mike from laguna -- guest: one more and i have to go. host: mike, please. caller: i am a libertarian. i am very encouraged by black lives matter. host: mike, thanks for calling. i have to jump in and thank deray mckesson. the house is coming in right now. thank you for your time from baltimore. guest: talk to you later. thank you. host: we are going to the house now. they have an opioid bill. we expect some comments on dallas and the other shootings around the country during the one-minute period. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

host: we'll treat this as an open phone segment. ryan up first from south park, pennsylvania. good morning. caller: i'm confused about this whole separate issue because it when we e to me than look at the over 500 people that have been killed so far by police a little over 120 of them have been black. and a little over 330 have been white. so it doesn't look like discrimination is on the black side. but who knows. the media -- i believe that's caused issues. they sten to c-span and seems e idea based on it

then democratic leaning you see the other channels who have more of a republican-type -- it's almost exact opposite. it's a bigger issue than police need reform. they already talked about selective statements by . fferent people that could go all the way from president obama who selectively spoke out on these various hings.

their ideas venture into these types of conversations. host: thank you for calling, ryan in south park, pennsylvania. new york independent caller. aller: this is lemiel. saw the black lives march matter, and in respect to the shooting the fact that us as american citizens, we are involved in this. the attention i put into this -- a half-hour to get through has been upsetting to my body. me and my wife are coming to dallas next month for a family reunion. i have been to the million man march. i understand a peaceful demonstration. and i really think that a lot of stuff that we have seen is a distraction. every religion has a med at thisive and prayer and this is what we all should do.

we should co-create a different . mosphere we don't know who the shooters were in dallas, that's my focus this morning. who did this? who was trying to put this type of thought and energy into the american people? host: thanks for calling this morning. again we're waiting for the house to come back in. we're not sure if it will be a long or short recess. we do have a legislative agenda today. we were expecting to hear some speeches on the gun issue. of course on dallas and the shooting by police officers in minnesota and louisiana. we have learned that hillary clinton has canceled her event. she was supposed to have a campaign event with vice president biden in scranton, pennsylvania. we hope to have that live, but the event's been canceled due to the situation in dallas. same with donald trump. he's canceled or postponed events from this morning.

here's a little bit of what president obama had to say. he is at a nato summit in poland and spoke a couple hours ago about dallas and the surrounding situation. president obama: i spoke this morning with mayor rawlings of dallas to convey the deepest condolences of the american people. i told him that the federal government will provide whatever assistance dallas may need as it deals with this tremendous tragedy. we still don't know all the facts. what we do know is that there has been a vicious, calculated, and despicable attack on law enforcement. police in dallas were on duty -- doing their jobs, keeping people safe during peaceful protests. these law enforcement officers were targeted and nearly a dozen officers were shot.

ive were killed. some were wounded an in serious position and we're praying for their recovery. as i told mayor rawlings, i believe that speaks for every single america when i say we're horrified over these events and we stand united with the people and police department in dallas. according to police there are multiple suspects. we will learn more undoubtedly about their twisted motivations, but let's be clear, there is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks or any violence against law enforcement. the f.b.i. is already in touch with the dallas police. and anyone involved in these senseless murders will be held fully accountable. justice will be done. i will have more say about this

as the facts become more clear. for now, let me just say that even yesterday i spoke about our need to be concerned as all americans about racial disparities in our criminal justicecies tefment i also said yesterday that our police -- justice system. and i also said yesterday that our police do a great job and the vast majority of them do their job in outstanding fashion. i also indicated the degree to which we need to be supportive of those officers who do their job each and every day. protecting us and protecting our communities. today is a wrenching reminder of the sacrifices that they make for us. we also know that when people are armed with powerful weapons , unfortunately, it makes

attacks like these more deadly and more tragic. and in the days ahead we're going to have to consider those realities as well. in the meantime, today our focus is on the victims and their families. they are heartbroken. the entire city of dallas is grieving. police across america is a tight knight -- tight knit family and we're briefing with them. i'd -- grieving with them. i'd ask all to say prayers for these officers and families, keep them in your thoughts. and as a nation let's remember to express our profound gratitude to our men and women in blue, not just today but every day. host: that was a few hours with the president in poland, he's at a summit. if he has anything else today we'll certainly get it on. the u.s. who is in a little bit of a recess now.

it's being called a quote "shelter in place situation." don't quite know what's going on over there. the senate side is opened. the senate itself is out of session. that side of the hill -- there's movement there but there's a shelter place as they call it on the house side. bill is on the line from bel air, maryland. independent. what's on your mind? caller: yeah. just kind of wanted to talk about, make people aware the side of some of these shootings. i have seen the different videos. and being former military and involved in some of the life , with h situations actual stop overseas in dealing with that. the more -- there's more of an ignorance issue because the ones that are -- these shots

that are shown where this stuff happens, it has to be captured and then spun in the media, i have been on that side, too, when you start seeing some of this stuff spun with almost a cyops message which is where you spin it your way to move it into your favor, to, hey, this is a view i want you to see of it. in the situation like that and you don't know everything. the one where that gentleman was in the car where the driver -- don't know if she was the driver or passenger. i didn't catch that point of it. but where he is shot in the chest, multiple times, with the child in the back seat. i'm not completely sure on that side. i'd like to see different angles you haven't seen that ide of things.

the one part about that that seems sketchy is the lady in question of filming is extremely calm about all this. and during the situation like at you can hear the officers -- officer in the background swearing. he's got that rush of adren lynn going on there -- adrenaline going on there. in a situation like that, it's very split second. it's -- things are quick. i'm not saying if he was right or wrong in that situation, but switch to the one with the gentleman on the ground. i can tell you for sure that if i was involved in the exact same kind of situation that i would have taken a shot on him as well. not because he was incapacitated, because he wasn't. you can see he was struggling. and, yes, they had two officers on top of him, but you're looking at these guys coming into a situation where they

were on a call, somebody called in, hey, this man is threatening people with a gun. you are going into this situation, all right, this gentleman is armed. they didn't have positive i.d. on who he was. you don't know trainingwise if this is just some person trying to make a statement. but it's a high tense situation coming into already. if eally with this even they are like, you don't know what he has in his pocket. you see this guy flailing around, why would you even be flailing around in a situation like that. it's more of a--this person wasn't complying whatsoever and it was knowing he had a gun. he was almost asking for it in this type of situation. host: we're going to let you g get some other voices in. a couple reporters on the hill. scott wong of the hill says that someone reportedly got a gun past the security check at

the capitol. that according to a lawmaker. so the capitol is locked down. there is the tweet from scott adriel, a woman entered rayburn on the house side with a gun. here's something from the capitol police. they lock down. police activity has been reported reporting occupants in the capital building and visitor center to close, lock, and stay away from external doors and windows. they list a number of other instructions right now and they make it clear the buildings are locked down. no one will be permitted to enter or exit until directed by u.s. capitol police. that means the u.s. representative session is delayed and we're feeling time here with your phone calls. talk about anything you'd like. call is calling from luisa, kentucky, republican. hey, paul. caller: yes. i'm calling concerning done a

while ago, we just need to learn to obey. i'm not racist either way. i am a christian. and if we would get back to the laws that's on the book and obey. the officers when they pull somebody and they tell them get on the ground or put your hands up, or whatever, they need to obey that. the fellow kept mentioning going back to how they suffered , this is today. we're not back in slavery time now. we need to move ahead. we're an advanced country and we have walls that dictate what we should do. both sides. the law or the civilians need to learn to obey the laws. and if they would do that, we wouldn't have the problems that we have today. i'm going to read you some scripture concerning that. and let you see what i'm

talking about. romans chapter 13 says let every soul be subject under the higher powers for there is no power but of god. the power that be are ordained of god. who over therefore resists the power resists the order nance of god. and they that resist shall receive themselves damation. but to the evil. not be afraid of the power, do that which is good and thou shall have the praise of the same. but we've got to the place where we think we can dictate and do what we want to. host: tom, thank you for your voice this morning. hear from winston now in texas. democratic caller. winston, how far is quitman from dallas? caller: i reckon we're about an hour east of dallas. we're on the east side of lake ort, the big bass fishing-fish -- fishing lake.

i believe it was the police chief from dallas was speaking this morning on the news. one of the things he said struck me as part of the problem. the police see themselves as a separate entity in this country. they are an occupying force. they see themselves sort of as an army to go out there and get the bad guys. the gentleman that just called right before me was talking about how we must obey the law. sure, everybody has to obey the law and the laws are put into place by people who reason through, use logic, and say this law needs to be put in place to protect society from such and such or so forth. and law enforcement has lost their way, too. they are not above the law. they are not an occupying army. they are not the military. they are civilians that have a job. and we're the boss. white, hispanic, doesn't matter. the united states american

citizens are the boss. and they are just citizens doing a job. they are not the military. i call this and it's been cull at this vated over the past i'd say 40-odd years this culture of it contempt and disdain and spitefulness and resentfulness and hatred has been cultivated and been grown through control of the media, through all of the things that influence society, entertainment wise. the right wing's cultivated this culture of disdain and contempt. and we see it manifesting itself in one way with dude just shooting a guy reaching for his wallet. host: winston, we'll hear from wanda now in fort worth, republican line. good morning. caller: good morning. i agree wholeheartedly with the

entleman that spoke before me. he's been the most balanced person on this morning. the gentleman before that read the scriptures, talking about obey. the laws are for everyone. obey, this country was built on equal protection. one man, one vote, but we know that that's not true. but what i really wanted to say was about the media. the media spins things. in dallas, normally if there is a black man they are going to say a black man. when they thought they had a white suspect they put his picture out there. we haven't heard what the other suspects were, but we have heard it's not terrorism. that means it's not a muslim. why are they not saying -- we have one white man. we got one woman. why won't they say what it is. because the media speculates so much. when i was in college, we reported -- we were told to

report the news, not your opinion, not to speculate. and so this adds fuel to the fire. the media showed a lot of white people like the black lives matter rally. you know there were not more white people there than black people. they just showed the white people running. the spin that they put on things helps people to generate these opinions. and to promote this fear. people, our people are afraid. a mother of a black child just the appearance of -- my brothers, my cousins, they are all big people. so towering down on a little white officers. it shouldn't, but it's ingrained it's the truth and lies concept. we know that there are -- there's more white on white, you stuff that goes on. but -- white, the stuff that goes on. the news media reports this.

the news media push and spins and twist what we see and present. that's why we have to think for ourselves. host: wanda, thank you for calling. want to get a couple of other voices in. hillary clinton had sent a tweet about the situation in dallas. we'll read that in just a s.e.c. -- sec, here's a donald trump statement about dallas. last night's horrific shootings of 12 dallas law enforcement officers, five killed, seven wounded, is an attack on our conterrorism it's a coordinated premeditated assault on the men and women who keep us safe. we must restore law and order. we must restore the confidence of our people to be safe and secure in their homes. and on the street. the senseless, tragic deaths of two motorists in louisiana and minnesota reminds me of how much more needs to be done. writes donald trum. he adds this morning i offer my thoughts and prayers for all the victims' families and pray for our brave police officers and first responders who risk

their lives to protectis every single day. our nation has become too divided. too many americans feel like they lost home. crime is harming too many citizens. racial tensions have gotten worse not better. this isn't the american dream we all want for our children. donald trump finishes in his name stamente by saying this is a time perhaps more than ever for strong leadership, love, and compassion. we will pull through these tragedies. darell, long beach, california, you're up. caller: good morning. the one thing that everybody seems to not understand is that we're human beings. when i was in the marine corps, the drill instructor said if you get shot and there's a black man has your blood type, you better hope your friend's with him. and the same thing goes for the black guy with the white guy. if you get shot and the white god's got your blood type, think about it when you're 60 years old you have been asleep for 20 years, then you also

equate the fact that there was a man talking the scriptures. not too many people know what it says. it does say human beings are deceitful and desperately wicked. we have the president right now, where's he at? he's not in dallas, phoenix, philadelphia. he's in warsaw, poland, with the nato saber rattling with the russians. then you go to the movies? the movies have trouble trying to write a script what's going on right now we have seen in this nation. so it's matter where until we look at our own hearts because our hearts just basically are built evil, we have to try to control that and to control it means that you can't sit there and be carrying a gun saying i have my second amendment right because of a policeman knows you got a gun, you have a 50-50 chance of not coming out of it. look right now. you got some woman there that's got the whole representatives or congress shut down because they have one gun.

world's going crazy. thank you for letting me talk. host: all right, thanks for your participation this morning. connor o'brien is a defense report from "politico." sent this tweet. he points out that the east front of the capitol is cordoned off to visitors during the lockdown with police presence closer to the entrance. we read they are looking for a woman, said some reports, who got past the entrance with a gun. and we have seen a lot of gun discussion on the floor of the house this week. not official legislation. a loft those one-minute speeches, particularly from democrats almost exclusively. hillary clinton has a tweet as well on what's going on in dallas. she said thame mourn for the officers shot all doing their sacred duty to protect peaceful protesters for their families and all who serve them, serve with them. she and donald trump have canceled or postponed political events today. and june is calling now.

we have june from wisconsin. good morning. caller: how are you? i'm on now? host: what's your name? caller: sal. host: soarry, we have the wrong name up on our screen. where are you calling from? caller: north carolina. host: go ahead, please. caller: i wish that gentlewoman that was on was on before because i want to say something to him that all lives matter. my name is sal. host: go ahead and finish up, sal. caller: north carolina. move on. i think we have june now. june is in wisconsin. june, are you there? caller: yes, i am. host: hi. caller: hi. first of all i really am just so saddened by the horrible violence that's going on in america. god bless our police officers. i wanted to be a police officer but my eyesight wasn't good fment it's really crazy that

---good enough. it's really a crazy thing. white people are blinded by their whiteness, some, as a result they can't relate to the concept of somebody continuing struggle when stwhrr like 150, 200-pound men on their backs, legs, next, whatever. you can't relate to that. somebody made a comment about the lady who was videotaping her fiance as he was dying. yes, she had to be calm. because if she had been all excited and upset, that would ave further upset the officer. we as black folks have learned that you be calm and you do not resist. the gun was trained on her believe you me. and something else.

we have such an incredible gun culture. and i know everybody keeps saying the second amendment decided everybody can have a gun because the supreme court interpreted it as such. but it doesn't say that. how they came up with everybody gets to own a gun i just don't understand. it's about a well regulated militia. not everybody. and because gun control means so little in america in our gun culture, whoever shot those police officers, and they may get all their just do, they had automatic weapons. come on. the rapid fire was unmistakably from automatic weapons. easy to get in america. why? well, because, you know, the second amendment says we can. i'm just encouraging all of us to think about the realities of the whole gun violence.

i wonder how many young men probably black or killed during the time -- like this is the past two days over this country and neighborhoods killed by rival gang members or somebody robbing them. i wonder how many people die during that time? i can pretty much assure you it was more than the 10 or five officers. because this is the country we're living in. d quote the scripture, it is written. if my people we all claim we're christian, if my people would call by my name. host: june, let you go. one other call from michelle in san francisco. last word this morning on the air. caller: thank you very much. i just wanted to say quickly go up -- liberal by nature. this is very integrated all

this business. now here we're how many decades later and i'm so, so think and tired of the left aagenda. i'm simply filing things. i am becoming more and more patriotic and i'm so sick and tired of the police and law enforcement being vilified in one clean sweep over and over again. it's just wrong and we're having nothing but mayhem. i'm not seeing anything constructive and positive. no one has to tell me anything. i don't buy into the rhetoric. i sit in to -- i have a minority background. immigrant history. the whole nine yards. and i can't get with this. i realize it's complicated. but men and women of america and everybody else, you are pushing people too hard and you are losing respect in spite of people who were raised slightly more conservatively, instead of hating and hating on people that you don't bring anyone into the fold. you just scream and yell.

i'm tired of being lectured constantly about my values and all these sweeping -- again vilification. and law enforcement is now a prime target. these are the men and women that put their lives on the line every day. you're going to tell me that an unfortunate incident that certainly shouldn't have happened but out of 300 so million people and suddenly it's ok to start snipping on innocent human beingings? that's what the rhetoric -- i'll tell you something, when you push people too much, they are going to vote extreme. this is what happened. america better buckle down because i'm telling you, unfortunately, i don't see good things in our future because it's going to go one extreme or another because a correction has to be made. you can't keep bullying and vilifying people that happen to have a more conservative viewpoint and believe in law and order.

it's just not going to work. host: thank you for calling and everybody who called this morning. we'll be back tomorrow, saturday, with another addition with "washington journal." we'll start up at 7:00. the house is in a recess. a stay in place, lockdown situation. congressman eric swalwell of california, democrat, tweeted this on the house floor. locked in as capitol police address the security situation. god bless them, he says, and every officer across america who protects us. if and when the house comes into legislative session today, we'll be back live here on c-span. to bring it to you. in the meantime we'll replay an interview we did a short while ago with a community organizer and a black lives matter activist. thank you for watching. announce" continues. from our guest, joining us baltimore, is deray mckesson, a black lives matter activist.

welcome to the program. guest: it is good to be back. host: where to start? dallas, -- esota, louisiana not have toould protest. people should not be in the streets to be heard. resort.st as a last it was not until we were in the street in ferguson in 2014 that forced a conversation at the national level about the terror that was happening in communities. what we see in louisiana and minnesota are two black men who should be alive today. but they are not alive because an officer chose to kill them. when we think about the lack of convictions across the country that have happened at least in the last two years, the courts are not saying that the officers are not involved in the deaths of these people. the courts are saying that their involvement is not criminal.

that reminds us we need to make sure that the laws and practices hold police accountable. the police have incredible power to take people's lives, but they also operate with impunity and they are not just held accountable. these cases remind us that it is not ok. my heart goes out to the victims of all violence, when we think about what has happened over the past 48 hours. host: our guest will be with us for the rest of the hour. the rest of the program. a little bit of confusion, mr. mckesson, overnight about what protest this was. a lot of people were calling it a black lives matter protest. others were saying it was not, that they do not have a branch in dallas. does that matter? and can you clarify any of that for us? guest: the movement is bigger than any one organization, so what is confusing is that there is an organization that has a name, the same thing as how we

call the movement. when people think about this moment, they talk about a movement, which is bigger than any person or organization. there is an organization that call -- that is called black lives matter. the organization did not start the protest, but there are so many incredible activists and organizers pushing to make the world more equitable and just. when we think about the protests in dallas, minneapolis, baton aree, at its root, people coming together saying the world can be better and here is how, and let me find other people who believe it with me. host: let me get right to the phones. david is calling from swings bureau, georgia. with deraythe phone mckesson. caller: good morning. how are you doing you i want to throw some history at you. you all are listening to and talking like

politicians. these quit it. as american -- please quit it. as americans, we need to speak like americans. what is going on in our country is fascism, plain and simple. they call the people over there in the persian world radical muslims. sir, it was started at the end of world war ii when a fascist state was set up in -- and it hashas moved up into the middle east. until like what you all are in black lives matter point out that it is fascism and that the good people of our world have to say enough and crush it and quit teaching it to our children, this is going to continue. deray, i hope you can do something to change what is going on, and i wish you all the luck in the world.

host: let's hear from our guest. caller: i appreciate it. you can call it fascism, things.ship, a host of the outcomes are the same, no matter what we call it. black people are being disproportionately killed by the police. the police killed nearly three people every day in 2016. there is a crisis. i am open to what we call it. host: what are your expectations? you want the police to be held accountable. moving forward, what actions do you expect to come from this? what is realistic, in your view? caller: -- guest: the culture of policing is broken. there is a culture that says officers can do what they want and will not be held accountable. that is not ok. you think about in louisiana,

the bill of rights says officers do not have to give a statement for administrative hearings for 30 days. there is no other public servant that gets 30 days before they police topear before be interrogated. even with freddie gray, when freddy got killed, the police appear for 10o days. that is an unfair protection that the police have. and then body camera's, independent investigators and prosecutors -- with the website , at thisignzero.org or i point what i hope for coming forward from the obama administration is a call for the national use of force, a standard that both explicitly calls for the preservation of life and that also makes deadly force a use of last resort. host: natalie, calling from

pompano beach, florida. caller: good morning, good morning. host: you are on the air. caller: i am very, very upset at what is going on. but the problem is, we as brown -- hebrew, israelites, not black -- we need to learn who we are. law at the red sea, and the law is the 10 commandments. stop trying to do with these people. ok, is caucasian people, because they will not do right by us. been00 years they have trying to kill us, and that is what they have been doing. we need to turn back to god and

the lord will protect us. we are the chosen people. do not be mad about it, and stop killing our men. host: that was natalie. deray mckesson? caller: we are people who made a way out of no way. we exist in a legacy of struggle because this country has not been kind to black people since its beginning. we have always been people who have had to push and press because of racism and systemic injustice. that is real. we also need to be true that this is our country, too, that we have the power to change laws , that forced the systems and structures to respond to our lives to firmly. when we have seen is a different type of mobilizing, a different type of building of coalitions to say this world can be a better place. it is important that we continue

to know that at the root of all this is white privilege, white supremacy, and racism, and we have to be able to talk about the way racism forms so many things in our country because it is so dramatic and it has real outcomes. host: what about yourself and your group, deray mckesson? know,on twitter wants to "how was he chosen to speak for the people in ferguson? can you explain it to us? people leadingere are at the local, state, and national level, and that is really important. i am one of many people doing work in the space to make sure that we have an equitable and just society. people, was also in the streets of ferguson and using social media, our bodies,

to push back on dominant culture narratives. what is important about this moment is that you continue to see so many people now part of the conversation and are speaking out and having their voices heard in ways they have not before. host: here is a washington post story you have probably seen it. "with police killing back in the remaines, americans uncertain about black lives matter." "at the center of it all will be the black lives matter movement. but americans are still trying to figure out how they feel about it or it over the course of their existence, black lives matter is a polarizing and often contentious political movement. opponents accuse it of fomenting violence. how would you describe yourself, mr. mckesson? the movement is young.

this is an old fight, but people organizing, especially young people, saying that we can do something about it. but this is a relatively young space. there are misconceptions about the movement. i know there are incredible people across the country who do really good work. but the changes that will result in the police being held accountable our local. this is about cities and states passing legislation, policies, and changing practices, in ways that will make communities safer. it is all about having a different mind shift about what safety means. if i asked you where you felt the most safe, you will probably not tell me in a room full of police. you will probably tell me with people who love you, in a shelter. this is slow work. issues of race have always been a thing in this country. people still look back on slavery and other injustices and

do not do a full accounting of the trauma they have inflicted on communities. so it is no surprise that people in this moment are afraid and uncomfortable. we must talk about race. host: have you met with presidential candidates this year? , i met with president obama in february, but also with hillary and bernie. bernie has come a long way in his understanding of racial injustice. he had already had a deep understanding of economic injustice. hillary has devoted her time for a long time as a politician. i think that her platform has been -- is brought in a way. i am hopeful that her platform and the democratic convention for arm will call national use of force standard, and the other that hillary said is that she believed in communities having oversight of the functions in communities. that does not come across in her

platform or the democratic convention platform, which worries me. host: calls. lauren in elk grove village. lawrence caller: in elk grove village. i was listening -- caller: i was listening to the earlier segment. concerning the police officers, the five who were killed and the 12 who were shot total -- do we know the race of those people? i did not see all the reports, so i do not know. the four people that were i guess the terrorists, or the murderers -- i know one was killed himself, and the other 3, 1 being a woman -- do we know the race of those people? did i miss something? i am just serious. i have a comment after that. host: i have not seen that in the early reporting. i am not sure our guest knows.

i am not sure why you are asking. make a comment. guest: -- caller: a few of the callers earlier had facts. seem veryhy many wealthy because they seem to be clairvoyant about issues they do not know about. even the shooting about the man in minnesota in his car -- i am confused about that issue, too, because the only video we had is from the girlfriend of the man who was shot, after the man was shot. so i am curious why no questions have been asked about what happened before that. apparently, he was stopped i believe for a taillight being out. i do not even understand how any of this happened, until we know what happened. host: let's get back to our guest. anything to respond to there, deray mckesson? guest: what we know to be true he was killed and he was

not posing a threat to the officer. -- alton. and also to philando castile, the officer was still pointing a gun at him when he was immobilized, was still considered to be a grave threat when he could not move. in the mindset of the officer, it seems like bodies are threatening even when they are immobilized, because he shot him at point-blank range. we have questions outstanding, but again both of these men should be alive, and we can all agree on that. host: deray mckesson spoke about social media -- its strength and power these days. , your taker reaction on the role of social media? broughton is out to media in general because we did have a caller earlier today who said a lot of this is created by the media, fueled by the media, and

that is part of the problem. what do you think? alwaysblack people have faced these issues of erasure. in these moments, we become the on erased. twitter and facebook has allowed people to tell their own stories unfiltered by any other source, so in both of these cases, one being a cell phone video and one being facebook live, we can expose these to audiences that otherwise they would not be able to if we did not have these tools. that is incredibly powerful. it has been powerful to us in ferguson, in minneapolis, in cities across the country. what we see now is the media actually asking the police questions and pushing on the police in ways we have not seen before. criticalmuch more perspective, holding police

accountable, and i think that has changed how people understand the role of the police. there was a point where the police could do no wrong in any capacity. if the police said it, it must be true. marion on the line for republicans. you are on the air. marion? go ahead. caller: i wanted to say i am so glad that this young man is on talking about this, and i want to say that i hope that they keep it going -- white people, black people, everybody. police shooting at a car, where a mother is fleeing with her five kids, it makes me angry.

when i see police beating up black women, little girls, 14 years old, and i see the police appoint -- the police put a gun in a car with a man who is already shot, he should not be a policeman. there is something very wrong, and i hope he keeps up straightening everything out in this country. host: thanks for calling. mr. mckesson, any reaction? guest: what is also real is that these officers are choosing to inflict harm. one of the incident she talk about that she talked about was in mckinney, -- one of the incidents that she talk about, the officer who had his knee in a girls back in mckinney, the

officer chose to do that. , andmake these choices when they murder, they will pay protected at all costs. we have a real problem in this society and we have to work on it. host: steve, a call for deray mckesson. good morning, steve. caller: i had one comment, but since i have been listening to your guest, i have several more. he said the police wanted to kill freddie gray. every policeman that has been put on trial so far has been found not guilty, or insufficient evidence, or whatever. so that is an incorrect statement. the second thing i would to say is that people need to be taught how to deal with the police. i am a middle-aged white man, and i feel insulted when the police approached me with their hands on their puzzles -- with their pistols. but i say, sir, i will reach

glove compartment to get my drivers license. if michael brown had followed their instructions, he would not have been killed the police. also, i want to dress white privilege. about do not talk to me white privilege. i grew up in southeast maryland in southeast washington. i get up every morning to go to work at 4:15. i work 12 hours a day, five days a week. thank god i am off today. sunday tourday and have what i have. nobody has given me anything. i have black men and white men who own businesses who are just like me -- we work. that is not due to any privilege on my part. host: let's get a reaction. when i say that the officers made a choice, i stand by that.

the officers chose to ignore any medical call for help that he gave. that was a choice. what we know to be true is that when freddie. into the band, -- when freddie got into the van, his spine was ok. officers chose to do actions that led to his death, and that is real. mike brown, which you brought up -- i do not believed people should die for jaywalking. michael at best was jaywalking. we live in a country where officers have incredible power and can do with a want, and that is deemed ok. that happened with mike around and with a lot of other cases. when you say that the officers were not convicted, it is not a not that the officers were guilty, it was a sign that the officers can do whatever they want to do. --means that the wrongdoing

we have a shadow justice system for the police. and then when we think about white privilege, it disappoints me that you have such a deep misunderstanding of the history of race and racism in this country. your white skin afford you a set of privileges and benefits, more than any other person in this country. there is a legacy of racism that is so deeply embedded -- the set of benefits extend to you regardless of gender and income, because of your whiteness. when we think about little things like band-aids, what skin tone looks like on products -- like that is white, that is normative. and then in the larger sense, we treat whiteness as the defining attribute of what it means to be normal in this country. way meansg hard in no that white privilege does not exist. it in no way means that if two people apply for the same job that they will not be

treated different light. -- it is not because black people did not work hard. people have worked hard for centuries and were not compensated for their labor. but again, because of the way whiteness functions in this society, there is an immense privilege afforded to white people. host: just about 10 minutes left or our guest, a community office r and a black lives matter activist. frank, from houston, texas. caller: i want to give my heart out to the families of the officers that were killed in dallas. i would like to say the last caller was spot-on. black lives matter movement grew out of the frustrations that was fanned by the media to get convictions on men, officers that were doing what they should withdone -- not so much

zimmerman, but the rest of them, there were no convictions. they were tried by a jury of their peers, they were leaned on by the department of justice. they were leaned on by the president of the united states. black lives matter movement is a frustrated fascist movement. they go around disrupting demonstrations. you, being a community organizer, should know that when you let the media fan the flames, you say you know the man was shot and killed in louisiana. but you do not have any evidence of that. you are doing -- you are going by what the woman said. let the facts come in, let the trial be held at then do your protests. thank you. began by calling

your group a frustrated fascist movement. what is your reaction? -- it is always interesting. what he said is that because the officers were not convicted, essentially they must have been in the right. i think back on the history and the history of racism in this country, and there were very few convictions on lynching. they were not right to lynch people, though. it highlights that the laws are racist and protect a set of people in ways that are unfair. when i think about the police, it is a similar circumstance. the laws are saying -- no judge has said the police were not involved in any capacity in these people's deaths. says the police's involvement was not criminal because we have a system that protects the police at all cost, and that is not ok. the acquittals do not push me to think that the officers had no

culpability. it is about a broken system and we need to fix the system. in terms of him suggesting that we jump in to conclusions -- i will not accept that might brown should be dead -- that mike brown should be dead or that freddie gray should be dead. toe and time again, we have have officers who do not kill black people. but when we see a 12-year-old boy in cleveland get killed, standing still with a toy gun, offices are choosing this time and time again. to ignore the racist element and this is to live in a wonderland. the severald about dozen laws that are out there these days, to address police violence. is there one piece of legislation you can point to out there that you think might make a significant difference moving forward? guest: president obama could

signing executive order, or congress could put legislation forward. the national level, that could have a demonstrative impact, if we had a standard that highlighted the preservation of life. you think about places like baltimore, it was until recently, like the last few choke hold people. it was not against the rules. that is true in cities across the country, and that is ok. -- that is not ok. there is negative discipline, and that does not make sense. it is not a system designed to make officers accountable. it would be around a use of force standard that was really robust. using deadly force as a last result. from sean is calling inglewood, ohio, a democratic caller.

caller: first off, sir, you are nothing but a racist or that his point-blank simple. host: let me jump in and ask you why you are saying that. caller: i have worked in the urban setting for the last 20 years of my life. i am disabled now. these police have a split-second over 10,000think things of what they are going to do in that split-second decision. sir, have you ever been placed in that situation, where you have a split-second decision to think of over 10,000 things that you are going to do, and have you ever been put in a situation where you have to make that decision whether you are going to take somebody's life? host: let me jump in and get a response from our guest. guest: i would ask you -- have

you ever been a doctor? i worked in the medical field for 17 years. guest: have you been a dr.? doctor?are you a guest: have you been a doctor, sean? i am asking you. you know your argument is faulty. you know you have not been a doctor before, but when you go to the doctor's office, you have a set of expectations of how your doctor functions. same thing -- i am not a police officer, but i have an expectation about how officers behave in society. it is disappointing that you offer a set of opinions, and you are unwilling to be challenged on them. i would push you to think deeper about the thoughts that you put out into the world, and that you reflect on your arguments. host: sean, anything else?

?re you still there you caller: yes, i am still here. i challenge you, sir, to go take a police exam and work those streets. guest: again, you are deflecting. you are deflecting. i do not have anything else to say. and argument fell apart, you are trying to put it back together. i appreciate your call, and i hope you reflect on the way that you construct arguments and put them in public. host: from nbc in chicago, here is a tweet. "suspect in dallas stated he wanted to kill white people before being killed by a detonated bomb, police chief says." guest: i have more questions than answers. most of the answers that come

out in the immediate aftermath is just incorrect. i am holding off. it is important to note that the protest in dallas is over, and the media is reporting that this happened during the protest. i spoke last night to the people who put together the protest in dallas, and i know what is true and what is not about when these shootings happened. host: we go to carl in dallas. caller: i would just like to say that when the shootings happened in minnesota and down in know,ana, i would like to where were the republican senators, congressmen? they did not make any statement of any kind. as soon as the tragedy happened over in dallas, now they are all tweeting, making statements. so it kind of goes to show that

there is a we versus them or us versus the police and tally. police-- us versus the mentality. we all know that donald trump likes to run his mouth. as soon as the one happened in dallas yesterday morning, he comes out and makes a statement. and the laws really need to be changed because that is a very high bar. any time a police is involved in a shooting, the first defense they are going to offer is, "i felt threatened, i felt for my life." in all these shootings, that is the first defense of the officer. "i felt threatened, or i felt for my safety or my life." those laws need to be changed.

let's get a final answer from our guest. guest: these situations highlight -- i also agree with you that when we see lawmakers selectively choosing to speak out about these things, they have seen at least the videos from 2014. we have not seen trump or republicans acknowledge that this is happening. the lack of acknowledgment goes with people's deep discomfort with talking about race, and also withholding police officers accountable. for so long, the police have been a group of public servants who have just been able to do whatever they want to do. >> we've been talking about dallas this morning as well as louisiana and minnesota and the police-related incidents through the week. there's the u.s. capitol as well. we've been sort of a delay here in washington waiting for the house to come in. we're told the lockdown at the

u.s. capitol has been lifted. "the washington post" said this happened -- it was about 40 minutes or so they had the lockdown. it started just after 9:00. so the house came in briefly. came in briefly. they went out and then there were all sorts of reports about the lockdown and a person of interest at the capitol and a backpack and all of that. and they were prevented people from coming in and out. the lockdown done. no further comments from the capitol police at this point. the bells have gone off over on the hill. bells meaning they're coming back into session soon. we think about 10 minutes or so. they have an opioid bill, a defense programs bill, sort of a half-day of action today. the senate is out of session today. we are covering the d.n.c. platform committee later at 3:00 eastern time. and at 10:00 tomorrow on this network. they will be in orlando. it's the d.n.c. platform

committee meeting to come up with the final language for their platform in advance of the convention. hillary clinton and donald trump have cancelled campaign events today. in these few minutes we have left we'll take a look at president obama. he's in warsaw, poland, for a nato summit. he held about a 20-minute back and forthwith reporters. he was joined by the european council president, the european commission president. the first few minutes the president talks about dallas and then they go on to take other questions. so here's a look at that now. we'll be leaving this event to go to the house. president obama: good morning, everybody. let me begin by thanking the president for the opportunity to meet today.

with your understanding, i want to begin with a few words about the situation back in the united states, specifically the situation in dallas, texas. my team has been keeping me pdated throughout the morning, the evening in dallas. i spoke this morning of mayor rawlings of dallas to convey the deepest condolences of the american people. i told him the federal government will provide whatever assistance dallas may need as it deals with this tremendous tragedy. we still don't know all the facts. what we do know is that there has been a vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement. police in dallas were on duty during -- doing their jobs, keeping people safe during peaceful protests.

these law enforcement officers were targeted, and nearly a dozen officers were shot. five were killed. other officers and at least one civilian were wounded. some are in serious condition and we're praying for their recovery. as i told mayor rawlings, i believe that i speak for every single american when i say that we are horrified over these events and that we stand united with the people and the police department in dallas. according to police, there are multiple suspects. we will learn more undoubtedly about their twisted motivations, but let's be clear. there's no possible justification for these kinds of attacks or any violence against law enforcement. the f.b.i. is already in touch with the dallas police, and anyone involved in these senseless murders will be held

fully accountable. justice will be done. i will have more to say about this as the facts become more clear. for now, let me just say even as yesterday i spoke about our need to be concerned as all americans about racial disparities in our criminal justice system. i also said yesterday that our police have an extraordinarily difficult job, and the vast majority of them do their job in outstanding fashion. i also indicated the degree to which we need to be supportive of those officers who do their job each and every day protecting us and protecting our communities. today is a wrenching reminder of the sacrifices that they make for us. we also know that when people

are armed with powerful weapons , unfortunately, it makes attacks like these more deadly and more tragic. in the days ahead we're going to have to consider those realities as well. in the meantime, today, our focus is on the victims and their families. they are heart broken. the entire city of dallas is grieving. police across america, as a tight knit family, feels this loss to their core and we're grieving with them. i'd ask all americans to say a prayer for these officers and their families, keep them in your thoughts, and as a nation, let's remember to express our profound gratitude to the men and women in blue not just today but every day. ith that i want to thank the presidents for our work today

here in warsaw. i worked with donald in his previous capacity as prime minister here in poland, and i appreciated this chance to work with jean claude. our meeting comes, as everyone is aware, at a critical moment in the european union. the u.k. leaving the e.u., unfortunately, this has led some to suggest that the entire edifice of european security and prosperity is crumbling. there are those who have been questioning what does this mean for the trans-atlantic relationship. let me just say as often is the case in moment of change, this kind of hyperbole is misplaced. i want to take the opportunity to reaffirm some basic points that bear repeating. first, based on my recent discussions with prime minister cameron, chancellor merkel and now here today, i am absolutely confident that the u.k. and the

european union will work together in a pragmatic and cooperative fashion to ensure that the u.k.'s transition is orderly and smooth. no one has an interest in protracted adversarial negotiations. everybody has an interest in men mizing any disruptions -- minimizing any disruptions as the u.k. and e.u. forge a new relationship. second, even as we face the difficulties of this moment, we cannot lose sight of the extraordinary achievement that european integration continues to be. more than 500 million people speaking 24 different official languages in more than two dozen countries, 19 with a common currency, every member of the e.u. has a democracy. no e.u. country has ever raised arms against another. an integrated europe is one of the greatest political and economic achievements of modern

times. this is an achievement that has to be preserved. third, for all the reasons i just mentioned, the united states has a strong and enduring interest in a united, democratic europe. we're bound together by ties of history, family and our common values. r commitment to democracy, pluralism, human dignity. our economies are deeply woven together with the largest trade and investment relationship in the world. the security of america and europe is indivisible, and that's why for nearly 70 years the united states has been a staunch champion of european integration and we will remain so. fourth, given our shared interests, europe will remain a cornerstone of america's engagement with the world. european countries are and will remain among our closest allies and friends, and europe is an

indispensible partner around the globe. indeed, even as we manage the implications of brexit, we'll continue to be focused on pressing global challenges. we agree that the united states and the e.u. can do more for our shared security, and we'll keep working to provide each other information, to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters and prevent terrorist attacks, and we will do so in a way that continues to protect the privacy and civil liberties . as the global coalition pushes isil back on the ground in syria and iraq, the e.u. has pledged critical financial assistance to help shore up the iraqi economy and stabilize liberated communities. and as nato nations affirm their commitment to afghanistan security, i want to commend once again the e.u. for taking the lead in mobilizing international assistance for evelopment in afghanistan.

if you're in europe, we will continue to support ukraine. the u.s. and the e.u. are united in our commitment to maintaining sanctions on russia til they fully implement its obligations under the minsk agreement. and with president tusk and unkar -- >> we will leave these remarks from the president, see the rest of it online at c-span.org. live coverage now of the u.s. house as members return to debate defense authorization and opioid legislation. live to the house floor. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] our nation awakens to more news of deadly violence around the country. fear of safety from such violence prevails in many places. fear of you, o lord, is the beginning of wisdom. bless the members of this people's house with such wisdom

as they continue to work -- as they continue the work of this assembly, guide them to grow in understanding in attaining solutions to our nation's needs. bless those as well charged with protecting and serving our country. they, too, need wisdom and insight into the pressure ints of insecurity among our citizens. lord, have mercy. may all that is done this day be for your greater honor and glory. men. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance today will be offered by the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson. mr. thompson: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to five requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, -- the speaker: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker is recognized for one minute. we are all stunned by the events last night in dallas. we are all outraged. an attack on the people who protect us is an attack on all of us. our hearts are with the dallas police department. our hearts are with the victims , and especially with their loved ones. they wear the badge too. i know that to be a cop's wife,

to be a cop's husband is to prepare for the worst, but who could have fathom such horror as this? there's no cause or context in which this violence, this kind of terror is justified. none at all. there will be a temptation to let our anger harden our divisions. let's not let that happen. there's going to be a temptation to let our anger send us further into our corners. let's not let that happen. that script is just too easy to write. it's too predictable. let's defy those predictions. a few perpetrators of evil do not represent us. hey do not control us. blame those who committed these vicious attacks and no one else. and as the president rightfully said, justice will be done. we also have to let the healing

be done as well. this has been a long week for our country. it's been a long month for america. we have seen terrible, terrible, senseless things. every member of this body, every republican and every democrat wants to see less gun violence. every member of this body wants a world in which people feel safe regardless of the color of their skin. that's not how people are feeling these days. sometimes we disagree on how to get there. sometimes we disagree passionately on how to get there, but in having this debate, let's not lose sight of the values that unite us. let's not lose sight in our common humanity. the values that brought those

protesters to the streets in dallas, the values that brought those protesters to the streets in washington last night -- respect, decency, compassion, humanity. if we lose those fundamental things, what's left? we need to take a moment here for reflection, for thought, for prayer, for justice, for action. right now, let's let justice be done and let's also let some healing occur too. i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? ms. pelosi: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. pelosi: thank you, mr. speaker. the ambush and murder of police officers during a peaceful protest is a tragedy that tears it at the heart of every american. i agree with the speaker that

this -- episodes like this must not harden our divisions but should unify us as a country. we are all horrified by this despicable act of violence and we share in the shock and grief for the officers killed, their loved ones and the entire dallas community. when these officers left their homes earlier in the day, there's always the chance that they would be in danger. right now we don't even know the names of all of them. the names have not yet been released, but i do want to acknowledge dart officers brett thompson and those names yet to be released as well as those who were wounded, including one civilian. many questions have yet to be answered, but whatever the motivation of the perpetrators of this horrible crime, it is clear that those perpetrators

of this vial act have an agenda of evil. the past few days have seen too much death and too much heartbreak. as martin luther king wrote, darkness cannot drive out darkness. only light can do that. hate cannot drive out hate. only love can do that. and that, of course, reminds me of our glorious song of saint francis which is the anthem of my city of san francisco that i call upon now. saint francis, appeal to the lord. make me an instrument of thy peace. where there is darkness may i bring light. where there is despair, may i bring hope. i associate myself with the remarks of the speaker when he referenced our president. justice will be done. justice must be done. we must also mercy must be done.

and as we do that, as we seek mercy and justice, i also want to reference a remark of the mayor of dallas when he said we st get to the root causes of what happened last night. and in that spirit, i want to also acknowledge alton sterling in baton rouge and philando castile. we have to get the facts and to the root causes of what caused these tragedies. in the spirit of martin luther king and of saint francis, we must continue to work of nonviolence and demand an end to senseless killing everywhere. we must do so while sharing our common values, our safe in the dignity and worth of every person, the spark of divinity hat lives in all of them and our tremendous, tremendous grief in the loss of life.

just in particular for the families of the police officers, thank you. thank you for sharing your loved ones with us. we pray that it is a comfort to you that so many people mourn your loss and are praying for you at this sad time. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. carter: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to extend and revise my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from georgia is recognized for one minute. mr. carter: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to commend the house on the passage of h.r. 5210, which it passed this week. this legislation provides relief to durable medical equipment providers in competitively bid areas until october 1, 2017. competitive bidding was created by the medicare modernization act of 2003. h.r. 5210 extends the current phase-in of competitively bid prices to noncompetitively bid

areas. in is vital to ensure congress has enough time to monitor current phase-in of noncompetitively bid of d.m.e. prices in rural areas. in january of 2016, the competitive bidding program began its nationwide rollout and as a result many areas, including rural areas, saw a significant cut in prices which is now jeopardizing access to durable medical equipment for many beneficiaries. the first congressional of georgia has many durable medical device companies that provide services throughout all of southeast georgia. with many parts of my district being rural communities, evidence suggests that the current structure of c.m.s.'s proposed pricing of d.m.e.'s will significantly harm these communities. that's why h.r. 5210 is so important. i commend my georgia colleague, representative price, for offering this bill and i commend my house colleagues for passing this measure. i encourage the senate to begin consideration of this measure so rural beneficiaries in need of durable medical equipment

are not unduly harmed by c.m.s.'s proposals. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one inute. mr. cleaver: mr. speaker, sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes out of chaos we can find our purpose. t is going to be my prayer this night and for the next few nights that this body can see clearly that our purpose is to lead our nation away from the edge of the mayor's nest of fear and a response to fear that creates even more fear. we do so by understanding that

words matter. words matter. they can do damage. i grew up in public housing in texas right outside of dallas, texas, and in the projects they would say, sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me. wasn't true when i was a boy and it isn't true today. words can hurt. words can horrify. words can hinder. words can also heal, and one of the things we need more today than we have in the immediate past are words of healing instead of words of hate. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. mr. lamalfa: mr. speaker, i rise today with deep sadness at

the horrific spectacle that took place las night in dallas where members of the dallas police and dallas rapid transit system were singled out with terrorist activity during what had been a civil protest ironically about officers themselves. they stood in the gap, even keeping order as their fellow officers were falling, as they were being protested previously in the march over recent tragic events that happened elsewhere in our nation. as the sniper shots rang out, as they saw their brothers falling, these dallas officers still responded to their internal call to duty, to protect not themselves but the innocent demonstrators that were also in that line of fire. mr. speaker, time and again, the american police force has showed their commitment to all lives and will continue to do so. like any government agency, they need to be accountable when they do bad also, but we know the vast number of contacts with police and all

lives of americans are for the positive and the well-being of their security. john 15:13, greater love has no man than this as he lay down his life for his friends. now, five officers' lives have been taken in the line of duty have shown that greater love. our country uplifted god these five lives lost, those injured are still in medical peril, their families and loved ones who suffer beside them for comfort and healing. we're more indebted to them than we can ever express. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california may seek his own one minute and yield on his feet. mr. honda: thank you, mr. chairman. i would like to yield my one minute to mr. cleaver. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cleaver: thank you, mr. honda. thank you, mr. speaker.

when a nation experiences a tragedy like the one we have just witnessed, it can either weaponize, ize, and fragmi advertise -- frag ma advertise or it can harmonize and mobilize. the house of representatives of the united states must choose the latter. when reason fails as it sometimes does, in my world it's time to pray. we have multiple religious affiliations in this body, but all of us believe in something that would condemn any kind of violence, even verbal violence. the world is watching what we do. and we shouldn't waste time atching over our ideology.

a little boy closed his finger in the door and began to cry. his name was bob. and he began to cry and cry and cry. his parents ran in and his other brother, billy, was also crying. and so the parents thought both of them were hurt. but when they looked at billy, they said you haven't been hurt. why are you crying? e said, i'm helping bob cry. this whole nation is crying and those of us here in our hearts are helping the people of dallas cry. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize players and coaches of the bell font

high school red raiders baseball team in the pennsylvania fifth district for their piaa class aaa championship 2-0 win over susquehanna township. it is their first state title in baseball in school history. remarkably the red raiders started this year with a 1-7 record. when most teams would have lost heart and the will to win, these young men serve as an inspiration. at the championship game, dom pitched a complete game allowing five hits and struck out five batters. cole scored second and scored on a single to give the red raiders a 1-0 lead. bell font pushed its lead to 2-0 after garrett rider scored. the coach offered this observation saying, quote, i don't know why you would play the game if you don't plan on winning every game. that'sous my mentality and it's a compliment to them as a group. i watched them play for the

last couple years. i know they were talented kids on the team and know how to win. congratulations, red raiders, on your historic win. we're very proud of you. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from new york is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. america is hurting. the hearts of americans are made heavier by the acts of violence that are driven by anger and fear and hate. . . tonko: insensitivity we need to step up and heal as a nation. lives lost, innocently. lives of those who protect us day-to-day. lost tragically. those pulled aside for routine raffic stops end up in a

scenario where life oozes from them senselessly. america hurts. we need to come together as a nation. we need to understand that there's so much that unites us far more than what divides us. that respect for each other must drive even compel and challenge us as a society, as a nation, to do far better, and congress needs to lead in that regard. we need to be part of that coming together. to understand through intellect, concern, compassion, through our wisdom, through our hearts burning with love, love conquers hate. we can accomplish that prevention of gun violence. let's come together and heal. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize edward kiplinger and edward bushman who posthumously received the golden goose award for their research of the screw worm fly. my father and grandfather both cattlemen often told me stories of how devastating these pests were to the herds by laying eggs in animal wounds, the screw worm could kill a full size cow in less than two weeks. mr. lucas: costing ranchers millions of dollars in losses each and every year. using funds provided by the f.d.a., they focused on sterilizing the insects. over 20-plus years the screw worm population was eradicated from the u.s. by 1982. leading to healthier livestock markets and lower beef prices for consumers after only $250,000 in basic research. as vice chairman of the science committee, i'm pleased these men will be honored this year and i hope my colleagues will

keep their story in mind as the house considers how to use scientific research in the nation's collective interest. yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, we mourn the loss of police officers in dallas and we pray for the recovery of those who are still in the hospital trying to heal. as the brother of two police officers and son of a police officer, this is every family member's worst nightmare to think that when you see them off to work that you may never see them come home. mr. swalwell: we stand here, this house, with the families. we think about sergeant scott lunger in hayward, california, who lost his life on july 22 last year. but it's also not inconsistent

as we mourn the death of these police officers to also ask for ustice without delay for alton sterling of louisiana, and -- castile. steal what's inconsistent is have a moment of silence and make a call of justice and then do nothing further in this chamber, the one place in the world where we can make the greatest difference to reduce gun violence. so i hope this house answers that call and does not stand silent any further but actually recognizes why we're here. to keep the public safe and to act. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. mr. barton: mr. speaker, the entire nation is aghast and shock and in mourning about what happened in dallas, texas,

last evening. one of the officers that was killed, an officer named brent thompson, he's a constituent of corsicana, texas, he's 43, or was 43 years old. he had just gotten married two weeks earlier. he was a dallas area rapid transit officer, a dart officer targeted, in hot, cold blood, by apparently an ganized effort to target police officers, perhaps even angelo police officers, in dallas. we need to pray for his family, and we also need to take a look

at our society and make a decision that those who defend , admire, ld respect and support. our prayers go out to officer thompson's family. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from michigan is recognized for one minute. mr. kildee: mr. speaker, my heart breaks as does the hearts of my colleagues with the terrible tragedy that took place last night and for the victims of the horrific violence that we have seen in the last few days and weeks. we're better than this. we can do better than this. and in this body we must do better than this. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, pursuant to house resolution 809, i offer a motion. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: mr. thornberry of texas moves that the house take from the speaker's table the bill senate 2943, with the house amendment thereto, insist on the house amendment, and request a conference with the senate thereon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one hour. mr. thornberry: mr. speaker, this is a motion to request a conference on s. 2943, the national defense authorization act. this is a procedural motion which will allow the house and the senate to conference our differences. the house passed our bill on may 18 by a vote of 277-147. the senate subsequently passed their bill. i hope that the house will support this motion and allow us to proceed to conference. with that i yield back the

balance of my time and move the previous question on the motion. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the previous question is ordered. the question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from texas. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the ayes have it. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. conferees on s. 2943 will be appointed at a later time.

for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? mr. upton: mr. speaker, pursuant to house resolution 809 i would call up the conference report on the bill s. 3524 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 524, an act to authorize the attorney general to work grants to address the national epidemic of prescription opioid abuse and heroin use. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 809, the conference report is considered as read. the gentleman from michigan, mr. upton, and the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. upton: mr. speaker, i would ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the conference report to accompany the bill s. 524. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. upton: mr. speaker, i would yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. upton: mr. speaker, the simple truth is that we're in

the midst of a real epidemic. nearly every 12 minutes someone in america dies of a drug overdose. the c.d.c. reports over a quarter billion opioid prescriptions were written in the year 2012. abuse of prescription painkillers and heroin has impacted virtually every single community. it's a epidemic that has no boundaries and does not discriminate. in my state of michigan, we're seeing as many as 10 times as many deaths today as there were 15 years ago. sadly, the number continues to surge. a behind every statistic is a person who was loved, part of a family, community, and, yes, they were lost too soon. it's a frightening reality, but we have to face this epidemic head on and today's vote is an important step forward. since the beginning of this process, our focus has been and continues to be on attacking this public health crisis from

every side. from zeroing in on treatment for addiction and overdoses, to reforming prescription practices in the delivery of medicines, and working with law enforcement and the department of veterans affairs. specifically this bill, this conference report addresses prevention care by requiring h.h.s. to create an interagency task force to address chronic pain management care and by re-authorizing a piece of legislation the house has passed with a very large bipartisan support. . it ensures opioid reversal medication is accessible to patients, their family members and, yes, first responders as well. these medications are key to stopping the overdose epidemic in getting these patients into proper treatment to become productive members of our society. the conference report also ensures proper oversight in

accountability by including the majority leader's open act. the conference report as a whole touches on the spectrum of issues driving the opioid cries cis. while there is no one -- crisis. while there is no one solution, we're making a progress in addressing a problem that's rapidly grown. so i want to thank all my colleagues, certainly on the energy and commerce committee that i chair, for working to advance these important bipartisan bills that will make a real difference in our communities. i'm also proud that our final package has achieved the support of over 200 of the nation's leading advocacy groups, groups from across the country that will focus on recovery. these advocates are on the front lines in this epidemic and truly appreciate the positive impact that our solutions will have in every community. there is an urgency to our work as drug overdose deaths surge in michigan and beyond. we owe this effort to the past, present and sadly, future

victims of the opioid epidemic. our friends, neighbors across every part of the country, in every demographic group. let's come together, get the job done. what we're doing will save lives. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, after much thought i decided to support the conference report on s. 524. it's not perfect and does not nearly do enough from a funding perspective but it makes some important steps that would allow us to begin to address the opioid addiction crisis that is impacting our nation. the american people are desperate for relief from the opioid epidemic currently devastating our country, and they're depending on this congress to act. by now we all heard the stories, young people taken from their families in their prime, babies suffering from the cruel effects of opioid withdrawal, and parents who lost the ability to care for their families as they battle

their addiction. to treat this epidemic as anything less than a national crisis would be a terrible mistake, and even though we've already lost far too many lives to overdoses, we still have an opportunity to save many more. this conference report includes many important policies that have bipartisan agreement. for example, we will now allow patients and doctors to choose to partially fill their opioids so that excess medicines are not dispensed unnecessarily. this will reduce the number of unused pills in circulation which will reduce the risk of misuse, diversion and overdose. the conference report also allows nurse practitioners and physician assistants to treat individuals with opioid use disorders. this final report also includes important and proven programs to address prevention, treatment and recovery. but just changing policies alone won't be enough. this legislation only takes a small step at a time when the american people need us to run. mr. speaker, how can we truly

help the american people without giving them the resources to fight this epidemic? we cannot wait while lives continue to be destroyed by opioid addiction, and while treatment options remain out of reach. congressional democrats, mr. speaker, have long advocated for more funding in this package and have even proposed bipartisan policies to offset the cost. but republicans have stubbornly refused to commit essential funding as part of this overall bill. time and again they have rejected efforts to make a real difference by going beyond the important policy changes in this bill and actually supporting significant funding to properly take on this growing national epidemic today. instead, republicans have committed to increasing funding through the appropriations process, and we will certainly make sure that they live up to the repeated promises they have made in this regard. i yield back at this time. sorry, mr. speaker. i'd reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. upton: mr. speaker, i would yield two minutes to the

gentleman from georgia, mr. carter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for two minutes. mr. carter: i thank the gentleman for yielding, and i thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of this conference report to s. 524. this conference report is one of the proudest moments i have had as an elected member of this body. i believe there are numerous challenges that our community health care providers face and this bill helps them address those challenges. as a lifelong pharmacist i believe the key first steps to address this opioid epidemic is education, improvement of treatment and a reliance on state pdmp programs. this bill does all of that. many of my colleagues have opposed this conference report and this bill because it does not authorize enough money or doesn't provide every provision they want. there are things that i would have changed in this bill, but we all have had an opportunity to amend these provisions and this has created a bipartisan, bicameral piece of legislation. overall, this should not be the end of this conversation, but

this bill is a good bill and addresses many of the problems america has faced with opioid addiction. i'd like to commend leadership from both chambers on this bill, and i encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield to the gentleman from wisconsin such time as he may consume, mr. kind. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. kind: thank you, mr. speaker. and i thank my friend for yielding me this time. mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of the comprehensive addiction recovery act. there's no question that we have an opioid epidemic sweeping our communities throughout wisconsin and the rest of the nation. i spent the better part of the last year holding listening sessions back home in my congressional district in western and north central wisconsin getting feedback from law enforcement, from health care providers, treatment centers, families that have been impacted by drug addiction, the opioid addiction

to ensure that this legislation that we have pending before us today doesn't get too far out of head what they actually need. there are good policy changes in this bill, but one thing that's lacking that the gentleman also pointed out is the resource aspect of this. they do need tools. they do need additional resources. i'm hoping that later in the year, whether it's through a continuing resolution or the funding of these operations that we can find in a bipartisan way the increase in some necessary resources for folks back home so they can get out ahead of this curve and do an adequate job of turning the trend line away. i'm also supportive because the legislation before us has a promise act. jason was a veteran that died at the tomah v.a. medical center a few years ago due to an opioid drug overdose. we have in this legislation continuation of reforms that are being implemented to ensure that all of our veterans,

whether in wisconsin or throughout the nation, are getting the care and the treatment they need, that we continue down the road of revamping the pain management practices at places like tomah. and i'm confident with provisions in here, if we do this the right way, that tomah and the v.a. system can be a model of proper pain management practices, not just within the v.a. system, but throughout the entire health care system. there's no question we haven't done a good job of managing pain as a nation. that's true of whether it's in the v.a., it's true whether in the private health sector. this legislation before us today gives us an opportunity to continue down that road and do a much better job. the jason similar could you say enhances he jason act pain management, education and training for our health care providers. it improves real-time tracking and access to data on opioid usage. it also expands an opioid safety initiative throughout all the v.a. centers. it expands the patient advocacy

center, which is particularly important because i think the family is the first line of defense. they know what's working and what isn't. they need greater input and beater lines of communication to better affect the treatment. and it calls on the v.a. to explore alternative forms of medicine to deal with pain management so we're not just loading our veterans up with a cocktail of prescription drugs which oftentimes lead to addiction which can lead to meth and heroin usage. but i also think this legislation gives us an opportunity to establish that strong partnership that needs to exist at the federal, state and local level and including private entities so we can do a better job on the opioid addiction problem throughout our nation. this is an all-hands-on-deck moment. as a former special prosecutor who had to deal in the criminal system with a lot of it, our response cannot just be a criminal justice response.

it has to be a public health response or we lose this better going into it. i think this legislation does provide crucial tools to help us make that pivot, but we also need the crucial resources and that's something we will have to address as this year progresses. with that i encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. i appreciate the hard work that the committees and those involved that put into this legislation, but it will be a work in progress and we have to continue to listen to folks on the ground back home to ensure they're getting the help and support that they need. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from michigan. mr. upton: mr. speaker, i'd yield five minutes to the gentleman from virginia, chairman of the house judiciary committee, mr. goodlatte. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for five minutes. mr. goodlatte: thank you, chairman upton. i appreciate your strong leadership and partnership throughout this important effort. mr. speaker, today is a proud day in our nation's history. today the house will complete

its work on a comprehensive legislative package to combat the terrible epidemic of opioid abuse which is ravaging our country. we have all heard the grim statistics. 129 people die every day from drug overdose. there is more than 47,000 a year. these people are our neighbors, friends and loved ones. they come from all walks of life and all communities. they need our help. today the house is answering the call. the conference report we are considering today represents a truly comprehensive response to the opioid epidemic. it includes provisions from 18 bills passed by the house in may and addresses all facets of the epidemic. it permits the government to make grants for purposes of prevention, treatment and recovery, overdose reversal through the use of f.d.a. approved and law enforcement and investigative purposes.

significantly, the conference report preserves the provisions of the judiciary committee's flagship bill, h.r. 5046, which passed this house in may by an overwhelming 413-5 vote. this historic legislation which was sponsored by crime subcommittee chairman jim sensenbrenner creates a comprehensive justice department grant program to help states fight opioid addiction. it authorizes $103 million annually over five years for the grant program. it directs precious taxpayer dollars responseably by leveraging and streamlining -- responsiblely by leveraging and streamlining and is fully offsetting the legislation in compliance with the house's cut-go proposal. the conference report authorizes this funding for a wide variety of anti-opioid activities, including drug courts, which have proven to be highly successful and which i support. in fact, it's my expectation, mr. speaker, that drug courts will continue to receive funding levels in future years

similar to current funding levels. in addition, h.r. 5046, this conference report contains provisions from three other judiciary committee bills, including h.r. 5052, the open act, which increases the transparency and accountability of the comprehensive opioid abuse grant program in h.r. 5046. h.r. 4985, the kingpin designation improvement act, which protects classified information from disclosure when a drug kingpin challenges his designation as such in a federal court. and h.r. 5048, the good samaritan assessment act, which requires the g.a.o. to study state and local good samaritan laws that protect caregivers, law enforcement personnel and first responders to administer opioid reversal drugs or devices from criminal or civil liability. as well as those who contact emergency service providers in spobs to an overdose. -- response to an overdose. in addition, the judiciary

committee moved, as part of this package, s. 32, the transnational drug trafficking act. that legislation, which has already been signed into law, improves law enforcement's ability to pursue international drug manufacturers, brokers and distributors in source nations. federal prosecutors can now use the important tools in that bill to pursue foreign drug traffickers who are poisoning american citizens. along with the excellent legislation prepared by our sister committees, spearheaded by chairman upton, miller and kline, these bills make substantial policy changes within the federal agencies responsible for fighting addiction. they take real steps to address the opioid epidemic and provide real relief to a real problem affecting real americans. members of this body should be proud of these accomplishments. i would like to stress, mr. speaker, that opposition to this conference report on the basis of funding is wrong and misguided. as i stated, this legislation authorizes $103 million just

for justice department programs. under the leadership of chairman rogers, culberson, cole, crenshaw and dent, the house appropriations committee has responded admirably to this epidemic by allocating hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for these programs. the c.j.s. contains $103 million. the labor-hhs bill contains $581 million to address opioid and heroin abuse, which is above even the president's budget request. . . the financial services government bill has funded drug free community programs and others at record highs. nobody can come to this floor and credibly claim the house is not putting its money where its mouth is. i thank my colleagues for their support and hard work. yesterday we received a letter signed by 233 addiction stakeholder groups endorsing the conference report to s.

524. i urge everyone to support this conference report and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i yield one minute to our democratic leader. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california, the democratic leader, is recognized for one minute. ms. pelosi: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. i thank him for his excellent work in bringing this bipartisan legislation to the floor. and all due respect to mr. goodlatte, i credibly come to the floor to say that this bill does not provide the funding that we need to address the opioid crisis in our country. i come as an appropriator. i thank you, mr. upton, again, and know this is your last year as chairman of the committee. i thank you for your openness, your willingness to work in a bipartisan way. i do think that this is a good piece of legislation. it's lacking one thing, the resources to get the job done.

i also come to the floor as an appropriator and to hear mr. goodlatte say what's coming out of here and coming out of there, in our committee on labor-h.h.s., we call the lamb meet lamb committee because there was no good place to take money frfment we had carefully and economically and husted the resources in such a way when we did budget agreements to use the money very well for the purposes, the investments in education and health, etc. so an emergency comes along like the opioid epidemic, like zika, like flint, it is these -- these are emergencies, and by tradition this house has always declared emergencies whether a natural disaster or otherwise to say that funding would not be lamb eat lamb within the appropriations process and take funds from very needed initiatives that congress had agreed to in our

own authorizations otherwise. so it had been my intention for us to come to the floor to oppose this bill to be able to sustain a presidential veto until there would be resources. but in the spirit of this day we come to the floor instead to say let's move the process along but let's also say that there are other issues like opioids and zika and flint that we really have to address in the near term. the opioid epidemic has been said by distinguished chairman and ranking member and others such an important challenge, the well-being of our country. you might say flint is in michigan and zika's down south, the fact is it affects all of us. but opioids are right there in all of our communities. and all of the members of congress immediately see the need for the authorization but

also for the funding. the conference report includes many important authorizing provisions in a bipartisan way, but it does not include the new funds that are essential in saving lives from opioids. around a dozen law enforcement people were at the white house yesterday talking about the opioid epidemic. many people outside of the congress support the principles in this bill. but do you know that some of those law enforcement officials are having separate fundraiserers of their -- fundraiser of their own in order to help people address their opioid challenge? we're just not living up to our responsibility in a timely fashion, and within the next week. hopefully we'll leave with some additional funding. the president has asked for $1.1 billion to address the problem. the distinguished chairman of the judiciary committee says

that the appropriators are putting more than that in certain cases in opioids, but if they are taking it out of other priorities, other investments in the health and well-being and the security of the american people, we're doing this at the expense of other good investments. we'll not stop fighting until america's families have the prevention, treatment, and recovery resources they need to overcome the opioid epidemic. and that is why for today, although the votes are there to sustain a presidential veto, we don't encourage that. we encourage our cooperation today. with the hope and promise that mr. rogers, and we all respect, i serve with him on appropriations, and mrs. lowey, can come to terms in a way that does not have the opioid epidemic funded at the expense

of other investments important to the american people. it is a priority, it is an emergency in other cases we have had emergency spending for just that. when we do budget agreements, as we did last year, very difficult staying under the caps and the rest, it was not with the idea that there would be a $1.1 billion need for opioids or $1.9 billion need or zika funding. it wouldn't be hundreds of millions of dollars for flint. these are extraordinary emergencies, they should be treated that way. nonetheless, i congratulate mr. upton and mr. pallone and all who had a role in putting this legislation together and hope that it is just a first step in the very, very near future. we'll have money to match the values that are contained in

this legislation. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from michigan. mr. upton: i might inquire as to how much time remains on both sides? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan has 21 minutes remaining. from new jersey, has 22 1/2 minutes remaining. mr. upton: mr. speaker, i would yield an additional minute to the gentleman, the chairman of the house judiciary committee, the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, partner in this effort from day one. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for one minute. mr. goodlatte: thank you. mr. speaker, i briefly like to discuss with my friend and partner this effort, the chairman of the energy and commerce committee, how the conference report encourages innovation by allowing alternative therapies to qualify for funding while also requiring evaluation and reporting on the effectiveness of all authorized programs. in my district some nonprofit organizations are using animal assisted psycho therapy to successfully address mental health and personal development needs, including for veterans.

and animals have also helped prison inmates achieve life changing developments. it's my understanding that these and other alternative therapies are eligible funding under the grant programs contained in the conference report and i would ask the gentleman from michigan is that his understanding as well? mr. utton: if the gentleman will yield? absolutely yes. the grants for comprehensive opioid abuse response is designed to allow states the flexibility to do what's right and aide in establishing a kev response. under this grant we emphasize prevention and treatment, but those are not the only two ways to address the opioid epidemic. recovery like the good work that chairman good light cited in his district as it is in mine is equally as important. so we need a comprehensive response to the crisis. it should leave no stone unturned in our quest for helping those in need. i want to thank the chairman for his help in this effort and absolutely agree with his reading of the bill.

and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, my republican colleagues argue that we will pass this authorization bill today and then sometime down the line we'll provide funding through the regular appropriations process. but the problem is that that response does not match the urgency of the crisis. to understand why, let's just take a quick look at the 2016 appropriations process. while the fiscal year 2016 fiscal year began on october 1, 2015, the omnibus fiscal year 2016 appropriations act did not became law until december 18, 2015. if as expected the fiscal year 2017 process is similar, it will be at least six months before we can provide funding through the fiscal year 2017 appropriations process. and that's six months in which

more people will die from potentially preventable overdose deaths and more individuals and families in need of treatment options will be unable to access them. there's also no guarantee that additional funds will be made available through the appropriations process. the fiscal austerity policies of my republican colleagues also make this option untenable. due to the sequestration caps demanded by the republicans, an increase in spending for one program can only occur with the cutting of funding for another program. while the republicans will say they introduced the labor-h.h.s. bill with $500 million in funding for a comprehensive state grant program for substance abuse treatment, what they don't say is that to provide that funding we will have to agree to cut funding for other critical programs. the republican labor-h.h.s. bill proposes eflamenting funding for obamacare, title 10 family planning services, education programs, and employment training and development programs.

not only are these cuts objectionable, we don't have to make such choices. we have bipartisan pay-fors available to offset the direct appropriations of funding now, and we cannot afford to wait. if this is truly an urgent crisis, we should treat it as such by providing critical funding immediately. failure to act will unacceptably lead to more deaths and our communities cannot afford to wait any longer. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from michigan. mr. upton: mr. speaker, i would yield a minute and a half to a fellow conferee, member of the energy and commerce committee, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. lance, a minute and a half. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for a minute and a half. mr. lance: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in strong support of this conference report. it is a great step forward in the fight against the you scourge of drug addiction. i was proud to serve on the conference committee that crafted this package, and i thank chairman upton and chairman grassley for their tremendous leadership on the issue.

this measure includes language that i authored with my democratic colleague, congressman sean patrick maloney of the hudson valley in new york state, that targets opioid aparticular's strong ties to prescription drug abuse and the issue of overprescription. it is one part of a comprehensive plan that will make serious progress on this challenge. it strains law enforcement and taxpayer resources, and cuts too many lives tragically short. this package comes the same week we secure passage of a landmark overhaul of our nation's mental health care system. these are major priorities of the american people. this is how congress should work. gaining ideas and insight from the constituencies across the nation and working together in a bipartisan fashion to address the important issues confronting the united states. on this very sad day given the horrific events in dallas last

night, we're reminded that a great many issues face our country. i hope the spirit of cooperation that secured this week's productivity will guide us on the other challenges we face as a nation. i want to work on what unites in the united states and the priorities of all americans, this conference report is one of those priorities and i urge a yes vote. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone clo -- mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, as i said before this conference report does include important and proven programs to address prevention, treatment, and recovery with regard to opiate abuse. i did want to mention a few. there is authorization to create a grant program for eligible entities to promote the prescribing of opioid reversal drugs, naloxone, in

conjunction with opioid patients with an elevated risk of overdose. there is a program to re-authorize sams a grant for the funding of residential treatment programs for pregnant and post paragraph tum women. there is a demonstration grant program to states to streamline state requirements and procedures in order to assist veterans who have completed military emergency medical technician training to meet requirements for becoming emergency medical technician in the state. there's also a state grant program to increase the implementation of standing orders for opioid overdose reversal medication. as i have said before, there are a number of very important programs here that provide or authorize, i should say, grants to states to deal with the prevention, treatment, and recovery from opioids. but again these programs will not be effective without some significant funding provided pursuant to those organizations. so i want to stress again, as

democrats, we support this bill because it does have authorization for many programs that will help with opioid addiction, but we need to hold the republicans' feet to the fire to make sure this fund something provided. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves, the gentleman from michigan. >> i yield two minutes to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. meehan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. meehan: i thank the gentleman for his leadership on this important bill. the statistics are staggering, 120 people a tai to opioid abuse we are losing. earlier this year in soviet ennsylvania, a fwifted young man, john, succumbed to his addiction. as a teenager he had a knee

injury, he was prescribed painkiller, and became addicted nd moved on to using heroin. stop oduced a bill to young people from getting addicted to opioid painkillers an then heroin. i use john's name to demonstrate this isn't just statistics, it's people. this will highlight the resources available to young people and their families to combat opioid abuse. they will work to disseminate resources to students, parents and those involved in treating sports injuries. that's how this can work together with things that are already happening in the community. i want to acknowledge what's going on in communities across the country. ust last week, i visited adapt

pharma. they make a narcan nasal spray and is providing an antidote to high schools. they and the association of school nurses are working to gget to ensure that educational materials are available to students an their families about prescription drug abuse as well as treatment options that will work in tandem with this. whether you're young athletes, pregnant mothers, struggling veterans or suffering families so many are going to be helped. i urge my colleagues to stand with the families who have suffered the effects of addiction and support the conference report. thank you, mr. chairman, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: i yield five minutes to the dean of the house and the ranking member of the judiciary committee, mr. conyers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. conyers: i thank the gentleman. mr. speaker, the cry soifs opioid abuse and addiction

clearly requires our immediate attention. i believe that that is now happening. i'm grateful for the work of my colleagues on the judiciary committee for their tireless work. i thank chairman goodlatte, crime subcommittee chairman jim sensenbrenner, crime subcommittee ranking member sheila jackson lee, and their staffs and i also congratulate congresswoman suzanne delbene, who worked so hard to ensure this bill would find prompt -- would fund promising approaches to opioid abuse that were pioneered in her district. finally, i wish to thank the ranking member, frank pallone, of the energy and commerce committee and his staff for their assistance and coordination in this effort. our work must focus on the need

to address an urgent crisis. in my state of michigan, there in the745 drugover doses year 2014, and more than half of those overdose deaths were aused by opioids and heroin. each day, 78 americans die from an opioid overdose. fortunately, we now have a better way of addressing issues of addiction and we know that the only answer is not incarceration. incarceration is not the answer. for instance, the jew dish committee's crime subcommittee held a hearing last year that examined, among other things, the promising use of the law enforcement assistance diversion

approach, applied in cities such as seattle and santa fe, new mexico. we know that there are effective ways to get addicts to treatment, and to quickly provide them with needed services that address their addiction and prevent recidivism. and we know that evidence-based treatment and alternatives to incarceration work. title 2 of this bill reflects much of this approach in the grant program as reported by the jew dish compare -- judiciary committee and passed by the house in may of this year. while i have supported this effort, i have also supported alternative approaches that would provide separate grant programs for many of these worthy purposes. but regardless of which approach we take, we must do more than

simply authorize funding. we must provide real dollars that are urgently needed by those fighting this crisis and i'm disappointed that this bill oes not do this. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from michigan. >> i yield one minute to the ntleman from michigan, mr. rout, a fellow conferee. mr. trout: 00 individuals died of drug overdose in michigan in 2014. 449 were in my home district in oakland and wayne county.

mr. troth: as has been mentioned -- mr. trott: there have been some good programs to help end the tragedies. some have suggested, however, that our response is inadequate or too small of a step to fight this program. i disagree. but let me say to those people who are listening, particularly those who have suffered from addiction or lost one through a tragedy of an overdose, the republicans, the democrats, and the president recognize this epidemic. we are united in our commitment to defeat the abuse and tragedy. and we in congress will revisit our programs and solutions and the money we're spending to make sure they're making a difference and we will revisit the sloughs and make sure the adequate resources are in place so we can end the terrible drug abuse and heroin overdoses affecting our communities. thank you for the opportunity to serve on the conference committee and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is

recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i wanted to stress that president obama recently announced additional actions to expand access to treatment, strengthen prescription drug monitor, enable safe disposal of unneeded drug, and accelerate research on pain and opioid misuse and overdose. the president, i think, has made it clear that addressing this ep democrat sick a priority for his administration. while federal agencies have been using their authority to take every available action they can, congress needs to provide additional funding to make life-saving treatment available to everyone who needs it. the president has called for $1.1 billion in new funding to help americans who want treatment wherever they live. every day that passes without congressional action to provide these additional resources is a missed opportunity to get treatment to those who want it, help prevent overdoses and support communities across the

country impacted by this epidemic. recovery from opioid and other sub tans use dised or sers possible and many americans are able to recover because they get the treatment and care they need. but too many still are not able to get treatment. and that's why the president has called on congress to provide the resources needed to ensure that every american with an opioid use disorder who wavents treatment can get it and start the road to recovery. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman if from michigan. >> i yield two minutes to a mber of the energy and commerce committee, mr. bilirakis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bilirakis: i rise in support addiction ehensive and recovery act. we all have been affected by this addiction in some way.

opioid addiction is prevalent in our veterans' community and i'm proud many of my provisions to help our heroes were included in this legislation. i want to thank the chairman for including those provisions in this particular conference report my bill, the promise act -- my bill the promise act and cover act, will update the clinical practice guidelines used to treat service members for pain management and provide a pathway forward in complementary and integrative health alternatives within the v.a. with this bill we can help our struggling heroes and others battling addiction across the nation. i urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan eserves. mr. pallone: i want to inquire about the time on each side. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey has 14 minutes. the gentleman from michigan has

4 1/2 minutes. >> we have three more speakers, we can run them, do you have more speakers? mr. pallone: would you at least un one or two. >> i yield to the gentlelady from indiana, mrs. walorski, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. mrs. walorski: i rise in support of h.r. -- of s. 524. this vital bill will help address a drug epidemic we've seen plague our communities for so long. dozens die each day from prescription drug overdoses. it's time for us to come together as a nation to tackle the issue that's infected every fabric of our society. i'm very honored to have served on this conference committee for this bill and thankful it's

being considered today by the house. as a member of the house veterans affairs committee, i have seen the opioid epidemic effects on our nation's veterans. veterans are more vulnerable to chronic pain, more susceptible to addiction but some v.a. facilities still overprescribe these powerful drugs. i've seen the problem firsthand with veterans coming into my office, often carrying a larbling box or bag of pills. in my home state of indiana, the d.e.a. raided a v.a. medical facility in marion after noticing the volume of narcotics and opioids purchase by the facility. for too long the v.a. has relied too heavily on opiates to treat for chronic pain. this bill addresses that by requiring the v.a. and d.o.d. to focus on improving their prescribing practices. it includes my piece of legislation requiring the v.a. to report to state prescription drug monitoring programs which are important and effective tools for stopping overprescription. it also athroice v.a. to

consider nonopioid treatments for veterans with chronic pain. there's been a long battle ahead of us. we've got a long way to go and a lat of damage has been done. but this bill represents an important step forward as we seek to stop overprescription and end opioid addiction in our country. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from michigan. >> i yield one minute to the gentlelady from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. >> across the united states we are confronted with an opioid addiction. no community, not even orange county that i have called home for over 50 years is immune. mrs. walters: more than 2/3 of these untimely deaths are involved in opioids.

nationwide, nearly 130 people die every single day from drug abuse. though this is a nationwide epidemic, there is not a one size fits all cure to addiction. that's why this legislation is so important. i thank all of my colleagues who have work sod intently on these life-saving policies. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure so we can send it to the president's desk because as soon as it is -- this law is implemented it will save lives and help americans suffering from addiction reclaim their lives. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: mr. chairman, i -- mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. i won't take that much time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: i want to point out that the effort here is not only bipartisan but also working with the administration to try to address this epidemic. and one of the things that we were trying to do with the

legislation but it became unnecessary because of the president's executive action was - with regard to bupe, this is a painkiller if you will, that's used as an alternative to the addictive painkillers that cause the opiate problem. and under -- until recently, under the law, a physician could only have up to 100 patients that -- to whom he was administering it. now in the last week or so, the president announced that that ap has been lifted to 275. in the legislation we expand the types of providers who can treat opioid dependence using it, but at the same time it was necessary, i believe, to raise that cap because there is a waiting list, a rather extensive waiting list, for people who would like to take advantage of it. .

i wanted to say that's an important thing done by the president. it's very important for us to work together not only in terms of what we authorize but also providing the funding for many of these programs, both what we're now authorizing pursuant to grants in this legislation as well as what the administration is doing through agency action. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from michigan. mr. upton: i yield one minute to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. rothfus. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for one minute. mr. rothfus: thank you, mr. speaker. i commend the chairman, ranking member of the conferees on this work that they have accomplished. the opioid and heroin epidemic has hit western pennsylvania hard. nothing brings this crisis into sharper focus than when you are speaking with a parent who has lost a child or family member watching a loved one go to revolving doors of treatment and still be slipping away. this conference report has been a bipartisan, all hands on deck effort reflective of the

collaboration we see happening at the grassroots of our communities. i'm pleased to see the conference report includes a provision my colleague from across the aisle championed in the house legislation to establish co-prescribing guidelines for overdose antidotes such as in a lockon. i'm also pleased with how this -- naloxone. i'm also pleased with how this helps our veterans. it's a necessary step to move forward to address this crisis. i urge its passage. i thank the chairman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. mr. upton: mr. speaker, i have no more speakers. i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman virginia tech. mr. pallone: again, mr. speaker. i will say that after thoughtful consideration i not only support the conference report but i would urge my colleagues on the democratic side to support the conference report. but i continue to believe that we cannot turn the tide on this epidemic without dedicated additional resources to states.

the underlying policies included in this bill are important steps forward. as you know, democratic conferees along with the democratic leadership have worked tirelessly these past few weeks to include -- to try to include money for states to help treat our communities who are suffering. republicans still so far refuse to commit the essential funding as part of this overall bill, but they have committed to increasing funding for the appropriations process and i'll continue to fight to ensure that they stand by that commitment. the american people are desperate for relief. we must answer their call and continue our efforts in washington. and one way to do that certainly is to pass this conference report. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan. mr. upton: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. upton: mr. speaker, first i want to thank my friend and partner, mr. pallone. we moved the majority of these bills through the committee on a bipartisan basis. we had those votes here on the

floor. and very strong vote as the process moved. mr. speaker, this bill is about treatment. it's about prevention. it's about recovery. helping law enforcement, particularly with our drug courts, and it adds new resources to help communities suffering from this terrible opioid epidemic. the comprehensive addiction recovery act represents the most serious and comprehensive effort ever undertaken by this body to tackle the problem. cara is a bipartisan blend from the best ideas of the house and senate. these bills pass with a combined 494 votes in the house and senate. and coupled with the great work led just this week by the house appropriations committee to add $581 million to help fund and prioritize these programs. it shows that we're tackling

the problem head-on. this is an authorization bill. not an appropriation bill. and that's why coupled with the appropriators i think that we will get the job done as i have said at the end of the day, the money will be there. so those on the frontlines fighting the opioid epidemic deserve a strong vote in the people's house. i would urge my colleagues to vote yes and i yield back the balance of my time. >> mr. chairman. ms. jackson lee: just a moment to add to my recognition as a conferee. mr. upton: i yield 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: does gentleman reclaim his time? mr. upton: i yield the gentlelady 30 seconds. ms. jackson lee: i want to add my voice and thank you, mr. upton, as the chair of the conference and mr. pallone and all of the conferees for what i thought was a significant historical moment. we passed legislation as a member of the judiciary committee with no mandatory minimums. our cara bill speaks about grants, helping people overcome

their addiction but more importantly helping communities. my community alone is suffering from something called push, that's not heroin, but all of these issues have to be confronted as a health epidemic. thank you for accepting my amendment dealing with other drugs about dealing with a public health epidemic. i ask for support of the conference report. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. mr. upton: i appreciate the gentlelady's words. we were very pleased to work with her on the amendment, successful amendment we added in the conference. it's part of this agreement. and we look for swift passage today. again i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. all time for dwight debate has expired. pursuant to house resolution 809, the previous question is ored. the question is on adoption of the conference report. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. he ayes have it.

the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. pursuant to clause 9 of rule 20, this 15-minute vote on adoption of the conference report will be followed by a five-minute vote on the motion to permit closed conference meetings on s. 2943, if offered. 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 407, the nays are 5. the conference report is adopted.

without objection, a motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the house will be in order. members will take their conversations off the floor.

he house will be in order. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? ms. johnson: i ask for a minute of remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. johnson: let me thank my colleagues from texas for joining me. the calculated ambush and murders of the dallas law enforcement officers during a peaceful protest in downtown dallas last night was a disgraceful act of violence. it happened in my district. i live less than five blocks away. my prayers and sympathy go out to the families of the officers slain and the victims of the shooting. our response going forward, not just in dallas but across our nation will be more important now than ever before. my thoughts and prayers are also with the families of alton

castile and philando who also lost their live this is week as well. we must de-escalate violence. this is a stark reminder that relations between law enforcement and the communities they serve remain extremely tense. we must do everything we cannot to inflame this tension even further. we need to recognize the root cause of this tension and work to end the divisiveness between law enforcement and citizens. i do also want to commend the dallas police department. the dallas police chief, david brown, a constituent and someone i work with very closely in the llas area rapid transit work closely for their brave and swift response to the shooting. these officers are among some of the most capable and professional law enforcement

officers in the country and i commend them for their bravery during this incident. . mr. speaker, i ask not just for a moment of silence, but also for firm action. we need to bring meaningful legislation to the floor that will help bridge the divide between law enforcement and communities. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: members will rise for a moment f silence.

without objection, five-minute voting will continue. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, pursuant to clause 12 of rule 22, i move that the meetings of the conference between the house and senate on s. 2943 may be closed to the public at such times as classified national security information may be broached. provided that any sitting member of congress shall be entitled to attend any meeting of the conference. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12 of rule 22, the motion is not debatable and the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the .s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 397, the nays are 14. the motion is adopted. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? mr. chaffetz: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to take from the speaker's table the bill, h.r. 177 with senate amendments there to and to concur in the senate amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill and the senate amendment. the clerk: h.r. 1777, an act to amend the act of august 25,

1958, commonly known as the former presidents act of 1958, with respect to the monetary allowance payable to a former president and for other purposes. senate amendments. strike all a after the enacting clause and insert the following. section 1, short title. this act may be cited as the presidential allowance modernization act of 2016. section 2, amendment. a, former presidents. the first section of the act entitled, an act to provide retirement clerical assistance and free mailing privileges to former presidents of the united tates, and for other purposes. approved august 25, 1958, commonly known as the former president's act of 1958, 3 u.s.c. 102 is amended by striking the matter preceding subsection e and inserting the

following. a in general. each former president shall be entitled for the remainder of his or her life to receive from the united states, one, -- mr. chaffetz: i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the reading is dispensed with. is there objection to the original request of the gentleman from utah? without objection, the senate amendment is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the chair will receive a message. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: the i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed s. 2340, cited as the megabyte act of

2016 in which the concurrence the house is requested. - of the house is requested. the speaker pro tempore: the ouse will be in order. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. hoyer: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute for the purpose of inquiring of the majority leader the schedule for the week to come. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the entleman is recognized. the house will be in order. the gentleman is recognized. mr. hoyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield to the majority leader, mr. mccarthy of california. mr. mccarthy: i thank the gentleman for yielding, i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mccarthy: on monday, the house will meet at noon for morning hour and 2:00 p.m. for

legislative business. votes will be postponed until 6:30. on tuesday, wednesday, and thursday, the house will meet at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. on friday, the house will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business. mr. speaker, the house will consider a number of suspensions next week a complete list of which will be announced by close of business today. the house will also consider the fiscal year 2017 interior appropriation bill sponsored by representative calvert. additionally, the house will consider the separation of powers restoration act sponsored by representative radcliffe as well as three bills related to iran, thanks to the work of representatives pompeo and royce. the house will also consider the conscious protection act, authored by representative diane black. mr. speaker, this is likely that several additional items will be added to the schedule for next week and members will be advised

of the final schedule as soon as possible. i thank the gentleman and yield back. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman. mr. speaker, the house is still ot in order. the speaker pro tempore: i ask all members to take conversations off the floor. he house will be in order. the gentleman is recognized. mr. hoyer: i thank the speaker. mr. speaker, normally the colloquy between the majority leader and myself on the schedule might be lengthier than it will be today. this week has been a sobering week. a sad week. i want to congratulate speaker ryan on the comments that he made this morning. he said that every republican and every democrat wants to see less gun violence. he then went on to say,

sometimes we disagree on how to get there. sometimes we disagree passionately on how to get there. he went on to say, but in having this debate, let's not lose sight of the values that unite us. let us not lose sight in our common humanity. he then said we need to take a moment here for reflection. for thought. for prayer. for justice. and for action. mr. speaker, the majority leader and i have had a brief conversation on the floor. where he said to me, and i agree, that we need to sit down together and try to see how we can bring this country, this house, together on a way forward to, as the gentlelady from texas said, decrease the tensions that exist between citizen and law

enforcement officers. to ensure the safety, not only of those officers, but of alton terling who lost his life, philando castillo who lost his life, an instance that appeared to be horrifying an unacceptable. i think all of us in this house, and all americans, mr. speaker, should, like the majority leader has suggested to me, and i responded, to come together to de-escalate the tensions in our society. confrontations that we see too often. the rash rhetoric, the hateful rhetoric in some cases, that is being used. i thank the majority leader, mr. speaker, for what i believe to be his very sincere and heart

thoughts along those lines. so we will not engage in a colloquy today of differences, but in a colloquy that will, with prayerful consideration, try to serve the people of this country and each and every individual in this country toward a safer, more assured life in america. and i yield to my friend. mr. mccarthy: i thank the gentleman for yielding, i thank him for his words, and our conversation prior. the gentleman is correct. too many families are mourning losses this week. i believe all americans are praying for the families, for the innocents who have been murdered and ambushed. there is a time -- it is a time for this nation to heal. it is a time for this nation to unite. it is a time for justice to be

done. i thank -- i think for that to start this house needs to be an example. i thank the gentleman for accepting and being willing to work together as we have so many times before. as we know in this house, people come from many parts of this nation and have expertise. i sat and had a conversation with dave reichert, who has tremendous expertise, and his conversations, talking with john lewis, there is an ability within this house to help this nation unite and heal the wounds that are out there. i thank the gentleman for being willing to be part of that. i yield back fpble -- i yield back. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman for his comments and my hope, mr. speaker is that all of us will be willing to be part of that solution out of the problem. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. mccarthy: i ask unanimous consent that when the house adjourn today it adjourn to meet on monday when it shall convene at 12:00 p.m. for morning hour debate and 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise today as a proud and

sad citizen of dallas, texas. i'm so proud of the thin blue line that keep all our citizens safe, including my wife, my son, my daughter. mr. hensarling: and so sad for the fallen, their family, their sons, their daughters, their spouses. it is a time of mourning. it is a time of prayer. but it is also a time of justice. swift and sure justice. for anyone who engaged in this act of evil. mr. speaker, it's also time for healing. it is a time to remember martin luther king's dream which should be america's dream that one diour children will grow up to be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. so i dream also that one day we may decide that it is not a controversial statement to say that all lives matter. because it's not a time for us, it is not a time for them. it is only a time for we, the

people, to treasure all life and respecting the dignity of all of god's children. it's time to look into our hearts and ask the fundamental question, today, will i promote a color conscious society or will i promote a color blind society? today, will i exploit the wound or today will i tempt to heal the wound? may the god who gave us life and liberty heal the wounded of our nation. to heal the wounded of the city of dallas. to lift up the families of the fallen and to bless our land with greater peace and greater understanding. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. hoyer: mr. speaker, all of us were deeply shocked and heart broken to learn of the

assassination of five police officers in dallas last night. nothing can ever justify the cold-blooded murder of those who have sworn to protect and serve. such an act does nothing to bring back those who were killed by police in previous days. killings that also shocked the conscience of our country. violence only begets violence. not justice. the killings of alton sterling and philando castillo at the hands of law enforcement officers were horrifying and unacceptable. their families deserve a full investigation and for justice to be served. just as those five fallen

officers deserve justice. justice for all. those officers who were shot in dallas and their families deserve that. as we mourn, we remember that the way we bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice is by bending it together. in the days ahead, let us focus on what unites us and on our shared determination to see justice prevail. black believes matter -- black lives matter. law enforcement officers' lives matter. justice matters. life matters. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to

address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. did one today as i year ago to praise the eaton prairie girl's field hockey team on their state championship. they rallied from a five-goal deficit, scoring six of the next seven goals in the championship game at halftime. that run coupled with a very impressive second half defensive display lifted them to an 1-9 victory. co-coaches judy baxter and beth patterson have every reason to be proud of their team's resilience throughout the season and the tournament. it was eagles' strong leadership from the upper classmen that made them difficult to beat. leading that, senior forward sara had two goals and five assists. their defense allowed only two goals in the second half. achieving a high school state championship title an impress i accomplishment. mr. paulsen: even more admirable is their ability to maintain a

commitment to their school work and other only gailingses outside of the classroom throughout the season. the team's parents, teachers and fellow eagles students are proud of their accomplishment and once again, congratulations to the eden prairie girls championship team. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. mcdermott: mr. speaker, i was impressed this week with the release of the long-awaited chilcott report from the united kingdom's inquiry into the iraq war. while the main conclusions of that report should be familiar to all of us, that the u.s. and britain justified the invasion of iraq with flawed and manipulated intelligence and that subsequent preparations for post-invasion iraq were woefully inadequate and mismanaged, it is

nonetheless an overdue public accountability of british leadership and the -- and detailed and searing rebuke that no member of the bush administration has ever undergone. during his news conference, mr. blair said, i express more sorrow, regret, and apology than you can ever believe. mr. speaker, what's the chance that we will ever hear those same remorseful and contemplative words from mr. bush, mr. cheney, mr. rumsfeld? it's virtually nonexistent. god forgive us and them for our indifference. iraq never will. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts seek recognition? without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

>> mr. speaker, june 17 marks the fourth anniversary of the arrest of saudi arabiaian fadawi -- raef adawi. recently reresorted to a hunger stroik to protest his lack of access to medical care. but his family remains concerned for his health. during the holy month of ramadan, the king pardoned many former prisoners, they should also pardon raef and his lawyer, leader sentenced for things like creating an n.g.o. without permission. i understand that saudi arabia is an ally but the united states must not be silent while these men sit in prison. saudi arabia will not achee security or stability by repressing peaceful dissent. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek ecognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, as a resident of texas, representing parts of houston, texas, which includes the headquarters of the houston police department, the nation's heart is heavy and saddened. our hearts and prayers go out to the people of dallas, the families who have lost their fallen heroes. we respect all of those who are on front lines, allowing the american people to protest. we understand the young people who were of many colors and

backgrounds, who felt compelled to protest the loss of life of two individuals. the law enforcement officers respected that too. they understood the pain of mr. castile and mr. sterling's deaths. always in america we have been able to come as protesters under the constitution, but we recognize that "law and order" -- law and order is the standard of this nation. as i pray for these families, i ask that congresspersons rise to the level of leaders and leadership, to seek out unity. as i just spoke to the head of my police department, i extended my hand, to be able to work together with community and police, to bring us together. because that is why we are a great nation. and houston on sunday will march and mourn for those fallen. but we'll be praying for

nonviolence in this nation. what i will say, mr. speaker, is that the words that are ugly of those who want to divide us, i will not hear them, i will not listen to them. i will only embrace and bring us together and i will tell the young people whose faces i saw last evening in washington, who were a ray of mosaic colors and backgrounds and religions that we love you, we thank you for this protest of nonviolence, and we will stand against violent gun behavior and it is of thugs and terrorists, not of americans who want unity and respect for all, and human dignity. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. are there nur any further one minutes? -- are there any further one minutes? for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker.

mr. speaker, that which has occurred in dallas, texas, to the term eaning in the line of duty. there are of duty husbands who will not return home. in the line of duty, peace officers will not return home. i don't know the gender of all of them. and want to make sure that i cover all of them. let me just say, in the line of duty, there are peace officers who will not return home. those husbands and wives and children had every reason to believe that their loved ones would return home. they're in pain.

we i want them to know that suffer together. all of us in this country suffer whenever any one of us is taken by violence. innocent people in this country are suffering. people of goodwill are suffering. families are suffering. and my prayer is that out of this adversity we can build a unity that will afford us the opportunity to develop the harmony necessary for the people of the greatest nation in the world to live together. we have to span these chasms that divide us and forgiveness is in order. we must also make sure that justice is done. all who are associated with the dastardly deeds that occurred with reference to dallas must be arrested, convicted, must be

prosecuted to the fullest extent that the law allows. there can be no exceptions. their time has come now for those who are suffering to receive our prayers and our sympathies and i regret that in the line of duty has taken on a different meaning for them. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. without objection, the chair appoints the following conferees on senate bill 2943. the clerk: from the committee on armed services, for consideration of the senate bill and the house amendment and modifications committed to conference. messrs. thornberry, forbes, miller of florida, wilson of south carolina, lobiondo, bishop of utah, turner, kline, rogers of alabama, franks of arizona, shuster, conaway, lamborn, wittman, gibson, mrs.

hartzler, mr. heck of nevada, ms. stefanik, ms. loretta sanchez of california, mrs. davis of california, messrs. langevin, larsen of washington, cooper, ms. bordallo, mr. courtney, ms. tsongas, messrs. garamendi, johnson of georgia, ms. speier, and mr. peters. from the permanent select committee on intelligence, for consideration of matters within the jurisdiction of that committee under clause 11 of rule 10, messrs. nunes, pompeo and schiff. from the committee on education and the work force, for consideration of sections 571 through 74 and 578 of the senate bill, and sections 571, 573, 1098-e, and 3512 of the house amendment and modifications committed to conference. messrs. walberg, guthrie, scott of virginia, from the committee on energy and commerce, for consideration of sections 3112 and 3123 of the senate bill,

and sections 346, 601, 749, 3119-a 0, 1095, 1673, and 3119-c of the house amendment and modifications committed to conference. messrs. latta, johnson of ohio, and pallone. from the committee on foreign affairs for consideration of 1050, s 828, 1006, 1007, 1221 through 23, 1247, 232, 1242, 1243, 1252, 1253, 1255 through 58, through , 1264, 1271 1531 3, 1301, 1302, through 33, and 1662 of the senate bill and sections 926,

0, 11, 1013, 1083, 1084, 098-k, 1099-b, 1099-c, 1201, 03, 1214, 1221 through 23, 1233, 1235, 1236, 1245, 1246, 1250, 1259-a, 3 1259-p, 9-j, 1259-l, 259-q, 1259-u, 1261, 1262, 1301 through 03, 1510, 1531 1204 h 33, 1645, 1653 and of the house amendment and modifications committed to conference. messrs. royce, zeldin and engel. from the committee on homeland security for consideration of sections 564 and 1091 of this

enate bill, and sections 1097, 1869, 1869-a and 3510 of the house amendment and modifications committed to conference. messrs. mccaul, donovan and thompson of mississippi. from the committee on the judiciary, for consideration of ections 829-j, 829-k, 944, 963, 1006, 1023 through 25, 1053, 1093, 1283, 3303, and 3304 of the senate bill and 1098-h, 598, 1090, 1260 of the house amendment and modifications committed to conference. messrs. goodlatte, issa and conyers. from the committee on natural resources for consideration of sections 601, 2825, subtitle d

of title 28, and section 2852 of the senate bill and sections 2837, 1, 1090, 1098-h, 2839, 2839-a, subtitle e of 2854, , sections 2852, 2855, 2864 through 66, title 30, sections 3508, 7005, and title 73 of the house amendment and modifications committed to conference. messrs. cook, hardy and grijalva. from the committee on oversight and government reform for consideration of sections 339, 829-i, 821, 829-h, 61, 944, 1048, 1054, 1097, 1103 through 07, 1109 through

13, 1121, 1124, 1131 through 33, 1135 and 1136 of the senate ll, and sections 574, 603, 07, 821, 1048, 1088, 1095, 1098-l, 1101, 1102, 1104 rough 06, 1108 through 11, 1113, 1259-c and 1631 of the house amendment, modifications committed to conference. messrs. chaffetz, russell and cummings. from the committee on science, space and technology for consideration of section 874 of the senate bill and sections 1605, 1673 and title 33 of the house amendment and modifications committed to conference. messrs. smith of texas, weber of texas, and ms. eddie bernice johnson of texas. from the committee on small business for consideration of

sections 818, 838, 874 and 898 of the senate bill and title 18 of house amendment and modifications committed to conference, messrs. chabot, knight and ms. have a cleas. for the committee on transportation and infrastructure for consideration of sections 541, 62, 601, 961, 3302 through 07, 3501 and 3502 of the senate bill, and sections 343, 601, 3119-c, 1043, 1671, 3512, and 3509, title 36 of house amendment and modifications committed to conference, messrs. hunter, rouzer and john patrick maloney of new york. from the committee on veterans' affairs, for consideration of sections 706, 755 and 1431 of

the senate amendment of the senate bill, and sections 741, 1421 and 1864 of the house amendments and modifications committed to conference. messrs. roe of tennessee, bus and takano. from the committee on ways and means for consideration of section 1271 of the senate bill and modifications committed to conference, messrs. brady of texas, reichert and levin. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the how it's the following personal request -- house the following personal request. the clerk: ms. maxine waters of california for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request s granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the gentleman from georgia, mr. hice, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.

mr. hice: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to support the first amendment defense act and importance of defending religious liberties in america. i don't know that there has ever been a greater time for us to address this than right now. we have unfortunately become accustomed in this country of the news similar to what we woke up to this morning. we see one tragedy after another. certainly racial tensions are extremely high in this country. anger is high. we face a number of other issues across this country. like agreed and self-centeredness. disregard for authority and personal property and the rule of law. we see corruption in so many different places, including our government, at all levels, be it on the local level, the

state, or here in the national level as well. thing like immorality and abuse . and, yes, we hear and yes, we hear a lot these days, especially days like today, a lot of people talking about gun violence. i'm convinced to the core of my being that we cannot address these types of issues by turning our backs on god and by kicking god out of the public square. and yet we are seeing an increase of hostility in this country toward people of faith and the right that people have under the first amendment to express those beliefs in the public square without fear of intimidation, without fear of being punished by our government. mr. speaker, all of this concerns me greatly and i know it concerns many people not only

in this, the people's house, but all across our nation. i think many people don't realize that even according to scriptures, that the institutions of family, as well as church and government have been instituted by god. these are not creations of man. and i think many of us, mr. speaker, forget the reality of this. in fact, the reason that government was created by god in the first place is because he knew that we as human beings need boundaries within which to live. and those boundaries actually comprise a civil society so we have government given to us as a great gift. to enable us to have a tangible understanding of right and wrong and the boundaries within which to live. and if we get outside those

boundaries, government is there for correction and to keep us within certain boundaries of behavior. that is what comprises a civil society. but of course the problem of all of this, mr. speaker, is that we realize that government itself is comprised of human beings. and if human beings within government themselves are corrupt, then everyone suffers. and so it becomes extremely important for us to understand the purpose of government and why it exists and why it has such an influence on all of our lives. and on the other side, i guess, of the coin, perhaps not totally the other side but certainly within the context of this discussion is in fact people of faith. and i find, mr. speaker, i've been involved in this battle personally for very close,

nearly 15 years, but i find these days people of faith are very much intimidated. scared to get involved. there's all sorts of reasons for this. i hear all kinds of excuses. but some of the bigger excuses i hear frequently is, people say, we've got that separation of church and state. and of course we know, mr. speaker, that's not in the constitution. yet we have heard it over and over and over to the extent that many people today actually believe that there is a separation that prohibits people of faith from being involved, be it in government or in multiple other avenues and areas of our society. so that kind of erroneous thinking has an impact on something like the first amendment. and the right of people to have

belief and conscience and the right to exercise those beliefs publicly. i also see there is indeed a cause of growing hostility that's becoming more and more evident, that people are fearful of our government. people are fearful to stand up. and we -- there are multiple examples. multiple examples. i had a radio program for 12 years, i dealt with this type of thing on a regular basis. but the examples go everywhere a baker to photographers, some of whom have actually lost their businesses because they chose to stand on their first amendment right to exercise their businesses according to the dictates of their faith. and they have ended up losing their businesses. we have examples of valedictorians, scared to offer a prayer or to express their beliefs in their valedictorian speech. we have workplace intimidation.

and we could go on and on and on, mr. speaker. a long time talking about this. but the concern is highlighted by judicial leanings that we are seeing these days. and i think it's more important now than ever that we understand that the first amendment is the first. it is our first liberty. it is the foundation upon which so much else rests. and if the first amendment is altered or chipped away at continually, then i am fearful that our entire nation will suffer massive consequences and change as a result. and so mr. speaker, i just want to take a few moments to not only support the first amendment defense act and the importance of defending religious liberty, but i think within that understanding, that context, now more than ever with the issues that we're watching, i want to

kind of draw a word picture of why this is so important and why our founders, why our nation was actually established on these principles, that we seem today so willingly to walk away from. but we have, i believe, a moral obligation to defend our first amendment and to defend the rights of people to believe what they believe and to exercise those beliefs publicly without fear of intimidation and -- intimidation, let alone punishment. i go back to our very first president, george washington. many of us probably had to memorize portions of his fare well address, but you know, i tried to place myself in that context many times. and the reality is, many within our country, when washington was stepping down, were fearful. we had never had another president in our country at that

time. he had done a superb job, washington had. people were anxious of the thought of him leaving. it had never happened. we had never passed the baton from one president to another at that time. and washington in his farewell address, mr. speaker, made this statement. he said, of all the dispositions and habits that lead to political prosperity, religion indispensable supports. indispensable. those are strong words. indispensable supports, religion and morality. he went on, mr. speaker, and he said this. i think a lot of people overlook this comment. but he said in vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these two pillars of human happiness. in other words, mr. speaker, i believe it's totally fair to say

that george washington in his farewell address literally stated that you could not claim to be a patriot if you can't understand the role of religion and morality in american culture and those indispensable pillars upon which our nation rests. amazing words that unfortunately we tend to overlook. well, george washington did pass the baton. and for the first time in our nation's history, we had another leader, his name was john adams. as john adams, many of us know a lot object him and some of the things he did and said. but probably one of the most famous quotes from adams was this one. he said, and if this paper here represents the constitution, it was adams who said, this constitution was written for a

moral and religious people. it's totally inadequate for the government of any other. i think those are enormously significant words. i mean, we all know that our constitution basically is a contract. it's a contract between our government and we the people. and that contract says that our government is not going to be overly intrusive into our lives. that we will have limited government and maximum freedom. that's the contract. and john adams said that that contract, that constitution, was written for a moral and religious people. that it is totally inadequate for the government of any other. so mr. speaker, i recall, it's been several years ago now, i was in a meeting with governor huckabee and he made a statement that for years now has just bubbles inside me.

it actually has become a changing moment in my life to understand what our founders meant when they gave us the importance of religion and morality. but let's suppose we have two towns. town a, town b. let's just suppose, mr. speaker, that town a is a, what we may refer to as a secular town. a town that for the most port has ignored the role of religion and morality. more or less kicked god out of the public square. what kind of behavior would we expect, mr. speaker, from town a here? if we ponder that, and if we look historically at this type of scenario, we will find that this type of society, for the most part, has greater

incidences of things like violence and robbery and crime and gang violence and broken families and all these types of things. seem to go on the rise. now here's the important question, mr. speaker, that i think we have got to address when we're looking at something like this. what is the role of government towards town a? well if you think about it, of necessity, government must be very much involved in town a because there are so many problems here. we need more law enforcement because we've got so much more crime. we need more judges because we've got all these different things that are happening here and there's conflicts between one another. of necessity, government must be very much involved in town a. let's go over here to town b. let's just suppose town b is a town that for the most part has

embraced a judeo christian world view. much like our founders gave us. many people here representing this house of representatives probably grew up in a town b. i like to refer to this as mayberry type of town. not that everyone in town b is a person of faith. or religious person. but there is a certain world view that is embraced in this town that embraces that is accepted within this culture, this community. things like the golden rule, where we are going to treat one another the way we ourselves want to be treated. let's just say, for example, that this town b accepts certain values along those things. now what kind of behavior expect out of town b? not everyone over here is

perfect by any means, but overall, many of us can go back and we can look, 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago, the difference of life then compared to life now, when we did have more of a town b type understanding in our country and there was less crime. families did stay together more. there were -- we didn't suffer with the same extent of issues like gang violence. drug and alcohol abuse. and these types of things system of mr. speaker, now the question is, what is the response of government to town b? well it's not nearly as great. and the reason being, mr. speaker, the primary difference between these is what i believe our founders gave us. in town b, a group of people who are capable of self-governing their own lives with an authentic understanding of right and wrong because there is a -- there is deeply held religious,

moral convictions that dictate the conduct of these individuals. and i believe it's totally fair to say that i believe our founders gave us the indispensable pillars of religion and morality because they understood that it is only ithin this context that we can have limited government. the role of government in this town is much less because you have self-governing people. and it is only within a context of self-governance that we are able to have limited government. and thereby the understanding of the statement by john adams that says, our constitution, that contract of limited government, john adams said, our constitution was written for a moral and religious people. it is totally inadequate for a

government of any other. mr. speaker, it's my conviction and i believe consistent with our founders to say that it is impossible to have limited government in a secular society. i don't know that that's even a possibility. so we, as members of this house and as this governing body, be it here federal or on the state level or even local level, we have a moral obligation to defend our first amendment. because therein grows the roots of religion and morality that are absolutely essential to our system and our form of government. mr. speaker, i think it's important for us also to be reminded that we have a tremendous religious heritage in this country that has carried us faithfully since our founding. . that we must not depart from. i remember coming across a

statement a few years ago from -- in fact this was in 1950. i would be curious to know, mr. speaker, how many of our colleagues were alive in 1950. but i would venture to say, quite a number. i came across a court ruling by the supreme court of the state of florida. it was a decision that they made in 1950. that decision, mr. speaker, the florida supreme court actually made this statement. they said, a people, by the way,hey were referring to our founders, but that court of florida said, a people unschooled about the sovereignty of god, the ethics of jesus, and the 10 commandments could never have evolved the bill of rights, the declaration of independence or the constitution.

they went on and said, there is not one solitary fundamental principle of our democratic policy that did not stem directly from the basic moral concepts embodied in the 10 commandments. mr. speaker, i read that in our lifetime. many representatives, our lifetime, a state supreme court was making a comment like that. i compare it to these -- i can't -- i cannot imagine any court in america making a decision with those kinds of words. they would be ruled unconstitutional quicker than we could mafpblgt -- imagine. and yet in our lifetime we had state supreme courts making decisions such as this. my, we have come a long, long way. from understanding the role that religion and morality

plays in supporting our entire system of governance. mr. speaker, as i begin to land the plane here and wind down, ou know, i'm just reminded of, of course, many know that i have been a pastor for many years. this whole issue is very, very lose to me personally. eople of faith understand that they have a responsibility, according to the scripture, to be salt and light in the world in which they live. regardsless of what country, anywhere in the world. we have a biblical mandate to be salt and light. in our world. i take that very seriously. when we see our first amendment rights being challenged or chipped away at, it's an alarming thing.

because we have a responsibility in accordance with our faith, to take a stand for those things it -- things which we believe, and to do so out loud. so just from that perspective, mr. speaker, it's alarming. but you know the beautiful thing is here in america we are blessed to live in a nation. our system of government of which does not work without involvement from the people. our whole system is reliant upon the people of this great country to step up to the plate and engage it. that is the concept behind those powerful words, we the people. this is our country. it's our t you urf -- turf. it's we the people. so we have a system of government that does not work unless we the people get

involved in one capacity or another. whether it's voting, whether it's running for office or a million other things to be done in between. that's the way our system works. mr. speaker, i want to just emphasize the importance that we have to maintain those principles that allow all of us religious s of beliefs, regardless of those who have no religious beliefs, but also remembering those who do have religious beliefs, that this is a country where the first amendment protects all of us. this is a country where the first amendment defense act applies to all of us. mr. speaker, i want to close with a quote right out these

doors, in statuary hall. sometime back late one evening, i had some spare moments and i came back over here to the capitol and was walking alone and was virtually all by myself here in these great halls. i went into statuary hall and i started reading and just going one statue after another. i went around and reading about those individuals and i came to one, james garfield. mr. speaker, many people don't know much about garfield these days. he's the only minister to ever be elected president of the united states of america. i stood before that statue and i looked at him and, mr. speaker, i was reminded of a statement -- i actually have come to be a great admirer of garfield. it seems to me that everything i've read from him has been powerful.

he seemed to have a keen awareness and understanding of the role of what i'm talking about today. the role of religion and morality in american society and culture and our entire system of government. garfield made this statement, mr. speaker, and i believe it's more applicable today, as it has been in any day in which we have lived. here's what he said. ever d, now more than before the people are responsible for the character of their congress. if that body be ignorant, wreckless and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, wrecklessness and corruption. if they be intelligent, brave and pure, it's because the people demand these qualities to represent them in the national legislature.

then he said this, mr. speaker. if the next centennial does not find us a great nation, it will be because the people who represent the enterprise, the culture and the morality of the nation did not aid in controlling the political forces. what a powerful statement. mr. speaker, being reminded of that statement, i would ask us how can we an they, the people be involved, be it in the enterprise, the culture or morality of the nation, how can we, as garfield said, be involved in controlling the political forces if we do not have the first amendment protections to do so? how can we be engaged if we

continue to chip away at the right of people to believe what they believe and to exercise those beliefs within the public square without fear of intimidation or punishment? mr. speaker, i believe now more than ever is a time for us not to chip away at our first amendment rights, but to defend them and protect them and ensure that those rights are maintained for all americans, now and for the next generation and for as long as this nation exists. mr. speaker, i want to thank you for indulging me at this time. i appreciate it so much. as the first amendment defense act becomes -- comes before this body in the weeks to come, i hope and pray that we will stand behind it. thank you and yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the

gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, is recognized for the balance of the hour as the designee of the majority eader. the gentleman has 32 minutes remaining. mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. i appreciate very much my .riend, mr. hice, ceding me very sad day around the country . o much in the way of sympathy, prayers for the victims' families in dallas, greatly ppreciated -- dallas greatly

appreciated. as someone who grew up looking forward to visits to the big , it's deeply troubling to see what's happened there. the police chief, the dallas he said that the suspect said he wanted to kill white people, especially white police officers. and i do, i was listening in the cloakroom to a press conference going on now from some of our african-american members of congress, defending black lives matter, and discussing the unfairness in america for african-americans

.n this country races of the he officers that were all shot. apparently the suspect said he wanted to shoot, kill white a cers, but i know there's lot of officers in dallas, a , had the ferent races opportunity, try it, calling a murder case for 10 yeeks in dallas, an opportunity -- weeks in dallas, an opportunity. but i worked with some incredible dallas police because of my background i continue to have great respect for law enforcement officers. and that was something that we had seen since the protest days of the 1960's and 1970's, the

calling of police officers pigs , calling them all kinds of names. terrorists from those days, that have now grown up, even teaching college, wanted to kill pigs. wanted to kill police officers back then. back then it wasn't a race issue. it was just killing what they called pigs. and having served four years in the army, back after vietnam, we weren't ever in combat in my four years, but we knew what it was to be spit at, to be ridiculed, and at times to be told not to wear your uniform off post because people hate you so much. so i have some empathy for what officers have gone through.

evil, the hatred that rought about 9/11, killing thousands of precious lives, taking so many lives, innocent , had a result that i didn't expect. it brought america together. september 12, there on our town square in tyler, texas, people f all walks, age, race, gender , it didn't matter. we came together, we sang together, we prayed together. and even all held hands together. as i've said before, the thing i loved about that day was, there was no -- there were no

hyphenated americans on september 12 of 2001. we were americans. without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, gender, age, none of that mattered. we were americans. we'd been attacked and we were wanting to stand together. . in all our sympathy for those after,d on 9/11, the day it felt good to be together. and for about three months, our hurches were filled and people were asking god to bless america again.

and it felt good to be together as americans. body from organizations like freedom from religion who dared show their face that day, because people across america were begging god for his protection, for his blessings, as he has through most of our ation's history. there's an article that's "thedy come out today from federalist" publication. five takeaways from the dallas police chief's conference. dallas mayor and dallas police chief held a press conference friday morning in the wake of the sniper shooting during a black liveso matter protest that

killed five police officers and injured seven more. number one, police killed the suspect with a robot carrying a bomb. number two, the gunman said he wanted to kill white people, white officers. gsmber three, brown and rawlin were unclear about the number of suspects. anymore four, brown said police don't get the support. number five, they ask for prayer. and i appreciate my fellow members of congress feeling the need to have a press conference today and again to support the movement of black lives matter and the injustices that have happened at the hands of police officers.

as i have said many times during my adult life, including especially during my days as a district judge handling felony cases, where humans are involved, there will be mistakes and wrongdoing. and no matter what profession, there will be people who do wrong. but i have always taken solace in the fact, what i believe is the fact that amongst law enforcement, those who would do wrong or who may be prejudice in their motivation, the numbers are so much fewer percentage-wise than in the general population. and that's why over the last seven and a half years it has

grieved me greatly to see our president rebuff the opportunity to bring us together as a nation any time an incident involved a police officer. his knee-jerk reactions repeatedly, whether it was saying the police acted stupidly band wagon the against police when it turned out the police were in the right. there have been instances where they were not. and there are some on video where it clearly appears they did terribly wrong and reacted terribly wrong. and when that happens, perpetrators, wrongdoers ought to be punished. that doesn't matter.

but it seems as long as we have oups like black lives matter who will just become unnerved and inflamed when a democratic candidate for president says all lives matter and chastise him for saying all lives matter that he has to withdraw his belief that all lives matter and go back to saying, you're right. you're right. it's just black lives matter. that's nowhere near approaching the dream that martin luther king junior had just about two and-a-half miles down the mall here in front of the lincoln memorial.

so we had people after 9/11 return to loving and appreciating and an outpouring of support for first responders, law enforcement, because they saw that when push came to shove , the huge majority of law officers pu their own life at risk for the benefit of others thout regard to race, creed, religion, color, gender. their job is to serve and protect and they do an amazing job. but i just keep going back to the statement of the police police don't feel support most days, but they need

it now. but when elected officials contribute to stoking the flame of hatred and animosity toward our law enforcement, then people that don't have the reasoning ability that most of our elected officials have gets stoked, they get inflamed. and we don't need anybody coming out and blaming guns before that person even knows what kind of guns were used. and i know we have friends that keep saying, if you are on the no-fly list, which means if you're on the list, that has a reat deal of ar by temporaryness that they will not

tell congress who goes on the no-fly list and even if they don't tell us how to get off, if you are mistakenly put on it as ted kennedy and so many others is a formula for disaster for toe tall aryanism and don't need a list that is made in secret with a secret way of getting off that we're not away of. that's not the way you go about trying to take away people's civil rights to keep and bear arms. after seeing the disaster in dallas, there's a number of things i knew. one is that the people in texas, most of them, except for the

agitators, so many have come in from outside, but most of them will respond and show their love and support to our law officers. in texas. -abiding and i hope and pray, mr. speaker , that we can stop the divisiveness. there's nothing wrong with arguing, there's nothing wrong with debate. that's how we got our constitution, a lot of yelling, fussing and bickering -- came foge. nothing wrong with disagreing until one person in this congress or in the white house has 100% lock on god's truth all

the time, then we need to argue, we need to debate. i would submit, we need to be prayerful in how we approach what we do, but it's good to debate. i grew up in a family of four kids. , butgued, fussed, bickered we came together as a family and still do. nd in times of hurting, we still come together. that's what we need to do as a nation. look forward to the day when there is no group that includes a race color, a skin color in its name. i look forward to that day when

it just doesn't matter. and it seems clear to me that as ong as we keep calling out distinctions between ourselves with matters of race, creed, color, national origin, gender, age, that there will continue to further nd prejudice engendered.-- i have seen video including those recently and i was horrified to see what happened. i didn't care what color the officer was, i didn't care what color the victim's skin color was. i was horrified that a victim would be treated as victims have

been recently. and i look forward to the day when the percentage of people committing crimes according to race have no need of being kept because it doesn't matter. we care about how you act, now how you look. but as long as those numbers keep being kept, they need to be looked at. and we need to get to the bottom ot just of why so many african-americans are being we see fromerica as the numbers the f.b.i. puts out, the huge majority are from other - the lives are taken by other

african-americans. and i look forward to my friends getting upset about that someday, about the numbers of deaths in cities controlled by african-americans that have made it hard to possess guns unless ou are a criminal. have people who want to constantly point to our justice system and say, see how unfair it is, i was asked last week, did you have capital murder cases and look someone in the eye and pronounce the death sentence. i had two. tried three capital cases. they take a long time to try, particularly with the jury selection. and someone, the same person said, and let me guess, both of those were black.

i look forward to the day when people don't assume that everything is about race, because it just so happens the two of the three capital murder cases where i had to sentence someone to death, they were white defendants. the one case where the defendant did not get the death penalty, though he was convicted of murder, happened to be african-american. defense issue raised by caseney on a death penalty out of another court, but in our county, and they -- and i was subpoenaed as a witness to testify about the disproportionate number of

african-americans who had not een allowed to be grand jury foremen. and when they actually got the list of my grand juries -- the judge doesn't pick the grand juries. they are selected by grand jury commissioners of different races, creed, colors, as long as they are american citizens. they pick the grand jury and the only thing the judge picks in texas is the informationmen. and after they got the list of grand juries that i had, presided over, and they saw that there was a disproportionate more african-americans who had been foremen of the grand jury, they told me they didn't want me as a witness, because clearly i was not going to help their case.

. but when i selected a foreman of a grand jury, i didn't care what their color was. i knew we needed good, sound leadership and every person i ever selected as a foreman of the grand jury i knew was a aring, intelligent, upstanding leader in our community. i didn't care what their color was. jesus said, greater love have no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. he certainly would know. he did exactly that. i love that being the first thing on the plaque for father damien, one two of the statues that we have in the capitol from hawaii.

-- one of the two statues that we have in the capitol from hawaii. abraham lincoln in 1864 said, in regard to this great book, he capitalized great and book, talking about the bible, he said, i have to say, i believe the bible is the best gift god all the good n, savior, i know that term offends so many, but this was abraham lincoln's own words, all the good savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. the bible. but for this book -- but for this book, he said, we could not know right from wrong. all things most desirable for man's welfare, here and here ter, are to be found

portrayed in it. mr. speaker, i want to finish with a verse and a personal incident. since abraham lincoln, and most all of our presidents have highly commended use of the bible as getting this nation on dislodged, e become , i'm nted, divisive oing to go to matthew 22:35. one of them who was a lawyer, being a lawyer you figure, leave it to a lawyer to try to stirrup trouble, but one of them who was a lawyer tested him by asking him, quote, teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?

unquote. jesus, this is his quote, jesus said to him, you shall love the lord, your god, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. this is the first and greatest commandment. and the second is like it. you shall love your neighbor as yourself. and on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. some people wonder about it, what does he mean, on those two commands, love god, love each other, what does he mean, all the law and the prophets hang on those two commands? if you were to outline the 10 commandments that god gave us and that most of our history, our leaders have believed came from god himself, that's why

moses appeared directly above me -- up here, directly above me, facing me, is the full face of the greatest law givers in the history of the world, is because at one time all of the supreme court thought those 10 commandments were great commandments. now probably at least four would say, maybe five or six, were ok. but for most of our history, they felt those 10 were great commandments. nd if you do an outline, you categorize all of those 10 commandments, they all fall -- fit neatly under two categories. one, love god. number two, love each other. that came home very clearly to when my mother, she had a brain tumor, we knew

it would eventually take her. the doctors had made that clear. they made clear that there was othing more that could be done . and mother had said she wasn't interested in seeing more doctors, because they'd said the same thing. and since she was my life-long english teacher, but especially my eighth grade english teacher, and she loved poetry, i threw one of her poems back t her from dylan thomas. rage, rage against the dying of the light. do not go gentle into that good night. mother wrote back that she was thrilled that i paid attention. but she quoted from another living t talked about

with such faith, that at the end of life you can lie down on around h, wrap covers you. well, the doctors said, we don't think she's got all that much longer to live. they weren't quite accurate. but she had been reduced, thin creditably brilliant woman, to -- this incredibly brilliant woman, to a wheelchair. it took her a long time to say things. this incredibly brilliant woman. put herself through baylor, 1/2 years, her parents -- 2 1/2 years, her parents lived by the campus so she could work full time, go to school, i didn't know until after she passed, a member of the big honor society there. anyway, she loved our kids, she loved our spouses. but one weekend we decided,

let's just have the four immediate children go back to mount pleasant, spend the eekend with mom, and we did. that saturday morning we sat around the breakfast table for hours, like we did years before. , we ld stories, we laughed made good-natured fun much each other. -- fun of each other. we would disagree. and then we'd come back around and kid and love each other. went on for three or four hours. mother didn't say anything. , finally mother said, this stay got quiet, we'd

there all night if it took it to hear what mother had to say, my favorite ut, is thing. that's all she had to say. i left later that weekend to , became k to tyler clear, if you were a heavily parent -- heavenly parent, wouldn't you want your children loving you and loving each ther and all the law hang on those two? love your parent, love each

other. akes care of things. what jesus said made perfect sense. when forward to the day martin luther king jr.'s dream will be fulfilled and nobody will care about putting black lives matter, white lives matter, nobody will care what color people are, that we will come together again without any high of nation as americans -- high ofenation as americans. but as long as we have leaders who will continue to pick at a scab, refuse to let it heal, then our law officers are in danger, our country's in danger and this little experiment

with the democratic republic is in severe jeopardy. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman have a motion? mr. gohmert: mr. speaker, at this time i would move that we do now hereby 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 much. the motion is adopted. according liquor the house live to the house floor.

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] our nation awakens to more news of deadly violence around the country. fear of safety from such violence prevails in many places. fear of you, o lord, is the beginning of wisdom. bless the members of this people's house with such wisdom as they continue to work -- as they continue the work of this assembly, guide them to grow in understanding in attaining solutions to our nation's needs. bless those as well charged with protecting and serving our country. they, too, need wisdom and insight into the pressure ints of insecurity among our citizens. lord, have mercy. may all that is done this day be for your greater honor and glory.

men. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance today will be offered by the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson. mr. thompson: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to five requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, -- the speaker: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker is recognized for one minute. we are all stunned

by the events last night in dallas. we are all outraged. an attack on the people who protect us is an attack on all of us. our hearts are with the dallas police department. our hearts are with the victims , and especially with their loved ones. they wear the badge too. i know that to be a cop's wife, to be a cop's husband is to prepare for the worst, but who could have fathom such horror as this? there's no cause or context in which this violence, this kind of terror is justified. none at all. there will be a temptation to let our anger harden our divisions. let's not let that happen. there's going to be a temptation to let our anger send us further into our corners. let's not let that happen. that script is just too easy to

write. it's too predictable. let's defy those predictions. a few perpetrators of evil do not represent us. hey do not control us. blame those who committed these vicious attacks and no one else. and as the president rightfully said, justice will be done. we also have to let the healing be done as well. this has been a long week for our country. it's been a long month for america. we have seen terrible, terrible, senseless things. every member of this body, every republican and every democrat wants to see less gun violence. every member of this body wants a world in which people feel safe regardless of the color of

their skin. that's not how people are feeling these days. sometimes we disagree on how to get there. sometimes we disagree passionately on how to get there, but in having this debate, let's not lose sight of the values that unite us. let's not lose sight in our common humanity. the values that brought those protesters to the streets in dallas, the values that brought those protesters to the streets in washington last night -- respect, decency, compassion, humanity. if we lose those fundamental things, what's left? we need to take a moment here for reflection, for thought, for prayer, for justice, for action. right now, let's let justice be done and let's also let some healing occur too. i yield.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? ms. pelosi: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. pelosi: thank you, mr. speaker. the ambush and murder of police officers during a peaceful protest is a tragedy that tears it at the heart of every american. i agree with the speaker that this -- episodes like this must not harden our divisions but should unify us as a country. we are all horrified by this despicable act of violence and we share in the shock and grief for the officers killed, their loved ones and the entire dallas community. when these officers left their homes earlier in the day, there's always the chance that they would be in danger. right now we don't even know the names of all of them.

the names have not yet been released, but i do want to acknowledge dart officers brett thompson and those names yet to be released as well as those who were wounded, including one civilian. many questions have yet to be answered, but whatever the motivation of the perpetrators of this horrible crime, it is clear that those perpetrators of this vial act have an agenda of evil. the past few days have seen too much death and too much heartbreak. as martin luther king wrote, darkness cannot drive out darkness. only light can do that. hate cannot drive out hate. only love can do that. and that, of course, reminds me of our glorious song of saint francis which is the anthem of my city of san francisco that i call upon now.

saint francis, appeal to the lord. make me an instrument of thy peace. where there is darkness may i bring light. where there is despair, may i bring hope. i associate myself with the remarks of the speaker when he referenced our president. justice will be done. justice must be done. we must also mercy must be done. and as we do that, as we seek mercy and justice, i also want to reference a remark of the mayor of dallas when he said we st get to the root causes of what happened last night. and in that spirit, i want to also acknowledge alton sterling in baton rouge and philando castile. we have to get the facts and to the root causes of what caused these tragedies. in the spirit of martin luther king and of saint francis, we

must continue to work of nonviolence and demand an end to senseless killing everywhere. we must do so while sharing our common values, our safe in the dignity and worth of every person, the spark of divinity hat lives in all of them and our tremendous, tremendous grief in the loss of life. just in particular for the families of the police officers, thank you. thank you for sharing your loved ones with us. we pray that it is a comfort to you that so many people mourn your loss and are praying for onute. mr. cleaver: mr. speaker, sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes out of chaos we can find our purpose.

t is going to be my prayer this night and for the next few nights that this body can see clearly that our purpose is to lead our nation away from the edge of the mayor's nest of fear and a response to fear that creates even more fear. we do so by understanding that words matter. words matter. they can do damage. i grew up in public housing in texas right outside of dallas, texas, and in the projects they would say, sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me. wasn't true when i was a boy and it isn't true today. words can hurt. words can horrify. words can hinder. words can also heal, and one of

the things we need more today than we have in the immediate past are words of healing instead of words of hate. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. mr. lamalfa: mr. speaker, i rise today with deep sadness at the horrific spectacle that took place las night in dallas where members of the dallas police and dallas rapid transit system were singled out with terrorist activity during what had been a civil protest ironically about officers themselves. they stood in the gap, even keeping order as their fellow officers were falling, as they were being protested previously in the march over recent tragic events that happened elsewhere

in our nation. as the sniper shots rang out, as they saw their brothers falling, these dallas officers still responded to their internal call to duty, to protect not themselves but the innocent demonstrators that were also in that line of fire. mr. speaker, time and again, the american police force has showed their commitment to all lives and will continue to do so. like any government agency, they need to be accountable when they do bad also, but we know the vast number of contacts with police and all lives of americans are for the positive and the well-being of their security. john 15:13, greater love has no man than this as he lay down his life for his friends. now, five officers' lives have been taken in the line of duty have shown that greater love. our country uplifted god these five lives lost, those injured are still in medical peril, their families and loved ones who suffer beside them for comfort and healing. we're more indebted to them than we can ever express. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california may seek his own one minute and yield on his feet. mr. honda: thank you, mr. chairman. i would like to yield my one minute to mr. cleaver. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cleaver: thank you, mr. honda. thank you, mr. speaker. when a nation experiences a tragedy like the one we have just witnessed, it can either weaponize, ize, and fragmi advertise -- frag ma advertise or it can harmonize and mobilize. the house of representatives of the united states must choose the latter. when reason fails as it sometimes does, in my world

it's time to pray. we have multiple religious affiliations in this body, but all of us believe in something that would condemn any kind of violence, even verbal violence. the world is watching what we do. and we shouldn't waste time atching over our ideology. a little boy closed his finger in the door and began to cry. his name was bob. and he began to cry and cry and cry. his parents ran in and his other brother, billy, was also crying. and so the parents thought both of them were hurt. but when they looked at billy, they said you haven't been hurt. why are you crying? e said, i'm helping bob cry. this whole nation is crying and

those of us here remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, we mourn the loss of police officers in dallas and we pray for the recovery of those who are still in the hospital trying to heal. as the brother of two police officers and son of a police officer, this is every family member's worst nightmare to think that when you see them off to work that you may never see them come home. mr. swalwell: we stand here, this house, with the families. we think about sergeant scott lunger in hayward, california, who lost his life on july 22 last year. but it's also not inconsistent as we mourn the death of these police officers to also ask for ustice without delay for alton sterling of louisiana, and -- castile. steal

what's inconsistent is have a moment of silence and make a call of justice and then do nothing further in this chamber, the one place in the world where we can make the greatest difference to reduce gun violence. so i hope this house answers that call and does not stand silent any further but actually recognizes why we're here. to keep the public safe and to act. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. mr. barton: mr. speaker, the entire nation is aghast and shock and in mourning about what happened in dallas, texas, last evening. one of the officers that was killed, an officer named brent thompson, he's a constituent of corsicana, texas,

he's 43, or was 43 years old. he had just gotten married two weeks earlier. he was a dallas area rapid transit officer, a dart officer targeted, in hot, cold blood, by apparently an ganized effort to target police officers, perhaps even angelo police officers, in dallas. we need to pray for his family, and we also need to take a look at our society and make a decision that those who defend , admire, ld respect and support.

our prayers go out to officer thompson's family. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from michigan is recognized for one minute. mr. kildee: mr. speaker, my heart breaks as does the hearts of my colleagues with the terrible tragedy that took place last night and for the victims of the horrific violence that we have seen in the last few days and weeks. we're better than this. we can do better than this. and in this body we recognition? ms. johnson: i ask for a minute of remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. johnson: let me thank my colleagues from texas for joining me. the calculated ambush and murders of the dallas law enforcement officers during a peaceful protest in downtown dallas last night was a

disgraceful act of violence. it happened in my district. i live less than five blocks away. my prayers and sympathy go out to the families of the officers slain and the victims of the shooting. our response going forward, not just in dallas but across our nation will be more important now than ever before. my thoughts and prayers are also with the families of alton castile and philando who also lost their live this is week as well. we must de-escalate violence. this is a stark reminder that relations between law enforcement and the communities they serve remain extremely tense. we must do everything we cannot to inflame this tension even further. we need to recognize the root cause of this tension and work to end the divisiveness between law enforcement and citizens.

i do also want to commend the dallas police department. the dallas police chief, david brown, a constituent and someone i work with very closely in the llas area rapid transit work closely for their brave and swift response to the shooting. these officers are among some of the most capable and professional law enforcement officers in the country and i commend them for their bravery during this incident. . mr. speaker, i ask not just for a moment of silence, but also for firm action.

we need to bring meaningful legislation to the floor that will help bridge the divide between law enforcement and communities. >> i rise today as a proud and sad citizen of dallas, texas. i'm so proud of the thin blue line that keep all our citizens safe, including my wife, my son, my daughter. mr. hensarling: and so sad for the fallen, their family, their sons, their daughters, their spouses. it is a time of mourning. it is a time of prayer. but it is also a time of justice. swift and sure justice. for anyone who engaged in this act of evil. mr. speaker, it's also time for healing. it is a time to remember martin luther king's dream which should be america's dream that one diour children will grow up to be judged by the content of

their character and not the color of their skin. so i dream also that one day we may decide that it is not a controversial statement to say that all lives matter. because it's not a time for us, it is not a time for them. it is only a time for we, the people, to treasure all life and respecting the dignity of all of god's children. it's time to look into our hearts and ask the fundamental question, today, will i promote a color conscious society or will i promote a color blind society? today, will i exploit the wound or today will i tempt to heal the wound? may the god who gave us life and liberty heal the wounded of our nation. to heal the wounded of the city of dallas. to lift up the families of the fallen and to bless our land with greater peace and greater understanding. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. hoyer: mr. speaker, all of us were deeply shocked and heart broken to learn of the assassination of five police officers in dallas last night. nothing can ever justify the cold-blooded murder of those who have sworn to protect and serve. such an act does nothing to bring back those who were killed by police in previous days. killings that also shocked the conscience of our country. violence only begets violence. not justice. the killings of alton sterling

and philando castillo at the hands of law enforcement officers were horrifying and unacceptable. their families deserve a full investigation and for justice to be served. just as those five fallen officers deserve justice. justice for all. those officers who were shot in dallas and their families deserve that. as we mourn, we remember that the way we bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice is by bending it together. in the days ahead, let us focus on what unites us and on our shared determination to see justice prevail. black believes matter -- black lives matter. law enforcement officers' lives

matter. justice matters. life matters. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, as a resident of texas, representing parts of houston, texas, which includes the headquarters of the houston police department, the nation's heart is heavy and saddened. our hearts and prayers go out to the people of dallas, the families who have lost their fallen heroes. we respect all of those who are on front lines, allowing the american people to protest. we understand the young people who were of many colors and backgrounds, who felt compelled to protest the loss of life of

two individuals. the law enforcement officers respected that too. they understood the pain of mr. castile and mr. sterling's deaths. always in america we have been able to come as protesters under the constitution, but we recognize that "law and order" -- law and order is the standard of this nation. as i pray for these families, i ask that congresspersons rise to the level of leaders and leadership, to seek out unity. as i just spoke to the head of my police department, i extended my hand, to be able to work together with community and police, to bring us together. because that is why we are a great nation. and houston on sunday will march and mourn for those fallen. but we'll be praying for nonviolence in this nation. what i will say, mr. speaker, is that the words that are ugly of those who want to divide us,

i will not hear them, i will not listen to them. i will only embrace and bring us together and i will tell the young people whose faces i saw last evening in washington, who were a ray of mosaic colors and backgrounds and religions that we love you, we thank you for this protest of nonviolence, and we will stand against violent gun behavior and it is of thugs and terrorists, not of americans who want unity and respect for all, and human dignity. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. are there nur any further one minutes? -- are there any further one minutes? for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, that which has occurred in dallas, texas,

to the term eaning in the line of duty. there are of duty husbands who will not return home. in the line of duty, peace officers will not return home. i don't know the gender of all of them. and want to make sure that i cover all of them. let me just say, in the line of duty, there are peace officers who will not return home. those husbands and wives and children had every reason to believe that their loved ones would return home. they're in pain. we i want them to know that suffer together.

all of us in this country suffer whenever any one of us is taken by violence. innocent people in this country are suffering. people of goodwill are suffering. families are suffering. and my prayer is that out of this adversity we can build a unity that will afford us the opportunity to develop the harmony necessary for the people of the greatest nation in the world to live together. we have to span these chasms that divide us and forgiveness is in order. we must also make sure that justice is done. all who are associated with the dastardly deeds that occurred with reference to dallas must be arrested, convicted, must be prosecuted to the fullest extent that the law allows. there can be no exceptions.

their time has come now for those who are suffering to receive our prayers and our sympathies and i regret that in the line of duty has taken on a >> the president in poland for a nato meeting and president obama commented on the shooting in dallas at the beginning of a riefing. president obama: good morning, everybody. let me begin by thanking the presidents for the opportunity to meet today. with your understanding, i want to begin with a few words about the situation back in the united states, specifically the situation in dallas, texas.

my team has been keeping me updated throughout the morning about the evening in dallas. i spoke this morning with the mayor of dallas to convey the deepest condolences of the american people. i told him the federal government will provide whatever assistance dallas may need as it deals with this tremendous tragedy. we still don't know all the facts. what we do know is that there has been a vicious, calculated and diss pickable attack on law enforcement. police in dallas were on duty during -- doing their jobs, keeping people safe during peaceful protests. these law enforcement officers were targeted and nearly a dozen officers were shot. five were killed. other officers and at least one

civilian were wounded. some are in serious condition, and we are praying for their recovery. rawlings. ayor we are horrified over these events and stand united with the people and the police department in dallas. according to police, there are multiple suspects. we will learn more undoubtedly about their twisted motivations, but let's be clear. there's no possible justification for these kinds of attacks or any violence against law enforcement. the f.b.i. is already in touch with the dallas police and anyone involved in these senseless murders will be held fully accountable. justice will be done. i will have more to say about this as the facts become more clear. for now, let me just say even as

yesterday, i spoke about our need to be concerned, as all americans, about racial disparities in our justice system. i also said that our police have an extraordinarily difficult job and the vast majority of them do their job in outstanding fashion. i also indicated the degree to which we need to be supportive of those officers who do their job each and every day, protecting us and protecting our communities. today is a wrenching reminder of the sacrifices that they make for us. we also know that when people are armed with powerful weapons, unfortunately it makes attacks like these more deadly and more tragic. and in the days ahead, we are

going to have to consider those realities as well. in the meantime, today, our focus is on the victims and their families. they are heart broken. the entire city of dallas is grieving. police across america, a tight knit family feel this loss to their core and we are grieving with them. i ask all americans to save a prayer for these officers and their families, keep them in your thoughts and as a nation, let's remember to express our profound gratitude to our men and women in blue not just today, but every day. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> members of the congressional black caucus called on fellow makers to pass legislation aimed at reducing gun violence and the use of fatal force by police. after five dallas police officers were shot and killed and days after two black

civilians being shot by police officers in louisiana and minnesota. here are their comments and show you as much as we can. mr. butterfield: good morning to

all of you and thank you for coming on short notice, but this is an important day, and we need your coverage and need your attention and need for you to tell our story to the american people. i chair the 45-member congressional black caucus. collectively, we represent 30 million people in america. over half of whom are african-americans. and we come to this place each week to represent our constituents who are in pain. as of june 30, just a few days ago, 491 americans have been fatally shot by police. most of those were african-american. at this same point last year, 465 were killed by police. last night, crimes were committed against dallas police officers and when the dust

settled, five of them were dead as a result of an organized execution by criminals, who possessed guns and used them to the extreme. and so, the congressional black caucus convenes today to say to america that we are continuing our fight to remove guns from the hands of would-be terrorists and criminals and require background checks for those seeking to purchase firearms. we need legislative action now. we don't need to leave the hill this week or any week without assuring the american people that we understand the problem of police misconduct in america. we understand the murders of innocent black americans. we get it. we understand the problems faced by our law enforcement officers. and i don't want to diminish that in this conversation today. we understand the problems faced by law enforcement officers, most of whom put on the uniform

every day and serve and protect our communities. republicans, what on earth -- why are you calling and not giving us a debate on gun violence? give us a hearing, give us a debate, give us an up or down vote legislation on gun violence. last night on the floor, we were advised that several hundred protestors were enroute to the capitol demonstrating and exercising their first amendment rights by demanding that we, as elected officials, protect their sons and daughters and their grandsons and granddaughters, their brothers and their sisters. at 10:00 p.m., the congressional black caucus, along with other members from other caucuses, went outside the capitol and we met the demonstrators and spoke to them and we embraced them and

helped lead their march to the white house. they told us with clarity that black lives matter, that the movement is serious, it is organized and they demand legislative action now. and that we don't leave this place until it's done. i applaud -- we applaud the demonstrators last night for telling us that the deaths in baton rouge and in minnesota give them the energy and determination they need to pull off the band-aid of the disdain of police killings in america. the two acts of murder that we also sadly know must be addressed by law enforcement. it must be addressed by the congress of the united states. if we fail to act, this will be a long hot summer. in the rally last evening, a young lady held up a sign that

read, i went more last night than i slept, end of quote. america is weeping. they are angry. they are frustrated and congress and when i say congress, i mean the republicans in congress are refusing to address gun violence in america that targets black men and black women and hispanic men and hispanic women and yes, even police officers. the congressional black caucus is frustrated. you want to say we're mad? we're mad. we are determined to take our advocacy now to a higher level. this is our responsibility to our constituents and we thank you for covering us today. we ain't going to let nobody turn us around. thank you so very much. at this time, it is my honor to yield to the dean of the u.s. house of representatives, not

the dean of the democrats, the dean of the u.s. house of representatives, the ranking member of the committee on judiciary, the honorable john conyers. mr. conyers: thank you, mr. chairman. we are all here with a heavy heart and some growing anger about the process that is going on here in the congress. as i said before and i'll say it again, we need to adopt gun violence prevention legislation to expand background checks to all gun purchases and we need to reinstate a ban on the sale of military-style assault weapons. and at the same time, i also believe we need to take a comprehensive approach at addressing the issue of building

and strengthening trust between local police and their communities. i have dedicated a lot of my time in congress to policing issues, to gun violence prevention, introducing legislation, chairing town hall meetings across the country and meeting with the grieving families of both citizens and fallen officers alike. and as a part of the controversial 1994 crime bill, i was able to pass the federal pattern and practice of enforcement provision that allows the department of justice to investigate state and local olice departments, mostly like baltimore, for unconstitutional

practices. now i have introduced the law enforcement trust and integ right -- integrity that would provide incentives to local police organizations to voluntarily adopt standards to ensure the incidents of misconduct will be minimized through appropriate management training and oversight protocols. and now we're working negotiating a new version law enforcement of the trust integrity act to bring before our committee. however, like too many well intended efforts, we're stuck trying to push toward a finish, but negotiations are still going on. we have to be able to find agreement on major items, like

accreditation standards, best practices, body cameras and even data collection. the real challenge is now finding the support that will bring this bill forward in the committee. and so, we must begin to deal with these tragic shooting deaths of alton sterling and philando castile which could have been avoided and with better training particularly in detentions and use of force as addressed by accreditation standards and best practices provisions that are currently in negotiation. so out of respect for all who have lost their lives, both law enforcement and civilians, we must dedicate ourselves to engaging the difficult issues to

make lasting change in our communities and heal as a nation. we must debate and we must vote. that's what we're here for in the congress. thank you. mr. butterfield: thank you, congressman conyers. next is congresswoman sheila jackson lee, the ranking member f the subcommittee on crime. ms. jackson lee: mr. chairman, i stand here today with members of the congressional black caucus, each of whom have hearts and minds. and i know that we will hear soon from congressman john lewis under whom many of us were tutored along with the late dr. martin luther king. advocates of nonviolence. we are students of protests. but we also as our hearts are

broken, as i mourn with my of theresidents of texas loss of five officers now have mourning them their family, children and community. they died in the line of duty. as members of the united states congress, i have watched my colleagues fight for justice and equal treatment for all. and they have cried over the bodies of those who have been lost in gun violence. and as we watch the protests that have gone on and those that will come, america should know that those protests were nonviolent. they were crying out for action. they were crying out in pain. but i never heard one person talk about an attack on law enforcement officers or undermining the laws of this

nation, for we are a nation of laws. you will find that the movement that many of us were involved in, the protest movement, the violence came towards us. we did not offer any violence. so today we stand here answering the call of leadership. each of these members will go home to their districts and will seek peace and understanding, but they will respond that there must be action. and so as we mourn the loss of those fallen last night in a criminal terrorist act of killing five officers, the largest since 9/11, we mourn mr. castile and mourn mr. sterling and we mourn all of those and we ask that the nation sees us as leaders of peace. we are asking the speaker of the house, and asking the majority

leader to now realize that an ar-15 does not discriminate. it finds itself in the hearts and the bodies of many that we love. and so we're calling on the passage of no fly, no buy. we are calling on the passage of closing the loophole but also calling on the passage of bringing together of police and community, the law enforcement and integrity act. we hope there will be round table of discussions between police and community and we will be in the midst of those discussions calling upon peace and then finally let me say, we cannot do this without resources, resources for police, resources for young people in pain, resources for community. we are fighting for monies that are needed to bring our communities together. i'll join with congressman conyers on the judiciary committee to fight for

legislation that will respond to the needs of police and respond to the needs of community. our hearts are broken and we will pray this weekend in houston, marching for peace, nonviolence and the action of the united states congress to take violent guns and violent people off the streets of this nation. mr. butterfield: thank you congresswoman sheila jackson lee. the congressional black caucus is the conscience of the congress. the gentleman from from the 5th istrict of georgia, mr. lewis. mr. lewis: thank you very much, chairman butterfield. my wonderful sisters and brothers of the congressional

black caucus, we're like a family. , for the r our nation eople in louisiana, minnesota, for the police officers and the eople in dallas. there isn't any room in our society for violence. as sheila jackson lee said, we respect law enforcement. these individuals were doing their job. there needs to be greater training for law enforcement. and sometimes i feel that maybe

not only those of us that engage in nonviolent protests, but police officers need to be taught a way of peace, the way of love, the way of nonviolence, to respect the dignity in the words of every human being. hat's what we were taught. when you are arrested and jailed, we didn't fight back. and today, we -- we feel the the we feel the hurt for people in baton rouge and in minnesota and dallas and all across our country that whatever we do, we must do it in an rderly, peaceful, nonviolent fashion. we have redeemed the soul of america and bring us foge and

what dr. king called the beloved community because we all live in the same house. and it doesn't matter whether we latino, or white, asian or native american. we are one people, we are one family, we are one house. we must learn to live together as brothers and sisters. if not, we will pass as fools. we have too many guns. there's too much violence. and we must act. thank you very much. mr. chairman. mr. butterfield: thank you, congressman john lewis. 5 u led the years in 1963, 196

and thank you very much. he next speaker is congressman richmond. stand here i speaking and i would have to say today, it's probably the angriest i have ever been while addressing the public and the media. and i share the anger of our young kids. when we look at this congress, we can do nothing but conclude that they are co-conspirators in the devaluation of the lives of men and women of color and that the system attic devaluation from massive incarceration, to the lack of investment in communities show that we have little faith or concern about their future.

green, lso say al congressman from texas, reminded us yesterday dr. king's quota, in the end, it will not be the words of your enemies that you remember, but the silence of your friends. and john lewis will tell you during the civil rights movement, one of the reasons we are so strong is that people of all walks of life came together to talk about injustice. we are calling on our friends from every community, from the human rights community to the jewish community, to the hispanic community, we're calling on all of our friends to join in this fight about injustice. and let me just say yesterday a

few of us joined together and those in judiciary, requested the chairman of judiciary to convene a hearing on the use of deadly force because we thought this country was at a tipping point where our young people are so angry and have not seen any action while their friends and family are mowed down in the street, that that frustration was at a tipping point. and we again today call upon speaker ryan, chairman goodlatte to convene an adult conversation about the use of deadly force, the need for ar-15's on our streets, the need for high-capacity maga zeens, no fly, no buy. but if this congress does not have the guts to lead, then we are responsible for all the bloodshed on the streets of america whether it be at the

hands of people wearing a uniform or whether it's at the hands of criminals. we bare that responsibility if we don't act. closing, i will just say as the congressional black caucus, we stand here today in a lot of pain. we stand here today very angry. we stand here today with our hearts very heavy. but we stand here today with our resolve stronger than its ever been that we can lead this country and have to show the leadership in this country to make this country that it should be and the country we want it to be and the country that our precious children deserve. i want to thank you and my colleagues who i have learned so much from and their leadership on this issue. and we aren't just the conscious of this congress, we are the intellectual capacity of it, too. and at some point, they will

start to listen and start to follow, because the answers to our problems are contained in the newly capacity of this -- intellectual capacity. mr. butterfield: congressman texas.e 33rd district of >> good morning and i'm in my second term in congress and i can tell you that this is the saddest day for me being a member of congress. mr. veasey: what happened in the city of dallas last night, i -- esent part of dallas, is not only the saddest day for me as a member of congress but i can't think of any event in the dallas area that has been this

solemn. i was on the phone earlier this morning and i spoke to one of the police officers -- one of the families of the police officers that was killed. i talked to the mom and the aunt that was killed. he lived in fort worth and grew up in the district i represent and his parents still live in the fort worth area. and i roundly condemned the violence that took place last night and what happened to those police officers is absolutely horrible. it was hate-filled what happened. the police officers and the protestors were getting along last night and taking pictures with one another last night. the gunman, the people that were involved in this senseless act had nothing to do with the protestors. and the protestors and the police according to some reports

after the shooting happened, even helped each other last night. and yesterday, we had a press event to talk about what happened in louisiana and talk about what happened in minnesota. i got to tell you, i have a -- he's more like his mom. look like both of us, but right now he is a cute fifth grader, but i worry about him when he he gets into en

and i don't want anything to happen to him just because maybe he shoots off or maybe he doesn't do something that someone doesn't like and have -- that can be prevented with just better understanding between the community and the police department. and just because i want that for my son, does not mean that i don't support the police 100%. without the police, we would have anarchy in the streets, we would have no order and the country that we live in wouldn't be the country that we know today where we have a free press and have freedom of speech, where we have the right to gather and protest. and that is all that i want. i want the police officers to be

protected, but i do want to know when my son gets a little bit older and he starts -- and his voice starts to change and put on weight like his dad that he will be given the same benefit of the doubt that any other kid would be for maybe having a smart mouth or maybe not doing what the police officer says that he didn't think he should have been doing or whatever the circumstances may be, i want him to have the same chance as any other kid in his school. thank you. mr. butterfield: thank you, congressman veasey. the next and final speaker will chicago, tlelady from congresswoman robin kelly who returns to washington with horror stories from chicago. she is not only the member who

omes back hotels us the horror stories but we have it from los angeles and new york and san antonio. thank you for your advocacy. ms. kelly: the united states is on edge if we are going to go over the cliff or take a step back and find a space for peace and solidarity. i associate myself with what my colleagues have said. our black men and boys cannot be looked as animals in a jungle that are dangerous and shot all too often. but -- i came from a family of law enforcement and i texted my cousin in new york last night and my nephews in chicago to be safe and they are trying to do the right thing and trying to protect us. we have to find peace together. we can't continue like this.

but we have to be the leaders in finding the solution to this gun violence problem. it's the commonsense gun laws and police-community relations and getting more african-americans in the law enforcement field. what's the root causes. why are people taking up guns and not books and pens and pencils. we have to work together. congresswoman lawrence dropped a bill yesterday that deals with all of those components because it's not just one thing. it its not just one thing. it's all of those things together. and i vow to fight to the end. i haven't stood up for moments in silence for a long time because we don't do anything. and it is time to act and time to act for everybody whether you die alone, die in a mass shooting or you are a police officer. thank you. mr. butterfield: thank you congresswoman kelly and i thank all of my colleagues and open

for questions. in rter: the police chief dallas this morning talked about the suspect who died and said he wanted to kill white people and wanted to kill cops. he said he was upset by the black lives matter movement. you have been blaming the lack of gun control action for part of this problem. do you think -- do you have any concern with the black lives matter movement, some of the folks in there, what the people have been saying about the police. mr. butterfield: we have to be intelligent to separate the issues. the congressional black caucus not only supports black lives matter, but we embrace black libes matter. each member of our caucus follow that sentiment. but i know all of them individually standing before you

and embrace the goals and ideals of black lines matter. there are multiple issues we are facing in america. we are talking about number one, about taking away guns from terrorists and would be-be terrorists and criminals who use police ns to kill 491 shootings in america so far this year. at this same point last year, 465 americans were shot by police. senselessly and unnecessarily. we have to separate that. as congressman veasey said a moment ago, this does not discount our support for law enforcement all across the country. we said in our public and private meetings that 99.8% of poli officers in this country are wonderful men and women who put on the uniform each day and they serve and protect and

defend us and they defend our constituents and our communities. so i want us to be intelligent enough to separate the issues that we are talking about today. if someone goes in a building and assassinates five police officers, they are a terrorist, by any definition. they are a terrorist and they are not part of the black lives matter movement, what their motivations were, the criminal justice system and law enforcement will figure that out. i have seen the early reports. but let's be intelligent to separate the issues we are debating today. i yield to congressman al green from texas. comment, therst, a .ation is in mourning we are a country that is suffering. that suffering eminates from the loss of innocent human life,

innocent life whether it is at the hands of these assassins who kill police officers or at the hands of persons who represent them, any loss of innocent life is something that we deplore and that we must always protect innocent life. 'm a former president of the naacp and served as a judge of the small claims justice court and a lawyer. i assure you that people of goodwill denounce any statements that have been made reference to the shooting of peace officers. we absolutely adamantly totally oppose anyone who would advocate shooting police officers. we totally, completely, without hesitation equivocation or

reservation, want to make it clear, what happened in dallas, texas was beneath the standards that human beings have set to live peacefully with each other. and we want to make sure that those persons who are involved in this are prosecuted to the fullest extent that the law allows just as anyone who harms a person who happens to be a innocent person with a taillight out. that person has to be punished to the fullest extent that the law allows. now with reference to the congress of america, before we can get these acts of congress to pass the legislation that my ar sister advocates for, representative richmond talked about, you have to have a congress willing to act. the congress of the united states of america has refused to

act of issues of importance to the american people. the speaker of the house has to be called on the carpet for what he has failed to do. make no mistake about it. the speaker has the power, he has the political power here to call and convene a meeting to bring in the head of the f.b.i. and demand that he account for an investigation. if he can do this, he can demand that we bring in the appropriate people so we can find out what is happening in this country. that is his responsibility. and we will not let him off the hook. mr. butterfield: thank you congressman al green. there is no question that the power to address this issue is in the hands of speaker paul

ryan and i hope he understands the significant importance of bringing this bill to the floor. we continue to entertain questions. reporter: congressman veasey, a question for you, what have you been hearing this morning from constituents and family members and friends in dallas and what's your message to them? mr. veasey: i did speak with the dallas police department and was updated as much as they could on everything's that is happening. and i talked to one of the parents of the slain police officer. the dallas police department -- was a veteran also, served in the navy, currently in the navy reserves. graduated from one of our local fort worth in the

independence schools. one of the staffers went to high school with the slain police officer and his wife and graduated with the wife. that is something that is very deep, close and personal to myself as well as i'm sure congresswoman johnson and i have been in that same area in dallas more times than i can remember in downtown dallas. walked the streets, entertained there, ate there. everything and just to see that happening in the metroplex in i as it really hit me like have never been hit before. mr. butterfield: thank you. next question. eporter: the question is for congressman lewis and have been talking about the civil rights movement in comparison. how does it differ from what you

aced in the 1963 and 1964? mr. lewis: sometimes i want to believe we have made much more that ss, but then i think sometimes we are sliding back. the scars and stains of racism that are still deeply embedded in american society. and i think what is happening that we cannot sweep it under the rug in a dark corner. we have to deal with it, all of us, congress, local government. the religious community. but i have faith and hope that we will get there. we were jailed, we were beaten.

i got arrested 40 times during the 1960's. left bloody unconscious by police officers, but i never hated. and each time i see a police officer whether on capitol hill or back in atlanta or in texas , i say iana or wherever thank you for your service. i really believe that we must come to that point in our country where we respect the dignity and the worth of every human being. we can do it. the leaders must lead. i think too many people in the ongress, are in the taillights and not headlights. reporter: you said you are reaching out to friends in other

communities and what kind of feedback and support are you getting from hispanic leaders in and out of congress and are you concerned by comments like the one that former congressman joe walsh was putting on twitter and blaming president obama for the chaos that we are going through as a country now. i'm wondering what are you hearing and also the fact that the n.r.a. has been sigh ent on his whole issue as well -- silent on this whole issue as well? mr. butterfield: chairman guter res. from illinois was with us last night and spoke passionately as well as congressman castro from texas. r. richmond.

mr. richmond: in congress, a number of our colleagues from the progressive caucus and hispanic caucus have joined in this issue and walked in protest also and been arm-in-arm with us as we address it. as we talk about the n.r.a., let high pock l you, the contrast si is so blatant. one of the men had a concealed permit, which they advocate for and go around to states that they pass concealed carry laws and bring weapons to work, church and to school. how do you advocate for that and then you watch the result of it with a young black men who says i have a permit, which you advocated for, and you sit by quietly. i'll tell you, look, my life

experiences, i always thought the n.r.a. was not concerned about me and i hunt and fish and own a gun. but the last few days have clarified it for me that their second amendment concern is void of concern for african-americans and i just believe that we cannot give them a pass on not making a comment, not defending this young man and not calling for some change. let me just touch upon black lives matter. people cannot use black lives matter as a scape goat. those young kids came together to protest something that was not imagined, something that was real. and they came back and started protesting in ferguson and the sad part is we keep having more

events that they have to protest. so when we talk about their anger and their frustration and their activism, you can't blame for these incidents happening. and as much as people would like to call them thugs and other things, they do that for their comfort so they can explain to themselves why bad things happen. and the truth of the matter for young african-american kids and young african-american males, yesterday, we had a press conference that if we were not wearing suits, people would lump us into the category of young black thugs based on how we dress and unfair to do that to the black lives movement that has been positive and created and sparked a debate where presidential candidates had to address the issue of whether black lives matter. let's just say the fact that their number one goal is that

law enforcement not kill unarmed black people, should be low-hanging fruit. the economic goal is opportunity so every young black boy and girl can reach their dreams. and about blaming president obama, that is absolute nonsense from people who can't get offer the fact that michelle and president obama and his children wake up every day in the white house. reporter: i know yesterday you guys had called for meetings with attorney general lynch and f.b.i. director and both have been set up. is there any update on that? you want to d: answer that? mr. jeffries: our nation is in mourning because of the painful

things that have taken place this week in baton rouge, of siana and the subsuburbs minneapolis. scripture says while suffering may endure during the long night, joy will come in the morning. but in order to get from suffering to joy, got to be willing in america to have a meaningful, legitimate, authentic conversation about the hallenges that race continues that race continues to pose and the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color. that's why we called for a high-level conversation unfettered between leadership here in the congressional black caucus, the attorney general, the f.b.i. directo