mr. burgess, is recognized. mr. burgess: i yield to the other gentleman from texas as much time as he may consume. mr. barton: i'm not going to consume a lot of time. i want to say this is a $12 million advertising campaign for free government money or loans at very low interest rates. bees don't need directions to find where the flowers are that they're going to pollinate to get the honey, go back to the hive. bank robbers don't need directions on how to find the bank where the money is. homeowners and contractors that qualify under this program don't need a $12 million program to find out where and how to get the money. as dr. burgess pointed out, they will be immediately on the internet and at the various websites, the toll free hotline numbers and all the other things, finding out how and where and what the requirements are. if all else fails, they can call congressman markey's office and he'll be happy to provide them with free assistance and if his office is overloaded, since mine is right next door, i will put

mr. burgess and chairman waxman, a couple questions. e is a letter dated february 22nd, 2010, sent to secretary lahood by myself and mr. waxman. and on page four, sub part b asks that nhtsa reopen its investigation of p.e., that's preliminary examination 0421 which had 37 consumer complaints on sudden, unintended accelerations in the camry, 2002, 2003 camry, solara and les. we've yet to have a response. are you going to reopen that investigation as requested? >> the universe of test vehicles assumes these, all of these parts that you asked for, so in terms of a defect investigation that's part of the nasa study that's ongoing, that will have done in the -- by the end of the summer. so to answer -- the short answer to your question is we are re-evaluating all this work in light of the nasa study. in addition to, that's going to be included in the nas study but we'll definitely get back to you on the record in direct response to sub part b. >> well, in looking at that and in response to mr. waxman's questions, you said this brake override

mr. burgess for questions. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr.rickland, the last hearing we had, secretary lahood said that toyota was -- had made some improvements and was going to be -- then toyota stated they appointed a chief quality officer, then we had the whole issue come up with the 2010 lexus gs 460, so did that give you an ability to evaluate toyota's responsiveness to the problem with the lexuses compared to their earlier responses? >> yes, mr. burgess, it has. and i made a comment after the lexus gx 460 recall, the consumer reports recalled with the electronic stability control issue. i have found since i've taken office in january that toyota has been much me responsive -- >> i don't mean to interrupt, but did the quality officer make a difference in that environment? >> i was just informed of his hiring process, the overall result is we have seen better responses. toyota's working through the ganization issues, but these past two recalls have been -- i've been very happy with the responsiveness. >> one of the issues with professor g

mr. burgess and chairman waxman, a couple questions. first one is a lter dated february 22nd, 2010, sent to secretary lahood by myself and mr. waxman. and on page four, sub part b asks that nhtsa reopen its investigation of p.e., that's preliminary examination 0421 which had 37 consumer complaints on sudden, unintended accelerations in the camry, 2002, 2003 camry, solara and lexus. we've yet to have a response. are you going to reopen that investigation as requested? >> the universe of test vehicles assumes these, all of these parts that you asked for, so in terms of a defect investigation that's part of the nasa study that's ongoin that will have done in the -- by the end of the summer. so to answer -- the short answer to your question is we are re-evaluating all this work in light of the nasa study. in addition to, that's going to be included in the nas study but we'll definitely get back to you on the record in direct response to sub part b. >> well, in looking at that and in response to mr. waxman's questions, you said thibrake overr

mr. burgess. >> thank you, mr. chairman. chairman waxman for questions. >> thank you, mr. chairman. want to go back to this issue as well. the question of the negative pressure tests that we discussed earlier and the discrepancies and the negative pressure test performed on the well on the day of the blowout. and all of you seem to agree that this would be a significant issu and it would be a central question in the investigation. but i have a document. i think it's been given to you, mr. mckay. it's an e-mail. i thought it had been given to you in advance. and the e-mail talks about the testing procedures. can you tell me whether these procedures were followedn the 20th? >> i cannot tell you whether they were followed. >> okay. and that the last line of the document, and this is -- by the way, this is an e-mail, an internal e-mail from bp, and it indicates the things that would be done if there was a negative test that wasn't -- that showed a discrepancy. and the last line says that we would send to houston for confirmation, send to houston for confirmation. i assume this refers to

mr. burgess: i ask for a reasonable medicare prescription fix. the time has come and gone. pro tempo: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? mr. garamendi: i'm astounded at what i just heard. this is a problem that was actually created by the republicans as they were playing financial games and to stand here on the floor and say this has to be fixed now, yes, indeed, it does. but it was the republican party that has prevented us from fixing it and that's going on right now as the negotiations take place on the american jobs act and corporate tax loophole - closing the tax loopholes on corporations that are shipping jobs offshore. i would ask the republicans and this house to stanwith us and do a permanent fix. it can be done. but it's not going to be easy. we need to raise the tax revenue and it's from those corporations that are shifting jobs offshore. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: permissio

mr. burgess with transocean. >> good morning, mr. burgess. thank you for being here. >> a false statement given to an agency of the united states is punishable by fines and or imprisonment. knowing this, do you solemnly swear the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you get? >> yes, i do. >> thank you, sir. please be seated. >> good morning. before we began, are you comfortable with having the representative from transocean's council represent you? >> yes. >> can you please state your name and spell your last? >> micah burgess, b-u-r-g-e-s- s. >> who are you employed with? >> transocean. >> what is your job? >> i am a driller. >> how long have you been with transocean? >> about two years and two months. >> any previous experience with the drilling industry? >> yes. >> can you elaborate. >> i have been with transocean for nine years, two years with run prior to that. >> were you always on the deepwater horizon? >> yes, sir. >> what positions did you hold on the deepwater horizon other

mr. burgess is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. burgess: i thank the speaker for the recognitionism come to the floor tonight for the leadership hour on our side to talk more about this health care bill that we passed six weeks ago because it was a pretty sweeping piece of legislation, we passed it kind of quickly a lot of people may not have understood everything contained therein or the implications of the things contained therein. so from time to time, it is worthwhile to study a little bit about what we did and how we got there and maybe why it was done and if anything, a look at what's over and ahead, over the horizon for people of this country as they begin to adjust to life with this bill. let me just say at the outset that i did not vote for this bill. i do not approve of this bill. the process was flawed. in fact the process was absolutely toxic to this house, to the united states congress, in fact, to the country at large. never before has a piece of legislation this sweeping been -- this sweeping in scope and its impact o

mr. burgess: i thank the gentleman for yielding. let's talk just a little bit about fires and who set them and when they were set. i rise today to talk about the so-called doc fix that's contained within the bill, but i think a little history ask in order. quoting from a paper from december, 2006, originally medicare was to be reimbursed under the customary prevailing rate. in 1989 in the omnibus budget reconciliation act, sound familiar? they enacted what was called the relative value payment system, that was supposed to hold down payments. and in between we had something called the medicare economic index that based dr. pay on the cost of living adjustment. none of these things satisfied congress in holding down cost, so in 1992, remember george bush was not president in 19 -- george w. bush was not president in 1992 although we like to blame things on the previous administration, a democrat, the congress was controlled by democrats, and they acted b.p.s. which was the forerunner of today's s.g.r. this is not a problem that began

mr. burgess. >> hank you, mm. chairman. mr. lenz, thank you for being thh opening statementtmadeon. reference to polling. wouud you care to respond tt some of the statements that werr madeein the openiig statement b3 subcommittee? >> we have the polling coopany, about three ears. they hhve done polls for us forr about the last three years. they have probaaly done at least two dozee polls in the past. the poll that is in question was done soon after my ttstimony, soon after the aac+ expos they ran. that that raise questions about dr. tolbert,,sean gilbert -- dr. gilbert,,and abc. >> if it is not proprietary, can you give us an idea of he polling sample size? 1000.believed t wassaround%- i want o say it was not hundred 80, or nine and 90.. >> you would have no reason to doing a poll. >> correct. to is it unusual for your company to do polling related to othhr >> i think it is, but i think the abc news piece was very unusual as well. it was a clear ttack on the c't really cast doubt bout ellctrrnics throttle control -- and ii really cast doubt about electronic thrrttle control systtms.

mr. burgess: i thank the speaker and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: mr. defazio of oregon. mr. grayson of florida. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from florida, ms. wasserman schultz, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. ms. wasserman schultz: thank you, mr. speaker. tonight and beginning each week we will begin the week talking about the accomplishments of the president -- of both president obama as well as the democratic leadership in the legislature. the efforts of the democratic caucus over the last year and a half, particularly since president obama was sworn in have truly been remarkable. both the efforts have been remarkable, but also the accomplishments. i think it's important that we continue to talk to the american people about those accomplishments, particularly when compared to some of the commentary that's out there in the media because from watching some news programs, one would think that we were all here in the chamber sitting in our chairs fast asleep as opposed to w

mr. burgess from texas. under the speaker's announced policy january 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from ohio, ms. fudge, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. ms. fudge: i ask for unanimous consent that all members be given five legislative days to enter remarks into the record on this topic. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. so ordered. ms. fudge: congressional black caucus, the c.b.c. is proud to anchor this hour on jobs and the economy. currently the c.b.c. is chaired by the honorable barbara lee from the 9th congressional district of california. nime congresswoman fudge representing the 11 congressional district of ohio. c.b.c. members are advocates for the human family nationally and internationally and played a significant role as local and regional advocates. we continue to work to be the conscience of the congress, but we understand that all politics are local. therefore, we provide dedicated and focused to the congressional districts we serve. the vision of our fo

mr. burgess of texas. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, the gentleman from georgia, mr. broun, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee othe minority leader. mr. broun: thank you, madam speaker. tonight, the doctors' caucus, people who are physicians and those of us who are involved in health care on the republican side are going to be talking a little bit tonight about obamacare. we have talked about obamacare a lot over the last several months and it's now law. we hear over and over again about how obamacare is beginning to filter out and how it's going to affect the american people. our president has said, madam speaker, when the american people know what's in the bill, they're going to like it. well, to the contrary. as the american people get to know what's in the bill, they dislike it more and mor as they rightfully should. because the obamacare is going to be extremely expensive for everyone. it's going to be very onerous to almost everyone except to the federal bureaucrats

mr. burgess: mr. speaker, last week our committee on energy and commerce, the subcommittee of oversight and investigations, held the first of what is likely to be many hearings into the events going on in the gulf of mexico. but so far the hearings and the investigation have been decidedly asem met trick. my committee demanded and obtained thousands of pages of documents and testimony from the four companies involved in the spill, but virtually nothing, nothing from the administration. in fact, my committee made no document requests, asked for no testimony from the administration -- from the administration. the fedel role would appear to be an integral part of this story. we should have representatives from the department of interior and mineral management services explaining why in march of 2009 in the initial exploration plan for deepwater horizon, a blowout scenario was simply not contemplated. and why the department of the interior did not require a site specific oil response plan. why that was no

mr. burgess: ask permission to rise and address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. burgess: how many times we hear during this past year, year and a half, if you like what you have, you can keep it. talking about health insurance, talking about your doctor. we even heard the presidential candidate of 2008 who eventually won the presidency, if you like your doctor, if you like your insurance company, nothing about my law will require you to change that. but now we are finding out an entirely different story. published on cnn money, published in "fortune" magazine this past week, many companies are examining a course that was heretofore unthinkable, dumbning the health care coverage they provide to their works in exchange for paying a penalty in fees to the government. consider this, from cnn money on may 6, internal documents, recently reviewed by fortune, originally requested by congress, shows what the bill's critics predicted and what it's champions dreaded. many large companies are compgs a -- compksing a

mr. burgess today, dr. burgess, for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? ms. woolsey: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, the following members maybe permitted to address the house for five minutes, to revise and extends their remarks and include therein extraneous material. ms. woolsey, california, mr. etheridge, north carolina, mrs. capps, california, mr. kline, -- klein, florida, mr. defazio, oregon, prosecute grayson, florida. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, and under a previous order of the house, the following members are recognized for five minutes each. ms. woolsey of california. the gentlewoman is recognized for five minutes. ms. woolsey: mr. speaker, last week's state visit did absolutely nothing to ease serious concerns -- mr. speaker, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is correct. pleas

mr. burgess, are there any questions that we did not ask >> i have one question. >> yes, sir. >> [inaudible] if the dealer wants to activate -- if the driller wants to activate eds-2 [unintelligible] >> i do not have to. we make him aware. we are capable of doing it. >> thank you, sir. >> on your eds-1 and eds-2, the hydraulic power for those to function, does that come from the service or the stack -- from the surface or the staff ?utbacck >> you have to ask the engineer on that. >> we thank you for your testimony today. if we need for you to come back in the future to provide more information, will you make yourself available? >> yes. >> thank you. you are dismissed. the board now calls on mr. an seraile. >> mr. seraile, will you please raise or >> mr. seraile, will you please raise your right hand. >> idea. >> thank you. please be seated. >> the attorney sitting with you represents transition. do you feel comfortable sitting with him? >> yes. >> please state your name and spell your last. >> alan seraile, s-e-r-a-i-l-e. >> prior to becoming the assistant to driller did you hold any other

mr. burgess, five minutes for questions. we will do a second round. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. mckay, just to get back to specifics of the modifications of the blowout protector, our what we know form, tab 4, in the evidence binder, modifications that have been discovered in the brought protector system, can you give us the specific modifications that were discovered in the bop system? >> what i was referring to yesterday, while we were doing rov, remote operated vehicle interventions as the crisis has unfolded, we discovered there were modifications made. i don't know personally whether those were the exact modifications that mr. newman referenced done in 2005 or additional ones. i think that's a very very important piece of the investigation. we found leaking hoses, and, you know, the diagrams we were using realtime did not match the blowout preventer. so that's -- >> mr. newman, if i understood him correctly, suggested that those modifications were requested and were paid for by bp, so it should be possible those records wouldn't have gone down with the ship, would they? we

mr. burgess, five minutes for questions. fiv >> thank you mr. chairman. secon mr. mckay, to get back to some of the specifics of the modifications of the blowout jut protector, or what we know from tab for in the evidence binder, modifications that have been discovered in in the blowout protector system. can you give us the specific modifications that were discovered in the bop system?yov >> what i was referring to yesterday is, while we were doing the rov, remote operated vehicle intervention, as the crisis had unfolded, we discovered there were rov, made.interventi unfoldt know personally whether those were the exactma modifications that mr. newmande reference that were done in 2005 or there were additional ones that i think that is a very important piece of the o investigation. we found leaking hosesr and theg diagrams that we were using real-time did not match the blowout preventer. >> mr. newman, if i incorrectly suggested those modifications were requested and were paid for by p.-- bp so it should be paid possible those records would not have gone down with t

mr. burgess, five minut for questions. we will do a second round. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. mckay, just to get back to specifics of t modifications of the bwout protector, our what we know form, tab 4, in the evidence binder, modifications that have been discovered in the brought protector system, can you give us the specific modifications that were discovered in the bop system? >> what i was referring to yesterday, while weere doing rov, remote operated vehicle interventions as the crisis has unfolded, we discovered there were modifications made. i don't know personally whether those were the exact modifications that mr. newman referenced done in 2005 or additional ones. i think that's a very very important piece of the investigation. we found leaking hoses, and, you know, the diagrams we were using realtime did not match the blowout preventer. so that's -- >> mr. newman, if i understood him correctly, suggested that those modifications were requested and were paid for by bp, so it should be possible those records wouldn't have gone down with the ship, would they? we should