i appreciate the gentlelady from illinois, ms. bean, for yielding. i want to first thank the chair of the small business committee, congresswoman velazquez, for the work that she has done on this bill and for others who have worked on this bill. as i'm sure as has been said many times on this floor but bears repeating, small businesses are the job creating engine of our economy. they employ more than half of all employees in the private sector, and they've created 64% of net new jobs over the past 15 years. so ensuring that small businesses have the resources they need to keep innovating, growing and creating jobs is essential if we're going to sustain the economic recovery. . small businesses have been at the heart of the democratic recovery strategy ever since this convened. the deepest recession we have seen in 3/4 of a century. the recovery act which cut taxes for 98% of americans and is responsible for some two million jobs gave small businesses tax credits for hiring many unemployed workers, and helped them make the capital investments that are

, he's also a pastor for memorial medical center located in springfield, illinois. in addition to that, he's a public servant in his own right, being elected to his second term now for the west lincoln school board. he's in a whole host of organizations, constandly giving back to his family -- constantly giving back to his family. a member of the orchestra, an officer of the can you be scouts organization in his

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois rise? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on h.r. 5297 and to insert extraneous material thereon. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. pursuant to house resolution 1436 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 5297. the chair now appoint the gentleman from arizona, mr. pastor, to proceed over the committee of the whole. the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of h.r. 5297 which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bill to create the small business lending fund program to direct the secretary of the treasury to make capital investments in eligible institutions in order to increase the availability of credit for small businesses, and for other purposes. the chair: pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as read the first time. gene

i recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. davis: mr. speaker, i give back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois yields back the balance of his time of the the question is, will the house ssspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1369. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the -- the gentleman from illinois. mr. davis: mr. speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of + order a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: point of no quorum. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior %% announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey wish to be recognized? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1407, supporting the goals and ideals of high performance building week. the speaker pro t

the chair: the gentlewoman from illinois is recognized for one minute. ms. bean: thank you, madam chairwoman. i just want to acknowledge congressman braillely's efforts recognizing the challenges americans have -- braley's efforts recognizing the challenges americans have reading documents particularly lending disclosures. this amendment is a commonsense approach to making the program more accessible. i commepped his leadership to expand plain language to our government documents. i yield back. the chair: the gentlewoman from illinois yield back the remainder of her time. the gentleman from texas -- from iowa. mr. braley: madam speaker, i think that the comments that you heard are indicative of what's wrong with the way of government agencies write their documents. i think deplorable that we have to take this action, but the sad truth is anybody who's looked at these loan documents knows how serious this problem is. i think this is a small step in the right direction. i call this the little engine that could. if we implement this across tte board in federal

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois rise? ms. bean: i claim time in opposition, even though i'm not opposed. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman -- the chair: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. bean: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. i want to acknowledge congressman price's amendment and its recognition of the challenges faciig not only community businesses seeking loans but the community banksers that are trying to provide them -- bankers that are trying to provide them. his amendment recognizes the mixed messages between regulators urging more lending while regulators and examiners are often urging less, particularly in the area of commercial real estate. that's why i have a bill that addresses both priorities, by expanding the sba 504 program to allow banks to lend to small businesses for owner-occupied properties while easing the exposure on their bank's balance sheet with investments from the c.b.c.'s. i also want to acknowledge that this amendment recognizes the credit

robert henderson, first baptist church, lincoln, illinois. the chaplain: our father, deliver us from shallow words and impure motivations as we pray to you this day. forgive us of our arrogance, selfishness and greed. this morning we ask for your blessing upon our nation, restore our hope, strengthen our faith and teach us your love, enable us to be a nation that cares as we pursue peace, practice mercy and offer compassion. we pray, o lord, that you would establish the cause of the faithful, give comfort to those that suffer and set right the injustices within our nation and the world. protect those that defend our cherished freedoms as they serve within our military branches. give wisdom to our community leaders, our courts and our national representatives. renew our commitment of service to the people of our nation and to the greater good of all humanity. these things we pray in the name of our lord, jesus christ. amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house her approval the

. >> and the gentle lady from illinois. as necessary. that is apparently what they did with an aig. they decided that because certain european banks had so many obligations, that they needed to pay them off dollar for dollar or they would fail.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois. mr. herger: i'd like to -- mr. shimkus: i'd like to inquire how much time is left. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois has 4 1/2 minutes. mr. shimkus: can i inquire how many speakers you have, i'm the only one, i'd like to -- i'll just reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i'm pleased -- mr. waxman: i'm pleased to yield to mr. dingell for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. dingell: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. dingell: we have before us an opportunity. we can begin to solve a problem that's going to destroy our medical care system in this country. doctors are abandoning medicare patients because they can no longer afford to serve them. it's turning out we are now finding we are losing the capability of addressing one of the greatest health problems we've got, seeing to it that physicians do take care of our peopl

ronald reagan was born in illinois in 1911. he was a construction worker, a lifeguard, radio announcer, and actor. after serving in the air force, he returned to acting before successfully running for california governor despite never having held public office before. prest reagan successfully obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, and increase employment. his contributions on behalf of freedom around the world are un paralleled since the end of world war ii. there is no more cold war. there is no more berlin wall. and it is because of the leadership of president ronald reagan. he was instrumental in bringing the breadth of freedom to mfls people around the world who spent decades under the yolk of tyranny. president reagan left a lasting imprinon american politics, diplomacy, culture, and economics. as a california rest didn't, i am honored to support h.r. 5278. it was introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from illinois, representative bill foster, on may 12, 2010. the measure was referred to t

the gentlewoman from illinois. mrs.biggert: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: so recognized. mrs. biggert: i rise today in support of house resolution 1244, recognizing the national collegiate cyberdefense competition for its five-year effort to promote cybersecurity curriculum in institutions of higher education. in april of 2005 the university of texas at san antonio held the first collegiate cyberdefense competition or ccdc for the southwest western region, the ccdc focus the on the operational aspects of managing and protecting an existing network infrastructure. teams acquire points based on their ability to detect and respond to outside threats, maintain availability of existing services such as mail servers and web servers, respond to business requests such as the addition or removal of additional services, and balance security needs against business needs. the mission of the ccdc is to provide a controlled, competitive environment to assess the students' understandi

host: springfield, illinois, republican line.aller: there has been various road construction around the city especially around and states and highways. i work for a chiropractor. build a bridge. when they started it, half of it fell last fall. they had to clean up the mace -- mess and do it over. they are finishing this bridge and it has impacted my block of business. it is hard to get into this business. if you are going to stimulate the economy, through tax cuts and some regulations on business. i do not think the way to do it is to put it out at the taxpayers' expense. it should be more through private means. host: more from the analysis in the "new york times." we are talking about evidence of stimulus spending in your area. our next call comes on the independent line from grand rapids, michigan. caller: we have seen a lot of evidence here. there are widening the expressway. i just feel it is not money well spent. i do not know anybody who has gotten a job through this. it is evident and money being spent, but it is not relea

. >> congressman john shimkus is a republican from illinois. we are joined also by the reporter from congress daily. >> just as a quick follow-up on the third wave proposal, since you find that so objectionable is there an alternative you support that would give the s.e.c. the regulatory certainty it needs to move forward with broadband regulation? -- that would give the fcc the regulatory certainty it needs to move forward with broadband regulation? >> i would ask where the problem is. where issthe outcry? even the three cases of individuals who claimed a problem, even in some of the national story lines, resolve their problems by going through a different isp, or is resolved between the i s p and the company. the have not made the case this is a problem. this is a political debate by major interests on the west coast that helped support the democratic party. that is why they are moving on this agenda. we have been asking -- show us where there is a problem? there is not a problem right now in this whole debate. >> who are those political inte

rush of illinois. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized -- rarb of illinois. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from illinois is recognized -- rush of illinois. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. rush: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i'd like to begin by thanking the committee chairman, howard berman, and the chairman payne and my good friend, congresswoman watson. i also thank congresswoman clarke and congressman royce on their constant leadership on african issues. this year, mr. speaker, 17 african nations are celebrating the anniversary of their independence. 1960 was an important year when the french, british and italian colonies. they won hard-fought victories that led to independence on january 1, a nation of cameroon and -- in 1960 was a nation of mauritania securing its independence from france. the resolution i'm bringing to the floor today will honor the sacrifices of the fallen fathers of these african nations. lit

for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? mr. quigley: madam speaker, you ve no idea how much i'm going to enjoy this, but sometime late last night patrick kane slipped a puck to a goaltender in overtime and thehicago blackhawks became the stanley cuchampions. congratulations to the team for their greaseason. many of these players have played over 120 games this season, including the olympics, to achieve thr one goal. a special thanks to the owner the blackhawks, rocky. while hockey never left chicago, he brought it back. the management team, the coach and dale. madam speaker, today chicago is my kind of town. thank you and i yield back. the speaker: for what purpose does the gentlewoman fronorth carolina rise? ms. foxx: i ask perssion to addresthe house for e minute, madam speaker. the speaker: without objection. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. the 2010 federal dget deficit will hit $1 trillion this month. and we've also recently learned that the federal debt will reach $19.5 trillion by 2015. you'd think this would be a cas

for what purposs does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 5297, the small business lending fund act. mr. quigley: this legislation will help the small businesses in my district such as allen joe's dele, a family-owned business in franklin park with pubsandwiches to die for that is looking to expand. it will also save businesses such as national plumbing and heating supply company in illinois which had to shut down after six years because banks ended its line of credit. to respond to these problems i will vote to create a new $30 billion loan program to boost lending to small businesses so they can expand and create jobs. i also co-sponsored an amendment that will include commercial real estate lending at small business lending. this will complement regular lending efforts and help businesses like allen joe's, capitalize on existing property to expand and create new jobs. i urge my colleagues to pass this critical leg

hare from illinois. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for two minutes. mr. hare: thank you, mr. speaker. for too long irresponsible actions of big banks put american families at risk. today with the passage of this financial reform legislation we will finally begin to protect consumers on main street from the greed on wall street. predatory lending, risky schemes, and exploiting loopholes were just some of the choice words used by wall street fat cats to send our economy on the brink of depression. under this bill we are ending these practices and shining new light on products and transaction that is threaten the stability of the financial system. this bill is a landmark achievement in consumer protection by establishing a consumer financial protection agency, dedicated to ensuring that banks, bank loans, mortgages, and credit cards are fair, affordable, understandable, and most importantly transparent. this bill is good for small business. it's good for consumers. and go

where are you calling from in illinois? >> rantoul, illinois. >> rantoul is a great town.ughter] >> yes. [laughter] >> tell everybody back home i said hi. >> i sure will. >> this has been an area where probably there's been the most misinformation and concern, after the death panels. remember those? for those who are not familiar with it -- and i want to make sure that i explain this as clearly as possible -- medicare provides a guaranteed benefit. and then a while back a law was passed saying we're going to have a program called medicare advantage in which we pay insurance companies to provide medicare benefits. so the insurance companies are supposed to manage these medicare benefits. there are examples of where medicare advantage has been a good deal for some seniors. but, ovvrall, what happened to the program is, is that insurance companies were getting paid on average $1,000 more -- $1,000 more -- than the costs of regular medicare. okay? now, by law these insurance companies were supposed to be providing additional benefits and better services for this $1,000. but a

. >> and the gentle lady from illinois. as necessary. that is apparently what they did with an aig. they decided that because certain european banks had so many obligations, that they needed to pay them off dollar for dollar or they would fail. they did not pay off -- we know with some of these companies that the different pension funds and municipalities were not paid. they determined that that was not necessary. you have two or three pages of establishing a preference, which is very similar to bankruptcy, and then, all of a sudden, you blow it out. i have got a quotation -- this is not me. the chief investment officer at vanguard group point out that the bill allowed -- and he is talking about these two sections i referred to -- allows the fdic to play favorites among creditors of a failed institution undergoing resolution. he notes the fdic could provide 100% bailout to whichever of these creditors it favors while imposing severe losses on other investors who bought the exact same bonds. they could decide to do that. even the "new york times" -- the "new york times" is supportive

our next call comes from carterville, illinois. ken on our line for republicans. go ahead. caller: good morning. rob, you stole my thunder about the jones act. there are 13 countries that want to come in and help and obama won't suspend the jones act. to me that won't make any sense. he should have been on this day one. the dutch and some other ones wanted to come day one but he was too busy campaigning, playing golf and doing this and that and being at the show of the beatles. that's how i feel. i think the oil should never have got to shore. if he would have been on the ball. thank you. host: thanks for your call. general, we're going to move on to louisiana on our line for democrats. go ahead. caller: hello. i'm from louisiana. we're so thankful that you have answered the call to come here when we know that you believe mobilize the troops and people on the ground. and all the residents will be behind you. we thank you for that. now my question is this. do you think there's a possibility or any possibility that this oil could come up to lake poven train or lake importantl

the speaker o tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for three minutes. mr. roskam: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. i cam here to the floor a couple minutes ago and i thought surely i'm not going tohear and see the tired old symbolic show pony of george w. bush and his administration being trotted out in this chamber once again, but i wasn't disappointed. it just amazes me, mr. speaker, at the lack of creativity and forward thinking and problem solving that we see animated on the other side of the aisle that all they can do is look in this rear-view mirror and wring their hands and moan and grown and say it's george w. bush's fault. i think the american public is just tired of that. i think the american public isn't persuaded by it. i offered an amendmenvery straightforwardly last night, it was offered by mr. sessions of texas, in the rules committee, that would have said a very simple thing. uld have said, if you are running fannie and freddie, if you are an employee of fannie and freddie, new rules. and the new rule is you are no

host: independent line, illinois. caller: i have heard a good idea epoch solar roadways dot com. i have seen other innovative ideas that are not getting any play at all. how much do you think the current energy industry is going to drive the direction we go? are we going to be trading and energy empire of oil companies and coal companies for wind and solar companies? guest: i think the connern that the caller just expressed is the way that the senators would try to say their policy would work in bringing the new technologies is if you put a price on carbon out there, that will bring in all kinds of venture capitalists and inventors to come up with ways we have not thought about to produce energy more cleanly. that is what i think as much as electricity standard may be a kid thing, they want to put the price signal up their that would stir a lot of investment and find innovative ways to produce electricity and other forms of energy. host: banks. coming up, we will switch gears to financial regulations and conference negotiations happening on capitol hill between house and senate m

illinois is in play. >> steven, you kept asking questions going back to the politics of all of this.f what is your thinking? >> it you take the totality of the interview, what congressman spratt really illustrated was that the democrats are being pulled into different directions get sort of, high speed. they're closer snapping right now because they're having a hard time

court because of a challenge brought by a group of residents of chicago and its suburb, oak park, illinois, as well as local and national chapters of the national rifle association. these suits were ready to go really after the supreme court ruled two years ago that the second amendment protects a right to keep a gun in the home for self-defense. >> brown: what was the key issue in this case? and what did the majority decide? >> well, justice alito pointeded out in his opinion today that the bill of rights was originally viewed by the framers to protect us against actions by the federal government. but after the civil war and with the adoption of post civil war amendments, the court began to look at the 14th amendment's due process clause and found that it actually prevented states from infringing certain rights protected by the bill of rights. so the question was what about the second amendment in the bill of rights? not all of the bill of rights have been held to apply to actions by state government. justice alito said today that the test here really is, is this a right that is fundament

[laughter] the gentleman from illinois. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you for holding this first meeting of the congress. it is an honor to be here. i want to thank the republican leadership for asking me to participate in these deliberations. the financial regulatory structure is broken and needs reform. we needed smarter and stronger regulatory system can no more bailouts. through this process, a republican colleagues have offered alternative solutions. some have been accepted, but the vast majority of them have been rejected. one of my constituents traveled to washington, d.c. to discuss regulatory deform with me and my staff -- regulatory reforr with me and my staff. he asked, "why is my business included in this bill? i never did a subprime loans." his small business, like so many others, risk being collateral damage under this bill. that is the outcome that i hope my colleagues will workkwith me to prevent. there's also consumer choice. the new brokers to will tell businesses what businesses and products they can and cannot offer to certain

. >> president barack obama was in illinois monday attending a memorial day ceremony. he was about to speak at the abraham lincoln national cemetery when a rainstorm canceled the event. however, the president was able to lay a wreath in honor of servicemen and women who served the country. ♪ [ ♪ [taps] >> vice president joe biden was at arlington national cemetery honoring those who gave their lives in the nation's wars. he gave his address where he was joined by the joint chiefs chairman admiral mike mullen and the debt -- and the deputy defense secretary. ♪ ♪ [star spangled banner] banner"] ♪ ♪ [drum roll] ♪ ["taps"] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [applause] >> please and gentlemen, please stand for the introduction of the vice-president, conners, invocation and national anthem. -- ownerhonors, invocation and national anthem. >mr. jack meter, arlingt national cemetery superintendent. major general carl r. horst, the united states army district of arm -- of washington. about role michael mullen, chairman, joint chiefs of staff. the hon. -- hon. william flynt iii, deputy -- wliam lynn iii,

host: next call comes from spring hill, illinois. caller: good laws and enforcement of them are more effective than a fence. [unintelligible] 20 miles from here -- [unintelligible] whatever the -- you know, the thing is that both to the immigration and the drug problems are perfect examples of why people like robert byrd, in office for 50 years, they perpetuate these problems perpetuate these problems because they are so entrenched. these guys that come over the border to work at been promoted by these long-term career politicians who perpetuate their careers -- host: all right, we got the point. guest: well, again, i think everybody agrees that the solution to illegal immigration is immigration reform. we need to figure out a way how to legalize those that are in this country, we need to figure out a way of ensuring that immigrants that come in to the united states fill jobs that are regulated so that we don't have an underground economy. i couldn't agree more that we need to address the demand for drugs in this country. there are a

today in illinois, the federal corruption trial of former gov. ron blagojevich gets underway with the jury selection beginning. a reporter covering it for "the chicago tribune" is on the line. good morning, jeff. set the stage on how this trial is expected to unfold. guest: finally expecting it today after all of the reality tv and the defense attempts to delay. we are really expecting quite a political show to unfold in chicago. we will get to see years of the blagojevich but ministration laid bare from the time he was elected in 2000 -- blagojevich administration laid bare from the time he was elected in 2002, and all of the activities -- the pay to place game -- paid to play scheme. we will watch that sort of grow into the period that the country kind of came aware of it, -- became aware of it, the alleged sale of the senate seat that barack obama vacated when he was elected. host: what are the most serious allegations, the charges by the government, and what is the possible penalty? guest: he is charged in a 24- count indictment but the most

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois rise? ms. bean: i move that the committee rise. the chair: the question is on the motion to rise. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the committee rises. the speaker pro tempore: the house will come to order. madam chair. the chair: the committee of the whole house on the state of the union, having had under consideration h.r. 5297, directs me to report that it has come to no resolution thereon. the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration h.r. 5297 and has come to no -- to no resolution thereon. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to laws 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered. or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. recorded votes on postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i

h.res. 879 was introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from illinois, representative walter minnick, on october 29, 2009. the measure was referred to the committee on oversight and government reform which ordered it reported by unanimous consent on may 6, 2010. the measure has the support of over 70 members of the house. i thank the gentleman from idaho for introducing this measure, and i'd also like to thank chairman towns and ranking member issa for their support for the bill. and i urge my colleagues to support this measure and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, is recognized. mr. chaffetz: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. chaffetz: thank you. i rise in support of h.res. 879, supporting the goals and ideals of american education week. teachers want to teach students . and we can't forget about the librarians, the coaches, janitors, the crossing guards, the administrators, all those who d

my colleague, eric schock from illinois, offered a great amendment which was shot down which would put a sunsetting provision in programs not performing. the previous administration there was one site called expectmore.gov. it did an assessment of programs. it was pushed by the office of management and budget. it had a dashboard indicator how these programs that were instituted by the congress, how they were performing based on their own set of criteria set in advance. in allowed the american people to actually have exposure. unfortunately expectmore.gov under the current administration is no longer maintained. the information is not up to date and consequently the american people do not have access to the information. i encourage the administration and support from both sides of the aisle to reinstitute this website. i want to conclude by quoting office of management and budget director, on may 24 this year, mr. orszag said, quote, we should never tolerate taxpayer dollars going to programs that duplicative or inineffective because in this face cal environment we cannot afford this. e

the gentleman from illinois controls the time. the gentleman from california. >> i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> for the fourth time in six months, the democrats' inability to improperly manage is forcing doctors to confront a 21% cut in their reimbursement rate. mr. herger: this cut went into effect on june 1, forcing medicare to pay claims for physicians' services with the 21% cut. in practical terms this mean farce standard office visit, physicians are being paid $8 less than they received in 2007. this is unacceptable. and irresponsible. as a result of the democrat's failure to address this issue in a timely manner, tens of millions of taxpayer dollars will be required to reprocess these claims and send new checks to doctors all because the majority democrats could not finish their work on time. physicians' practices, like most small businesses, are hurt by this dereliction of duty. doctor bowland from montgomery, alabama, said about the delayed paymentss quot

[laughter] the gentlen from illinois. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you for holding this first meeting of the congress. it ian honor to be here. i want to thank the republican leadership for asking me to participate in these deliberations. the nancial regulatory structure is broken and needs reform. we needed smarter and stronger regulatory system can no more bailou. thugh this process, a republican colleagues ha offered alternative solutions. some have been accepted, but the st majority of them have been rejected. one of my constituents traveled to washington, d.c. toiscuss regulatory deform with me and my staff -- regulatory reforr with me and my staff. he ask, "why is my business included ithis bill? i never did a subprime loans." his allusins, like so many others, risk being collateral damage underhis bill. that is the outcomehat i hope my colleagues will workkwith me to prevent. there's also consumer choice. the newrokers to will tell businesses what businesses and products they can and cannot offer to certain consumers and take financial d

>> your first call is from barbara franklin from illinois. >> i am president of the illinois alliancer retired americans. my question is, will the reduction in subsidies to medicare a bandage plans, because these companies to reduce coverage in the plants? courts that is a great question. -- >> that is a great question. this has been an area where probably there has been the most in misinformation and concerns, after the death penalty. remember those? -- the death panels. remember those? . . insurance companies were getting paid $1,000 more -- 1,000 more than the cost of regular medicare. ok. now, by law these insurance companies were supposed to be providing additional benefits and better services for this $1,000, but a lot of it ended up going to their profits and c.e.o. bonuses and their bottom lines. you, if you weren't signed up for medicare advantage, were still paying higher premiums for somebody else's medicare advantage. if you are in regular medicare, which is about 77%, so three out of four of you who are in medicare are signed up for regular medicare and one out of four of

>> at the daily kos, illinois or in the minority, armada was more democrats. once we were in the majority, armada was better democrats. success in november, at this point, we're fighting a defensivbattle. the climate is against us. we have an administration that seems more worried about inflation and jobs reports. it is challenging and thankfully bt backers are giving us lifeline and we will take -- thankfully the tea baggers are giving us a lifeline. they're convinced they will take the senate and house. if it can hold our losses than we have won a big victory because they have set the expectations. . >> we need those people to be of the better kind. >> i think three things for success in the short term -- one is a baaanced tally. we cannot afford to lose the majority. we just cannot. speaker owner keeps me up at night. oehner d.c. up at night. -- keeps me up at night. have we will -- we have to be willing to lose a couple of seats. we have to win seats in contested districts. those are purple, republican districts where there are real progressives running wh

illinois, carol, an independent line. good morning. caller: they should take the money and build jobs, open a shoe factory. what is wrong with that? i do not understand why our government keeps sending the money for road work to the same fat cats that get the same jobs. it is not the people out there that need them. i have grandchildren that do not have jobs and have not had jobs for a long time. this world is messed up and they could fix it. just start the factors again. when clinton took our jobs away, he took away our lives. we need the jobs. that would fix our country completely. we would not have to take money from the federal government or anyone else. i am sorry. i get a little bit excited about this because i am so upset what is going on with our country. i am 71 years old and i love this country. host: coming up next, we will turn our attention to the jones act. it is the legislation passed in 1920 there requires shipping be owned and operated by u.s. workers and u.s. companies. it is something that is come a discussing the bp

for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois will be allowed to speak out of order. mr. quigley: back in december we asked, should we send more troops in afghanistan? we should have asked, would a greater military presence make america safer? and then question we asked, how can we get supplies to troops scattered in afghanistan? we should have asked, will getting supplies to troops fuel the insurgency we're fighting? now we are asking, can a new command for the afghanistan ensure a -- ensure we win the war there? we should have been asking, is this war winnable and will it make america safer. we have to start asking the right questions. the first question is, where are the terrorists? we are so focused on the details of afghanistan that we are missing the larger picture. the terrorists we are fight are no long for the afghanistan only, they are operating in yemen, somalia, subsaharan africa an here in the just. th

the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr.durbin: madam president, members of the senate are coming to the floor today to acknowledge a moment of our history, the passing of robert c. byrd, the longest serving senator in the history of the united states of america. a man who cast more than 18,000 votes, a man who served as authority leader of the appropriations committee, president pro tempore, he was, in fact, the united states senate. he embodied the senate in his life. it was his life. each of us before we can become a senator take a walk down this aisle and go over to the side here where the vice president of the united states swears us in. you put your hand on a bible and you take an oath to uphold and defend the constitution of the united states. you have to say that or you can't be a senator. for many people it's a for malty. for robert c. byrd it was a commitment, a life commitment to a document. the constitution of the united states. he used to carry one in his pocket every day of his life. that's the kind of commitme

banker and real estate man from illinois.we just opened a new branch in the washington area last week. we are a good bank. i would say that wall street is on the hook for their unethical practices. i am one of the real estate disciplinary board members. the eight subprime mortgage and these problems are really caused by excess of real estate brokers, mortgage brokers, and some greek public -- " what is your question? >> to correct these deep-seated routes, i think america needs said a consumer education. some countries have concerned consumers. america has an different consumers'. >> you may be right but we are limited in time. can you give an answer? >> certainly, the subprime problem was part of the crisis. it was not all that but there were many reasons for including inconsistent regulation. the federal reserve bears responsibility there. we have put together regulation on mortgage lending but it came too late. another aspect of it certainly was the understanding of the borrowers. financial literacy is incredibly important

the unfinishhd business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis, to suspend the rules and agree to house%% concurrent reslution 288 on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: house concurrent resolution 288, could be current resolution supporting national men's health week. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to qqor call: r. quorum call: quorum call: the house will be in order. members wiil please take their conversations off the floor. members and staff, please take your conversations off the floor.+ the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain requests foo one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from northern marianas rise? nn objection. the gentleman will suspend. members and staff, please take your conversations off the floor. the house will be in order. members and staff, please take your conversationn off the floor. the gentleman is recognized. mr. sablan: thank you very much, mr. speaker. god's

our success inspired the young senator from illinois to run for the presidency.in turn inspired us to help turn out voters in record numbers. we are the change. [applause] this president was elected with a mandate in a press kidding -- in a casket and crisis that requires fundamental change. much of the progressive community has thrown itself into the efforts of the reform agenda. we have had and considerable success. we had the first comprehensive health care reform since medicare. we have the largest increase in student aid since the g.i. bill at the end of world war two. the most extensive welfare reform since the great depression. this has been the greatest flurry of reform in over 50 years. yet, through it, we have grown more dissatisfied. for good reason. the catastrophe that was inherited was far greater than any fear. reforms were insufficient to the cause. the rich -- the recovery plan stopped the the economic freefall but was too slow to put people to work for the health care reform but the insurance and drug companies kept their grip on their privilege

>> forest park, illinois. >> outside of chicago. >> larry: oprah country. >> it's all oprah country. we kidding? it's oprah's world. >> larry: was she a good student? >> she was a good student. she was a great -- she was a good student. great kid, though. people almost don't believe that. >> that means bad student when she gets to the great kid. >> larry: she had good manners? >> she had very good manners -- >> the pain in the neck nuns? they were evil. the nuns tried to torture me. they were evil. evil nuns. >> larry: did she listen to her parents? >> she was a good kid. i never had a problem with her. >> larry: aha. >> you know when i started to have problems with her? when she came out here and started to make it. that's when all this stuff came in. >> larry: in other words, before you made it -- >> a great kid. >> that's right. and hollywood turned me bad. >> larry: it wasn't your mother. it was this place. >> that's right. i'm not unlike the lohans. >> larry: maggie reveals something about kathy that only a mother would know, next. >>> good evening, ladies and gentlemen. i have

for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today with the news of the death of stewart from illinois. mr. hare: he weighs one of the most respected community leaders , public service is a belief that politics could be a driving force for positive change in the lives of everyday americans. it's a legacy that will be sorely missed in rock island that stewart loved and called home. as a child of the great depression stewart and his family faced great poverty. it was a powerful influence on him and i'm sure formed much of his success as an attorney and founding force of the rock island democratic party. as one of the greatest advocates much working men and women i nye, i think his legacy will be that other fems didn't face the hardships he knew. whether it was working people or the vast number of clients he represented, it is a legacy of great success. stewart had a huge impa

jury selection began today in the federal corruption trial of former illinois governor rod blagojevichhe allegedly tried to profit from his power to fill president obama's former senate seat. blagojevich arrived this morning at the chicago courthouse with his wife, patti. they stopped briefly before a phalanx of cameras. defense attorney sheldon sorosky said he will call white house chief of staff rahm emanuel, among others, as witnesses. >> i don't know if they're all going to testify. i don't know who the government is going to call. they certainly haven't told us yet. but they would all acknowledge the governor didn't do anything wrong. >> holman: blagojevich faces 24 counts, including racketeering and bribery. jury selection is expected to take up to four days. maytag is recalling more than a million and a half dishwashers because of a fire hazard. the consumer product safety commission announced the recall today. it said there've been 12 reports of fires caused by electrical failures in the dishwasher heating elements. the recall includes dishwashers with the maytag, amana, jenn-a

opening statements in the federal corruption trial of former illinois governor rod blagojevich began today. a federal prosecutor alleged blagojevich was part of a series of illegal shakedowns. he has pleaded not guilty to trying to profit from his right to pick someone to fill president obama's former senate seat. blagojevich arrivedate the courthouse in chicago smiling and joking with journalists. he told them the government has lied to the media and the public about the case. general motors announced it's recalling a million-and-a-half vehicles worldwide because of the potential for fires. the recall affects several pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles and passenger cars from the 2006 to 2009 model years. gp plans to disable a heated washer fluid system module that could lead to fires. nearly all of the vehicles affected were sold in the u.s. it was a mixed day on wall street today. the dow jones industrial average gained 123 points to close at 9940. the nasdaq fell three points to close above 2170. those are some of the day's major stories. now back to judy. >> woodruff: it's be

address last night earned him plaudits from some leading democrats, including senator dick durbin of illinois. >> this president has been very firm and resolute that british petroleum, this oil company, is going to be held responsible for the damage that's been done. it will be at their expense and not at the expense of american taxpayers that we will help the businesses that are affected and do everything within our power to restore the devastation which has occur to the environment. >> woodruff: on the other hand, senate republican leader mirb mcconnell criticized the president for citing the spill in a renewed appeal for energy and climate legislation >> fact that the white house wants to use this crisis as an excuse to push more of its legislate agenda on the american people with the same kind of arguments it used to push health care is really nothing short of startling. >> woodruff: along the gulf coast, reaction to last night's address was decidedly mixed, including this sampling at a marina in southern louisiana. >> in my opinion , he didn't talk enough about stopping the oil. >> he's