roe: thank you, madam speaker. today i rise to celebrate and pay tribute to my hometown of johnson city, tennessee, for -- centennial. just 13 years later in 1869, johnson city was founded holding its first election on january 3, 1870, when voters elected mr. johnson as the city's first mayor. today, johnson city boasts a diverse economy, attracting national and regional companies while also sporting countless small business owners. the city is home to three major hospitals, to the james h. quillon v.a. medical center which serves more than 70,000 veteran city and to east tennessee state university, recognized for the highly regarded quillon college of medicine and gat lan college of pharmacy. -- gat lane college of pharmacy. gaitlain college of pharmacy. i ask for unanimous consent to submit a more complete statement for johnson city's history for the record and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? >> ma

madam speaker, today i rise -- thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, today i rise in support of this bill. a court ruled the entire affordable care act was unconstitutional and president trump's justice department did nothing to defend the affordable care act. they even urged the judge to strike down protections to those with pre-existing conditions. now, i've heard and i understand my colleagues on the other side of the aisle don't like the affordable care act. but not to defend it, not to talk about the benefits is not defensible. i've heard many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk about how they want to protect those with pre-existing conditions. well, this is one way for us to protect those with pre-existing conditions. i see the as a doctor. i don't want to go back to the days when i would see patients who had cancer, had diabetes, had heart conditions and through no action on their own, lost their health insurance. i don't want to go back to the days where the health insurance companies could deny people those cove

thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise. >> madam speaker, unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. wilson: madam speaker, south carolinians are celebrating the life and achievements of a senior who passed away last week at the age of 99. he should always be remembered for his valiant service in the army, liberating europe during world war ii. this was chronicled in his auto biography, strike and hold. his heroism led to the capture of the magden bridge in the nether lands. basis of the movie "a race too far." upon his return he he established an extraordinary family, business success, and the first statehouse caucus leader was a pioneer in developing the modern republican majority in south carolina. my wife and i offer our deepest sympathy to the family. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we'll never

cole: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i rise as the designee of the republican leader. i want to thank the gentleman from florida, my good friend, mr. hastings, for yielding me 30 minutes, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cole: for the third time in two days, madam chair -- madam speaker, my good friends from the democratic side of the aisle and i are here to debate part of the democratic rules package for the house of representatives. and unlike the first two times, i find myself in agreement with what the democrats are proposing today. we're here today on title 2 of the rules package which establishes a select committee on the modernization of congress, and while i think improvements could be made to what my friends are proposing, i'm pleased to say i think that this proposal is an excellent idea. now, i know my good friend also mentioned the last congress, and i want to take just a second to defend that congress. frankly, it was the

king: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentleman from georgia for yielding me time to address this issue. i understand and recognize the gravity of this issue that's before us. i can hear it in the voice of the gentleman from georgia. i can hear it from mr. clyburn and mr. nadler and all of you. i thought you all knew me well. but i began to read this resolution, madam speaker, and i started with the first whereas and i'm going to read it as it's here. whereas on january 10, 2019, representative steve king was quoted as asking, quote, white nationalists, white supremacist, western civilization -- there is a dash in there, a pause -- how did that language become offensive, closed quote. i understand how you interpreted my words when you read them this way. there is no tape for this interview that i did. it was 56 minutes long. there are some notes on the other end, but there is no tape. there's no way to go back and listen but i can tell you this. that ideology never shows up in my head. i don't know how it coul

cole: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i rise as the designee of the republican leader. i want to thank the gentleman from florida, my good friend, mr. hastings, for yielding me 30 minutes, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cole: for the third time in two days, madam chair -- madam speaker, my good friends from the democratic side of the aisle and i are here to debate part of the democratic rules package for the house of representatives. and unlike the first two times, i find myself in agreement with what the democrats are proposing today. we're here today on title 2 of the rules package which establishes a select committee on the modernization of congress, and while i think improvements could be made to what my friends are proposing, i'm pleased to say i think that this proposal is an excellent idea. now, i know my good friend also mentioned the last congress, and i want to take just a second to defend that congress. frankly, it was the last congress that gave us the first tax modernization overhaul

. >> thank you, madam speaker. i rise today in support of h.res.6, title 2, the select committee on the modernization of congress. title 2 establishes a bipartisan select committee on the modernization of congress to investigate, study, make findings, hold public hearings, and develop recommendations to modernize and improve the way congress operates. this institution has a responsibility to the people, to our constituents, and to this country. to build a congress that works for everyone, not just those at the top. this is not something that will happen on its own. it's going to take hard work, but it is worthwhile work. this is not the first time congress as an institution has wrestled with how to be more effective and efficient. three times in the 20th century, in 1945, in 1965, and again in 1992 when ms. lofgren and i came to congress, we established a joint committee to examine various aspects of the legislative process in an effort to improve efficiency and promote transparency. madame speaker, today we're at

king: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentleman from georgia for yielding me time to address this issue. i understand and recognize the gravity of this issue that's before us. i can hear it in the voice of the gentleman from georgia. i can hear it from mr. clyburn and mr. nadler and all of you. i thought you all knew me well. but i began to read this resolution, madam speaker, and i started with the first whereas and i'm going to read it as it's here. whereas on january 10, 2019, representative steve king was quoted as asking, quote, white nationalists, white supremacist, western civilization -- there is a dash in there, a pause -- how did that language become offensive, closed quote. i understand how you interpreted my words when you read them this way. there is no tape for this interview that i did. it was 56 minutes long. there are some notes on the other end, but there is no tape. there's no way to go back and listen but i can tell you this. that ideology never shows up in my head. i don't know how it coul

well, madam president, at least that's honest. democrats don't have a good answer because there is no real difference between what they supported in the past and what they're opposing right now. madam president, before christmas i came down to the floor to talk about the divided government that we would be dealing with in 2019 and 2020, and i noted that divided government doesn't have to spell the doom of productivity. in fact, over the past 30 plus years, some of our greatest legislative achievements have been the product of divided government. but i also know that in order for us to be productive in the 116th congress, democrats would have to decide to work with us, and so far, they have decided not to. in addition to refusing to negotiate on border security, senate democrats have also blocked the senate from considering legislation to support israel security, strengthen our relationship with our jordanian allies and hold accountable individuals who participated in the atrocities of the assad regime in syria. madam president, de

nadler: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? mr. nadler: madam speaker, i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. proceedings will resume on questions previously post postseasonned. votes will be taken in the following order. agreeing to house resolution 41. and pass h.r. 135. in each case, by the yeas and nays. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. pursuant to clause 9 of rule 20, remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes. pursuant to the clause 8 -- clause 8 of rule 20, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentlewoman from new york, mrs. lowey, to suspend the rules and pass the h

green: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, and still i rise. i rise, madam speaker, on behalf of article 2, section 4 of the constitution. i rise, madam speaker, on behalf of the more than 40% of people in this country who believe that an unfit president ought to be impeached. i rise on behalf of the many people who believe that somehow the voices of those who favor impeachment have been muted. and i want you to know, madam speaker, and to those who are listening, i want you to know there is at least one person in the congress of the united states of america who believes that an unfit president ought to be impeached. i rise on behalf of those, madam speaker, who believe that if president barack obama had behaved the way the current president has behaved, he would have been impeached. i rise to take a stand on behalf of the many who believe in impeachment of an unfit president. more than 40% of this country believes it. ore than 80% thereabouts are democrats that believe it. and i rise on behalf of people that believe there is a humanitarian cri

madam clerk, please call the next item. >> clerk: item 36 is a -- >> president yee: i'm sorry. before you do that, the next -- i want to tell the public that the next few items, we're going to be excusing individuals on this board because we can't vote for ourselves. okay. supervisor -- i mean, madam clerk. >> clerk: yes, item 36 is a motion to appoint supervisor kathrin stefani to the mental health board, term ending january 31, 2021. >> supervisor peskin: move to excuse supervisor stefani. >> president yee: okay. the motion is made. is there a second? second by -- the motion was made by -- who made the motion? supervisor peskin, seconded by supervisor safai. if there's knno objection, the we will excuse supervisor stefani. madam clerk, please call the roll on this item. >> clerk: on item 36 -- [ro [roll call] >> clerk: there are ten ayes. >> president yee: okay. so this motion is passed by a vote of 10-0. [gavel]. >> president yee: madam clerk, could you please call the next item. >> clerk: item 37 is a motion to reappoin

hurd: thank you, madam speaker. i'd like to thank my friend, the distinguished gentleman from the great state of maryland for expeditiously bringing this piece of legislation to the floor because this is an important piece of legislation that ensures all federal employees receive back pay once this government shutdown is over. last week while flying back to washington i spoke with t.s.a. agents concerned about their paychecks and uncertainty created by this shut down. guaranteeing back pay is the least we can do to give more certainty to almost a million federal employees, including many in my district, who are missing their first paycheck today. i understand their concerns because my pay is being withheld during sh this shut down in solidarity with federal workers. we all need to come together and find a bipartisan and realistic solution to reopen the government. if we're going to talk about border security, then the brave men and women who are on the ground every day securing our border should get paid. border sec

torres: thank you, madam chair. thank you to the gentleman from california for yielding and for being such a great leader and helping those impacted by the devastating california wildfires. the numbers are devastating. nearly two million acres burned. upwards of $3.5 billion in damage. 8,500 individual fires. 98 civilians killed. six firefighters killed. and over 11,000 homes destroyed. with climate change only making things worse, we must help california rebuild because this is just the beginning. rainstorms will now further avage communities. causing mud slides an flooding. the amendment i have offered with representative thompson begins that rebuilding process. by increasing funding for the community development fund by $50 million. specifically for those communities that were hardest hit in the previous year. i thank the gentleman for his work on this and i yield back he balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman yields. mr. thompson: i'd like to thank the chair of the subcommittee, chairman price, for his h

. >> a thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to ask my colleagues in congress to o do the right thing and support the democrats' efforts to reopen our federal government. mr. pocan: we're seeing devastating impacts on 800,000 federal employees that certificate us, contractors that work for us, and the economy that impacts every person in this country. yet the president's petulant olescent adolescent approach to this shut dunn has been supported by my colleagues for their inability to support reopening the government. responsible governments around the world do not shut down and leaders do not take hostages and demand ransom. look, today the president is shutting down the government over an inefficient and inefficient and unnecessary wall. if we capitulate, the next shutdown will be over his desire to lift sanctions on the russians. the next shut down could be over his desire to stop the mueller investigation, and so on and so on. this isn't how the united states can or should operate. yet the republicans' complicity

i yield back, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from georgia. mr. bishop: i thank you, madam speaker. let me just say that the gentleman from washington makes some points. and i agree with you that the freedom of information act and the snap retail sales language is something that we would love to have and should be in this legislation. and also, i look forward to working with the gentleman to take care of that as we move forward in the 116th congress. as well as our work on the h-2-a program, which is in bad need of repair. and persistent poverty, the 10-20-30 program, we're happy that the gentleman is supportive and that the committee has been supportive and we look forward to making sure that that is implemented fully as we move forward. but right now we've got to open the government. we cannot afford to let this government remain closed, continuing to hurt the american people. at this time i'd like to yield to the gentleman from virginia,

that's right, madam president. immoral. according to the speaker of the house protecting our barriers to prevent illegal entry is immoral. madam president, contrary to what democrats would like people to believe, border security isn't an issue dreamed up by hard-hearted republicans to oppress various groups of people. border security is a national security imperative, something that both parties recognized until recently. no country can be secure if dangerous individuals can creep across borders unchecked and unobserved. democrats talk about border barriers as if they were meant to prevent anyone from entering our country. and, madam president, that is just false. america is a land of immigrants, and we always welcome new faces to america with open arms. in fact, i, like many others in this chamber, am the grandson of immigrants who came through ellis island. my grandparents obviously came and settled in south dakota. but we had to make sure that individuals who are coming into this country are coming here legally

madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from nevada. ms. cortez masto: madam president, on friday the day that thousands of nevadans federal workers missed their first paycheck of the trump shutdown, i was in reno meeting with 2,000 federal workers and families. these hardworking nevadans who serve the united states people in the coast guard, u.s. geological survey, u.s. department of agriculture, u.s. forest surface, -- service, and as government contractors told me their fears of the president's decision to hold our government hostage. these nevadans shared how their finances and whole lives have been thrown into chaos as a result of the shutdown. person after person told me without the promise of a paycheck, they are struggling to pay their mortgage or rent, keep up with their other bills even put food on the table for their families. some are cashing out their savings while others are taking out high pay day loans. it is not just federal workers who are suffering. entire families hav

that's right, madam, president. in 2009, the democrat leader not only didn't oppose border fences, he was praising them for their effectiveness. so what's changed? well, the need changed. and everybody says is this a cries senior or isn't it a crisis. i would say having 300 people a day dying from heroin in this country is a crisis particularly given the fact that 90% is coming across the southern border. that strikes crisis. well, the president has changed, and that more than anything else is the thing that's changed, i think, that has changed the minds of a lot of democrats here in the senate. because we used to have a president democrats liked. now we have one that they don't like. and in many cases, are openly hostile to. so for democrats opposing this president and catering to the far left anti-border security wing of their party seems to be more important than addressing the security and humanitarian crisis that we're facing at our border. madam president, i venture to say deep down a lot of democrats still re

i yield back, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from georgia. mr. bishop: i thank you, madam speaker. let me just say that the gentleman from washington makes some points. and i agree with you that the freedom of information act and the snap retail sales language is something that we would love to have and should be in this legislation. and also, i look forward to working with the gentleman to take care of that as we move forward in the 116th congress. as well as our work on the h-2-a program, which is in bad need of repair. and persistent poverty, the 10-20-30 program, we're happy that the gentleman is supportive and that the committee has been supportive and we look forward to making sure that that is implemented fully as we move forward. but right now we've got to open the government. we cannot afford to let this government remain closed, continuing to hurt the american people. at this time i'd like to yield to the gentleman from virginia,

price: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of the legislation to reopen the government and end to this third trump shutdown. for the last two weeks, president trump has held america hostage to fulfill his demagoguic campaign promise to build a border wall. a wall that has come to symbolize extreme and inhumane immigration policies that are simply tearing our communities apart. this is more than just a political fight. the trump shutdown has closed federal agencies and suspended essential programs that millions of americans rely upon. it's created uncertainty for families, businesses and communities in each of our districts. to those federal employees affected by this unnecessary shutdown, know this. the president and his privileged cronies may not care about how you and your families pay your bills. but this new democratic majority certainly does care. as the incoming chairman of the transportation and housing appropriations subcommittee, i know this uncertainty has severe consequences. already is right vieta

thank you, madam chair. madam speaker, west pennsylvania has a rich history and a vibrant diverse economy. it's winding trails, beautiful landscape, and recreational experiences and thriving communities make for crawford county an especially captivating place to live and work. many of these attractions are around the same central common theme, the world's first commercial oil well. carl drake drilled this well in 1859, triggering the first oil boon and establishing the oil region as the valley that changed the world, end quotes. his efforts not only made northwest pennsylvania the energy powerhouse that it is today, but also sparked a cultural revolution that came as a result of a booming economy. we're tremendously proud of our history and heritage in northwest pennsylvania. we still celebrate these historic communities that bloomed from colonel drake's innovative idea, and drake well continues to have a tangible impact on the area's economy. in 2004, congress designated the region as a national heritage ar

lee: thank you, madam chair. first of all, i want to thank our chair for yielding, for your tireless leadership and for reminding us very clearly that we need to open the government up right away. thank you, again. as a representative from northern california, let me just say that i remember vividly the oakland hills fire in 1991, which killed 25 people and destroyed more than 3,000 homes. the 1989 earthquake which killed many people and devastated many parts of my city. now, i represent oakland and berkeley, california, just as we helped them then we will help them now. disasters can impact any district. just this morning a small earthquake hit my district again. thankfully there are no reported injuries. let me also say i am deeply grateful to our firefighters and first responders who work around the clock to help save lives in disasters which have ravaged our country, especially this past year. madam speaker, i am in strong support of this emergency supplemental which provides $12.1 billion in disaster relief

mccollum: thank you, madam speaker. i couldn't agree more with my colleague and the former chair when we were developing the bill that we had a much superior product as we came out of conference committee, but it's time to move forward. speaker ryan did not bring that to the floor. we must move forward and begin our work. our important work on 2020. madam speaker, i yield 2 and a half minutes to the gentlewoman from new york, mrs. lowey, the chair woman of the full appropriations committee. the speaker pro tempore: the the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. mrs. lowey: madam speaker, the trump shut down is now in its 21st day. it is outrageous that more than 800,000 federal employees are going without pay. many of them while they are still working. and the american people are being denied vital services. all because of president trump's demands for a wasteful border wall. the bill before us today would reopen the environmental protection agency, department of the interior, and other critical agencies such as the i

>> thank you, madam speaker. i rise in recognition of the tens of thousands who will march in support of life tomorrow in washington, d.c. on the 22nd of this month, we'll mark the infamous anniversary of the misguided supreme court decision, roe vs. wade, which legalized abortion without restriction nationwide. since 197 -- since the 1973 decision, more than 54 million children have been murdered in the united states alone. mr. perry: this is the epic tragedy of our time, and we must stand up for the unborn. we stand in solidarity with those marching and they are determined to defend the sanctity of human life. we thank them for sharing their convictions and dauntless courage. with that, madam speaker, i yield the balance. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for on

madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rom maryland seek recognition? mr. hoyer: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. . hoyer: to all my colleagues, i apologize. i may speak just a little longer than one minute. not much. madam speaker, i was sitting in my office just a few minutes michael presentative waltz, who i don't know from the state of florida, rose and said he was here in an empty capitol. scores of my fellow democrats are here because they are outraged that we have shut down the people's government. , d they are here, mr. waltz to urge the president of the united states and mitch mcconnell to open up the people's government. that's why they're here. they haven't gone home, congressman waltz. we're here. . don't see anybody over here madam speaker, i rise to join with my colleagues in highlighting the absurdity of the trump-mcconnell shutdown. and

madam director. >> thank you, madam secretary.ce the purchase of the land in 2015. the developer has used good faith efforts to obtain a grocery tenant provided ocii with updates. they have been unable to lease the space and in february 2018, they provided in writing a request to seek approval to release them of this obligation. we understand there is concerns and the need in the community to have a grocery on that site, but today's staff is recommending we relieve them are the obligation understanding the sensitivity of the matter. i will turn it over to shane heart to present on the matter. we have an extensive team to support him as well. thank you. >> good afternoon, madam chair, commissioners, i am shane heart the project manager for transbay. we are here to discuss transbay block 8. the agenda i will give a presentation, then the developer of blockade related california and jonathan, the project manager will give a presentation, then we have sarah graham who is with strategic economicises a consultant we hired will give a pr

>> madam president? senator from maryland. >> i will repeat my request to the stingless majority leader whether his objections are absolute. i just -- let me just point this out. we passed the bill that i ask unanimous consent basically, that's been passed near unanimously by this body. 92 Ãsix for the appropriations passed. last time i checked the constitution that is enough even for an override. i don't think anything has changed. these bills have nothing to do, zero to do with homeland security wall issue. zero! so why does i would establish ofmajority leader as the leader of the coequal branch of government, allow us to speak on behalf of our responsibilities under article 1 of theconstitution . let us ntake our action right now today at this very moment and pass six appropriation bills where there is no controversy whatsoever in this body. >> as i've said madam president repeatedly, it will not solve the problems of the president has made it clear he will not sign it. so let me try again. one more t

lee: thank you, madam chair. first of all, i want to thank our chair for yielding, for your tireless leadership and for reminding us very clearly that we need to open the government up right away. thank you, again. as a representative from northern california, let me just say that i remember vividly the oakland hills fire in 1991, which killed 25 people and destroyed more than 3,000 homes. the 1989 earthquake which killed many people and devastated many parts of my city. now, i represent oakland and berkeley, california, just as we helped them then we will help them now. disasters can impact any district. just this morning a small earthquake hit my district again. thankfully there are no reported injuries. let me also say i am deeply grateful to our firefighters and first responders who work around the clock to help save lives in disasters which have ravaged our country, especially this past year. madam speaker, i am in strong support of this emergency supplemental which provides $12.1 billion in disaster relief

madam president? >> senator from maryland madam president, leader schumer has pointed out, starting today 800,000 federal workers are missing their paycheck. in this region there's 140,000. senator bennet hole and i representing maryland, senator warner and can represent virginia have made the point of what this is going to mean for families in our community. this shutdown is outrageous and dangerous, caused by president trump, workers are not going to their paycheck under going to be at risk. our whole country is at risk. let me put this in perspective if i might. it'se like at&t, apple, lockheed martin, google and exxon mobil laying off their entire workforce at one time. that's the impact we have now with the 800,000 workers not receiving theirir paycheck. kevin hassett was the chair of the white house council of economic advisers point out that this will cause a a $1.2 billin per week hit on our economy. america is being held hostage by president trump, held hostage over his desire to have a wall

that, madam president, is the only way t mr. leahy: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: madam president, i appreciate what my colleagues from maryland have said. i totally agree with them. we should be voting on matters that create jobs and put people back to work in the united states and take care of our problems here in the united states. then we can talk about voting on matters for helping foreign countries. but right now we ought to be taking care of americans first and foremost. you know, president trump is right about one thing. there is a crisis in america. and i w

. >> thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to recognize liz dunbar for her many years of transformative public service on behalf of folks in my region. as executive director of tacoma community house, liz has been an unyielding advocate for social justice. mr. kilmer: liz has lived a life of service. she spent 25 years at the washington state department of social and health services where she worked in several capacities, including straight refugee -- state refugee coordinator, assistant secretary for economic services, and ultimately as the deputy secretary of the department for six years. 10 years ago liz stepped into a role at tacoma community house. an extraordinary 100-year-old organization dedicated to empowering immigrants and ensuring that all people in the greater puget sound region can live with dignity and achieve their personal and professional goals. each year tacoma community house serves approximately 3,500 clients from more than 100 different countries through its four core programs of employment,

lowey: madam speaker, it is long past time to end the trump shutdown. as our first legislative act of the year, we should isolate the political dispute over border security and reopen the government. there is simply no reason the senate should not pass the package given that they wrote the six full-year bills and passed a c.r. through february. i urge you to vote yes and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: all time for debate has ex-pied. bill under consideration. today is the beginning of the 116th congress. the first and most basic responsibility this house has is to re-open our depoft to serve the needs of the american people. call has st object ta been disagreements of how to spend homeland security dollars. this is why in the best interests of the country it makes sense to pass the and to g six billings re-open the duste through a short-term continuing resolution. the resolution before us would do just that. it would re-open the department of homeland security through february 8 of this year. this would give us time to negot

hoyer: thank you, madam speaker. your committee apointed on the part of the house to join a like committee on the part of the senate to notify the president of the united states that a quourm of each house has been assembled and is ready to receive any communication that he may be pleased to make, has performed that duty. the speaker pro tempore: the chair announces the speaker's appointment, pursuant to clause 11 of rule 2, clause 11 of rule 1. and the order of the house of today, of the following members of the house to the permanent select committee on ntelligence. the clerk: mr. schiff of california, chairman. mr. nunes of california. the speaker pro tempore: the chair announces the speaker's appointment, pursuant to 2 u.s.c. 2001 and the order of the house of today of the gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer, and the gentleman from california, mr. mccarthy, as members of the house office building commission to serve with the speaker. the chair announces the speaker's appointment, pursuant to clause 8 of rule 2 and

madam clerk? >> clerk: item 61 was considered by the public safety and neighborhood services at a regular meeting on monday, december 10, and was forwarded as a committee report. item 61 is a resolution to declare support for the tree of life synagogue and global jewish community following the atrocious anti-semitic shooting that killed eleven and injured six others on october 27, 2018, in pittsburgh, pennsylvania, and repeating the call for common sense gun laws to protect our families and communities. >> supervisor stefani: i want to thank my colleagues for supporting this resolution and supervisor mandelman and supervisor ronen for hearing it yesterday in committee. you know, december 14 marks six years since the sandy hook shooting, where 20 children and six educators lost their lives. since then over 600,000 americans have been shot and killed, and our gun violence epidemic isn't going away. i've been here one year, and i've stood up three times to talk about three mass shootings. i just want

price: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of the legislation to reopen the government and end to this third trump shutdown. for the last two weeks, president trump has held america hostage to fulfill his demagoguic campaign promise to build a border wall. a wall that has come to symbolize extreme and inhumane immigration policies that are simply tearing our communities apart. this is more than just a political fight. the trump shutdown has closed federal agencies and suspended essential programs that millions of americans rely upon. it's created uncertainty for families, businesses and communities in each of our districts. to those federal employees affected by this unnecessary shutdown, know this. the president and his privileged cronies may not care about how you and your families pay your bills. but this new democratic majority certainly does care. as the incoming chairman of the transportation and housing appropriations subcommittee, i know this uncertainty has severe consequences. already is right vieta

hurd: thank you, madam speaker. i'd like to thank my friend, the distinguished gentleman from the great state of maryland for expeditiously bringing this piece of legislation to the floor because this is an important piece of legislation that ensures all federal employees receive back pay once this government shutdown is over. last week while flying back to washington i spoke with t.s.a. agents concerned about their paychecks and uncertainty created by this shut down. guaranteeing back pay is the least we can do to give more certainty to almost a million federal employees, including many in my district, who are missing their first paycheck today. i understand their concerns because my pay is being withheld during sh this shut down in solidarity with federal workers. we all need to come together and find a bipartisan and realistic solution to reopen the government. if we're going to talk about border security, then the brave men and women who are on the ground every day securing our border should get paid. border sec

. >> thank you, madam chair. for 35 days democratic leaders in the house and senate pledge the negotiations on border security would occur when the government reopened. with a three-week agreement in place, today we begin in earnest on negotiation to reach agreement on this issue. thus far all sides agree border security is important. i think that's a good start, but we cannot end there. these negotiations must not end with platitudes or promises. they must yield results that actually secure the border. i think what is necessary to accomplish this goal -- our border patrol professionals on the front lines tell us a comprehensive approach is necessary, an approach that includes technology, infrastructure, personnel, and physical barriers. smart technology is a part of a comprehensive solution, but is not the only solution in and of itself. cameras, sensors, drones and other smart technology highlight the gaps and vulnerabilities along our long border. in short, they provide a greater awareness of where our insecur

and madam speaker. i am grateful for this opportunity to highlight national school choice week which will be next week january 20-26. like many in congress, i believe the path to success for our nation's youth is through quality education. the best way to provide quality is to create competition in the education marketplace. for decades, students and families had few options. when they went to choose education for their children. today, there is a flourishing marketplace of education and some states have eased school district lines and creating choice in their public school systems. many others have embraced charter schools and others have provided educational savings accounts for parents and allow voucher programs to assist families to offset the tuition. educational options should meet the needs of students. i'm glad to see leaders across the country understand those needs and promote policies that provide an abundance of options. nearly 30 years ago we studded the options available to us as parents a

cardin: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: madam president, as leader schumer has pointed out, starting today 800,000 federal workers are going to be missing their paycheck. in this region, there's 140,000. senator van hollen and i, representing maryland, and senator warner and kane representing virginia, have made the point of what this is going to mean for families in our community. this shutdown is outrageous and dangerous, caused by president trump, workers are not going to be receiving their paycheck and are going to be at risk. our whole country is at risk. let me just put this in perspective, if i might. it is like at&t, apple, lockheed martin laying off their entire workforce at one time. that's the impact we have now with 800,000 workers not receiving their paycheck. the chair of the white house counsel of economic advisors points out that this will cost a $1.2 billion hit per week on our economy. america is being held hostage by president trump. held hosta

madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from nevada. ms. cortez masto: madam president, on friday the day that thousands of nevadans federal workers missed their first paycheck of the trump shutdown, i was in reno meeting with 2,000 federal workers and families. these hardworking nevadans who serve the united states people in the coast guard, u.s. geological survey, u.s. department of agriculture, u.s. forest surface, -- service, and as government contractors told me their fears of the president's decision to hold our government hostage. these nevadans shared how their finances and whole lives have been thrown into chaos as a result of the shutdown. person after person told me without the promise of a paycheck, they are struggling to pay their mortgage or rent, keep up with their other bills even put food on the table for their families. some are cashing out their savings while others are taking out high pay day loans. it is not just federal workers who are suffering. entire families hav

before we do that, i want to personally welcome madam mayor. mayor breed, do you have any opening remarks? >> the hon. london breed: thank you, president yee, and again, a congratulations to your presidency and a congratulations to the new members of the board of supervisors. i want to take this opportunity to reiterate my commitment to working with all of you to address our city's most challenging problems, which include housing and homelessness. by now, you are aware of my commitment to build 1,000 shelter beds and prioritize housing and homeless services, and that is what i would like to do, supported through the windfall money so that we can help get people the care in the shelter that we need. today, i'm introducing two ordinances with supervisors brown, walton, haney, and mandelman to streamline our ability as a city to respond to our homelessness crisis to making it easier to locate service providers and construct shelter. approximately 58% of our homeless population is unsheltered, and we have over 1,000 people on the wait list for adul