political transition. in fact, we believe it would delay the successful completion of a political transition and that's significant because the russians themselves acknowledge that a political transition is what's required inside of syria to address the concerns they've raised. the other concern for the russians is obviously involving themselves even more deeply in a sectarian conflict inside of syria. [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. 2015] >> we're going to break away from this ordered -- recorded portion of today's white house briefing and take you live now to the floor of the house of representatives, a couple of votes tonight. and then some more debate, live coverage on c-span. the yeas an the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votings will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the vote on the moon of the gentleman from texas, mr. neugebauerto suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1553 on whh the yeas and nays are ordered.

the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 212, h.r. 1553, a bill to amend the federal deposit insurance act to specify which smaller institution mace qualify for an 18-month examination cycle. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill? members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 411, the nays are zero. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

he house will come to order. the house will be in order. members will take their seats. members will take their seats.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from oregon seek recognition. mr. defazio: so address the house. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. defazio: mr. speaker, i rise to honor and remember the lives of those who were taken too soon at umpqua community college on thursday, october 1, 2015, i ask americans pray for the nine victims as they grieve and rebuild from this tragedy. we must keep in our thoughts and prayers those who were injured physically and emotionally. it will take time. roseburg is a tight-knit

community. i'm not surprised by the acts of kindness and generosity. we call that u.c.c. strong, roseburg strong. it is the strong spirit that will carry everyone through this difficult time. with that, i ask the house pause for a moment of silence by those impacted at the tragic events at umpqua community college last week. the speaker pro tempore: the house will observe a moment of silence. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, five-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business is on the vote of the the gentleman from new jersey, mr. garrett, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1839 as amended, on which the

yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 213, h.r. 1839, a bill to amend the securities act of 1933 to exempt certain transactions by investors and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. 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, the yeas are 403, the nays are zero. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the ill is passed --

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 40 , the nays are zero. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postponefurther proceedings today on additional motions to suspend the rules on

which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6, rule 20. any votes will be taken later. the house will come to order. members and staff will take all conversations off the floor. the speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass house resolution 2168 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: a bill to make the regime fishery permanent. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington and the gentleman from from mr. sablan wetch will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington. mr. newhouse: i ask that members ave five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. newhouse: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. newhouse: mr. speaker, today, we are considering house resolution 2168, sponsored by my

friend and fellow washingtonian, congresswoman representative herrera beutler. this bipartisan consensus-based legislation makes permanent the long standing management by washington, oregon and california. the three states manage this crab fishery under the pacific states marine fishery commission. and it is funded by the participating states and we must pass legislation to continue this management. in fact, the congressional budget office recently estimated drt h.r. 2168 would safe the would save the government since state management would continue under this bill. if this state management expires and this bill is not enacted, then the federal government would have to expend new

resources to manage the fishery. this bill keeps that from happening. the states have shown they are exemplary at handling this management and it is unnecessary for this authority to fall to the federal government. this bill is a win for the american taxpayer, a win for the seafood consumer, a win for my home state as well as the states of oregon and california and for those employed by the sustainable harvest of this species and i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from northern mariana islands. mr. sablan: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. sablan: h.r. 2168 would repeal the sunset clause from legislation that allows the west

coast dungeness fishery to be managed cooperatively by the states instead by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration or noaa. dungeness crab is one of the most valuable and it is part of the resource management. the specifics of the fishery including robust stock assessments and harmony between federal waters and commercial fishermen make regional management a good choice. california, oregon and washington have managed the fisheries together with oversight from noaa since 1980 and have proven they can do so responsibly. h.r. 2168 would allow the states to continue managing the having to ithout return to congress every several

years for permission. and the fishery like the gulf of mexico red snapper, management of the dungeness crab is based on fishing sectors as well as respect for the best science, best available science and the states have proven to be good stewards of their resource. i agree with the goals of this legislation. and i ask my colleagues to stand with me in support. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. . the gentleman from washington is recognized. >> mr. speaker, to the the gentlewoman from washington, my colleague and friend, ms. herrera beutler, who has committed to me that she will go to every effort to make sure she has samples of dungeness crab in her office, so we all know what we're talking about, i would like to yield three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. herrera beutler: i thank the gentleman. thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to ask my

colleagues to support 2168, the west coast dungeness crab management act. this bipartisan bill is an important solution for residents of coastal communities in southwest washington. the successful two-decades-old dungeness crab agreement will expire september 30 of 2016. this bill simpley makes permanent the management authority between washington, oregon and california. and this management authority has worked. for over the 20 years -- the last 20 years, these states have overseen one of the most valuable fisheries in the pacific northwest. in 2014 fishermen delivered 53 million poundses of crab totaling $170 million. this economic activity helped support the 61,000 jobs related to the seafood industry in washington state alone. how has it maintained this success? the fishery has been managed in a sustainable way. and importantly, it doesn't cost taxpayers a dime.

however, should this authority expire, the national oceanic and atmospheric administration or noaa says its management of the fishery will cost taxpayers over $1.15 million each year. so simply put, this bill maintains local control on the west coast and ensures sustainability of dungeness -- of the dungeness crab fishery and it saves taxpayer dollars. i want to thank chairman bishop and the house natural resource staff for bringing this bill to the floor. it's commonsense. i urge the house to vote yes on this bill, to ensure a bright, sustainable, economic future for coastal crab dependent communities. with that i thank the gentleman and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. newhouse: i'll reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. mr. sablan: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers.

and so i yield back the balance f my time, i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 2168. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. newhouse: mr. speaker, i too have no more further speakers and would just urge my colleagues to support this good bipartisan piece of legislation and thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the ll h.r. 216 as -- 216 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. -- 2168 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. newhouse: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass s. 986. the speaker pro tempore: the

clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 986, an act to require the secretary of the interior to take into trust four parcels of federal land for the benefit of certain indian pueblos in the state of new mexico. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from washington, mr. new house, and the gentleman from -- gnu house, and the gentleman from -- newhouse, and the gentleman from the northern mariana islands, mr. sablan, will each control 20 minutes. mr. newhouse: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. newhouse: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. newhouse: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of senate bill 986, which would direct the secretary of the interior to place 11 acres of federal land into trust for the collective benefit of 19 pueblos in the state of new

mexico. these 11 acres were historically part of the albuquerque indian school site, which are culturally and historically significant to the pueblos. upon transfer, the lands may be used by the 19 pueblos for the educational, health, cultural, business and economic development purposes by these pueblo tribes. one important thing to note is this land may not be used for gaming purposes under this bill. since 1976, the 19 pueblos have used the lands of the former albuquerque indian school for the cultural and economic benefit of the 19 pueblos. this is the last portion of former lands, the school site, which has not been conveyed to the 19 pueblos. this bill is supported by the entire new mexico congressional delegation. recognizing the support of the

local delegation, the house companion bill, house resolution 1880, sponsored by congresswoman lujan grich am, was favorably -- lujan grisham, was favorably reported in 2015. i urge passage of this bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from the northern mariana islands is recognized. mr. sablan: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. r. sablan: mr. speaker, senate 986 would direct the secretary of interior to convey approximately 11 acres of land to the united states to be held in trust for the 19 pueblos of new mexico. the land take noon trust shall be used for the ed -- taken into trust shall be used for development of the 19 pueblos. passage of this bill will finally complete the process

started in 1969, when the united states began converting the albuquerque indian school reserve into land under the jurisdiction and control of the 19 pueblos. i'd like to thank our colleague, ms. lujan grisham, for introducing and championing the house version of the act, and for chairman bishop and ranking member grijalva for moving it swiftly through committee. i would also like to thank my colleague, the gentleman from washington, for joining me tonight in managing this bill. it is supported, just like mr. newhouse said, this legislation is supported by the entire new mexico delegation and i urge for its quick adoption and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. newhouse: i'll continue to reserve, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve. mr. sablan: mr. speaker, i would yield to the sponsor of the house version of the bill, the gentlelady from new mexico.

as much time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new mexico is recognized. ms. lujan grisham: thank you, mr. speaker. i would also like to add my thanks to representative sub land and representative newhouse for their support. and of course i thank also chairman bishop and ranking member grijalva for their help in bringing this legislation to the floor, and of course i extend my gratitude to our senator, tom udall, for working with me on this important piece of legislation. i'm a proud sponsor of the house companion to the albuquerque indian school land transfer act. which, as you heard, directs the secretary of the interior to take into trust four tracks of land for the new mexico 19 pueblos. the land taken into the trust would be used for education, health, cultural, business and economic development of the new s. ico pueblo

the four parcels are located within a former federal indian boarding school site called the 1884 albuquerque indian school reserve in albuquerque, new mexico. in 1969 the united states started the long process of converting the reserve into land under the jurisdiction and control of the new mexico pueblos. since then congress has enacted legislation in 1978, 2011 and 2008 to convey additional land from the reserve in trust for the new mexico pueblos. pursuant to the 2008 legislation, the bureau of land management conducted a new survey of the former school properties and identified minor discrepancies in the previous trustees and also identified the correct boundaries of two additional tracks of land within the reserve that the bureau of indian affairs no longer needed for its administrative functions. this legislation addresses those technical discrepancies identified by the survey and it would complete the process of transferring the portion of the reserve to new mexico's pueblos. this transfer allows the

pueblos to expand their current economic development plans for the region, which creates jobs, expands educational and cultural opportunities while continuing to generate revenue for the new mexico pueblos. i urge my colleagues to support this noncontroversial legislation which, as you've heard, has the support of the entire new mexico delegation and would benefit the new mexico 19 pueblos. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from the northern mariana islands is recognized. mr. sablan: mr. speaker, we have no further speakers and we yield back our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. newhouse: thank you, mr. speaker. i would urge my colleagues to support s. 986 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 986. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair,

2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from new hampshire eek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. guinta: mr. speaker, the national oceanic and atmospheric administration is proposing fines that could destroy new hampshire's

remaining -- remaining fishermen who are carrying on a proud new england tradition. that's why i recently introduced legislation to stop the federal agency from shifting its funds from its funding responsibility to our struggling granite state fishermen. noaa mandates that at-sea contractors monitor their daily catch, but will cease to pay for this government mandate in december. forcing fishermen to pick up the more than $700 per day tab. these small family businesses will be on the hook for thousands of dollars in new fees each month. that's a figure that would simply eradicate the industry in my home state. this is not a partisan issue. the new england fishermen preservation act simply asks the federal agency to continue paying for a program it's funded for years, rather than forcing hardworking middle class families to pay for it. i'm asking colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in support of this bill, so important, hardworking fishermen who put food on our tables can continue with their task. thank you and i yield back the

balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. frankel: mr. speaker, i am the proud mother of a united states marine war veteran and our family is blessed he returned home with sound body and mind. but too many of our courageous heroes did not. october 5 marks the one-year an-- one-year anniversary of the dedication of the american veterans disabled for life memorial. it's a beautiful tribute to the brave men and women who suffered permanent injuries on the battlefield. this memorial sits just south of our capitol and it remindeds us every day of the self -- reminds us every day of the

selflessness of those who fought for our freedom and a returned home with the -- and returned home with the scars of duty. i offer my great thanks and appreciation to the four million veterans who are living today with service-related isabilities and to the friends and family -- and the friends and family who take care of them. the memorial celebrates your lives every day, as we all do, in our hearts and our minds. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: permission to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. ms. ros-lehtinen: i rise today to recognize the tragically toto mendez and suite.

he was an accomplished 20-year-old student, baseball player who passed away sadly on april 2, year 2000 as a result of an undetected heart problem. florida international university will celebrate the dedication of this important health resource on monday, october 19. parents of student athletes may now find the peace of mind that their sons and daughters are clear of any underlying heart issues before they ever hit the field. rough the cardio-pulmonary suite his legacy will live on to support other student athletes. i congratulate the entire family for helping keep his legacy lives. d so many saving

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> address the house for one minute and revise and stepped my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today in honor of the triumph of the robo gals. they are kay hole is ter, a psey at the and dem wheatland middle school. by met at a club hosted chasewood learning, an organization that uses lego robe ots to train and educate students. ter winning the regional

competition, they went on to win the national championship of the competition in michigan. they will take on over 50 countries from all over the globe and i with all americans wish them the best of luck. they are an inspiration to young women who are enthusiastic about science and gearing and the 11th congressional district is proud to have bright young women epresenting our country on the global stage. mr. thompson: permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> the numbers never lie unless they do. each month we all the employment report of the supposed indicator

of economic health. the most recent jobs numbers is at 5.1% but the headline number papets a picture that doesn't exist. it distorts the economic outlooks and distracts this chamber for creating more opportunities. mr. fitzpatrick: they have criticized this and noting that the bureau of labor statistics considers the limited factors and ignoring things like underemployment or the number of workers who have left. we are left with a flawed view. with that in mind, i'm joined with colleagues in the act which would clear the changes in methodology which would help the employment rate reflect the strength of the labor market. if the jobs report dictates how .his congress addresses

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the life of a dedicated fort worth commune community leader. andhadley graduated in 1959 the first black women to attend college. she attended college and when she finished her career teaching in high school and came to a community college where she served in a variety of different roles and ultimately named the interim chancellor and chancellor in 2010 of the community college system. she was known for her passion and ensuring accessible and

affordable education. and i will never forget her telling me a story while all kids are not necessarily gifted equally, as all kids, put their minds to it and parents work with them they can get a good education. they believed in each and every student. the students are going to continue to benefit from her legacy and belief in them. she is survived by her husband d and her daughter and son-in-law and grandchild. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: i would like to address the house for one minute. this is a very difficult time

for americans as we mourn with our fellow citizens in oregon i offer my sympathy to the congressional delegation and join them in their expression of deep sympathy to those who are injured and lost their lives to the families of those individuals. i spoke to the member of the united states military and he indicated that in battle he had two guns. we understand that the perpetrator of this horrible act had at least 14 guns or double-digit guns. and what else will have to happen before we address the question of gun regulation and gun safety, it is time now to ask the question of an extended waiting period so someone would not amass 14 guns and a serious background check dealing with any issues dealing with a

person's stability to have guns. people do kill, but not guns but they use guns to kill. and i have been to too many of these from columbine and it's time for the congress to act. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair puts forward the following leaves of request. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the request is granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the gentleman from california, mr. garamendi is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.

gar good mr. speaker, thank you for the opportunity. the attention of the house is drawn to many, many issues this week. certainly the tragedy in oregon. it draws all of our attention and sympathy, but unfortunately, not our vote. we never had a vote on the floor of the house to deal with this issue of gun safety, although legislation has been passed around for many, many times. even the most conservative columnists are saying we should take action. let's vote. vote up or down on the various proposals that have been made. and the attention of this body has turned to the question of who's going to be the next speaker. it seems to occupy most of the discussion and most of the articles in the newspapers around this town. and it's important. but there are many, many other

issues that come before the house. some of them are really going to affect america. and i want to talk about one of them today and it's in the context of something we have been discussing in the last four, five years. we call it, make it in america. it's about rebuilding the manufacturing sector and rebuilding the american middle class and about creating jobs in america by doing what we once did so very, very well, which is manufacture. make things, big things, little things, all kinds of things. we call it our make it in america agenda. i'm going to go through it very quickly here. and then focus on one piece of this agenda. here it is, trade policies. this is going to take a lot of time to discuss this, but the president announced just in the last couple of days that the

transpacific partnership deal is done. we don't know what's in it. i have great concerns about this and that it will be one more step in hallowing out the american manufacturing sector. it's all secret. we will come back and talk about trade. taxes and tax policies, i'll hit on this in a few moments. labor issues, that ties back to the trade issue and whether we are going to send more of our jobs overseas. education, research and infrastructure. today, i want to focus on this, energy and infrastructure. if you bear with me a few moments, i want to go into this in some detail. r many, many years, we tried to make america energy independent and in the last five years, six years now, we have seen an enormous increase in the

production of energy in the united states. now, a lot of that energy has come from green technologies, solar, and wind and biofuels and many other ways of producing renewable energy called green energy and that's good, because all of that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and we need to do more of it. and frankly -- maybe i'll put this back up again. point out the way in which the make it in america fits all of this. tax policies has a great deal to do with green energy. there are tax breaks for solar installation on your home, solar installation for businesses, the tax credit for wind and solar. all of these things make it possible to advance the green energy agenda. tax policy has a great deal to

do with our energy independence. not quite there but we are making advances on that and that has to deal with petroleum products, natural gas and crude oil. much talk about the bull can revolution in wyoming and north dakota, producing a lot of energy. we are talking about different techniques to extract oil, enhance oil production, otherwise known as fracking. this has led to an explosion, well, literally in the case of the fuel, and it does explode when trains tip over, but what we are talking about is the explosion of oil produced in america and natural gas. we have nearly doubled the production of natural gas and oil over the last five to six years, bringing down the cost of

fuel. also around the world, the slowdown of chinese economy and europe has reduced the demand and we have seen a reduced price of oil even at a time when we are seeing more production of crude oil and natural gas here in the united states. so what's all this mean to the oil industry, to the petroleum industry? it means they've got a lot of oil and the united states is not consuming all of it or as much as they would like to keep the prices up. guess what they want to do? they want to export oil. isn't that something. how do we become energy independent? we have arguments about how that could be done and i'm saying, i don't think so. i don't think it's in the interest of the united states to take a stra teague particular

natural asset, natural gas, crude oil and export to china. may be good for china and good for the petroleum industry. wow. they got a new market. right now, fl is a federal ban on the export of crude oil to other countries, with the exception of mexico and canada. we swap crude oil back and forth. a little bit of crude oil is shipped out of the united states from the north slope of alaska and a very interesting law which was established back in the 1970's when there was this energy crisis and there were long lines at the gasoline pump, and that law said, no, you cannot export crude oil. and in the late 1990's, there was a little opening provided for mexico, canada, and alaska, it could be shipped to other

countries, exported with this caveat. cannot increase demresk oil prices. i don't know that was ever enforced. we saw the gasoline prices zip to the top last year and now it's coming back down, and that's good. but i don't think the department of energy or the department of commerce really enforced what was in the law about the export of crude oil in alaska. . so we've got this strategic asset, natural gas and crude oil, that has allowed us to have a resurgence of american manufacturing. they're coming home. american manufacturing -- manufacturers are coming home. to make it in america. dell, big democrat kl -- dow, big chem cam operation, coming back to america because natural gas prices are low.

other companies doing the same thing, because the united states has a strategic advantage. as a result of a strategic asset or assets, oil and natural gas. together with the green energy. so, what's the petroleum industry want to do? they want to ruin all of that. they want to take the strategic assets and ship them overseas. this week, the house of representatives is going to take up a piece of legislation that opens the spigot for the export of crude oil. there's already an open spigot for the export of natural gas, and i'll come to that in a few moments. so, is this in the interest of the united states? well, if you're in the oil patch, north dakota, texas, maybe even california, maybe it's good, maybe you'll be able to make a little more money.

but at the expense of who? america. american consumers at the pump. truckers, trains, all of those use diesel, produced here in the united states from our refineries. so good for the petroleum industry, but bad for america. we ought not do that. and if you would consider for a few moments that should we ever allow the export of crude oil, we ought to put some serious caveats on that piece of legislation. but just today the rules committee of this house decided, no, no, no caveats, just a bare bill, open the spigot, send the crude oil overseas, to heck, don't worry about the price of fuel, don't worry about the price of energy in the united states. worry about the bottom line of the petroleum industry.

i say, time-out, wait a minute. this is america. this is about the american economy. this is about men and women that go to the gas pump and buy gasoline, farmers out there having to buy diesel in order to plow their fields and harvest their crops. trains moving goods and services back across the united states. the airline industry. this is not just about the petroleum industry, this is a big deal for america. if we take a strategic national as a et and just allow it to go -- asset and just allow it to go anywhere in the world so that it is to the benefit of a small but important slice of the american economy, we're making a big mistake. so let me just put some caskyots on this piece of legislation -- caveats on this piece of legislation. harkin back to the alaska situation, back in 1995, where they opened the spigot. they put in a caveat that said, no, can't do it. if it results in aned a a verse

effect on -- an adverse effect on the price of transportation fuels and home heating fuels in the united states. does the legislation we have this week have any caveats on it? no, it doesn't have that one. let me give you another caveat. if we're going to ship a strategic national asset overseas, why don't we look at other strategic assets in the united states? ship building. the entire united states navy is dependent upon american shipyards for all of their ships. and those shipyards really no longer produce large ocean going commercial vessels. all of that's been off to , all off to korea, japan of those companies -- countries subsidize those shipyards. we don't do it in the united states. ut if we put a caveat on the

export of this crude oil and simply say, if we are going to export crude oil, caveat one, not at the expense of american consumers, not at the expense of american refiners and other strategics a -- refiners, another strategic asset, the refineries, and three, ship it on american-built ships with american mariners. right now there's over 400,000 men and women working in the shipyards, producing ships, smaller ships, for trade within the coastal zone of the united states, and for the barges up and down the rivers and canals of the united states, but not building ocean going tankers. what does it mean? let me just give you an example. it's been estimated that the maximum amount of oil that could be shipped is somewhere about 3.6 million barrels a

day. that's at the top level. hopefully they'll never get close to that because that's almost certain to raise prices. but let's say that they do. it would take, for the largest tanker currently on the ocean today, these are the maximum tankers, too large to even go through the new panama canal, larger than those ships, it uld take 180 ships to handle 3.6 million barrels of oil a day. what if those ships were american-built ships? this isn't saudi arabian oil. this isn't iraqi oil. venezuelan oil. this is american oil. what if we require that that oil be shipped on american ships? and suddenly our shipyards over the next decade or two were to build 180 supertankers.

ships, eir panamax-size 384. think of the employment that would take place at the american shipyards. and then through the entire supply train. all of the engines, all of the communications, all of the electronics, all of the pumps, all of the valves. we could see a resurgence in american manufacturing. who benefits from this? americans benefit. americans benefit. in the shipyards. in the manufacturing facilities all across this nation. but no. no, we're not going to do that here. on the house floor. we're going to simply take a bill that opens the spigot, that gives the benefits to the oil patch, to the petroleum industry, and i'm not saying that's not good for them, there will certainly be jobs. there will be some construction jobs. and there will be oil rigs that

will have to be built. and that's good. but think what we could do if we had a law that said, ok, we're going to ship, but we're going to protect the domestic price of refined products, we're going to protect the american refineries, and we're going to build american ships and we're going to put american mariners on those ships. we're talking about tens of thousands if not hundred thousand new jobs in the united states. that's a good thing for the middle class. that's a good thing for america. and we can do it by simply amending the oil export bill. but it's not going to happen. the majority here isn't going to allow that. they're simply going to pass a bill that opens the spigot. shame. shame on all of us that we would allow that to happen. shame on us that we don't protect the american consumer. shame on us that we do not

protect the american maritime industry, the shipyards of america, the american middle class. but, hey, watch closely. watch closely, it's going to happen. it's going to happen here on the house floor this week. while all of the attention of america is looking at this peakership thing, ok, that's where we are. on one critical issue. i want to take up one more and then i think we'll call it a night. do you know what that is? that's a new amtrak locomotive for the eastern corridor. and it's 100% american-made. why? why is it 100% american-made for the first time in decades? well, at least a decade and a half.

that the united states has once, -- is once again producing locomotives? oh, by the way, that's made near my district in sacramento, about, i don't know, four or five miles from the edge of my district. several hundred men and women are employed doing this. why did this happen? because the congress wrote policy that said, your taxpayer dollars are going to be used not to buy a locomotive made in china or japan or europe, but to buy a locomotive made in america, made in america. your tax dollars being used to build locomotives in america. it's part of a transportation olicy, which is where i want to go now. oh, but before i do, i guess i forgot to pull this one up.

that is a liquefied natural gas tanker. i was just talking about crude oil and what could be done. this is another one. if we're going to export our natural gas, that strategic asset, it ought to be exported on american-made tankers. liquefied natural tankers. a new facility is opening down texas to export liquefied naturals gas. and that facility will take 100 tankers for that one facility. not to worry, those tankers are going to be made in china, japan, korea, they're not going to be made in america. but under 16 lines of law, all we need to do is write 16 lines of law, we would be manufacturing these tankers in the united states. same argument that i made about the crude oil tankers. i won't go into it in any more

detail. this is one of the great could-do's, should-do's, ought-to-do for america. so the export of these strategic national assets, natural gas, petroleum, why don't we build them in america, why don't we make it in america? k. i started to talk about the locomotives. october 29, let's see, that's just about, what, 24 days -- no, 23 days from today. the highway trust fund is out of money. and once again we're on one of those cliffs, this time a transportation cliff, and we

have to do something. and so what are we going to do? the president proposed the grow america act, and it provides money for our crumbling transportation system, the infrastructure, there's a rail portion of it, locomotives, improving the rail system. there's buses, ports, bridges and highways. it's a very, very good piece of legislation. it's $476 billion over the next six years. it's a big deal. it helps america come from number, i think, 18th in the infrastructure capability compared to other nations of the world. china has, i don't know, 5,000, 3,000 miles of high speed rail. the united states has zero. chinese airports, japanese airports, i think even cuba's now in the process of building a new deep water port to take the panamax ships.

what are we doing? not much. the grow america act is totally stalled. it's not going anywhere right now. but we've got 23 days. so what are we proposing, are we proposing something that will increase the rail capacity in the united states, that will combine rail, ports and highways into a system to provide for goods movement, freight movement, integrated? no, we're not going to do such a thing. other countries do it, hey, but this is america, we just like to fall behind, so where are we with the grow america act? some of us have introduced it, some of us think we ought to do something like this, that we really ought to pay for our infrastructure. oh, by the way, this doesn't raise gas tax,