mr. higgins from western new york. you're just in my line of vision there. how can we ignore brian higgins. in event -- >> we've got another new york guard here. >> even if we don't always agree with the -- >> mr. rogers? >> thank you, mr. chairman. i'd like to offer for the record a letter that -- we appreciate your service. i want to talk to you about secure communities and 287-g. now, my understanding from looking at the budget -- or the memo on the budget is that the 2 #7-g program was reduced by 25% which has basically halted any additional training of additional communities going forward. is that correct? >> for forces, yes. we are moving to a -- we began this migration last ea toward, we install secure communities through the country, that's really the preferred way to identify those in the country illegally and to get them removed sfl i agree the security communities is a dpraet way. but 287-g program has been just an outstanding force multiplier, relatively inexpensive, too. i hate to see no additional communities be added. >> if i might, representa

mr. higgins: mr. speaker, i yield five minutes to the gentleman from minnesota, mr. ellison. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota for five minutes. mr. ellison: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, tonight we come together, republicans, democrats, muslims, christians and jews, to stand for a very simple idea and that idea is that it ought to be the case that a person can freely profess their faith. it ought to be the case that no matter what your religion is it's dear to you and you should not be punished for professor it publicly, wherever you -- professing it publicly wherever you are. you know, i have not really sought out a lot of attention for my own faith but i got some of it anyway. and the fact is that i feel so privileged to be an american, where i can, for the first time ever, when i was sworn in, use the book of my faith. and as i heard about the story of pastor youcef, i thought to myself, wow, you know, here i am, a muslim in a christian majority country, free to swear in on a koran when i came to congress and there he is,

mr. higgins. mr. higgins: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: without objection, the gentleman from florida, mr. buchanan, is recognized for one minute. mr. buchanan: mr. speaker, it's my privilege this morning to welcome a very good friend to the halls of congress, pastor david anderson is a great spiritual leader in sarasota, florida, who gave the morning prayer. he has more than 35 years of pastor al experience as a baptist minister. and for the past two decades he has served the faith baptist church of sarasota located in the heart of my district. that is where my wife, sandy, and i first met the pastor five years ago. he is devoted to his family and helping other people in our community. he has made himself a beloved member of our community. i commend pastor anderson for his longstanding service to our community and to our nation. it is my honor to

mr. higgins: on sunday, tens of millions of americans will gather with friends. many of in my community will be among them. unfortunately western new york families do not always have the opportunity to watch their hometown team, the buffalo bills. the nfl's blackout rule prohibits the broadcast of a game in a team's home market if the game has not been sold out within 72 hours of the kickoff. mr. speaker, in buffalo this meant that the past season almost half of the bills' games were blacked out. this is unacceptable. we have a strong and enthusiastic fan base, but with one of the largest football stadiums in the national football league, buffalo mussel 6,000 more tickets than the league's average to avoid a blackout. i have sent a letter to the commissioner, along with my colleagues, congresswoman hochul, congresswoman brown, asking for an end to this unfair polcy. it's time for the league to update this regulation taking into account factors like state yum and media market size -- stadium and media market size and most importantly the tough financial situation

mr. higgins: this tragedy unfortunately was preventible. the national transportation safety board found that the chief cause of the crash was pilot error. in august of 2010, provepl signed into law aviation safety legislation which, among other things, required the federal aviation administration to update flight and duty time rules and set minimum requirements -- rest requirements for pilots. as the families know too well, the passage of time never really heals the tragic memory of that day. they persevered, they achieved the moats comprehensive aviation reform -- most comprehensive aveyigs reform in 50 years. these efforts they were guided by their faith and by the light of those they loved and lost. we recognize their extraordinary extraordinary efforts on behalf of the western new york community, flying public, and a grateful nation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> speak for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. >> tha

mr. higgins: we were recipients of the largest beacon grant for eelect treasonic medical records. the nation's first comprehensive cancer center was designated to conduct clinical trial trsfromsing new therapies for using vaccines to bolster the body's ability to fight cancer. this cowl fundamentally change the science of cancer research and treatment. innovation in health care must be sustained by the federal government. today, the national institutes of health rejects nine of 10 applications for prime city -- promising research due to lack of funding. 25 years ago, 25% of the research grant were funded. today it's 8%. the only failure in cancer research is when you quit or are forced to quit through lack of funding. i urge my creags to support fully cancer funding and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas rise? >> to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. jackson lee: madam speaker, i continue to wear a yellow ribbon to re

mr. higgins: it has partnered with the department of defense, over 82,000 businesses and organized labor to help returning veterans prepare for and find work. the current unemployment rate for returning veterans under the age of 24 is an unacceptable 38%. helmets to hardhats gives veterans the tools they need to start long-term careers in the construction trades. in 2008 alone, the organization placed nearly 1,800 military veterans into construction careers. mr. speaker, the wrath of our combat troops have left iraq and are winding down operations in afghanistan. these veterans put their lives on the line overseas and deserves participation in the economy and into a lasting career. with that in mind, i congratulate helmets to hardhats and i encourage my colleagues to do the same. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. green: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman ask unanimous consent to address th

mr. higgins: we need only look at japan in the 1990's and europe other the last couple of years to understand the dire consequences of government pulling back at a time of economic uncertainty. for this reason, i wish the budget had gone a little further. the new america foundation report makes the case that investing $1.2 trillion over the next five years rebuilding the infrastructure of this nation will create 27 million jobs in five years. this job growth would cut the debt and deficit and create jobs for americans. for these jobs cannot be outsourced. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> ask unanimous consent to are revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, despite the obama administration's recent actions to disguise forcing contraceptive coverage on religious institution the american people will not be fooled. the obama administration has gone out of its way to impose its radical agenda on americans. mr. stearns: while some exemses exist, many would not be

mr. jimmy fallon. [ cheers and applause ] i am your host, steve higgins.i'll be playing with zachary from cape cod, massachusetts. [ cheers and applause ] >> steve: oh, fantastic! and who's your partner, jimmy? >> jimmy: i'll be playing with meghan from valencia, california. >> steve: oh. [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: thank you. >> steve: and here's how we play. you'll each be picking a category. then, you'll try to get your partner to guess as many words or phrases in that category in 30 seconds. 30 seconds as many as you can guess. >> okay. >> steve: the team with the highest score after we clear the pyramid is the winner. questions? >> umm. >> steve: okay, great. here are our categories tonight. we have -- always a bridesmaid. >> jimmy: yeah. >> steve: as seen on tv. >> jimmy: mm. >> steve: i scream you scream. >> oh! >> steve: two by two. >> jimmy: oh, no. >> steve: is it hoffa in here? >> oh, hell no! [ laughter ] >> steve: and, friends with "p." maya, why don't you pick the first category. >> well, i'm going to go for friends with p. >> steve: fr

mr. speaker, like many members of our body, i represent a community with a postal facility that has been slated for closure. in higgins: in buffalo, 700 workers stand to lose their jobs if the united states postal service goes forward with the closure of the mail processing facility. the good news is there is legislation that could have immediate impact. my friend and colleague, representative steve lynch, has introduced h.r. 1351, which would recalculate the postal service's pension funding, easing the budget strains that necessitate this drastic facility closure proposal. last week i sent a letter along with my colleagues, representative you slaughter and hochul, urging republican leadership to bring this bill to the floor for immediate consideration. mr. speaker, this legislation is bipartisan and currently has 228 co-sponsors, more than half the house. though broader reforms will be needed, this bill is what will keep the postal service afloat in the short term. it's time for congress to step up, put aside politics, and do what's right for small businesses, working families, and postal customers nationwide. i yiel