the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 1735. -- 175. the nays is 229. the motion is not adopted. the question is on passage of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote theeas are 233. the nays are 170. the the bill is passed. -- the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the chair lays before the house the following communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir. i write to request to resign my committee assignment on the science, space and technology committee due to my appointment to the house committee on rules and my assignment to the committee on agriculture and the committee on natural

resources, i am unable to effectively serve on committee. i am grateful for my time on the science, space and technology committee and look to workingith the technology during the 114th congress. i appreciate your attention to this request. should you have any otr questions, please contact kerry meadows of my office. signed sincerely, dan newhouse, member of congress. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resignation is accepted. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: mr. speaker, by direction of the house republican conference, i send to the desk a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 442, resolved, that the following named member be and is hereby elected to the following standing committees of the house of representatives, committee on natural resources, mr. lahood.

committee on science, space and technology, mr. lahood. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that when the house adjourns today it adjourn to meet on monday, september 28, 2015, when it shall convene at noon for morning hour debate and 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize september as national suicide prevention month.

this month is especially important to think about what needs to be done to help our at-risk veterans. mr. dold: from 1999 to 2010 a veteran committed suicide almost every hour of every day. this is completely unacceptable and signifies a clear need for action to prevent suicide and to treat those who are suffering. veterans have risked their lives and sacrificed tremendously for our nation. but the disturbing reality is that far too many of our veterans who fought for our freedom are not free when they return. they are trapped in their own minds. we cannot afford to be bystanders any longer. mr. speaker, it's past time we stand by our veterans and everyone else who is suffering. it is encurvent upon all of us to reach every can you thinkant upon all of us to reach out to everyone. together with the increased focus on the real and visible wounds of war we can better serve our returning heroes. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise to recognize bill of hayward, california, who tomorrow will have part of the san francisco bay trail named for him. who went to college and started his political career in the east bay as a dedicated public official who spent many years working for the people of california. that includes service in the state legislature, as state attorney general and as straight treasurer. as manage monk his many scesses was his work to protect our environment, championing the san francisco trail. he came up with the trail, introduced legislation and got support from both republicans and democrats. it's been 28 years since bill's idea became law and thanks to his efforts we have 340 miles of trail around the bay. it provides opportunities for recreation, education and transportation for area residents every day. when finished, 500 miles of

trails will surround and connect people around the san francisco bay area. it's a wonderful gift to future generations. as a ceremony tomorrow, a portion of the trail will be named for bill. it's a fitting tribute to a tremendous public servant and one without whom we wouldn't have this tremendous trail. congratulations, bill, on this well-deserved honor. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consento address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempor without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, a few weeks ago i was proud to announce grant funding for the center county youth services bureau, an organization in my district which operates an emergency shelte assisting youth ages 12 to 17 who are homeless, runaways or at risk for either these conditions due to difficult circumstances at home. this grantfunding allows the shelter to continue to operate 24ours a day, providing them a safe haven for these young men and women.

the shelter is just one of my initiatives that the nter county youth bureau is responsible for. it is involved in a variety of community-based, family-based and residential programs intended to improve the lives of families across center county and the surrounding area. mr. speaker, i commend the yue bureau and the staff to apply for these grant funtfunding and i know they will be able to see the results of this award for years to come. i thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlelady from ohio seek recognition? ms. kapturto address the house for one minu the speaker pro tempore: witht objection, the gentlelady is recognized 1. ms. kaptur: i want to tell you about a very imrtant conference that's occurring in the capitol tod, in t capitol visitor's center, a convening of nearly 500 americans and those of

ukrainian american and ukrainian heritage who are meeting to save ukraine now. they are mobilizing humanitarian endeavor across our country to ship medical equipment, to ship used clothing, used shoes, mattresses, tents to the 1.7 million children who have been left homeless and over five million refugees who have been affected by the brutal russian invasion on russia's eastern -- western side and ukraine's eastern side as russia has killed over 6,000 innocent ukrainians and thousands have been injured. a cold winter is approaching in ukraine. many families are now eating more and more potatoes, lacking sufficient sustenance and there are so many children who have been displaced. i say those listening, go to the website of the u.s.-ukraine foundation, see what can be done. if you can ship goods through

your national guard, this is the time for freedom fighters to lend humanitarian aid to ukraine. i thank you, mr. speaker, and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. poe: mr. speaker, another gitmo terrorist has been released back into the world by this administration. a bodyguard for osama bin laden is now a free man thanks to our government. but this isn't the first time known terrorists have been freed. threst notorious taliban five and at least one of these terrorist prisoners has allegedly started communicating with his old terrorist buddies. no surprise there, once a terrorist, always a terrorist. do we think after years of prison these terrorists will somehow change their mind and not be a threat to america? one report even claimed that chalabi may have been considered one of the 9/11 attackers.

isn't that lovely. the administration has its priorities backwards. the administration should be working just as hard to free four americans trapped in the jaw os -- jaws of terror in iran as it is freeing known terrorists who will return to their old ways of mischief and that's just the way it is. i yield become. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas seek recognition? for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of historically black colleges and universities week. more than 70% of students enrolled in hbcu's are low

income and more than half are first generation college students. arkansas' fourth congressional district is home to one of the nation's premier hbcu's, the university of arkansas. of the students are outstanding students, a select few have risen to the top. among them, sydney smith, from uapb, recently named an all-star by the white house. i tip my hat to all hbcu's for the work they are doing in communities across america. you are giving generations of young people a brighter future and helping them make america what they dream it to be. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remark. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> having access to sound financial advice can make a big

difference in the lives of americans, it's about planning ahead, set money aside, invest so families can buy a home, save for college. however a proposed rule by the department of labor threatens access for millions of hardworking americans who seek financial advice. mr. paulsen: it would present operational challenges and force those who give financial advice to work under conflicting rules from two separate regulatory agencies. unfortunately those most harmed by this rule will be families of modest means. i have worked on this issue for years and i continue to hear from minnesotans sound the alarm for what this will mean for the future. i urge the department of labor to reconsider is rule. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

>> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize the yakima union gas pell mission. for 79 years of unwavering support and dedication to those in need in the yakima valley. it ensures that individual needs are met, helping to provide between 400 and 600 meals a day, free clothing and household goods. mr. newhouse: free medical and dental care that can be paid based on a sliding monetary scale or through hours worked at the mission. the mission offered long-term residential addiction recovery programs for men and women. and focuses on skill development through the provision of job training opportunities at the mission's catering, retail, and recycling centers. in 2014 alone, the union gospel mission helped over 1,200 of its 1,400 clients find work in

permanent housing. additionally, the union gospel mission operates the madison house youth center, providing year-round tutoring, college preparation, meals and activities for high-risk inner city youth. please join me in thanking the yakima union gospel mission for its unrelenting commitment to serving our community. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from nevada seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. last week marked the beginning of hispanic heritage month. a time when all of us can take a moment and recognize the tremendous contributions of hispanic americans that have made our communities a great country. mr. speaker, i have the privilege of representing one of the most diverse congressional districts in the country. our diversity has always been

our strength and the hispanic americans have sown into the ry fab -- have sewn into the very fabric of our culture. i am pleased to join my colleague from california, congressman tony cardenas as the original co-sponsor of hisres. lougs recognizing his pan exheritage month. mr. hardy: so whether it's innovative entrepreneurs who are starting businesses and creating jobs the ambitious students studying to become tomorrow's leaders, or the brave men and women who serve our country in uniform, the story of hispanic americans is the story of all americans. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the entleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas seek recognition?

without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one inute. ms. jackson lee: thank you very much, mr. speaker. members will leave this week behind physically but not mentally and not without a sense of joy and certainly questions. many things have happened this week and more will come in terms of further explanation. but our leadership -- about our leadership, about our direction. but one thing we know that occurred is a mighty statement of balance and justice. i read again from the words of pope francis when he said to us that politics requires more than device iness, paraphrasing, and he said the greatest common

good, that of a community which sacrifices particular interests in order to share in justice and peace is good -- peace, its goods, its interests and social life. so in these next couple of weeks i would ask that we look collectively together about working to pass a budget that is fair and just and that helps the needy. comprehensive immigration reform, helping the homeless and helping veteran who was suffered, mr. speaker, some hundreds of thousands who died waiting for hospital services. i think we can do better. get rid of sequester, pass a budget for america. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. barletta of pennsylvania for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request is granted. under the speaker's announced

policy of january 6, 2015, the gentleman from texas, mr. thornberry is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. thornberry: thank you. mr. speaker, after 41 years in uniform, general martin dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and the highest ranking military officer in the land, retires today. more than once this year, we on the armed services committee have expressed our gratitude for his service and bid general dempsey fair well as he testified before -- fare well as he testified before the committee as he testified for what we expected to be his final hearing. but time and time again, world events brought him back to us. that underscore what is a consequential job chairman dempsey has had. he's the senior military advisor to both the legislative and executive branches of government and i am personally very grateful for his willingness to spend time formally and informally with members of our

committee discussing our country's security. providing his best military advice on an unprecedented spectrum of serious and diverse threats, during an era of declining resources. and when congress and the president were -- have very different views on national security policy, all of that has been a tremendous challenge. in his four debling kids of dedicated service, general dempsey has led our force against threats far different from those we face when he left his native new jersey to become a west point cadet. instead of soviets, general dempsey has had to confront a newly aggress i have russia, an expanding china, iranian backed instability in the middle east as well as isis and al qaeda. and those were just some of the threats we can see. general dempsey is also -- has also had to face increasing cyberthreats on attacks on our military and our country. the threat posed by diseases like ebola.

and an increasingly mobile -- in an increasingly mobile world and a tremendous amount of change within the military etc. in honoring him and his service, we also honor, through him, those who have served under him. to meet the challenges that the united states faces around the world and to meet our sacred obligations to our service members and their families requires a commitment to service and sacrifice that separates america from the rest of the world and separates those who serve in the military from much of our own popelation. it takes something special for having that something special and for serving our nation with honor and distinction for 41 years, i know i speak for my colleagues in thanking general martin dempsey and his wife for their service to our country as they move into the next phase of their life together. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that i may extend my remarks with further discussion

of the career of general martin dempsey. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. thornberry: with that, i move that the house do now adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly the house stands adjourned until noon on monday next for morning hour debate.

speakership at the end of

october. here's some video from this morning after the republican onference. >> please clear a path. >> does it feel like a weight off your shoulders? >> it's a wonderful day. >> make a path. excuse me, sir. >> mr. speaker, why did you desire to retire? >> why now, mr. speaker? >> is this an emotional day for you you? >> we heard a long period of

applause. was that after he made that announcement? >> it was in recognition of what he did for the country and for our party and for this institution. in the fates of great challenges. >> you need to clear a path for us. >> why are you upset, congressman? >> just emotional. thehut down the government, great victory is in the honor of john boehner. >> as congressman david jolly, republican from florida, speaking with republican reporters right after the republican conference this morning at which house speaker john boehner announced that he is stepping down as speaker, resigning his seat, effective at the end of october. we will have more reaction throughout the afternoon here on c-span. reaction also today across town

in washington at the values voters summit. a number of republican speakers, especially republican presidential candidates speaking there. as a matter of fact, the news was broken this morning to the audience at the values voters summit by marco rubio of florida. mr. rubio: we'll see how things progress. just a few minutes ago, speaker boehner announce head will be re-signing. cheers and applause] -- re-signing. -- resigning. [cheers and applause] mr. rubio: with all due respect to people that serve in government, it is important at this moment, with respect to him

and the service he's provided to our country, it's not about him or anybody else. i'm not here today to bash anyone, but the time has come to turn the page. the time has come to turn the page and allow a new generation of leadership in this country. >> you want to know how much ach of you terrify washington? yesterday, john boehner was peaker of the house. >> in all of that video later in our program schedule. you can see our live coverage this afternoon of the values voters summit here on c-span. we'll bring you the news conference with john boehner. again, he's announcing today, he's stepping down as speaker, resigning his ohio seat effective the end of october. we get more from a capitol hill reporter.

host: why is the speaker stepping down? guest: he's stepping down because of enormous pressure from conservative members of his own g.o.p. conference who have been patients' bill of rightsing -- pressuring him to stand firm and fight tooth and nail against any federal dollars for planned parenthood. e concern is, they've been threatening to shut down the government at the end of this month, by next week, in fact, over this planned parenthood issue. the speaker and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell re-- realized that would be disastrous for the g.o.p. party in the middle of a big election year. so the speaker fell on his sword and said we are going to push through a clean government funding bill, we're going to keep the government open, and in doing so, i will sacrifice

myself and resign from the speakership and step down from congress. host: you tweeted that close boehner allies were visibly frustrated in recent days. now we know why. was this news sudden to them and sudden and unexpected to the broader conference as well? guest: it certainly was sud ton even boehner's closest friends in congress. devin nunes who made some very aggressive remarks toward conservatives days ago, calling them right wing marxists and nancy pelosi republicans, he was clearly visibly upset over efforts to depose the speaker. he said that he only found out this morning at the meeting. cathy mcmorris rodgers, the number four republican leader, part of boehner's leadership team, said somebody slippe her

a note right before the meeting saying he was going to resign at the meeting. kvetch mccarthy, presumed to be the speaker in waiting, tells us he only found out two minutes before the meeting began. this was very sudden but of course the timing of his resignation is important. it comes one day after a historic day at the capitol yesterday with pope francis addressing a joint meeting of congress. the first time ever that's happened. and something that was very meaningful to speaker boehner, who himself is catholic. host: the speaker addressed some of the turmoil inside his conference somewhat in his statement saying, it's my view that the prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution. to that end, i will resign the speakership and my seat in congress on october 30. his resignation, however, doesn't clear up the issue of resolving the planned parenthood issue in particular but also getting a continuing resolution

passed in the house. how does that get done? guest: i think the way it gets one now is a group of more moderate boehner allies, republicans, will be teaming up with nancy pelosi and some democrats in order to push through a clean bill that surely would anger conservatives because it would contain funding for planned parenthood but the upside to that is the government doesn't shut down and the g.o.p. wouldn't be blamed for a shutdown in the middle of this very important election year. so that's -- and i think the speaker also recognized that there were a number of other fiscal issues that were going to be coming up later this fall in which he would be having the same sort of fight with members of the party's right side. so this was an issue that was

untenable, it was not going to go away. he was going to continue to clash with these conservatives in his own party and he just realized, i think he said, i think he realized he had, you know, come to the end and wanted to go out with a bang and did so with inviting the pope and having a very successful visit by pope francis yesterday. host: last quick question, who is the top name being mentioned to replace speaker boehner? guest: well, of course, speaker boehner's number two, the majority leader, kevin mccarthy of california, is the prohibitive favorite. seen as somebody who could lock up 218 votes necessary to be an elected speaker. but i'm expecting some sort of challenge from a red state lawmaker given that mccarthy has been closely aligned with boehner and hails from the

bluest of blue states, california. host: scott wong is senior staff writer at "the hill." read more and follow him on @scottwongdc. and a live -- >> and a live look at the capitol there. we open up our phone lines to get your thoughts. 202-748-8920 for democrats, 02-748-8921 for republicans, 202-748-8922 for all others and independents. the speaker will be spoking to eporters at 2:00 p.m. eastern. x reporter, a fo

chad pergram. boehner now set to attend 3:30 p.m. eastern photo op with mcconnell and chinese leader xi here at the capitol. senator mcconnell: grace under pressure. these are things that come to mind when i think of speaker boehner. he took over at a difficult time for his party. some said republicans could never recover. he never gave up. and some gave in to defeatism, he kept up the fight. and because he did, speaker boehner was able to transform a broken and dispirited republican minority into the largest

republican majority since the 1920's. that's a legacy few can match. he flew across the country more times than he can count to support members of his conference, recruit new members to the cause, and as the leader of a new majority, he turned the tide in congress and brought conservative reform in many areas. he worked tirelessly to provide hope to those who dreamed of a better life. and to middle class families who struggled under the weight of this administration. john knows what it's like to struggle and to dream of something better. he's lived it. that a young man from reading, ohio, wielding a bar towel could one day wield the gavel of the

u.s. house of representatives, it reminds us of the continuing promise of this country. we all know yesterday was an incredibly important event for the speaker. it was his aim to bring the same spirit of grace that has always guided his life to others. you only had to look out onto the capitol lawn to see what he achieved. and that he chose this moment to make this decision means he's willing to leave us in a similar spirit. i know the -- i know we'll all have more to say then but for now, thank you. my friend. >> i, like america, was stunned this morning to learn that john boehner will resign in the next few weeks. i have had a relationship with john boehner for a long time.

his becoming speaker of course made those relations much more close. i have not always agreed and wasn't always happy with what john told me but he never, ever misled me. he never, ever told me something that wasn't true. that and got where i understood john boehner very, very well. had a lot of dealings, back channel meetings, everyone knows that a lot of things that we do are not in the public eye and certainly some of the things we worked on together perhaps wouldn't have worked out very well in the public eye but there were things we had to do to get things done. i had a very good relationship

with john boehner. my staff got along with his of he's had two chiefs of staff, they've both been terrific to work with. my staff has reached out to them on so many occasions in very difficult times and they have a good relationship. i have no doubt that everything that john boehner has done, has been done with the fact in mind that he was doing his best for the people of his district in ohio and our country. .e had a very difficult job he had this faction, that faction, that faction and a couple more. by ousting a man like john boehner a good man like john boehner, he is a conservative republican.

but his problem is that john boehner has been pragmatic. he realizes there comes time when you have to make a deal. and i say to the presiding officer and everyone within the i didn't knowice, general eisenhower, president eisenhower, never met him. but ronald reagan, i was here when he was president. and he had conservative credentials. but ronald reagan was somebody who understood the art of compromise. who else could have worked out something with the soviet union? i'm not sure there's anybody. ronald reagan was able to do that. mr. president, i'm so concerned, i am seing the republican party, not the party of dwight eisenhower as i've studied him,

or the man ronald reagan as i knew him, i think it's very, very sad that the tea party who s, the republicans started in 2010, i guess now have taken over control of the party. to say i will miss john boehner is a tremendous understatement. i looked out for him in ways that i could, he looked out for me in the ways he could. i will always consider john boehner my friend. and i look forward to working with him until he leaves. i understand it will be in late october. but i'll continue to work with him as i have in the past to try to do what i think is the right thing for the country, as i'm confident he will, and hopefully we'll continue someplace there in thed myle to get things done. i got things done with john

boehner that i wasn't happy with and he wasn't happy with what we had to come up with but sometimes you do the best you can. i wish john boehner the very best in the future. whatever i can do to make his life pleasant i'll be happy to do that. whether it's setting up a golf game for him in las vegas or helping him in some government matter, i'll do whatever i can because john boehner, as far as i'm concerned, is a good man and it's a gross understatement to say i will miss him. i will. >> senate leadership back-to-back, their reaction. mitch mcconnell, harry reid on the announcement that john boehner will be step -- stepping down from his seat at the end of october. a news conference coming up in about 15 minutes, 1:00 p.m. eastern. your phone calls. fort myers, florida, the independent line. summer. go ahead with your comment. caller: well, i know he tried, i

give him an a for effort, he couldn't keep his party together , the people over on the right side went nuts and separating and i guess he's realizing it. i feel bad for the guy. it looked like he was having a hard time yesterday behind the pope. i didn't know what was going on. i could tell something was going on and i guess that's what it was, that he was going to resign and i say fwoob, i feel bad, but he just can't -- he couldn't keep his party together. host: ok, here's vanessa, next up in auburn, washington, the democrats' line. caller: i say yes, thank goodness. one negative republican out, it's time to remove the rest of them. that's what i have to say. host: jackie in east lake, ohio. and what do you think about congressman boehner's stepping down, not only from the speakership but resigning from

his seat? >> well, i feel -- caller: well, i feel bad for mr. boehner, he tried. i didn't leek him too much. but what's going to happen is a skiss. is going to be caused in the -- a skizz. is going to be caused -- a schism is going to be caused in the g.o.p. i have a horrible feeling that it's going in some way to make our country implode. there's too many people with personal agendas on the right and lord help us. like the pope said, god bless america. host: sam from florida is next as we wait to hear from house speaker boehner. republican line, roger. caller: dr. tom price, the congressman from georgia has shown tremendous leadership on the republican study committee and also is a very reasonable and sensible legislator and i think he can bridge the enormous gap and become a great speaker of the house.

dr. tom price from atlanta, georgia. thank you very much. host: ok. palmdale, california. tony on our democrats' line. speaker boehner stepping down. caller: i think it's a good decision. i think it's the right decision. and it just reflects that the republican party is in disarray. ted cruz leading this charge to shut down our government over planned parenthood, it's irresponsible. i think these differences are so dividing that nobody can hold it together. so i think it's a good decision. host: speaker boehner's announcement coming less than 24 hours after a historic speech before a joint meeting by pope francis at the invitation of speaker boehner. thousands of people on the front lawn of the capitol and stretching down the mall. the pope now in new york city, we are covering that, all of that is available live this

afternoon in our video library and c span -- at c-span.org. and speaker boehner is expected to speak in about 10 minutes or so. we continue with your reaction. lawton, oklahoma, hello, there. caller: hello. i wanted to say that speaker boehner was a pretty good speaker. however, i wish before he leaves in october that he will pass the immigration law that the senate has passed over where he could get everybody on record for the immigration law. host: do you think his announcement that he's going to step down in a month frees him up to do those sorts of thing? caller: i think so. i think so. that's one of the things that we should look into and hope he will go ahead and pass it. host: coincidently, the news of the announcement by speaker boehner that he's resigning, there's a poll by nbc, here's the headline. 72% of republicans are dissatisfied with boehner and

mcconnell. they write, nbc's mark murray writing, on the same day john boehner announced his resignation, 72% of republican primary voters said they were dissatisfied with his and senator mcconnell's abilities to achieve goals, according to a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll that includes voters who say they were quote very dissatisfied and 36% who want them immediately removed from their leadership positions. these poll results conducted sunday through thursday of this week, coming as john boehner announces this morning hisres. egg nation as speaker, effective october 30. that's from nbc and "the wall street journal." next up is texas, paul on the republican line. he r: i just think that probably thought he was doing right but it's a sad thing that republicans and democrats can't

work together. behind obama needs to be him. host: what do you think about president oba? caller: i said mcconnell and reid, they are the other two that need to go behind him. we need to get this country turned around. it's really bad. host: ok, still in texas, on our independent line, ronald. caller: how you doing doing. i would like to make a comment in reference to john boehner retiring, or resigning. i think he had lost control of the republican party, those folks in the house didn't want to work with him on anything that he set out to do as far as trying to work with the democrats. like the previous caller said, you would hope he could get together and maybe pass the immigration bill that was passed in the senate and the president said he will sign. i don't understand why you can't

at least bring it up for a vote and then let the people vote what they think. it's a ment but i think good thing that he goes. someone needs control over those real right wing republicans so they can work together to get this country moving forward. host: still on the agenda for the house and senate, the end of the fiscal year. spending needs to be dealt with by the 30th of september, next wednesday. both the house and senate working on that next week. the issue of john boehner's resignation coming up today at the values voters summit in washington, including vice-presidential candidate -- incrudding by presidential candidate marco rubio. mr. rubio: just a few minutes ago, speaker boehner announced he will be re-signing. [cheers and applause] -- resigning. [cheers and applause] .

mr. rubio: with all due respect to people that serve in government, it is important at this moment, with respect to him and service he's provided to our country, it's not about him or anybody else. i'm not here today to bash anyone, but the time has come to turn the page. the time has come to turn the page and allow a new generation of leadership in this country. host: that speech by marco rubio across town here in the nation's capital at the values voters summit. see our live coverage online at c-span.org. other candidates speaking, ted cruz, donald trump is there as well. about the story of the speaker's

resignation, here's paul singer's first take in the headline at u.s.a. -- at usatoday.com. shock and awe rock capitol hill on friday. capping his public career by hosting the pope for a first ever speech to congress, speaker boehner abruptly resigned. there's been a threat hanging over his head for more than a month that hardline conservatives would force a vote to recall the speaker. nobody figured they'd have enough votes to win. that's from paul singer, "usa today." waiting to hear from house speaker john boehner in about five minutes. here's austin, texas, the republican line. caller: yes, i'd like to say that speaker boehner, good-bye and good health and adios amigo.

i would love to see mitch mcconnell follow in his footsteps. that's all i've got. host: ok. jack in davenport, iowa. what's your take? caller: i'm a moderate democrat who occasionally votes republican. i view boehner as a fellow moderate, only a republican. extremist elements of the republican party are tearing the party itself and making the republican party ungovernable. if the republican party fuses between the kamikaze parts of the republican party and the practical part, i feel sorry for boehner, i feel sorry for the republican party, i feel sor roy for america. host: about five minutes before we hear from house speaker boehner who would resign after 3 terms in congress. maria is in philadelphia, next up on the i want debit -- independents line. caller: hello. how you doing. host: doing fine.

thanks, go ahead. caller: i would just like to say that i think spiritual intervention came down, the pope was there, i hope many other congressmen who have been holding back bills and immigration and everything else will follow in boehner's footsteps and also resign. host: president owhat ma commenting on the resignation of house speaker boehner a news conference under way at the white house. the president and the chinese president xi holding a joint news conference, over on c-span 3. the president asked about the resignation, alex bolton of the hill tweets, obama will reach out to the next speaker to see what his or her ideas are and hopes he/she recognizes differences don't warrant shutdowns. this is richard in ottawa, illinois. democrats line. caller: yes. i'd like to make a statement, boehner, i think he should have stayed and i think he should get

rid of most of them republican texas people. they're the ones that's wrecking this country. thank you. host: here's ann in daytona beach, florida. republican line. >> hi. i am so proud of speaker boehner for what he did. now all we need is pelosi, reid, and obama to care as much about the country as he did. thank you very much. host: here on c-span, we're waiting to hear from house speaker john boehner announcing his resignation today. it was thought he might make a comment or two after this morning's republican conference meet, he didn't. instead he's holding his own news conference here at the studio up in the capitol visitors' center on capitol hill which is fairly full today of reporters. the speaker generally is on the time, in the past has been on time for his briefings. we'll have it for you live when he comes out.

from maryland next, paul. --. caller: i'm a democrat, but i have admired what the speaker has tried to do to try to bring his caucus along. i think that someone else in the moderate wing has to step forward, otherwise the republican party cannot survive. and i believe in the two party system and that assumes both parties are responsible. host: california, kate, independents line. caller: yes, i think that boehner stepping down at this point illustrates how a spiritual moment can make you do the right thing. i think most people are called to leadership for either ego reasons or spiritual reasons and perhaps he looked at the leadership that he'd been working with and understands that there really needs to be a shock in washington for them to stand up and do the right thing for the citizens of this country

because politicians on both sides are not acting in a spiritual way and i think that he chose a moment to double up on what the pope said to everybody, that action needs to be taken from the spiritual center, otherwise there's really no hope for us to recover. thank you. host: thank you. more of your calls coming up. the speaker will be talking to reporters momentarily. following his comments we will stay here live on c-span to hear more from you. but let's continue with your calls until the speaker comes out. rapid city, south dakota. phil's on our republican line. caller: thank you. all i can say is good riddance. all the republicans in the house and senate could do was to capitulate to the democratic minority. they were spineless. why were they even needed? they were as useless as a tit on a boar.

i hope we can get someone in there that's conservative and that has a backbone and is not the d to stand up to democrat minority and to the president. host: kathy is in albuquerque, new mexico. democrats' line. caller: yes. i just wanted to call, i tried to get through this morning because it really saddened me. there's so much hatred that was spread out when they heard about boehner. i mean, i'm a liberal and proud liberal and i didn't always agree with every aspect of his decisionmaking and the way he ran things. but i really truly believe that he genuinely tried in the spirit of cooperation, tried to work with the other side. i'm glad to hear this afternoon hearing these callers aren't so hate -- you know, have so much hate towards him. it makes me a little happier. i think he tried to do the best he could under the circumstances. and i think our prayers should be with him. i don't know what's going to replace him, people are saying it's good that he's leaving. i think he was very pragmatic

and he loved the institution in which he held in the highest regard. nobody could doubt that. i don't know -- i just pray we get somebody. he did the best he could and that's all i wanted to say. i just felt really saddened and all the joy they had and some of the words that they said. as i said, i didn't always agree with him. i'm a true liberal. host: appreciate it, kathy. here's dover, tennessee. others line. it's bob. caller: hey. thank you for taking my call. yes, i'm very happy that mr. boehner is gone. i think mr. mcconnell and mr. reid need to follow. we had a failure of our executive branch, of our government and i think that these people are seeing the light. we're having a lot of problems going on with china right now. i think they're feeling the pressure from nonpoliticians, the nonpoliticians are not beholdened to anybody except the american people. and they're feeling this pressure among other things, and i think mcconnell and reid need to follow. thank you. host: we're waiting here on c-span, as you can see the reporters are gathered.

the usual area for briefings from the democratic leader and often from speaker boehner as well. he will -- he's expected to be out shortly. we will continue our calls from you, comments to on twitter @c-span. next up we go to oak hill, virginia, and our democrats' line. martin. caller: yes. i'm a moderate democrat that does lien liberal. -- lean liberal. mr. boehner and the job he's undertaken has been very strenuous on him. i'm also an atheist but i do love this pope. this pope is the man. i wonder if the pope's message to him didn't lay something on his heart that spoke to him and ade him understand that hurt be the rabid cats of our legislature is no one can manage. i feel for him in that respect. at the same time i don't have

any respect to the fact that he will not stand up to that tea party conference. seemed like they all forgot that the people are the one they are supposed to be representing. i don't know if anyone else can do a better job. host: when there might be a leadership election, speaker election, we'll keep you posted when we hear news. first off, the speaker will be here shortly and will be a guest this sunday on "face the nation" on nbc. a reminder c-span radio reairs all the sunday talk shows beginning at noon eastern on c-span radio. you can see that at c-spanradio.org. barbara is next, galveston, texas. independents line. caller: hello. i'm calling to thank mr. boehner.

he has tried his best, in my opinion. there is a bunch of wildcats and it doesn't matter which party it is, it's a difficult job. nd he gave it a sense of humanity. he cared and he cared for both sides but you can't herd a -- i'm a texan, and i don't approve of some of these conservatives' views of some of our senators. but in the house of representatives where you have 400 and how many, 48, however there are, they're all individuals. they represent different people. and it's a very difficult job. and the man should be commended for the fine job he did do in trying to keep it together.

so god bless him and i think the pope just got to him. he's a very caring man. i applaud him for what he did do. thank you. host: ok. barbara, thank you. here is conrad who's in newman, georgia, as we await for speaker boehner. conrad, go ahead. caller: this is a great day for america. i'm glad boehner is gone. e's been nothing but hurting obama. mitch mcconnell needs to be out of the senate. ted cruz, 2016, a true constitutionalist. that's all i have to say. host: ted cruz spoke this morning at the values voter summit and we'll show that later in our schedule. also on c-span.org. we go to humble, texas, on our independents line. diana, hello. caller: hi. i grew up a democrats, became a republican. as i got older and got fed up with both parties and i'm now

an independent. and i feel that both parties have changed tremendously from what they were for many years. the modern republicans don't resemble what the republican party used to be which is lower taxes, strong military, pro-life, pro-business. the modern democratic party didn't resemble what the democratic party used to be. if you listen to john kennedy's speeches, he will sound more like a republican than a democrat. the democrats have moved to an extreme end of the party as the republicans have. both of them do not resemble what we grew up thinking the parties were. and a lot of your callers, you know, have those extreme views too. the -- what the country needs is a consensus, is coming together. even if you have extreme views, be willing to capitulate, moderate like tip o'neill used to do.

host: we'll let you go, diana. hanks for your comments. speaker boehner: ♪ my oh, my what a wonderful day ♪ i used to sing that on my way to work in the morning. less costly, more accountable government. over the last five years, our majority has advanced conservative reforms that will help our children and their children. we're now on track to cut government spending by $2.1 trillion over the next 10 years. we made the first real entitlement reform in nearly two decades. and we protected 99% of the american people from an increase in our taxes. we've done all this with a democrat in the white house. so i'm proud of what we've accomplished. but more than anything, my first job is -- as speaker is to protect the institution. a lot of you know -- now know that my plan was to step down at the end of last year.

2010 ded in november of that -- when i was elected speaker that serving two terms would have been plenty. and -- but in june of last year when it became clear that the majority leader lost his election, i didn't frankly believe it was right for me to leave at the end of last year. so my goal was to leave at the end of this year. so i planned actually on my birthday, november 17, to announce that i was leaving at the end of the year. but it's become clear to me that this prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable harm to the institution. so this morning i informed my colleagues i would resign from the speakership and resign from congress at the end of october. now, as you've often heard me say, this isn't about me. it's about the people, it's

about the institution. just yesterday we witnessed the awesome sight of pope francis addressing the greatest legislative body in the world. and i hoped we will all heed his call to live by the golden rule. but last night i started to think about this, and this morning i woke up and i said my prayers as i always do and i decided, you know, today's the day i'm going to do this. as simple as that. that's the code i always lived by, if you do the right things for the right reasons, the right things will happen. and i know good things lie ahead for this house and this country and i'm proud of what we've accomplished, especially proud of my team. you know, i've been here my 25th year here and i've succeeded in large part because i put a staff together and a team together, many of which have been with me for a long time. and without a great staff you

can't be a great member and you certainly can't be a great speaker. i'm going to thank my family for putting up with this all these years. my poor girls who are now 37 and 35. their first campaign photo was in july of 1981, and so they've had to endure all this. it's one thing for me to have to endure it. but, you know, the girls and my wife, they had to put up with a lot over the years. let me express my gratitude to my constituents who've sent me here 13 times over the last 25 years. you can't get here without getting votes. but -- i say this often. people ask me, what's the greatest thing about being speaker or about being elected

official? it's the people you get to meet. i have tens of thousands of people in my own district that i would have not met other than the fact i decided to ran for congress. over the years as i traveled on behalf of my colleagues and the party, i've met tens of thousands of additional people all over the country. and you meet rich people, you meet poor people, you meet interesting people. probably a few others along the way but i can tell you that 99.9% of the people i meet on the road anywhere could not be -- could not be nicer than they've been. it's been -- really, it's been wonderful. it's been an honor to serve in this institution, and with that -- all right, junior, go ahead. reporter: speaker boehner, you were noticeably overcome with emotions yesterday. speaker boehner: really, what a

surprise. reporter: did you make this decision last night if the grace of pope francis led you to this decision? speaker boehner: no. no. yesterday was weernedful day. it really was. was i emotional yesterday, i think i was. i was really emotional in a moment that really no one saw. as the pope and i were getting ready to exit the building, we found ourselves alone, and the pope grabbed my left arm and said some very kind words to me to kids and itment education. the pope puts his arm around me and pulls me to him and said, please pray for me. well, who am i to pray for the pope but did i. reporter: if it wasn't the pope, then what was it?

speaker boehner: listen, it's not about the vote. there was no doubt whether i could survive the vote. i don't want my members to have to go through this. i certainly don't want the institution to go through this. especially when i knew i was -- i was thinking about walking out the door anyway. so it's the right time to do it and frankly i am entirely comfortable doing it. reporter: mr. speaker, i heard you say before that a leader who doesn't have anybody following him is a guy taking a walk. speaker boehner: that's right. i have plenty of people following me. but this turmoil that's been churning now for a couple months is not good for the members and it's not good for the institution. and if i wasn't planning on leaving here soon, i can tell you i would not have done this. reporter: if i may continue, there are people who are on the right in your caucus and even outside of the institution who have been wanting you to step down for sometime who feel they

have a victory today, who feel you were pushed out. speaker boehner: no. the members -- i'm glad i made this announcement at the conference with all my republican colleagues because it was a very good moment to help kind of rebuild the team. listen, i feel good about what i've done. i know that i every day try to do the right things for the right reasons and try to do the right thing for the country. reporter: mr. speaker, how can this not be a moment for turmoil? you wanted to leave two years ago. you said it would keep the house in turmoil. there's going to be -- speaker boehner: well, i'm -- i'm going to be here for another five weeks. i'm not going to leave, not going to sit around here and do nothing for the next 30 days. there's a lot of work that needs to be done.

i plan on getting it as much as i can before i exit. reporter: does it make it easier to make tougher decisions, maybe relying on democrats to keep the government open? speaker boehner: no. i'm going to make the same decisions i would have made regardless of this. reporter: you've made no secret of your frustration that some members of the far right and some outside groups used words like knuckle head and some other words you can't use on television -- speaker boehner: probably. reporter: did you just have enough? speaker boehner: i wouldn't describe it as having enough. that's not it at all. when you are the speaker of the house, you're number one responsibility is to the institution. and having a vote like this in the institution, i don't think is very healthy. and so i've done everything i

can over my term as speaker to strengthen the institution. and frankly my move today is another step in that effort to strengthen the institution. reporter: won't the next speaker face the same thing? speaker boehner: hopefully not. reporter: that's my question, mr. speaker. how will washington be different because you leave this institution? what should people watching this expect the house and congress to do going forward if you're not here? speaker boehner: well, if we -- if the congress stays focused on the american people's priorities, there will be no problem at all. and while we have differences between democrats and republicans, the goal here as one of the leaders is to find the common ground. listen, i talked to president bush and president obama this morning. i talked to all my legislative leaders who i have a very good relationship with all of them. at the end of the day, the leaders will have to be able to work with each other, trust each other to find the common ground, to get things done.

and so if the congress stays focused on what's important to the american people, they'll get along just fine. reporter: can you tell us how your conference reacted to the news? speaker boehner: i would say they were shocked, surprised. reporter: maybe how the leadership itself reacted? speaker boehner: i told mr. mccarthy about two minutes before i spoke what i was going to do. i told him five times because he didn't believe me. i said, you better believe me. reporter: should mccarthy be the next speaker? speaker boehner: listen, i won't be here to vote on the next speaker but that's up to the members. having said that, i think that kevin mccarthy would make an excellent speaker. reporter: who is the first person you told and what did they say? speaker boehner: well, i told my wife. reporter: what did she say? speaker boehner: she said, ood. i told my chief of staff and i

talked late yesterday. i told him i was thinking today might be the day. and i told him i'd sleep on it. so before i went to sleep last night i told my wife, i might just make an announcement tomorrow. what do you mean? what kind of announcement? tell them it's time to go. so this morning i woke up and walked up to starbucks as usual and got my coffee and came back and read and walked up to pete's diner and saw everybody at pete's and got home and thought, yep, i think today's the day. so my senior staff was having a meeting at 8:45 and kind of walked in before i opened the is and told them, this the day. it's going to happen someday. why not today? reporter: do you know when the next election might be held? speaker boehner: no. reporter: what advice will you give kevin mccarthy based on

your five years, what advice do you give him to avoid the same pitfalls that you've come across? speaker boehner: well, i tell kevin, if he's the next speaker, that his number one responsibility is to protect the institution. nobody else around here has an obligation like that. secondly, i'd tell him the same thing i just told you. you just do the right thing every day for the right reasons, the right things will happen. you all know me. my colleagues know me. i'm always straight with them. you know, they may not like the answer they get but they'll get an honest answer every single time they come to my office. it's an easier way for me to do my job. reporter: you originally planned to announce it on your birthday. what factors weighed in on your decision to do this now? speaker boehner: just all this stuff i read about in the paper want the ally don't

institution to hurt and i don't want my colleagues hurt. i don't want -- i don't want to put my colleagues through all this. for what? yes. reporter: what are you going to miss? what will you miss? speaker boehner: what will i miss? of course all of you. [laughter] i don't know i'm going to miss because i haven't missed it yet. i'll certainly miss the camaraderie of the house. let me tell you another story that was really kind of interesting. maxine waters and i, democrat from southern california, came here 25 years ago in the same class. now, you know, there's nothing about my politics and maxine waters' politics that is anywhere close, but yesterday about 5:30 she called my office. i got a note she called so i called her back. and she said, i watched you for

25 years here, we came here together and watched your career. and watched you today and she said, i just want to tell you something. i'm really proud of you. you know, listen, i got the best relationships on both sides of the aisle because i treat people fairly and treat them honestly. but i'm going to certainly miss my colleagues. reporter: thank you, mr. speaker. go back to trying to take turmoil out of the house and stabilizing the institution. how do you think that it could welcome more stable? several republicans i talked to yesterday from your conference said they don't think a new speaker will mean any new outcome. how could it become more stable? speaker boehner: as i mentioned earlier, the fact i did this with my colleagues this morning, then we proceeded to have an hour and a half

conversation, i thought was a unifying moment. between that and the pope's call for living by the golden rule yesterday, hope brings eternal. reporter: talk about what you think your legacy, what your most important accomplishments, and what will you do on november 1, are you moving to florida? speaker boehner: i was never in the legacy business. you all heard me say it, i'm a regular guy with a big job. i never thought i would be in congress much less i would ever be speaker. but people know me as being fair, being honest, being straightforward and trying to do the right thing every day on behalf of the country. i don't need any more. reporter: mr. speaker, you seemed very relieved. zippidy do-da

♪ when you make a decision this morning, you haven't had -- really have anything what you will do in the future. i do know this. i'm doing this today for the right reasons, and you know what, the right things will happen as a result. hanks. >> please exit from the back due to the size of the crowd. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. isit ncicap.org] >> house speaker john boehner taking questions from reporters, a bit over 10 minutes. a bit longer than his usual news conference, explaining his decision to step down at the end of october not only from

his speakership but also from his congressional seat. the eighth congressional seat in western ohio and cincinnati, a seat he's held since 1990. he will step down effective october 30. talking about the power of prayer that led him to his decision. jacqueline tweeting that the speaker says he prayed this morning and he decided this would be the day to resign. molly from defense one tweets, quote my goal was to stay until the end of this year and this morning i woke up and decided today i'm going to do this. simple as that. 02-748-8920 for democrats. 202-748-8921 for republicans. and others 202-748-8922. later, a live presentation of our program "newsmakers" coming up at 3:30, bill flores, the chair of the republican study committee. we go to john who is in fair haven, vermont.

thanks for waiting, john, on our democrats' line. what did you think about speaker boehner's comments? caller: well, i think he resigned for all the right reasons, but i also think that there is something behind it ke they say, a house divided can't stand. so i think boehner is leaving for the reasons that is personal but i also think that him leaving is going to really upset the house. host: in a good or bad way? caller: probably tilted towards more the republicans. host: ok. becca is up next in maryland. republican line. caller: good afternoon. host: hi. caller: hi. i wish speaker boehner well. i really do. and he served our nation to the utmost, and i am very pleased

that he was handled very well at the news conference. i'm glad nobody picked on him or anything. they were very kind to him. but it's actually the american people that really put a lot of pressure on him because if you emember back in recent campaigns, everything was wrapped around the promises that the g.o.p. would do this, the g.o.p. would do that and he embraced that. the problem was he failed in meeting what was actually told to the american people. you vote for us and in is what we're going to do. he was instrumental in blocking several of these votes to go the way the american people wanted them to be voted towards. and that's the reason why people like me put the pressure on to ask him to resign.

host: rebecca, do you write to speaker boehner, call the office or call your representative? caller: because i'm not in ohio, i actually called the switch board and asked to be sent to his office and i said he needs to leave the speaker of the house. the speaker needs to be the representative of the american people. i explained to him this is kind of my views. hen i got in touch with my own representatives and we worked from that as well. freedom works was also involved in this. so he did not keep his promises to the american public. he said in his -- in one of his answers to just do the best for the institution. i'm sorry. what is the institution that he's referring to? he is supposed to be the representative of the people, the people are what he's

supposed to be working for and protecting, not the institution. and that's what kind of some of these issues are. thank you very much for the opportunity to speak. host: and thank you. president obama just wrapped up a news conference with the chinese president, chinese president xi jinping and president obama was asked about the speaker's resignation. here's his response. president obama: on john boehner, i just heard the news as i was coming out of the meeting here so it took me by surprise. ry took the time prior to this press conference to call john irectly and talk to him. you know, john boehner is a good man. he is a patriot, he cares deeply about the house, an institution in which he's served for a long time. he cares about his constituents , and he cares about america.

we have obviously had a lot of disagreements, and politically we're at different ends of the spectrum but i will tell you he's always conducted himself with courtesy and civility with me. he has kept his word when he made a commitment. he is somebody who has been gracious, and i think maybe most importantly somebody who understands that in government, in governance you don't get 100% of what you want but you have to work with people who you disagree with, sometimes strongly, in order to do the people's business. i'm not going to prejudge who the next speaker will be. that's something that will have to be worked through in the house. reach out ertainly

immediately to whoever is the new speaker to see what his or her ideas are and how we can make progress on the issues that america faces. the one thing i will say is that my hope is there's a recognition on the part of the next speaker, something i think john understood even though at times it was challenging to bring his caucus along, that we can have significant differences on issues but that doesn't mean you shut down the government, that doesn't mean you risk the full faith and credit of the united states. you don't invite potential financial crises. you build roads and pass transportation bills and you do the basic work of governance that ensures that our

military's operating and that our national parks are open and that our kids are learning. and there's no weakness in that. that's what government is. in our democracy, you don't get what you want 100% of the time. and so sometimes you take half a loaf, sometimes you take a quarter loaf. and that's certainly something i learned here in this office. so i'm looking forward to working with the next speaker. in the meantime, john's not going to leave for another 30 days, so hopefully he feels like getting as much stuff done as he possibly can. i'll certainly be looking to work with him on that. host: president obama at today's joint news conference with chinese president xi jinping. you can see all of that at c-span.org. the state dinner for the chinese president 6:00 p.m. eastern. live coverage on our companion network c-span2.

back to your reaction, your comments on the resignation of speaker boehner. this is rhea who is in tinley park, illinois. caller: hi, thanks for taking my call. i just want to say i was a democrat my young years and i backpacked europe when ronald reagan -- i saw the light how good things changed. and mr. boehner, i'm glad he's stepping down. he did not so good job. i just wanted to say he said right, right, right and for many years he's been in government, well, that's the problem with a lot of our politicses. too many of them are there too long, and they lose sight of what they went there for. and we need to get back on track and for the right things what he didn't vote for, abortions that are being -- the babies are being punctured in the back of the head and selling their body parts, where is congress on that? they need to stand up and i want to thank ted cruz. and we need to stand or our liberty that our government is

eroding our freedoms every day. i want to give a shot out to mark, happy belated birthday. because we need to listen more to the conservatives. they are doing the right thing. and we got to remember, too, the republicans are the ones who did set the slaves free. we did fight for them and we need to march on forward for what martin luther king wanted, freedom for each individual and to do the right things. talking about right, right, right. we need to do what's right and thank god daily for our freedoms and stand up for our liberty that's going eroded daily. and i just want to say god bless america and our future and all of you, get out there and vote and thank all of our leaders, but they need to do the right thing. and maybe take a pay cut. you know, we're all having hard times and giving everything to everybody, you know, like let's help one another. and take care of our country first. you know, family first, ok. this is our country. take care of the ones who are here first. host: all right. let's hear from houston, texas,

and doretta on the others line. caller: hello. i'm calling because i felt something through mr. boehner yesterday when he was on the balcony with pope francis. and i felt so bad for him because i could see in his eyes that something was deeply wrong and it made me start crying. i said, something is not right. he is spunk and he is upbeat and he didn't have none of that when i heard this morning, i said, ok. this is what's bothering him. he said his prayers. he's been asking god for help. god sent him his word and he obeyed the word. and i am so glad he obeyed god's word. and now he can have a chance to spend time with his family, even though his daughters are

older, 35 years old. he was taken away from his family to be for the people. and the people are so crude. you are supposed to forgive and forget. you know. that's the way the world is supposed to act. that's the way we're supposed to be. that's why pope francis came here, to let america know. and i thank god that people need to look at mr. boehner. he listened to god. he les ind in his prayers and he -- listened in his prayers and he did the right thing out of his heart, out of his soul. i wish him well and i wish him well and i wish him well and god bless him and god bless america. and thank you for taking my call and god bless you and your family also. host: the man mentioned as the likely successor is the majority leader kevin mckarty. here's what part of his statement released earlier today said.

he said it takes profound humility to step down from a position of power. and john's depth of character is unmatched. as our country has weathered difficult times at home and abroad. john has acted as a true statesman. "resignation triggers all out leadership scramble" and a picture of kevin mccarthy there. strongly favored to become speaker, writes jake sherman and anna palmer and john brezz me has. an intense round of jockeying for leadership posts, a hyper competitive internal party election. less than a hour after boehner announced he was stepping down, house republicans were making moves for every slot in g.o.p. leadership. house majority leader kevin mccarthy is expected to run for speaker and no one has yet said they will challenge him. to brooklyn and michael on our

democrats' line. caller: good afternoon. thank you very much for taking my call. i'd like to extend a thank you to representative boehner. what this man went through in the past six years, having to rapp party that would do nothing but try to go after the esident, irregardless of whatever, and also having a democratic president that was a did was onary, what he unbelievable holding that together. host: we're losing there, michael. we'll let you go. video of john boehner just a short while ago. we'll show that to you again shortly. you can see it online as well at c-span.org. also this afternoon, live

ogramming of our "news dldls makers -- "newsmakers" program, bill flores. republican line. caller: i happen to be a black american conservative republican. and him stepping down is a personal answer to my prayers. i have always seen boehner as an obstructionist to conservative values. something very amazing that the president said and i think this is the root of the whole problem. he said he kept his word when he made his commitment. my question is to whom did he make his commitment to? not certainly to the conservative branch of the republican party. seems like i've heard a lot from the democratic side. they all seem to be very happy with him. perhaps that's the problem. i am glad he's stepping down

and i hope mitch mcconnell will follow and my prayer is that somebody will come in that will take his place, that will understand conservative values to put this country back in order again along the traditional constitutional conservative values that our forefathers fought for. and i'm looking for dr. ben carson to win 20 . that's all i have to say. host: dr. ben carson was at yesterday's address at the -- by the pope, rather. pope francis. ben carson was in the gallery, invited test. largo, florida, is paul on our independent's line. your thoughts on the resignation of speaker boehner. caller: one of the best thing he's ever did. 10 minutes is the longest. i think the best thing he's ever done is smoke, smoke

cigarettes. i don't know. the man has been there so long and you see so little of him. what has he been doing? i see him as a very preverage person, and people should -- prejudice person. host: more of your comments coming up. we wanted to show you some of the comments of members after this morning's conference when speaker boehner announced to the republican conference that he was stepping down as leader, resigning his seat at the end of october. starting here with david jolly, ongressman from florida. >> can we have your thoughts? mr. jolly: i would say the honor of john boehner this morning, the honor of john boehner this morning stands in sharp contrast to the self-serving i had yossy in our party who seek to continually divide us. john boehner is an honorable man. what he did this morning was remarkable.

>> why is he leaving? mr. jolly: you have to ask the speaker. >> did he say? mr. jolly: you have to ask the speaker that. it was emotional. i think a lot of people unanimously recognized, i hope recognized the honor of john boehner this morning. the majority of our caucus certainly did. >> we heard a long period of applause. was that after he made that announcement? mr. jolly: it was. it was in recognition for what he did for the country and for our party and for this institution in the face of great challenges from within his own party. >> i can hear you are upset, sir. can you tell us why? why are you upset, congressman? mr. jolly: it's an emotional moment. it's an emotional moment. those in our party who seek to continue to divide us and shut down the government, shut down our party, they can take a small victory today. it's unfortunate. but the greater victory is in the honor of john boehner. he's a remarkable person. >> boehner said he didn't want it to be be a issue.

do you think this will move the party forward or do you think they will unite now? mr. jolly: john boehner has removed himself as the issue facing our party so we need to have a family conversation within our conference in the next four weeks to decide what to do next. >> do you expect a shutdown? mr. jolly: i absolutely hope not. i think with the speaker's decision, the odds of us shutting down are much less likely. >> and why is that? mr. jolly: because the shutdown caucus has a small victory and they can move forward saying there's perhaps a bigger battle they can fight in the coming weeks. >> do you think that's why the speaker is stepping down, to avoid a shutdown? mr. jolly: you have to speak to him. i can't speak to his intent. >> look, it's a difficult -- it's a difficult conference to manage. it is the largest majority since the 1920's. mr. womack: it has an undercurrent of some people at the extreme right of our party that have a sufficient voting

block, that are always going to have the capacity to put some pressure on the outcomes in our conference. so, again, it's a very difficult conference to manage but i think he's done it very well. >> will the next speaker have an easier time? won't the next house speaker have the same constraints? mr. womack: i believe the next person in line, whomever that is, is going to face the same difficult task of keeping a very broad conference together. i think that's -- i think that's going to be the case. you can change the faces and the names and the leadership chairs, but the pressures are still going to remain the same. >> do conservatives understand that? mr. womack: i think so. i think everybody in our conference understands that. we've had some -- we've had a lot of very serious family meetings over the last few

years. and we understand what divides us as a conference. i wish we had a little better feeling for how if we were more united what better things, more accomplishments we could achieve as a body. so anyway, thank you. >> this is a condition of his own making right here. >> and so you don't know who you would want to be the next speaker at this point? mr. massie: i'm going to listen to what the candidates have to say and whether they understand how this republic is supposed to work and whether they respect the fact there are 435 members here that each represents 750,000 constituents. the d why do you think conditions were right to push boehner out of office? mr. massie: i'm not quite sure what you mean.

>> there's a lot of pressure on boehner. why do you think this was a moment where he said he had enough? mr. massie: you know, we just came back from an august recess, five weeks of town halls and the american people spoke. and they can see through what's happening out here. it's a farce, a theater. the american people are tired of it. the american people said, stop it, and everybody heard that at their town hall. i think members related that to the speaker when they returned after their town hall. i think it's not accidental that the timing happened after we returned from a recess, where people got in touch with their constituents. >> is there going to be a government shutdown? mr. massie: i don't know what the president has planned. >> do you think you can put a clean bill on the floor? mr. massie: he said he is. >> and is he leaving congress at the end of october? mr. massie: that's what i understood. >> do you think that will make things better up here? mr. massie: depends if the next

speaker respects the grievances that are in the motion to vacate. >> so you're still going ahead with the vote? >> what i'm hearing is they are ready for a change in washington. the base of the party has asked for this change for two to three years and it's happening. mr. huelskamp: we'll see what ill come out of conservatives. >> do you speaker leader mccarthy to -- mr. huelskamp: i won't speak to that it's a matter of conservatives working together as a team. when we decide who we'll work for and hopefully get elected that will be made a decision as a whole, not one at a time. >> what roar possibilities are out there? -- what other possibilities are out there? what other members could be elected speaker? mr. huelskamp: i think 200 have that in their mind. i heard -- i'm not nominated.

i was not there at the beginning of the meeting. this idea that happened in 2010. when i first came up here in 2010, the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, there wasn't competition. hopefully there will be competition. if people move we'll see. >> do you expect the whole leadership to be shut down? mr. huelskamp: it depends. i do not know what to expect. i think house conservatives will be sitting down shortly. we've had many of these discussions for 1/2 years. i've been involved in many of those. a lot of them i have not. what happened with eric cantor in five days they had that locked up once he lost, i don't think that will happen this ime. [inaudible] mr. huelskamp: people said they were shocked and stunned, including other leaders claimed they didn't know before it was

announced. he's had a long distinguished service on lo of different issues. i agree, john boehner, i think it's time for new leadership. [inaudible] mr. huelskamp: no, nobody said that. he's the speaker, a very powerful position. some issues he's done a great job. distinguished service since 1990. but i think we're looking for a new leader that's of this century and ready to move forward so we have a unified republican party as which move into 2016. >> what do you think this means for the -- mr. huelskamp: actually, i don't know why he did this. i clear if a vote was called, he didn't have the votes to sustain himself as speaker if nancy pelosi didn't help him out. makes a very vulnerable position. i was pretty confident we had plenty of votes to prevent that. > was does this mean for a clean c.r., do you expect one?

mr. huelskamp: i don't know what that means. if someone will stand up and say, how do we win this battle? because john boehner was taken down a path that was guaranteed -- >> i don't know, the next speaker will have a tough job. i'm not happy with the circumstances under which he's departing but clearly, you know, john boehner is a good and decent man. he's a principled man. and yet he understood he had a responsibility to lead and govern. mr. dent: and there are some around here who didn't share that vision. and all i can say is the next speaker is going to have to -- >> do you think he made a right decision? mr. dent: that's a personal decision. i'm not going to second guess his decision. it's his decision, not mine. i really don't like the circumstances under which he's leaving. >> what do you mean by that? what do you mean by that? does it have an impact of the possibility of a shutdown?

mr. dent: we will have a clean bill next week. i feel reasonably confident that we're going to pass a clean continuing resolution. there will probably be some more drama between now and then. >> some kind of quid pro quo, he's leaving so there will be a clean bill? mr. dent: he said there will be a clean bill. a lot of conservatives were wanting a showdown about planned parenthood. do you think -- >> mr. dent: i don't know about that. i think a clean resolution will be passed and it will happen before the deadline. hope it does. accidents happens around here, as we all know. as i was watching the pope yesterday, i was getting text message from family members, they said, is boehner crying? there's no crying in congress today. >> a genuine sacrifice his resignation today. he's a personal friend and i'm a personal friend of his.

mr. rogers: i'm sad he's stepping aside. >> [inaudible] mr. rogers: well, i think anyone can look at what he's done here and not conclude this was an act of grace. great stature. and i hope that would translate into support. thanks. >> the divisions driving him out of the speakership going to remain when he moves on? i mean, who else can run the house republican conference? mr. rogers: well, we got a lot of talent in that caucus. we'll see how -- who develops. >> will you support mr. mccarthy? mr. rogers: we'll know in due course of time. certainly i have great respect and admiration for him. he's done a whale of a job as leader, so he will be on my list. >> how much do you think his

decision would tie to the big fight over planned parenthood and government funding and a potential shutdown? mr. rogers: well, i'm sure it must have been a big part of his consideration. there are a number of other things. a new grandchild, for example, and a desire to spend more time with his family. but i was thinking, you know, as one of the crowning moments of his life, not just his speakership, but his life was yesterday with his long-standing 20-year-old desire to have the pope address the joint session of congress which came true, a dream came true, but all the while he must have been thinking so much about the upcoming decision that he would announce to us today. bittersweet day for him, but i congratulate him on being a great speaker over these years. host: some of the reaction this morning from members of the

house republican conference after their meeting during which house speaker john boehner told them he's stepping down from his post, he's resigning his seat effective the end of october. here on c-span we're going to continue to take your reaction, your comments on the phone and on twitter. up till about 2:00 eastern, we'll show you speaker boehner's briefing, around 15 minutes or so. our plan is to take you all the way up to 3:30 eastern where we're going to hear from bill flores, he'll be our guest on a special live edition of "newsmakers" at 3:30 eastern, head of the republican study committee. we'll continue with your calls. t's go back to calls and bill's in morrow, ohio. bill, republican line. caller: yes. this is bill. what some eiterate of them have been saying. number one, it's about time boehner went. we've been trying to get rid of

him now for three or four years. i do not understand how a republican party can sit up there year after year and raise a credit limit knowing -- they know that they're basically spending my grandchildren's future and yours and everybody else's. this isn't about party. this is about breaking this country. if anybody thinks they can make $100 a week and spend $200 a week and not go broke, they should go try it. that's what this country is doing. the other thing is, i notice from all the people who are talking -- and i don't hate john boehner. i don't question his christianity. he's just wrong. plain and simple. he's -- and he isn't the only one up there that's wrong. and if i had anything to do

with it, not only he resigns, the entire congress would lose their cadillac pension plan. it would go into social security. the entire congress would lose their cadillac health plan and go on obamacare with the rest of us. and i probably would see things get done a little quicker. thanks for letting me have my say. host: you bet. conroe, texas, is up next. john on our republican line. caller: yes, sir. i'm trying to calm myself down. i watched your show many times when the big issues come up and i really appreciate you covering it the way y'all do. host: sure. caller: couple callers ago you had a black lady named chris. i'm sorry she has to identify herself as a black lady in a conservative -- and a conservative in america. i'm a white grandpa, 67-year-old veteran. i got to stare down the barrel

of an m-14 back in my day. and when y'all had harry reid on just a minute ago and he said he considered boehner a great friend and pelosi just mourning over the issue he was a great friend, that's the problem. that's why he had to resign. in the 1960's and 1970's when i watched the democratic conventions on tv with my dad, compromise meant a simple compromise. we weren't giving away the farm. but now if you want to compromise, it means capitulate. it means we got to give up. we got to give in. our american christian values do not matter anymore. we can't compromise with somebody that wants to sit down at the table and they want to take 90% before we ever start talking. host: john, do you feel like there's a member of the house republican conference in leadership or outside of leadership that may be able to step in and do that what you're

looking for? caller: well, as far as current lected people, we have one but he's not -- he hadn't worked his way up to do that. kevin brady is my rep. i go to his town hall meetings and listen to his excuses. i chatted -- i wrote down what boehner said a while ago. he's -- he's for the institution. he's for the status quo. he forgot, the people sent him up there and the people have been saying for 15 years it's going too far left. we can't, you know, we can't continue down this road or we're going to be fast forward in 100 or 200 years in what the bible calls the rapture. and i just -- i'm trying to keep it together and not be too upset, but there's a christian artist named keith green who is

long gone now but he wrote a famous song a long time ago. one of the lines in the song is, just because you go to mcdonald's doesn't make you a hamburger. you relate that to being a christian. we got people sitting in the pew every weekend whether they are a catholic or baptist or whatever, to become a christian means to turn. it's great that you accepted christ but if you didn't turn you don't have the holy spirit in your life guiding your direction. that's what the lady chris was trying to say. host: all right, john, appreciate your comments and want to get a couple more on here. already some discussion who may be next in line in terms of leadership. here are the reports. all of the leadership positions will be up for grabs. here's a tweet from the daily caller's matt lewis. source tells him tom price's team is already making calls to round up votes for the majority leader's race. and matt cooper writing in "newsweek" this afternoon about the resignation of speaker

boehner. it sets up a brawl for his chair and gavel. the house majority leader kevin mccarthy of california a conservative is next in line. a few more calls here. this is ivan from norfolk, virginia. welcome. caller: hi. thank you so much for taking my call. on a normal day i would not give anyone of any party much credit. and i must say that i have more spect for boehner today than i've ever had. and it's my hope that more people in this government will take a page out of his book and, when they see that they are -- and that means the white house and that means also the supreme court, people at the suprco