mr. baca: thank you. we must remind the american people when president obama took office he inherited $1.2 trillion deficit. the recession, the mounting job losses. in the last two years we have worked hard to end the outsourcing of jobs overseas and lay the groundwork to create new jobs here at home. but the unemployment rate is at 9.6 across the nation and over 14% in my irea in california. we must do more. if congress does not act to extend the unemployment insurance been fit, two million, i say two million americans stand to lose benefits during the holiday season. yet instead of working with us to provide assistance to struggling families, republicans, i say republicans continue to obstruct and push for budget pushing tax breaks for america's millionaires. we must extend unemployment benefits and we must approve the obama middle class tax cut plan without the deficit, increasing tax breaks for america's richest few. let's work together to help families through these tough times and create

conyers: i recognize the gentleman from california, mr. baca, for 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. baca: mr. speaker, i stand in strong support for h.r. 5281, the american dream act. a bipartisan bill. the america is a land of opportunity and these students want to abide by the law and that's why this bill is before us. it is wrong to unfairly punish young people who come to america through no fault of their own, wanting in education, an opportunity like the fellow students. if we pass this bill, we have an opportunity to straighten our nation -- strengthen our nation and respect our strong proud immigration history like ronald reagan and others who did this in the past. equal opportunity is just as in opportunities, the same values of civil rights leaders like martin luther king and president johnson fought for. i yield back the balance of my time and ask for support. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman

mr. baca: this week, our colleagues in the senate have an opportunity to straighten our future economy and create an opportunity for american young people by recognizing students who want to contribute through military service or higher education. the american dream act has a positive impact on all of us. and if we remember the 10 commandants, honor thy father and mother, many of these children came to the united states without of respect for their parents. they had no choice to be here. they deserve the opportunity to have the same that other students have by attending our schools, going on to college, and then they also paint a lot of our churches. they deserve the same opportunities that others have. we all know that the dream act is one piece of a larger reform that is needed to fix our broken immigration system, but it is a critical first step. i urge the designate, and i state, i urge the senate to pass the dream act as soon as possible so the president can quickly sign the bill into law