mr. duncan from south carolina. mr. duncan: let me thank the gentleman from colorado for his dedicated service to not only the state of colorado but to our nation. and we have been coming to the floor talking about the increasing prices of energy across america since we came back in january. we've taken to this floor to talk about the very poor policies coming out of the administration and just to give you an example of that, on inauguration day of president obama, a.a.a. says the gasoline prices in america averaged $1.84 a gallon. today gasoline prices are averaging across this great land $3.73 a gallon. that's 102% increase during the obama administration. but yet he will claim that the administration -- that, the administration will claim that they've increased domestic energy production. they've increased onshore and offshore drilling and apparently oil and natural gas are just bubbling up out of the ground and providing us with -- but, america, that's not the case. that's not the case. gas prices are going up. simpl

mr. duncan and mr. wilson. you're on my dance card and you'll come up first next time. madame secretary, before we adjourn, i'd like to know that since you've announced publicly you do not intend to serve beyond the end of this term, this is your final appearance to testify on the budget before our committee. i'd like to thank you again so deeply for making yourself available to answer our questions today. and during the past three years, and i hope that we have the opportunity to host you again for other testimony prior to the conclusion of your exemplary service. i thank you. meeting is adjourned. >>> the national association of attorneys general is holding its annual summit here in washington, d.c. this year's meeting is going to focus on digital piracy, copy write around intellectual property rights. >>> again, here at the national association of attorneys general, this year's meeting focusing on the role they have in a number of legal issues. again, that includes digital piracy, copyright, enter intellectual property. the attorneys general will begin the session wi

mr. duncan and mr. wilson. you're on my dance card and you'll come up first next time. madame secretary, before we adjourn, i'd like to note that since you've announced publicly you do not intend to serve beyond the end of this term, this is your final appearance to testify on the budget before our committee. i'd like to thank you again so deeply for making yourself available to answer our questions today. and during the past three years. and i hope that we have the opportunity to host you again for other testimony prior to the conclusion of your exemplary service. i thank you. meeting is adjourned. >>> an update now from capitol hill. the senate yesterday rejected a measure that would have required the government to approve the keystone xl oil pipeline. senate republicans say they plan to work with their gop counterparts in the house to get the pipeline legislation appr e approved. they're seeking to include it in the final version of the highway bill that's currently under consideration in the house. >>> they're not fighting and dying because they're al qaeda. they're

mr. duncan is angry, but not impressed with the community response. >> it is almost reflexive in the aftermath in the community to protest, rally. at the end of the day, we need, as i said, 21st century solutions for 21st century problems. >> for now, it is mostly about sound and fury. in orlando on wednesday, protesters gathered outside the office that issues gun permits. they want mr. zimmerman's license revoked. many think florida's gun laws are at fault. the man who wrote the book says that are getting it wrong. >> many people are upset about the situation, understandably. they have a right to be. but it is not the law that is the problem. it is whether george zimmerman acted lawfully or unlawfully. >> preparations are underway for a rally tonight. it was to have been held in a nearby church, but organizers moved it here because they feel it will be a big turnout, with buses bringing people from outside florida. al sharpton has a reputation for fiery rhetoric, but emotions are already rocks. he might want to tread carefully. bbc news, sanford florida. >> coroner's looking into the death of

mr. duncan is recognized. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thanks for your willingness to hold this hearing. the panel has done a fabulous job along with this congress going back for the last year of really clearly showing that there is a clear involvement of the iranians, specifically qods force and their proxy hezbollah in this hemisphere. and others in the world are starting to take notice. there's an article, and i reference the center for army lessons learned. a gentleman, norman a. bailey who i believe has testified before congress, and he says this. the curious thing is that this interest in the hemisphere represents -- and this article is entitled "what are the persians doing over here?" curious thing that this interest in this hemisphere represents the first time in the 5,000-year history of persia as a sovereign entity that such interest has been demonstrated. there's no affinity between the monarchist or islamic iran and the countries on this side of the atlantic. historical, cultural, political or otherwise. nevertheless, as we shall see, the last few years have seen a totally un

mr. duncan, i would like for you to review this. can i give this to you? little bit of time. three more questions. one, two, three, then finish up. >> thank you. >> good morning, everyone. my name is andre stiff, affiliated with the zone 126 out of long island city, new york, and i don't really have a question because everybody pretty much already asked the questions i want. i want to commend you, young brother, because where i come from i have seen the distractions. i have a little brother distract like that and i know what it can do to you and for you to be able to focus and put your mind in the right place just know there is nothing you can't do if you want to do it, young brother. you can do anything you want. are you on the right track. you have the path. you have the right people with you, and i just commend you. >> thank you. >> how's it going? i'm aaron hackett, coming from hampton roads, virginia, working with alternatives americorps member. what's up, y'all? i have a question coming from the partners you mentioned. you said there were a lot of non-profit organizatio

mr. duncan: i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. let me just say this, chairman mica has performed great leadership of the transportation and infrastructure committee and tried in every way possible to work with everybody he possibly could. his path has been made much more difficult by the rule prohibiting earmarks. as he just mentioned, the other side couldn't bring a bill out of committee and to this floor, a highway bill in the last congress when they controlled the house, the senate and the white house and still allowed earmarks. so we are in a very difficult situation at this point, and that's why we are here today asking for this 90-day extension. h.r. 4281 extends the surface transportation programs through june 30 at funding levels consistent with the fiscal year 012 transportation appropriations bill passed in november. this extension is clean and does not add any policy provisions. without this extension the highway transit and highway safety programs are set to expire this saturday. this legislation will allow these progr

mr. jeff duncan mr. duncan: i just got a text message from my wife said my youngest son, he is 11, hit a home run, and i wasn't there. i wasn't there, because we are here serving here in the united states congress trying to make america better for my 11-year-old and for children of this generation and future generations and i believe this particular legislation that was patsed by the last congress should be ruled unconstitutional. and i think my good friend, mr. west, is going to talk about an article he wrote in a washington newspaper today and i thought it was spot on and i don't want to steal his thunder on that, but he taugs about the independent payment advisory board, this committee of 15 members that congress basically divested some of its power over to a 15-member panel. america needs to realize that this panel will be making decisions, health care decisions for you and your family. if you are on medicare, this 15-member panel will be making decisions on what they'll pay for, what treatment you ca

mr. duncan, the chair of the subcommittee, three, four minutes if he'd like. four minutes. how much time do we have before we do that? the speaker pro tempore: 15 minutes. mr. mica: four or five. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. >> i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and thank him for his leadership of the committee. mr. duncan: h.r. 2389 extends the funding at levels consistent with the levels passed last november. this extension is clean and does not add policy provisions. without this extension, mr. speaker, these programs are set to expire this saturday. this legislation will allow the highway and transit programs to continue to -- continue to operate as the spring construction season kicks off. during this two-month extension, we fully expect the house to pass h.r. 7, the american energy and infrastructure jobs act of to 12 and conference this bill with the senate's 18-month re-authorization bill. h.r. 7, as chairman mica noted, is a five-year re-authorization bill that provides the long-term funding at current levels. i

mr. duncan: i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. let me just say this, chairman mica has performed great leadership of the transportation and infrastructure committee and tried in every way possible to work with everybody he possibly could. his path has been made much more difficult by the rule prohibiting earmarks. as he just mentioned, the other side couldn't bring a bill out of committee and to this floor, a highway bill in the last congress when they controlled the house, the senate and the white house and still allowed earmarks. so we are in a very difficult situation at this point, and that's why we are here today asking for this 90-day extension. h.r. 4281 extends the surface transportation programs through june 30 at funding levels consistent with the fiscal year 012 transportation appropriations bill passed in november. this extension is clean and does not add any policy provisions. without this extension the highway transit and highway safety programs are set to expire this saturday. this legislation will allow these progr

mr. duncan, think of it have all the names of the going out like to thank the entire panel for your willingness to be here. let me make every assurance to all of your test was are in their hands. i would also ask you to make yourself available to all members and the committee for questions that will follow up this. i like to make a couple of comments, and then ask one question at the end. mischer tarantino, i agree with what you just said, the data is absolutely essential to our ability to evaluate what we are doing, but more important effectiveness of what we're doing. i might throw a cautionary note out. not all individuals who leave active duty are after a degree, but most are after a career. and when you start looking at placement, you may find out that the assessment that we make about one institution versus another institution is actually reversed. and that those that maybe don't do a good job of providing a degree do a great job of providing the tools for a career. and i think that's what we've got to stay focused. many of you have heard me with our colleagues at the va, as i've question

mr. duncan, i would like you to review this. >> i will, but we have three more questions. one, two, three, four >> this morning, everyone. my name is -- one, two, three. >> good morning, everyone. my name is andre. i have seen the distractions. i have a a little brother that was distracted like that, and for you to focus and put your mind in the right place, just know that there is nothing that you cannot do if you want to do it, young brother. you are on the right track. you have the right people with you, and i just commend you, young brother. [applause] >> ithey, how -- hey, how is it going? i am from hampton roads, virginia. i have a question coming from this side, kind of like the partners that you mentioned. you said there were a lot of nonprofit organizations that were helping out. first of all, what are those non-profit organizations? what are the best kinds? what are the best activities for after-school programs that are most effective, and also for us, trying to engage the high schools, what would you advise us? it seems that you guys were reaching out as schools

secretary duncan, as mrs. powell mentioned, who will be with us shortly, said we need to educate our way to a better economy. but also the chairman of the federal reserve ben bernanke said in the long term the best way by far to improve economic opportunity and to reduce inequality is to increase the educational attainment and skills of america's workers. so our report begins with this data because we know from the 100 summits in all 50 states that america's promise led that it was the economic case for action that helped spur policymakers and business leaders and other stakeholders to accelerate their efforts. so what's at stake? the education to jobs equation is completely flipped. a generation ago, 72% of america's jobs required high school or less. by the end of the decade, 75% of all jobs will require high school and some college. ironically, in a time of high unemployment in the country, 53% of business leaders at large companies and 67% at small companies who are creating most of the new jobs in the cou

mr. duncan: i'm sorry, secretary chu. we give you a perm formans and the performance of the -- performance and the performance of the administration the grade of f. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> mr. speaker, we all have our own ideas on how we should balance the budget, but missing in today's debate is an approach that will provide a bipartisan effort to solve our nation's fiscal problems. mr. costa: no one party has the answers. we can do this not through a republican or democratic proposed budget unless we can demonstrate bipartisanship. and that's why i'm both opposing the democratic and republican proposals. these are not an answer to our nation's fiscal problems. instead, the simpson-bowles approach reflected in the cooper-latourette substitute is the preferred ap

mr. chairman. firstly, let me just say, i was proud to join with my colleague jeff duncan to introduce hr-3783. the countering iran, the western hemisphere act which i am pleased to say was marked up and passed in the foreign affairs committee earlier this month. the legislation would call for the state department to investigate hezbollah's presence in the western hemisphere and create a long-term comprehensive strategy for keeping our communities and our nation safe. the purpose of this legislation or the inspiration came from hearings in this very committee where expert witnesses had informed our committee that hezbollah has a presence in the 20-country region of latin 20-country region of latin america, but also in 15 american cities, as well as four canadian cities. we were also told in subsequent testimony that we shouldn't be all that concerned about that presence because that presence was their activities were limited to fund-raising. well, that's not comforting. and i think where there is a presence, there is an intent and there is a severe threat. we all know hezbollah is a terror orga

mr. clean magic eraser extra power. >>> time is 5:55. we are expected to get an update on the progress of this school improvement grants program. u.s. education secretary arnie duncan is make the remarks at dc motel and will moderate a panel discussion at an education summit. >>> and job seekers are encouraged to attend a job fair at the four points by sheraton hotel near bwi airport. it runs from 11 to 2ch dozens of employers will be on hand like the secret service, stewart enterprise and next day blinds. >>> and if you are around the city of baltimore, be on lookout for the elephants marching down pratt street. they will be going from the b and n to first maine arena. watch it wednesday through friday. >>> and first lady michelle obama is returning to the late night stage. she is going tie pear on the late show with david letterman -- appear on the late show with david letterman. she is going to talk about the join force initiative that supports military families. >>> herbert lane will dribble and spin a basketball down the arlington memorial bridge. it kicks off globe trotter week including three games at verizon center and school visits. >>> here at abc2 we are

mr. speaker, i have joined with my colleague, jeff duncan, to introduced h.r. 3783, the countering iran in the western hemisphere act. our legislation would call for the state department to investigate hezbollah's presence in the western hemisphere and create a long-term strategy for keeping our communities and nation safe. mr. speaker, i'm pleased to say this bipartisan legislation was unanimously passed in the subcommittee. as this bill moves through the house, i urge my colleagues to support our legislation to combat this growing threat. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from kansas rise? ms. jenkins: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. jenkins: it's been four years since the height of the great recession and our economy is nowhere near where it should be. unemployment continues to whoever around 8% and thousands upon thousands of hardworking americans have left the job market altogether. after t

duncan, my secretary of education is from harvard. i'll be rooting for harvard, but it's too much of a stretch. >> so who do you think will take it all, mrnational title game is going to be kentucky versus tar heels. i am going with north carolina. they're an older team, more experienced team, and since they won it for me the last time i picked them, hopefully i'll be able to get a little redemption for the last two years. i was doing great through the first round. and it was all downhill from there. >> we'll see how yo do, mr. president. you won't have to compete against willard romney, who says he's too busy to keep up with the games. well, come to think of it, maybe it's just because it's the college games, and there are no team owners for him to know.

mr. chairman. first, let me say i was proud to join my colleague jeff duncan to introduce h.r. 3783, the counter inran and the western hemisphere act which i am pleased to say was marked up and passed in the foreign affairs committee earlier this month. the legislation would call for the state department to investigate hezbollah's presence in the western hemisphere and create a long-term comprehensive strategy for keeping our communities and in our nation safe. the purpose of this legislation were the inspiration came from hearings in this committee where expert witnesses have informed our committee that hezbollah has a presence in the country region in latin america but also in 15 american cities as well as canadian cities. we were also told in the subsequent testimony that we shouldn't be all that concerned about that presents because the presence was their activities limited to fund-raising. well, that is not comforting and i think where there is a presence and there's a threat. we all know hezbollah is a terror organization that commit to the violent jihad and act as a proxy for venezuela, for