit. and according to a letter sent by c.b.o. just last week, accounting standards of re-authorizing the exim would save taxpayers $2.3 billion over the next five years. yet american companies been disadvantage and unilaterally disvng of -- disadvantage of

nations providing their exports. only one top 10 of the exporting countries in the world does not have an export credit agency now that can export deals. just one, and that's the united states of america. and that's because this congress failed to do what every other congress has done since f.d.r., and that is to re-authorize the export-import bank. it creates jobs and creates money for the treasury. it helps small businesses. vote no on the previous question and no on the rule, let's bring it to the floor today for a vote. i the speaker pro tempore: the time has expired. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: i yield one minute and 45 seconds mr. heck.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. heck: we need to reject the rule and need to re-authorize the export-import bank. if we don't do it, great harm will be visited upon the american economy. it's already been i think very clearly demonstrated it's the will of this body both in the senate and here. i do want to remind you for 81 years, 167 times, democrats, republicans no matter how conservative or how liberal, the united states has re-authorized the export-import bank. it does good. that's why they do it. in fact i would suggest that the votes were there in rules committee yesterday to allow this amendment. the good gentleman from texas who chairs, and he is a good

gentleman, opened up his comments by saying 9,000 in and around his district in the state of texas attributeable to the bank. they hang in the balance. 164,000 jobs supported by the export-import bank. $675 million transferred to the treasury. it reduces the deficit. it creates jobs. why don't we more of this? call me crazy, i guess. if we don't do it harm will come to us. read this morning "wall street journal." small businesses already suffering job loss in states throughout this great country. the fact of the matter is not re-authorizing does constitute unilateral disarmament. two academics, one from canada and one from new york, the big winner if we fail to re-authorize, china. they are rubbing their hands. they are rubbing their hands.

listen this isn't about software or apples. mr. polis: i yield 30 seconds. mr. heck: it's about our manufacturing base. who says we don't need more good manufacturing jobs? we need more good manufacturing jobs. let me conclude on this note. ominously and without drama hear me from my heart to your ears, in the very near future, major manufacturers will announce that they are offshoring certain manufacturing capacity because they have to to compete in a global economy. the global economy has increased five-fold since 1980. get in the game people. re-authorizize the export-import bank. defeat the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: i thank the gentleman for his kind words not

only for truth but also coming up and being with several other members who sat through hours' worth of debate and discussion. and mr. heck served honorably well yesterday and he has today and i thank you very much. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas continues to reserve. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: we have so many speakers on our side of the aisle, in fact both sides of the aisle mr. fincher and others that want to re-authorize the bank if he has additional time, our members would appreciate the time to talk about it. i yield one minute and 45 seconds to the gentleman from michigan, member of the financial services committee mr. kildee. the speaker pro tempore: jarninged for one minute and 45 seconds. mr. kildee: i urge a no vote on this rule so we can bring up as my colleagues have said, something that ought to be done

in a bipartisan fashion with little significant opposition and that's the re-authorization of an entity that helps drive the american economy, put americans to work and helps us to compete in increasingly competitive global environment and that's the export-import bank. in 2012, ex-imwas re-authorized and passed with 330 votes in the house 78 in the senate. 60% of republicans in both bodies supporting the export-import bank and joining democrats in doing so. there is so much partisanship that invades and ineffects this place, but when it comes to american jobs, supporting american manufacturers putting hardworking americans to work that have higher wages -- we have great zugs about the growing inequality in wages.

we don't always agree on the solution but one solution we ought to agree on is re-authorization of the export-import bank, because we know export jobs pay higher wages. this ought to be a no-brainer. 59,000 jobs in my own state of michigan. as a result of the export-import bank and the work they do. in the last six years, $200 billion in exports. we can have big agreements on how we ought to deal with income inequality but ought not to have any disagreement when we see the bank that delivers money to the federal treasurey, helps us deal with that problem puts americans to work and makes us more competitive. we ought to do this in a bipartisan fashion and ought to do it. the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from texas is

recognized. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: i yield to the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from organizeon is recognized for two minutes. mr. blumenauer: i appreciate the gentleman's courtesy and i appreciate the way he framed this rule debate. we have sort of a hodgepodge here of items that really deserve careful sustained attention. there's no reason to lump this together. these are important items. sadry the way it's been structured shuts down debate. there is no room under this rule for the ex-im bank. i appreciate person after person coming to the floor acknowledging that there is broad bipartisan interest in the re-authorization of the ex-im bank and no rational reason to reject it. and it is going to have serious

consequences, as my friend from washington pointed out. but there's another area in -- we are discussing here today that could also make a huge difference for our economy because we are dodging again, our responsibilities to deal with a country that is falling apart as it's falling behind. my friend from texas was too polite. the reason we don't have a six-year re-authorization is because the house has not met its responsibility to outline how we pay for it. we are still trying to pay for 2015 infrastructure with 1993 dollars. we've got legislation that actually mirrors what ronald reagan did in 1982 when he called upon congress to come back, raise the user fee 125%, and be able to put hundreds of thousands of americans to work and maintain our roads and bridges and transit. we are not doing that.

we have legislation in ways and means that has the broadest support of any major piece of legislation in congress, organized labor, business contractors, truckers, triple-a, engineers all committed to raising the user fee. they say charge us more so that we are going to be able to thrive. my friend from colorado pointed out that the american public are paying -- the speaker pro tempore: an additional 15 seconds. mr. blumenauer: work next week, fund the transportation bill. let the committee know what parameters they have and be able to know -- to revitalize this country. it's type for us to step up. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you very

much. our colleagues are making really, really good points about what we need to do. bill shuster and the republican majority is committed to doing exactly what they have talked about. getting our work done. in fairness, it's taken the united states senate until this week, and they have a 1,000-page transportation bill that we are not simply going to say, let's just agree to that. it's going to come over to us after they have done their work with great respect we are trying to make sure that we are continuing the funding. we are using mechanisms that would be available. and the right thing to do is to measure three times and saw once. we are not going to accept by unanimous consent or another agreement a 1,000-page bill. on the republican side we read bills before we pass them. i reserve my time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from colorado is

recognized. mr. polis: i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from washington, leader in the bipartisan efforts to re-authorize the export-import bank and a member of the financial services committee, mr. heck. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. heck: thank you, mr. speaker. i said earlier that the first most immediate damage as a result of our failure to re-authorize the export-import bank will be visited upon small businesses. it occurs to me a little bit of color in that regard would serve us well. giving the benefit of the doubt of those who are opposing our opposition to the rule so we can re-authorize export-import bank, let me give you the data. export-import bank has 90% of its transactions, approximately go to small businesses. about 90%. most of us tend to think about those as all direct loans, but they aren't. the fact of the matter is the bulk of them are what we would call accounts receiveable insurance. there are also revolving lines of credit and loan guarantees, not actual direct loans. these again are small

businesses. these are businesses like a business in yackmaw washington. it has a global market. 35% of its sales are exported. and a good portion of them are assisted by the export-import bank. in my district, pexco in five, washington makes traffic control equipment. they are growing their export business with the assistance of the export-import bank. so it is the small businesses that first will feel the damage. but for those of you who say yeah, but the biggest share of the dollars go to big businesses. let's go back to economics 101. a lot of people point to boeing. ladies and gentlemen, boeing does not manufacture airplanes. if that surprises you, please pay attention to what i'm about to say. boeing does not manufacture airplanes.

they design them. and they assemble them. with the assistance of 15,000 businesses in their supply chain about half of whom are small businesses. in the tiny town in my district there's 17 businesses within the city limits whose principal customer is boeing. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for an additional 30 seconds. mr. heck: small businesses will be hurt first. over the long term, big businesses will be hurt. i did not say earlier lightly, i did not say earlier in hyperbole that we will have major announcements causing grievous damage to the manufacturing base of america. we cannot allow that to happen. we simply must for the sake of small businesses and for the sake of our manufacturing base re-authorize the export-import

bank. it reduces the deficit. it creates jobs. yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from colorado virginia tech. mr. polis: i'd like to inquire of the gentleman from texas if he has remaining speakers. mr. sessions: i would advise the gentleman i do not have any additional speakers. would be the only speaker to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado virginia tech. mr. polis: prepared to close. i yield my southwest remainder of the time. -- i yield myself the remainder of the time. i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the record along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. polis: mr. speaker, i strongly urge my colleagues to vote no and defeat the previous question so we can bring forward the bipartisan efforts to re-authorize the export-import bank. now again i have a great deal of sympathy and respect for my colleagues who believe that these kinds of backdoor

subsidies have no place in a global trade regime. that's a reasonable and defensible viewpoint. the proper avenue to advocate for that is multilaterally. there are a lot of ways that companies have and will and governments have and do try to give themselves a nationalistic advantage in international trade. in the competition between airbus and boeing alone, books could be written about the efforts of both sides, whether it's our side through military contracts, whether it's their side europe, to give backdoor allowable subsidies to put their own companies at an advantage. if we unilaterally fail to re-authorize the export-import bank, we are putting american exporters at a disadvantage because the dozens of other countries that engage in these allowable kinds of credit

facilities will still do so to the detriment of american jobs and american businesses. we recently had a debate in these very chambers about trade promotion authority. soon there will be discussions about t.p.p. and ttip. where was that discussion around t.p.a. and the instructions to the president about credit facilities and export-import bank and what would and wouldn't be allowable? these kinds of discussions need to be had multilaterally. to unilaterally disarm makes no sense. even if one ideologically believes that we should not be engaging in these efforts, surely what's more important and what trumps that is to make sure that this is not a part of the global trade regime. so long as it is for america not to engage in this allowable practice of credit facilities

extended through the export-import bank puts american jobs at a disadvantage, will lead to further outsourcing of american jobs and hurt american businesses. mr. speaker this rule covers two significant but wholly unrelated bills. we have heard arguments here in this limited time, this limited debate about federal highway funding, about he veterans care and v.a. workers, about the export-import bank. i'm sure, mr. speaker, that many viewers are confused as to what we are even talking about or how is it even possible that in one hour we are covering the transportation needs of our country, the v.a. system, and a program allowable under trade rules that helps make american companies more competitive. unfortunately, rather than continuing our work next week, the majority has put several pieces of disparate legislation into a grab bag in a smokey

backroom manner that unfortunately will continue to fail to address the most important transportation concerns or the imminent -- the already expiration of the export-import bank before this body goes home. -- goes home for a month. it's unfortunate that under this rule this institution is not even allowed to bring forward an amendment we know would pass to re-authorize the export-import bank. it's a shame that veterans issues have somehow been combined with a highway issue in a mini bus that detracts from transparency. that's why i urge my colleagues to vote no and defeat the previous quefment vote no on the rule. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas virginia tech. mr. sessions: thank you very much. i want to thank my colleague, not only the gentleman, mr. polis but also our colleagues on the democratic side of the aisle who i thought most generously fought this battle

today. the bottom line is is that they know and we know, mr. speaker, that we are addressing two vitally important issues that congress must step up to the plate on. and one is a request that comes directly from the v.a. for us to fund a gap a gap of $3.4 billion that is necessary to fund hospitals of the v.a. to make sure that they are able to provide services to our vet veterans. they are critical. and to vote against that i think is a mistake. i think to vote for a chance where republicans are trying to balance the needs through not only the appropriators hal rogers, our chairman, jeff

miller our veterans committee chairman, are trying to come together mr. speaker to put together the money and the need to run the business based upon a reality discussion with the secretary of veterans affairs of their need to run the business to have the money, but also to have the managerial abilities to move their employees in a are not -- that are not performing satisfactorily. employees who do have an oath as health care providers to do their very best and to be honest about the scheduling and the proper procedures necessary to help our veterans. what this rule is about and the underlying legislation is vital

vital to our nation's veterans. that's why we are here today. now, secondly we are here because republicans want to make sure that we are faithful. we understand that in each of our congressional districts that we are active and involved to try to ensure that the roads and bridges and railways and ports and all these activities that deal with infrastructure and transportation are continuing down a pathway without us getting frustrated, without us throwing up our hands and giving up but actually to work with the existing chairman who is doing an awesome job bill shuster, to make sure that we are putting forth the money. paul ryan, chairman of the ways and means committee trying to find the money necessary.

lots of hard work, hours of discussion, moving towards a correct target. . in this process, we have our colleagues on the other side of this wall that's literally there now as they are working to move legislation and we're allowing them that time because they are moving a transportation bill as we speak. it's a 1,000-paged bill. i'm not in favor and i think my colleagues are not in favor and bill shoeser's not, which matters, as the chairman says give me a shot to look at the bill when they finish it. so speaker boehner is saying let's make sure we deal with things that must be dealt with before we go on our work time

back home for the month, where we go back home and deal with the american people, because we plan to do this. that's what we are doing. this is not unusual. it's perfectly normal, but i think we are doing a heck of a job and the right thing to address the issues. veterans, straight up. money, the ability to run their business right and secondly to move transportation. i think every single member of this body, democrat and republican should support these because they are worthy ideas about moving us forward our country. and we can look at the american people straight on and say we have addressed two of the issues that were on our plate. i urge adoption of the rule. i know that our colleagues want to get moving today, so i'm going to look forward to the

debate that will follow. i urge support of the underlying legislation of the bills. i yield back the balance of the time and i move the previous question on the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution, those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. mr. polis: on that i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. pursuant to clause 8 and clause 9 of rule 20, this 15-minute vote on ordering the previous question will be followed by five-minute votes on adopting the resolution if ordered and suspending the rules and passing h.r. 12300. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the

united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]