arabia. as reported by multiple news outlets, mateen has twice been investigated by the f.b.i.. the first investigation involved comments he made which suggested he had an affinity for islamic extremist groups. second investigation involved connections to a florida man who traveled to syria and became a suicide bomber. from "the washington post," quote, neither probe turned up evidence of wrongdoing. mateen, according to them, had a blemish-free record. . this is ridiculous. mateen was at one time placed on a terrorist watch list maintained by the f.b.i. according to the "l.a. times," mateen was removed from the list after the f.b.i.'s two investigations were concluded. but again, we have to remember, the f.b.i. is not allowed to talk to people about jihad.

what are your beliefs about islamic jihad? do you think it's a simple peaceable conversion within your own heart and mind? or do you believe jihad means it's ok to go out and kill people who disagree with radical islam? or your view of islam? if you can't talk about someone's beliefs in islam, you can't get to whether or not they've been radicalized. so we have some incredibly talented and intelligent f.b.i. and intelligence agents that are completely ignorant of what they need to know because this administration has made clear to them, you don't go there. if you've ever learned about jihad, muslim, islam, muslim

brotherhood, hamas, hezbollah, al qaeda, caliphate, if you've ever been taught about those things, what to recognize in a radical islamist, then you better keep your mouth shut about them or you'll lose your career, as one of the original homeland security employees, dedicated patriot, learned when he was pointing out terrorists. so, it makes it tough when you're in the f.b.i. in our intelligence, and you know the president will not call somebody a radical islamist. and i know our president was belittling those of us who said, it's important to recognize our enemy, own chairman of homeland security had said earlier today those very words. those are very important words. he said, we have to define our enemy to defeat it.

he said, if this president won't define it, this body will. our bill that we passed today didn't define it at all. but it didn't mention the words or mic or radical islam jihad or muslim brotherhood or hamas or hezbollah or al qaeda or international caliphate or those who are more devoted to shari'a law than to our constitution, so that is a little bit of a problem. this article from the daily mail -- "the daily mail" has this as a summary, sadik mateen is the father of mass shooter omar mateen, 29. mateen sr. is an afghan man who hosts a show. the show has aired on youtube channel -- i'm not even going it say, anyway, he visited congress, the state department, met with political leaders during a trip to washington, d.c., in april. also attended a hearing on

afghanistan security while in the capitol. pictures from 2015 show him meeting with some folks up here. police seen searching his home located to where his -- close to where his son lived. obviously his father's strong support or expressed support of the taliban should have caused concerns. and i know the word discrimination has been overused to the point that people that saw in mateen the potential radical islamist mass shooter were cowed by political correctness, as was his -- the company he worked for when they refused to deal with the complaints about his radical islamic problems.

political correctness killed 49 people. should we ban political correctness because it closed the eyes of the f.b.i. agents to seeing they had a radical islamist they were talking to during their two investigations ? should we indict political correctness or ban it from america because the f.b.i., when they investigated and talked to the older tsarnaev brother before he killed and maimed in the boston bombing, should we ban political correctness because the f.b.i. didn't know what to ask? and the f.b.i. correcter -- director himself, at that time, mueller, i'd understood they had not gone to the mosque where tsarnaev was attending after they got word he'd been

radicalized. when i said, you didn't even go to the mosque, where they attended, he said, we did go to the mosque and i didn't hear it in l a replay later, but -- our outreach program. that's right. in a previous hearing to that, he had explained, look, the muslim communities -- community's like every other religious community in america. there's no difference whatsoever. and we have a wonderful outreach program with the muslim community, it's going great. but it's just like every other community. said over and over, it's my time to question, said, well, since it's just like every other community in america, director mueller, how is the outreach program of the f.b.i. going with the buddhists and the jewish community and the baptist community, the hindu community? how are your outreach communities -- programs to those religious communities?

and he had to back up and try to figure out something to say nd basically it was, you know, we have a combined outreach to all those other groups, we don't have a specific outreach to all of those others, to baptists, to all christians or jews or -- they don't have an outreach program like that. because to the f.b.i. way of thinking, we have outreach to all religious groups in america as a whole and because of our concern about american safety, apparently, why else would they have it, we have a specific outreach to a muslim community. well, isn't that strange? because if you only have an f.b.i. and a government outreach program to one religious group in america,

then it's a little bit hard to honestly say that there is no difference whatsoever in these religious communities, because if that had been truthful statements made to our committee here on the hill, there would not be a muslim outreach program. and i was, i have to say, very grat feud -- gratified that after having evidence in the f.b.i.'s possession for about 20 -- well, at least 18 years, that some of which was used in the holyland foundation trial, in which a verdict was obtained, november of 2008, they had evidence to show that the council on american islamic relations was a co-conspirator in supporting terrorism, so finally in 2009, after years of their outreach program with

cair as a community partner, they finally had to send a letter to the council on american islamic relations or cair and say, well, because of some of the stuff that came out at the holyland foundation trial, we're going to need to suspend our partnership. how many partnerships does the f.b.i. have with the jewish community? or with the hindu community? or with the very peaceful, peace-loving sic -- sikh community? how many? we can't find any. i look forward to hearing from the administration if they have such wonderful outreach programs that they have started since director of the f.b.i. testified before us. but we continue to blind ourselves as our intelligence officer told me of our ability to see our enemy.

and people in america are going to continue to die. and though i care deeply about some of our democratic friends, they're wonderful people, they ink the solution is stopping americans from getting certain guns. can't you just agree -- i had a reporter yesterday, can't you just agree to ban assault weapons? i've been engaged in the legal profession long enough and different capacities enough to know once you ban an assault weapon, you can ban every gun that exists. and it reminded me of when i was thinking about going to law school, although my mother, my late mother and a doctor in

mount pleasant kept telling me, as he said, lucy -- louie, you're smart, you could really help people, you'd be a great doctor, don't throw your life away, go to law school, you could really help people. you'd be a great doctor. and my mother hoped i would. and if not that, at least be a college professor. t my dad used to send me clippings, dad's still alive. 90 years old this year. he used to send me clippings when i was expressing interest in going to law school, and there was never a shortage of newspaper clippings about how rotten lawyers were. headlines would be things like, there are too many lawyers in america, lawyers are destroying america, let's ban, you know, quoting from shakespeare first, we kill all the lawyers, all these type of articles. and normally he would put a

little note on it, son, are you really sure about this? well, i love and respect my father and i finally wrote a letter back, i've done a lot of soul searching, dad, and what i've come to the realization of is the law is a tool. like a hammer. the law can be used constructively to build up or it can be used very destructively to destroy. the all about the hand holding he hammer. a so-called assault weapon in the hands of an american military member, in the hands of law enforcement or in the hand of someone whose home is being invaded by multiple burglars with guns is a good thing to have.

if the principal at sandy hook had been running as she so heroically did at the gunman, with any kind of gun in her hand, any kind of assault weapon as some want to call some guns, there would have been people saved. so once you say we're banning assault weapons, then you're on the road to banning all weapons . because every gun, every machete -- has killed hundreds of thousands of rwandans, 1994, i believe it was. in the wrong hands the an assault weapon. the y couldn't we focus on hands that are holding the

weapons? why can't we train our f.b.i. and our intelligence community to recognize hands that are ?oing to use a machete, a gun i know people reported it was an ar-15 the orlando shooter used. it was not. ar-15, awfully small caliber. but whatever. let's train them to figure out hich americans are intent on committing treason, not by speculation, but by the things they've already said and done. and if we had not blinded them, san bernardino could have been stopped. orlando shooting could have been stopped. boston marathon bombing could have been stopped. i know janet napolitano took credit for the system working

when the underwear bomber was stopped, but that was some heroic americans and one intelligence person told me that actually the reason the bomb didn't go off is because his rear end had sweated too much. and defused the fuse and it didn't go off. well, we can't always count on a terrorist's rear end sweating too much to save hundreds of american lives. we have to have an intelligence community and a law enforcement community that can recognize when enemies are within our gate as this president continues to bring them. it should disturb a lot of americans, this article from allen newhouser points out that the security firm that employed

the orlando gunman guards nuclear sites. article points out the security firm that employed the orlando gunman behind the worst mass shooting in u.s. history said he guarded 90% of the nuclear facilities, raising concern that would-be terrorists could easily gain inside access to the most sensitive sites on american soil and release devastation. it goes on to make some good points but i don't think we would worry about someone going into one of these nuclear facilities, getting nuclear material to make a nuclear weapon. that probably would not happen, but it is quite conceivable they could get nuclear material , a bomb e a dirty bomb with nuclear material in it and ound it so it's dispersed,

causing more death. this article from steven denunn from "the washington times," a dren of immigrants proving ground for jihadists in the united states. thank god most of the children that have come into the united states have made this country -- help make this country what was at one time the freest nation in the history of the world. we're not listed as the freest nation anymore. not near the top. this article from "the daily caller" says, co-worker said orlando terrorist employer ignored unhinged comments for fear of being politically incorrect. aniel gilroy used to work at g-4-s security, complained about mateen's derogatory

comments about homosexuals and people of other races. he talked about massacring other people. gilroy said g-4-s security did absolutely nothing in response to the complaints for fear of being politically incorrect as 29-year-old mateen was an open muslim, "florida today" reports. political correctness has now gotten so far offfield it is killing people. let's talk about banning political correctness that keeps our f.b.i. and intelligence from being able to alk about radical islam. the d.h.s. secretary, according to "the daily caller" and peter husbanden, right-wingers pose the same threat aziz lambic extremists. i -- peter hussen, right-wingers pose the same

threat as islamic extremists. they are mad at me because they say we're not doing enough to stop radical islamists from terrorizing our country, terrorizing our freedoms, telling us we can't say what we believe because we've lost our freedom of speech. we can't practice our christian beliefs as we -- as the bible teaches because it may offend someone. for heaven's sake, let's ompare these radical islamists believe that the way to paradise and complete forgiveness of islamic sins no matter how bad, is to be killing a bunch of non-muslims when your life is taken, you go straight to paradise. i know ther hand, and

the president loves to cast gait christians and say, you -- castigate christians and say, you know, the christians had the crusades, people out there saying they're killing you in the name of christ is not legitimately killing you in the jesus christ because said, greater love no one than this than the man lay down his life for his friends. of course, he was talking about men and women. it's a pretty clear distinct difference between what radical islamists belief as well as what christians who truly believe the teachings of christ what they believe. yet, jeh johnson, the homeland security release before, you got to watch those evangelical christians because they believe what jesus said. you want to share the gospel with people so they learn love real t hate, and so these

evangelical christians like my friend, trent franks from arizona, wow, he's a threat because he believes that the two greatest commandments in the world are love god and love each other and on those two laws hang all the law on the prophets. "daily colorado" has an article that says about -- and this is a member who is above the countering violent extremism advisory group. he's now elevated to the advisory council where muslim other sympathizer el-biari from plano, texas, they finally let him go after he tweeted the international caliphate being

inevitable, but this is who's replaced him. i'm not sure how to pronounce it. it's like moradi, something like that, is president of the muslim public affairs council. he currently serves on the homeland security advisory committees, foreign fighter sk force as well as hsac subcommittee on faith-based security and communications. in 2001, he suggested that israel, not islamic extremists, were ultimately behind the september 11 terrorist attacks. in 2013, judicial watch noted that he told some in a 2005 conference for the islamic society of north america, other named co-conspirator but he said, quote, counterterrorism and counterviolence should be

defined by us. talking about the muslims. that think israel was behind 9/11. he should, we should define how counterterrorism policy should be pursued in this country, america. so number one, we reject any effort, notion, suggestion that muslims should start spying on one another, unquote. well, that's exactly what director -- f.b.i. director muler said they were going to do. they had this wonderful outreach program so that muslims will come and report other muslims in advance. just like mateen's wife did since she knew that he was about to go kill a whole bunch of americans, she came forward and reported, oh, wait, no she didn't, did she? guess the outreach program didn't work so well there. well, maybe before the boston bombing -- went to the mosque,

about him being radicalized, as they were advised by the russians, but just to have a mole and visit and talk. gee, the -- to have a meal and visit and talk. gee, the people at the mosque forgot to say, by the way, he's about to demonstrate what we've seen every time we've seen someone radicalized. and oh, by the way, director muller, you obviously are not aware, as he was not when i asked him, but our mosque was that your al-amoudi, f.b.i. helped put in prison after they were tipped off by -- from what i understand, british intelligence, that al-amoudi, who helped pick muslims to serve in the clinton administration, in the military and also to be chaplains in the prison where, by the way, we're now getting reports, have for sometime, inmates are being

radicalized. gee, imagine that. al-amoudi doing 23 years for help supporting terrorism, helped pick imans to serve in our prisons and government agencies and in the military and, gee, they're being radicalized. what a shock. well, the article goes on that investors business daily took an editorial stand against the invitation when obama administration invited one to a three-day summit on fighting extremism in 2015. initially the white house tried to conceal that from reporters, but it finally was made clear. and so investor business daily said, quote, al-moradi has a long record of defending terrorists and justifying violence against non-muslims. that's an easy one for the

white house to vet, unquote. but according to white house visitor records, he has visited the white house 11 times since 2009. for hedler, the director center of security policy told "the daily caller," al-moradi's association with the homeland security advisory council official -- sorry. official homeland surity advisory council, what an fortunate farce the entire combating violent extremism program is. al-moradi's only counterterrorism contribution is having suggested israel be included as a suspect on 9/11. his very organization, the muslim public affairs council, or mpac, has historicall

co-sponsored events in support of the very kinds of extremists he's been appointed to help oppose which is no surprise given that the organization's roots lay with men w literally studied at the foot of muslim brotherhood leader hassan al-bana. as long as the oba administration is more concerned with keeping groups like al-moradi' happy with them instead of investigating actual terroris we will never have a same counterterrism policy. "the daily caller" previously reported on monday that a current sitting member on t homeland security advisory council subcommittee on countering violent extremism, lala, is a 25-year-old immigrant of syrian heritage who said the 9/11 attacks, quote, changed the world for good and has consistently isparaged america' free speech

, white people on social media. and if you look at the other advisor to jeh johnson, she is tweeted out. here's a tweet that she sent out. i can't deal with people saying america is the best nation in the world. be critical. be conscious. don't be idiots. yeah, people like my friend and like the speaker, you know, we think america is the best place in the world. but according to jeh johnson's advisor, we're idiots. she said -- she tweeted out . the u.s. has never been a utopia unless you were a straight white male that owned land, straight up, period, go home, shut up. wow. she also said, you can't say something intolerant and not expect consequences, not on my watch. she said all kinds of hateful things about america, about whites, about those who love this country.

great article in "the daily caller." did f.b.i. training material purge cause agency to drop the ball on orlando shooter? clearly it did. well, mr. speaker, in conclusion, every republican i heard speak on this issue, including those from homeland security, have acknowledged the president and our intelligence need to start talking about jihad, muslim, islam, radical muslim, radical islam, muslim brotherhood. and they're not allowed to talk about it without risking their career and that's why i voted no on the bill today. these things basically passed before, but all they talk about is countering violent extremism. countering violent -- five countering violent extremisms on page 3. but it basically tells the

secretary of homeland security, you know, keep countering violent extremism. it never mentions the term radical islam, and after the orlando shooting, we have an obligation when the administration won't call it what it is to start calling it what it is, and i think the bill really didn't do what we needed done. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona, mr. franks, for 30 minutes.

frank franks thank you, mr. speaker -- mr. franks: thank you, mr. speaker. i am fortunate this evening to have some precious friends in the gallery. and i am grateful that they're here, their commitment for protecting the unborn, the innocent, and their commitments just to america in general gives me great encouragement. my friends are josh decker, and rudolph margraff. i am grateful they are here. mr. speaker, sometimes in the area in which we live, we can become very dispirited. but once in a while a medical marvel comes along and revives us all. recently the pediatrics journal of the american medical association reported on the progress being made in saving the earliest babies born prematurely. in a study conducted over five authors germany, the

reviewed 106 cases of babies born from just under 22 weeks down to 20 weeks after fertilization. the authors found that with active prenatal and postnatal care, 2/3 of these extremely premature babies survived until they were discharged from the hospital. mr. speaker, these are much higher percentages than other recent studies have shown. and they demonstrate what active care at what the authors call the border of viability can accomplish. mr. speaker, i would just ask the members of this body to consider and to absorb this encouraging and very enlightening news. this issue is real, mr. speaker. and it was torn from the abstract in my home state of arizona recently when a 21-week-old baby, that's 21 weeks after fertilization, was

born alive after surviving an abortion. this happened in a phoenix abortion clinic and unfortunately the baby was not transferred to the hospital in time. the baby died. mr. speaker, if the american people knew how often tragedies like this occur, they would be so desperately outraged. i would call upon democrats in the united states senate to allow a vote on the born alive abortion survivors protection act. that bill passed this body overwhelmingly months ago and it protected these, the tiniest of our little brothers and sisters. mr. speaker, protecting born alive children is supported by 80% to 90% of the american people. and if the united states has become so dysfunctional that they can't even pass a bill to

give effective federal protection to innocent born maybe the en, then time to board up the doors and windows of this place and go home and hope the barbarians of this world will show more courage and mercy than we do. no wonder the american people are so fed up with the dysfunctional gridlock of the united states senate. mr. speaker, we're talking about protecting our born alive little fellow human beings. the survival of these little babies is not a measure of their priceless value. the a measure of our skill and will to help them live. i just hope that we can remind ourselves of our profound responsibility before god and to our oath of office to protect these, the tiniest of

our little brothers and sisters. mr. speaker, i truly hope the united states senate will pass the born alive abortion survivors protection act. it deserves a vote. democrats should allow it to come to the floor. and the senate leadership should have the courage to put it on the floor for a fair up or down vote. f it gets a vote, it will pass . we've not lost our hue handity completely, but -- humanity completely, but have we lost the courage to make sure something like this gets a vote? there are a lot of little voices that we can't hear, that i think would ask that question if they could. mr. speaker, i thank you for the time and i yield back tonight. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. franks: mr. speaker, i move now that the house do 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 2:00 p.m. on

you heard about the house passing the defense spending bill off the floor, in addition to that, house speaker paul ryan and other members of the house g.o.p. task force on restoring constitutional authority held an event to talk about self-government and the separation of powers.

the one of several planks on the agenda they're unveiling over the last couple of weeks to address various policy issues. speaking first was republican conference chair cathy mcmorris rogers. this is from statuary hall in the u.s. capitol.

mrs. mcmorris rodgers: welcome to statuary hall. our history fills this chamber, our story as americans. the a story that's told in part through the statues that are around us. farmers, inventors, war heroes who stood up for what they believed and dared to dream big. to them it wasn't about title, it wasn't about job descriptions. it was about writing their own individual stories about their own individual per suits -- pursuits. because they were all characters in a much larger story. a story of america's promise. what is america's promise? the a promise that every man, woman and child in america should have the freedom to pursue. a promise that no matter your background, your walk of life, you are free and empowered to choose your own unique version of the american dream. it's not a promise of perfection or a life without challenges. but it's a promise that you aren't limited to where you

finish because of where you start. that is the promise of america. we sue this promise through the sculpture, architecture and artwork all around us. after all, this is where the people's house of representatives first made its ermanent home. even this place right here endured one of the earliest struggles to fulfill the american promise, when it was engulfed in flames during the war of 1812. you see, there's always been a challenge to america's promise. the a fundamental struggle between freedom and power that started the very day our declaration of independence was signed. a struggle between trusting people to make the best decisions for themselves or a government that decides for them. it's not a republican or a democrat struggle, it's an american struggle.

and it touches the very core of . o we are men and women who have written a story for more than two centuries about how together we the people win this battle to form a more perfect union. at that moment in 1814, when our struggle was seen through the burning timbers and the thick smoke in this room, it appeared that the promise of america had failed. that history had shown representative government was too weak to survive. that people couldn't govern themselves. but out of the ashes rose our capitol. a temple of liberty where that promise continued and people through their elected representatives were central to its fulfillment. our capitol is the home of the greatest inheritance our western civilization has to offer. the greatest inheritance because it starts with people. here in congress the people write the laws, assert the ultimate power over their government, and express their

consent to be governed. for thousands of years prior, the power to make law resided in pharaohs and tribal chiefs, ceasers and dictators, kings and queens. government was the realm of a few privileged powerful people operating beyond the reach of the masses who were ruled. but then came the united states of america where a new start was made, a rag tag group of believers seeking freedom from those who were trying to dream for them. we rejected the idea that the law is an instrument of special classes of people that are better or wiser or more powerful rulers. what started as a little promise of the people, by the people and for the people grew into a great one. but today americans are anxious. seniors fear retirement. parents worry about the future success of their children. students stress about finding

careers to pay back their debt. hard workers can't compete with the tangled web of taxes, one-size-fits-all regulationses and arbitrary rules. the reason they're so anxious and frustrated is because their voices aren't being heard. they're afraid, they're losing representative government. and the country they have known and loved. over time presidents have come to legislate by executive order. over time courts have come to make laws from the bench. and we, congress, and our desire to avoid complexities and conflicts -- conflicts have ceded power in order to simplify the process of law making. so here we find ourselves again , in the age-old struggle, a contest that will determine whether we shape our dreams or whether others shape them for us. the people's house is the seat of representative democracy. no other institution has such

power. because no other institution is as accountable to the people. presidents can veto, supreme courts can strike down, but congress has the exclusive seat of law making power. not some guy in the basement of the labor department. we must assert that the people speaking through their elected representatives is the best way to keep us free and protect our liberty and to make sure the promise of america exists for the next generation. what you'll find throughout history is that not much has changed. the same historic reoccurring struggle between freedom and power that the abraham lincolns, the john quincy adams, the daniel websters all faced. it's the struggle between fulfilling the promise of america or breaking it. they knew the torch one day would be passed, where it resides with us. a daughter of a cherry farmer from kettle falls, washington.

a nurse from tennessee. a businessman from texas. an air force chaplain from georgia. an author from utah. a combat surgeon from ohio. the about this generation's responsibility right now to cherish, to embrace, to protect the fragile, carefully crafted american promise that puts people in charge through their elected representatives. it's our call to put aside any personal ambition so the next generation can have their individual power protected, to freely pursue their version of the american dream. let's use the power of the purse to make government bureaucracy more accountable to people and less arrogant, so the i.r.s. can't target free speech and the e.p.a. can't regulate mud puddles. let's do our job of reviewing, rethinking and possibly

eliminating government programs that are running on auto pilot without oversight or authorization. so agencies like the v.a. operate their hospitals more like cleveland clinics. let's hold unelected bureaucrats accountable when they interfere with the next innovative startup being created in a granl or with a scientist working to cure cancer in a lab. let's make agencies more transparent and closer to the people. a government that operates more like uber and amazon and less like the d.m.v. and most importantly let's give people a voice through their elected representatives so a 19th century institution can actually solve 21st century problems. so today i am grateful. i am grateful for the efforts of my colleagues, chairman bishop, chaffetz, goodlatte, rogers and sessions, who spent the last six months thinking through how the people's house can accomplish these goals on behalf of the men and women we

represent. and i am inspired by my colleagues who have joined me this morning to answer the call from the people, to restore their voices in government, and protect what our founders conceived. the most just system of government the world has ever seen. our dreams and aspirations belong to us, not the government. only we can push the heights of our imaginations, not the government. we know the power of our ideas, not the government. that is why freedom is so important. it isn't about political parties, personalities or power. it never has been. the about making certain the promise of america is never breached and knowing the only ones who can preserve it for the future and future generations are we the people.

[applause] mr. goodlatte: i'm bob goodlatte, chairman of the judiciary committee. the constitution is clear, the role of congress to make -- it's the role of congress to make all laws. judiciary to interpret the laws, and the president to enforce the laws. this system was wisely set in place by our country's framers over 200 years ago because they knew firsthand that the concentration of power in the same hands was a threat to individual liberty and the rule of law. in recent decades, however, presidents of both parties have a grand -- aggrandized their power and usurped congress to legislate from the oval office. this is not a republican or a democrat issue, it's an american issue. and touches the very core of

our system of government. so today i am pleased to join with speaker ryan and conference chair mcmorris rodgers and my other colleagues in unveiling our republican plan to re-establish the system of checks and balances created in the constitution by our founding fathers. to reassert congress' authority we need to start where the constitution starts. asserting congress' authority over law making. the very first sentence of the very first article of the united states constitution begins, all legislative power herein granted shall be vested in a congress of the united states. key pieces of our agenda include reforming the administrative procedure act, ending the chevron deference doctrine that currently gives bureau crot -- bureaucrats the benefit of the doubt when they

interrupt statutes. requiring full and fair disclosure of the administration's regulatory agenda, and reasserting that congress is the ultimate decision maker, regardless of whether they occur by statute or regulation. fully half of the vetoes of this president has come of the congressional review actresslusions disapproving of his regulations. when the president to this degree is blocking the will of the people through their elected representatives, it is clear that congress, under article one, must strongly assert its constitutional powers. today's federal administrative state is an constitution unforeseen by the framers of our constitution. it is rapidly mushrooming out of control. this overgrown bureaucracy is tipping our system of checks and balances away from the

legislative and judicial branches and toward a stronger, emboldened and overreaching executive. our republican plan takes commonsense steps to protect our system of checks and balances and preserve liberty as the framers intended. [applause] mr. chaffetz: hello. i'm jason chaffetz from utah. i really do appreciate the vibrant discussion we've had with our colleagues. i appreciate cathy mcmorris rogers, our conference chair, who has led us through this process, along with the speaker and majority leader. to really put forward a vision of where we should go and what we need to do. there's three things that i would like to just briefly touch on. this is truly the people's house. and if the truly the people's house, we've got to maximize the sight in. i believe sight in is the -- sunlight. i believe sunlight is the best

disinfectant and it allows people the access they need to their government. they pay for it and we're here because of the people. to execute on that in today's modern world, i guess we'd call it crowd sourcing. if we're going to do our job, we have to make sure that they have the information at their finger tips. there are several ways we can do that. one is we have to strengthen the inspectors general. these are the nonpartisan folks, the career people who are able to get in and look under the hood. we have roughly 72 inspectors general that employ between 13,000 and 14,000 people. they have to have unfettered access to the executive branch and be able to follow through. you shouldn't be able to, for instance, just be able to quit your job as a federal employee and then the investigation's over. that happens time and time again. we need to strengthen the inspectors general. we also need to strengthen foia. we did pass out this week the senate version of the foia, the freedom of information act, proud to do that in a bipartisan way. in a good way. that bill is now on the way to the president's desk. i assume that the president

will sign it. but the incumbent upon all of us to make sure that that promise is actually fulfilled. and then the other thing we have to do is strengthen subpoenas. he congress has the right to see documents to understand what the executive branch is doing. and we need to be able to strengthen the -- and expedite the process by which, when we issue a subpoena, it's not optional, folks. it's not an optional exercise. you come to congress and testify, you got to tell the truth, when you're issued a subpoena, you must comply. part of the game plan is to make sure that this is strengthened as well. thank you and it's an honor and privilege to serve and i look forward to serving with my colleagues to make sure that we can make this country the best it can possibly be. thank you. [applause] mr. bishop: i'm rob bishop, chairman of the resources committee. on behalf of the church group in washington who is denied their annual permit to have a picnic in a national park

because the park land manager thought it would disturb the semblance and the certificate enity of the rest of the park, or the nevada family whose murdered son they were not allow to search for the body until they came up with a $1 million bond to reimburse the park in case something happened, or the new mexico rancher who is denied a grazing permit because he gave a speech critical of the land agency, or the utah ranch who are had to take out a water pond he built with his own money on his own land because it was attracting too much wildlife from federal lands who thought the drinking was good, or the female outbackers in wyoming who were photographed by b.l.m. as they were going to the bathroom as they were trying to come up with evidence of trespassing, or the senior citizens who are allowed to go into yellowstone in the lockdown because they'd already paid for the rooms but were locked into the hotel and couldn't see old faithful and then the armed guards as they're leave on the bus refused to allow them it take pictures because that would be reck reacting and they couldn't get off the bus for two ours,

those are the people of why we're doing this. this is not simply a battle between executive and legislative branch over power. this is an issue of what happens -- the executive agencies were designed to make decisions without leaving -- dealing with that nasty concept of what people want or they need. congress on the other hand has to run every two years. which means we have to talk to people, we have to understand what they are talking about. that's the nexus of what this is all about. it's the effort to find a way of actually empowering people. we will, among other things, this is the first step of a lot of steps, make sure that every committee that authorizes, goes through a plan of re-authorizing, every organization, so we can look at what it does, and its powers -- we will self-police ourselves with this document so no longer will we get language that gets carte blanche to the agencies. we will establish what the parameters will be. we will put in language that will insist that there's coordination between the agencies and local governments, so locally elected officials by the people can have their voice also being heard. if we don't do this, if we

don't insist that the rules and regulations have to be reviewed with us before they are implemented, not after, if we don't do that, people are going to be harmed. and if we do do it, citizens are going to be empowered. that's the goal of this document. it is a better way. [applause] >> good morning, everyone. the great to be here to talk about our proposals for a better way in america. mr. rothfus: i'm keith rothfus. you're going hear it repeated today. every american high school high school learns there are three branches to our government. legislative, executive, jish. the legislature makes the law, the executive enforces the law and the judicial adjudicates disputes arising under the law. over the last number of decades there's been a dramatic shift in law making power away from the people's representatives to unelected bureaucrats. the proposals being present here can't come soon enough. they can't come soon enough for the farmers, minors, consumers

and power plant workers i represent in western pennsylvania. people like a dad i met last december, he has three kids, aged 5, 3 and 1, he had a solid middle class job that he could take care of his family back in december. he lost that job. he was in the coal industry. and he wants to know why congress could not stop the regulations that stole his and his family's livelihood. his story is repeated by millions of americans who have been hurt by the so-called experts in washington who continue to churn out red tape without accountability. those americans want people from their area, their representatives, making the laws, not the bureaucrats who live in a far-off capital. this idea goes to the heart of self-government and what we're pursuing here today. 35 years ago president reagan said, quote, from time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule. that government by an elite group is superior to government by, for and of the people. well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, president reagan asked, then who among us has the capacity

to govern someone else? it is past time for a return to self-government through the people's elected representatives. note well, restoring congress' law making role through initiatives such as the rains act will not -- raines act will not -- iranians act will not end regular -- reins act will not end regulations. if a member makes the wrong decision, the people can correct that at the ballot box. that's what's self -- that's what self-government is all about. thank you. [applause] mr. hill: good morning. i'm french hill and i represent the second congressional district in arkansas. this is a day we get to remind ourselves that 50% of the words in the constitution relate to article one. clearly the founders considered the legislative branch the

preeminent branch, the first branch. and as james madison said in federalist 51, though, all three branches are in competition, and when one gets a little too ambitious, the others need to counter that ambition. and today's project is all about countering the ambition of the executive branch. as a businessman for over three decades from arkansas, i've seen firsthand the negative effects of an executive branch that bypasses congress to either propose their own rules or to enforce laws in ways that were not intended. all without input of the american people. one example i've seen recently is dumb founding to me and that's the waters of the united states rule. in arkansas it was enjoined with nine other states from being implemented. but implemented it is being by the coercive effect of federal representatives to make private

landowners incorporate the wotus rule into everything they do now. even though it's not the law of the land. that is federal overreach. in his time state of the union address, the president made a point to recognize that too much regulation out of washington is burdensome on the american people. the wotus rule is an example of that the law never intended micromanaging streams and ponds on private land in arkansas. these are the types of situations we need to tackle in this congress and as congress follows ours proposals today for a better way, we will successfully reassert our authority under article 1. i congratulate cathy mcmorris rodgers, proud to work on this project, and wish all the best for its success. [applause] mr. collins: good morning, i'm

doug collins from georgia's ninth district. i come from the neevet georgia mountains and poultry is our biggest industry. we're the poultry capital of the world. it's a thriving sector, and we're striving to meet the demands of america and the world. but somewhere in many cubicles across washington they determined that's not good enough, they're putting things in the way, putting costs and increasing the burden on our poultry industry. somewhere along the way the executive branch has forgotten it's their job to enforce the laws, not make the laws. if they would like to make the law, i encourage them to put their name on a ballot and run, not do it the wrong way. they seem to be more concerned with a political agenda than enforcing the law. osha, who is tasked with the basic health and safety of workers, a noble cause, is continuing putting into practice things like a wall-to-wall inspection of poultry plants. this isn't done for safety

reasons but for a policy agenda. everyone can agree we need to ensure worker safety this does little for safety. these inspections d do more harm than good because they simply slow down the facility, hindering them from doing what they're supposed to be doing. then also sometimes you have to smile. not because something is right but because something is so ludicrous. recently, the usda issued organic rules for comment. these rules were meant to have little to do with food safety and are meant to address consumer perception. according to these new rules, chickens need sizable outdoor space for enrichment activities. the pastoral image of chickens roaming around the yards is well and good in theory but in practice it's a costly change that would drive up costs to consumers and put grocery stores at a disadvantage. it is so amazing that i was asked, what would happen to

chickens in cold weather states? would we have to give them jackets when they were outside? no one seems to know. the usda's policy also puts people at risk because it contradicts avian influenza precautions we have put in place that would be devastating to our economy and our nation if we put our food source at risk. this is not simply about is congress better than the executive branch. it's about doing our job and doing it in the way the constitutional founders said to do it. when we all do our job the way we're supposed to, the people are protected, the people are served, and our country is stronger for it. thank you. [applause] mr. ratcliffe: my name is john ratcliffe, i present the -- i represent the fourth congressional district of texas. the bue i have to the american system of government is that every american is intended and

meant to have a say. laws are developed and voted on by the people that are chosen. those are then interpreted by the courts and enforced as is by the executive branch. but in recent decades, the executive branch and its bureaucratic agencies have stepped far beyond the carefully designed balance of power, by creating rules and regulations that have the same impact as law but go far beyond the scope of any existing laws. to this point, it's no secret that texas will be particularly hard hit by the environmental protection agency's clean power plan. these regulations are anticipated to increase retail power prices in my home state by 16%. family budgets are --

the local coal-fired power plants in my district have already announced that they simply can't afford to remain open if they're forced to comply. this means a loss of jobs, it eliminates an affordable source of energy for the folks back home, and it saddens me to see a circumstance um vention of our constitution by a ballooning administrative state have such a crippling impact on the american people. that's why i introduced legislation to address this ongoing problem and why i'm now teaming up with my fellow defenders of the constitution here in the house to establish a strong plan aimed at restoring the balance of power that our founders intended. texans and people all across this country deserve to have their voice restored. they deserve a better way. after all, we're here to serve

them. it's not the other way around. thank you. [applause] mr. bishop: good morning, my name is mike bishop, i represent the eighth district in the state of michigan. i want to thank the task force, the chairman and members of the task force for their hard work on this important subject. and i want to say that the constitutional crisis that we're talking about today is really the primary reason why i decided to run for the united states congress. every year, unelected bureaucrats create thousands of onerous rules and regulations. that in many cases supplant years of existing legal precedent and have full effect of law. without ever being publicly debated, discussed, voted on, by a single elected official.

and without any input from the very people that they will directly impact. one specific example of the many is the department of labor's overtime rule. the rule doubles the salary threshold under which employees qualify for overtime. i'm concerned, members of the task force are concerned, and people we represent are concerned that this was pushed through without consideration of the obvious known and very negative consequences. not surprisingly the final rule will likely lead to fewer jobs, less workplace flexibility, and fewer opportunities to climb the ladder of success. it impacts everybody, from the individual to the small business owner to our abundance of outstanding colleges and universities that serve students across my state and across this country.

to know the schools have to work, to worry about that -- a decision that was made miles away from them without any input, in many cases over their objection, may force them to cut hours and raise tuition is not how the american system was meant to work. michiganians and the people across this country have a right to be concerned and frustrated, and they are. i'm uniquely aware of the concerns raised by parents across my district as a father of three. i'm -- i worry about every day the growing cost, skyrocketing cost of higher education, as do many of you. and in general the higher cost of living. and under no circumstances, no circumstances should any government agency be making it harder and more costly for families, parents, students, or people of any walk of life to realize their dreams.

this rule i'm talking about right now is just one of many. and it's symptomatic of a far greater problem that's facing this country today. it's snowballed in recent years. it's time for a better way. it's time for us to enforce the constitution. article 1, section 1, and section 8 of the united states constitution affirms the role of congress very specifically, very directly, and unambiguously. it is responsible alone to legislate and pass laws. it couldn't be any more clearer. that's exactly what the frames of the constitution intended, to avert the style of government that they left, to protect the american people from a top heavy and tyrannical government. i'm proud to be part of this task force and i'm proud to be part of its mission. together we are going to give the voices become to the people that we represent and restore the powers of the constitution

as our founding fathers intended. thank you. [applause] >> it's great to be with you this morning. mr. wenstrup: i'm brad when strum -- wenstrup, i represent ohio's second district. our constitution is not broken, it's not an outdated document that's to be ignored in this century. it was carefully and deliberately crafted bationed on a guiding principle of we the people that set limits on this egovernment, not the other way around for the government to set limits on us. our founding fathers laid out a specific framework for our federal government that was balanced on three separate but equal blanches to ensure that we the people were heard and properly represented. but now we're at a point in our history where a largely unconstitutional fourth branch

of government has taken root. it's an unelected bureaucracy. and the sprowling -- sprawling network of federal departments and agencies is churning out rules and regulations at an unprecedented pace. these rules carry the force of law but have never been voted on by the people's representatives. so what happened to we the people. that's the we we have to ask. in ohio's second district, i'm hard pressed to find anyone who hasn't felt the effects of our bureaucracy, especially when it comes to businesses. sealcorp , take industries in my district. thanks to the recent overtime rule they're facing a quarter million dollars in compliance costs. for them that means little growth, higher product prices, and for many of their employees, that means a demotion from a salaried position to hourly positions. what we have seen is an executive branch that issues orders they say they don't have the authority to issue but do it

anyway. we see a department of justice that decides which laws they want to enforce and which hay don't. we see a supreme court that changes laws rather than sending them back to congress to be changed. and of course we see agencies that carry the rule of law. ladies and gentlemen, if we truly want to put america on a better way, we need to restore the constitutional balance and put legislative power back where it belongs, in the hands of we the people, and that would be your hands. thank you very much. [applause] mr. flores: good morning, i'm bill flores, i represent the 17th district of texas. i'm also honored to serve as chair of the republican study committee. hard working american families are frustrated and they're angry with the government oh overreach coming out of unelected, unaccountable, out of control washington bureaucrats. and today we're putting forth our plan, a better way to restore constitutional authority.

in 2012, the waco tea party contacted me to express concern about invasive informational requests regarding their application to become a 501-c-4 organization. the information the i.r.s. was seeking would have been logistically and financially impossible to fulfill in the very short time period that the i.r.s. gave them to comply. and this was after an extended period that the i.r.s. set on their application. our investigation revealed that the i.r.s. was inappropriately targeting conservative groups like the waco tea party all across the country. i.r.s. bureaucrats led by lois lerner were abusing their power by putting politics and ideology above the law to threaten the freedoms and the liberties of hardworking americans. this is unacceptable. the federal government must be held accountable to follow the law and to adhere to the

constitution. we have a duty to restore america's trust and their -- trust in their federal government. today house republicans are leading the charge to protect hardworking americans against government harassment by reining in unaccountable, out of control federal bureaucrats. again, we owe it to our constituents to follow the wisdom of our nation's founders to restore congress' constitutional authority by implementing a better way. thank you. mr. byrne: my name is baddeley byrne and i represent the gulf coast of alabama. in the gulf of mexico we have a fish called the gulf red snapper. fun to catch, great to eat. we're blessed to have plenty of gulf red snapper out there. and for most of my life we've been able to go out there on a

summer weekend day and go catch some snapper. now you're limited to two per day but you can catch enough snapper, it's good eating, you don't have to worry about just having two. for most of my life you could d it all summer long. recently, the last several years a federal agency calls the national marine fisheries service has come forward and said we're going to start limiting your snapper season to nine days. this year that snapper season was interrupted by a tropical storm in the gulf of mexico. so let me tell you this federal agency has decided to take away from people that live on the gulf coast something we've done for years. now they do it because they say there are not enough fish out there. why do they say that? because our scientists at the universities of the gulf coast say there are plenty out there. here's why this agency says that. because when they go to count these fish, they count them on sandy bottom. they don't count the fish on reefs. the gulf red snapper is a reef

fish. if you go and try to find the gulf red snapper somewhere other than a reef, you won't find a red snapper. now we have brought this to the attention of the scientists that work for this agency and they say we can't figure out how to count them on reefs. but the scientists at the lesser funded state universities find them very easily and have shared their techniques with them and still this federal agency won't odo d -- won't do it. here's the kicker. this federal agency receives $900 million. and it's an agency that has not been authorized by congress since 2000. there is a better way. there's a rule of the house of representatives that says we are not supposed to appropriate money to unauthorized agencies. now, authorization is not just some superficial process we go through. it gives congress and the

congress is the representative of the people of the country, an opportunity to provide real oversight to what agencies are doing and not doing. so if we provide that sort of oversight if we give the authorization process exactly the sort of attention it should get, then we can start reining in agencies doing things that they shouldn't be doing and making sure that agencies that have appropriate jurisdiction, that they do their jobs and do it right. if we do that in the case of the national marine fisheries service, then we'll be able to restore an industry on the gulf coast, an industry of charter boats and and people that supply things to people that go fish, we can restore that industry. but more importantly, we restore the liberty of the american people to fish in their waters. and yeah, maybe we'll also catch a few fish. there's a better way. thank you. [applause]

mr. newhouse: good morning, i'm congressman dan newhouse from washington state's fourth district. i'd like to applaud speaker cathy nference chair mcmorris and work with my colleagues to restore constitutional principles in our government. i'm proud to be part of asserting the people's voice at a time of executive overreach, when americans are frustrated with not being heard. the founders designed our system of government to be balanced. they reserved legislative authority to the people's representatives in congress. not unelected officials of countless federal agencies. in my own state of washington, we are seeing firsthand the effects of agencies pushing their own agendas that go against the will of the people through their elected

representatives, in this case, the e.p.a. awarded tax dollars for an anti-farm advocacy program attacking the agricultural industry in direct violation of the law. this kind of government sponsored abuse feeds a cycle of distrust and it shows what happens when the lack of federal government accountability. today, congress is stepping in to say enough. americans want to know that we will rein in these kinds of executive branch abuses. and exercise our oversight and law making authority granted by the constitution. we commit to a better way. to restoring the rule of law and the separation of powers that are meant to keep the people in charge and their voices heard. thank you.

[applause] mr. rogers: good morning, my name is hall rogers, i represent kentucky's fifth congressional strict and chair the house's committee. the key to reclaiming the power is to reclaim the pow ore they have purse. our founding fathers spelled it out in the constitution, quote, no money shall be drawn from the treasury but in consequence of appropriations made by law. end quote. james madison described this power of the hurt purse as, quote, the most complete and effectule way to obtain a redress of every grievance and

to carry into effect every just and salutary measure. this is why it's critical for the congress to retain and tighten its power over federal appropriations. it's one of the most basic duties we have as congresspeople and one of our greatest responsibilities. so how do we bring back this power into the hands of the people? first, congress must pass all appropriations bills annually. anything less cedes authority to the executive branch, undermining the principles of our constitution. both the house and the senate must undertake internal reforms to remove any obstacles to passing these bills, including the 60 vote hurdle in the senate.

whatever happened to rule by the majority? next, we must address our nation's real spending problem, uncontrollable, outmatic, skyrocketing, mandatory spending. that makes up 2/3 of our federal budget. that can be done through overhauling the budget process to allow congress to more effectively control spending on mandatory programs. third, agencies and bureaucrats must be held accountable if they spend any dollar not specifically directed by congress. such actions are violations of federal law and must be treated as such. this also means bring manage outside agencies within the congressional appropriations and oversight process. finally, we should aggressively and strategically use the tools that we already have, including

limiting and conditioning funds, to enforce congressional intent. the recommendations of this task force will help reclaim the constitutional power of the purse. it'll make sure that elected representatives who are accountable to their people and who know the needs of their districts the best are the ones to determine how federal funds are spent, not unelected bureaucrats. these recommendations will help improve the way congress functions. give the american people a more control -- give the american people more control over their tax dollars, and ultimately form a more perfect union as our founding fathers intended because the founding fathers saw this as the better way. thank you.

mr. stewart: fwoorning, i'm congressman chris stewart, i represent the most beautiful district in the country, utah's second district. i believe our founding fathers got it right. i believe they were inspired when they set up three branches of government, one to create the law, one to enforce the law, and one to review the enforcement of that law. they set up a presidency, not a king. and they never intended that our federal regulators would rule over us rather than serve the people. unfortunately, some of these executive orders and these rules have become muddled in recent decades. the executive branch pushes out rules and regulations and executive orders that have the same force as a law but without the input of the american people. and these excessive rules and regulations hurt hard working american families.

let me say that again. these excessive rules and regulations hurt hardworking american families. my district in utah is a great example of that. we have four national parks, two national monuments, millions of acres of beautiful scenery. that millions of americans come to enjoy every year. but because of some of these excessive rules and regulations it's made it impossible for those outfitters and guides, buzz of a mandate requiring a minimum wage, many of them are going to close. and it's going to hurt americans who want to enjoy the great american west because they're not going to have that option any longer. this increase in minimum wage will force many of these recklation a -- recklation -- recreational outfitters and guides to close their doors. let me read you a letter from one such constituent. we want to retain our commitment to the public lands. however the costs of compliance

created by this rule that it affects our business. we may have to cease running trips in national parks. what a tragedy that would be. if we actually close access or make it more difficult for americans to come and enjoy these beautiful places. this is just one example. and there are many more that we could talk about. repeated stories across utah, across our country where rules and regulations passed a as has been stated here many times, without accountable, do serious harm. and that's why i join with my colleagues in this effort to reclaim the power of article 1 in the constitution. i'll say it again, our founding fathers got it right. there is supposed to be a balance of power. the president and federal regulators have claimed power that they simply constitutionally do not have. it's time for the american people to reclaim that power. article 1, the intent of the constitution, freedom, the people, that's what this is

about today. so i'm pleased to be here. thank you for giving me this opportunity. [applause] mr. franks: it is a good morning. we are privileged to be in a place loik this. i'm trent franks, i have the privilege of serving as chame of the constitution committee. i'm especially gratified to cathy mcmorris rodgers and those who help her for this invitation an for this gathering. the united states constitution is the greatest manmade charter for human government in all of human history. it does not memorialize the rights of government as do most constitutions. rather, it proclaims and safeguards the rights of the individual and limits government. it specifically guarantees the rights of life, liberty, and

property, of which each individual cannot be deprived without due process of law. and from that foundation has extrapolated the most powerful, the freest, and most noble nation known to man. our oath of office, sworn before almighty god by members of congress, to support and defend the constitution, sacredly binds each of us to that noble task. yet certain rules and practices of congress, unconstitutional executive orders and legislating from the bench have become a mortal threat to the constitution. it has indeed threatened our article 1 pows of the purse. no one could possibly and more exquisite he articulate it than did congressman hal rogers this morning. accordingly, may we all both be inspired and admonished by the words of the great daniel webster when he said, hold on, my friends. -- hold on, my friends, to the

constitution and to the republic for which it stands. for miracles do not cluster and what has happened once in 6,000 years may never happen again. so hold on to the constitution. for the constitution should -- for this the constitution should fall there will be anarchy throughout the world. i hope this will be a morning when all members of congress will be deeply reminded of our sacred oath to the constitution and each of us will recognize the treasure that it represents to the entire human family. thank you. [applause] mr. sessions: good morning, pete sessions, representing the 32nd congressional district of texas, chairman of the house rules committee. when i came to washington, i came to be a part of a grand experiment, of constitutional government that i considered to be a responsibility of balance,

combined with responsibility to live with and for the united states constitution. you have heard today members of our body who are bringing together the ideas that they hear not just back home but really the pulse of a nation. we believe that the american dream is in question. we believe that the american dream should be reevaluated because what made america great should also be what makes us greater in the future. making government work for people is what we should be for. we not only look at the constitution as the guiding force but we want that balance and responsibility. for nearly four months we have been working as a team. ideas put forth by speaker ryan made flesh in working by congresswoman cathy mcmorris

romingers, our conference chair. we've been working for four months on recommendations, by listening to our members, by taking advice from people back home, and understanding that if we work together as a team, we can be successful. our mission is to restore proacht balance among the branches of government exactly as our founding fathers intended. by reasserting the unique constitutional role of congress. we believe that we must, as part of our responsibility, live up to our responsibility. said another way, we are here to say we are upping our game. to do the things that are within our, not just responsibility, but within the context of what the american people expect. each two year well, put our name on the ballot, each two years we go and define not only what we

stand for but the hopes and dreams of a greatful nation as we move forward. you have heard our members speak clearly about the things which must take place and i will tell you as chairman of the house rules committee, it is my job to work with our members to make sure that these ideas are put into law, that they are put into bills that can be understood by the american people with not only great intent, but purpose to make this great nation even better. you see, we believe there is a better way. [applause] mrs. black: good morning, i'm diane black, i represent the sixth congressional district of tennessee, and i'm honored to be here with my colleagues today to talk about a better way, to give the power back to the people's house and therefore to the

american people. almost every day i hear from tennesseans who come to me in frustration because their lives and their livelihoods are being impacted by a government rule. cobbled together behind closed doors, away from public view, by bureaucrats they can't even speak to on the phone let alone vote for. in fact this month, my office met with mayor dale reagan from clay county, tennessee. e manages a world -- a rural sparsely populated county that was already struggling in the economy and now they're going to get hit once again by the department of labor's overtime rule. mayor reagan tells me that this rule threatens to drain the county's education budget buzz it implements a new overtime pay schedule for nearly every teacher they employ. i cannot overstate how upset they were that they had no say as this rule came to be.

and i told them, i'm a as frustrated as you are because the constitution says that we in congress should write the laws. yet for the past few decades, bureaucratic agencies have been legislating with regulations and rules that have the same force of law. this is just unacceptable. instead of trying to stop bad rules once they've been announced, we in the people's house and as a result the constituents we serve, should be a part of the process from the very beginning. and that's what today is about. offering a better way to restore our constitutional separation of powers and to reform our rule making process so that the american people, folks like mayor reagan and the people of clay county have a voice through their elected representative. thank you. [applause]

mr. ryan: i'd like to start by thanking cathy mcmorris rodgers and the members of our tasks for for -- task force for this very impressive work on this most significant work on our better way agenda. i thought i'd close by quoting one of the greatest supreme court justices, antonin scalia. he once asked, why do you think america is such a free country? what is it in our constitution that makes us what we are? well, most of us would probably say the bill of right the freedom of speech, freedom of press, right to bear arms, and true enough in those rights are very special. but justice scalia went on if you think a bill of rights is what sets us apart, you're crazy. every banana republic in the world has a bill of rights. even the soviet union had a bill of rights, he pointed out. and it promised a lot more than ours does. but there's a reason we don't

remember the ussr as a bastion of liberty. because that bill of rights was just, quote, just words on paper. close quote. as justice scalia said. what truly makes america free, he argued, is the separation of powers. those amendments to the constitution may enumerate our rights, but it is the separation of powers that protects those rights, that secures those rights. our country makes sure that no one person exercises too much power. i'm talking about the fact that we elect most of our representatives every two years. the fact that both houses of congress have to pass a bill before it becomes law. the fact that congress is elected separately from the president. that means a lot of people a lot of different people, they have to agree for a bill to become a law.

that means disagreement, it means debate, it means compromise, and in the end it means good government. i also think it's very telling that when justice scalia talked about the separation of powers, he barely even mentioned the court, and he sat on it. maybe what he was trying to tell us is this. we can't rely on the court alone to protect our rights. because if you have to file a lawsuit, guess what? it's already too late. your rights have already been violated. being free doesn't mean you can get damages. being free means you don't have to worry about your rights being violated in the first place. that's why we need the other branches of government. especially the legislative branch to remain strong, so they can defend our rights when another branch attacks them. that is what will secure our

rights in the here and in the now. and that is why we are here today. our problem is not so much that the presidency under both parties keeps breaking the rules, though it clearly does. our problem is that congress, under both parties, keeps forfeiting the game. yielding the executive branch. giving the president a blank check. not even boston toring reed the fine -- to read the fine print in some cases. and as our members just told us, as we just heard a beautiful articulation of our cause, this means more than just out of control spending. it means more chaos at the border. it means not being able to live out your faith. it means not being free. that's why this plan is so important. in fact, i would argue this is the most important part of our agenda. because we won't be able to fix

our safety net, we won't be able to rebuild our military or pare back the red tape until we put the people back into the driver's seat. it's not enough to have an efficient or effective government. we want a free government. one of the most important principles that unites all of us as americans, that makes this a popular and inspiring nation is that we are a historically self-determining people. historically with a government by consent. that's what unites us. that's what makes us free. that's what makes us the beacon of hope in the world. we must reclaim and conserve this principle. we want a competent america where all of us are free. that's something that i think all of us can agree on. thank you very much. [applause]

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>> in florida, cbs white house correspond ebt mark noeller sweet tweeted this photo, the president and vice president placed flowers at a makeshift memorial for the shooting victims in orlando. the president visited with victims and their family this is afternoon in the amway center about two miles from where the mass shooting took place over the weekend. also a related story on gun legislation a tweet from "washington post" reporter mike dibonas who includes a statement from senator john mccain clarifying that he does not hold president obama personally responsible for the mass shooting at the nightclub in orlando, as had been reported earlier today. instead the senator says the president's national security decisions are to blame for the rise of isil which athroid terrorist organization to inspire attacks. and from the campaign trail, road to the white house coverage with bernie sanders speaking to supporters in a video message, we'll have that live for you

beginning at 8:30 p.m. eastern here on c-span. > after the surrender at appomattox, the united states faced more than a decade of challenges in reconstruction and policies instituted at that time had a lasting impact on american history this saturday, american history tv on c-span3 is live from gettysburg college in gettysburg, pennsylvania, for the annual civil war institute summer conference as authors, historians an professors examine topics that confronted our newly unified country. such as reconstruction in the north with andrew slat, appropriate -- associate professor of history at tennessee state and the post civil war career of ulysses s. grant.

also hear talks on the return of the con fed rhett veteran. the annual civil war institute summer conference, live all day saturday, beginning at 1:00 p.m. eastern on c-span3's american history tv. for the complete american history tv weekend schedule, go to c-span.org. >> in addition to the defense spending bill, the house also passed a counterterrorism bill today in response to the ofrled shooting. the vote was 402-15. the bill contains three previously passed house terrorism related bills which had not been taken up by the senate. they were repackaged and approved by the house for the senate to take up as one bill. . the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. mcca: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and their remarks

include any extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. mccaul: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for such time. mr. mccaul: mr. speaker, we're a nation at war, and our own cities and streets have become the front lines. the tragedy in orlando is the deadliest terrorist attack on american soil in the homeland since 9/11. it reminds us that nearly 15 years after that fateful day our enemies are still dead set on attacking us from outside and from within. to defend our nation, we need to take decisive action. that is why we're here today. we will not stand on the sidelines while fanatics try to brainwash americans. we will not allow islamists radicals to bring terror to our cities. we will not wait patiently and

hope the threat goes away, and to honor the memories of the victims in orlando, we must dedicate ourselves to preventing terrorists from gaining a foot hold in our communities. that is why today i urge my colleagues to pass h.r. 5471, the countering terrorist radicalization act. the bill's an important step stopping acts of terror in our homeland, and i only wish it would have been sent to the president's desk sooner. we've combined these three counterterrorism bills into one. all the bills were voted out of the house earlier this year with strong bipartisan majorities. together, these measures ramp up our efforts to keep violent extremists from luring americans down the path to violence. this bill will put into place measures to help communities spot signs of violent

radicalization and to actively combat the propaganda of terrorist groups like isis. for instance, it requires the department of homeland security to use the testimonials of former extremists to dissuede others from making the wrong choice. such individuals know the brutality of terrorist groups firsthand and they can be powerful messengers for shutting down radical recruitment. overall, this bill implements several important recommendations from a bipartisan tambing force -- task force we created last year we created to take a look at the threats and vulnerabilities to the homeland. they found glaring gaps in our security and declared we were not doing enough here at home to fight terror and terrorist radicalization. and they were right. islamist terrorists are working to infiltrate our country

online and across borders, and we have failed to keep up with the pace. in just the past two years, isis alone has been linked to nearly 100 plots against the west, and the united states was the top target. sadly, the violence has become so frequent that we've begun -- we've referred to them now as attacks by their location, boston, chattanooga, paris, san bernardino, brussels and now orlando. we must resolve to do everything in our power to keep our cities from being added to this deadly list, and today we can make a difference. i'd like to thank john katko, barry loudermilk, chuck leischmann for their

leadership on these bills and also on the democrats side on my committee, all of the democrat members of the task force. they were incorporated into this piece of legislation. i'd like to thank my committee's ranking member, benny thompson, and his leadership for their bipartisan work on this task force and their measures. while radicalization may be resurgent worldwide, i want to remind my colleagues that we still have the upper hand. our resilient response to orlando, to the tragedy has sent a message to america's enemies that we will not be intimidated, we will not allow fanatics to attack our freedoms, and that resolve will allow us to prevail over anyone who seeks to do this country harm. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves the balance of his time.

for what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 5471, the countering terrorism radicalization act, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, america is still absorbing the devastation that was inflicted on the pulse nightclub in orlando, florida, over the weekend. this attack is the deadliest mass shooting in american history. 49 innocent, mostly young people, were killed and 53 others were maimed. we do not know with any certainty what exactly drove the perpetrator to carry out this hateful act, but there's one thing we do know beyond a shadow of a doubt. divisive rhetoric that pits americans against each other

and empty gestures will do nothing to heal orlando's deep wounds or prevent the next attack. unfortunately, railing against erican muslim communities, including the presumptive republican nominee, are offering. meanwhile, empty gestures like yet another moment of silence and expedited house consideration of repackaged measures that are already pending in the senate is as far as the house republican leadership is willing to go. although there's little to object in h.r. 5471, particularly since it codifies what the department of homeland security is already doing, it is important to state on the record that it offers little to respond to the orlando attack. sadly, it comes -- when it comes to preventing mass shootings and houses of

worship, schools, workplaces or other public places, the american public has come to expect very little from this congress. the legislation before us today will not change that. it authorizes the counterterrorism coordinating body that already exists within d.h.s. training on how to do community awareness briefings that d.h.s. already does. the utilization of public tms to counter vy -- testimonies to counter violent extremism which the department already told congress it has the authority to do. and an assessment of how partners with local communities to counter violent extremism. the house has spoken on provisions of h.r. 5471, and d.h.s. is already carrying out the activities it authorizes. as such, there's nothing objectionable on the four corners of the pages of this

bill, mr. speaker. where i do object, mr. speaker, is the house not acting on measures that could help prevent the next mass shooting. for instance, there's h.r. 1076, the so-called no fly, no buy act, a bipartisan measure introduced by my republican colleague from the committee on homeland security, peter king, to allow the f.b.i. to prohibit a person on the terrorist watch list from purchasing a firearm. mr. speaker, you can't fly but you can buy a gun in the united states of america. this could be and should be fixed. closing this homeland security gap in our laws has the support of 83% of americans, including gun owners like myself. moreover, 180 members of this

chamber have signaled their support by signing a discharge petition to demand the bill's immediate consideration. analysis issued this week by the government accountability office underscores the need for action. it found that 90% of the people on the terrorist watch list who attempted to legally purchase firearms were successful. mr. speaker, 90% of the people who are on the terrorist watch list bought guns in this country. mr. speaker, tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attack on mother emanuel in charleston, south carolina. that deadly attack carried out . furtherance of ideology it was carried out by a domestic terrorist who, like the perpetrators of attacks in the san bernardino and orlando,

were radicalized by internet propaganda. nothing in the legislation we are considering today would have stopped that ideologically motivated mass shooting. before i reserve my time, i would take this opportunity to again highlight those with the single minded focus on one foreign terrorist organization, namely isil, as in the case with h.r. 5471 and turning a blind eye to a gathering storm. it's just in the past year the number of anti-government groups espousing violence have increased three-fold. since 2008, the southern poverty law center numbered anti-government groups at 149. here has been a 670% increase. s, today there are 998

anti-government groups in america. mr. speaker, the victims of past mass shootings, their families and all americans deserve meaningful action, not empty gestures. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. i now recognize the gentleman from georgia, mr. carter, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for one minute. mr. carter: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise today in upport of h.r. 5471, the countering terrorist radicalization act, so we can improve efforts in fighting radical islamic terrorism. horrific lone wolf terrorist attacks, like the one that occurred in orlando only a few days ago, continue to threaten our nation. h.r. 5471 is a package of three bills that will accomplish three goals in our fight against terrorism. it will increase our efforts to

counter radicalization of terrorist recruitment. it will increase counter measures to prevent isis from using social media to recruit and radicalize potential recruits in our communities, and it will ensure agencies like the department of homeland security are effectively using intelligence, operations and policy to fight terrorism. with the passage of this bill, we will give our law enforcement officers and our communities greater resources to fight against terrorism. i commend chairman mccaul and sponsors of each of the underlying bills for their leadership and hard work on this legislation. i would also like to offer my thoughts and prayers to the families and victims of the orlando terrorist attack. i urge my colleagues to support this bill. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back to the gentleman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the assistant leader for the democratic caucus, the gentleman from south carolina, mr. clyburn. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina

is recognized for two minutes. mr. clyburn: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i thank my friend for yielding me the time. mr. speaker, tomorrow we are going to celebrate or annual te the first emanuel at occurred at a.m.e. church. on sunday, a.m.e. churches all over the country will be commemorating this great loss. 'll be in lakeland, florida, bethel a.m.e. church and we are going to be praying and singing and hoping. hoping at some point in the not-too-distant future this house, this congress will recognize that we've got a big,

big problem that must be solved. . why is it that this young man is not eligible to purchase a firearm? why did he get one? he got one because there is a loophole in that law that says the three-day ackground check is not operative if you don't complete the background check in three days. so the reasons that exist for him not to have a firearm still existed on the fourth and fifth day. now, i have no idea why the information got keyed in wrong. it was columbia versus west columbia. and when they detected it, this gentleman had the firearm and was off to charleston, south carolina,

my congressional district, murdered nine people, allowed one of them to live so she could tell the story. and two others played dead. the charleston 12. well, i'm hopeful the people of good will in this body would do something to close this loophole. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield two minutes to the gentleman from louisiana, the majority whip, mr. scalise. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana, majority whip, is recognized for two minutes. mr. scalise: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my friend, chairman mccaul, for bringing this package of bills to the house floor. and especially want to thank representatives fleischmann, katko, and loudermilk for their leadership in saying that we need to focus our efforts on the