mr. connolly: will the gentleman yield? mr. whitfield: yeah. i'd be happy to. mr. connolly: i'm just wondering if my colleague has any data on how many jobs was lost in the last 40 years due to the clean air act, net. mr. whitfield: let me just say to you the last 40 years we've had a lot of economic expansion. we are in the midst -- we've just come out of recession. we have 9.1% unemployment rate. everybody is talking about jobs and all of the testimony that we've received about these regulations indicates that jobs will be lost. . what's the difference, if you lose a job, you lose the job. it makes unemployment rates go up. i'm not debating with you over the last 40 years we have had economic expansion and job creation, but we are in a unique time right now and we think that this is a time in which we need a more balanced approach with some of these regulations. your amendment specifically looks at respiratory illnesses and death, including heart attacks, asthma and e.p.a. looks at all of this and benefits and costs and we don't think it's necessary to specificall

mr. connolly is recognized. >> thank you, madam chairman. i am sir mr. assistance secretary -- the sensitivity about the cost of military operations, the previous ministration lowball the cost of iraq and afghanistan and here we are well in excess of $1 trillion later, a significant contributor to the united states debt which more so many of our colleagues expressed concern about, and yet we accepted very list assurances about those costs. i think it is a reasonable question to ask, your estimate of what is going to cost and to get that information in a timely fashion. let me ask -- what is the rationale for putting troops -- u.s. military adviser -- into uganda? what is the goal? >> congressman, i reiterate that we will get to the cost figures as soon as we can. >> thank you. this will certainly be much more modest than the cost of actual combat operations. as for the reasons why we are there, there's a continued threat to civilians and stability in the region. we think is very discreet, specific increase in the scale and form of our military assistance

mr. connolly of virginia. amendment number 7 by mr. markey of massachusetts. amendment number 2 by mr. edwards of maryland -- by ms. edwards of maryland. amendment number 1 by ms. schakowsky of illinois. amendment number 12 by mr. ellison of minnesota. amendment number 19 by mr. welch of vermont and amendment number 3 by ms. jackson lee of texas. the chair will reduce to two minutes the time for any electronic vote after the first vote in this series. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 11 printed in the congressional record offered by the gentleman from california, mr. waxman, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 11 printed in the congressional record offered by mr. waxman of california. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic dev

mr. connolly, for five minutes. mr. connolly: thank you, madam speaker. i ask americans their priority and they'll tell you, jobs. there are 14 million americans out of work. there are 9.3 million more americans working part-time because they can't find full-time employment. there are millions more americans whose income is stagnated because of the persistent unemployment which dragged down economic growth. in fact, median household income has fallen 9.8% since the recession first began in 2007. more troubling, although the overall economy's been growing again, household incomes continue to fall. since december of 2007, american households have lost more than $5,400 per average household. there are several factors leading to this decline. one of the most significant in order to find work many millions of unemployed americans are forced to accept lower pay. with millions of americans still desperately searching for jobs, businesses can afford to lower wages, with millions of american families sliffing below the poverty line and wondering where the next mor

mr. connolly: mr. speaker, 54 years ago this month sputnik knocked the united states into second place in the space race. america responded with a tremendous investment in the sciences which produced the apollo program, the personal computer, the internet, g.p.s., and numerous other technologies. sadly that may be ending. last december in an early c.d. ranking, the united states rated on average in education. other nations are outinvesting and outeducating us. and the republicans slash and burn agenda is making it worse. america is now losing education jobs every month and disinvesting in r&d and critical infrastructure. the president laid out a plan to invest in our educators, innovators, and job creators, priorities that used to have bipartisan support. we cannot continue to let american performance slide. we are jeopardizing our future. mr. speaker, last century america fell behind and the soviet sputnik was the result. it took a decade to catch up. how long will we fall behind today before we reali

mr. connolly, for five minutes. mr. connolly: mr. speaker, there are 14 million americans out of work. they need jobs. this economy needs jobs. unfortunately, jobs have not been the focus for the house republican leadership thus far. while private sector job growth has dwindled, house republicans have repeatedly placed partisanship above policy. it's long past time we vote on a jobs bill. the president's america jobs act contains a number of important jobs initiatives which have traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support, tax cuts for businesses, tax cuts to workers, tax cuts to employ veterans and critically needed infrastructure in this country. unfortunately, the senate republicans voted to kill this job creator and the house republican leadership hasn't even brought it up for debate. today, however, we have a small opportunity to help small businesses and provide them with greater predictability by repealing the burdensome 3% withholding requirement on government contractors, vendors, farmers and medicare providers. the president has called for its repeal and this is a bipartisan bil

mr. connolly of virginia. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. connolly: during the past 10 months, the republican leadership has tried to pass more than 125 anti-environmental bills, amendments and riders. we debated another bill the other day and the majority rejected every single amendment that would have protected public health. i introduced a simple amendment that would have ensured no dortse increased incidents of illness would have occurred as a result of the cement factly bill we debated last week. it would seem to be a modest proposition. the bills passed by congress should not lead to premature death or hospitalization yet that's what they do. republicans claim that all these anti-e.p.a. bills will create jobs but sadly those new jobs would only be created in hospice. the latest republican attack on the clean air act is h.r. 2250 before us today which would block public health standards for industrial boilers. the e.p.a. is issuing these standards in accordance with the clean air act which was passed in 1970 and signed into law by a repu

mr. connolly: imagine if they allowed a few gold miners in grand canyon to block protection. imagine if loggers and sheep hearders had blocked legislation of yosemite. today we confront a similar challenge. trying to protect appalachia. i urge my colleagues to vote no on h.r. 2273. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. shimkus: before i yield time to dr. roe, let me request that i be given time. the chair: the gentleman has 17 minutes remaining. and the gentleman from california has 13 minutes remaining. mr. shimkus: i'd like to yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. shimkus: just to my friend from virginia i hope he'll look at the manager's amendment. it keefs up the list for ground water protection. this is something we received from your side of the aisle that they wanted more clarity. that's what the manager's amendment does. on runoff aspects of the clean water act. the other thing is, if the toxic sludge as you had defined it was so toxic,

mr. connolly: venom specialists, mongoose peddler? i only ask because in the face of stagnating job growth, republican leadership in the house oversight committee actually recommended relaxing restrictions on exotic snake sales to create jobs. apparently in the face of ongoing unemployment, the one job that they can create is snake oil salesman. in contrast, president obama's jobs proposal takes a page out of dwight d. eisenhower, putting americans back to work. it includes infrastructure investment to create jobs. the republican proposals cuts businesses taxes to incentivizing the hiring of the private sector and cuts payroll taxes to spur economic demand. these bipartisan policies have been successful in the past. the american people need real jobs, mr. speaker, not snake charmers. and i ask that my colleagues to support real proposals like the american jobs act. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentlelady from california. mrs. capps: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for o

mr. connolly from virginia is recognized. >> thank you, madam chair. and thank you for our witnesses today. the lra is a destabilizing presence in africa. the decision by the president to dispatch 100 military advisers to assist in the effort, to address that threat is consistent it seems to me with congressional intent in the passage of previous legislation. it is important and we need to hear any testimony today, however, exactly what the rules of engagement are going to be and how the united states in a very specific and targeted way, which i certain support can be of assistance without being dragged into somebody else's fight in central africa. the president has demonstrated leadership in libya, in the fight against terrorism and i think is demonstrate leadership here in this limited strategic and targeted intervention. i yield back. >> thank you, sir. mr. manzullo, the chair of the subcommittee on asia and pacific is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam chair for calling this important hearing. the lra is without a doubt a highness and h

mr. connolly of virginia. >> thank you, madam chairman.or a country preoccupied with the great, one has to conclude no one on earth is more familiar with the satanic announces the regime in tehran. the outrage that was revealed this week about a plot to assassinate the representative of another sovereign nation in this capital of this sovereign nation is unacceptable and that stretches virtually to believe that the highest levels of the government both in the clerical and ahmadinejad regime, did not know, were not aware of this plot. seems to me that a lot has to be evidence to the contrary provided by that government that we will hold them accountable as if they plotted this from the highest halt the government in tehran itself. i look forward to the chairman. >> mr. bass is recognized. >> thank you, madam chair. from the comments in opening statements by my colleagues today on both sides of the aisle, we all recognize important challenges that must be addressed within the region. the united states and other western hemisphere nations mus

mr. connolly is recognized. >> thank you, madam chairman. i am sure, mr.ity appeared -- up here about the cost of military operations, the previous administration lowball that the cost of iraq and afghanistan and it is a significant contributor to the united states debt which so many of my colleagues are concerned about, and yet we accepted very loose assurances about those costs. it is reasonable as what this is one of cost or your estimate, and to get that estimate in a timely fashion. what is the rationale for putting troops the u.s. military advisers, into uganda? what is the goal? >> first of all, i reiterate that we will get to the cost figures as soon as we can. >> thank you. >> but this will certainly budget -- it will be much more modest than the cost of actual combat operations. there is a continued threat to civilians and stability in the region. we think that this very discreet specific increase in the scale and form of our military assistance can make a difference. in the threat of the lra. >> thank you, mr. assistance secretary. so is the goa