mr. johnson: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5281 as amended. the clerk: h.r. 5281, a bill to amend title 28, united states code, to clarify and improve certain provisions relating to the removal of litigation against federal officers or agencies to federal courts and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from georgia, mr. johnson, and the gentleman from florida, mr. rooney, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, the removal clarification act of 2010 will enable federal officials, federal officers in the words of the statute to remove cases filed against them to federal court i

mr. johnson knocked on the door. you may have figured it out by now. to us, he was still the great dark man. a mythical man or object to desire. it was probably why we jumped to attention. jesus. tucking the incriminating evidence. wait. let this go down first. >> why? i don't know. seems rude. ben widened his eyes at me. did you learn that from miss manners. i hid myself. this probably made me look grand. that somehow seemed preferable. men opened the door. he was standing there. i'm sorry fellows. come on in. our visitor shot a quick glance. can we get you something to drink? remaining seated. there's a soda machine. no thanks. did you have a hard time finding us. i'm michael i said. finally standing. this is ben. he shook our hands. i'm patrees. i am worried that it might make me squirm. i found it hospitable. that it put he more at easy. we're glad you came. patrice smiled. ben caught my guy. he began to rearrange the forskin. it seemed to swell. when he removed it, he said, i open it's okay. i'm sort of a kiss pig. no problem. as i caught my breat

mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. america, hold on to your wallets. nancy pelosi and the democrats are coming after you with higher taxes. in the middle of a recession. come january, tax rates are going to skyrocket on hardworking middle class families and small business. a new poll says 55% of voters in battleground states would be less likely to vote for democrat congressional candidates if congress doesn't stop or delay next year's scheduled tax increases before election day. most small business owners file person income taxes and will feel a tax hike which will make it more difficult for them when they try to hire more people or give their employees a raise. this is about stopping a job-killing tax hibling on small businesses -- hike on small businesses during tough economic times. let's stop it for our future and our freedom. the speaker pro tempore: members are reminded that remarks in debate are to be addressed to the chair. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: t

mr. johnson: my time has expired. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from south carolina, mr. spratt, is recognized for five minutes to revise and extend his remarks and insert extraneous material. under the speaker's announced spoil of january 6, 2009, the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert is recognized for the remaining time before midnight, approximately 17 minutes, as the designee of the minority leader. mr. gohmert: thank you mr. speaker. i appreciate my friend from georgia's comments. he's right. that bailout of wall street was a disaster -- disastrous mistake. i heard from my colleagues on both sides of the isle that voted for -- aisle that voted for it, leaders on both sides of the aisle that pushed for that the good news if you're a big fan of goldman sachs is they made more profit than they've made in their history since the new administration took over. they had their best year ever last year. and it's tragic that the american people have not done as well as the people that ran their o

mr. johnson. mr. johnson: thank you and it is indeed an honor to serve in congress with you ladies who are all champions of regular working people and poor people of this country regardless of gee oggra if i and i salute you. in this age of women we are living in. and you know, i remember, madam speaker, just within the last 17 months the leader of the republican party said publicly that he hopes that president obama fails. do you all remember that? it was well publicized. it was not coming from minority leader boehner of the house. and it was not uttered by senator mitch mcconnell, the minority leader in the senate. it was uttered by the true leader of the republican party, and that is my good friend, rush limbaugh, who for every day, five days a week, three or four hours a day, since that same message out to americans who are hooked on that show. he sends it out to them relentlessly and they remember it and they act on it. but they aren't the only ones who have acted on it. it's been the followers in

mr. johnson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 3 1/2 minutes. . mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker, and members of the house. i stand in opposition to this rule and in sincere but deep opposition to this $63 billion massive spending bill and particularly the war spending component of the bill. i speak, i believe, on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of brave men and women who serve america in the middle east with neither a defined objective or the ability to success victory or defeat. on behalf of the families of our military personnel around the world who have lost their fathers or their mothers or their sons or their daughters in a valiant but short-sighted effort, a battle that can never be won, and on behalf of the american taxpayers who have seen more than $1 trillion poured into an attempt to fight terror where there is not the remotest relationship to the welfare of the american people. and really also on behalf of the innocent children who have had the misfortune to be in the ever-changing line of fire in the vicinity of terrorists who move

mr. johnson if he really that said i'm disappointed. yes he wanted us to break up all the bank. i agree with paul volker and others to break up every institution right now at an economy that's still just recovering, to force massive fire sales all at once could have been destabilizing. instead we substitute up to bad practice. aig no longer will anybody be able to do what aig did, namely indebt themselves through these derivatives without any limit. we make that impossible. we make it illegal. >> charlie: are there things that the chair of the financial services committee wish were in this bill that are not in it? >> yes. not a whole lot. i would not have exempted the automobile dealers. by the way this has the biggest package of consumer protection ever adopted in american history. elizabeth warren who has become the premier advocate of the consumer federation of america, all the others that deals with consumers. we set up an independent consumer agency. the federal reserve has no power over it. we've taken from the bank regulators all of the power to regulate credit cards, ove

mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to honor the recent accolades of the third congressional district of texas. while i know it's a great place to live, work, and raise a family, clearly other notable and even national publications have paid attention, too. for example d magazine put the spotlight on the best suburbs for dallas. 11 out of all 11 cities in the third district, outside of dallas ranked among the top. parker, murphy, allen, plano, richardson, and others. "money" magazine just named mckenny texas as the fifth most desirable place to live in the nation. while allen took 16th. in addition, newsweek featured the 10 third district high schools in june as america's best high schools. my hat goes off to the people who make texas places so special and the leaders who had the vision and courage to make their dreams for these communities a reality. congratulations to all. god bless you. i salute you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> to address the house for on

mr. jones. i am ms. johnson'srandson and supervisor mirkarimi as well and i came to deliver a message; that we were are in the current society that was involved in a lot of things. we have been a part of society that has a lot of crime, a lot of violence and a lot of people going to jail. we have been in the environment that a lot of crime has been in also. i wouldn't want to disclose what type of crimes but all that i know these youths that you see before you are the current generation that will go further and higher; that will not only go to college but own the colleges and build them as well. we will be ceo's of companies. we will be fbi agents or cia or whatever you want to call it and they will go further and higher, and i just wanted to say that the adults have the children and the youth have the youth. the youth it is time for us to make a change. martin lectur luther king and mx did not fight for us to end up like this and end up locked up and most of our brothers away from their kids. they fought furs and

mr. johnson. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i share the outrage that you expressed as well as feelings of great empathy for the families of our fallen soldiers who are buried at arlington national cemetery as well as their loved ones, their spouses and that cemetery serves as a memorial and national monuments to america's war heroes. i look at this situation very seriously. i want to focus on the work force at arlington national cemetery and the investigative report spoke on the fact that an unhealthy work environments exists and has existed at arlington national cemetery for some time. what i want to know is -- how many complaints of racial discrimination have been made, lieutenant general whitcomb, to the appropriate authorities arising from employment at the arlington national cemetery over the last, say, since 1990? >> congressman johnson, i don't have the precise number of complaints. we looked at the hostile work environment which included racial complaints, paul garrity, and intimidation of workers at arlington -- vulgar

mr. johnson, who is always on top of issues. i so much appreciate you joining us this evening. it is always a pleasure to hear your views on the various topics that we cover. thank you so much. madam speaker, i i would now like to -- i would now like to take an opportunity to as well yield to a person who has been very active in discussing the issue of jobs, who understands very, very well some of the legislation that has been proposed, that has been passed by this house. my friend rand colleague from the state of maryland -- my friend and colleague from the state of maryland has been active in every single issue that we have addressed in this body to deal with jobs and on the economy and it's just indeed a real pleasure for me to yield some time to her this evening because she is always very, very prepared and very knowledgeable and very intellectual formative. at this time i'd -- and very informative. at this time i yield to ms. edwards. ms. edwards: i thank the gentlelady and, madam speaker, i have to tell you, it really troubles me to be here this evening because once again

mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. new usa poll today reported 3/4 of those 18 to 4 don't expect to get a social security check when they retire. they deserve much better. in 35, 1935 that is, workers were told that the payroll tax would never exceed 2% of the first $3,000 of earnings. sadly since then congress has raised the payroll tax 14 times, now at 12.4%, and the taxable wage base 10 times. time and history prove congress cannot resist the temptation to raise taxes on social security. we got to find a better way forward without raising taxes, without any changes, americans want action not scare tactics. let's start working together on fair, commonsense solutions so we can ensure social security will be there for those who need it most without raising taxes. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from hawaii rise? ms. hirono: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, this year we celebrate the 75th birthday of social

mr. johnson. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i share the outrage that you expressed as well as feelings of great empathy for the families of our fallen soldiers who are buried at arlington national cemetery it as well as their loved ones, their spouses. that cemetery service as a memorial and a national monument to america's war heroes, so i look at the situation very seriously. i do want to focus on boat the work force at arlington national cemetery and the investigative report spoke on fact that an unhealthy work environment exists and has existed at arlington national cemetery for some time. and what i wanted to know is how many complaints of racial discrimination have been made, lieutenant-general would come, to the appropriate authorities, arising from employment at the arlington national cemetery it over the past, say, since 1990? >> i do not have the number. we looked at several issues, but what we did find is that there was an unhealthy work environment partly due to the leadership. there's the convoluted command and con

mr. johnson had about $500,000. he has promised he will be able to self-financed his campaign, which means he will have the resources to go up against the senator. that is why he was able to immediately respond to the and you just played. >> in florida, another wealthy democratic candidate, jeff greene going after kendrick meeks. at the end he said he would not receive special interest money. how are both doing with money? >> that is right. here you have another candidate that came late into the process but is striking. in florida, all the attention was on the republican side. now it is completely switched. jeff greene has already put up $4 million in television ads going after congressman meeks. his campaign points out that they have not spent one dime on radio or tv. they will have to go on the air soon, but they have not yet. they contend they will begin to see movement in the polling once they go on the air, but for right now, this is another close race. >> when you look at the potential general matchup between

mrs. johnson? >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. i have not taken a position on this merger. behai am concerned about the employees. in your joint testimony you discussed having access to the small communities that will continue to be served. it sounds good, but who will be serving these communities? i would like to have both of you comment on that. >> let me address that. this merger will be very good for our employees half.+ it will provide them with good jobs. careers, not just jobs. it will provide us with synergies that will permit us to continue to invest in employees. i have made it clear that the wealth creation of this merger, i intend to share that with all union groups. whether they are unionized or not. we have allocated theeaircraft that we have the main line based on the demand offthe routes. smaller markets, they often use regional affiliates that the contract with. a large main line aircraft, in some cases 70 seat aircraft, they will continue to do that. what matterr the most is the service. regional carriers will benefit as well. our own emplooees will benefi

mr. johnson. >> now, by proxy. >> mystery. >> no. >> mr. schumer. >> know, by proxy. >> ms. lincoln. >> know by proxy. -- no, by proxy. wait, a little bit. senator lincoln, aye by proxy. >> mr. harkin. no, by proxy. >> mr. shelby. >> aye. >> mr. kriegel. crapo.mr. krieg >> aye. >> to the measure is a tie and it is defeated. >> we are going to recess for five minutes. >> come to order. let me say, we previously had a tie vote and the proposal failed on the tie vote. as an expressive to senator chambliss, i believe -- as i expressed to senator chambliss, i think it is important to note that, while i do not necessarily disagree with what he is suggesting, and the fundamental reason for the vote on this side has less to do with the substance of the thing. the fact of the matter is we have a limitation on the parameters of this conference to be focused on the title that deals for the pay-for provisions the deal. i'm prepared to work with my colleague from georgia on this to see if a call away solves the problem or something else may be done. >> in the procedural footing, i hope t

mrs. eddie bernice johnson of texas for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the requests are granted. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, the following members may be permitted to address this house, revise and extend their remarks and include therein extraneous material. mr. moran for today, july 14, 15, 16, 19 and 20. mr. burton for today, july 14, 5 and 16. myself, mr. poe, for today, july 14, 15, 16, 19 and 20. mr. upton for today, mr. jones for today, and july 14, 15, 16, 19 and 20. and ms. ros-lehtinen for today and july 14. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? ms. woolsey: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, the following members may be permitted to address the house for five minut

mr. perfect. gets parra swinging. top six, kelly johnson, same deal. adam laroche swinging, a as well.phils win their seventh-straight, 7-1. >>> that's a look at your espn news update. i'm steve weissman. back to you in new york. >>> up next, the stories we'll be following today including one of the most powerful members of congress, now in the hot seat. >>> on top of that investigating the crash of one of the military's largest jets. abab >>> now, a look ahead to the be watchin stories be watching on this thursday. lawyers for the state of arizona are heading to a federal appeals court today in san francisco. they want a judge's ruling on the new immigration law thrown out. >>> and military investigators will be looking into what caused the crash of a c-17 cargo plane at an air force base in anchorage, alaska. four crew members were onboard. >>> a congressional panel holds a public hearing on ethics charges against new york democrat charlie rangel. meanwhile, behind the scenes negotiators are working to reach a settlement that would avoid an official trial. >>> president obama deliver

mr. speaker, i have the privilege of representing camp lejeune and cherry point and see more johnson air force base -- see more johnson air force base. we thank you in the military, your families, you have done a magnificent job for this country. but those of us who make policy, mr. speaker, we need to understand and develop and demand an end point to the strategy because it's not fair and it's not right to wear out our military and its equipment. so, mr. speaker, as i do and have many times, i will close this way. i ask god to please bless our men and women in uniform, i ask god to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform, i ask god in his loving arms to hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in afghanistan and iraq. and i will ask god to please bless the house and senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of god for this country including our military and i will ask god to please bless the president of the united states, mr. obama, give him wisdom and strength to do what is right in the eyes of god for his people. and tree times i will ask, g

johnson. >> the question is, what is your stance on green power development and protecting the environment? >> mr. ramsey, we will start with you. >> we are leading the way in biofuels. at the same time, we have 200 years worth of coal in the ground and we have other natural products in the ground. we need science and emotion. we need this energy for -- that god gave us to use so that we do not buy energy from countries that want to ki us. >> yes, mr. wamp. >> for two years, i helped write the energy policy act of 2005 on the energy renewal policy. this is an opportunity for money. this is a great opportunity for us in manufacturing of new energy technology to help the world. we do it out of tennessee. this is a great opportunity. we can create the strongest economy in america and help the country. >> we have a great head start in tennessee. we are building down in bradley county and hemlock down in clarksville. we also have a research project. those solar projects are wonderful. eventually, we have to crack the nut of making solar market competitive. we have a chance to do that. if they do that,