blumenauer: mr. chairman i yield one minute to the gentleman from virginia, mr. bier. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. beyer: i rise to support the blumenauer amendment. in business, we're always fighting the tendency of the long-term giving bay to the short-term, the important giving way to the urgent and immediate. i'm deeply disappointed that this budget for climate has been cut by $30 million. now is not the time to cut climate research. from the floods in houston to the drought in california this will cost american companies and american communities hundreds of millions of dollars. noaa has the ability to do advanced forecasting and predictions certainly for weather and ocean-related the nonin a but also for climate short and long-term change this ability is crucial to support the future of businesses, coastal cities and environmental health this congress has repeatedly oaffirmed that climate change is real. we may have different ideas about the causes of climate change

host: huntsman earl blumenauer. -- congressman earl blumenauer.oming up next, we'll talk with congressman thomas massie. we talk about this nsa surveillance program and the legislation that passed into law last night. and later, the cover story of the new republic about paid family leave. we will be right back. ♪ >> this weekend, the c-span cities tour partnered with time warner cable to learn about the history and literary life of lincoln, nebraska. >> one of the most important american writers of the 21st century. given almost every literary award possible in her lifetime before she died. except for the nobel prize. she was known for some of her masterpieces. the professor's house, death comes for the archbishop, and others. in 1943, she made a will that had bush friction. -- she made a will that had restrictions. left behind at least 3000 letters that we know about now. the biggest collections are here in nebraska. in her will she left one other thing. she left it to the soul and uncontrolled discretion of her executors to decide whether they e

blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. there is a quiet revolution taking place across america to reform and modernize our marijuana laws. for over half a century the official position has been one of prohibition, of incarceration of object fewization and -- obfuscation and willful ignorance. almost 20 million americans use marijuana every month. and the majority of the public now think that that should be legal. an even larger majority thinks that whatever their personal opinion about marijuana that the federal government should not interfere with what the states do. just like we wreck late alcohol. in the vanguard of the reform movement has been medical marijuana. since 1996 when california was the first state to legalize it, it's been followed now where almost 3/4 of the states provide some form of access to medical marijuana, and most of those decisions were made by a vote of the people. well over 200 million americans live where they have access to medical marijuana. there have been many mossive benefits that have bee

blumenauer and mr. reichert who was involved in this issue for your leadership on recreational performance outerwear and footwear. it will lower costs and expand opportunities for u.s. businesses and i share both your interests in ensuring that the recreational performance outerwear provisions do achieve their intended result in a revenue-neutral fashion. and we commit to continue to do so in the conference discussions on the trade facilitation and enforcement act. i will make a good faith effort to work through these highly technical provisions and do it in a quick time frame. we anticipate a very quick and relatively brief conference so we can get these issues resolved in a quick and timely fashion. be happy to yield. mr. blumenauer: i appreciate that very much. and i hope that there is one other area that we might be able to engage in some activity in the future. according to a 2007 report by the i.t.c., there is no commercial viable production of recreational performance outerwear in the united stat

blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: in our fast- changing world the global economy looms large. america has long been the leader in promoting fiscal year and fairer trade -- freer and fairer trade, promoting the economy at home while strengthening ties overseas. the current issue that is before us now deals with a trade promotion authority and the trans-pacific partnership, an agreement with 12 countries representing almost 40% of the global economy. after the recent bipartisan vote in the senate on the trade promotion authority and related package attention now shifts to the house where we're likely to be voting on this in the next couple weeks. many confuse support for the trade promotion authority with the trade -- with the t.p.p., the trans-pacific partnership. they are two distinct items. the trans-pacific partnership is an ongoing series of negotiations which has yet to be concluded. indeed, one of the reasons we are looking at trade promotion authority now, establishing the rules of the game and how c

blumenauer. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. blumenauer: i appreciate the gentlelady courtesy and her leadership on this issue. as a practical matter, industrial hemp is not marijuana. with less than .03% t.h.c. it is not a drug. as a practical matter, it is not hard to distinguish it and in fact there -- it's sort of a myth that somehow people will use industrial hemp to disguise the cultivation of marijuana, they don't want that. it cross contaminates. it doesn't allow -- it makes it a less effective product. we have a situation where the rest of the world deals with industrial hemp, where there are countless products available to purchase today it's just that kentucky farmers or oregon farmers can't produce it. last year, the house overwhelmingly passed this amendment, we're starting down a path toward rationalization, 23 states have removed the barriers to production of industrial hemp, the federal government should get out of the way congress should adopt this amendment and allow it to proceed. the chair: the gentleman's ti

blumenauer of oregon. at the end of the bill before the short title insert the following, section, none of the funds made available by this act may be used for any inspection under section 510 of the controlled substances act 1 u.s.c. 880 with respect to narcotic drugs and section 3 4 or 5 of section 302, u.s.c. 812 or combinations of such drugs being dispensed pursuant to section 303-g-2 of such act 1 u.s.c. 823-g-2 for the maintenance or detoxify case treatment. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 287, the gentleman from oregon and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon. mr. blumenauer: thank you, madam chair. that's a rather imposing title to deal with a relatively simple concept. we have a national epidemic dealing with opioid painkillers. prescription drug overdoses are a serious problem. we find people who become addicted, we're finding that in a routine matter of course that this drug dependence often leads to heroin and we're watching a c

blumenauer from oregon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon is recognized for two minutes. mr. blumenauer: i appreciate the gentleman's courtesy. and i rise in support of the effort today. i'd first acknowledge what my friend, the chairman of the committee, said a moment ago. it's at times trust is in short supply in this institution for a whole host of reasons but we were given ironclad assurances from the speaker from the president from the chairman from senator wyden, senator hatch, leader mcconnell that t.a.a. would come back to this floor to be voted on. and i think it's important that that has in fact occurred. because to adapt, respond and grow a 21st century work force we need trade adjustment assistance. and what we have before us is an improvement over current law. it's not as good as what we had in 2009, and i hope that we will be able to build on this and move forward, but this program has helped more than 100,000 americans, including 3,000 of my fellow oregonians who received job

blumenauer of oregon. at the end of the bill before the short title, insert the following, section the amount otherwise provided by this act for necessary expenses for the department of transportation office of the secretary salaries and expenses is hereby reduced by $1. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 287, the gentleman from oregon and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. chairman. you know my heart goes out to the chairman and ranking member for the task that they've been given. people have appropriately condemned and opposed many of the provisions, as people dig into the bill, mortgage they see, the worse it looks. slashing tiger grant funding, no funding for high speed rail, cutting amtrak, overall reductions. no wonder it's drawn a veto threat. but it is definitely not the fault of the committee. they've been given an impossible task. they've been requested to finance the federal government's transportat

blumenauer: thank you. democrats just left a very powerful presentation from the president of the united states to our members who simply ask that our members vote their -- play it straight. vote for things they believe in. for instance 125 democrats voted for trade adjustment assistance to help workers displaced because of things in the global economy. we have a provision before us today that is actually stronger than what 125 of us voted for before, and yet there are some that are thinking, well, they may not vote for it. i have ads run against me for cutting medicare and yet i'm going to ask to enter a letter from the american hospital association, american medical association, american home care and hospice to point out there were no cuts to medicare because of the changes we are involved in making. now, this is part of the problem we're having dealing with how to concern trade promotion authority. this is something that all of us should embrace. it sets the rules for the administration to negotiate and

blumenauer: thank you. democrats just left a very powerful presentation from the president of the united states to our members who simply ask that our members vote their -- play it straight. vote for things they believe in. for instance 125 democrats voted for trade adjustment assistance to help workers displaced because of things in the global economy. we have a provision before us today that is actually stronger than what 125 of us voted for before, and yet there are some that are thinking, well, they may not vote for it. i have ads run against me for cutting medicare and yet i'm going to ask to enter a letter from the american hospital association, american medical association, american home care and hospice to point out there were no cuts to medicare because of the changes we are involved in making. now, this is part of the problem we're having dealing with how to concern trade promotion authority. this is something that all of us should embrace. it sets the rules for the administration to negotiate and

blumenauer: i'm frustrated on the floor today to not vote for h.r. 644. this should be about helping businesses, export more, cutting red tape at the border and enhancing the ability to hold foreign tax cheats accountable. this bill cuts corners on matters to exporters and those undercut by bad actors and give special attention to the paranoia of the republican caucus. the senate passed a bipartisan customs bill which had a couple of strong provisions that i have offered, in it. this legislation is not what we are considering. this bill contains ill advised language on climate change and shorts efforts to deal with human trafficking and currency and reverses long standing policy towards israel. it's not so much the fact that there was these vote-buying tactics to load this up with inappropriate items, i'm frustrated that provisions that would strengthen the bill and get bipartisan support, have been left out. the green 301 provisions to help american businesses working abroad who are put at a competitive disadvantage by operating at or above local environ

blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: there's a tremendous crisis facing america but it's not one you hear much about on capitol hill. it's killing hundreds of people a year, injuring thousands more. it's crippling america's global standing as we have fallen in the world ranking from number one down to 27 and falling further. it's having a profound effect on our global economic competitiveness while costing american families hundreds of dollars a year of extra expenses. and of course it's complicating the lives of americans and business by losing millions of hours that otherwise could be put to productive work at exercise or with their families, on the job. if it were any other subject there would be cries of outrage and alarm and calls for action. you would see a flurry of action here on capitol hill. sadly, this decline, this cost, this damage is the result of our very real infrastructure crisis. a crisis to which congress has been in different at best and negligent at worst. despite countless examples of th

blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you mr. speaker. this week we started the 33rd extension of the highway spending program. the 33rd time that we failed to deal meaningfully with the crisis in funding our transportation system. it's a symbol of congress' failure to deal with a country that's falling apart and falling behind. no country became great building its infrastructure seven months at a time. it prompts silly ideas. one recently op-ed page of "the wall street journal" that talks about taxing for highways, paying for bike paths as the problem. well, as is pointed out in letters to the editor today it's not spending on bike paths which dr. pete ruain, head of the road builders, point out is about 1% of the total federal transportation highway budget if you include sidewalks as well. no, the problem is that we are paying for 2015 infrastructure with 1993 dollars. we've not raised the gas tax in 22 years. now, i would suggest that what we ought to do is look at the broad coalition that's represented by the authors on that letters -

blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased that after 55 months in control my republican friends have scheduled their first hearing on transportation finance. this is a very important very welcomed development, as welcome as it is long overdue. i appreciate my friend paul ryan, the chairman of the committee, keeping his word that we could actually have a hearing. now the question is whether this is going to be one that is more or less prefunctry, sort of plain vanilla or whether it will be a start of a critical dialogue involving not just ideologues but the people who do more than just study the issue. hear from the vast army of people who plan build, maintain and use our transportation infrastructure. theirs is a unique shared, forceful vision. congress could spend the time not just listen to those stakeholders but to understand how they got to where they are and what we need to do. we shouldn't settle for half steps to just get past the next transportation deadline, which is looming next month, which would be the

blumenauer for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you mr. speaker. the strange collide scope of this -- can lied scope of this congressional session began with a proposed shutdown of homeland security to the bipartisan action to fix the vecksing s.r. medicare funding formula. the so-called doc fix to prevent dramatic cuts to providers. yes, it is still hard to overcome deep divisions, philosophic differences and some real serious politics. the heated rhetoric and convoluted votes on the trade packages is a recent example. wouldn't it be great if we could take a step back and find ways to unite us to solve a major problem? well we've got a major problem that is staring us in the face right now. we're in the midst of the 33rd short-term transportation funding extension. that is the result of our inability to pay for 2015 infrastructure with 1993 dollars. that is the result of our inability to raise the gas tax since 1993. but the demands for transportatn solutions grow and the harm inflicted on families occurs every day. it costs them over $300 a year

blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. house action is expected on trade provisions this week. a vote on a package that establishes the rules for how the next major trade agreement will be handled, the trade promotion authority, may be voted on on friday. it's been fascinating for me to hear the arguments at home and in washington, d.c., of those who are opposed to trade promotion authority and have already decided against the transpacific partnership before the agreement is even finished. the critics cite often concerns about the environment. but what i hear from some of my friends on the other side of this question at home stands in stark contrast to what i think reality is. the dreaded secret negotiations are somehow raised as a negative. but to the best of my knowledge, all major serious agreements are negotiated in private. like all labor union contracts. it's after they are negotiated that the members have them and look -- at whether or not it's worthy of their support. there are concerns about various corporate advi

the next washington journal, several amendments dealing with local pot laws with representative blumenauer. representative dome mass massie discusses efforts to change nsa surveillance after the senate approved the usa freedom act sendsing it to president obama for his signature. as part of the spotlight on magazine series, new republican contributor lauren sandler answers questions about the cover story on paid family leave. washington journal is live every morning at 7:00 eastern on c-span and you can contribute to the discussion on facebook and on twitter @cspanwj. >> wednesday, lincoln chafee announces his presidential campaign at politics and foreign relations in arlington virginia. the former republican turned independent is running as a democrat. see it live at 5:00 eastern here on c-span3. >> this week the c-span cities tour partnered with time warner cable to learn about the history and literary life of lincoln, nebraska. >> one of the most important american writers of the 20th century, given almost every literary award possible in her lifetime before she died. other than the nob

blumenauer of oregon for their continued leadership in improving medicare advantage. their very hard work will ensure that seniors for years will come and enjoy better health care choices and more options at that. with that, mr. speaker. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. rangel: i reserve myself such time as i may need. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rangel: mr. speaker, i join with the gentleman from texas in supporting h.r. 2570, representative black and representative blaurg worked hard on this issue. this legislation would allow the secretary of h.h.s. to conduct the demonstration giving managed care organizations the opportunity to offer plans with a variety of benefits structure that would lower the cost sharing. we think it makes a lot of sense and i concur and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas. mr. brady: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield two minutes to a key member of the ways and means c

that's how i worked with your previous guest, earl blumenauer. we got industrial hemp on the farm bill two years ago, and now they are growing it in kentucky on pilot programs because we worked together. host: christy in charlotte, north carolina. caller: my question -- the patriot act was not intended to collect metadata from all the americans. but it was executive order 12333 which allowed nsa to do that. will the same executive order allow the american freedom act to collect the same data, so we are really not getting anywhere? guest: that's a great question. the president said he was disturbed by these programs when he came about, that there needed to be reform. the reality is, he could have stopped them that day. he's the executive. so he waited for the congress to do something. when we got to sunday night at midnight and the programs a sensibly were shut down, i had the same questions. are they really turning any switches, or not? she talked about executive order 12333. you can see what that executive order is, but it is classified how it i

blumenauer: the price of energy with the cost of energy. what's happened in states like california that have been creative in terms of energy conservation and pricing it properly, use goes down. some of the people with the lowest rates waste the most energy. they actually spend more. part what have we did with climate legislation as the gentleman from new jersey well knows, that actually would have reduced the cost for most people. we don't want to be on the wrong side of history on this. because it will have a devastating effect. the administration's modest support of proposal -- ought to be supported. we shouldn't pretend we can piecemeal it out to the states to undercut it. we ought not to pretend that this is not a real problem that deserves our attention going forward. to waste time today with something that would turn the clock back, that won't pass the senate, if it did, it would be vetoed is sad. we ought to be working together on a low-carbon future, to be able to make it work right for each and every community. the speaker pro tem

blumenauer made the same argument. last gentleman said and it is whether we need to come with coming start now and this is a national priority and i hope we build these ships and i yield back. . . the chair: the motion is on -- the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from virginia. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. >> with that we request a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from virginia will be postponed. the clerk will read. the clerk: page 118, line 11, section 8123, none of the funds provided for the taox program shall be used to award a new contract unless those components are manufactured in the united states. including transfer of funds. section 8124, $700 million. section 8125, amounts appropriated in title 2 of this act are hereby reduced by $359 million to reflect excess cash balances and department of defense working capital funds. section 8126, to r

congressman earl blumenauer who serves on the ways and means committee will join us.house oversight committee member congressman thomas massie will discuss changes to the nsa surveillance program after the senate approved renewing the last provisions of the patriot act. and as part of our spotlight on magazines this series, new -- "new republic" contributor will talk about her article on fate hanley leave -- pa him ♪ host: good morning. after eight years debate 23 republicans joined 53 democrat to pass the usa freedom act yesterday by a vote of 67-32. in the approved the bill ending the nsa's bulk data collection. president obama signed into law last night. we will begin with your thoughts on this fight in congress and reforms made under the new law feared republicans

blumenauer. >> thank you, mr. chairman. madam secretary, i appreciate your reluctance to deal with hypothetical legislation that hasn't yet been returned to deal with a legal decision that hasn't yet been rendered. i think it is prudent. but if this current takes place by the court it seems to me it would not be rocket science as some of my colleagues have mentioned to make relatively minor changes to conform statutes to the intent and text of the bill and move forward. i think the committee could take one weekend and fix it and move on. i would like to shift gears slightly. we have had an ongoing series of conversations. it has been six years since a provision i offered was approved approved unanimously by this committee dealing with end-of-life care. that provision despite a kerfuffle and certain rhetorical flourishes remain in the legislation. unfortunately, it felt that into the reconciliation process and six years later we are trying to achieve those subject is. although the world has moved on a best-selling book by a

blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. there's been a flurry of activity regarding infrastructure funding in recent days. we had the first hearing in the ways and means committee in the 55 months since my republican friends took over to deal with transportation finance. there have been press conferences and proposals and a few other hearings have been scheduled, but despite all the furor, there is only one solution which is broadly supported, which is easy to implement which does the job. it's raising the gas tax. now, we heard at the hearing on ways and means that -- the three basic arguments that are offered against that. that it's not politically possible. that there's really no time to do this. we have to extend it through the end of the year. and this would somehow be a burden on the families. actually, that is not true. the notion that it's not politically possible is not remotely the case. there are 20 states in the last 2 1/2 years that have stepped up to raise their gas taxes. and ironically information submitted

blumenauer: i appreciate the gentleman's courtesy. we have been involved with a long struggle in this congress and congresses before dating back some 13 years and even before that about country of origin labeling. do people have the right to know where their food comes from. as the gentleman from massachusetts pointed out, the american public supports this. we have -- had a ruling from the w.t.o. that does not prohibit country of origin labeling to the contrary. the case upheld the country's right to require food labeling when it serves a broad public interest and does not lead to treatment of a foreign product in a less favorable way than a domestic one. we are rushing in a repeal that goes beyond just the disputed elements, adding poultry, and raising questions about our commitment to be able to give consumers what they want. there are those that would attach costs to this but it also in terms of what people want. but i think we ought to take a deep breath. there is not going to be any retaliatory tariffs that are going to be actual

blumenauer. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. blumenauer: i appreciate the gentleman's courtesy and i appreciate his leadership. focused like a laser on something where it is not like marijuana. for general rations americans have used hemp. it's just been recently that it's been compromised so we have to import hemp from overseas to make perfectly legal hemp products you can buy in any american city. this is an important step forward to be able to allow kentucky farmers, oregon farmers to do something that they have done for generations. it's about economic development. it's about being rational and it's about being able to focus on things that are important. i deeply appreciate the gentleman's focus and patience, keeping us on message here to be able to make sure we're not having federal interference for something that is state supervised, where states around the country want to allow this for their farmers and their ranchers. i think it's an important step forward and i appreciate his leadership in permitting me to speak on it.