mr. burton. mr. meeks, the ranking member on the subcommittee on europe and eurasia. i want to say on behalf of all splendid job you're doing. i have three questions. one, russia, significant accomplishments, challenges, opportunities. our areas disagreement are sometimes profound, coordinated action to confront efforts of life like syria or global security as in iran. no coly, war is behind us. united states and russia are no longer eyeball to eyeball withv that would release arsenals at each elb to elbow at conference tables, which i think is a good thing. madam secretary would you comment on your priority and strategy with respect to russia. you may or may not know that i am ic expanding trade and economic relationship with russia, which in the year ahead i hope will be a good news stories for the united states. secondly turkey, which continues to be a strategically important player in a challenging part of the world. stinted leadership and supporting change and peace in syria and receiving tens ofh refugees that spill across the common bored. they have stepped int

mr. burton. mr. burton: i thank my colleague from texas and i'd like to say that she's a pleasure to travel with. she's a real gentlelady. the reason i take the floor for just a couple minutes is one of our dearest friends in the capitol is a fellow named joe katroni, he is a barber down in the house barbershop and he on march 1, he celebrated 42 years cutting hair in the capitol of the united states. he came to the united states when he was 18 years old from italy. he said he has lived the american dream and he's one of the nicest people that i think you'll ever meet. everybody that's ever worked with him or had their her cut by joe really understands that he's a very caring person and one that they respect. he has cut the hair of every speaker of the house except two. neap -- nancy pelosi, i don't think she goes to the men's barbershop. and john boehner, the current speaker. and i'm going to talk to speaker boehner as soon as we get back from break and get him down so joe can say he cut every speake

mr. burton. mr. meeks, the ranking member on the subcommittee on europe and eurasia. >> thank you, madam chairman. madam secretary, it's always a delight to have you before us. i want to stay on behalf of all the american people what a splendid job you're doing. i have three questions. one, about our complex relationship with russia which i believe presents significant accomplishments, challenges and opportunities. our areas of disagreement are sometimes profound, coordinated action to confront efforts of life like syria or global security as in iran. notably, however, the cold war is behind us. united states and russia are no longer eyeball to eyeball with fingers posed over red buttons that would release arsenals aimed at one another. we are often elbow to elbow at conference tables, which i think is a good thing. madam secretary, would you comment on your priority and strategy with respect to russia? you may or may not know that i am particularly interested in expanding trade and economic relation

mrs. burton had lived in the home since 1956.ctive in her church and neighborhood until she started to battle alzheimer's disease. she had left items on the heater before. >> because of the dementia she didn't think this was her house so she was always packing stuff to go home and once before she sat a magazine on top of the heater and, you know, we always told her, you know, about that. so she was really careful with that. >> neighbors knew her as miss jimmy. she did have caregivers looking after her. >>> that jetblue captain will face federal charges of interfering with the flight crew. if convicted he could face 20 years in prison. yesterday his co-pilot became alarmed after he started giving a sermon and suggested they were not going to vegas. the co-pilot managed to convince the captain to take a bathroom break and then locked the door behind him. osmond then stormed the cockpit making threats and asking people to pray. that's when a handful of passengers tackled him, held him until the plane made an emergency landing in tex

mr. burton, the chairman on your asia and europe is recognized. >> nice to see you again. i understand that today or yesterday there was an indication we would might up some kind of dialogue with north korea. i just checked, we gave north korea during the clinton administration over $1 billion in fuel and food aid as well as money we spent building their light water reactor. and of course they violated the agreement that they made. the only reason i bring that up, i hope that if we start a dialogue with them we realize their history is one of -- that you certainly can't trust. even though kim jong-il is gone and we have a new leader there, i think it's extremely important that the state department get everything written in blood, so to speak, to make sure we're not shafted again. recently stop tom donilan and the chairman of the joint chiefs went over to visit israel. the tone was, they were urging israel not to take any unilateral action as far as

mr. burton indicated, is in a tough position.f you were standing there understanding that you got billionaires and large corporations who are prepared to spend hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in ugly tv ads and radio ads, what do you do? i hope very much that the president will come out and say what many of us want him to say. is that we need a constitutional amendment, i offered one others have offered one to overturn citizens united which is the worst supreme court decision we've seen in this country in a very long, long time, opening the floodgates to cooperate money, to billionaire money, and it having an absolute disastrous impact on the political process. what i'm very proud to tell you in my state of vermont just yesterday 60 separate towns voted to urge the congress to overturn citizens united. i hope the rest of the country joins us, and we can do that. >> the independent senator from sermon, bernievermont. thank you. >> mitt romney is or was, rush limbaugh's boss. coming up. >> limbaugh goes after another w

mr. burton, would you like to lead off the first round -- second round as chairman emeritus? the gentleman is recognized. >> sure. my colleague, i think mr. mehan, asked about the exposure of the united states and our financial institutions. according to crs, in u.s. dollars in 2011, september 2011, our total exposure is $2.08 trillion. can you quantify that? you said you didn't know what i was talking about. >> i'm not clear of whose exposure you're talking about, banks or u.s. economy? i'm not quite sure what it refers to. >> well, since you don't understand it, if i submit this to you, will you check it out and let me know? >> certainly. >> second thing i would like to ask, one more time, i'm not a banker, financier or financial expert. i would lake to ask this question one more time. that is, if there is a default in europe by greece, italy, spain, portugal, some of these other countries, and the european central bank has to start printing more euros, which would cause an inflationary problem and devalue their currency, you said a while ago that we were not in any trouble

mr. burton. >> thank you. i thank the gentleman for yielding. the chairman said in his opening remarks that he wanted to find out if the united states possibly could be drawn into the euro crisis. i've been to europe. i've been all over the place over there including brussels and i'm convinced we're already drawn in. so i would like to find out today how deeply we're drawn in and how severe the problem could be especially if the euro is devalued. i want to find out if we're underwriting or bailing out the europeans and to what extent. when i was in brussels i found out that in addition to us printsing money with qe1 and qe2 the central bank is doing that well. they are inflating their money supply. the things i would like to know are first of all when my colleague talked about the money swaps -- let me first say acdorgd the congressional research office our exposure to greece, ireland, italy, portugal, spain and france and germany is $641 billion for those and france and germany $1.2 trillion. there's that exposure already. and regarding the cur

mr. burton for five minutes. >> what did you call me. >> emreitus is a forever term as is chairman around here. >> i got it. >> please, mr. chairman. >> according to crs, the exposure that the united states has in portugal as of september of last year was $54 billion. ireland was $111 billion, italy $310 billion, greece $48 billion, spain $244 billion, germany $635 billion. and france $685 billion for a total of $2.08 trillion. of i'm concerned about what happens if the euro starts to devalue and how it's going to affect the united states' ability to collect on these indebtedness that we're having with europe. my first question is, and i'll combine some of these questions so you'll have more time to answer. we're printing money, have been printing money with qe 1 and qe-2 and i presume this may be continuing. is there a mid or long-term cost to loaning money that we've printed to yaerp and how much will that be? the federal reserve has created this foreign currency swap mechanism and it has outstanding loans, as i said earlier, as high as $1.2 trillion. i understand you say now it's only

mr. burton: mr. speaker, last week president obama was in an oil field in new mexico and the president said that under my administration america is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years . he said that's a fact. that is a fact. he went on to say, you have my word that we will keep drilling everywhere we can and we'll do it while protecting the health and safety of the american people. and he said, a recent independent analysis showed that over the last 36 years, there has been no connection between the amount of oil that we drill in this country and the price of gasoline. there's no connection, he went on to say, and then the president added, even if we drilled every square inch of this country, we'd still only have 2%, 3%, or 4% of the world's known oil reserves. that's just not true. it's just simply not true. today on television the former president of shell oil said, and he ought to know, he was in the oil business, he says that there is a trillion, a trillion, get that

mrs. christensen: thank you, chairman burton. at this time i'd like to yield two minutes to another colleague from new jersey, congressman rob andrews. mr. andrews: i thank my friend for yielding. sometimes the quietest voices are the ones that have the greatest impact. donald payne always spoke quietly, humbly, but as we reflect on his life, the impact is monumental. tonight, there are villages in africa where people have self-determination, human dignity, education, health care because of the impact of his voice and his life. there are people working in the city of newark, in the county of essex and union and hudson because of businesses he helped to bring and schools he helicopter to build and progress he helped make. there are, as we heard my friend, bill pascrell, talk about there are people in ireland from very different hair damages and backgrods that -- heritages and backgrounds that are celebrating his life because of the reach of his help. and i think most importantly the impact of his voice is the hollowness and sorrow

mr. burton. and joan wall, editor at large of salon.com. joan, you first.ublicans are going after privacy. is this a new war on privacy? what do you make of this? this is happening at state levels, as if there is a concerted effort to go after women across america. >> all over the country we have these amendments that the top gop candidates for president have signed on to, as well, that youth would outline certain forms of birth control. ed, i hear this whining from the right. in fact rick santorum today accused our friend joe scarborough of making too much of the contraception issue and usually they are saying it is people like bill burton or democrats or people like you and me making too much of the contraception issue but they are the ones that made it an issue from the beginning. i have to say something about mr. mccain. all of us in the media like to talk about what a statesman he is and he spoke out on this. however, he voted for the blunt amendment several weeks ago that would have made it possible for employers not to cover any medical care that the

mr. burton: i listened to my good friend from texas, mr.oe, a moment ago, i wondered if the president is -- if he's in town and not out campaigning someplace, if he's paying attention. if i had a chance, i know i can't acrets the president from the well but if i could, i would say mr. president, the people of this country are hurting. inflation is taking off on all kinds of food products and anything else that's being transported by truck. and it's because of the energy costs, gasoline is at almost an all-time high and you, mr. president, should be paying attention to it. we ought to be drawing off the -- drilling off the continental shelf, in anwr and in the gulf of mexico and we ought to be fracking and using coal oil shale. but mr. president, you're not doing any of those things. and the people are suffering. stay home, pay attention, mr. president. it's your job. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. are there further requests? the chair lays before the house the following personal requ

mr. burton, is recognized for the remainder of the hour of the designee for the majority leader. mr. burton: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. mr. speaker, i was talking to my good friend on the other side of the aisle, a democrat, greg meeks, the other day. greg said that if we were to raise taxes, put taxes on the table, that he would be willing to put cuts in entitlements and other things on the table in an equal measure. and i told him that there was no way we could raise taxes enough to offset the things that really needed to be dealt with. we've got to control spending. we've got to cut spending. we have to look at the entitlements and the rules and regulations that we have to live by and make dramatic changes in government if we are going to balance the budget. this year we have reached over $15 trillion in debt, $15 trillion. that goes right past most people because they can't imagine what $1 trillion is. but $15 trillion is to put it in perspective. it took the presidencies of george washington all the way to bill clinton to amass the same

mrs. dc. crowned over the weekend. kyra burton was crowned mrs. dc america in 2012 during the pageant on saturday. she has a bachelor's degree from the university of maryland in both finance and international business. her platform, promoting financial literacy. the pageant recognizes married women who have obtained personal and professional and community achievements. she goes on to compete in the national mrs. america contest. >>> will ferrell sets out to prove he can be funny in any language. >>> a movie many people are hung agree for premiere dollars tonight. -- premiers tonight. >> reporter: "the hunger games" will premiere tonight. the stars will be on the red carpet, including 24-year-old jennifer lawrence. the film is set in a future resistic america. where each year 24 teenagers from around the nation are forced to fight to the death on television. >> reporter: fans who missed "the hunger games" premiere will have a chance to catch a sneak peak before the movie's march 23rd premiere elion's gate films is holding 24 advance screenings acro

mr. burton, for five minutes. emeritus is a forever term, as is chairman. >> the exposure the united states has in portico --portugal is $54 billion. france is $685 billion for a total of $2.08 trillion. i am concern about what happens if the euro stars to devalue and how it affects the united states' ability to collect on this indebtedness we are having with europe. i will combine some of these questions so you will have more time to answer. we have been printing money with qe 1 and qe 2. this may be continuing. is there an -- a mid our long term cost for printing money we have loans to europe? how much would that be? the federal reserve has created this foreign currency swap mechanism. it has outstanding loans as high as $1.20 trillion. you say it is $65 billion. it is still a considerable amount of money. what happens if you have some the faulting over there and they cannot repay those loans? the european central bank is printing money right now. that will cause some inflationary pressure. what will that do to

mrs. dc america. aretha burton was crowned the mrs. dc america she has a bachelor's degree in finance and international business. the mrs. dc america pageant recognizes married women who have achieved personal and professional achievement. jessica? >>> thanks andrea. we have been combing through the daily deal emailed and we have favorites lined up for you. here's one for the kids. amazon.com is offering a 42% discount on the lorax pop up book. pay $17.54 for the classic dr. seuss now. groupon, 25 bucks for a manicure or pedicure. this is a savings of up to 55% at spa lawn in dupont circle. here's deal with eco detail. get an eco friendly car detailing a 50% savings. and you'll find this one on living social. if you have an offer you have seen or if you are a local mer chan with a deal for your viewers, i would love to hear from you on facebook. >>> coming up at 5:40, we want to see who is celebrating a birthday on march are 12th. andrew young is 80. sing and actress liza minelli is 66 today. baby james taylor turns 64. a face that is

mrs. christensen: thank you, chairman burton. at this time i'd like to yield two minutes to another colleague from new jersey, congressman rob andrews. mr. andrews: i thank my friend for yielding. sometimes the quietest voices are the ones that have the greatest impact. donald payne always spoke quietly, humbly, but as we reflect on his life, the impact is monumental. tonight, there are villages in africa where people have self-determination, human dignity, education, health care because of the impact of his voice and his life. there are people working in the city of newark, in the county of essex and union and hudson because of businesses he helped to bring and schools he helicopter to build and progress he helped make. there are, as we heard my friend, bill pascrell, talk about there are people in ireland from very different hair damages and backgrounds that -- heritages and backgrounds that are celebrating his life because of the reach of his help. and i think most importantly the impact of his voice is the hollowness and sorro

mr. burton, for five minutes. >> is that what you call me?s chairman around here. >> i got it, i got it. >> according to crs, the exposure that the united states has in portugal as of september of last year was $54 billion. ireland was $111. italy $310 billion, germany, $635 billion and france $685 billion for a total of $2.08 trillion. i'm concerned about what happens if the euro starts to devalue and how it's going to affect the united states' ability to collect on these indebtedness that we're having with here. i'll combine some of these questions so you'll have more time to answer. we're printing money, have been printing money with qe-1 and qe-2 and i presume this may be continuing. is there a mid or long-term cost to loaning money that we printed to europe? and how much will that be? the federal reserve has created this foreign currency swap mechanism and it has outstanding loans as high as $1.2 trillion. i understand you say now it's only $65 billion, but nevertheless that's a considerable amount of money. and i still like to ask what

mr obama. former u.s. chief negotiator richard burton told r.t. that president obama should find common ground with russia on missile defense and he faces a strong opposition in washington. in twenty minutes time to his supreme. obama is in a tough political spot because i think he would like to find an arms control solution to this problem and solve it he already backed away from the bush plan to deploy these more capable missiles in poland and the radar in the czech republic i think that he's got us he's got a u.s. senate. with some republicans that are making it difficult or making it difficult for him to make i think given the room for maneuver that he needs to find a practical solution with. the trial is underway over u.k. students accused of wanting this saunter in a two thousand and ten protest against tuition fee hikes i think it is over fifty other students ended up in hospital that day many as a result of alleged police brutality he could face up to five years in prison if found guilty but his supporters are fighting back once he's out o

mr. harvick is not trying to live up to his reputation. >> mike: the gap, though, is growing slightly. now it's .9 of a second. marcos ambrose takes his car to the garage, joining jeff burton with late-race engine trouble. 13 laps to go. >> larry: mike, what is now 12 to go, denny hamlin has a decent clean racetrack in front of hymn. there is a lohymn -- front of him. there are a lot of drivers up there but i don't think they will push the envelope. they are more than one lap down. >> mike: greg biffle's ford is now the third place car. six seconds back. jimmie johnson, nine seconds in arrears. you will see the gap at the top of your screen. and you see it growing just slightly. between seven and .9 of a second hamlin to harvick. >> darrell: again, i know harvick is trying to close. that is his nickname. but the guy in the 11 car, i'm not sure he is not playing cat-and-mouse, too. >> larry: keeping that gap. >> mike: denny hamlin, as michael tells you, loves to golf. he relocated his winter home in the phoenix/scotscotsdale ara to get time on the course. >> darrell: i saw harvick come off turn four. he is after it. the back hung out. he is digging, man. >> larry: he knows