mr. connolly, -- joined again by the gentleman from virginia, mr. connolly. >> mr. bromwich, during the first panel, simply enforcing existing rules would prevent future oil spills. when the national commission issued its report, did it say that simply enforcing existing regulations would be sufficient? >> no. >> what did it say? >> it pointed to a series of the injured and causes to the oil spill, a variety of human error committed by personnel from bp, transocean, halliburton, etc. it specifically said that enforcing existing regulations would not have prevented the oil spill. >> are there improvements in the regulatory framework and enforcement that could be helpful? >> yes. we have taken many of those steps. our drilling safety role that is addressed to well-designed, well casing and blowout preventers a substantially reduces the risk of another spell like depp -- spill like deepwater horizon. we will never be able to reduce it to zero, we will law. but we have been able to reduce overtime. the regulatory process needs to keep up. i felt -- i hope we can further

mr. connolly. >> thank you, mr. chairman. and thank the panelists for being here today. i listen with great interest to my friend from florida berate you for not being here previously. i serve on both the oversight goth reform committee and the foreign affairs committee, and i must say i have not particularly been struck with the reluctance of the administration to acquiesce to hearing appearance requests, but perhaps in the subcommittee there was a problem. i don't know. in any event, we're glad you here. each sovereign nation has the right to develop interests beneficial, but not at the expense of its neighbors. as a result, the obama administration, for example, recently sanctioned venezuela's state-owned oil company pdvsa for its business with iran. several illegal activities in latin america are connected to the government of iran. example, iran-backed hezbollah has actually undertaken illicit activities in the area of argentine ya, brazil and parabay. the group is also suspected in two bombings in buenos aires that killed a total of 115 people, the 1992 bombing of

mr. connolly's statement. if, in fact, we were arbitrary, capricious, let's say we are trying to cover up joe smith, a congressman's wrongdoing, buy anything with the actual prosecution, defend our speaker john smith. wouldn't the court reasonably take an objection from the administration, from the attorney general, and consider it as its obligation to balance as every get as much as it would balance the executive branch, wrongful assertions? isn't that the role of the court? >> yes, mr. chairman, but also more it's the role of all of your respective constituents if they believe the congress has gone far beyond what is reasonable or what is prudent, as you put it. the remedy -- but any particular case at hand, yes, in part it's the courts good anna ballis but in part it's also, congress and executive come all three branches in some sense working together. i think the question that i was responding to was nearly phrase with respect to congress is right think -- >> and i agree. mr. fisher, if you could respond a

mr. connolly: thank you. i thank my colleague from florida. i rise respectfully in support of house resolution 292, which reasserts the congressional war making authority of section 8, article 1 of the constitution. and i respectfully disagree with our -- my ranking member of the house foreign affairs committee for whom i have enormous respect. i don't think this resolution takes gratuitous potshots at the president of the united states. i think it is a thoughtful expo significance of the problems in front of us. it buys the president time to comply without the disruption that the kucinich resolution would cause, not only -- not only in libya but the ramifications for nato relationships and in the arab democratic spring. the resolution prohibits the -- declares congress has the constitutional prerogative to withhold funding for any unauthorized use of u.s. armed forces. it requires the administration to transmit to the house of representatives any records regarding congressional communication in operation odyssey dawn in libya within 14 days o

mr. connolly, for five minutes. mr. connolly: mr.'s imperative we reduce the federal deficit, balancing the budgets on the backs of our nation's disadvantaged children and senior citizens is not a responsible nor equitable. i believe in an america that protects the young and elderly. but the republican budget attacks the important safeguards for children and the disadvantaged replacing medicaid with vastly limited monetary grants to the states, forcing them to either reduce benefits to lower income families or reduce the number of eligible families. currently 34 million children receive health care through medicaid. from 1997 to 2009, the percentage of children without health insurance as a result dropped from 13.9% to 8.2%. the republican budget's attacks on medicaid will imperil the health insurance for 21,100 children and reduce the benefits for 6,100 seniors in my district, the 11th of virginia. unfortunately the republican attacks don't end with medicaid. imagine a world where half of all seniors lack health insurance. imagine a

mr. connolly: thank you. i thank my colleague from florida. i rise respectfully in support of house resolution 29 which reasserts the congressional war making authority of section 8, article 1 of the constitution. and i respectfully disagree with our -- my ranking member of the houseoreign affairs commite for whom i have enormous respect. i don't think this resolution takes gratuitous potshots at the president of the united states. i think it is a thoughtful expo significance of the prlems in front of us. it buys the president time to comply without the disruption that the kucinich resolution would cause, not only -- not only in libya but the ramifications for nato relationships and in the arab democratic spring. the resolution prohibits the -- declares congress has the constitutional prerogative to withhold funding for any unauthorized use of u.s. armed forces. it requires the administration to transmit to the house of representatives any records regarding congressional communication in operation odyssey dawn in libya within 14 days of passag

mr. connolly for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. and i have another hearing so that's why been going back and forth and i think the chairs intelligence. mr. bromwich, during the first panel, you probably heard what i heard from governor barbour state that simply enforcing the rules would prevent future oil spills. when the national commission of the gulf oil spill issued its report, dated say that simply enforcing these regulations would be sufficient? >> no. >> what did it's a? >> it pointed to a series of contributing causes to the oil spill, a variety of primary human errors committed by personnel from bp, transocean, halliburton and so forth. and it specifically said that, i believe, as i recall that enforcement of existing regulations would not have prevented it. >> would not? >> would not have prevented the oil spill. [inaudible] that could be helpful to? >> yes and we've already taken many of the steps. our drilling safety rule which is addressed to well design, well casing, cementing and blowout preventers. we think substant

mr. connolly: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to object to the franking commission the majority, exercise in blatant and transparent censorship on a medicare mailing and i other colleagues of mine wish to send to our constituents. i'm not allowed to call it the ryan budget even though the republicans called it the ryeant budget, because it's become unpopular. i'm not allowed to refer to changing medicare to a voucher system even though mr. ryan himself referred to it as a voucher system. i must now call it a premium support system. these changes among many others are censorship at its worse when we don't like something, when it's not going well for us on the majority side, we suppress it. this censorship would make former soviet censors blush at the breathtaking nature and sweeping scope of the suppression of free expression, free ideas here in the nation's capital. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from indiana. without objection, so ordered. >> i rise today to ta

mr. connolly's voter in the classroom initiative is helping to prepare students to be engaged public citizens. students in the voters in the classroom program participate in mock statewide referendum on important topics, establish voter procedures through classroom procedures and assembly and have polling places at their schools. i recently saw firsthand the importance of this program. civic education programs like this is the key to the success of our democracy because they increase the likelihood that students will be part of the election process when they become of age. i thank him for the preservation of our democracy. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. johnson: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. you know, since this president's taken office, we've had failed stimulus, omnibus, tarp 2, government motors, government takeover of health care. well, the buck stops here. literally. house republicans refuse to give the s

mr. connolly: madam chairman, the legislation before us would repeal pollutant standards for ships and oil rigs located offshore anywhere in america. it appears to be based on the belief that as a general principle air does not move. this legislation endangers air quality from alaska to virginia while offering another token of appreciation to the oil companies that was so generous in creating a new majority in the 112th congress. the premise of this bill is that pollution generated offshore doesn't matter because it will not affect any humans onshore or humans working offshore. and i know that those of us who represent little states are most reassured from our colleagues from colorado and kentucky and nebraska in reassuring us we won't negatively be affected by this legislation. based on the content of this bill, apparently the majority believes that individuals planned parenthood on offshore oil rigs and ship servicing rigs do not breathe while they're working offshore. this bill would reregulate drilling in alaska and drilling off the coast of virginia and all other coastal states. the m

mr. gerald connolly. >> the key, mr. chairman and the panelists for being here today.i great interest to my friend from florida. break you for not being hereve previously. i serve on book the overset government reform committee. i must say i have not particularly been struck withisn the reluctance of the administration who acquiesced to hearing appearance requests. a perhaps on the subcommittee thae was a problem i don't know.here. in any event we are glad you're here. each sovereign nation has the right to t develop alliances system into its national interest, but not at the suspense of its neighbors. at te that is the point where weas breeze the relationship with iran. as a result mr. obama recently sanctioned pdvsa for its ac business. several illegal activities in latin america connected to the government ever run. as an example, iran backing of hezbollah has which isn the undertaken illicit activities in argentina, brazil, and per why. profiting from piracy and drug-trafficking in that area. the group is also suspec

mr. connolly for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. and i have another hearing so that's why been going back and forth and i think the chairs intelligence. mr. bromwich, during the first panel, you probably heard what i heard from governor barbour state that simply enforcing the rules would prevent future oil spills. when the national commission of the gulf oil spill issued its report, dated say that simply enforcing these regulations would be sufficient? >> no. >> what did it's a? >> it pointed to a series of contributing causes to the oil spill, a variety of primary human errors committed by personnel from bp, transocean, halliburton and so forth. and it specifically said that, i believe, as i recall that enforcement of existing regulations would not have prevented it. >> would not? >> would not have prevented the oil spill. [inaudible] that could be helpful to? >> yes and we've already taken many of the steps. our drilling safety rule which is addressed to well design, well casing, cementing and blowout preventers. we think substant

mr. connolly, if he has not additional questions. >> i do, mr. chairman. thank you. mr.kahl, you indicated in my previous round of questioning that your understanding the cerp program in iraq was $25 million? >> for fy '12, the request. >> for fy '12. >> it was $100 million, my understanding, for fy '11. which we didn't spend all of that money. >> perhaps your staff can confirm this, am i reading the sigar report right that since 2003, the total amount of cerp funding in iraq was $3.89 billion? [inaudible conversations] >> sir, i'll have to get back to you on the exact number. we've spent a considerable amount of cerp money in iraq since 2003. >> right. more than $25 million a year? >> yes, that's why i said $25 million for 2012. >> i'm trying to get the magnitude. is it your testimony if i understood you correctly in your answer to my previous question that you are satisfied or you believe that we can be satisfied that all of the right accounting and transparency in this place just as it is for usaid programming? >> what i would say is that, you know, cerp was an innova