jackson lee. ms. jackson lee: let me thank the chairman very much, and i definitely support cooperation between the federal government and the state government. that is absolutely the best part moreship and one that i encourage -- partnership and one that i encourage. having been part of the local government in my city of houston, i know that unfunded mandates are very difficult to overcome. but i argue vigorously against the underlying legislation because it does equate to undermining the health of americans. we need clean water, not dirty water, and so this amendment strikes the entire legislation that causes us to ignore a partnership that has been established between the e.p.a., the environmental protection agency, and the national pollutant discharge elimination system, which is a state system. and to my count, some 47 states have initially got into the system and have worked to ensure they have clean water. why do i suggest that this is a very challenging approach to take that the legislation ha

jackson lee. on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 6 printed in house report 112-172 offered by ms. jackson lee of texas. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the chair: on this vote the yeas are 1 5 -- 175rk the nays are 240, the amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 9 printed in house re

after an chairman rogers, ranking member jackson lee and members of the subcommittee. i am the corporate safety and security leader of the colonial pipeline and i appreciate the opportunity to appear on the association of oil pipelines, the american petroleum institute is the chairman of the coordinating council of america relies on in america for the month to 70,000 miles of liquid pipeline to move the energy that fuels the nation's economy and supports the quality-of-life. one of them is colonial. colonial headquarters and a plant in georgia where we operate a system consisted of 5,500 miles of pipeline. when measured by the transport and colonial is the largest pipeline in the world. colonial in the pipeline industry are committed to delivering the material safely and efficiently. we are also committed to keeping the facility secure. with regard to the security of the pipeline system, private and public sector share the same goal protecting from a tax so we can avoid loss of life, disruption of service, damaged assets of injury to employees or the public or harms th

after an chairman rogers, ranking member jackson lee and members of the subcommittee.ines, the american petroleum institute is the chairman of the coordinating council of america relies on in america for the month to 70,000 miles of liquid pipeline to move the energy that fuels the nation's economy and supports the quality-of-life. one of them is colonial. colonial headquarters and a plant in georgia where we operate a system consisted of 5,500 miles of pipeline. when measured by the transport and colonial is the largest pipeline in the world. colonial in the pipeline industry are committed to delivering the material safely and efficiently. we are also committed to keeping the facility secure. with regard to the security of the pipeline system, private and public sector share the same goal protecting from a tax so we can avoid loss of life, disruption of service, damaged assets of injury to employees or the public or harms the environment and the national economy. one key element to effectively manage the risk is what tsa properly called a partnership between private a

chairman rogers, ranking member jackson-lee and members of the committee, thank you or the opportunity to testify here today. as the committee undertakes reauthorizing tsa, think it might be helpful to set a little perspective. by recalling why tsa was created to begin with. to protect the united states, its systems, our economy and a way our way of life from terrorist attacks. the reason i mention this is because as i travel around in airports i often observe travelers are passengers who with the passage of time, don't seem to understand why the screening process is necessary. it is. can it be better? cs and ata is working with tsa to try to improve it. effective efficiency is vital to the airline industry and fulfilling our central role in propelling commerce and economic vitality and global competitiveness of the united states. terrorist attacks, either on or through airlines, underscore a simple fact. aviation security is a core homeland security function. are airlines appreciate the collaborative relationship we have with tsa and their willingness to partner with us which is great

jackson lee: i'd like to yield before you close. mrs. christensen: i yield my time to sheila jackson lee. ms. jackson lee: i thank her for her leadership but i wanted to, when i said the bust, i want to equate it to the balanced budget amendment. that is what this cap -- excuse me, cut, cap and balance, it is a balanced budget amendment but let me be very clear because you said something very important. the balanced budget amendment, it was passed, would virtually guarantee that future budgets would cut and end medicare as well as drastically cut medicaid, just like the republican budget. the balanced budget amendment takes 2/3 of the house and senate to pass, it is almost impossible for it to pass and we are not like states where states do balance but they only have to take care of their state. . mrs. christensen: we would never be able to raise revenue, 2/3 of both bodies. ms. jackson lee: in joplin, missouri, the floods, the tornadoes and let me finish on this, we served on homeland security. we have seen the death of mr. karzai's bro

jackson lee: i thank you, madam chairwoman. we are in some tough times, but i believe it's important to have a structure in this government that provides oversight over the environment of this country. and however on quarrel with regulations that may seem a little steep, the work of the environmental protection agency is important. and as we stand here today, this legislation cuts the budget of the environmental protection agency by 18%, in addition to 16% in funding for f.y. 2011, 34%. this is unacceptable in order to protect the environment without harming industry, we must reach a compromise without slashing the e.p.a. budget. these cuts limit the e.p.a.'s ability to ensure that all americans have access to drinking water that does not contain toxins that expose americans to typhoid and organ damage. the assault on public health does not stop with the quality of our drinking water. this bill takes steps. a rider is attached that would prevent the e.p.a. from implementing a regulation that was implemented to protect the publi

jackson lee: i yield. mr. dicks: i appreciate the sincerity and the gentlelady's commitment to these programs. i have been a supporter of these programs over the years. triple negative breast cancer is a very, very aggressive and difficult type of cancer, and as the department goes throughth work, peer review research, we will bring this up next year in our hearings and ask them what they're doing about this. ms. jackson lee: i appreciate it. let me just say breast cancer counts for one in four cancers among women. in 2011 more than 26 million african-american will be diagnosised with breast cancer. another 6,000 will die. them pacts all women of all backgrounds. i want to make sure that every subset has a seat at the table, chairman young, so no matter what background, no matter what ethnic background, will not in essence suffer the opportunity for full research. my amendment was $500,000. it is in tribute to the honor and the leadership and the life of yolanda williams. i would like to ask my colleagues here

jackson lee of texas. amendment number 3 by mrs. capito of west virginia. amendment number 5 by mr. polis of colorado. amendment number 6 by mr. connolly of virginia. amendment number 9 by mr. blumenauer of oregon. amendment number 10 by mr. carnahan of missouri. amendment number 1 by ms. jackson lee of texas. the chair will reduce to two minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote after the first vote in this series. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 2 printed in house report 112-144 by the gentlelady from texas, ms. jackson lee, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 2 printed in house report 112-144 offered by ms. jackson lee of texas. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will r

sheila jackson lee. ms. jackson lee: thank you very much. the chair: the gentlelady from texas is recognized -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. jackson lee: thank you. as a member of the homeland security committee, i want to join my colleagues on the judiciary committee, on which i also serve, to note the uniqueness of our time. there's a point that i think is very important about the continuity of the existing f.b.i. director mueller. and that is that we live not only in dangerous times, but we also live in times where resources are being strained. questions are being raised about the resources necessary for law enforcement and certainly a leader who understands the broad needs of the american public and the collaborative needs, collaborating with other law ep forcement, because of past experiences, is very important. mr. mueller in his 110 years has had collaborative efforts with all of the law enforcement, federal law enforcement agencies and has opened up a dialogue between local and state law enforcement agen

after an chairman rogers, ranking member jackson lee and members of the subcommittee. i am the corporate safety and security leader of the colonial pipeline and i appreciate the opportunity to appear on the association of oil pipelines, the american petroleum institute is the chairman of the coordinating council of america relies on in america for the month to 70,000 miles of liquid pipeline to move the energy that fuels the nation's economy and supports the quality-of-life. one of them is colonial. colonial headquarters and a plant in georgia where we operate a system consisted of 5,500 miles of pipeline. when measured by the transport and colonial is the largest pipeline in the world. colonial in the pipeline industry are committed to delivering the material safely and efficiently. we are also committed to keeping the facility secure. with regard to the security of the pipeline system, private and public sector share the same goal protecting from a tax so we can avoid loss of life, disruption of service, damaged assets of injury to employees or the public or harms th

jackson lee, for five minutes. ms. jackson lee: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i rise to oppose the epidemic across america dealing with voter suppression and requiring voter i.d. do you realize that almost every election in my own state of texas there has been discrimination, intimidation to voters? whereas we used to be able to use a birth certificate, utility bill, government check, paycheck, and other documents, now we cannot because someone suggests that someone will steal someone's birth certificate to impersonate a voter. i don't think that's right. what we need now is to eliminate the poll tax of the 21st century. barbara jordan recognized that voting is a right not a privilege. and she stood in the gap to ensure texas was covered by the voting rights act. she would not be here today if we had the voter intimidation that we are seeing going across america. eliminate the voter i.d. requirement. put in the standard requirement of identification that people have had and stop seniors and others from voting. with that, mr. speaker, i would like to yield to mr

jackson lee: if the gentleman would yield. i thank you for your passion and what you're saying makes me think of what we're doing to even the younger generation because you have made a point of what has lasted over half a century, over 50 years and it is a framework that can be in place for those who are young. and if we take it apart, we will not have this structure that is helpful. there is no reason to argue against modernizing, looking at ways to improve medicare. our republicans are talking about ending it as we know it and the running of the bull. and frambingly, i have this image on a voucher plan of the running of the bulls, run of seniors trying to get the last voucher, trampling each other because they are seeking that one lifeline they need. medicare is the infrastructure of our hospital system. you cut into medicare, you are talking about closing hospitals and eliminating physicians and ending care as we know it. is there any understanding to the fact that we need to be adults and sit down -- when i look at my city

jackson lee: thank you, mr. chairman. i want to thank the chairman and ranking member for the courtesies extended to me. my amendment will protect funds provided for science under title 3 of the department of energy's energy program. this amendment addresses the need to increase programs that educate minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, known as stem, as well as the need to train teachers and scientists in advanced scientific and technical practices. let me first of all say i consider this a jobs bill. i'm excited when we talk about jobs here on the floor of the house. and recognize that america has changed. as a former member of the committee on science, space and technology and a member of the aviation subcommittee -- space subcommittee, dealing with nasa's commitment and mission in human exploration, i believe that america's future is not only today but in front of her and focused on science and technology. the importance of developing a highly skilled technical work force is crucial. over th

sheila jackson lee. ms. jackson lee: thank you for allowing us to really talk about how great america is. i agree with you. and we are not broke. chairman bernanke said, fast, undefined cuts will hamp were the cht economy and -- hamper the economy and he is nonpartisan, as chairman of the federal reserve, so what do we need to do? we need to look at our history. 20 million jobs were created under the democratic presidency of william jefferson clinton and then this president, with the american reinvestment act that we supported, three million jobs. we know how to do this. and what i would say to my friends is that we have the responsibility to be not any party but democrats are here to be for the american people and this weekend democrats will be the ones standing in the gap for the american people. i am proud of that and my last point is, there's no shame in taking care of the vulnerable. the last thing we want to do as we leave this place in these next couple of days with the debt ceiling in place as it sho

jackson lee, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from texas for five minutes. ms. jackson lee: i'm glad i'm able to rise and speak about legislation that involves one of our closest allies canada. and because this is a relationship with canada and because it is an international issue, i'm assured that in the process, we will have significant oversight that includes the environmental protection agency, the secretaries of defense, commerce, transportation, energy, homeland security and the attorney general will have to comment on this application before the conclusion and the final decision. that is good news. but i also think it's important as we discuss what the potential of this relationship with and the opportunity for oil coming from a friendly neighbor is to be reminded that many of us have said over and over again that we must cease to rely upon foreign oil. in fact, in a senate hearing, when egypt was beginning to in essence explode, members said watch egypt and we must lessen our dependenc

jackson lee: i thank the gentleman. i submit by simply having a codified policy that at the busiest and most critical airports we mandate there be personnel redundancy in control towers, we can make the aviation system much safer and more secure. the american passenger has value. those dear souls who lost their lives on 9/11 were not exposed to this concept of terrorism had value. the american passenger's entitled to safety and security. think about the people on planes flying across our country. they are our grandmothers, husbands, wives. businesspersons, associates, colleagues. they are american passengers and their lives have value. to ensure their safety and security i believe we need more than what is presently moving in this bill that has not come to the floor. i believe we should move on with the conferees to be appointed. because as i said i sent my language to the initial negotiations. we need to move on so there is an opportunity for us to work this idea. but this is more than a study. we don't need another st

jackson lee, for five minutes. ms. jackson lee: thank you very much, madam speaker. and i wish to this morning raise concerns that are international and domestic. i rise today to ask the question when will dr. assad, the president of syria, begin to act in a manner that respects the human dignity of the people of syria? it is a tragedy to watch as the -- to see one country that, one, had hoped would realize that a civilized government respects the dignity of its people. syrian americans are crying out and reaching out to members of congress and leaders across the nation to attack this horrific violence that is occurring in syria. the mutilation of a 13-year-old boy, the slaughter of individuals in the street, and seemingly the absolute arrogance of the president of this nation. many of us have thought that dr. assad, the son of the former president, would recognize that the 21st century does not in any way tolerate the kind of abusive and oppressive leadership that has occurred in the past. and that it is high time for the leadership to be vested in the people. now,

on the floor of the house today, sheila jackson lee said she thinks this president is being treated differently because of this. >> i'm particularly sensitive to the fact that only this president, only this one, only this one, has received the kind of attacks and disagreements and inability to work. only this one. read between the lines. what is different about this president that should put him in a position that he should not receive the same kind of respectful treatment of when it is necessary to raise the debt limit in order to pay our bills? >> if listen to your colleague, she's suggesting republicans are treating this president differently because he's black, not because they disagree on policy grounds. >> i think that's a lot of difference with the president and with republican leadership and its party on philosophical and ideological grounds. >> that's a significant statement to say that they're treating the president -- what's difference in the only thing different -- it's an easy conclusion. do you agree? >> i don't really. others may have different opinions, but what i think is here

jackson lee: i thank the chairman and i thank mr. frank and the ranking member and the managers of this legislation as well. and i have become friends with my two poster pictures here, because i do think they symbolize the composite of america. and my amendment, i think, focuses on making sure that the consumer financial protection bureau, something that consumers ask for -- you know sometimes under the christmas tree or during the gift-giving season, you get a gift you may not have asked for but you know you want something and all of a sudden that gift shows up. that's what the dodd-frank bill did with the consumer protection bureau and now they want to derail and delay this very important legislation. the bureau was created and one of the strongest provisions of the dodd-frank bill and was to consolidate the authorities for consumer protection. it is an important bill because american consumers, you need to have strong protection, credit cards, buying a car, student loans. we're not trying to undermine businesses. we are simply cre

jackson lee: if you'll yield one quick moment to add to what he said. we're also in a climate of fighting against terrorism. and in order to secure the homeland you have to make choices about how you invest and so i have a different opinion, i think if you invest money, you get innovation, you get jobs and none of what has been said by speaker boehner has anything about innovation, jobs and has no seemingly understanding of the importance of securing the homeland. i yield back to the gentlelady. mrs. christensen: thank you for adding that again. at this time i'd like to yield to the former chair of the congressional black caucus, congresswoman barbara lee from oakland. also chair of the out of poverty caucus. a lot of times, well, even up to this weekend we've heard that nobody's talking about the poor. but i thank you for lide leadinging -- for leading, for starting the out of poverty caucus, for leading us to an agenda that continues even today of pathways out of poverty and for bringing us to the floor every day for the last couple of weeks to talk a

jackson lee: thank you very much, mr. speaker. there have been a number of points that i would just like to bring really to the attention of my colleagues and to indicate that i hope we can do better. that's my message. i hope we can do better. i hope we can do better than having two presidential candidates in the republican party sign a pledge that would suggest that would suggest that children of slaves were much better off than the children of african american parents today. we know we have a high number of single parents throughout the united states raising children, but just read the saves' narratives and the biography of frederick douglass, there was no marriage between slaves and children were torn away and those who had given birth and they were torn away from each other. slavery was a destructive part of this country. and i would suggest if we are negotiating the debt ceiling, we should not have leaders in the room that make a statement that we'll have no resolution because president obama is president. i'm insulted and o

jackson lee, for a unanimous consent request. the speaker pro tempore: for what time? mr. mcgovern: i yield for unanimous consent. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for unanimous consent. ms. jackson lee: i stand here united for america voting yes on this bill to save medicare, medicaid and social security. as an american i ask unanimous consent to put my statement into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcgovern: madam speaker, i'd like to yield one minute to the gentleman from georgia, a member of the financial services committee, mr. scott. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for one minute. mr. scott: thank you very much. thank you very much, mr. chairman. ladies and gentlemen of the house of representatives, this is not a nation of tea party people. it is not a nation of democrats or republicans. it is a nation of all of us, and what the reid plan presents, it represents the tea party, the republicans and the democrats and the president of the united states. this is what the american people exp

jackson lee: i thank the gentleman. i have a new name for the bill. tap dance around the question of revenue and lifting the debt ceiling, done 60-plus times over america's lifetime with reagan, carter, president bush and president bush and clinton. so it's the tap dance, loser's club, the losers are seniors and young people and those who need social security and those who are disabled. and then finally instead of balanced budget amendment it is the bust the benefits of those who are in need. the young people who are looking forward to a new attitude and opportunity in this nation. what do we need? not the cut, cap and balance which in no way invests in america, it no way ends the loopholes that are prevailing, it will block the united states congress from closing loopholes of those who make billions of dollars every three months. we need innovation, infrastructure and education. that's jobs. parents, i don't want to see your children's opportunity by closing elementary and high schools and disallowing them from going to college, that is what this bil

check four sheila jackson lee why president obama is having trouble getting a debt deal done. >> i am particularly sensitive to it's fact that only this president, only this one, only this one has received the kind of attacks greementd and inability to work, only this one read between the lines. what is different about this president that should put him in a position that he should not receive the same kind of respectful treatment of when it is necessary to raise the debt limit in order to pay our bills. something required by both statute and the 14th amendment. >> bill: so apparently ms. lee believes it's president's skin color that is holding up a debt agreement. check five our pal gary sinise dedicated his rendition of take me out to the ballgame -- ♪ for it's root, root, root for the -- if they don't win it's a shame for it's 1, 2, 3 strikes you are out at the old ballgame. let's get some runs. >> bill: mr. sinise from the area is a patriot. finally check six the final harry potter movie is a smash. [screams] >> set the bloody place on fire. >> young harry broke the box office ope

here's congresswoman sheila jackson lee. >> why is he different?at is the question that we raise. in the minority community that is the question that is being raised. why is this president being treated so disrespectfully? why has the debt limit been raised 60 times? why does the leader of the senate continually talk about his job is to bring the president down to make sure he's unelected? it is 2011, it is not 2012. you need to play those politics in 2012, not now. >> sean: obama voted against raising the debt ceiling with all due respect he's the worst president on record. he's jimmy carter on steroids. >> that's something new. >> i think i can speak for the whole panel. i think she is a nut. >> you can speak for me on that. most of the time she is. that was right. what she said was right. >> she raised the right question. her conclusion is insane. why is this guy being treated differently? the immense amount of spending. not only that bob, he's talking down the economy. every time he goes up there and talks about mill -- millionaires and billion

jackson lee, for five minutes. ms. jackson lee: thank you, very much, mr. speaker. my good friends have come to the floor of the house, good friend just came and offered some solutions and i would say that it's important for members to have ideas and to be able to engage on behalf of the american people. every time we stand in this well, we should be rising to make the lives of the american people, those who have entrusted us to be the holders of the values of this great country, we should be moving on on their behalf. so this morning i'm asking that we get on with it. it's important to be discussing tax reform, but as many of us know, that is a long, protracted process of give and take. and many americans will understand what the payroll tax is all about when they look at the faces of their seniors and themselves, and they know that part of that is social security. and we know for a fact that social security has been a life line for millions of americans and it is solvent, and it's important to know that america is not broke. but the good work of the ways and means

congresswoman sheila jackson lee went before congress friday this is what she is saying about the problem. >> reed between the lines -- read between the lines. what is different about this president that should put him in a position that he should not receive the same kind of respectful treatment of when it is necessary to raise the debt limit to pay our bills, something required by statute and the 14th amendment. i do not understand what i think is the maligning and maliciousness of this president. why is he different? and in my community, that is the question that we raise. in the minority community that is the question that is being raised. why is this president being treated so disrespectfully? >> greta: joining us republican presidential contender and former ceo of godfather's pizza, herman cain. nice to see you. >> thank you. >> greta: congresswoman lee is saying it is racist how the president is being treated. if it is, it must be stopped. if it is not racist, she must be stopped. racist or not, because i assume as an african-american man you have seen racism. >> i have seen racism

jackson lee, for a unanimous consent request. the speaker pro tempore: for what time? mr. mcgovern: i yield for unanimous consent. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for unanimous consent. ms. jackson lee: i stand here united for america voting yes on this bill to save medicare, medicaid and social security. as an american i ask unanimous consent to put my statement into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcgovern: madam speaker, i'd like to yield one minute to the gentleman from georgia, a member of the financial services committee, mr. scott. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for one minute. mr. scott: thank you very mu. thank you very much, mr. chairman. ladies and gentlemen of the house of representatives, this is not a nation of tea party people. it is not a nation of democrats or republicans. it is a nation of all of us, and at the reid plan presents, it represents the tea party, the republicans and the democrats and the president of the united states. this is what the american people expect

jackson lee: thank you very much, mr. speaker. flying in today our plane was delayed, didn't have the opportunity to advance my support for h.r. 33, the church plan investment clarification act of 2011. and i want to acknowledge the sponsorship of congresswoman ggert and indicate tat unde current law thousands of church pension plans are denied participation in collective trusts, rendering them unable to pull their assets or reap the benefits of buying power. many churches experience difficulties and encourage expense when is diversifying pension plans. our chunches, our houses of worship provide invaluable service and many of those in my own community, the new light christian church, st. john missionary baptist church and many others work throughout our community, we are blessed to have lakewood church in our community as well that works very hard, a church leadership that i've known for many, many years. so this bill has been supported by the church alliance, the ymca retirement fund, the church pension group and others and i th

today the texas congresswoman sheila jackson lee released a letter in which she released a letter thateland security committee suggest hacking allegations continuing coverage on fox news. new government report claims that folks who breathe in the toxic dust on ground zero at 9/11 some of whom got sick. some of whom got cancer all of whom are heros do not qualify for federal money for cancer treatment because as the report goes on to tell us, there is little evidence of a link between the deadly disease and the clouds of chemicals and debris. as you probably know, many seemingly very healthy 9/11 first responders have contracted cancer since the attacks and some of them have died. and now the number of those first responders, their families, and each lawmakers are blasting this new report. and rick leventhal has details of it. there seems to be plenty of surprise and outrage at this decision, especially from the victims. >> of course. and consider. this heart disease is the number one killer in america. but cancer is the leading cause of illness for illness related deaths of first respo

jackson lee: thank you very much, mr. speaker. flying in today our plane was delayed, didn't have the opportunity to advance my support for h.r. 33, the church plan investment clarification act of 2011. and i want to acknowledge the sponsorship of congresswoman biggert and indicate that under current law thousands of church pension plans are denied participation in collective trusts, rendering them unable to pull their assets or reap the benefits of buying power. many churches experience difficulties and encourage expense when is diversifying pension plans. our chunches, our houses of worship provide invaluable service and many of those in my own community, the new light christian church, st. john missionary baptist church and many others work throughout our community, we are blessed to have lakewood church in our community as well that works very hard, a church leadership that i've known for many, many years. so this bill has been supported by the church alliance, the ymca retirement fund, the church pension group and others and

jackson lee: mr. speaker, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the house will come to order. the gentlelady may proceed. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, i just heard celebration just a few minutes ago regarding the passage of the cap, cut and balance that really should be named the tap dance, establishing the loser' club for americans and busting of benefits for americans bill, because what we are doing is tap dancing around the responsibility of this congress to, in fact, raise the debt limit as we have done hundreds -- not hundreds, but 60 times but of course we are establishing losers by the very fact that interest rates will go up, medicare will be gone and chamber of commerce and hundreds of businesses will, in fact, be begging for us to lift the debt ceiling. but more importantly, we will cause america's lack of paying her bills to hurt businesses and let me introduce you to the losers now that this bill has passed, welcome to the losers, soldiers, grandparents, mothers and fathers

actively engaged, congressman from here in los angeles maxine waters, laura richardson, sheila jackson leell going to be here to discuss these very issues and talk about how we can work together to make sure the agenda and concerns of our community are also taken into major consideration as we move forward as a nation. >> okay. so you have a stellar bunch there gathering. but if you look at jobs, hillary, certainly the national average 9.2% with this high unemployment. but if you look at them from a demographic breakdown, among african-americans that number is 16%. are there expectations on this president to do something about the jobless situation within the african-american community as he approaches the end of his term? >> oh, absolutely. as a matter of fact, you're absolutely right. 17%. but if you look at subdemographics like african-american males you find an unemployment rate in many cities, including here in los angeles, that exceeds 50%. so it is a crisis situation. and yes, we've had those conversations with the president and many very high-ranking members of the u.s. house and u

jackson lee: thank you very much, mr. speaker. and i thank the distinguished member of the budget committee as well for the great work that he has been doing. as i listen to my friends discuss this question of being responsible, i want to at least announce breaking news that our friends in the other body have come up with a semi-solution on revenue and on the question of how we would cut. they are seeking to be responsible. and today in this body, we are not. i heard a tutorial about the green light and red light, which as you are a member, green is yes, and no comes up red. what the red will mean is to stop the insanity, to stop the loss of our moral compass, the responsibility to pay our bills. what the red light will mean is that we, in fact, would be not paying the bills of our family. we wouldn't be paying social security. interest rates will spike. the u.s. dollars would decline and our credit would literally go out the door. that's what being without responsibility is what we are planning to do. then, if i could have the ot

jackson lee, for five minutes. ms. jackson lee: i'd like to particularly thank the out of poverty caucus, congresswoman lee, towns, and conyers, honda, and a number of other members who have joined that caucus and all of us who are here on the floor who are members of that caucus. and who believe that this could not be a more important time. a few days ago i got on the floor to rename the cut, cap, and balance legislation that was passed that would cut $6 trillion out of the hearts and needs of the american people. and i called it the tap dance, looser's club, and -- loser's club, and bust the benefits bill because this is not a question of members who are standing here today wanting to recklessly spend your money. in fact, we are excited about opportunities that help boost the middle class. but we want to remind our colleagues that there are americans who are impoverished. do you know that there are americans who are on the frontlines? young soldiers, the ages of 18, 19, 20, and 21 who have come out of places like the

jackson lee: thank you very much, mr. speaker. and i thank the distinguished member of the budget committee as well for the great work that he has been doing. as i listen to my friends discuss this question of being responsible, i want to at least announce breaking news that our friends in the other body have come up with a semi-solution on revenue and on the question of how we would cut. they are seeking to be responsible. and today in this body, we are not. i heard a tutorial about the green light and red light, which as you are a member, green is yes, and no comes up red. what the red will mean is to stop the insanity, to stop the loss of our moral compass, the responsibility to pay our bills. what the red light will mean is that we, in fact, would be not paying the bills of our family. we wouldn't be paying social security. interest rates will spike. the u.s. dollars would decline and our credit would literally go out the door. that's what being without responsibility is what we are planning to do. then, if i could have the ot

jackson lee: thank you, madam. the vote on the schiff amendment on yesterday, which was july 14, 2011, i incorrectly voted no. i ask unanimous consent that my correct vote be placed into the amendment -- excuse me, placed into the record as an aye vote for the schiff amendment on yesterday, july 14, 2011, to the energy and water bill which is -- to the energy and water bill that was under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman's statement will be entered into the record. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland rise? hoyer highway i ask to speak out of order for -- mr. hoyer: i ask to speak outer order for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hoyer: thank you and i yield to the majority leader. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. cantor: i thank the gentlelady. i thank the speaker, i thank the gentleman from maryland, the democratic whip, for yielding. madam speaker, on monday the house w

jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady texas is recognized for the remainder of the hour. ms. jackson lee: let me thank the gentleman from florida. let me thank the gentleman from florida, he has certainly awakened a number of issues and members on his important discussion. i wanted to join in his commentary about this very important discussion. mr. speaker, we will be leaving shortly and i'm glad that we will be returning on monday for very serious business. many of us have been in meetings today engaging on solutions rather than distractions as relates to the business of the american people. none of us have experienced, i believe, the attention to an issue of the budget as much as we had that attention now from our constituents on will the debt ceiling be raised. there's not a time in these past couple weeks that i have gone home when businesspersons, students, seniors, working families have not asked the question, will we get it done? i'm an optimist and i said to them, yes. i exp

jackson lee: thank you, ms. slaughter, for your generosity and i want to thank the gentlewoman from maine for recounting the prayers of americans and i would ask them to continue to pray because compromise is part of the democratic way. but my friends on the other side did not tell you correctly why we are now involved in frivolous activity on the floor. we're not raising the debt ceiling. and the reason is there are 53 senators in the other body that have signed a let that are said they're absolutely not going to vote for this draconian presentation and the reason -- and let me call the roll. the reason they're not going to vote for it, because it is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. it has no revenues along with cuts. 64% of the american people say, balance it, cuts with revenues, to invest in our nation. let me read the roll why senators are not voting. the other body is not voting. democrats recognize this is not the way to go. you will lose your medicare, pell grants will not be available for ou

jackson lee: thank you very much, mr. speaker. and i thank the distinguished member of the budget committee as well for the great work that he has been doing. as i listen to my friends discuss this question of being responsible, i want to at least announce breaking news that our friends in the other body have come up with a semi-solution on revenue and on the question of how we would cut. they are seeking to be responsible. and today in this body, we are not. i heard a tutorial about the green light and red light, which as you are a member, green is yes, and no comes up red. what the red will mean is to stop the insanity, to stop the loss of our moral compass, the responsibility to pay our bills. what the red light will mean is that we, in fact, would be not paying the bills of our family. we wouldn't be paying social security. interest rates will spike. the u.s. dollars would decline and our credit would literally go out the door. that's what being without responsibility is what we are planning to do. then, if i could have the ot

. >> sheila jackson lee suggested republicans are sticking into the president because of his race. >>at is the question that we raise. >> why this president? >> do you think it could be racial? >> let me say this. i would like to get past the personal and i pose the question and think those individuals need to answer the question. >> is it a fair question. >> i think it's a fair question. >> instead the reason may be pure politics. when george w. bush was period, the congress voted to raise the debt ceiling seven times on on nearly every occasion, dozens of republicans and gop leaders voted yes. >> i have never seen anything like this. it's very scarey and very embarrassing for our system of government. >> alice said president obama is also to blame for walking away from the recommendations of his own debt commission. >> i think everybody missed an opportunity. both the president and the leadership of the congress. >> in part, that's because the leaders are not really leading. one side of congress is answering to conservatives who won't give on taxes and the other won't touch entitlem