the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 179, the nays are 239. the motion is not adopted. the question is on passage of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. his is a five-minute vote. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. >> mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. >> i understand it's my duty to ask for a record vote from the other gentleman, one of the other gentlemen from tennessee. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of

representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 240. the nays are 183. the bill is passed. ithout objection --

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 241, the nays are 185. the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on ordering the previous question on house resolution 421, on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number

59, house resolution 421. resolution providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 3134, to provide for a moratorium on federal funding to planned parenthood federation of america incorporated, providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 3504, to amend title 1 united states code, to prohibit a health care practitioner from failing to exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on ordering the previous question. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on on this vote the yeas are 243. the nays are 183. the previous question is ordered. the question is on adoption of the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. he ayes have it.

mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] ]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 246. and the nays are 179. the resolution is adopted. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the able. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute

speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for bhin, revise and extend my remarks. >> -- minute, revise and extend my remarks. >> mr. speaker, shouts not in order. the speaker pro tempore: please take your conversations to the cloakroom. without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> the house is not in order, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, september is pulmonary fibrosis education month and a time to shine light on a disease that is deadly. mr. paulsen: while some may not be familiar with it, approximately 200,000 americans suffer from the disease. this serious illness takes the lives of 40,000 americans every single year. which equates to about one death every 13 minutes. that's the same mortality rate as breast cancer. there's no known cure for

pulmonary fibrosis, no known treatment to extend the life of a patient or improve the symptoms. as a result, the median survival rate is just 2 1/2 years and as many as 80% of patients die within five years of diagnosis. mr. speaker, as we have an opportunity to bring attention to this serious illness that affects so many, with more research and a renewed commitment, we will find a cure to this deadly disease and i will keep work to make this a reality -- working to make this a reality and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. the con effectary industry directly employs 70,000 people in the united states and more than 400,000 jobs in agriculture, retail, transportation and other industries reline the -- reliant in part on the sale of coffections for their livelihood. another six jobs are supported in related industries which mean

that chicago's once known as the candy capital of the world. however, due to an unfair sugar program, many decent and good paying manufacturing jobs are now located outside the united states. the candy industry's priceyed of hundreds of small and medium-sized family-owned businesses as well as the multinational companies, with global brands that operate more than 1,000 manufacturing facilities in all 50 states. the confectionary industry is doing its part to address the ongoing conversation about food and nutrition, policy wellness and food safety. ncaa member companies are providing consumers with the information options and support they need to make choices that are right for them. candy helps to make america just a little sweeter and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the

gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> next week pope francis will make his historic trip to the united states. i ask that all americans join me in welcoming the holy father both as pope and as a man. this is pope francis' first visit to the united states. mr. hill: ever. and will be the first time in history that a pope will address a joint session of the congress. the pope's message to fight against complacency and corruption and to help those in poor community have resonated with the american people and invigorated catholic communities throughout our country. i'm eager for the pope to see the united states of america, for people at work and play, and i look forward to his visits and his word of inspiration to the people's house, where the government for and by the people is practiced daily. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition?

without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> as the house prepares next week to take up a discussion about planned parenthood, i want it speak very briefly to what the debate is not about. it is not about women's health. the proposal that many of us are making to this house is that we'd simply take this money away from planned parenthood and move it to federally qualified health care clinics. mr. mulvaney: clinics that provide better services and more services to women. there are 13,000 of these clinics versus 900 planned parenthood units. services that go to services that planned parenthood don't provide. this debate is not about women's health care. and anyone who wants you to believe that it is is simply afraid to tell what you it's really about. which is whether or not we should give taxpayer money to an entity that sells pieces of dead children. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. poe: mr. speaker, earlier this year secretary of defense ash carter stunned congress and the country when he admitted that the administration's $500 million program to train and equip so-called moderate syrian rebels has resulted in the training of 60 individuals. the original goal was to have 5,000 within the first year. but they only had 60. but the information gets worse. today most of those 60 mercenaries have been killed, captured or are just gone missing. so, mr. speaker, where oh, where have the fighters gone? where oh, where could they be? have they gone to fight with the enemy? which just leaves us how many? four or five according to general austin. four or five fighters for a cost of $500 million. is that the plan for the war in syria? to defeat isis? the lack of a plan in syria has created chaos. thousands of people have panicked and are running from

the syrian turmoil. the u.s. needs to leave. expecting five mercenaries to defeat isis is disgraceful. the united states needs an aggressive strategy to defeat the enemy of civilization, isis. and that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise today as a father of four, a regular dad who loves my children more than i love my own life. i know i speak for millions when i say that my wife and i fell in love with our children before they were even born. it's this love for my children that led me to the pro-life movement to serve on the border of -- board of directors of a crisis pregnancy center. and notice this spirit of love and formed by powerful life experiences that i rise today in strong support of legislation to defund planned parenthood. now, hoosiers have made it clear they should not be forced to violate their own conscience so

planned parenthood can continue to operate. mr. young: given the life that has recently been shed on planned parenthood's grew some practices and procedures, can we not agree that taxpayers shouldn't have to foot the bill for these atrocities? if the best argument on the other side is that eliminating taxpayer subsidies for planned parenthood would create access problems, it's just not the case. 73 federally qualified health centers, 63 rural clinics and 24 community health centers in the state of indiana, all of which provide women vital health services, without providing abortions, prove otherwise. theirs is an empty argument. one i'd encourage my colleagues is a matter of integrity to put to rest. let's free americans from participation in this morally reprehensible practice. thank you and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rised a as a member of the safe climate caucus. to note the extraordinary damage

done by wildfires in washington state this summer. it's a fact that our climate is changing. wismwism -- mr. kilmer: we just had one of the driest springs and summers in more than a century. that led to trees and vegetation becoming kindling for the massive fires that we've seen. the largest wildfire in our state's history hit central washington, forcing thousands to flee and putting firefighters in harm's way. we have a wildfire that continues to smolder in olympic national park in a rain forest. from washington to california, brave emergency responders have spent this summer on the front lines battling flames with no signs of abating. i believe it's time we pay attention to these warning signs. if we want a better future for our kids, if we want to protect the communities in which we live, then we need to confront the threats of climate change and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

>> mr. speaker, i rise to recognize saturday, september 19, as international coastal cleanup day. i encourage everyone nationwide to participate by visiting a local beach and assisting with this special event. mr. curbelo: ocean pollution is a serious problem that negatively impacts wildlife, humans and our economy, including many small business owners. debris found in ocean water and onshores is detrimental to aquatic life and has the potential to injure water sports enthusiasts and beach goers, as well as destroy boats and their propelers. in 2012 more than 10 million pounds of trash were collected by 500,000 volunteers in 97 countries. earlier this year my staff and i spent a morning cleaning up the beaches on stock island in the florida keys and saw just how much trash washes ashore. unfortunately this amendment is just a snapshot of an even larger problem.

though international coastal cleanup day happens annually, it is important that we make a stronger effort to protect our beaches more than once a year. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina eek recognition? without objection, the gentleman s recognized for one minute. >> in america the practice of abortion is now referred to as women's health care. yes, in the 21st century, even with all the science, we refuse to ask the question, what about the baby? the cavalier spirit and the cold-hearted callousness in taking a live baby and cutting into her face to retrieve fresh body parts. can you imagine the national outrage if we were carving up puppies in the same manner? mr. walker: we don't condemn these young mothers who have been convinced that no other options exist, yet we would be negligent if we stand silent over the atrocities of an abortion mill that goes by the

name planned parenthood. whether you're pro-life or not, surely most americans are appalled at the idea of our taxpayers going to fund this organization. i cannot look the other way. it is my belief, and i'm thoroughly convinced that this is no longer simply a political issue, this is about a human rights violation that parallels other barbaric times throughout history. ultimately we will stand before almighty god. the osama bin ladenist wrote, for you -- the psalmist wrote, i praise you because i am fearfully and wonderfully made. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, graphic videos, personal it and -- testimony and verbal assent revealed the true colors of planned parenthood. there's probable cause to believe that america's largest

abortion providers offering abortion procedures to obtain uncrushed baby body parts is performing partial birth abortions and is selling baby heart, brains and other fetal specimens for monetary value. mr. fleming: this is atrocious. planned parenthood staff doesn't want low ball fees for baby body parts and third parties are drooming over in tact unborn children. it is unimaginable how one can camouflage the humanity of a clinician announcement of another boy. and watch a baby's beating heart just before harvesting the baby's brain just to sell. and yet federal funding continues to pour unabashed, unabated into coughers of planned parenthood -- covers of planned parenthood. america -- coffers of planned parenthood. mr. speaker, i do not support this allotment of taxpayer dollars and will vote against

any spending bill that funds planned parenthood. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new mexico seek reck anything -- seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. pearce pearce a nation, like an individual, is judged by the way it speaks for those who can't speak for themselves. by the poor, by the way it treats those without total capacities. it is in this regard that our founders brought this nation together with the core principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. life being the first of those. it's a constitutional requirement that i think that we have to speak for the unborn. when we see the atrocities and the videos, the callousness of the organization that is trafficking in body parts from dead babies, we should react in horror and remove the funding

for that. the greatest argument other side puts up is that they provide other women services. this chart shows the planned parenthood locations in new mexico versus those providing other services. we simply seek to move the funding from them to here. the coverage for my state is much broader and much better and would be for those unborn who can't scream out for their own sake. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, the question we must ask ourselves today in light of recent revelations, why does congress insist on giving a half a billion dollars of the taxpayer money to an organization that has such disregard for human life? consider the budget constraints currently imposed on our military. mr. williams: why are the america's hard-earned money being diverted to planned parenthood?

when i was back home in texas during the august recess, i had the pleasure of visiting the austin pregnancy resource center, a model woman's health organization that can and should lead by example. the aprc does a lot to support women's health and provide guidance on accessing women's health services. the aprc's slogan of building a culture of life with one we should all be able to get behind. there are many women's pro-life organizations that take no federal dollars. even so, some of my colleagues prefer to continue to send taxpayer dollars to planned parenthood, an organization that takes in money from aborted fetal parts, an organization that alters abortion procedures so they can harvest organs and that rips off the federal government. not only are the alleged actions of planned parenthood illegal under federal law, they are morally reprehensible. i am disgusted that an organization that is involved in such repulsive activity would promote itself as a protector of women's health. it's beyond hypocritical, it's deceitful and i believe fraudulent whifment first ran for congress i promised i would vote with my conscience and use

god's word for my guide. i call for an end to federal funding for planned parenthood. i yield back. in god we trust. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? without objection. >> the gentleman from south carolina, mr. mulvaney, there is misinformation about this planned parenthood debate. the biggest line is this. we're headed to a government shutdown. are you kidding me? we're going to fund the government at the levels the democrats agreed to, republicans agreed to, the levels outlined in the ryan-murray plan, we're going to fund it. mr. jordan: we're going to do one change, though. one important but simple change. take the money from the organization engaged in the gruesome, horrific things that planned parenthood was caught doing and give it to organizations that weren't doing that and still meet women's health needs. that simple fact. same levels but move it from the bad organization to good organizations. it's that basic, that's what this debate is about and that's what the american people want

us to do and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, we've known for sometime that planned parenthood is the largest provider of abortions in this country, but what we didn't know until recently was just how vial and disgusting they are willing to be in the trafficking of fetal tissue and the body parts of the unborn. these actions uncovered in these videos have given the whole world insight to the inexcusable and horrific culture at planned parenthood. mr. carter: the heartlessness displayed represents an unraveling of the very moral fabric of our country. the passage of the two bills before us is the appropriate action to address planned parenthood's illegal actions. taxpayers' dollars should not be going to the killing of unborn babies. taxpayers' dollars should not go to organizations like planned parenthood that support the abortion -- the practice of abortion and trafficking of aborted fetal tissue.

i encourage my colleagues to support these two bills and to support precious, innocent lives of the unborn. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from idaho seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one inute. mr. labrador: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to make it clear is not hether planned parenthood sold fetal body parts from abortions. it's that human beings have been reduced to mere commodities by this practice and federal dollars are contributing to it. i do not want to contribute to a system that profits from someone's fate nor do i want to subject millions of taxpayers to supporting this violation of life. it is often a temptation to boil this argument down to medical terms and ignore the

real losses our nation faces when we choose to reject someone before he or she has been given the chance to live. for this reason i do not support funding planned parenthood and its tragic influence on our nation's future. the funding planned parenthood -- defunding planned parenthood will not affect women's health. in the state of idaho there are 76 federally qualified health centers and only three planned parenthood facilities. women can and will receive health care in these facilities. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> request to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. chairman, debate over funding for planned parenthood has nothing to do with women's health care. i think we just heard that on a couple of accounts. constituents on both sides are sickened and disgusted by the planned parenthood videos, videos that show officials discussing the killing of babies and harvesting of their

organs, like they were car parts out of a salvage yard. mr. perry: over $500 million last year alone to planned parenthood. no american should ever be forced under imprisonment. to support this activity with their tax dollars, period. i'm a husband, a father to two little girls, a son and a friend who cares deeply about women's health care. everybody's health care. that said, i cannot and i will not support the dismemberment and sale of the body parts of infants. i could not in good conscience, i cannot in any conscience support legislation that funds disgusting actions of those who conduct that practice. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, on social

media, a new generation of parents and grandparents are sharing the joy of new life, posting pictures of baby bumps and sonograms for friends and family to view. now more than ever it's easier to see and understand that an unborn child in the womb in a person is a tiny person with a heartbeat, created equal and entitled to inalienable rights. however, recent events are shown these rights are being violated and the public's trust is being betrayed. millions of taxpayer dollars have supported the horrific practice of allowing babies to be taken apart, dismantled and sold piece by piece. in response, house investigations are under way and more needs to be done to protect our most vulnerable. mr. moolenaar: house resolution 3134 restores trust to american taxpayers. it provides more funding for qualified health centers that

are offered pediatric care, immunizations, mammograms and more life-saving health care services that protect mother and child. these better options are worthy of taxpayer funding and will make a positive difference for women and children across our country. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of the two pieces of legislation aimed at fighting evil and protecting the sanctity of life. mr. carter: i have seen the horrendous videos showing the grotesque practice of harvesting and selling preborn baby body parts that planned parenthood executives now condone and encourage. this evil practice must stop. taxpayers should not be responsible for funding an organization that aborts

babies, negotiates side deals to sell body parts and lets babies that survived abortion be left to die on the operating table. as a former judge, i've dealt with countless murder cases, and, folks, this is murder in my book. planned parenthood received 40% of their total revenue from taxpayers. how much longer are we going to let planned parenthood to murder on the taxpayer's dime? the congress is conducting an investigation on planned parenthood. we'll do everything we can and everything in our power to hold these criminals accountable for their actions. i implore my colleagues to support these two bills and protect the sanctity of life before and after birth. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker.

mr. lamalfa: the reality is that almond trees use less if not the same amount of water like other trees in the state california. if the pot has no water then you have no frog nor ag in california. we need to build water storage. that said, our almond industry employs over 100,000 people. now, in addition to being scapegoats on water, they also face a potential $4 billion if the european union chooses not to extend the maximum levels on a chemical that's not even used almonds and poses no health risk. it will depress prices worldwide. i ask secretary vilsack and the usda to stand up for california and our agriculture and help obtain this critical extension. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek

recognition? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to ask this house, indeed, ask the american people -- do you believe your taxpayer dollars should be used to fund racism? mr. huelskamp: do you think your taxpayer dollars, your hard-earned taxpayer dollars should be used to target minority communities? mr. speaker, i have adopted children. they don't look like me. they look like average americans of various ethic minority backgrounds and without a doubt if you look at planned parenthood's history as well as its current practices, they target minority communities for destruction and

the elimination. that is the history of margaret sanger, that's the history of planned parenthood, that is the history that is being fronted and that is the current-day practice of planned parenthood to target minority communities with abortion, with destruction, with elimination. without a doubt, in my mind, i think in the minds of the american people, it is time to stop funding racism with our tax dollars. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. gohmert: there are those who say, gee, you shouldn't shut down the government. we're not going to shut down the government. we're going to fund the government and i'm hoping that we're actually going to fund women's health with more money than what the president or the democrats were pushing for to be given to planned parenthood.

but in the history of planned parenthood, they have never, ever, ever done one mammogram because they're not certified to do mammograms. they bring people in and refer them out to get their mammograms. so for those of us, like in my case three daughters, a wife of 37 years, look, i want good women's health care. so let's fund it. but let's give it directly to the facilities that will do the mammograms and not send it to planned parenthood for them to take their cut. when you pay for the rent and the utilities and you know there's criminal activity going on, you are an accessory. congress should not be an accessory. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the gentleman from west virginia, mr. mooney, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. mooney: thank you, mr.

speaker. i rise today to voice my deepest concerns for the health and safety of the women, children, all babies and families in our great country. recent undercover videos by the center for medical progress under some of the most alarming information that has been hidden from the american people for years. these videos deeply disturb me and i know i am not alone. the practices uncovered in the planned parenthood videos are repulsive. i never dreamed i would be standing before this body questioning if our own government is a willing enabler in the profiteering from the buying and selling of aborted baby parts. it is wrong that planned parenthood continues to do as it pleases and that the american taxpayers are bank rolling that organization. we're spending $450 million a year funding for planned parenthood. that's why i sent a letter,

along with 134 of my colleagues in the house of representatives on july 27 that crawls for a full investigation into planned parenthood by the justice department. mr. speaker, i speak for the people that i am blessed to represent from the second congressional district in west virginia. i'm here to say that taxpayers should not fund abortions. supporters of planned parenthood continually point to other services that they provide. there is precisely one planned parenthood provider in all of west virginia, located in vienna. less than an hour outside of my district. right here. one. doesn't even provide madam owe -- does it even provide mammograms? no, it does not. however, we have more than 300 federally certified women's care facilities in west virginia that do provide these

essential services. taxpayers should not be forced to fund abortions through planned parenthood, and we should defund that organization from taxpayer funding dollars right now. senior officials were caught admitting to unethical and illegal activities in the selling of body parts. this is a baby, approximately 16 weeks after the moment of conception. human life begins at conception. this is a baby. some would like to define it as something else. call it anything but a baby, a fetus, blob of tissue, cells. they don't want to call this little boy or girl a baby. however, you couldn't sell baby body parts such as hearts, lungs

and livers and wouldn't sell body parts unless it was a baby. this is a baby. this is what he or she looks like. this is what in this country, you, the taxpayers are paying for in the killing of this baby and selling body parts. that is wrong. we need your support in this. the federal government needs to stop enabling this black business immediately. i have co-sponsored several pieces of legislation to make sure that the taxpayers and thousands of unborn children are protected from the activities, horrendous actions of planned parenthood and other abortion providers. house resolution 3134, the defund planned parenthood act of 2015, this allows a full investigation to take place. house resolution 3197,

protecting life and taxpayers act of 2015, this bill will prohibit federal funding of an entity that performs abortions, including planned parenthood. house resolution 3215, end trafficking of the terminated unborn act of 2015. this bill would prohibit any transfer of fetal tissue of aborted babies other than disposal. people who vent were aborted. bill, h.r. 816, life at conception act which would define life at the moment of conception. the abortion issue actually in this bill in defunding planned parenthood does actually not stop abortion. i wish we could. defunding planned parenthood is

saying that taxpayers should not be forced to pay for those abortions. that is a widely accepted view in the majority of americans. many people think that abortion shouldn't be funded with taxpayer dollars. all of these bills are crucial to making sure that the american taxpayer is noer longer footing the bill or condoning the barbaric practices of planned parenthood or any other organization like them that trasks in aborted baby parts. i hope my colleagues will join me in voting for these four pieces of legislation and removing taxpayer' funding of abortion. we control spending in this chamber. no one can tell us what to do. we represent the people that voted us into office. i'm calling on you to support

the defunding of planned parenthood now. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the gentleman from westerman is recognized for the rest of the hour as the designee of the majority leader. mr. westmoreland: -- >> i rise today to draw attention to wildfires and forest are management. our forests are in terrible shape. 8.8 million acres have burned this year. $250 million were transferred to fight fires. emergency fire spending has

already topped $700 million this year and still growing. mr. westerman: we have a problem that is decreasing the value of our forests. i worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass house resolution 2647 back in july. this bill was supported from maine toe alaska by democrats and republicans. this bill ends the destructive practice of fire balling in a fiscally manner. it creates a separate account. this ensures that resources to put out major fires are available when necessary. this week, the obama administration publicly called on the congress to fix fire balling. while i appreciate the president's interest and need to fix it and applaud the 19 democrats who voted for h.r.

2647 that fixes this, fixing this won't solve the problem. fixing fire borrowing alone is treating a symptom instead of a disease. like putting on a band-aid without cleaning out the wound. the house passed this bipartisan legislation back in july. we could be fixing these problems now, but the senate hasn't acted. it's time for the senate to act and time to stop politics with our nation's forests, one of our most treasured resources. the house offered a solution. let's make h.r. 2647 the law of the land. i want to take a moment and look at what the resilient federal forest act does. we talked about fire borrowing, but it also prevents future

fires. it gives the forest service the tools it needs to better manage our national forests. our forests are overgrown and they are fire prone. fighting fires doesn't prevent future fires. that's why we need better management. thinning prevents future fires. i would like to show forests in my state. this may look like a healthy forests because you see trees, but when i look at that, i see an overstocked undergrowth and trees. i see too much dead and dying material on the forest floor. this is not a healthy forest. but this happens to be a control site in the middle of a healthy forest. i want to show how we get to a healthy forest on this particular site.

this area has been thinned and there is controlled burns taking place. this is done on intervals of three to five years when these burns take place. and not only make the forests better for to withstand potential forest fires, but reate better wildlife habitat. we get healthy trees. we get an early habitat that is good for wildlife and good for the soil and water quality and good for air quality. and this last picture shows what a healthy forest in my district looks like. these trees are thriving. this is an early growth, not too long after a fire. his is great wildlife habitat. the diversity is much higher

than what we saw in the previous photograph. this creates a win-win solution. this isn't the solution across the country. this is in my district and the forests in my district. there are forest managers across this country know how to manage their forests in their climate and setting to create healthy forests and forests that can withstand a fire. it would be impossible for a forest fire to destroy these trees. e next thing that this resilient federal forest act does, it stops frivolous lawsuits. frivolous lawsuits hinder forest plans that are developed locally using science, best management practices that represent stakeholder value. the end result is a forest that is decreased in value.

plaintiff loses they pay. if they win, they get their money back. this bill also aids in better land management planning. in the words of former u.s. forest service chief, we do not have a fire problem in our nation's forest, we have a land management problem and needs to be addressed quickly. delayed decision making or even worse no decision at all is hurting our forests. forests are dynamic. they are a living, growing organize organism. since forests are not static, scientific analysis should not be static. this annualizes the impact of no action.

increases in the future wildfire problems are often caused because of poor land management. it makes it difficult for reforestation, ultimately decreasing the value of forests. this bill has salvage plans. it requires environmental assessments for projects to be completed within 90 days so timber can be removed. nepa on the forest within 90 days. they expedited it and as a result, 80% of the timber was salvaged that was in moderate to heavily damaged areas. the management actions laid out in this bill must comply with forest plans. it's not taking a shortcut.

this doesn't mean 1,000 -- thousands of acres of clear cut. it doesn't mean designation of snag habitats that become available after a large fire. in my home state. clear cuts are restricted. we are talking about thousands of acres of land that still have to follow forest management practices. this bill rewards collaboration. it incentivizes collaboration and frees up the implementation of projects and safeguards a timely environmental review process for fofert management projects. you may ask what are those projects? local land managers, environmentalists and industry representatives come up with a plan. these groups spend hundreds if not thousands of hours working on a plan that is best for their

local area. why wouldn't we encourage this sort of compromise. this bill encourages more collaborative projects. passing this bill shows we endorse commonsense plans that tend to local and ecological needs. this bill creates natural reforestation after natural disasters. this statistic is disturbing to me. on average, less than 3% of an area is reforested after a natural event. this bill requires that 75% takes place within five years. this will revitalize our forests that are destroyed by fire or other natural events. when we reforest an area, we have young trees that grow fast and sequester carbon than older, fully grown trees. if we want to sequester more

carbon, we should plant more trees. we should reforest after the timber is destroyed. we have to stop playing politics and need to pass this bill. this bill creates greater role for the tribes. the federal government does not work together with those who have expertise in forest health. this bill brings in state and tribal governments as state partners. it gives the forest service the authority to accept assistance from states willing to put money towards forest management and reinforces existing tribal authority to assist in the management of national forest land adjacent to reservations. e act modernizes secure rule schools. this is an issue that is important in my district. we have many rural areas and the schools are hurting because of

the decreased funding because we are not keeping our forest healthy. rural communtse not only depend on our forests but they provide emergency services and education to the residents who live near the forest. as they lose value, they will suffer. them to allow spending money on federal land and puts 25% of stewardship contracts into the county treasury. one more time, i want to look at the fire borrowing issue. this is one of the worst fire seasons we have seen. we know what good management practices are. we know how to implement those practices on the land. the house has acted by passing

h.r. 2647, the resilient federal forest act. it solves fire borrowing. it completely reforms current bad management practices. this isn't just me saying this. we have letters from hundreds of groups that have endorsed this bill. here's a list of just a few of them. forest products industry national labor management committee, national sportsman foundation, national association of county, national association of forest retirees, national water resource association, the international association of fire chief the united brotherhood of carpenters and joiners of america. and there's hundreds more that have supported this legislation because it's good, commonsense legislation that is good for our country, it's good for our forests. the house has acted. it's time for the senate to act.

it's time for the administration to stop playing politics with wild fire. it's time to make house resolution 2647 the law of the land. at this time, i would like to yield to the gentleman from new exico, mr. pearce. mr. pearce: i thank the gentleman for yielding and for bringing this subject up. it's a subject that all of us in the west deal with every year. a couple of years ago, we had tom tidwell in new mexico, he was there at a time when the forest service was in the process of burning down 255 homes in ruidosa, the fire almost burned completely out of control and burned the entire town down, that's what the agency was surprised and frightened by. these fires are caused by a lack of management and instead of addressing the problem by

reducing the number of trees in the forest, the forest service is saying, and tom tidwell himself said that our policy is going to be to reintroduce fire into its natural habitat. introducing fire into the forest at this stage with the years of no attention, with the years fuel buildup work the decades of drought that have put them in a bad position in much of the west is absolute lunacy. yet this was the ranking, the highest ranking forest service employee saying we need to reintroduce fire into the wild. i'm sorry, but we need to clean up the forest first. then the fire can keep the forest healthy but not until then. these raging wild fires are a natural conclusion to the management policies for the past decade. so we can't start and act like that policy has not been in place.

another policy that the forest service is engaged in is letting fire achieve management objectives. if i were to take a look at, say, the, one of the large fires ut in grant county, in the wilderness area of new mexico, you can see the daily reports where they're talking about, well, the fire is 300 acres, 600 acres, it's achieving its management objective. there's one truth about new mexico if a wind is not blowing today, it's going to blow tomorrow. letting those fires go while they're supposedly monitoring them and the fire then gets the push from the wind and grows from 300 or 800 acres to 10,000, to 30,000 acres is again a natural conclusion to the management policies of this forest service. it is time for us to revise the way our forests -- forests are managed.

mr. westerman has a bill that's exactly right, h.r. 2647. and we should pass that bill and that process should go forward. start cleaning the excess timber out of our forest. it's much simpler than what everybody wants to make it, it's much simpler than the forest service would allow. so again, i appreciate the fact that you're bringing this issue up, i prishte the fact that you've yielded time and i would yield back. mr. westerman: i thank the gentleman, at this time i yield to the gentleman from california, mr. lamalfa. mr. lamalfa: i wish to express thanks to the gentleman from arkansas, mr. westerman, for leading this discussion tonight. very important for many of us in rural america. my district which includes seven national forezests has experienced increasingly devastating forest fires, caused

by overgrown, mismanaged or nonmagged -- nonmanaged forest services. our nation has already lost over 8.5 million acres to wildfire and the year isn't over. wieren on pace to exceed the record of 110 million acres burned back in 2006. that's not a record we want to break. our rural communities, public lands and the environment are being destroy through the neglect. the habitat is gone. erosion into our lakes and waterways goes uncheck and the people's asset the value of the tree, is wasted. in light of forest service surveys finding that over 12 million sierra nevada trees have died over the last yearing we can't afford to wait another year. that's why we need mr. westerman's bill, h.r. 2647, which will return active management to our forest by increasing flexibility, cutting red tape and acting to manage forests before fires occur, not afterwards. streamline red view processes means forest service can occur when it's needed not after years

of legal roadblocks. allowing cat gorical exclusions for post-fire salvage hastens forest recovery and prevents fuel buildup that can contribute to future fires. it will improve the data and know-how available for planning and also respect local priorities. finally the budget impact of forest neglect can no longer be ignored. just this week the forest service diverted yet another $250 million from forest management to fighting fire. that brings the federal spending total so far this year on fire fighting to $700 million money that though we agree needs to fight fire this year could surely be used better for we have properly managed forests in the future this bill will end the borrowing by funding fires as we do hurricanes, earthquakes and other disasters, making they will -- making them eligible for fema it's aer funds. in california over 1,000 homes

have burned. tens of thousands have been evacuated from their homes or communities. fire fight verse lost their lives as well as some residents now. this is a needless loss of life, needless suffering in rural america, let's start by keeping h.r. 2647 moving in the process through the senate and under the president's desk. again, i thank mr. westerman for his leadership and allowing me to speak on this important topic here tonight. i yield back. mr. westerman: i thank the gentleman from california. at this time i yield to the gentleman from montana, mr. sinnkey. -- mr. zinke. mr. zinke: i rise in support to remind my colleagues in the senate that the western united states is on fire. we don't have time for inaction and more political pandering. the house has passed a resilient federal forest act which includes vital reforms that could be implemented tomorrow if our colleagues in the house take the bill up. but why don't we do what's right

for america? why don't we come together and move the bill? this wildfire season has been one of the worst in the last 10 years. it's had enormous costs. despite conditions in montana, we have 35 fires continuing to burn. a total of 334,000 acres gone. that's equivalent of 522 miles, square miles. 2/3 of this acreage belongs to the public. our national forests. it's not just the physical damage. we lost four firefighters in washington. four. that paid the sacrifice fighting forest fires. we have to remember that. i was at a fire in glacier national park. it was a reburn from a fire that occurred in 2003. the reburn happened because of a

threat of a lawsuit which prevented the forest service from doing the right thing, what they wanted to do. with salvage timber. but because there was standing timber, ground crews couldn't get at it. when ground crews couldn't get at it, they had to fly aircraft at $3,000 an hour to put out a fire. it's wrong. it's wrong for montana and wrong for america. i know the firsthand value of our natural resources. i'm conservationist. but i also know the value of tourism in montana. i also know the value of clean air. and when the smoke in montana, which people travel all the way from across this country and the world to go to, is worse than beijing, it has an impact. it also has an impact on the elderly. the asthmatics. it's unhealthy. and worst of all, it's

preventable. the problem is real. but not only does the forest service lack the resources to adequately fight fires, it has a land management problem at the source. former chief of the forest service dale wozz worth -- bosworth, his quote before the hearing was, we don't have a fire problem. we have a land management problem. this isn't from a political member. this is from a scientist. and yes, we need more scientists in the woods and less lawyers. that's why i'm proud of what we did in the house on h.r. 2647. we passed it back in july. because we saw this problem coming. so we craffletted a solution. that's why we're all here to do. we were sent here for solutions. to look at the challenges ahead and make a difference.

so this bill addresses both the fire borrowing problem and the practices created the crisis we have now unfortunately -- that we now unfortunately have to bear. it does address lawsuits. that are frivolous. number one expense of the forest service is fighting forest fires. number two is lit fwation. and if they have any money left, then that's what they cruise for management. why are we spending this fire season over $600 million in august alone? don't we all agree that $600 million can be better utilized by preventing forest fires? by restoring habitat? by providing better public access, better recreational activities and opportunities on our public lands?

unfortunately, we've lost this fire season. nd still it burns. unfortunately, the senate won't pick up the bill. my fellow montanan senator, steve daines, has been a loud and vocal advocate of this bill. he understands. i'm asking his colleagues to stand and do the right thing. take the bill up. and if you don't like a provision in the bill, then show leadership and put an amendment on it. we'll work together to fix it. that's what leadership does. but to sit there and not take up the bill and have no action is unacceptable. i yield. mr. westerman: i thank the gentleman from montana. i would like to add that when we

passed this bill in the house, we put amendments on it that were offered by democrats, we were open, we listened, we wanted to do what's best for the forest and i encourage the senate to take up this bill, if there's something you don't like, let's talk about it. but let's do what's best for the forest. let's make this bill the law of the land. with that, i yield to the gentlewoman from wyoming, mrs. lummis. mrs. lummis: i join and thank representative westerman for this legislation and this special order tonight, explaining the extent to which these catastrophic wildfires are destroying the west and other areas of our country. this year, over nine million acres have burned in the west. it's a new record. for catastrophic fires. now this year, most of the damage has been in washington, oregon, idaho and northern california. you heard the gentleman from northern california earlier talk about the number of houses that have been destroyed, the live

that was been disrupted. and the wildlife that has been destroyed. the habitat that's been destroyed. the carbon that's gone up in the air, the illness that that has caused. the watersheds that are destroyed. the oxygen that is destroyed when you have ash running downhillsides into streams, choking the oxygen out of the water, killing the fish. the effects on people and fish and resources, it's irresponsible. we have a stewardship obligation for these lands. we know how to manage these lands. this doesn't need to be happening. representative westerman is an engineer and has spent his career studying the science of

doing this right. i have a photograph here of an example of how to do this right. he showed us this earlier. i want to show you how his methodology works in the black hills between south dakota and wyoming. you can't see this terribly clearly. but if you look at this vibrant green in the middle and compare it to the browns and yellows. black hills national forest. that's been forested and has been conservation logged and it has created sunlight in places hat were clogged from sunlight and created underbrush as opposed to a clogged underbrush that burns. it has allowed wildlife to graze. it allows snow to be stored and held longer in the forest into

the spring and very early summer melts and goes downstream preventing flooding downstream. it is a hedge against flooding. we know all this. all we have to do is pass and implement representative westerman's bill and we can start preventing this. the day to save a tree is yesterday, but this summer, because we have ignored this problem for so long, we let nine million more acres go up in smoke in the west. i spent an entire august work period in my state of wyoming and although wyoming, thank god wasn't on fire this summer, it has been in the past. i can tell you when i woke up on the western state of wyoming, my ice were burning from fires that

were burning hundreds of miles est of me in idaho, in washington and northern california. to ignore science, to ignore management practices and to allow this to continue is disgraceful. the house passed this. i urge the senate to take it up and i thank the gentleman from arkansas for his thoughtful contribution to the united states by serving here. i yield back. mr. westerman: i thank the the gentlewoman from wyoming and point out that forest management is different in different parts of the country and we have trained forestry professionals. we have good people working for the forest service that know how to do the right job but their hands are tied and can't use the things they have learned in school and can't use the things

they learned through practice and can't practice the art or science of forestry because of the policies here in washington, to impliment the -- implement the procedures. i yield to mr. mcclintock. mr. mcclintock: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i want to begin by thanking congressman westerman for organizing this special order tonight and for his work on the natural resources committee and its subcommittee on federal lands and mr. westerman is schooled at yale university, which the founder of the u.s. forest service, did so much to shape. mr. westerman's h.r. 2647 represents the first step towards restoring the sound, well established, scientifically

validated and time-tested methods that for generations produced vibrant forests. these forest management practices prevent vegetabletation and wildlife from overgrowing the land to support them. not only did this assure robust d healthy forests capable of resisting disease but supported an economy. the timber provided steady stream of receive news to the treasury which could be used to further improve the public lands. but about 45 years ago, we replaced these sound management practices with what can only be described as a policy of benign neglect. in 1970, congress adopted the national environmental poll sill act that opened up a flood grain the d laws, lawsuits, with

promise that they would save the environment. well, after 45 years of these policies, i think we are entitled to ask, how's the environment doing? according to every scrap of evidence submitted to our subcommittee by a broad cross-section of experts, the answer is that these laws have not only failed to improve the forest environment, they have catastrophically harmed that environment. timber harvested from our forests as a results of these dramatically.ed and forest fires has increased concurrently. wildlife habitats that were supposed to be preserved are being incinerated. prescription that once flowed, ow evaporates in overgrown

canopies and quickly claimed in dens vegetabletation. e have lost vast tracts to beetle infestations. the u.s. forest service reports in the tahoe basin in my district, there are now four times the vegetabletation density and trees that once had room to grow and thrive now fight for their lives against other trees trying to occupy the same ground. revenues that our forest revenue agencies have all but dried up. this has devastated mountain communities that once trived, while precious resources have to e diverted for other policies. despite a population, visitation to our national forests has declined significantly.

we can no longer manage lands to prevent fire or even salvage dead timber once fire has destroyed it. appeals, lawsuits and especially the threat of lawsuits have pearlized and demoralized the forest service and did nothing to manage our land. the deteriorating situation is forcing managers to raid forest treatment funds to pay for the growing costs of wildfire suppression, creating a death spiral. the more wildfires we have, the more wildfires we have, the more we have to raid our prevention funds. our private forest lands are healthier than the public lands precisely because the private lands are free from so many of the laws that are tying the hands of our public forresters. these laws may be making

environmental law firms rich but killing our national forests. h.r. 2647 is the first step to restoring sound and scientific management of our national forests and streamlines fire and disease prevention programs and ensures that fire-killed timber can be removed to create the revenues and the room to restore fire-damaged land and protects forest managers from frivolous lawsuits. my district, two major forest fires are now raging. the beauty fire has already killed two people, left hundreds homeless and destroyed 72,000 acres of forest land. the rough fire in fresno county has destroyed 441,000 acres and they are still burning tonight. we have exhausted our friferting

budget and we will have to strip unds intended for prevention areas. mr. speaker, we have a very simple choice. we can continue the misguided environmental laws that for 45 years have become responsible for the destruction of hundreds of square miles of our national forests every year or we can restore the sound forest management practices that will guarantee healthy and resilient forests for the next generation. this bill has already passed the house and now sitting in the senate and essential that the senate act soon to put it on the president's desk. i thank the gentleman for yielding and yield back. mr. westerman: i would like to thank the gentleman for his efforts on the natural resources committee, the chairman of the federal lands subcommittee. this is something that i'm a

freshman and i have been working on a small amount of time but spent years working on this issue. . thank him for his efforts i yield now to the gentleman rom alabama, mr. palmer. mr. palmer: i would like to thank the gentleman from arkansas for the work he has done on this. sometimes it's overlooked in the debates surrounding wildfires is the importance of forestry practices intended to prevent the wildfires before they start. the act offered by mr. westerman, passed the house in july with bipartisan support. since then, there are multiple fires, major fires that are

raging across the country. this bill would simplify and streamline environmental process requirements and reduce the costs of forest management projects intended to prevent catastrophic wildfires. the bill would also allow for quick removal of dead trees to pay for reforestation after wildfires and prevent the instance of reburn. as wildfires continue to burn in the western united states with tremendous costs to people and property, it is important to note that these fires are literally sending billions of dollars worth of federal assets up in smoke, did he priving state, local and federal governments of billions in revenues, not just in wood products but in recreation revenues. i'm a small forest owner myself. i understand the value of a healthy well-managed forest.

mr. speaker, america has already lost nine million acres invaluable forests this year. and our forests continue to burn and more will be burned unless we act on this legislation. i encourage my colleagues in the senate to quickly pass this much-needed legislation and send it to the president's desk. i yield. mr. westerman: i would like to thank the gentleman from alabama. we are from southern states but good forestry management is important to us as well. i have about 2.5 million acres of federal forests in my district in arkansas and we want to see that land managed properly ant don't want to see it go up in smoke. mr. speaker, we can face a lot of contentious issues in this body and in congress, but this shouldn't be one of them.

president roosevelt, who was the father of our national forests, along with gifford pinshow, he said this is one of our most treasured resources. we need to it leave it in better shape than what we received it in. this isn't a partisan issue but something we need to look at the science and work together and need to do what's right for america and need to do what is right for america because healthy forests create a healthy situation on better levels. we get better air and water quality, a better economy and wildlife habitat. we sequester more carbon. there is not a downside. but we have to get our act right here in washington, d.c., s with that i plead with and encourage the senate to take up this issue. let's have a debate on it. let's fix this and get ourselves

back on the right path to healthy forests. we didn't get here overnight and not going to fix everything overnight. the sooner we start and have our forests back in a healthy condition and sooner we can enjoy this national treasure that belongs to all of us in america. with that, i yield back. . . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. under the announced policy of january 6 20 15rks the gentlewoman from massachusetts, ms. clark is recognized as the designee of the minority leader. ms. clarke: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. clarke: mr. speaker, there has been a lot of talk about

defunding planned parenthood. -- republican -- ms. s. clark: there has been a lot of talk about defunding planned parenthood. some republicans have sought to shut down their services, curtail services for domestic violence, close our national parks and landmarks, the last republican shutdown cost our economy $24 billion. but many of the g.o.p.'s presidential candidates said in their debate just last night that defunding planned parenthood is a priority. we are not talking about abortion here. we are talking about access to health care. under current raw, federal money

cannot be used for coverage of abortion except in the most extreme circumstances of rape, incest, or the possibility of the death of the mother. and even though most americans disagree with that restriction, and believe firmly that decisions surrounding pregnancy should be between a woman, her doctor, and her faith, that's not the law of the land currently. so if we're not talking about abortion, what are we talking about? what is this threat that will be stopped by cutting off all federal funding for planned parenthood. what we are talking about is denying health care to the 2.7 million patients who received care just last year at planned parenthood. more than 90% of what planned parenthood does is preventive care. this includes wellness exams,

cancer screenings, contraception, prenatal care and testing and treatment for s.t.i.'s. just last year, planned parenthood has over two million contraception patients, performed approximately 3.7 million s.t.i. tests, 370,000 breast and 450,000 exams. these are the type of services patients receive at planned parenthood. and this preventive health care is what the majority would like to get rid of by defunding it. and that is what is most important about this debate. the care that patients receive. the care that one in five american women will receive from planned parenthood at some point in their life.

i would like to welcome my colleague at this point, from new jersey's 12th district, congresswoman watson coleman. she is a strong voice for women and families. i am proud to call her a friend and a colleague and i yield the gentlelady as much time as she may consume. mrs. watson coleman: thank you very much. i thank the gentlelady for yielding to me. for e ump teent time, -- the umpteenth time, many in ongress are leading the charge to -- against women's health care. now they're taking their tact toik a whole new level, perhaps shutting down the federal government if they don't get their way. as the gentlelady from connecticut has already explained, that is absolutely ridiculous. rather than consider legislation that would fund repairs to our

nation's infrastructure or invest in our schools or create jobs for millions of americans still out of work, we're considering legislation that would cut off support to an organization that provides vital health services to women and men who might not otherwise have access. mr. speaker, planned parenthood is first and foremost an organization dedicated to women's health. what's more, despite the endless conservative rhett reck to the contrary, planned parenthood does not use a single dollar of federal funds to provide abortions. this is really just a thinly veiled attempt to allow congress to regulate a woman's uterus and the end result won't be the end of abortions, it will be the erosion of care, family planning and medical treatment for

thousands of women. wednesday's "washington post" offered a perfect example. it profiled a single planned parenthood clinic in ohio, a clinic that does not offer abortion services. a according to the post -- according to the "post" that clinic sees 7,100 patients each year, most of them young and poor. they administer 3,400 pregnancy tests they write 2,900 birth control prescriptions and provide 13,200 screenings for sexually transmitted infections. facilities like this make up nearly half of the planned parenthood centers nationwide. cutting their funding will only result in more illness, more unplanned pregnancies and more babies born to mothers unprepared to care for them. in 2013, planned parenthood provided more than 71,000

patients with care in my state, the state of new jersey. they provided almost 16,000 pap tests to new jersey women and they conducted more than 33,000 breast exams. in a short sight red spons to a series of questionably edited videos and false claims, we're going to take health care away from americans with few, if any, alternatives. that's not what my constituents elected me for. that's not what they expected me to be doing in congress. i'm here to create jobs, to better educate our young people, and to reform our broken criminal justice system. by no means am i here to relitigate a woman's right to choose. quite frankly, i'm not sure which i'm more disgusted by, the fact that we're doing this again, or the fact that i've come to this floor of this house so many times before to express

that disgust. i urge my colleagues to consider taking up the work that really matters to the american people, and with that, madam speaker, i yield back my time and i thank the gentlelady from connecticut. ms. clarke -- ms. clark: i want to reiterate something the congresswoman said. this is a thinly veiled extremist position. what we are talking about is exactly as the gentlelady from new jersey put it. we are talking about relitigating rights that are established under law and that are really nothing to do with abortion. they are having everything to do with the way that women, one in five american women received her health care -- receives her health care. planned parenthood not only has a huge reach in the patients they serve, but they

historically serve a low income and underserved population. r example, in 2013, 78% of planned parenthood patients had incomes of 150% of poverty or less. to put that in real terms, that s an income of a little over $36,000 a year for a family of four. so not only does planned parenthood provide critical services to low income families, but they are also have a geographic reach to help ensure all patients have the health care access point. nationwide they represent 54% of all health centers in rural areas, medically underserved areas, and health provider shortage areas. and in some areas, they are even

a larger part of the health care system. in alabama, washington, d.c., delaware, louisiana, mississippi, montana, rhode island, and wyoming, they are 100% of the health centers in rural areas, medically underserved areas, and health provider shortage areas. that's why planned parenthood is so critical. and i am delighted to yield to my colleague from california's 33rd district, congressman lew, represents communities in los angeles, he's an air force veteran and reservist, president of the freshman class of and as a california state senator and congressman, he has an unparalleled record on

women's issue. i yield the gentleman such time as he may consume. mr. lieu: thank you, madam speaker. thank you, representative clark on your work -- for your work on this issue. i rise to stand with planned parenthood. last month as it became more and more clear that republicans were willing to shut down the federal government to defund planned parenthood,ry e-- i received a letter from a constituent of mine in los angeles. she gave me permission to read her letter. it says, dear congressman lieu, i grew up in a small desert town that had a high teen pregnancy and tropout rate. i made some poor choices as a teenager and was ditching school and criing at 15. i met a boy i cared for and started having sex. i knew i didn't want to end up pregnant and went to the one place i knew would help. they performed a thorough exam and gave me birth control pills. they also contacted me confidentially to tell me that i had an s.t.d. and would need to

take antibiotics. without treatment, this s.t.d. could have made me permanently infertile. i thank god they straightened my act out and by the end of high school was getting straight a's. i went to a good college, graduated from medical school and began my residency. i met a great guy who is now my husband and again went plu planned parenthood for birth control pills, s.t.d. creaning and pap meres -- pap smears. several years later, i went off the birth control pills and my husband and i got pregnant with the first of two healthy children. planned parenthood allowed me to make good, healthy reproductive decisions and avoid having to make the decision as to whether or not to abrt an unwanted pregnancy. that letter is from one of many constituents and from millions of women across america that have ben enfitted from planned parenthood. the two bills on the floor today attacking planned parenthood are a direct attack on american women.

in reality a vote to defund planned parenthood is a vote to deny health care, education and opportunity to millions of americans like my constituent. i stand with american women and planned parenthood in opposition to these two bills and urge my colleagues to do the same. yield back. mrs. clark: thank you, congressman lieu. the story you shared is repeated over and over with the millions of women who count on planned parenthood for the health services. i would now like to yield to my colleague from tennessee's ninth district, congressman cohen is a champion on women's issues and a lifelong supporter of planned parenthood. i yield the gentleman as much time as he may consume. mr. cohen: thank you very much for the time and thank you for scheduling this important hour special order. this issue is extremely important to women, to men, to the constitution, to progress.

and this week has been unfortunately very emblematic -- very much an example of what the house has been doing throughout this session. messaging. we're about to have a shutdown of government. because of planned parenthood. and the cost to our economy and to people for a shutdown of the federal government is astronomical. the last shutdown, which i think was in 2013, it might have been 2011, cost in the hundreds of billions of dollars. to the economy. stock market fell. people lost jobs. lost income. lost services. all because of planned parenthood. an organization that predominantly -- do we need to take a time out here? madam speaker, i think we have

an announcement from the senate. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will receive a message. the messenger: madam speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam speaker. the secretary: i have been directed to inform the house that the senate has passed with amendment the t.s.a. office of inspection accountability act of 2015. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman mr. cohen: would you instruct the folks that they interrupted my speech. bottom line is, planned parenthood is an outstanding organization that serve the women in this nation, my state and city. mostly low-income women and women of color and they get their basic female heaca