mr. cline. mr. cline: mr. chairman, i'm sure all of mr. armstrong's constituents love him, a 50/50 split is never a good estimate. mr. armstrong: in fairness, they're law students and not all my constituents. mr. cline: mr. chairman, thank you for the opportunity. before we move on h.r. 8 to expand what is current law regarding background checks, we must ensure that the existing laws are being enforced. my amendment would simply require existing law to be enforced by asking the attorney general to report to i.c.e. the individual illegally aliens who haven been -- been denied a -- have been denied a firearm transfer. f.b.i. reported last month that the background check system had nearly eight million people listed as illegal unlawful aliens. additionaly, illegal aliens rankedment in one prohibited category in the f.b.i.'s nix indecease. 3,300 aliens were denied a firearm in 2017. this means 3,300 criminals were effectively allowed to stay in the united states when i.c.e. vud she been alerted about their criminal acts. h.r. 8 does not do any

mr. cline: i want to thank the gentleman from arizona for the time and thank him for bringing this issue to the forefront, madam speaker. i'm distressed by the lack of numbers in the chamber right now . because this truly is the greatest threat to the security of this nation that we face. when i ran for office last fall, i promised the citizens of virginia's sixth congressional district that i would re-introduce four words to washington. we can't afford it. these are four words that have been needed to have been repeated over the last 22 years, as the last time a federal budget with a surplus was signed into law was 1997. and in virginia, where i served in the house of delegates until last year, we're required to balance our budget each year. and because we've placed a priority on fiscal responsibility, virginia is frequently listed among the best states in which to do business. in contrast, the federal government has an outstanding public debt of more than $22 trillion. every year since 1997,

mr. cline: i was pleased that it obtained 220 votes and i've drafted it as a stand-alone bill. i would offer it for co-sponsorship and i hope my colleagues will join me in co-patronning the bill and ensuring those not here legally who try to purchase a gun are reported to i.c.e. and deported before they commit additional crimes. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker. newtown, charleston, san bernardino, my hometown of orlando. vegas, parkland. young americans have grown up associating these cities with pain and tragedy. they've only known a congress that's unwilling to address gun violence or be moved even by the senseless murder of innocent children. after car accidents, gun violence is now the second leading cause of death among young people. this is a staggering statistic and my young constituents know it. they live in fear that their classmates, friends, family members or neighbors could be the next target. mrs. m

so i am wondering if mr. clineould commit to congressional hearings that focus on small medium-sized businesses, and question them about why they continue to create this pull for a document workers. thank you. host: thanks, caller. guest: i think that is a great question. there are bad actors out there. most businesses try to follow the law, but there are businesses out there that try to , andillegal immigrants e-verify, a program that we are trying to implement in this country, where business is verify the legal status of their employees, that is a program that should be encouraged. it should be used. we need to reform our legal immigration process as well, so that we haveemployees, workers,e programs that actually address a need in this country. make sure that when people come to this country, that their visas are processed quickly, that they can come here and leave and come back if they follow the law. and programs should be efficient and effective. insect, we have a broken legal immigration process, and that co

mr. cline: i rise in strong opposition to h.r. 1112. this legislation is an attack on the constitutional rights of americans. this bill puts incredible roadblocks in the way of law-abiding citizens seeking to exercise their second amendment rights that are guaranteed to them in the constitution. we should be focused on enforcing the current laws that we have on the books instead of passing federal mandates that stifle freedom. this bill creates a bureaucratic maze that will allow the federal government to sit on its hands and force citizens to commit formal petitions to the attorney general when they are trying to legally purchase a firearm. to ask permission to exercise a constitutional right. what other constitutional right would you suggest we put this level of restriction on? the freedom of press? the freedom of religion? should we start having the federal government review every media outlet's story for 10 days before they can be published? before a church can meet for worship? i don't think so. it's my hope that we'll soon move fo

armstrong, mr. cline. why don't you pull up. >> we will be one panel here. mr. thompson, do you want to speak? >> just hanging out. >> let the record reflect that mr. thompson from california was here. just pull up another chair. >> chairman mcgovern and ranking member mr. cole, i appreciate the opportunity to speak to regarding the amendment to hr 8. our community space tragic instances of mass violence, my wife susan diane dye hold the victims of violence and their families in our prayers and we need to work together to combat all forms of violence. hr 8 seeks to be a solution and i appreciate that and i don't believe it solves anything, however. we already have strong transfer guidelines and this has law- abiding citizens in the crosshairs. simply put, it's a bill that is irresponsible at the attempt to criminalize lawful gun owners. hr 8 is another example of a washington approach that ignores the realities that folks in our rurally communities face. my amendment allows farmers and ranchers to transfer firearms to employees or neighbors for the purposes of r