mr. speaker. at this time i'd like to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from new york, mr. owens. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. owens: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you to my colleague. i'm having a little trouble with the microphone. here we go. mr. speaker, i rise today to join mr. harper as an original co-sponsor to offer legislation to repeal an outdated mandate on auto dealerships across the country. under current rules, the national highway traffic safety administration is required to distribute a booklet on auto insurance costs to dealers. those dealers are required to keep the booklet onhand and made available to prospective customers. i had the honor to represent two dealers. working alongside them helped me better understand the automobile retail market and the pressures dealers are under to remain competitive. today, we have a chance to remove a regulation that we can all agree is outdated, for the benefit of taxpayers like those

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, how much time is left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan has 2 1/2 minutes. the gentleman from arizona has five minutes. mr. conyers: i yield myself one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: ladies and gentlemen of the house, when the american people expect us to focus on putting people back to work, we find ourselves again playing politics with women's health. pandering to the most radical interest groups and wasting time on divisive social issues, which to some may be good politics but i would caution my colleagues to remember why we've been sent here. this war against women cannot continue. the middle class is fighting for its life. workers struggling. and yet we're again putting on this show for the extreme conservatives with an unconstitutional bill that has no chance of becoming law. in fact, for those who are keeping count, this is the second time the majority has brought up a bill restricting access to abortion under a special procedure requirin

mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i thank the speaker. i want to thank the ranking member and indeed all of the members on both sides of the aisle for all of the work that has gone into the drafting of this carefully targeted state department authorization bill for fiscal year 2013. despite significant efforts by the committee on foreign affairs, the department of state has been operating without legislative authority for nearly a decade. the last authorization bill to become law, co-authored by our esteemed former chairman, henry hyde, and tom lantos, was enacted in september of 2002. the lack of authorities in the intervening years has eroded congress' foreign policy leverage with the department of state. by enacting this bill, congress will repair this lapse, strengthen our foreign policy oversight and fulfill our obligation to the american public. the text authorizes basic operations for the state dep

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, by any reasonable measure, america has the best health care system in the world. certainly the many world leaders who come here for treatment are a testament to that very fact. however, recent decades, slow but steady government takeover with growing entitlements have crowded out the private marketplace creating an inefficient system whose costs are now completely out of control. as a family physician who was elected to congress in 2008, i came here to bring consumer choices, transparency and efficiency back into our health care system, putting health care decisions back into the exam room where they belong. instead, democrats passed obamacare without even one republican vote. it essentially doubles down on the cost and inefficiencies and lack of accessibility to good health care that already existed and puts washington fully in control of your health care decisions that will ultimately lead to yet another large, unaffordable entitlement system. and with that i yield back. the

mr. speaker. mr. speaker i'm sure the whole house wish to join me in paying tribute to the three servicemen that were killed in afghanistan. this morning, i should have meetings later today. >> i am sure the whole house will want to associate ourselves with prime minster's deepest condolences who were lost earlier. mr. speaker, crude prices rose 4-point of%. i am concerned by, can the prime minster spare me the lecture and tell the host what you're telling about inflation. first of all, can i join the honorable lady what she said about the accident. she's absolutely right that our thought should be with the friends and family and the colleagues those involved. the circumstance still remain unclear. the investigation is ongoing and more details will be released in due course. it's a reminder of the risk our service personnel takes. on the issue, i would make the point that inflation is now strong in our country which is good news. in terms of food, the way to keep inflation down is to have a responsible

mr. speaker. mr. polis: reclaiming my time. again in the absence of an actual house resolution 783, i thought perhaps it was an erroneous reference to h.r. 783, again, it's unclear what we are debating. with that i know we have somebody here who wants to debate an important topic that's critical to the country, i would be happy to yield three minutes to the gentlelady from connecticut. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from connecticut is recognized for three minutes. ms. delauro: instead of debating whether we are going to have a resolution, to fix a resolution or resolution to fix a bill, what i want to urge is that what we do that this house take up the middle class tax relief package that the senate passed yesterday. i rise to urge the house majority to bring to the floor the middle class tax cut that passed the senate yesterday. let me take a quote from "the washington post" yesterday, the headline, republicans want to raise taxes on the poor. why? the tax cut passed yesterday by the democrats in the senate and suppo

mr. speaker, i yield one minute to the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, who is a distinguished jurist before he became a member of congress and then a distinguished member of the judiciary committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. i can verify that there are people who have already lost their insurance because of obamacare. . it is not true that if you like your insurance, you can keep it. people have lost doctors who were assured if you like your doctor you can keep them. that is not true. we were told there would be no tax. and that's not true. in fact, in the bill itself, one of the most devastating things, if you are a single individual and making 133% of the poverty level, you are making $14,000 and can't afford $12,000 insurance policy, you are going to be fined at 2 1/2%. it is a tax. it will devastate. you make $40,000, a family of four, five, six, $1,000 fine because you can't afford a $12,000 policy, that on top of the government running everything, tha

mr. speaker. for the purpose of debate only i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from florida, mr. hastings, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's recognized. ms. foxx: during consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. foxx: house resolution 738 is a structured rule providing for consideration of h.r. 6082, the congressional replacement of president obama's energy restricting and job limiting offshore drilling plan, the natural resources committee, chairman hastings, and seven other bills that will be considered as a single package. including mine, h.r. 373, the unfunded mandate information and transparency act. h.r. 438, the regulatory freeze for jobs act by mr. griffin, h.r. 4607, the midnight rule relief act, by mr. ri

mr. speaker. at this time i'd like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from california, the chairman of the rules -- rules committee chairman, the gentleman, mr. dreier. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. dreier: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. thank you very much, mr. speaker. i'd like to express my appreciation to the distinguished vice chairman of the committee on rules, our friend from dallas, mr. sessions, for his superb management of this rule. i'd like to say as we look at where we are going, contrary to arguments that have been propounded here on the floor, it's important to note that everybody wants to do everything we possibly can to ensure that our fellow americans have access to the best quality, affordable health care in the world. we have the best health care system in the world. we all know that. we want to make sure that we continue to see that health care system improve. we just come to the conclu

mr. speaker. peaker, h.r. 1237 authored by our friend from california, mr. herger, authorizes a land exchange between the trinity county public utilities district, the forest service and the bureau of land management in northern california. the labbeds is cut off by the surrounding federal lands. the utility districts would like to acquire 100 acres of the national forest to consolidate its holdings and guarantee access for future use of the property near the airport. in exchange for this part, the utilities district will convey about 150 acres. it currently owns to the six rivers national forest and approximately 50 acres to the bureau of land management. passage of this legislation will allow additional opportunity for economic development in remote trinity county, california, while allowing the forest service to consolidate its land base and the bureau of land management to acquire prime recreational sites. the suspension tech makes a minor amendment to the bill to conform to house rules by spec

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking the vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, a recorded vote is ordered. fourth pr seedingsen this motion are ordered. -- are postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> i move to suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendment to the bill h.r. 1627. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1627, an act to amend title 38, united states code to provide for certain requirements for the placement of monuments in arlington national cemetery and for other purposes. senate amendment. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from florida, mr. miller, and the gentleman from maine, mr. michaud, each will control 0 minutes. mr. miller: i ask nammings consent that all members have five legislative days to rev

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, for the record americans -- america's businesses and innovators do not need the administration mandating how they run their companies. yet it regularly does. and in the form of burdensome and costly regulations. we all share the responsibility to find the balance of making sure employees have the safest working conditions possible while allowing them to have a job to come back to every day. burdensome, onerous regulations place such a heavy toll on businesses that hiring slows and they are forced to start cutting from their work force. part of protecting employees' jobs is making sure that business they work for is still able to grow and create more good-paying jobs for those in michigan and across the country. over the course of this congress i have had the opportunity to speak with numerous small businesses, owners and workers who state unequivocally that they would rather washington hand out less regulations and more certainty. according to a chamber of commerce small busin

mr. speaker, -- mr. speaker, food prices rose 4% this year. i understand why. so can be prime minister spent a lecture and tell the house what he is doing about food inflation? >> first of all, can i join the honorable lady in what she said about the tornado aircraft accidents. she is absolutely right that our thoughts should be with the friends, family, and the colleagues of those involved. the circumstances remain uncertain, but it is clearly a serious incident. the investigation is ongoing. more details released in due course. it is a reminder of the risk our service per for -- personnel taken their undergoing training service. on the issue of food inflation, i would make the point that inflation is now falling, which is extremely good news. in terms of the food inflation, it is obviously absolutely vital that the prices faced by people in our shops are not too hard on their budget, but the way to keep inflation down is to have a responsible monetary policy, which is what we have in our country. [shouting] >> would my right honorable friend agree with me --

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i come to the floor once again to reiterate federal law. a law that was passed in 1982 called the nuclear waste policy act, and the amendments offered in 1987 which said that yucca mountain would be the long-term geological repository for our nuclear waste in this country. and it's unfortunate i have to keep coming down on the floor to address this issue because of the administration's position to defund, derail, and stop and actually break federal law. so to do that not only do i just talk about the legal aspects of the federal law, but i have been going around the country in identifying locations where we currently have high level nuclear waste. and asking the basic question, would you rather have it at location a or location b? and so today we return to pennsylvania to a power plant called limerick. limerick has 1,143 metric united states uranium of spent fuel on site. at limerick the waste is stored above the ground in pools and casks. it is 20 feet above the ground water.

mr. speaker.s it not time that he listened to the side of the house approved is it not time we did another u-turn and adopt the labour 5-point plan? >> there has been anger from some of the mp's. then there were celebrations to mark the queen's diamond jubilee. there was a river pageant. thousands of people lined the river thames to watch the boats and barges with the flotilla also to mark the queen's 60 years on the throne. other members of the royal family joined the celebration. there was a famous london landmark. it was broadcast over several hours of live television, which received some criticism to the bbc for inaccurate commentary. the outgoing director general accepted lessons to be learned but argued that those who watched it had enjoyed it. >> there are our mistakes every single program we make. there was an appreciation index of 82, and we found that more after that with some -- which supports that. everyone is entitled to their opinion. but this is a program with the objective audience

mr. speaker. mr. engel: in 1972, palestinian terrorists broke into the israeli olympic compound and murdered in cold blood 11 i veily athletes. in the 40 years since shamefully the national olympic committee has refused to have a minute of silence to commemorate these 11 martyrs. they have rejected it time and time again and tomorrow at the olympic games are starting in london and they rejected it again shamefully. so i will use the rest of my one minute to do the moment of silence for those who lost their lives at the 1972 olympic games. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from nevada seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from nevada is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, 71 years ago today, president roosevelt inducted over 40,000 filipino troops into the united states army to counter the japanese threat. following the occupation

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, at this time i would yield two minutes to my friend, the chairman of the transportation and infrastructure committee, mr. mike' of florida. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for two minutes. mr. mica: mr. speaker, before i begin i have a parliamentary inquiry. the speaker pro tempore: would the gentleman state his inquiry? mr. mica: mr. speaker, i have not been privy to the prior debates of our discussion j--al subject and the repeal legislation at hand. is it appropriate and within the decorum of the house to refer to the legislation that is being considered repeal as repealing obamacare? i don't want to inflict any disrespect on the office of president or should rewe have -- should we refer to keep in the decorum and respect for the office from referring to the president's plan for health care, government takeover, as obamacare or in another term? what would be appropriate under the -- the speaker pro tempore: the chair will not render an advi

mr. watt, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized for two minutes. mr. watt: thank you, mr. chairman, and let me say, first, that this bill is not about sunshine. it's not about transparency. it is about dissatisfaction that some individuals have with the man indicate that congress has given -- mandate that congress has given to the federal reserve. the gentleman who just spoke is absolutely right. they're supposed to deal with inflation. that's what we told them to do in their mandate. they're supposed to deal with unemployment. that's what we told them to do in the mandate we gave them. and some people over there are dissatisfied with the fact that they don't want them to deal with unemployment. they don't want them to try to adjust and make changes that will be beneficial to our economy. and if they don't want that, they ought to just introduce a bill that repeals the mandate that we gave to them. don't come and say we're talking about sunshine and transparency. every ti

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. wilson: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the proceedings during the former members program be printed in the congressional record and that all members and former members who spoke during the proceedings have the privilege of revising and extending their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. wilson: will vote for 392nd time to repeal, defund, or dismantle the president's government health care takeover bill. not only will this legislation grow the size of government limiting freedom, it will also levy 21 new or higher taxes on americans and small businesses, causing the destruction of jobs. if obamacare is not repealed beginning on january 1, 2013, a 3.8% capital gains tax on investment income will go into effect, destroying jobs in the home building and real estate industry. the national federation of independent business, nfib, america's largest association of small businesses, has estimated obamacare will destroy 1.6 million

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, several days ago i was one of only a handful of members of congress who actually sat in the supreme court and listened to five justices debate and say that they believed that the president's health tax was constitutional and i watched them debate the four justices who believed it was not constitutional. and because one more justice believed it was constitutional than the four that believed it was not constitutional, my friends on the other side of the aisle believe that we should now step back and do nothing and just allow this health tax to be imposed on the american people. we reject that suggestion. and the reason we do is because today the number one issue in the american people's minds is the economy, and the number one concern they have about the economy is the loss of their jobs. and yet we have watched as this administration has had 41 straight months of unemployment in excess of 8%. we have watched as their policies have delivered a net loss of 473,000 jobs, and we ar

mr. speaker. yield myself such time as i may dume -- consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. chaffetz: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials under the bill -- for the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. chaffetz: we're here today to discuss h.r. 4155, the veterans skills to jobs act, introduced by mr. denham of california. i really appreciate the approach that this is taking with jobs and the economic environment as such. this is a commonsense good measure. i think it's widely supported on both sides of the aisle and i'd urge my colleagues to pass it. essentially h.r. 4155 ensures that applicants for federal licenses receive credit for relevant training completed while serving as a member of the armed forces. while most licenses are issued by states, the federal government does grant a number of licenses, most notably in

mr. speaker, mr. speaker, mr. speaker, the writer he gets the less he convinces people. and -- [shouting] >> order! order! members on both sides of the house now need to come down. that is all there is to it. >> it is the same lecture we had on the economy for the last two years. things are getting worse. not better. every time he gets up with that list of statistics he shows how out of touch he is. tax cut for millionaires, double-dip recession, isn't the truth. he is losing the confidence of a country. that is -- who would bear -- cancan livingston saved it? who got mccloskey heated? who opposed every method to deal with the deficit? who proposed thirty million pounds of spending? who is giving the unions even more say. >> order. i said a moment ago. the prime minister's answers must and will be heard no matter how long it takes. >> to consider what he has ne in the last year? oppose the immigration cap. oppose the welfare cat. oppose the housing benefit cap. every single measure to cut the deficit. we know what he is against but when are we going to find out what he i

mr. speaker. nt to the order of the house ojuly 25, 2012, i cal up house concurrent resolution 134 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: house concurrent resolution 134, concurrent resolution condemning in the strongest possible termshe heinous atrocities that occurred in aurora, colorado. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 25, 2012, the gentleman from colorado, mr. perfect mutter, and the gentleman from colorado, mr. coffman, will each control 15 minutes. mr. coffman: we can never explain nor fully comprehend evil. but last friday we were reminded of its existen. the face of evil emerged when a cold-blooded calculating mass murderer trapped unsuspecting movie patrons packed in a darkened theater in my hometown of aroara -- aurora, colorado. today on the floor of the united states house of representatives we pause to again remember the victims of this horrendous c

mr. speaker, mr. speaker, mr. speaker, the writer he gets the less he convinces people. and -- [shouting] >> order! order! members on both sides of the house now need to come down. that is all there is to it. >> it is the same lecture we had on the economy for the last two years. things are getting worse. not better. every time he gets up with that list of statistics he shows how out of touch he is. tax cut for millionaires, double-dip recession, isn't the truth. he is losing the confidence of a country. that is -- who would bear -- cancan livingston saved it? who got mccloskey heated? who opposed every method to deal with the deficit? who proposed thirty million pounds of spending? who is giving the unions even more say. >> order. i said a moment ago. the prime minister's answers must and will be heard no matter how long it takes. >> to consider what he has done in the last year? oppose the immigration cap. oppose the welfare cat. oppose the housing benefit cap. every single measure to cut the deficit. we know what he is against but when are we going to find out what he

mr. speaker. i now yield to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, mr. smith is the chairman of the africa global health and human rights subcommittee, on the foreign affairs committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. mr. franks: for three, mr. chairman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognize for three minutes. mr. smith: thank you very much. i thank my friend for yielding. mr. speaker, pain. we all dread it, avoid it, even fear it. and go to extraordinary lengths to mitigate its very terity and duringation -- its severity and duration. many americans know that abortion methods are vimet and include a dismemberment of a child's fragile body, chemical poisoning and needles to the baby's heart. there is nothing humane, benign or compassionate about abortion. it is violence against children and it hurts women. but the relatively new scientific understanding that unborn children are forced to endure ex tretionating pain,

mr. speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. mr. speaker, our country is in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the great depression. much of the blame lies here in washington where living beyond our means and micromanaging the economy is, to quote some in this town, is just the way washington works. well, mr. speaker, washington doesn't work. any business that's tried to build something knows what i'm talking about. dozens of federal agencies representing vary idea interests, competing against each other while special interest groups wait in the wings to hold projects for ransom. mr. speaker, allow me to sum up what our permitting process should be. quote, our federal permitting and review processes must provide a transparent, consistent and predictable path of both project sponsors and affected communities. they must ensure that agencies set and adhere to timelines and schedules for completion of reviews, set clear permitting performance goals and track progress against those goals. they must encourage early collaboration

mr. speaker. and thank you to our panel today. >> don't let john boehner hear that. >> well, i was hoping your kind goodness would produce something for the future for me as well. but thank you, mr. chairman. let me go back to leaks. there have been leaks in this administration. we don't know who. we don't know why. but there have been and just to rehearse a nonexhaustive list, these leaks have included about drone strikes against al qaeda in pakistan, somalia and yemen. we have leaks concerning reported cybercampaign against iran's nuclear arms program. leaks that included terrorist plans to destroy american airliners. leaks and details of c.i.a. and special operations forces efforts to kill osama bin laden. and others. i guess what i want to ask, madam secretary, and director olsen, were d.h.s. or ncts consulted in advance of these disclosures? >> well, we certainly were consulted. in other words, there was no -- as far as i know, nothing within nctc were we involved in any of the leaks that you

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. bucshon: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bucshon: i rise in strong support of the pilot's bill of rights. s. 1335 is intended to restore fairness to airmen and federal aviation administration enforcement proceedings by providing airmen timely access to critical information and adding an additional level of appeal for airmen disputing enforcement action. this bill also requires the f.a.a. to improve the system of providing notices to airmen and directs the f.a.a. to review and improve the medical certification form. pilots have expressed frustration and concerns about what they believe is unfair and inequitable to a treatment

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, as the gentleman well knows, the house bill excluded in large number of people from protection. a large number of members -- people who were the victims of domestic violence from protection. as contracted -- contrasted with the senate bill which was designed to ensure protection of all people who were subject to domestic abuse, and designed to encourage people to make complaints against those who abuse them. without fear of adverse consequences to them. so that we could get abusers dealt with in a proper way. and again i would say to my friend, mr. speaker, that 2/3 of the united states -- over 2/3 in the united states 123459, -- senate w. an overwhelming number of republicans as well, voting for the senate bill because they believed it was inclusive. of course every woman member of the senate, republican and democrat, who probably have greater insight into domestic abuse than perhaps some of us males and male colleagues have. i would hope we could focus on trying to reach agr

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois. mr. roskam: i further ask unanimous consent that when the house adjourns today it adjourn to meet at noon on monday next for morning hour debate and 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman from illinois. mr. roskam: i ask unanimous consent that the ep grossment of h.r. 5 -- that in the engross. of h.r. 5856 the clerk be permitted to make changes, including numerical changes, in the amendment offered by the gentleman from minnesota, mr. walz. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the chair will entertain one-minute requests. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to pay respect to an admirable individual from america's first district who passed away earlier this week. he was truly admirable. earl lloyd lived an honorable life full of service to his fe

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i am a sure that like me, all lots will be deeply saddened by the death of three british servicemen -- the whole house will be deeply saddened by the death of the three british servicemen and afghanistan yesterday. they were helping to keep us safe here in the u.k. the suspected perpetrator is in custody, and we will do everything with the national security forces to ensure that justice is done. this tragic incident demonstrates the real risk that our soldiers face every day, and we will learn all the lessons that rise from it. i know that everyone in this house will want to send support to our brave troops and their families at this difficult time. mr. speaker, turning to the european council, britain had three objectives at last week's meeting. first, the eurozone members taking the event action needed to deal with the crisis. second, a top rates of growth package focused on bridge and's priorities straight third, sending a clear message to the rest of europe about what to e

mr. speaker. pursuant to the order of the house on july 25, 2012, i call up house concurrent resolution 134 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: house concurrent resolution 134, concurrent resolution condemning in the strongest possible terms the heinous atrocities that occurred in aurora, colorado. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 25, 2012, the gentleman from colorado, mr. perfect mutter, and the gentleman from colorado, mr. coffman, will each control 15 minutes. mr. coffman: we can never explain nor fully comprehend evil. but last friday we were reminded of its existence. the face of evil emerged when a cold-blooded calculating mass murderer trapped unsuspecting movie patrons packed in a darkened theater in my hometown of aroara -- aurora, colorado. today on the floor of the united states house of representatives we pause to again remember the victims of this

mr. speaker. these are have already been set aside for mineral development. that policy has not changed at all. all it ensures is that we're going to have access to it. and i want to point out the irony that the gentleman pointed out. this is for rare earth. this particular area in his state is where we have rare earth and now they say they want it. i really find some -- there's some irony here and i can't quite get my arms around it. i thank the gentleman for yielding. i yield back to him. the chair: the gentleman from alaska has 30 seconds remaining. mr. young: i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey has 30 seconds remaining and the right to close. new jersey new jersey -- mr. holt: mr. chair, of course we want this country to have the minerals its dependent on. but need i repeat again, the bureau of land management says that current policy does not prevent mineral developers from accessing the development sites. this amendment is not n

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: thank you, madam speaker. i'd like to yield four minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts, the distinguished ranking member of the committee on natural resources, mr. markey. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. . is recognized for four minutes. mr. markey: i thank the gentleman from colorado. we are just hours removed from house republicans voting to take away health care for 30 million americans and put the insurance companies back in charge of our health care system. and it's back to business as usual for the g.o.p.-controlled house, yes. it's time to get back to more giveaways to the nation's wealthiest companies. because when house republicans aren't voting to take away health care from ordinary americans, from poor americans, they're voting for wealthcare for the most profitable industries in the history of the united states of america. in fact, the majority continues to bring largely the same legislation to the floor over and over again, only the name of the industry reaping the

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. christensen: and i'd like to enter into the record a statement from congresswoman eddie bernice johnson. the speaker pro tempore: it will be covered by general leave. mrs. christensen: thank you. i want to again begin by thanking the democratic leader forgiving the congressional black caucus this time, to focus on health care reform specifically. specialy -- especially as the house is preparing to continue their attempts to repeal what we know is a good bill and a needed bill in this country. i just want, before i begin to yield time, to just recognize the 103rd anniversary of the naacp. they have long been champions, premier champions of health care , fought for health care, the right, they are committed to eliminating the racial and ethnic disparities in our health care system that plague people of color in the united states. they have focused on eliminating disparities through their 880 campaign which is a campaign that is based on the fact that over the past decade, because we have

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, nearly three decades ago one of my great heroes, ronald reagan, famously said, in all of the arsenals of the world, no weapon is so powerful as the will and moral courage of free men and women. for the last year and a half, no development on the world stage has drawn greater interest or sparked more passioned debate than the upheaval in the arab world. what started in tunisia in december of 2010 has spread throughout north africa and the middle east, leafing virtually no arab nation un-- leaving virtually no arab nation untouched. tunisia out ofed a dictator. libya fought a civil war. rid itself of its dictators and held elections. in both cases, particularly in libya, blood was shed but it has so far not been in vain. as real hope for democracy and improved quality of life prevails. other countries such as morocco and jordan have seen more modest changes but in the same direction toward greater openness. elsewhere in the arab world, this unprecedented chain of events has thus

mr. larson: thank you, madam speaker. at this time i yield three minutes to our distinguished whip from maryland, a person who understands what it means to make it in america. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for three minutes. mr. hoyer: i thank my friend. repeal it and replace it. for the 31st time we have a repeal with no replacement. no alternative. no protection offered by my republican colleagues. not one. you could of course introduce legislation that said, we're going to repeal and replace with this. you haven't done it. you haven't done it. so the american people have no idea. we're on the floor today with the distinguished gentleman from michigan who himself and his father before him said a half a century before, americans need the security of having the guarantee of access to affordable, quality health care. that's what we did. madam speaker, after the landmark supreme court ruling upholding the affordable care act, americans are ready to move on. yet here we are again, voting f

mr. speaker. my amendment would amend the bill's definition of, quote, significant regulatory action, end quote, to exclude any regulation or guidance that is intended to protect the privacy of americans. with the increasing opportunities for governmental and private organizations to obtain, maintain and disseminate sensitive private information on citizens, it is critical that we not prevent or delay the implementation of government regulations designed to protect the privacy of this information for several reasons. first, the government routinely collects almost every type of personal information about individuals and stores it in its databases. it may maintain this information for stated periods or permanently, and the government may share it with state agencies under certain circumstances. the concern, mr. speaker, is that such information has itself become a commodity with such financial value subjected to abuse for those that sell it for financial gain. the concern is that such information h

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, we have had an extensive debate today on the floor centered around american energy and american jobs. and it is interesting in how this discussion has unfolded over time. many times we on this side of the aisle are accused of repeating over and over and over different issues. and i suppose to a certain extent, that is true. but one of the reasons why this effort is done on a regular basis is because the genius of our founding fathers was such that they created a government where there was division of powers. and we all know that, the three branches of government. but the genius of our founding fathers was even greater than that in the fact that they gave the legislative branch and they divided that power. they divided that power between the house and the senate. and what that simply means, mr. speaker, before any legislation can pass, any law that's put on anybody in this country, has to pass both houses of the congress. now i recognize -- i'm a member of the people's house. n

mr. speaker. i'd like to additionally yield two minutes to a gentleman whose primary committee, serves on the budget committee and he also is on the appropriations committee, the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. cole. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. cole. mr. cole: i thank the speaker. i thank you for including me on your committee. h.r. 5872 is a bipartisan bill and it did pass out of the budget committee unanimously as has been mentioned several times here. that's a good thing. i think honestly we have a very strong bipartisan agreement that sequester is a very bad policy, something that really shouldn't be allowed to happen. obviously i also sit on defense appropriations subcommittee and so i focus on that area and if we don't arrive at an agreement before the end of the year, we'll have $110 billion worth of cuts, but about a 10% cut on top of a half a billion dollars we have already taken out of defense. that will have tremendous consequences in my st

mr. speaker, what went wrong? the increase was a major -- [shouting] >> it cannot be a u-turn to get rid of the labour tax increase. they put in place 12 increases in government debt left behind six increases and we are dealing with them. >> it was all part of not seem less political strategy. unfortunately they did not tell but transport secretary. and the chancellor briefs them on the economic situation and forgot to tell their own bank ventures and the old policy. call it what it is. another case of panic at the pump. every time this side of the house proposed putting more money in people's pocket to get the economy moving, he has denounced the policy as irresponsible. yesterday the chancellor said it was about precisely doing that? why doesn't he admit that plan a has failed? does he support stopping the increase? why not? why not get up and congratulate the government for being on the side of the motorists and the people who work hard to do the right thing? i have to say ever since we have been diffusing the

mr. speaker, as the house agriculture committee considers farm bill legislation, i rise in strong support of responsible policies for all of our agriculture producers, especially sugar, rice and soybean industry. mr. scalise: it allows for industry expansion under the 2008 farm bill. last week the st. mary parish chamber of commerce passed a resolution on the sugar industry in south louisana. it supplies more than 16,000 jobs. i'm pleased to see the chairman's initial draft language also includes multiple risk management options benefiting south louisana.

mr. speaker you mentioned closing of loopholes as part of tax reform. republicans are talking to democrats about closing those loopholes in exchange for getting rid of the defense wester next year. do those have to be closed only for comprehensive tax reform? >> raising taxes in a weak economy is not a good idea. we're serious about bringing down corporate rates and personal rates, closing those loopholes, those special deals and other credits in the tax code and need to come as part of overall tax reform. >> mr. speaker, on the president's proposal on income taxes, he says that everybody agrees on 250 and below. why not take it for now and when mitt romney wins the election, he can easily undo it and if president obama wins, will you continue to insist or oppose delinking the tax cuts for the rich from the middle class. >> listen, raising taxes in a weak economy is not going to help create jobs in america. we believe that extending all of the current tax rates is the appropriate course of action. our proposal would be to extend them all for one year so

mr. speaker brown and mr. speaker scott. >> good morning. my name is sharon and i'm vice chair of the district 11 council and a 4 year resident which is located in the heart of district 11. i do not come forward to test by earlier because my neighborhood has never seriously been in danger of being split into another district. but i wanted to take this last opportunity to speak, to publicly thank the task force for not just listening to the public, but to actually hearing all the folks who came to testify. and for your commitment to keeping neighborhoods whole. for you reuniting the other neighborhoods that were split 10 years ago. i also wanted to thank the consultants and kay for all their work in getting the draft maps and the boundaries up on the website so quickly. and lastly i would like to thank any fellow council members who came to testify so passionately but respectfully for their neighborhoods in district 11. so far we have only lost population in those areas we all agreed to sacrifice to keep district 11 whole. it is an honor to s

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. mr. ryan: gentleman has four or five speakers? mr. van hollen: five or six. mr. van hollen: it's quite a scene to see so many of our colleagues rush to the floor of this house to call upon this congress to deny the american people health care protections, patient protections that every member of this congress has. if a child of a member of this congress has a pre-existing conditions, whether it is diabetes or asthma, their child gets covered. if their child is 25 years old and didn't happen to have health insurance, they can be covered on the health insurance plan. and yet this bill to repeal obamacare would deny to the american people the same kind of patient protections that every member of this congress enjoys. it's a sad day. with that, i yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentlelady from pennsylvania, ms. schwartz. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. schwartz: i appreciate the opportunity to speak on this legislation. as so many of us know, two weeks ago the supreme cou