thank you, madam president. . baucus: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from montana. but a bhiewch time remains? the presiding officer: six minutes remaining on the democratic side. mr. baucus: i'm sorry? the presiding officer: six minutes. mr. baucus: i yield six minutes to the snr from illinois. mr. burris: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. burris: i'd like to to thank the distinguished senator from montana. i hope i can do my little brief remarks in six minutes. this is tax day. senator, i hope your taxes are filed. madam president, my colleagues, the american people are undoubtedly well aware, today is tax day. across the country hundreds of millions of americans are filing their tax returns, paying what they owe, calculating refunds they will receive. now even in the best of time, paying taxes is not something that most americans look forward to. in fact, in the wise words of george washington, i quote, "no taxes can be devised which are not more or less inconvenient and unpleas

the messenger: madam speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: madam speaker. the speaker: madam secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed s. 149. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will remind all persons of the gallery that they are guests of the house and any manifestations of approval or disapproval is in voy lakes of the rules of the house. for what purpose does the gentlelady from pennsylvania rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. mrs. dahlkemper: thank you, mr. speaker. tax day is tomorrow and thanks to the american recovery and reinvestment act, middle-class families in western pennsylvania and throughout the country are seeing big tax returns this year. the recovery act provoided tax cuts for 99% of working pennsylvanians and resulted in a 10% increase in the average tax refund this year. that's a big help to families in moy district who are working hard to pay their

delahunt: yes, madam speaker. i now yield a minute to another original sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from illinois, mr. lipinski. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. lipinski: madam speaker, i rise to share my deepest sympathies and condolences with the people of poland and all those impacted by this tragic plane crash. president kaczynski will be deeply missed. he was trying to ensure the strength and prosperity of poland. it was a strong ally of the united states. chicago also mourns the loss of one of our own who perished in the past. the polish and american people have shared a value of independence. today over nine million people of polish ancestry in the u.s., poland remains one of america's closest aisle -- allies. we remain close on national security, democratization, and human rights. our friendship and partnerships have been and will continue to be steadfast. nothing will be say today will make up for this tremendous loss that poland has suffered and contin

thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. mr. dorgan: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from north dakota. mr. dorgan: madam president, let me say to my colleague from louisiana -- if he would stay in the chamber. madam president, let the record note that he's left the chamber. let me say there is no state, none in this country, that has received more help more consistently from this chamber, from the american people and, yes, from the corps of engineers in the aftermath of the hurricane katrina. that state and the city of new orleans was leveled. it was an unbelievable catastrophe for the senator's state and for his city. but i tell you what, after billions and billions and billions of dollars that's come from this congress and, yes, from my subcommittee -- the subcommittee on appropriations that i chair -- i think it would be nice just for a change to hear that maybe the corps of engineers, the united states senate and the american people have been a great help to new orleans and to louisiana. but let me just describe with what my col

delahunt: yes, madam speaker.i now yield a minute to another original sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from illinois, mr. lipinski. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. lipinski: madam speaker, i rise to share my deepest sympathies and condolences with the people of poland and all those impacted by this tragic plane crash. president kaczynski will be deeply missed. he was trying to ensure the strength and prosperity of poland. it was a strong ally of the united states. chicago also mourns the loss of one of our own who perished in the past. the polish and american people have shared a value of independence. today over nine million people of polish ancestry in the u.s., poland remains one of america's closest aisle -- allies. we remain close on national security, democratization, and human rights. our friendship and partnerships have been and will continue to have been and will continue to be steadfast. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gen

it has to stop, madam speaker. it's time to rein in the contractors and it's time to bring our valiant troops home. we know there's a better way to fight terrorism and rebuild afghanistan. it's time to turn our approach to national security upside down. we need a smarter strategy, we need to show american compassion, not american aggression. we need a humanitarian surge, not a military surge. instead of troops we need to send aid workers and other civilian experts. that is the best counterterrorism approach of all. that is what will give afghan people hope for a better life. that is what will build a durable peace. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: mr. jones of north carolina. >> request permission to take the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas can reclaim his time at this time. mr. poe: thank you, madam speaker. i bring you news from the third front and that's the war for this nation's national security on our southern border with mexico. we are engaged in three conflicts, -- conflicts, t

speier: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman seek regular recognition? ms. speier: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.res. 855. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 855, resolution expressing support for designation of may 1 as silver star service banner day. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, ms. speier, and the gentleman from arizona, mr. flake, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. ms. speier: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlewoman from california. ms. speier: i yield myself such time as i may consume. madam speaker -- madam speaker, i rise in support of h.res. 855, a bill supporting silver star service banner day. h.res. 855 was intro-- int

mccain: madam president, it's tax day. americans are overtaxed and burdened by a complex, antiquated and oversized tax code. this year they'll spend $100 billion in compliance-related expenses. neff offering proposals -- instead of offering proposals to reform the system some are suggesting a value-added tax which would even further complicate our tax code. i believe it's an opportunity to, with the sense of the senate resolution that members of congress should say where they stand on that. and this is their opportunity. i urge my colleagues to support the amendment. mr. baucus: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. baucus: madam president, the amendment by the senator from arizona would state the sense of the senate that we should not adopt a value-added tax. personally, i agree with him. i do not myself favor a value-added tax. i for one would be happy to accept the amendment. i don't know if the senator from arizona wants a roll call vote or not. i hope we don't have to have one, but if h

thank you, madam president. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. whitehouse: madam president, let me first thank the senator from oregon for his remarks. he has brought great passion for this issue to the senate. he serves with distinction on the banking committee. and i could not agree with him more that the spectacle of colleagues scampering up to wall street to offer their services there and interfering with obstructing, watering down and impeding of all things, financial regulatory reform, after all we have been through, is not a spectacle that is salutary. and i appreciate his remarks on that. i ask unanimous consent that jordan dimaggio of senator bingaman's office be given the privileges of the floor for today, april 20, 2010. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. whitehouse: mr. president, i would like to talk for a minute about nominations and holds. the senate's executive calendar contains the names of those individuals whom president obama has nominated to serv

thank you, madam speaker. mr. pitts: madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. doyle: madam speaker, i hope that the house will unanimously approve house resolution 1033 as amended and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1033 as amended. those 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 resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. without objection, the title is amended. the chair will entertain requests for one hint minute speeches -- one-minute speeches. for what purpose does -- >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into the following members may be permitted to address this house, revise and extend the

thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. mr. leahy: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: madam president, what is the parliamentary situation? the presiding officer: the senate is considering the nomination of madam -- marissa j. demeo. mr. leahy: thank you. i am going to speak on a different matter. today is justice john paul stevens' birthday, and boff boff i couldn't help but think about that and the wonderful conversations i have had with him of late. and his retirement from the supreme court will begin to draw to a close an extraordinary judicial career spanning four decades, including 35 years of the nation's highest -- on the nation's highest court. madam president, i ask that my statement appear as in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: madam president, it's interesting. justice stevens and i both came to washington in the wake of the watergate scandal in 1975. his confirmation to the supreme court was the first of a dozen supreme court nominations i have considered and

madam president, i yield the floor. madam president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. kaufman: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. kaufman: i ask unanimous consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. kaufman: madam president, i rise to discuss a bill i'm introducing, he preelection -- the preelection transition act of 2010, it concerns our national security and america's democratic institutions. i'm proud to be joined by my colleague from ohio, senator voinovich, in introducing this bill. eups to -- i want to thank chairman akaka as well as chairman lieberman of the homeland security and governmental affairs committee. i appreciate their support and for input while drafting this bill. eulsd would like -- i also would like to thank the partnership for public s-frbgs a leading nonprofit organization in the

poe: thank you, madam speaker. i want to bring to the attention of the house a serious problem that we have encountered. it seems as though we have such a problem on our borders that now in southeast texas, in a small port city called port arthur, three illegal brazilians have shown up in the last couple of days. they've come into the port of port arthur and they were stow aways on this massive ship that was bringing in brazilian paper pulp. 13,000 tons of this pulp was brought in on this ship and through inspection by federal authorities, they found three stow aways, three illegals from the nation of brazil. now, you probably assume that i'm talking about people but i am not. here is one of those stow aways. one that they actually captured and gave an identification number. you see, the three stow aways turned out to be three grass hoppers. little, bitty critters. but yet our united states agricultural department was able to investigate and find these little three illegal stow aways on this massive amount of paper

>> madam secretary, welcome.have one of the toughest jobs in the nation and i would argue that there is no more challenging issue then immigration reform. the would you agree with that? >> i would say it is among the top issues? >> having been involved in this in the past, i can assure you it is difficult politics. but here is where i come down on this issue. i think 70% of americans are in the camp that illegal immigrants need to be fairly and firmly dealt with and fairly and firmly does not mean mass arrest. do you believe we can put 12 million people in jail? >> no. >> nor do i, and i believe that is not a required solution. do you believe that we are going to deport 12 million people? >> no. >> i do not believe that is going to happen either. and i would say what senator sessions said. all of those kind of looked the other way as long as the labour needs are being met. after 9/11, illegal immigration takes on a different flavor. it is not about people helping our economy. it is about broken systems that could

merkley: thank you, madam president. a senator: madam president? mr. dodd: i yield -- madam president, i yield five minutes to our good friend and colleague from the state of washington, patty murray. the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: thank you, madam president. madam president, yesterday afternoon we attempted to bring a bill to the floor that finally holds wall street accountable. it was a bill -- it is a bill that includes the strongest protection for consumers that has ever been enacted. it's an end to taxpayer bailou bailouts, and it gives tools to individuals, the resources they need to make smart financial decisions. it's a bill that ends wall street's anything-goes rules which has meant that everybody else has paid. unfortunately, what the "no" vote from the other side did yesterday is it told us that they don't want strong, new protections that can't be ignored. it appears that they don't want to hold wall street accountable for years of irresponsibility and taxpayer-funded bailouts. instead of fundamentally chan

hutchison: madam president, i ask unanimous consent to lift the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. hutchison: madam president, later today, president obama will travel to the kennedy space center in florida. he will visit with employees and officials there and deliver a speech on his vision for nasa. we have begun to learn the details about some of what the president may be announcing, with you -- but so far, nothing has been suggested that alleviates the concerns that i expressed on the floor earlier this week. in fact, i am growing more concerned. i have serious questions about the administration's proposed vision. for example, the president is proposing to rely on a commercial space launch industry that is still in its infancy. once the space shuttle is retired, a commercial vehicle would be the only american human space flight capability for the foreseeable future. further, we are about to complete the international space station and begin the period of

kyl: madam president, i objected. mrs. mccaskill: i want to make sure that the objection, madam president, the reason i'm asking to inquire is has to be clear the objection is being made on behalf of someone else and not on behalf of the senator. mr. kyl: madam president, reserving the right to object. let me just explain this process. when a nomination is sought to be cleared by both sides, there's what's called a hotline. all offices receive a quick notice that a particular bill or nominee is being hotlined. if you have a question or a concern, you register that. it's registered as an objection until it can be cleared up. in many cases very quickly it's cleared up. sometimes overnight. sometimes the two leaders need to work out a process for it to be cleared. it is, in one sense, a hold. as i said, i have no objection to these two people, so i am not holding them. i am objecting on behalf of the republican leadership in order to en80 the two leaders -- enable the two leaders to clear both of these nominees, that is, to m

king: thank you, madam speaker. i appreciate your indulgence this evening and the opportunity to address you here on the floor of the house. not having had the opportunity to listen to the dialogue of my previous people, i'll take this up where the front of my mind and conscience happens to be. that is what is happening with and to america, what are our priorities, where are we going to go from here, presuming that we could actually reverse many of the things that have taken place over the last year and a half or longer. madam speaker, i ask your indulgence to cast your mind back into the last year and a half or so. this being april of 2010, in fact, i take us back into august and september of 2008. perhaps a little more than 18 months by now. and what we've seen happen is, we saw concern about the economic -- potential economic collapse of the free world. the fear that global currency and the confidence that allows us to trade in that currency could be -- could collapse and that we would see the free market economy

burris: thank you, madam president.i would make a motion that the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. burris: thank you, madam president. we just witnessed a few moments ago the third try to try to do something about financial reform legislation in this body. and for the third time, it went down. you know, madam president, i'm an old baseball player. i played a lot of baseball in my young days, and there's a rule in baseball that says three strikes and you're out. we're at three tries at this financial reform and i will tell the distinguished colleagues on the other side of the aisle, we're not out, that we're just beginning to fight under the circumstances we're confronted because we're fighting on behalf of the american people. earlier this week, our distinguished majority leader called for a vote to open the debate on major financial reform and we've seen well-designed proposals from the senator from connecticut, chairman dodd. this bill reflects the priorities articulated by presi

madam president, i yield the floor. ms. landrieu: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. ms. landrieu: thank you, madam president. i'd like to ask to speak as if in morning business for up to 10 minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. landrieu: before i begin on my topic, which is different than the topic of the senator from ohio, i want to thank him about his comments about our focus on small business and assure him, as the chair knows, that we're doubling our efforts this week to really hone in on a package of support and help for small businesses in america, because we believe that the recovery can take place and will take place, but it will be led, in large measure, by the small businesses in america, and we're going to do our very best, after we deal with this bill that's on the floor to really focus the senate's attention in that regard, and i thank the senator from ohio and look forward to working with him in the weeks ahead. madam president, i rise today, though, to speak on an equallysa tragedy and

madam speaker, i would say this. always the gentleman likes to talk about the prior administration, and i would just like to point out that during the prior administration, the last two years of that, his party was in control of congress and certainly if we look at the numbers, did contribute to some of the problem that -- mr. hoyer: would the gentleman yield on that issue? mr. cantor: i'm not ready to yield yet, madam speaker. i would say there's plenty of blame to go around. but what we're trying to do is learn from mistakes that have taken place and go forward in a constructive manner. it's my sense that this nation is at a crossroads. we have serious challenges facing this country and last thursday was congress' deadline for passing a budget. and it is my strong belief that we must act and the gentleman indicates that we are going to act, but because of the critical nature of the challenges that we face, madam speaker, i believe that we've got three reasons to act swiftly and properly in passing a budget because

it is inexcusable, madam president.i urge my republican colleagues to stop blocking these qualified nominees, stop plague political games at the expense -- stop playing political games at the expense of our court system, the third branch of our government, and let's bring all of these nominees to a vote. thank you, mr. president. mr. warner: i'd like to thank my friend, the senator from illinois. i think we've had more than a dozen senators speak this afternoon. i appreciate all of them coming out with relative short notice. we raised these issues before we went on recess. we want to be respectful not only of traditions, but our colleagues on the other side. we recognize, as the senator from colorado has said, that are rules that allow us to ask consent to bring these folks up. in future days and weeks we will use those rules to try to urge the kind of full-fledged debate not just on the judicial nominees. i think as a foreman c.e.o. of business, there are a host -- part of a management team this president needs to get

poe: madam speaker, i yield to mr. conyers additional 10 minutes and ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to control that time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you. i want to thank judge poe for his generosity. at this time i'm going to yield donna edwards of maryland is recognized for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from maryland is recognized for two minutes. ms. edwards: thank you, madam speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. i rise today to mourn and to join our nation in mourning dr. dorothy height. she was an american icon who dedicated her life to racial justice and gender equality. and at a time when women and african-americans were regarded as second class citizens, this strong, powerful, beautiful african-american woman stood up for us. and she strove to change that and rose to become a key figure in the civil rights movement. meeting with first ladies and presidents and heads of state. i want to step back for a min

madam speaker, what in the world could that mean? if you build a rocket that will fly to the moon, i'll show you a rocket that will fly a mile past the moon. so what? what does that mean? they're not going to be build a 51-foot ladder and if they do we're going to be sitting there with our sensery devices, our roads, our monitoring and we're going to make sure if they can get over that fence they don't get to the next one and if they get over that one we'll make sure they don't get to the next one. i have designed a concrete wall and it's not the only barrier or tool. when those of us talk about the necessity for extending the fence and the wall on the southern border and building double fences and walls, the argument against it becomes a silly argument of, well, that's not going to solve the problem. none of us believe it's the total solution. none of us believe that building an effective wall and fence is the only thing we would do. it's among the effective things that we could do. so, madam speaker, here's some things the american

madam chair, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: madam president, first, i would say to my distinguished friend from wisconsin, i was delighted to hear those words about gaylord nelson. i had the privilege of serving for a term with senator nelson. down to earth, respected by all in this body, but a commitment to the environment rarely ever matched. the senator from wisconsin has said it far more eloquently than i could, but i think how fortunate we are that we have the, this the senator from wisconsin who has carried out that commitment to the environment, that commitment to the best ideals of our government. and i know that our dear friend, departed friend, gaylord nelson would be so proud to have you here in the senate representing wisconsin. mr. feingold: i thank the senator from vermont for those kind words, for his remembering gaylord nelson, and of course for his incredible legacy of his own with regard to the environment, coming from one of the most beautiful states

foxx: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, the following members may be permitted to address the house, reth rhett their remarks and include therein extraneous material. mr. poe, today and april 14, 15, 16, and 1020 for five minutes each. mr. burton, today and april 14, 15, and 16 for five minutes each. mr. jones today and april 14, 15, 16, and 20 for five minutes each. mr. moran, today, april 14, and 15 and 20, five minutes each. mr. neugebauer today, five minutes. ms. ros-lehtinen, today, april 14 and 15, five minutes each, ms. foxx, today, april 14, 15, and 20, five minutes each. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio rise? ms. sutton: i ask that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, that the following members may be permitted to address the house for five minutes and revise and extend their remarks. ms. sutton fo

>> absolutely, madam chairman. absolutely think your courtesy and letting my enthusiasm and desire to engage get a hold of me. >> would've got a lot of people who want to talk and ask questions. let's turn to senator shelby, the ranking member. >> thank you, madam chairman. and chairman, i have two articles, one appeared in tuesday's globe and mail in toronto, regarding the space program and i'd like him one appeared in florida today and i'd like to ask that be made part of the record. >> without objection. >> and i'd like to quote just a little from tuesday's globe and mail about the obama plan. this plan basically they say and i'll paraphrase, u.s. president barack obama has lowered the addition of america under the obama plan, space is not the final frontier. under the florida today article appeared april the 16th, says obama doesn't get it. space is last frontier. president obama in effect pulled the plug on our space program in a speech here thursday, talking about florida. although he masked it was some vague

altmire: madam speaker.speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. altmire: i ask permission to speak in ms. woolsey's spofment the speaker pro tempore: without objection, you're recognized for five minutes. mr. altmire: i speak on behalf of small business owners in western pennsylvania who have filed their tax returns and struggled to provide goods, services and jobs in this recession. april is tax month for american citizens and as a member of the small business committee irk had the opportunity to hear testimony by the internal revenue service commissioner, douglas shulman, on april 14. commissioner shulman walked through the service and disclosed -- and disclosures provided by the i.r.s. in tax preparation season he described outreach on many levels to help businesses comply with the convoluted tax system they face as american job creators. while the i.r.s. can conduct outreach and facilitate voluntary complinals with tax laws, it's congress' duty to hear the call

madam president, i yield the floor. mrs. hutchison: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mrs. hutchison: madam president, president obama is going to travel to florida where many expect him to discuss the adverse reaction to his proposed budget for nasa and possible alternative options for the future of america's manned space exploration capability. i know that members of the nasa family and everyone living in communities that directly support the space program from maryland to utah to florida to alabama to louisiana and texas are, at the very least, uncertain about the president's budget proposal and how it would affect america's leadership role in space exploration. i share those kerntion but every american should share those -- those concerns, but every american should share those concerns. because it will determine our role in science, space, research, exploration, and so much that will determine our future economically and in security. mr. president, i hope the president has heard the concerns that have been raised since

poe: madam speaker, i yield to mr. that he be allowed to control that time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you. i want to thank judge poe for his generosity. at this time i'm going to yield donna edwards of maryland is recognized for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from maryland is recognized for two minutes. ms. edwards: thank you, madam speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. i rise today to mourn and to join our nation in mourning dr. dorothy height. she was an american icon who dedicated her life to racial justice and gender equality. and at a time when women and african-americans were regarded as second class citizens, this strong, powerful, beautiful african-american woman stood up for us. and she strove to change that and rose to become a key figure in the civil rights movement. meeting with first ladies and presidents and heads of state. i want to step back for a minute because i look back fondly to the time when i first

dorgan: madam president, let me ask consent. are we in morning business, madam president? the presiding officer: we are not. we're on the motion to proceed. -- to s. 3217. mr. dorgan: madam president, let me speak as if in morning business for as much time as i may consume. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. dorgan: madam president, i've come to the floor to speak about the start treaty, strategic arms reduction treaty, with the russians. and i want to talk about that in some amount of detail. a week and a half ago, i and some colleagues, were in russia at a site near moscow looking at the cooperative threat reduction program that we and the united states are funding to try to make this a safer world to safeguard nuclear materials an nuclear warheads in the soviet union and i want to talk about this program as it relates to the treaty. some of my colleagues expressed concern and determined that they're not necessarily supportive of the start arms reduction treaty unless other things are done. i want to talk about that just a bit. first i want to describe the unb

kaufman: thank you, madam president. the presiding officerand the pie includes regulators who failed miserably as well due to malfeasance or incompetence or some combination of both. until congress breaks these institutions into manageablely sized banks and draws hard, clear lines for regulators to ensure that effective controls remain in place, we will have done neither that which is necessary to restore the rule of law on wall street nor that which will ensure another financial crisis does not soon happen again. what have we learned in just the past five weeks? on march 15, i came to the senate floor to discuss the bankruptcy examiners' report on lehman brothers and said, as many of us have speculated all along, that there was fraud, fraud at the heart of the financial crisis. the examiners' report exposed the so-called repo 105 transactions and what appears to have been outright fraud by lehman brothers, its management and its accounting firm who all conspired to hide $50 billion in liabilities at quarter's end to win

madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. burgess: i yield myself one minute. i want to thank representative carnahan for the recognition and echo his call to other members of this congress to join the m.s. caucus. this caucus is -- does real work. we provide information, we provide conference calls, we provide educational time with either members or staff, and it is a worthwhile endeavor. while there is no treatment -- while there is no cure for multiple sclerosis as it stands today, the treatment has evolved significantly. in my 25 years of medical practice i saw significant evolution although i did not take -- i was not the pry mare require -- primary caregiver, i had many patients who did suffer from that illness. as a consequence over the course of my professional lifetime did see the treatment evolve from one that was essentially palliative to one that was more targeted toward the disease itself or tar

murray: thank you, madam president. madam president, as we prepare here to consider legislation that includes some of the strongest reforms of wall street ever, i think it's important that we not lose sight of exactly what is on-line for the american people, that we will not allow complicated financial products and terminology to distract from the fact that this really is a debate about fairness, about family finances, and protecting against another economic collapse. that we remember for wall street lobbyists, this may be correct, but for the american people this is pretty simple. this is a debate about whether they can walk into a bank and sign up for a mortgage or apply for a credit card or start a retirement plan. are the rules on their side when they do that or are they with the big banks on wall street? well, madam president, for far too long, the financial rules was road -- rules of the road have favored big banks and credit card companies and wall street. and for far too long, they have abused those rules. wheth

madam presint, i yield the floor.he presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. under the previous order, there will now be a period of morning business for one hour with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each and with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees with the majority controlling the first half and the republicans controlling the final half. ms. stabenow: madam president? the presiding officer: the snoer from michigan. ms. stabenow: thank you, madam president. i rise today to urge republican colleagues, to urge the republican leader to drop their filibuster of the wall street reform bill. i wish i could say, madam president, that this is the first time we have seen efforts to block moving forward to even debate a critical issue before the senate. but, as you know, the party of "no" has now 171 different times either filibustered or threatened to filibuster critical legislation that's important for moving america

thank you, madam speaker. the speaker: under clause 5-d of rule 20, the chair announces that the house in light of the administration of the oath of office to the gentleman from florida, the whole number of the house is 431. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, five-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from maryland, mr. cummings, to suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1062 as amended, on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 177, house resolution 1062, resolution recognizing the coast guard group astoria's more than 60 years of service to the pacific northwest, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution as amended. members will record their votes by electronic v% the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 401. the nays are zero. 2/3 having responded in the affir

>> who is the one who instigates it, me or madam? >> madam?hought you were joking and then the second time i thought this isn't a joke. because they get into each other's space. they're like older brother-younger brother. >> larry: why did you call him madam? >> because he's like a madam. >> larry: what does that mean? >> wait a second. who's the instigator. let's go back to that moment. >> larry: i heard him say madam. >> larry, you should just come join us on the show. you stir the pot. >> i want him to come on and do the vicious "american idol" at the top of the show. >> can you do it? >> i'll do it. >> right in three. >> larry: this is "american idol." >> done, sold. >> then you can spar with him the rest of the hour. >> larry: do you notice tension between him and him? >> it's not tension. they really are like brothers. i think that ryan likes to see what he can dopusimon likes to what he can do to push ryan's buttons. and they do it to each other. that's just the way they play. >> siblings. >> and to add to it, simon is the master at pre

madam secretary, first, what do you expect to come from this meeting here in washington? >> well, i think that it's a very important meeting in that as the invitations went out for this summit, there were also very clear requests that each of the countries deliver something. they're talking them as house gifts. that they in fact having been invited somewhere will reciprocate and come up with their pledges about what they're going to do to secure the nuclear material. this is not going to be, as president obama said, just a summit where there's some kind of a gahzi statement and no deliverables. so i do think that the pressure tomorrow will be for various leaders to come forward and explain what it is they're going to do. the statement that was made a little earlier about what ukraine has already agreed to is that kind of a deliverable. >> lehrer: brent skowcroft, is it not true to say though that all 40-some of leaders, including president obama, are pretty much in agreement in general about, hey, let's do something about the proliferation of nuclear weapons? so they're n

-- green. >> thank you, madam chair. mr. fugate, i trust that you took it as a compliment when i elevated you to the level of a congress person. i didn't mean to insult you. in any way. a few questions for the record. first question is, is it true that when we have flood damage, we also sometimes will have wind daniel. i know the answer's yes but -- >> absolutely. >> and is it true an insurance company will send out an agent to assess the damages. is this true? >> that is true. >> and is it true that this agent will literally be employed by the insurance company not the federal government? >> that is true. >> and employed by the insurance company for edification purposes i know everybody knows this. but it means that this person receives an emollment something we call a paycheck, true? >> that is true. >> and receiving this paycheck from the insurance company in no way influences the judgment of this person that comes out to assess the damages, is this true? >> that is the intention of the program. >> i understand the intent

>> thank you, madame chair. mr. speed we just heard the testimony of sickening and third ships are reducing productivity and compromising the work that is done. without the 1.3 billion of funds were for the shovel 40 projects. were they not schoeppel ready? was amtrak not schoeppel ready? why have you had to take these extraordinary steps which apparently are more costly and less productive? >> i think all of the projects were schoeppel ready and i think that the i.t. did an excellent job looking at the risks along the way. but the projects that he looked at one of them was the ridge there were positive projects and there was a frequency converter replacement project and los angeles maintenance facility where the top five that they are

madam speaker, if we want to create good private sector jobs, we need to unleash the potential, reducing the constraints that have been imposed on u.s. workers. 211 years ago this month the author of the u.s. constitution became a member of congress, james madison. and representative madison on april 9 of 1789 stood in the house of representatives and

madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from new hampshire. mr. gregg: madam president, i want to rise to talk about the same issue that the senator from georgia has just discussed. and first, i want to congratulate the senator from georgia, and this is the point that we've been making on our side of the aisle. he's come up with a very thoughtful and appropriate way to address what was one of the core drivers of our fiscal meltdown in this country. if you look at what caused the financial crisis of late 2008, which has caused this significant recession, which has caused us to go through all these expenditures as a government and which has caused so many american people to have to suffer the consequences of this recession, there were three or four major events that generated this. one was money was too cheap for too long. that was a federal reserve decision. but right at the essence of it was the issue of underwriting, the fact that there was a decoupling of the people who were making the l

i hope, madam chairman, that changes. i think after the incredible consequences of the president's decision, i would ask you to be available. >> senator, may i inquire the date and time of the hearing? >> april 28. >> at what time? >> perhaps the administrators able staff could check on this. >> there may be some lack of communication between your office and mine. it was my understanding that the hearing was moved until the 12th of may and i would be there. i will be at johnson space center on the original days to schedule but we will resolve the issue. >> thank you. i read your testimony and i have heard your testimony. i have heard the president's speech. it does not all come together. i was one who was very supportive of your nomination for the reasons that others have stated, because i knew you would be committed to the missions of nasa and would understand this and would be a great leader. i am concerned about a very mixed message. the president said that he is committed to science. i do not see how you can have a co

. >> are nonnuclear weapons so good now, madam secretary, that we don't have to rely on nuclear weapons anymore? >> we rely on both, bob, and i think that's the point secretary gates is making. we've maintained a strong, robust nuclear deterrent as set forth in the nuclear posture review. but we have also in this administration moved toward a global strike capability to enhance our conventional response. and we have an enormous amount of firepower conventionally. and it is also clear that this is putting everybody on notice. >> you did make an exception to north korea and iran. explain to me what that means. >> well, because they're not in compliance with the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. so for them, all bets are off. all the options are on the table. >> "this week" with abc's senior white house correspondent jake tapper. >> senator kyl, you are concerned about president obama

madame curie?dame curie comes to the united states in the 1920s and the reason why she comes is remember she discovered radium, radioactivity but the problem was she didn't patent so there are all of these american chemical producers making all of this money on radium and she can't even afford this much of it so she can do her own research. so she talked to this publicist in the united states, and she hooks her up because what she does if she starts this campaign and all of these american women are going to raise money so madame curie can have a radium. i tell the story about this campaign. what is so funny about this, this little tiny campaign says everything about not just how american women are being defined in this. now but also how american science is getting defined because she comes to the united states and of course all of her american handlers have to try to deal with the contradiction that is madame curie. here is this woman do is really good at science. the only person in the world who i

thank you, madam. >> thank you.en very good and let's move to the second panel again. thank you all for your testimony. we appreciate it. as the second panel comes forward, with their introduction as they're taking their seats and again, thank you all so very much. our first panelists will be senator gordon smith, who has been welcomed here by many of his former colleagues, he now represents the national association of broadcasters as president and c.e.o., welcome back, senator. next is former congressman steve largent, he was -- served in the for my number of terms between 1994 and 2001, now he's president of the wireless association, and brings a little bit different perspective, of course, than senator gordon smith. we're happy to have him l. we have from lafayette, louisiana, terry huvall at my request to testify today. he is director of lafayette utility service. in addition, mr. huval speaks fluent french and requested that we conduct the hearing in french on all of our behalf, i declined, so it will be, mr. h

madam president, i know for a fact that members of this body on both sides of the aisle want to pass a good bill. my colleagues here know me well, and they know my reputation over the years. i have never, ever passed a major piece of legislation in this body over three decades when i have not had the cooperation and backing of a member or members on the other side of the aisle, never once. on every major piece of legislation i have been involved in. and here we are on the brink of going forward with the largest -- the single largest proposal to reform the financial services sector of our country, and we're divided here like a couple of petulant teenagers. instead of sitting around and coming together as i have offered for months to get behind a bill that will allow us to go forward. it's long over due that we grow up and recognize that this isn't some, you know, athletic contest. this is about whether or not our economy can get back on its feet, whether or not we can grow and prosper and create jobs, have credit flow and credit formed so that businesses and wealth can be created. not

poe: thank you, madam speaker. a husband, two-year-old son and college degree she earned in the united states. she is also a charged killer and running away from the law and gross miscarriage of justice she has been allowed to live out her life in her native country of peru. and never had to face the justice system for her crimes in the united states. she didn't have to face the consequences of her reckless conduct while living in america. in 1996, evelyn was driving drunk in texas and fell asleep at the wheel and had a head-on collision. she had minor injuries, but in the collision, she killed her 18-year-old roommate and permanently paralyzed a third passenger. evelyn was indicted for intoxication manslaughter in texas and she was charged with a felony of drinking, driving and killing somebody. after posting bail, she and her parents snuck out of town and they headed backs to their home country of peru. mezick continues to live a lifestyle in peru without remorse or without reform. a few years ago, she put up a m

madame chairman, i have two articles. one appeared in the tuesday's "golden mail" in toronto, regarding the space program. and one appeared in "florida today" i'd like to ask that that'd be made part of the record. >> without objection. >> i would like to quote just a little from "global in mail" about the obama plan from tuesday. this plan basically they say, and i'll paraphrase, barack obama has lowered the ambitious of america. space is not the final frontier. earth is. that's part of the article. under the "florida today" article that appeared april 16. it says obama doesn't get it. space is last frontier. president obama pulled the plug on our space program here in thursday. although he masked it with some vague long-term suggestions. the late president john k. kennedy must have turned over. he turn -- launched the moon landing program, because he understood that any nation that wants to remain number one on earth must also be number one in space. a couple of questions. it's my understanding, mr. administrator, that