mr. braley talked about the pictures in the back and what makes it more painful, these deaths were needless. i want to ask you for something more than an apology. one of the many questions raised is how gm today -- how you will handle accidents that happened prior to the company's bankruptcy. gm filed for bankruptcy in june of 2009 emerging as new gm, six weeks later. that means that new gm, the company as it exists today, i've been told may not be libel for accidents that occurred prior to july 2009. is that your understanding? >> we at general motors want to do the right thing for our customers. that's why we feel this is an extraordinary situation as i have said. it took too long to get to the answers and understandings about this part. that's why we've hired mr. fineberg, we feel he has had extensive experience and will bring his experience and objectivity to assess what are the appropriate next steps. we do understand that we have civic responsibilities as well as legal responsibilities. >> are you saying that the hiring of mr. fineberg indicates that gm will give some kind of settleme

mr. braley for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. miss barra, we've had different perspectives during this hearing. you have been appropriately focusing your attention on the members of this committee and answering our questions and i have been staring at these photographs on the back wall, and i see young women the same age as my daughter. i see young men the same age as my two sons. my son paul owns one of your cobalts. i see a young marine in his dress blues, and i'm reminded of the photograph i have in my office upstairs of my father at the age of 18 in his dress blues at camp pendleton, and the focus of this hearing so far has been on gm's commitment to safety, which i think we all agree on is an important topic for this hearing. you testified in your opening, and i think i'm quoting, our customers and their safety are at the center of everything we do, and you responded to a question from miss blackburn and told us that you were going to run gm differently than its been run in the past, and i have a copy of gm's march 18th pres

mr. braley talked about the pictures in the back and what makes it more painful, these deaths were needless. i want to ask you for something more than an apology. one of the many questions raised is how gm today -- how you will handle accidents that happened prior to the company's bankruptcy. gm filed for bankruptcy in june of 2009 emerging as new gm, six weeks later. that means that new gm, the company as it exists today, i've been told may not be libel for accidents that occurred prior to july 2009. is that your understanding? >> we at general motors want to do the right thing for our customers. that's why we feel this is an extraordinary situation as i have said. it took too long to get to the answers and understandings about this part. that's why we've hired mr. fineberg, we feel he has had extensive experience and will bring his experience and objectivity to assess what are the appropriate next steps. we do understand that we have civic responsibilities as well as legal responsibilities. >> are you saying that the hiring of mr. fineberg indicates that gm will give some kind of settleme

mr. braley: donna who has a nephew in the guard told me they are an investment in our safety and security, but also an investment in many young people. huge employer. nancy from dubuque wrote, not only do they fight for our country overseas, they do so much for our country. such as helping with the floods, the aftermath of 9/11 in new york, the national guard is an important part of our safety at home and abroad. these are just some of the hundreds of responses i received and i'm submitting many of these for the record. the iowa national guard serves the longest deployment of any combat unit in iraq. they came back and helped deal with the most powerful tornado in the united states that hit my district in 2008 and the worst flooding in our state's history, and that's why he we shouldn't cut their funding. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: with unanimous consent, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >