religious significance, and political implications of the address. join the conversation on facebook and twitter. pope francis: the challenges renewals today call for of that spirit of cooperation which has accomplished so much good, to have the history of the united states. ♪ for the next two hours on the "washington journal," we want to hear from you about pope united is visit to the states, and his address to congress. we talk about several political issues including integration, abortion, the death penalty.

he also referenced abraham lincoln, what -- martin luther king, and dorothy day. democrats, call (202) 748-8000, republicans, call (202) 748-8001 , independents, call (202) 748-8002. @cspanwj is our twitter handle, join the conversation on facebook.com/c-span, or send an e-mail to journal@c-span.org. front top half of "usa today," is this photograph by a "new york times," photographer. in this case, he was the pool photographer because they want to cut down on the number of people. this appears on the front page

of "usa today." this is the pope out on the speaker's balcony. the crowd on the mall in washington. you can see vice president biden here, majority leader senator mitch mcconnell here, speaker john boehner -- i'm sorry, this is kevin mccarthy, the majority leader. ande is speaker boehner, nancy pelosi is standing right here. mrs. policy and mr. weiner -- -- are boehner and mr. well non-catholics. -- well-known catholics. his address was clearly calibrated for his audience which welcomed him with an excitement and warmth unusual in the capital. his rhetoric was softened. host: the wall street journal

opines on their editorial page about the pope's visit. the pope in washington. the pope's call to a common , and theis much-needed most striking word in that passage is north. the latin american pope acknowledging migrants are moving north to the u.s., not the other way around. this is the same united states which practices the capitalist practices that the pope has asked our.

host: call (202) 748-8000, democrats. republicans, call (202) 748-8001 . independents, call (202) 748-8002. if you would like to send a text 02-717-9684. here's a message from the pope. [video clip] francis: i call for the effort to redirect our steps the effective

environmental effects caused by human activity. i'm convinced we can make a difference, i'm sure. [applause] pope francis: i have no doubt and thisunited states congress have an important role to play. host: let's start with a call from livingston, texas on the democrat line. did you watch the pope yesterday? caller: i surely did. i thought he did a magnificent

job of explaining what we ought to be thinking about. in our hearts and in our prayers. but the "houston chronicle," has think,head on page 17 i that the pope avoids details. some doubt impact. that just blew me away. of course he did. he is not supposed to tell us do this step one, do this step two. we are supposed to figure that out. the people he was talking to are supposed to figure that out. what did they expect? he can't get up there and say thou shalt not, thou shall. that's not his job. host: may i ask you, are you catholic? no, i'm a heck baptist. [laughter]

but i have a brain, it still works. you? how old are caller: 80 years old. host: congratulations. you sound well. caller: thank you. host: thanks for calling him. this is dawn on our republican line. what you think your -- of the popes address? caller: let me get you off speakerphone. can you hear me better? host: we can still hear you. caller: i'm a christian, church of nazarene, but i have third cousins from upstate new york, they are roman catholic. we met a few years ago. my cousin was really impressed with me and i was impressed with him. i said we have to have a coat of arms. a coat of arms is why we

don't kill each other. i said the star-spangled banner is back there, i started to call my congressman and settlement -- senators. i told him how about a coat of arms? we started putting in on our vehicles, the star-spangled banner, so we know that's a brother in arms. 41 years ago, a catholic priest came into our high school football team to praise christian catholics. said -- a there and commotion started. , we are'm a protestant on the same team. he said boys, we are all on the same team. catholics and protestants play football on friday night. don in fairborn, ohio on our republican line.

a text message from the 707 area code, why hasn't the pope discussed the evils of the islamic murders across the middle east? text message, send your first name in your city, that would be helpful. enough text message, with the pope, let's get back to cutthroat politics. that is from the 919 area code in north carolina. kathryn in cincinnati, democrat, good morning. caller: good morning. host: we are listening. caller: i'm doing just fine. good morning to you. host: go ahead and make your comment about the pope. caller: yes, i like the way the pope has come to the united states. i'm glad he has come. it's not just physical, it's more spiritual than anything. sometimes you have to read between the lines, it's not all about what he says, it's more on

a spiritual level. he knows that americans are hated mostly all over the world. he is trying to let people know americans,for americans do more good than bad. we shouldn't be such a hated people. we do a whole lot. americans go overseas, help take care of people, feed them," build houses. let people come in to have jobs. yet, we are still hated. i feel it's more spiritual than political. countryto bless this and the people in the country. that's how i see it. host: that is catherine in cincinnati. -- pope getss in high praise from all, "wall about journal," is right

the pope's lack of understanding of benefits of capitalism compared to socialism. lewis is in pikesville, maryland on the independents line. caller: i was inspired by the pope. i thought of matthew chapter 5, 9, blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be children of god. we need to change our paradigm rather than going and killing, we need to have on our signs would come to heal and not to steal. we come to build and not to kill. our aircraft carriers when they steam up the river off the coast , instead of mission accomplished, we have on their we bring american hope, for supplies and hospitals, we bring schools and new kinds of construction abilities that are loaded with sewer and disease. we have smarter hospitals in the

middle of africa research centers, the world health organization. he changed me, and i'm so happy he came and told us we came to heal and not to steal and to build and not to kill. i thank you for giving me this opportunity. host: from the "washington post," this morning, they're -- the pope mentioned his opposition to abortion, and some will seize on freedoms on religious in context of obama care.

host: "washington post," editorial this morning. here is what the pope had to say about human life, obliquely referring to abortion. the yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time uses for us. [applause] the golden rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.

[applause] this conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. [applause] host: cecelia in orange, texas. brings theis congress together at last, it's a miracle. richie in mount vernon, new york, republican. what did you think about the pope's address yesterday?

caller: it was very good. we are a country of exceptional people that do exceptional things. how can thet -- democratic party say that they are exceptional when they condone the killing of a baby that survives an abortion? what is exceptional about that? this man just got through saying that we should protect life from the beginning to its end. and yet, we will kill a baby that survives an abortion. host: that's richie in mount vernon. "new york times," lead editorial, pope francis's challenge to america. in an address of memorable passion and new wants, francis -- widely onthe the divisive immigration issues at home and abroad, the economic divide promoting

times," saysw york throughout the speech, the pope offered listeners and reminder of their duty to make politics a creative calling, in multiple spheres, including on poverty. host: the "new york times," mentioned the fact that the pope

brought up dorothy day, and we will talk later with tom roberts with the national catholic reporter. we will talk further in depth with him about who dorothy day was. here is the "daily mail," out of he u.k. a divorced for dell castro fan who had a string of affairs and abortion, and spoke up for ho chi minh, the very unusual american catholic saint praised by the pope. it little bit from this article. she was a committed communist turned catholic newspaper editor, and it moves to have her prove successful, dorothy day is in line to become a very modern american saint. whether that happens or not, there is no denying that day, who died in 1980, is held in high regard by the catholic church and pope francis himself. a little bit from the "daily mail," this morning. the next call is alan in st. joseph, missouri. independent line.

what you think of the pope's address? caller: i thought it was good, i was ashamed that our representatives -- when he was waiting for the pope to come in, he was a little late. that john boehner made the boehnerthat he is on time, he is always on time. i thought i thought that was disrespectful, and i'm ashamed. i can't believe no one has picked up on this. rex in jersey city, new jersey. the morning. caller: good morning. i certainly agree with the "new york times." nuanced.ss was certainly much less aggressive than other addresses he has made , in regard to capitalism and

owes toes that business the poor. but i think it was appropriate. -- to walk one cats feed, if you will -- feet if you will, before the congress, given the passions that are running on both sides of the aisle. i also thought it was very important and very effective, i hope, the way he addressed these afferences by saying that courageous individual would look to work together, and to open a dialogue, which i think he repeated numerous times. to open a dialogue to resolve collective differences. i was very impressed. host: do you have any desire to cross the river and see the pope today? caller: you know, i would love

to do that. but it is just going to be so crazy. i don't think i can get within a mile of the holy father. i just don't. will be able to watch him on television. host: you can watch them on c-span at 10:00 a.m., he will be addressing the un's general assembly. -- 11:30, he is holding a multireligious service at the 9/11 memorial. those are both going to be live on c-span3. the house is in session today, the senate is in session today. we won't be able to carry it on c-span or c-span2. it will be live on c-span3, and of course, later on in the evening, once the house has completed its business for the week, these will air in prime time this evening. here's the pope in front of congress, talking about immigration. [video clip] in recentis:

centuries, millions of people came to this land to pursue their dreams of melding the future of freedom. continentople of this , are not fearful of foreigners. [applause] because most of us were once foreigners. [applause] pope francis: i say this to you, as the son of immigrants,

knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants. host: as i mentioned, we will be live with the pope today in new york city. and then come on saturday, we are with the pope again in philadelphia. p.m., the pope speaks at independence hall, and then attends the festival of families at 7:30 p.m. all times are eastern. these are all live on c-span. christine and wonder lake, illinois. republican line. what you think of the pope's address to congress? caller: it was great. he had good advice on immigration from europe. that was really nice. you know, when they came over from the old country. and yeah, he wants world peace. i just thought every thing in general -- the advice he was

giving to america, and to our congress. host: christina and wonder lake, illinois. next up is salvador, democrat. caller: good morning. host: what did you think? caller: i wasn't tuned in yesterday, i was watching him. i feel he commits to be focusing and discussing more about the gays. host: what do i can to focus on her talk about -- what would you like him to focus on her talk about? caller: -- [indiscernible] host: that was salvador in antioch, california. from marylandge in the suburbs, i thought the pope was brilliant and spoke to the issues. i hope our hypocritical

politicians go beyond applause and i shall he do something about -- actually do something about the issues. this is a tweet from interested j. what happened to the new applause rule that member of congress were told not to applaud during the pope's speech. but they are members of congress. jim in chicago, independent line. i find it interesting for amanda calls himself very did heus, not once mention the name of jesus christ, nor did he quoted a scripture. which tells me he is more secular than religious. and for people that really worship this man, because i'm not a catholic and i really don't trust this guy -- i wonder if the more political than religious? why didn't he mention the name of jesus christ? why didn't he quote any structure -- scripture? if he is a member of a religious community. take care, god bless. host: judy and hudson, florida.

caller: i disagree with the previous caller. he said jesus's name very -- many times during the mass. i think he is truly representative of jesus. people who say jesus is coming tok, i think jesus sent him represent him, and to tell us exactly what he wants us to do in this world. to me, he is truly a saint. thank you. coming up inst half an hour or so is tom roberts with the national catholic reporter. he has been covering the church and politics for about 30 years. in theicle this morning national catholic reporter is entitled pope's address to the bishops may have been his most important. we will talk with him about that article when he comes out here. in the "washington post," the pope's photograph. in washington.l you can see the capital in the distance. this is where the pope was on the balconies.

you can see they set up screens all the way down the mall so that people could watch the pope's address in congress while sitting on the mall. artie in new york. what did you think about post -- the pope? caller: the guy is a great order rator.later -- o my concern is the motive behind his visit. , the newof minutes ago york city diocese alone closed about 15 churches. that's just in one diocese. he is coming here to sell something. he is like a rock band that is no longer on the bestsellers list. what is the downfall to bring

him back up again? let's go on to her -- tour. he's a world leader here to express his opinion. whether or not it's for us to take serious -- that's up for us. there is an ulterior motive behind his visit. that's all i have to say, pete. artie. texts in, the best part about the pope's speech was when he brought up the death penalty. the pope spoke to the bishops in downtown washington, d.c. here's a little bit of his address to the bishops. [video clip] the last few years and ight on your spirits,

have joined with yours and the suckering the victims. -- when we bring succor succoring the victims. and when we bring succor, we must hope that those crimes are never repeated. host: from the "new york times," taking on the challenge of address in english, he writes the pope took a risk addressing congress in english.

host: matt in subtle river, new jersey. republican line. the pope addressed congress, what are your thoughts? italy: i actually went to when they first swore the new pope in. you could tell right away, there was something different about this guy. ashas had very new ideals far as catholic religion goes. he has been running it in a very different way. very lenient, he actually said homosexuals may have a part in god's plan. my question of opinion -- is the pope day -- gay? the: here's a picture of

"wall street journal," of the pope arriving in new york city. host: jessica is from a kansas city, missouri. caller: i am a democrat and a catholic. i admire the pope. it i respect him as the head of the church printed as far as talking about politics, it's wrong. it is supposed to be the head of the church and not had of the political areas of the world. upset that hery is injecting himself into politics. changes to inject the

in the church. host: do you think you can separate church politics or policy and politics? caller: you are supposed to. caesar what is caesar's and render to god what is god's. that means separation of church and state. host: you mentioned that your catholic. were other popes political? benedict don't think was political and all. john paul was political to some degree. not as much as this pope's. that is what scares me. i feel that this opening to talk more about church issues and not politics where people are involved in the political

situations. this pope is not that savvy about politics. i don't think any pope is that savvy about politics. host: thank you for calling in. reverend jim is texting in. diane is in massachusetts on the republican line. caller: hello. i very much agree with the last caller. catholic, but my husband was. i am a methodist. feel, i still very much believe in god. he's being very

hypocritical. he lives in opulence. he comes to this country. he talks about immigration and how we should be taking them in. why doesn't the attic and city selloff some of their opulence. they could feed a small nation for the rest of their lives. i just find that very critical. we are supposed to take care of everybody, but they don't. this is a text message from the 239 area code. if you do send in a text message, include your name and city. jan is tweeting in.

wild and wonderful is tweeting and. j in athens, georgia. say i: i just want to think it's wonderful to watch our brothers and sisters on the right do their verbal gymnastics to get away from the fact that the pope was talking about dealing with poor people. loving your neighbor. taking care of the world and our environment. i thought he was a christian. ,his is the most ridiculous idiotic thing i have ever seen in my life, to watch the supposedly christian branch of our democracy run away from christ.

it's stupid. on "washington journal." i just wanted to say that the pope is here to give compassion peace, and he has done everything that there is. he is not here for political. he is trying to get peace in america. he is just wanting to address the democrats cu and republicans, people to love each other and to take care of each other. hungry, feedmeone them.

the vatican is only 100 miles. i imagine he would do so if he could. he is wonderful. wonderful holy spirit inside him. that is what he is trying to get us to love each other, respect each other, rich or poor. he is a wonderful man. he is god's messenger. the pope will be addressing the u.n. at 10:00. he talked about the european refugee crisis. we have a refugee

not seen since the second world war. this presents us with great challenges and many hard decisions. thousands ofnent, people are traveling north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones. for greater opportunity. this is what we want for our own children? [applause]

we must not be taken a back by the numbers, but we must view facess persons, see their , and listen to their stories. [applause] host: this week from chris and alabama. chicago, on our republican line. caller: i am not catholic. my mother is. commenteed to make a regarding people saying the pope being a threat. regarding the refugees from the middle east. an entire syrian family

and and encouraged all the archdiocese in the catholic church to take families. he is not a hypocrite. i just need to correct that. from lake gaston tweets in. rodney is in florida. i could see that this country came along way. bible is thathe theshouldn't call no man holy one. we are supposed to go through jesus. i don't understand why the

united states is looking for him when we have the truth in the word of god. it's very sad to me that we are looking at him as somebody who is holy. he is just a man like everyone is. we have leaders from other parts of the world telling us how we should live. host: if you want to talk about the popes visit, this is the area code. date is.

this is a text message from a carly in minneapolis. we should respect each other. " morethe new york times than 150 people will meet.

host: the president of china is in the country. tonight, there is a state dinner for him at the white house. we will be live with the toasts onnd with c-span2. yesterday, we had some cameras at the white house and we previewed the flowers and food a will be serving. c-span.orgch that at if you are interested. the pope is in new york. he will spend a day there. he will fly to philadelphia. all of this will be live on

c-span. how historic is this pope visit on top of the u.n. general assembly meeting? guest: it is unprecedented. for new york standards, that's amazing. to say something has never been done before, it's unique. you have the pope, the general assembly bringing in world leaders. that, you have the regular festivities of new york. games, thereseball is a concert in central park happening. the president is also coming into town. city officials have said they of thiser had a conflux

many high-profile events happening all at once. host: are there any numbers associated with what's happening up there? how many extra security personnel are in town? roads shut down? guest: i'm not sure about the roads. officials have been putting out a series of maps with road closures. a bunch of new yorkers have just sort of put a circle around all of manhattan and said i will avoid it if i can. the number of police officials assigned to events is around 6000. nypds on top of the normal officials that patrol the streets. that's not mentioning the federal officials here it there is the secret service and other

agencies that give support. 6000 is the number from nypd. are you in manhattan? what is it like? this avenue is closed down. -- fifth avenue is closed down. guest: i decided to avoid the disruption. i am going in shortly. far,what i have seen so it's a disruption that we have come to expect in terms of streets being closed and finding your way around it. new yorkers are used to this. honore it as a badge of to have vips wanting to come to the city.

11, we worried the city would be as a host for events. people who grew up here are ok with it there it --. bet: will the pope's message different than what we heard yesterday? guest: i think there be a bigger at the us on policy. it will echo what he said to the congress. gasesl push greenhouse and cut emissions for that. he will emphasize the idea that hetever differences exist, spoke about martin luther king and abraham lincoln it.

he will talk about the refugee crisis. i think there is going to be a greater emphasis on those areas. what has been mayor the blahs he owes role? -- the mayor's role? guest: he is underscoring his own message of income any climbing -- inequality. it's very good politics for a mayor who has had his own troubles to throw his arms around a wildly popular religious figure like pope francis. instead of talking about the cultural issues like abortion or

same-sex marriage, he underscores how the pope is asking churchgoers to focus more on poverty and inequality issues. aspectnderscoring those of pope francis. host: he is with politico and he is in new york city. we appreciate your time this morning. the pope will be in new york city all day. u.n., a speech to the general assembly and we will be live on c-span three.

those are on c-span3 because the house is in session and the senate is in session. later on it, you will be able to see them replayed on c-span. the pope jets off one more time to philadelphia. on more events live saturday. he will be at independence hall. attending the-- festival of families. that is the reason for this trip. that is live on c-span. alan is in massachusetts. she is our next call. what did you think about the pope? happy andwas very blessed to listen to him. appreciated what he spoke to the people who did not leave as he does that life is

made in the image and likeness of god. if they do not believe and they do not pray, would they send his way good wishes? motheressed to know teresa of calcutta. creates chronic illness. this pope believes in the power of god. even the homeless need to know god loves them. that's why we need to be close to them. we need to a knowledge they are persons. we need to listen to their stories. we need to acknowledge that they are good. there is a mystery of god's presence and people who suffer. i thank you for giving us the opportunity to share these thoughts. host: you said that you knew mother teresa? how did you know her? caller: she opened a few houses

in new york with her. i worked with them. i am in massachusetts now. the wonderful thing about mother teresa is people would say i want to come to calcutta and help you and she would say no, you don't have to come to calcutta. just look in your neighborhood. you will see the poor. do what you can't help them. yourself you consider a pope watch her? how would you compare him? caller: i think they are holy. mother said purpose of life is to be holy and go to heaven. mary inat is ellen massachusetts. from the new york times, a confluence of events.

that is in "the new york times" this morning. good morning. caller: good morning. i loved it. i just love watching the pope. i thought he was very graceful. he tried to be easy to both sides. people want him to be more one-sided, he's not going to do that. in, somere calling people are calling in entering rocks at him. he is trying to bring it piece

and togetherness, not separation. we have a lot of separation in this country and in the world. we need to go past that. we need to accept everybody for what they are. i think that's what he is trying to promote. host: max in a chicago is texting in. from "the hill" newspaper, obama will meet with castro at the u.n.. you can read the full article. article, speaker boehner settles on a strategy to prevent a shutdown.

house republican leaders are planning to target planned parenthood by developing a red reconciliation bill. boehner will lay out their strategy in a conference meeting today. mean supporting a short-term bill introduced in the senate on thursday to keep the government open through december 11, it would lead to legislation blocking money for planned parenthood hitting the president desk. strategy --ys the this was the wiser strategy. robert is on the line for democrats. good morning. we are talking about the pope. caller: good morning. i was curious if there was a

story about the congressman from arizona who was catholic and wanted to boycott the speech due to some conflicts with this pope talking about climate change. anybody with an iq above 60 is aware this is happening all around us. host: you know what? i did not do a search this morning. froms a republican arizona. i forgot to do a search on that. my guess is that within the next hour, we will have a story for you. we will see what we can come up with it --. that was robert in connecticut.

up next is chris in florida. i agree with my fellow floridian. we don't need a man to bridge the gap between us and our father in heaven. christ came to do that. christ and not present himself like he was the king of priests. i don't understand this. they have priests and monsignor's. then they have the king of the priests. we are all just men and women. we are all supposed to be equal. this is ridiculous. he's not the holy father. it's ridiculous.

i have nothing against him personally, but come on. christ came for nothing? christ came and we still have to go through this guy to have a relationship with our father in heaven? is madison. sandra is in massachusetts. yesterday, he was talking about how the church was beginning. our last name it. i would like to know more about

him. i could not understand. i was listening. it's close. we do come from that. i was just curious about it . my brother, who does not believe in much of anything, he thinks this man is just speaking from his heart. it's a good thing. at least, he shows he's got heart and it shows that he cares and he is trying. my god, they have to go through centuries of people treating people like they are not there, and all of a sudden, outcomes this man who has some good ideas -- let's go with it. the church can change real good and maybe the nuns and stuff can

marry and stuff like that. i know it is a very hard thing. host: sandra, are you catholic? caller: no, i'm not. protestant. it's a great thing. he is a great man. host: that is sandra in massachusetts. she mentioned thomas merton. politico has the full text of the popes speech. here is what he had to say about thomas merton, the monk. "a century ago at the beginning r, anotherat wa notable american was born, the monk thomas merton. of spiritualsource aspiration and a guide for many people. in his autobiography, i came into the world free of nature was in but another less i violence in the image of the world i was born.

that world was a picture of help you all my men loving god, but hating him. one to love him instead of fear of hopeless, self-contradictory hungers to merton was, above all, and man of prayer, a finger who challenge the servitude of his time. " that is what the pope had to say about thomas martin. we will talk with tom roberts further about thomas merton and dorothy day. this is a text message, i am a muslim. all the haters are threatened by him. he has a special quality that no one has. i love them. that is another text message. this is gene into troy on the democrats line. caller: how are you? i just want to say that i am baptist. what the pope is basically saying is reminding us of the basic principles.

just like in the beginning he gave man dominion over the earth and it was to take care of it and be fruitful and multiply. senator kennedy used to say a said --uote what jesus when you have done this on to the least of these, you have done it unto me. that is talking about feeding the hungry and visiting those in prison and taking care of the little. the pope reminded us of the two great commandments -- that is to love the lord, god, with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. each day, we are human. we make mistakes. what we have to remember that we are to exhibit the love of christ toward our fellow man. a lot of times i do not hear that in the comments of the people who call in. we are not perfect. we are human. there's one other things -- when i hear the word socialist, i

always think about the founding of the church. actsu read the book of around the fourth chapter around the 30th verse and the fifth chapter, it talks about the people following the apostles. they sold their land and their possessions and it brought back the proceeds and divided among every man as he had need. i guess you would call that redistribution, but that is part of the church. host: that is gene in detroit, michigan. for our friends in greenwich, connecticut, representative paul brassard -- pope speech a missed opportunity. he called pope francis's speech to congress "a missed opportunity for the pontiff to urge americans to stop persecution against christians and the sale of fetal body parts." who is catholic,

boycotted the actual speech in the chamber, but watched on television later read a t.anscript he told ms. ma statement,smax in a "much of his speech was uplifting, such as focusing on the importance of family as the foundation of our society." "however, this was a missed opportunity by one of the world's most powerful voices forget to specifically challenge congress and you make of people to take action against the perfect slaughter of christians and non-christians throughout the middle east, as well to put a stop to the trafficking of unborn baby parts." that was from representative paul gosar about skipping the pope speech. this is from a law professor at danford. it is called "the spring court secret power." the supreme court will meet in perform one of its most consequential but least appreciated functions --

choosing the cases it will hear. the courts nine justices hold regular conferences from late september to late june to perform this task. in the roughly 8000 petitions that arrive at the court to each year, the justices select about 75 cases. for more justices wrote to take a case, it is added to the docket -- otherwise, review is that i could either way, next donation for the court's decision is a most never given, nor is it customary to indicate how the individual distances voted. "it isor fisher writes, hard to think of a more significant power in the machinery of our democracy that is exercise more secretly. imagine if members of congress could propose or filibuster bills anonymously. it is unthinkable. that's essentially what the court does on a regular basis -- with complete discretion, it decides whether to undertake potentially major lawmaking without exposing any governmental official to public scrutiny.

the justices should lift the veil of secrecy that shrouds this power." that is jeffrey fisher writing in "the new york times." i want to remind you that we have a new series starting on c-span called landmark cases. it is about many of the major supreme court cases that have been decided over the years. ,his kicks off on monday october 5 9:00 p.m. eastern time on c-span. programs likeh this, your input will be welcomed through phone calls and social media, etc.. the first case that we are going to look at on october 5 is marbury versus madison, which essentially established the judiciary as the third equal branch of our government. off ont all kicks october fifth. we going to continue our discussion on pope francis's

visit to the u.s. in new york, tom roberts is up next with "the national catholic reporter." here's a little bit more of pope francis and his address to congress. pope francis: it is time to recognize the efforts made in overcomenths to help historic differences linked to painful episodes of the past. duty to tell bishops and to help all men and women in any way possible to do the same. beencountries which have ofodds resume the path dialogue, a dialogue which may have been interrupted for the

most legitimate of reasons, new opportunities open up for all. [applause] pope francis: this requires which is notaring, the same as irresponsibility. a good political leader is one interest of people in mind, seizes the moment and a face of openness. a good political leader always processesitiate rather than possessing space.

[applause] announcer: "washington journal" continues. host: tom roberts, editor at large of "the national catholic reporter." your article on the website this pope's address to the bishops may have been his most important." why is that? guest: i realize the problem had line writers have. -- headline writers have. it could be the most consequential for the catholic community in united states and most enduring because he was speaking to bishops. the bishops got pretty firm instructions. the pope said at the beginning that i'm not going to give you directions. i'm not here to lecture you, but he did lay clear what kind of bishops he wanted. it was a fascinating moment because it was a quiet venue. the crowds were outside and this was a time of prayer with his brother bishops.

and then, he went on. there was this part right in the middle of the talk that i think was really packed and oppressive and really led the way. that was really urging them to dialogue with everyone. as one expert told me who has followed this for a long time, he said that he was impressed with that insistence on dialogue because dialogue had almost become a dirty word in the catholic lexicon. it was indicative of a ologies, forthe instance, or combination with too much. and he made it clear. what led toribed authentic dialogue is -- do not be afraid, go through the exit is required for dialogue. the bishop told me that he thought he meant do not be afraid to let go of something that might be due to you.

-- dear to you. if you're in a legitimate dialogue, you have to be open to hearing the other person, you have to be open to being persuaded. that does not in giving up doctrine were absolute truth, but it means that you listen and you may be persuaded. you have to go into dialogue that way. it was a remarkable change of tone. host: calm roberts, can you give example of who this dialogue is taking place between? guest: he wants bishops between themselves and with your priests. and then with laypeople and then with the culture. i think that was a clear signal. he did not say this, but it was pretty clear to me and to others that what he was saying is this idea of a culture warrior bishop , a attack that has been used for bishops who stood against the culture and really critical of the culture, drawing the excommunications and that sort of thing,

threatening politicians with be grist, he does not want to go that way. he modeled that in his speech before congress. i think dialogue was the term most used by the pope united states. he wanted to dialogue with the people through them and the sense of history. it was a little interesting couple of hours where he set a model and he set that model before his bishops as the way he wanted them to conduct themselves in this culture. host: now we spent the first hour and a lot of this week talking with our viewers about politics and the pope and whether he is a politician. by the way, the numbers are on the screen if you want to dial in. we will continue that conversation with tom roberts of "the national ca tholic reporter." is the pope a political figure? guest: anyone in that national

sense could be seen as a political figure. he is not dumb. he is pretty savvy. the way that john paul was political, he spoke moral truths across cultures in a way that few others could. i think francis is doing the same thing. he did not layout programs, but e brought before congress issues he thought was important, immigration the top among them. that is what it couple do. -- a pope will do. what will it do politically? the calculus is not there. it is not able to be measured is it will garner votes for one side or another. a good catholics a clear idea of what his priorities are. it gave catholics a clear idea of what his priorities are. as one bishop told me, he is telling us our view of life

issues was truncated and to narrow. in his talks in several places, he listed both defense of life in the womb with children who are starving with the destruction of war, with immigrants who are drowning trying to get somewhere to a better life, and this bishops said, it was interesting that we catholics have become, especially in this country, used to putting those in different boxes and sealing them off. he says it belongs in the same paragraph, in the same thought. host: karen tweets and -- watching the videos, the pope most of theyed the mos catholic charities mentioned for the homeless. guest: that is pretty consistent. part of it has to do with the fact that the pope does not company academy. you do not need a phd in technology to understand his documents.

importante really formative part of his ministry was in the slums of windows aires for about 15 years. that is his lens now. he understands poverty in a way that is far more visceral than academic. he does not sake his views in inse kinds -- fake his ease those kinds of crowds. i think of other papal visits where children were presented to the pope and they were all well trained in catechism lessons and very neat and orderly. he went to amass their yesterday as he loves to do. and catholic charities is not you at the door unless you are catholic, they serve everybody.

he really didn't exude joy of being in the service. of being in the service. host: are those speeches that john paul ii or benedict would deliver? in terms of topics, and a lot of them, yes. absolutely. benedict or john paul ii would not have chosen thomas merton or dorothy day as .atholic examples to model i think they would have thought along different lines. it would have gone for a more mainstream catholic -- perhaps the saints or a famous archbishop or cardinal. that was telling also. that was an instruction as much to catholics as it was to congress. as much as it was to bishops as it was to congress. host: let us play more of the pope speech and come back to you.

francis: a nation can be considered great when it defends as lincoln did. culturepossesses a a dream of full rights for brothers and sisters, which you are trying so to do. when it strives for justice and because of the oppressed as did by her walk and her faith, which becomes peace in theshows contemplative style of thomas merton. host: who was dorothy day/> ?

ways: she was not in many the model catholic. she was a convert and became very devout, but before her conversion, she had a couple of well-known affairs and levers and abortions -- lovers and abortions. she was divorced. she had a child with another man , who she eventually left. conversion occurred and she became an advocate for the poor. i like to think of it as kind of an activity out of deep gospel. by that, i mean that she went to the roots in the most radical sense of that word. she lived with the poor and then he was also really radical as a pacifist, who opposed world

war ii, was jailed, and gave fits to church officials because, i think in the same way francis does at times, they are not mainstream. it is hard to keep them in the sanctuary. too, hard to follow them, because she lived a very difficult existence. i think she was a model for catholics who are in search of how to deal with the culture in some ways. she was really a strong voice for peace and against war and ultimately the expansion of weaponry of nuclear weapons. -- and imas merton fondled this word earlier, he a -- monk but guest: cistercian monk. host: what does that mean? guest: it's an order that is ative andntempl

honored the ballast silence. there was pray and work in the most austere circumstances. the irony of his life is that t monk became one of the most powerful voices and content for catholicism at the time. in terms of his spiritual ity, he went off the reservation of it, having an affair with someone. he was not the perfect monk. models choosing catholic , pope francis is willing to go to the margins. willing to go to the less-than-perfect, less than stellar. merton was a powerful presence and continues to be. his books are still influential and he was also really -- he set up one point that i'm not an

absolute pacifist, but i almost had no choice in the matter in the nuclear age. he was very active against the vietnam war. the, and this is one thing pope was pointing out when he talks about opening the door, and also as a thinker who challenged contemporary servitudes, he really was interested in relationships with other religions, and in fact, ting buddhism. he had a freak accident and was died.rocuted and i could h he was interesting figure and not one many would hold up as an example. are talking to thomas roberts, a reporter from "the national catholic reporter."

we were showing video of the pope arriving at the u.n. and bond greeting him. it will be live on c-span3 because the house of representatives is in session this morning and the senate is in session as well. of course, all the pope's activities in new york will be broadcast later on c-span. here are the phone lines. democrats,000 four (202) 748-8001 for republicans, and (202) 748-8002. ,nd you can send a text message and include your city so we can know a little bit about you. here is the scene at the u.n. of the crowds waiting for the pope.

tom roberts, the fact that the pope was speaking at the u.n. -- would you expect a different speech today than what he gave to congress or the same message? guest: i think it will be different and broader in scope. i think we can expect to hear a for what weocacy would call the developing world who are acted on by major powers. again, he does it consistently and lang which that is very clear, but if you look at speeches of john paul ii and benedict, they both talked about the inequities and justices from the rich and the poor. he just comes from the poor south and does it in a way that few of us know it. of full is on day three days here in the states. he is in philadelphia tomorrow. years old.

can you imagine? he is all over this town. [laughter] guest: there are circumstances where you are also meeting people. you also have to perform. he went from a white house gathering to this gathering with mass and a huge mass, along the way, he is meeting a lot of people not just on the streets, but in close quarters. people who are significant -- i just on the how. last night, i think he looked absolutely washed at the vespers service. you certainly got through it and seemed to be energized again when it was over and it was a chance to talk and be with more people. it is amazing. host: we will continue to watch the live video as long as the pope is being paraded around the u.n. here. justices noted that

o, both verylit well-known catholics, were not in the chamber for the speech. i did not see them. i saw john roberts. guest: i have no line to them, peter. no idea thousand message ways sign. i doubt it. i am not on their calendar. host: jr in woodlawn, tennessee. go ahead. caller: thank you for taking my call. i would like to say that i find in how fickle and naive america is when it comes to religion. presence being here

-- and this is the second pope who has visited the united himes in my lifetime -- the american shows and,e to embrace religion whereas if the pope was not here , all we would be seeing as how people are hollering separation of church and state and any political issue that people would be sharing from a religious standpoint, americans e rejecting. sad.d myself to be very let us leave it there and get a response from our guest, tom roberts. that you have to

separate out religion informing politics and informing our conscience and moral issues. from religion operating as a political entity. i do not think that is the case here. i think religion in the local mix in united states is a rather robust presence. i think it is a robust presence that influences a lot of our policy and our conversation, but also separate from the government and a way that i think is certainly healthy and has served us well. host: titus is calling in from michigan on the democrats want. please go ahead. caller: thank you. the pope has spoken. he is coming to the united states at this critical moment in our lives and it is a

blessing. i guess my question to your guest is -- now that he has taken a stand on cuba and iran and the need for congress to work together, what can be done to really make sure that his words are heated? eded? thank you. guest: we certainly have seen the result of his behind-the-scenes activity in both spheres. he is not a direct player in the united states. how it plays out with iran -- those steps will be tentative and incremental, but the big lift i think has been done. on that in the hump terms of recognizing cuba.

beyond that, with iran, i think andwords encouraging holding iran up as a model of negotiations. i'm hoping that agreement holds is a way of also informing bishops as well as catholics in congress. i think congress. in these words however they want and i did not think it will influence votes or points of views that heavily. within the catholic community and the ranks of the priests and the bishops, i think he made it very clear. i think babel unite and that point of view and they can be influential also. host: this is a text message from a democrat in virginia. ofsed southern baptist, now the christian faith. i thought the pope's speech was beautiful and a delicately worded way of reminding us how

we should treat one another. anyone raised to believe in god know that the topics that the pope just touched on follow the same teachings and beliefs that we as christians have always been taught since we were children. but't do anything agree with that if he is emphasizing common good, which i think is the phrase that very well disappears from our political conversation for a while. back. bringing that tha ps book about division and economic divisions. he talked about the community and a culture of care. he is very humanitarian. i was very interested at one spot in his speech that he used the word subsidiaries and solidarity together. often, they are used -- subsidiarity, meaning actions

taken at the lowest level should not be taken at the higher level. solidarity is usually a term that means grand movements and gestures. he used them together. for him, solidarity and subsidiarity have to complement each other and be used. andpeople in individuals small communities also have to be supportive and a very large way where things do not get them. -- get done. i think you're right. his emphasis on kerry for one another is rather strong -- caring for one another is rather strong and came through clearly in his speed. hostch. host: this is an article from "usa today." the pope show subtle overblown critique in cuba. critique ine subtle

cuba? guest: i think part of that is dependent on the situation. he also has to be a diplomat. to heal think you help a breach between countries over that many decades by going in a few weeks later and blowing it up. i do not think is going to satisfy those people who really want a piece of castro and that regime and to really condemn it. it has been condemned. we all know that. this was a movement toward a new day and a kind of reconciliation. host: michelle is calling it from minneapolis on our republican line. caller: good morning, guys. i'm catholic. i'm 60 zero hold -- 60 years old. i was raised catholic. you mentioned subtlety.

i was disappointed that the pope says we should protect life at all ages. he specifically eliminated mentioned illuminating the death penalty. he did not say abortion. we are taught that life begins at consent to. conception. abortion is murder as far as catholics are supposedly. one third of congress are catholics. how can a catholic vote for abortion? i'm a woman. i believe women should have control over their bodies. but once a woman gets pregnant, her job is to make sure that when she gets pregnant, who is to defend the baby? there is another life. it is not her life. there is another life. i was disappointed that he specifically did not call out abortion because in the minds of a lot of people, all stages of

life, when does life begin? to a lot of these people, life does not begin until the baby is on. host: michelle, thank you. tom roberts, was there a subtle shift in the messaging? guest: he used abortion in his speech with the bishops. conception begins at life is something catholics would recognize from beginning to death. as he said on the plane when some question his catholicism, i'm ready to take the creed. i think there is little doubt that this pope agrees with church teaching on abortion. michelle, i do not see that there was any waffling there. issues and as life in a continuum and

a much larger context and we have seen in the united states. host: here's an article we wanted to show you in case you're interested in reading it for yourself. from yahoo! news, cap justices scalia, alito, and thomas are no-shows for the pope. eric tweets and, i'm atheist and even i know that the catholic church is the largest source of charity on the planet. this is one of the things that i think francis really highlights by going to a place like catholic charities. again, you realize they are everywhere. i've traveled in some of the places that are disintegrating cultures and under great distress and postwar. catholic charities are not there just after the war. to have been there in the long they have beenon there for a long time in the

context of the countries. country, is in this certainly the largest deliver of social services and country. you are stating a fact. i do not disagree with that. host: area wants to know, why do conservatives not agree with the pope's message? he has no ax to grind. just make the world a better place to live. do conservatives have a problem with this pope? guest: i think we have seen this, especially high level, very vocal conservatives. somebody put it this way and i think it is a great phrase. the words are the same, but the music's changed. circumstance can choose either to emphasize the law or to go out and really encounter people. is that the logbook, the canon law book, is not going to go there.

he has put the the law book out front. he uses the phrase artful encounter, which is mushy in the ears of conservatives who like straight lines and know the demarcations between who is in and who is out. but that phrase is loaded because, if you're going to accompany someone and go up to them and first thing you do is start reading the rules and telling them where they are wrong, you may get a couple of ps, but they are not going to walk very far and they are not going to walk with you. i think it is part of the influence of the slums. meet so many happy families going to mass on sunday, but families that have a marginalized. there are conservatives disturbed by his broadening approach to humanity, to

culture. i can understand it because for years, under the last to pick this is lines have really been papacies,- to they have really been distinct. host: thomas roberts has written a couple of books on catholicism. one came out in 2011 and he has written the book of benedictine joan.r and jo he attended desales university and raving colleges. i would bet that you're probably catholic. guest: cradle catholic. host: who sister joan -- is sister joan? guest: it benedictine sister who is a pretty influential spot in

terms of spirituality and also if ms outlook -- a feminist outlook. she has really pushed the church to allow women to discuss issues and include women in positions of authority. , ands a prolific writer still at age 78, scheduled out for a year and a half. she speaks internationally and has really been an influential reformer in the life of religious life since vatican ii. the subtitle is interesting -- "uncertainty to faith -- from certainty to faith." guest: she was often branded as a dissenter. host: like dorothy day? guest: she caused a lot of heartburn in the hierarchy. the interesting i found out -- and again, i do not intend to do

this book. interviews with ncr we went into deep and personal conversations. she reveal things about things she never opened up before. what is fascinating is that she came to renewal late and reluctantly. she came out as one of the oldest in the church and she is in an anchor there. they take a valve of stability, which is in a small committee. she was from erie, pennsylvania, a broken old city. by the way, the sisters in that community are just transforming lots of lies. lives. the interesting thing about this

is that she went in as a 15 or 16-year-old with all the answers. d of about 60 years, she realized that faith was not equivalent to certainty. the journey was as important as the end and that jumping into something in faith meant uncertainty. host: as we continue to take your calls and talk with tom roberts of "the national catholic reporter," we are showing you live video of the --e and the human secretary u.n. secretary general. guess they just met. everyone wants to meet him and there's a lot of pageantry that goes with this whole thing, doesn't it? hast: yes, i just -- he -- a lotand a lot of of the royal content of the papacy. it is still a senior position in

our culture. i just did a story with an influential jewish thinker who is at the aplc i/o. the models the guy and he changes the area around him. that kind ofve significance have at least four things they can do at every moment of the day to to say that i'm going to a soup kitchen or i'm going to require showers and a place for people to stay i'mnight at the vatican, or taking two buses of homeless to two or, he really has to insist on this peer to go to a jail or prison and washed the feet of takes real determination and will. you have to say that is what i'm doing. other things are going to go by the wayside. host: tom roberts, i do not know if you can answer this. yesterday, he flew from joint

base answers here in washington for the president lands up to new york. it was on an american airlines plane. andlew in on alitalia flew in american jetliner up to new york. guest: i cannot answer that. he did not consult me on his child-centered [laughter] s travel plans. [laughter] rebounded -- in rhode island to caller. caller: even talking about this pope. the first commandment is -- i'm not serve a god before me. the catholics have 50 denominations. you got hebrew and all these religions and one religion. that is not what god said. he said that shall not serve no god before me.

you're talking about abortion. kill people when they were 12 or 14 years old. he put the plate on people. he killed almost every catholic person interrupted -- in the world. how can you all say you are a real religion and serve god? host: any response for that caller? guest: i'm not quite clear on catholicismnding of being a whole, nation of religions. -- combination of religions. reading a that he is new testament that i've not been counted. i'm mystified at it. host: this is adrian via text message. in his speech, the pope shows flawed catholics as great

individuals. dorothy and burton. do you think this has reestablish the traditional idea of a perfect model catholic? guest: i think that what he is models --with those and i do not have any inside information -- is that you do not have to be perfect in order to be a model catholic. he has said that in some the other ways. do not be afraid to make mistakes. he talks to priest that way, too. for me to hearng the pope a few weeks ago tell priest that yours not disposed to mercy and compassion, do not get near the confessional. esther bishop to give you an -- asktrative job if yo your bishop to give you an administrative job.

if you are not disposed to mercy, you cause great damage in the confessional. he is advertising a pastoral message that is deeply merciful and compassionate. think the phrase perfect catholic just does not register anymore. i think what he is saying is that you can be in perfect and mperfectve -- in and still have an intimate life with god and influence others. host: your live on the washington journal with tom roberts as our guest. on the screen is the pope in new york. caller: good morning. i'm calling about a part of catholic doctrine -- and i'm not a catholic. i think the pope is lovely and is doing a very fine job for all

of the believers. but i have not heard anything attitude ontholic contraception and the link there is between the lack of contraception available to the hundreds of millions of people --the southern continents africa, south america. and those people are wanting the kind of lifestyle that they see and beyond television in the northern continents. great one of the tragedies of our time now ,appening with people escaping partially from africa, partially, of course, from the middle east and the wars there.

but we have in our own country a situation in our seventh states -- southern states where there is a push from central america. eventually, it might be from south america. why are so many people being thisd a way to prevent explosion of population? i know about the population bomb , which is going to possibly be one of the sources of the destruction of our planet. response fromt a our guests, tom roberts of "the national catholic reporter." anything for that guest? guest: contraception was not mentioned. he met with the order of sisters, who were challenging. host: and on schedule. they were on the fight on

that band. i think if i can pick up on one why arehrases he said some people being denied access to contraception or artificial birth control? i think people are not being denied. the fact of the matter is, especially united states, if you want to take the polling for decades, i think it is between 80% and 90% of catholics simply ignore that teaching. that is something the church will reckon with an eventually. ways, in this culture, it is a settled issue. there are a lot of theologians that say the teaching on to be rethought. the encyclical itself contains some loopholes personally that priests have used in the past regarding conscience and

responsible parenthood. i do not know about catholics who administer in the developing world and africa about what they do on the ground, but it was a legitimate claim coul if you allo. if you allow me a second, it reminds me that in that session at st. matthew's cathedral in washington with the pope spoke to the bishops, it was very clear in that room that was a man speaking to a room full of men. i think more and more it becomes apparent these days that in terms of the leadership of the church, there is no representation from half of the human race. , because of,ings and especially in a country like united states where women have made such strides and we take for granted summoning -- so many, they just were not present. i think that is in other issues

that has to be contended with. i quote some women in the article about that speech who said that they love the pope. they are thrilled with what he is doing, but they still feel the sense of being left out of the conversation. he was inviting dialogue with everyone and they said we would like to be invited in the dialogue and at a level that is significant. we have no women in the vatican. and the real significant decision-making positions. birthing like control and contraception's -- all those kinds of issues -- could be raised by women in the circumstances in a way that men are not raising them. host: this tweet from victor -- rather than a two dinner with the powerful in d.c., pope francis eight with an fed the

homeless. teaching by example. portland, maine census text, just as the queen of england is the head of the church in england, pope francis is both a religious leader and a political leader. he appeared before congress as the head of the vatican city state, the holy see, and was introduced as such by the sergeant at arms, and not as the pope of the roman catholic church. paul is coming in from orlando, fort appeared go ahead with your question or comment for tom roberts of "the national catholic reporter." thank you for taking my call. and if the petersons are i hope you are elicited -- listening. i was a subscriber of npr and i subscribes to more faith than politics.

n a little more left. i wonder that before the end of that we willacy and anon-saying mass priest getting married. as a roman catholic, i've never been able to figure out why the church will not allow either. host: before you leave, t still get the national catholic reporter at home? caller: i get -- what is it here? my parents still do. i get the florida catholic from the orlando diocese. host: what you think about "the national catholic reporter?" do you think it has a bias? caller: boy, i would have to confess. it has been in a while since i picked it up. i grew up in a liberal household. i'm the black sheep of the

family. i'm the only republican. [laughter] it seemed pretty mainstream when i was a kid. again, i confess that i have not picked it up and read it in a while, but i'm going to be at michigan to see my parents at christmas time and i will be sure to pick up. maybe after the new year, i will call you back and report back to you. by the way, kudos to c-span. happened catching the coverage of the pope. it is so nice to have a news event that is covered unfiltered and unwrapped it -- uninterrupted by remarks by host. i thank you for your time and i would love to hear the remarks from you guessed. -- your guest. peter, i will talk to you soon. host: take care. tom roberts? guest: quick answer to women and married priest

-- we already have married priests. they mostly come from the fiscal church and some presbyterians and lutherans. let us establish that that is the case. a short night cap exception, but they do exist. i do not expect any kind of revolution. i do not think that is what happened if i'm predicting anything. there are also women who would say that there are women catholic priest and that there is women ordination worldwide. we are demonstrating in front of cathedral andl -- had events in philadelphia. that stream exist outside of the mainstream of the church, but certainly a desperate some of it does. some women act as full ministers. they are not recognized by the church. i will give you an answer about ncr. i do not think -- i know. as ezra, i would like to think i was part of that.

the reporting is very broad. am fond of saying that you'll find more conservative voices at ncr than a lot of liberal voices ofa lot publications. prettytorial board is progressive. it is an independent publication so over the years, it has been able to ask questions and do stories about issues that others are more constrained from doing. host: i think this might be our last chance to get of your comment. this is pete in germantown, maryland. i'm a recovering roman catholic. as a foreigner, pope francis had no right to lecture the macon people -- american people in congress about global warming and immigration. is the pope long to make comments about redistributing wealth? this view stifles private sector productivity. guest: i think what he is

talking about is the kind of capitalism that is so divisive that it separates people and causes enormous amounts of poverty. it does not create the kind of wealth at the bottom. his point of view comes out of the gospel. is a very strong humanitarian view. he calls it a culture of caring. he talks about the common good. all of which comes out of the gospels imperatives to care for one another. host: tom roberts of "the national catholic reporter" has been our guest for the past hour. please come back and see us. guest: thank you very much, peter. host: this is one of those weeks in washington where everything is going on. we have had the pope here in washington and now the chinese president is coming in. in just a minute and a half, you will see the ceremony on c-span2. this is live coverage outside

the white house. secretary kerry, vice president biden, and mrs. biden are all there lined up to greet president xi jinping who will be arriving. that whole ceremony will be live on c-span2 because the house of representatives is coming into session in just about a minute. we have to go to that here on c-span. tonight as well on c-span2, live coverage of the white house state dinner for the chinese president xi jinping. you'll see the arrivals and the toast. if you go to our website coming you can see what is being served tonight. the chef gave a preview yesterday and you can watch that online at c-span.org. any of gote house in the senate in. you have the pope in new york live at 10:00 a.m. on c-span3 at the u.n. a little bit later in the morning, they will drive him

down the good for five miles down from the u.n. down to the memorial at 11:30 a.m. on c-span3 as well. all that will be rebroadcast on c-span tonight after the house goes out of session. tomorrow, philadelphia, more live coverage of the pope's last day in the states. he will be at independence hall speaking at 4:30 p.m.. festival of, the families, the whole reason he originally came to united states. they estimate about a million or so people may show up for this event. that is all going on. on top of it all, as regular viewers know, c-span2 -- every weekend is 40 hours of nonfiction books and authors. america in history tv, 40 hours of history. it is the house. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its

caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] giving us another day. we thank you for the many blessings of yesterday and the gracious reminder to us of our political history of democracy deeply rooted in the mind of the american people. may all our efforts here and throughout the country be of service to and the promotion of the good of the human person. based on respect for each person's dignity. we also thank you for the tremendous outpouring of good will and the extraordinary efforts of so many yesterday whose service made all that transpired seem effortless. may the memories of the day be an ongoing blessing to all whose days labor made the day a great celebration for all people of good will.

and may all that is done this day be for your greater honor and glory. amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentleman from louisiana, mr. abraham. mr. abraham: 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: the chair will entertain up to five requests for one minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise? mr. abram ham: -- forbes force mr. abraham: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker: without objection. mr. abraham: mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the life of dr. calvin moray, a true american hero and a louisiana native.

he was the last surviving tuskegee airman in louisiana and he passed away this month at the age of 90. his story is truly remarkable. he stood up to hate and bigotry with courage and dignity. he fought for this country while overcoming an incredible amount of racial adversity. he broke barriers and he dedicated his life to service. i had the pleasure of meeting calvin in monroe, louisiana, and as a pilot myself, i can till he's the real deal. it was the highlight of my life to meet him, a true hero, that had been ostracized by society so deeply in eved maintaining the freedoms of our country. may we all have the courage as dr. moray had to stand up for what is right in this nation. 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 california seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. lamalfa: reflecting on the pope's historic engagement, he gratefulness for our freedom. we know we have that because of our brave. he spoke of responsibility that we as leaders are to help grow a nation and the people with it. freedom is essential in that success. pope francis said it's for all americans not just his representatives in this room and others like it to help sustain society with action and of service attitude organizations that are truly helpful for those truly in need. through faith not its misuse or extremism or humility with attitude of service we are better people. but it requires religious freedom, a cornerstone of our nation's founding. to be t enough

articulated in the first amendment of our bill of rights. with that freedom has brought us peace and prosperity and helped the u.s.a. be a beacon of hope and service to the world. hand in hand with that freedom goes the respect of innocent life and preserving the family. as to be his lated in the pope francid remarks, these ideals of life and family are the spirit we can pass to our youth. their future of a great land filled with freedoms and opportunity that comes with all of us at that service. for all us americans, that's our job. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. frons the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. r. wilson: mr. speaker, in 1987 i was grateful to be present in columbia, his remarks, south carolina, when pope john paul ii as the polish-born pope promoted liberation from communism in europe. yesterday i was grateful to be present with pope francis prior to arriving in the united states, the pope visited cuba.

an associated press article reprinted this week said pope francis gave a message that cubans should, quote, overcome ideological preconceptions and be willing to change, end of quote. end the dictatorship of cuba, only the communist ideology is allowed to be change. hopefully change will lead to freedom as protch by pope john paul. change must come to the economy which was stolen from its owners and is now held by the cuban military which controls over 70% of all businesses. this corrupt regime impoverishing its citizens has been propped up by soviet union and then chavez of venezuela. both have now failed as russians and venezuelans seen the failure of their government in conclusion, god bless our troops and may the president by his actions never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. god bless a liberated cuba. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman's time has expired. 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. >> thank you, mr. speaker. we all saw this past week as the press reported on a drug that was raised from $13.50 a tablet to $750 a tablet. if you spend about 60 seconds with a physician or pharmacist, you'll find this has been going on for a couple years now. very common drugs that our irst responders use. narcan. nitrogist run has gone from 8 cents a tablet to $8. an antibiotic that has been on the market for years, same thing has happened there. i want to ask the f.d.a. and f.t.c. to work together to help stop this fleecing of america and what's happening in the drug market. mr. speaker, i yield the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek

recognition? mr. collins: move to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. collin: i rise today to bring attention to the importance of the poultry industry to georgia and the issue of highly pathogenic influenza. it's the nation's leading poultry producing state. the poultry industry is critical to the ninth district of georgia and state as a whole. the jobs of 138,000 georgians depend on the industry and it helps almost half of georgia's entire agricultural sector. given the scale and importance of the industry to georgia, this critically important that adequate attention is paid to the potential threat of bird flu. we saw the devastating impact of the outbreak earlier this year. the worst animal disease outbreak in u.s. history. now with the birds migrating south for the winter, we have to face the prospect of the disease striking the poultry industry again. a plan was released and i understand usda has been in touch with state governments. we must do more than

conceptionualize a response. we need to take active steps. i want to commend the commissioner and georgia department of agriculture for their dedication to preparing for potential outbreak and commitment of thousands of georgians who depend on the industry. i'm calling on all agencies to work closely with georgia to implement meaningful measures in coordination with needs and recommendations. we need to shorten response times and work to prevent future outbreaks. we cannot wait to act. steps must be taken now to mitigate damage to this industry that is so vital to the economy of northeast georgia w that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what reason does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 348. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. pursuant to house resolution 420 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the

further consideration of h.r. 348. will the gentleman from tennessee, mr. duncan, kindly esume the chair. the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on student for the further consideration of h.r. 348, which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bill to provide for improvemented coordination of agency actions in the preparation and adoption of environmental documents for permitting determinations and for other purposes. the chair: when the committee of the whole rose on thursday, september 24, 2015, all time for general debate had expired. pursuant to the rule, 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 an amendment in the nature of a

substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 114-26. that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. no amendment to that amendment in the nature of a substitute all be in order except those printed in house report 114-261. each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, 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. it is now in order to consider amendment number 1 printed in house report 114-261. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk as the designee of chairman goodlatte. the speaker pro tempore: the

clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 1 printed in house report number 114-261. offered by mr. marino of pennsylvania. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 420, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. marino, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. marino: thank you, mr. chairman. this amendment makes numerous technical and other minor wording changes to the bill. together these revisions clarify that the bill does not authorize duplicative agency review proceedings, does not require duplicative project notification and initiation of agency review procedures, and does not allow permitting decisions to be challenged in court by parties who do not first present their arguments in the administrative proceedings that produced the challenged permit.

the amendment constitutes an agreement reached between the judiciary committee and the other committee of jurisdiction, the natural resources committee. i urge my colleagues to support the amendment and i reserve the balance of my time. it the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. grijalva: i ask unanimous consent to claim time in opposition to the amendment although i'm not opposed to the amendment. the chair: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. the manager's amendment has been categorized as a technical amendment. we are told the amendment is designed to clarify the bill which is being sold as the answer to our nation's economic woes. the bill is supposed to streamline in government environmental reviews and this amendment's supposed to streamline the underlining bill. unfortunately, the only thing that is being streamlined here are the facts about nepa. mr. speaker, the facts are not

in the republican's favor. for more than 40 years nepa has assured that federally funded projects are carried out in a transparent and cost-effective manner, while fostering public participation of the decisionmaking process and minimizing impacts to the environment. in fact, nepa often provides the only forum for citizens to engage on major federal actions that affect their health, well-being, and the environment. nepa saves millions of dollars and it's a tool for environmental justice. nepa gave the tribal governments and citizens groups an opportunity to engage in the design of u.s. 93 in western montana, resulting in a project that successfully addressed safety, environmental, family farming, and cultural concerns. it nepa's success stories were the process saves money and improves the quality of life for people impacted by federal

decisions goes on and on. my republican colleagues tend to streamline these stories so we never get a chance to hear them. here's some facts my republican colleagues might have missed during their streamlining. 95% of all nepa analysis are completed through categorical exclusion which generally requires only a few days. . less than 5% of nepa's actions requires an environmental action and less than 5% requires a full e.i.s. these projects that do require an e.i.s. tend to be the largest, more complex and delays do occur -- the delays that do occur are more likely the result of local opposition, a lack of funding or changes in the project's scope. agency data, interviews with agency officials and available studies sh that most nepa analysis do not result in litigation. yet, the underlying bill restricts judicial review and the manager's amendment would

create a judicial bar to the courthouse doors before a party can seek judicial review. typically, there have been fewer than 100 cases per year nationwide in the last decade. even though nepa review processes applied to tens of thousands of government actions each year and tens of thousands more that are classified exempt from review based on categorical exclusions. nepa is not a barrier to development, too, for better decisionmaking. the only reason to avoid nepa or weaken it is so you can make decisions less carefully. this is the purpose of the legislation. and apparently this bill itself was not drafted very carefully, so we have the manager's amendment to fix all the errors. this manager's amendment is just more proof that my republican colleagues should leave nepa alone because the underlying -- understanding how it works and what it does is unfortunately too streamlined. with that i yield back.

the chair: the gentleman from arizona yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. marino: i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back. all time having expired on this amendment, the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from pennsylvania. those in favor will say aye. those in favor will say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. he amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 2 printed in house report 114-261. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. lowenthal: mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 2 printed in house report 114-261 offered by mr. lowenthal of california.

the chair: pursuant to house resolution 420, the gentleman from california, mr. lowenthal, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. lowenthal: thank you, mr. chairman. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lowenthal: as my fellow californian ronald reagan once said, there you go again. a tax on nepa becomes almost a common weekly occurrence in this congress, and h.r. 348 is just the latest iteration. we should really call this gill he vapid act, it's unimaginative. my amendment would not fix all of this bill's problems but it would certainly inject some small sense of fiscal responsibility into this legislation that seemingly has been designed for wasting taxpayers' money. restricting the ability of the

public to comment on proposed projects virtually guarantees more lawsuits and more hastily approved projects that could turn into embarrassing boondoggles. particularly in the face of climate change, we must take special care to ensure that the future value of projects is considered. this means thoroughly evaluating the risks associated with more frequent and intense wildfires as well as flooding caused by stronger storms and higher sea levels. and doing these reviews will not delay projects, as was pointed out by the ranking member. it's a fact that 95% of all nepa analysis are completed through a categorical exclusion which generally require only a few days to process. less than 5% require an environmental assessment, and less than 1% require a full environmental impact statement, or an e.i.s.

those projects that do require an e.i.s. tend to be the largest and most complex, and delays that do occur are more likely the result of local opposition, a lack of funding or changes in the project's scope, not due to nepa. making sure that roads aren't wiped out by a future storm surge or that activities in our national forests don't spark fires or that government financed and permitted actions are resilient to climate change is the least we can do to protect taxpayers and the environment. but to do this we need to keep nepa strong, not weaken it by making government actions less transparent. the current nepa process allows for full consideration of the costs and the benefits of proposed actions and lead to environmentally and economically sound outcomes.

i urge a yea vote on my amendment because the threats associated with climate change and related natural hazards are too great for this house to continue to ignore. thank you, mr. chair, and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from california reserves the balance of his time. does the gentleman from pennsylvania claim time in opposition to the amendment? mr. marino: i do. i rise in opposition to the amendment. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. marino: mr. chairman, by its terms, the amendment brands infeasible and thus barred from further evaluation project alternatives that do not appear at the outset of the review process. to adequately address risks associated with flooding, wildfire and climate change. with all due respect, that puts the cart before the horse. the bill is intended to allow review of alternatives that are technically and economically feasible. it is entirely possible that during the course of review a

technically and economically appears initially to be feasible alternative that inadequate to address these risks could on further review be found to be adequate or be improved to be adequate. it may ultimately be found to be the best alternative under review. why should we prema turrill end he e-- prematurely end the evaluation? this does not prevent the review process. what it does prevent is someone waiting to get in at the last moment which has later to jam t system up in court, therefore, crushing jobs and letting regulation run rampant. i urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment and reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lowenthal: thank you, mr. chair. i just want to comment that risks due to flooding, stronger

storms, climate change are not putting the cart before the horse. we're, and i'm simply asking that we don't waste taxpayers' money by not considering these risks. this is a fiscally sound amendment, and i urge an aye vote and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from california yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. marino: i yield back. the chair: all time having expired the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california. those in favor say aye. those opposed say no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. mr. lowenthal: i ask for a recorded vote, mr. chair. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california will be postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 3 printed in house report 114-261.

for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. grijalva: again, thank you, mr. speaker. i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 3 printed in house report 114-261 offered by mr. grijalva of arizona. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 420, the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you very much, mr. speaker. the national environmental policy act, or nepa, is a 45-year-old law which stands basically for two things -- the federal government should consider alternatives before taking action that can impact people's lives and that the public should have the opportunity to comment on those alternatives before a final decision is made. house republicans opposed both of these basic principles so they attack nepa time after time, year after year. the bill before us today is

just a rerun of those attacks. my amendment unfortunately cannot fix this bill. in fact, my amendment is really just proof of what is so dangerous about the rapid act. among the critical issues that could be addressed through our existing nepa process is ensuring environmental justice, bills like the one we are considering today seek to short-circuit that process and so they seek to short-circuit environmental justice concerns. my amendment would put environmental justice considerations back in the process created by this legislation, but we would not have -- not even need this amendment if republicans would just leave nepa alone. 21 years old, president bill clinton issued his executive order on environmental justice. after decades of hard work, struggle, some victories along the way, the promise of environmental justice remains unfulfilled.

while environmental toxins and pollution know no class, race, low-income communities and ommunities of color share a -- share consequence. low-income communities and communities of color host facilities that have negative environmental impacts, such as landfills, refineries, chemical plants, freeways and ports. 78% of african-americans live -fired 30 miles of a coal power plant. latinos live in two of the top ozone polluted cities. for decades they have been battling these environmental injustices and seeking to build healthy, livable and sustainable communities. nepa recognizes when the public and federal government work together, better decisions are made. we have not solved the problem yet, but the solution is more inclusive, more rigorous, more rigorous use of the nepa process, not these constant

industry-friendly attacks on the law. every person has a right to live, work and play in a healthy and safe environment, and yet too often the health of too many americans is determined by the race, class, zip code and street address. it's unfortunate and inefficient to have to come down here to protect these issues one by one, for each and every republican bill that's presented. adoption of my amendment would keep h.r. 348 from destroying the progress we have made on issues for communities of color, but it doesn't solve the problem. a far better approach would be to drop h.r. 348 and instead invest in making nepa stronger, more inclusive and more inclusive than ever. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from arizona reserves the balance of his time. does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek time in opposition to the amendment? mr. marino: i rise to claim the time in opposition although i am not opposed to the amendment. the chair: without objection,

the gentleman is recognized. mr. marino: among those who suffer most unfairly from poor government decisionmaking are the communities the gentleman's amendment addresses. for example, growing research shows that the cost of new regulations often have regressive effects on those with lower incomes. when poor government decisionmaking occurs in the permit review process, similar unfair effects may occur. the gentleman's amendment guards against this by requiring agencies to identify and reveal the potential adverse effects of project alternatives on low-income communities and communities of color. once identified and revealed, of course, any such effects may be avoided, minimized or mitigated. i urge my colleagues to support the amendment and yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back. the gentleman from arizona is recognized.

mr. grijalva: mr. speaker, i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from arizona yields back. all time having now expired for debate on this amendment, the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona, those will favor will say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. mr. grijalva: mr. speaker, on that i'd like the yeas and nays. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona will be postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 4 printed in house report 114-261. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. gallego: mr. speaker, i rise to offer an amendment. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 4 rinted in house report 114-261 offered by mr. gallego of arizona. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 420, the gentleman from arizona, mr. gallego, and a member opposed, each will

control five minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from arizona. mr. gallego: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to offer a commonsense amendment to the rapid act, a misguided bill that will disempower local leaders, including tribal leaders and threaten the health and safety of their communities. as a member of the natural resources committee, time and time again i have witnessed the republican majority siding with big business and gutting bedrock environmental safeguards that for decades have protected our families and ur natural -- national heritage. mr. speaker, we already have a law on the books for the purpose, it's called the national environmental policy act, nepa, and it works. nepa ensures that our government's accountable to the people. this is a critical law that's protected the environment for more than 40 years without imposing arbitrary deadlines or limiting vital public input. it guarantees the public an opportunity to review on comments on actions proposed by the government, enabling

important perspectives that would otherwise go unnoticed. in this way, nepa can actually serve as a check on big government. unfortunately, the rapid act promises the opposite. a deeply flawed process that would diminish state, local and tribal communities. the rapid act would also establish a new regulatory framework that purpose low overrides the nepa process, limiting public input and consequently undermining the quality and integrity of federal agencys' decisions. among the many dangerous provisions, it would trigger the automatic approval of construction projects if agencies miss arbitrary deadlines. regardless of the complexities or hazards posed of such projects. though the bill excludes deadlines, as it is currently written, it fails to extend those deadlines for local communities. my amendment would create a new good cause exception that would allow a deadline to be extended if a request is made by a local

or state elected official or a tribal leader. while my amendment does not fix all the problems in the underlying bill, it ensures that if this bill should pass, our local and tribal leaders will continue to be empowered as they are currently under nepa. . stripping away the ability of our local communities to have voices heard is undemocratic and unacceptable. mr. speaker, special interest don't need us to fight for him them, our communities do. i urge my colleagues to support my amendment and stand with our local and tribal leaders when it comes to projects in their own backwards, impact their homes, families, and business. thank you. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition in opposition to the amendment? mr. marino: i rise in opposition to the amendment. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. marino: this amendment would allow agencies to escape the bill's streamlined permitting deadlines simply because an elected state or

local official or a local tribal official asks for an extension. the amendment contains no requirement that a federal agency find a compelling basis for an extension or even a significant basis or even any substantive basis at all. on the contrary, all that recalcitrant federal agency, a project opponent, or anyone else, would need to defeat an efficient permitting decision is to find an elected state or local official or a local tribal official willing to put in an extension request for them. the potential for abuse of this proposed provision by those who only seek delay for delay's sake or seek to kill worthy projects outright is obvious. i urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment and reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from arizona yielded back. the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back the balance of his time. all time having now expired on the amendment by the gentleman

from arizona, those in favor will say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. mr. gallego: recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from arizona will be postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 5 printed in house report 114-261. the hat purpose does gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 5 printed in house report number 114-261, offered by ms. jackson lee of texas. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 420, the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, and a member posed, each will control five minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from texas. ms. jackson lee: mr. chairman, thank you so very much this

morning. to my colleague on the judiciary committee, good morning. i hope that we'll find common ground on really responding to a great concern that i think all americans should be concerned about. although this bill is called the rapid act, were it to become law in the present form, a permit or license for a project would be deemed approved if the reviewing agency does not issue the requested permit or license within 90 to 120 days. that is a short period of time for complex regulatory structures that deal with complex industries. industry that i represent in houston, texas. the energy industry, has complex needs and as well complex impact and consequences if we do not do, the agencies responsible, the d.o.e. for example, does not do its due

diligence. now, let me say this, mr. chairman. these particular permits are done sooner than 90 to 120 days. what this bill says is if the agency's engaged in a very complex, deliberative thought process, then if they reset deadline, and still have not finished, they are then, if you will, thrown to the side, all of the issues and safety issues and issues dealing with the protection of the american people, are thrown under the bus. my amendment strikes the position deeming approved any project which the agency does not meet the deadlines contained in the bill. i can appreciate some of the frustrations through the review process by the national environmental policy act, but the cure is not this bill. the federal agency fails to approve or disapprove a project or make the required finding, we are in trouble. babies are in trouble with formula. senior citizens are in trouble with various pharmaceuticals. they are in trouble.

and then if we run up against the deadline, there is no response. second, frequently, there are times when it is the case that the complex it of the issues as i -- complexity of the issues, as i said, warrants us to do so. in other words, what this bill is saying the heck with reason and good judgment, we do not care. the heck with protecting the american people, we do not care. as i listen intently and intensely to the pope's words yesterday, i offer this quote, moses provided us with a good synthesis of your work. are you asked to protect, speaking to us, by means of the law, the image, and likeness fashioned by god on every human face. this bill smacks in the face of that instruction. and i believe that this amendment is worthy of passing. i reserve my time. the chair: the gentlewoman from texas reserves the balance of her time. does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? opposition to the amendment? marino: i rise in

opposition to the amendment. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. marino: mr. chairman, the american people desperately jobs.ew according to the bureau of labor statistics, america's labor force participation rate remains mired among historic lows. almost 94 million americans who could work are outside the work force. that is more than a population of all but 12 of the world's countries and most jobs. according to than every other country in the western hemisphere except for brazil and mexico. we face this historically low rate not because americans don't want to work but because so many americans have despaired of any hope of new full-time job and have abandoned the work force. the rapid act offers strong help to reverse this tragedy, restore the hope and produce millions of new jobs. we must pass the bill, not weaken it. to provide these new high-wage

jobs. but the gentlelady's amendment would weaken the bill in one of the worst possible ways. it would remove the clear consequences in the bill for agencies that refuse to follow the bill's deadlines. that consequence is to deem permits approved, if agencies refuse to approve or deny them within those deadlines. mr. chairman, the bill provides 1/2 years, 4 1/2 years for agencies to complete their environmental reviews for new permit applications and reasonable and additional time for agencies to wrap up final permit approvals or denials after that. 4 1/2 years is more time than it took the united states to fight and win world war ii. if agencies can't wrap up their environmental reviews in that much time, and then meet the bill's remaining deadlines, there is something terribly wrong with the agencies.

the prospect of facing a default approval at the end of the substantial time the bill grants is imminently reasonably a way to assure that agencies will conduct full reviews and wrap their work up in time to make up or down decisions on their own. i urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from texas is recognized. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, i'm so glad my colleague mentioned the question of jobs. mr. speaker, how much time do i have remaining? the chair: the gentlewoman from texas has two minutes remaining. ms. jackson lee: i thank the chairman very much. i'm very glad my colleague mentioned jobs because none of us here are fighting against jobs. i happen to be supporting the full jobs legislation that my good friend, congressman john conyers, full employment, has offered. i have joined. we are not here speaking against jobs. we are speaking for the american people. we are trying to explain that the complexity of the

permitting process, whether it is for drilling, whether it is to deal with construction, whether it is to deal with complex environmental issues that have to be addressed, impacting the american people, or for example, dealing with the volkswagen company that saw fit to do the technology to undermine viable rules that the american automobile industry was complying with definitely impacting jobs, i would have hoped we would have had a process of permitting or a process of determining whether the volkswagen company was violating these rules that were here to help the issue of pollution and other issues here. but also undermining the jobs by own american companies. let me just say the jackson lee amendment, in essence, is to suggest that there is a lot of complexity that my friends on the other side of the aisle with the rapid act, the very name of it suggests that we are throwing judgment to the wind. all we want to do is to move

forward even if there are ills. we don't want the taxpayer dollars that have asked these workers in these agencies who have the expertise from the d.o.e. to the f.d.a. and beyond, food and drug administration, department of energy, to protect us. and i believe, mr. chairman, that my amendment by its to 120, g the 90 deeming it approved, in the midst of a crisis, when it is not fit to be approved, is an should t that this body pass. i ask my colleagues to support the jackson lee amendment because i'm here to protect the american people and to do justly as has been given to us in a wonderful message yesterday by pope francis. i yield back. the chair: the time of the the gentlewoman from has expired. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. should pass. i marino: how much time do i have? the chair: 2 1/2 minutes. mr. marino: i want to give you

a couple examples of the timing effect that we are seeing that the agencies just are not executing properly. cape wind project, for more than 12 years, for 12 years they are waiting for permits to build an operation that would create jobs and renewable energy. 2 years. orange county toll roading in orange county, california, talk about a 12-year delay there as well. project was extended tens of millions of dollars because of the delay there. and jobs were lost because of that. charleston harbor, savannah port dredging project, again, a decade, a decade of my days in permitting because agencies are just sitting around not taking the job responsibly and they never would survive in private

industry if they operated under those conditions. examples of the cost in dollars and cents and the jobs that are lost because of these agencies not performing their responsibilities. i yield back my time. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back the balance of his time. all time having expired for debate on this amendment, the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from texas. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have t the amendment is not agreed to. ms. jackson lee: mr. chairman, i ask for the yeas and nays. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from texas will be postponed. it it is now in order to consider amendment number 6 printed in house report 114-261. for what purpose does the ntlewoman from michigan seek recognition? mrs. dingell: mr. speaker, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 6 inted in house report number

114-261, offered by mrs. dingell of michigan. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 420, the gentlewoman from michigan, mrs. dingell, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from michigan. mrs. dingell: thank you, 114-261, mr. speaker. for the recognition. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized. . mrs. dingell: the national environmental policy act, or nepa, is one of our bedrock environmental policy laws. it has a simple premise, look before you leap. the deadlines is designed to provide transparency and public participation in government. h.r. 348 would move us in the opposite direction. my amendment would not fix all of the problems with this bill but it would allow hunters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts to continue to enjoy the benefits that nepa provides. several recent stories help explain the benefits of nepa,

including the following -- recently, a plan to improve u.s. 23 in my home state of michigan was modified to avoid the largest loss of wetlands in our state's history. not only will this help improve the biodiversity of the region but it also preserves that habitat for migratory water fowl prized by hunters. this land could have been lost and hunters could have had their access reduced if not for the robust comment process that nepa provides. there is similar stories across the country. in 2013, changes to the army corps of engineer's plan to increase storage capacity at the john redman reservoir in kansas was needed to avoid the destruction of a local boat ramp providing fishermen access to the lake. in 2004, sportsmen groups from across the country banded together during the nepa review

process and caused b.l.m. to withdraw a proposal to allow oil and gas drilling along the rocky mountain front in montana. the list goes on and on, but the point is that none of these positive outcomes would have been achieved without a strong nepa process that encourages public participation instead of limiting it. furthermore, the habitats utilized by game and sports fishermen are the same by endangered fish, wildlife and plants. destroying one destroys the other, which is why nepa must allow for a thorough review of potential impacts to listed species. my amendment would ensure these protections will be preserved so hunters, fishermen and american wildlife will continue to benefit from them. there's absolutely no legitimate reason to limit public oversight of taxpayer-funded projects. nepa shines the light on proposed government actions and

helps local citizens provide new information and ideas, improved projects and assure sustainible decisionmaking. it helps federal authorities consider a range of alternatives often resulting in lower costs to the public, something i'm sure everyone here supports. nepa is a question sentionally american and government law. it reinforces the rights of people to hold their government accountable. a host of environmental groups have endorsed my amendment, but i'm particularly proud that my amendment is supported by trout unlimited. if you hunt or fish or have constituents that do, you should support a strong nepa and vote for my amendment. and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman from michigan reserves the balance of her time. does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition in opposition to the amendment? mr. marino: mr. chairman, i rise in opposition to the

amendment. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. marino: one of the linchpins of the rapid act is its set of provisions that deem a permit approved if the permitting agency refuses to meet the bill's reasonable deadlines and prohibit a court from overturning a permanent approval simply because the permit was deemed approved when deadlines expired before action was taken. if we do not include consequences like these in the bills, how will we ever assure the recalcitrant foot-dragging federal agencie will achieve the bill's goal of streamlining permit decisions? the amendment, however, removes all consequences for agencies' foot-dragging, so long the projects at issue would rather limit access to or opportunities for hunting or fishing or impact on endangered or threatened species. that is in the bill.

the amendment's sponsor offers no sound reason to do this. the bill does not require projects with these kinds of impacts to be approved. it just requires that permitting decisions, up or down, be reached after, at most, 4 1/2 years of environmental review. surely that is enough time to review a kinds of projects, inuding those that limit access to or opportunities for hunting or fishing or impact endangered or threatened species. to make matters worse, the bill would allow agencies to drag eir feet without consequences, even if a project had a beneficial impact on an endangered or thatened species. why should we all delayor that? i urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment, and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from michigan s recognized. mrs. dingell: i want to quicy respond to the commnts made by

my colleague on -- comments made by my coeague on the other side of the aisle. we heard that nepa is a scapegoat for projects being delayed, but it's the -- as the g.a.o. and others have found, local opposition and most importantly, funding isss are almost always the cause of delays. if we adequately funded highways and infrastructure projects we wouldn't be seeing so many delays the majority is so concerned with. nepa is a convenient excuse, but the facts simply don't support the claim that it's the root cause of projects being delayed. we should not be limiting the public's ability to comment on government decisions, but instead we shoulde enhancing them. this bill does the opposite, and i urge my colleagues to support my amendment and oppose the underlying bill. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman from michigan yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. marino: mr. speaker, my colleague forgets to mention the fact that the lead federal agency in this is responsible

for maintaining the schedule. just like we do in our own homes and private industry, so that agency is responsible for going to the states and to the locals and other federal agencies to make sure things are being done. but unfortunately here in d.c. d sometimes the state level, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing and that is making agencie responsible for that. it's just common sense and i yield back the remainder of my time. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back. all time having now expired on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from michigan, those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. mrs. dingell: mr. speaker, i ask for a recorded vote. the chair: the gentlewoman has requested a recorded vote. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from michigan will e postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 7 printed in

house report 114-261. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. peters: mr. chairman, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 7 printed in house report 114-261 offered by mr. peters of california. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 420, the gentleman from pennsylvania -- the gentleman from california, mr. peters, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. peters: thank you, mr. chairman. before i entered public service, i practiced environmental law for 15 years in large firms and the government office and my own firm and through that experience i learned firsthand of the frustration that many businesses and local governments face when they try to navigate overly complex and underly responsive permit processes. i also know from experience that time is money, and often a business seeking a permit is paying dearly to hold a property or disservice alone before it waits for the permit to be issued. and that's why i said for

applicants no is the second best answer. tell us no or tell us how but don't string us along, and that's why i appreciate the spirit of the rapid act. i don't think it's the perfect answer. frankly, i don't think it will become law, and i'm working on some other streamlines strategies that might have the bipartisan support that both would get them through this chamber and the senate and get them signed by -- into law by president obama. but as i told my colleagues on the judicial, i will vote for the rapid act if congress adopts my amendment and does not pass restrictions on considering the role of greenhouse gases and climate change on our environment. my amendment would simply eliminate subsection k of the bill, a section that explicitly prohibits any consideration of the social cost of carbon. for too long we've heard that we have to choose between a prosperous economy and a clean environment. san diegoans and people around the country know that's a false choice. we can and we must provide economic opportunity and clean

air and clean water for future generations. that means providing businesses and communities with regulatory certainty to help them dallas and invest in the future. and it also means that we use this streamlined process with tight and reliable deadlines to analyze the economic and environment and social costs of carbon dioxide emissions. as highlighted in former new york mayor mike bloomberg's bipartisan risky business report, accounting for the social cost of carbon and preparing for climate change is just smart business practice. the cost of carbon includes financial losses from sea level rise. if we continue on our current path of carbon emissions by 2050 between 66 and 106 billion dollars of existing coastal property will likely be below sea level nationwide. 87% of all californians live in coastal counties and 87% of all californians live in coastal counties and 80% of the state's g.d.p. is derived from those

counties. climate affects energy supply costs. greenhouse driven costs in temperature, catalyzed by burning fossil fuels would require us to build new power generating facilities to help cool homes and businesses that risky business estimates will cost residential and commercial ratepayers as much as $12 billion per year that could be used by families to put their kids to school, buy a home or hire more employees. climate affects the cost of national defense. in 2014 the pentagon issued a report on the security risks associated with profound changes to climate. it poses a threat to national security. that will put additional july ward pressure on our already stressed budget. climate affects agriculture, water supply, fire preparedness. in california the largest agriculture producing state in the country, we are in the fourth year of what has been one of the worst droughts in recorded history.

communities across the state are facing water shortages. dry conditions have extended our fire season to be nearly a year-round concern. given the stakes associated with carbon emissions on coastal property, energy, defense, our food supply, fires, our quality of life, shouldn't we at least understand the long-term costs associated with the project? this bill could hold the line on responsiveness and provide long-term certainty to businesses without bearing burying our collective heads in the sand on carbon, one the environmental impacts this law should confront? by allowing us to condition kr the real cost of carbon ouren on our economy, we can and must have a lien and healthy environment. i urge my colleagues to support my amendment and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from california reserves the balance of his time. does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition -- the time in opposition to

the amendment? mr. marino: i rise in opposition to the amendment. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. marino: thank you. the amendment seeks to strike the bill's prohibition against agency use in permitting reviews of the obama administration's pronouncements on the social cost of carbon. but this prohibition was adopted last term for very good reason. the administration's social cost of carbon estimate is junk science. to be specific, multiple commentators on thed a mfrlings' findings about the -- administration's findings about the social cost of carbon says that it is an unknown quantity. that social cost of carbon analysts can get just about any result they desire by fiddling with nonvalidated climate parameters, made up damage functions and below-market discount rates and that social st of carbon analysis is computer aided softestry.

to make renewable energy look like a bargain at any price and fossel energy look unaffordable no matter how cheap. junk science has no place standing between hardworking americans and new high-paying jobs. i ask my colleagues to oppose the amendment and reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. peters: mr. chairman, how much time do i have? the chair: the gentleman from california has 30 seconds. mr. peters: to respond, one, this is not president obama's agenda. this is the agenda of a bipartisan report and risky business, the department of defense and a number of other people that recognize this is a real problem we have to confront. and second, i'd say to the gentleman, let the science work itself out through the process. there's plenty of science that's questioned in the nepa process. there is no point this body prevented a discussion of any content except here. let the process work it out, and i'll be with you on your timelines and we'll get businesses the certainty they deserve. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from california yields back.

the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. marino: i'm going to yield e gentleman -- one minute to congressman lamar smith. the chair: the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, is recognized for one minute. . mr. smith: i thank my colleague from pennsylvania and fellow member of the judiciary committee for yielding me a minute. mr. chairman, i oppose this amendment. the social cost of carbon is a flawed concept that should play no role in the environmental decisionmaking process. it is based on speculative formulases -- formulas and has no basis in reefment they can be man knit plated to support any regulation. the social cost of carbon is a political tool the obama administration uses to impose its extreme agenda on the american people. it is also another way that the administration tries to use secret science