mr. mcgovern: i yield. mr. dreier: i never said i am going to limit an open amendment process, open rules to the appropriations process. what i said was the commitment that we made was that since we had the appropriations process completely shut down in the last two sessions of congress we wanted to have now this done under an open amendment process. i thank my friend for yielding. mr. mcgovern: i thank my friend for clarification. it seems a little revisionist history. i guess later this week we are going to rewrite the constitution so why not rewrite history? we were promised open rules and under the definition of an open rule we have not had one single open rule in this congress. . this afternoon we'll deal in the rules committee with the deem and task bill which again -- we had it on this floor not too long ago the reading of the constitution. i guess my friends on the other side of the aisle weren't paying attention because what they are trying to do this afternoon is not, in my opinion, i think or anybody

mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, i want -- i rise to claim my time. i want to thank the gentleman from georgia for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, here we go again, considering yet another short-term continuing resolution. the last c.r. was for two weeks. this is a three-week bill, so i guess the good news is we're heading in the right direction. but that's about the only good news, mr. speaker. this is no way to run a budget process. it is no way to run a government. it's like water torture. drip, drip, drip. how are governors and mayors and city councils suppose to plan if we keep passing the short-term bills? how are the financial markets supposed to have any certainty if we pass bills that only goes for two weeks or three weeks? we all know what needs to happen, democrats and republicans in the house, the senate and the white house need to get together and figure out a sen

mr. mcgovern. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. and again i want to welcome both of you back to the committee. and it really is interesting to reflect on the speeches we've heard. i agree with mr. dicks that we need to get down to business and deal with reality and not fantasy but it is somewhat incredible to me to have so many of my friends on the other side to take gle in the potential or the thought of cutting health care programs that will provide people health care. >> for 36 million americans. >> for 36 million americans, and maybe that's where they think the majority of the american people are. i just don't believe it, and, you know, i also find it somewhat offensive that the president of the united states' name gets denigrated in the way that it constantly does by referring to it as obama care as if it's a swear word. it's a health care reform bill to try to provide millions of people in this country health care and i propose very muhope don't succeed in cutting benefits to people because health care reform is not a job kil

mr. mcgovern. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. and again i want to welcome both of you back to the committee. and it really is interesting to reflect on the speeches we've heard. i agree with mr. dicks that we need to get down to business and deal with reality and not fantasy but it is somewhat incredible to me to have so many of my friends on the other side to take gle in the potential or the thought of cutting health care programs that will provide people health care. >> for 36 million americans. >> for 36 million americans, and maybe that's where they think the majority of the american people are. i just don't believe it, and, you know, i also find it somewhat offensive that the president of the united states' name gets denigrated in the way that it constantly does by referring to it as obama care as if it's a swear word. it's a health care reform bill to try to provide millions of people in this country health care and i propose very muhope don't succeed in cutting benefits to people because health care reform is not a job kil

mr. mcgovern? >> aye. >> mr. hastings? aye. >> mr. chairman? >> no. and the clerk will report the total. the motion is not agreed to. rther amendment ss? mr. sessions, those in favor say aye. the motion is agreed to. mr. wood all -- oh, you'd like a roll call on that? clerk will call the roll. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> aey. >> aey of of of of of >> aye. >> no. >> no. >> no. >> aye. and the clerk report the total. the tion is agreed to accordingly t gentleman from georgia, mr. woodall will be naging for the majority. and mr. mcgovern for the minority. let me just say to members we'll be meeting at 3:00 tomorrow afternoon for consideration on the two financial services members. yes, tomorrow at 3:00. >> what do we think about for wednesday? >> i'm not sure yet. we don't have a time set, but we have announced further legislation for the week and we'll look forward to letting you know when we're going to have a meeting. without objection, the committee stands adjourned. [ recess ] they may never have heard that person. but the honest -- this is for the m

mr. mcgovern. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for three minutes. mr. mcgovern: thank you. mr. speaker, i want to thank the ranking member for the time, and i rise in strong opposition to this closed rule and to the underlying bill. mr. speaker, this process in this house is awful. on this bill, h.r. 1076, there were no hearings at all. and to top it off, we had an emergency consideration in the rules committee. did you think it was about jobs, did you think it was about health care? no, it was about defunding n.p.r. that's what this new majority thinks is an emergency. not jobs, not the economy but defunding the national public radio. mr. speaker, h.r. 1076 is a horrible idea and i hope everybody in this chamber realizes this doesn't cut one dollar, not one dime, not one penny from the federal deficit. we all know what's going on here. the reason this bill is before us is a discredited right-wing activist made a selectively edited misleading 11-minute video o

mr. mcgovern, i was really saying, my gosh, maybe there is no support for this measure at all. especially when mr. mcgovern, the second ranking democrat on the rules committee, said, every city council member in the district of columbia is opposed to this measure. in fact, he said it not once but two, maybe even three times. and then i was handed a list and i know that i've just been told that mr. bishop raised at the beginning, there are going to be lists on either side, but the notion to conclude, madam speaker, that we somehow are imposing the will of the majority on the people of the district of columbia, there's no support for this whatsoever, i would is what i inferred from what was offer ined the rules committee last night, was just plain wrong -- offered in the rules committee last night, was just plain wrong. i often cite the editorial work of "the washington post," but "the washington post" has editorialed strongly in support of this motion. why? because they're committed, as i believe we all are, democrats, republicans alike, i believe that all of my colleagues are c

mr. mcgovern for -- the gentleman is recognized for five minutes -- minutes. mr. mcgovern: thank you. at the end of january, the united nations reported that the cost of basic food commodfis, basic grains, oil, sugar, were at the highest level since the u.n. created its index in 1990. the bank's president -- the u.n. food bank's president said the food prices are 20% higher than just a few years ago. he warned the g-20 to put food first. these food price spikes have pushed millions to poverty. the lack of food security leads to political instability. food were the reason people took to the streets in tunisia. food and poverty were at the top of the list in egypt along with political freedom. there were major food riots in 40 countries. in may of 2008 my fellow co-chair of the house hunger caucus, jo ann emerson, and i were briefed by the g.a.o. about the lack of continuity in uh u.s. development programs. we started calling for a comprehensive approach to global hunger. thanks in large part to the efforts of secretary of state hillary clinton and others, the u.s. government responded

mr. mcgovern: thank you. mr. speaker, i rise to commend the efforts of our former colleague, tony hall, reverend david beckman, reverend jim wallace, and more than 6,000 people across the country as they take part in a hunger fast to protest the draconian cuts to programs that affect the hungry and the most vulnerable in america and around the world. the republican plan, h.r. 1, would decimate what is now being called the circle of protection. the programs that protect the hungry and the most vulnerable here at home and around the world. i urge my colleagues to show that america doesn't turn its back on people in need. to have a heart and to resist cutting these lifesaving programs. please go to www.hungerfast.org for more information. i ask unanimous consent to insert into the record this fact sheet from bread for the world on the circle of protection. 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 virginia rise? mr. moran:

mr. mcgovern, offered a motion for an open rule so these important matters could be debated openly on the house floor, but this amendment was defeated last night, or yesterday in a party line rule. in addition shall -- in addition, i also made a motion to amend the rule and make in order an amendment by delegate holmes norton of washington, d.c., and co-sponsored by mr. moran of virginia which would simply have permitted the district of columbia to spend its own money after march 4, in other words this coming friday, in the event of a government shutdown. that was defeated on a party line. i ask you, madam speaker, does this sound like an open process to you? i urge my colleagues to vote no on this rule and instead pass this much needed extension through a truly open process that allows all members to offer amendment. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you, madam speaker. you know i will say that this process that we have had as opposed to having just mixed in a reso

mr. mcgovern: thank you, madam speaker -- mr. cohen: thank you, madam speaker. by increasing that number of statues to include more notable women, minorities and other ethnic groups that contributed significantly to our history. currently there are 100 statues on display given by the states and only 16 are women or minority groups. 10 are women and three are native american. three statues of native american males two, are hispanic and someone a pacific islander. although there have been many others in our history, no state has submit a statue honoring one of them. this disparity must be rectified. if you looked at the statues, you'd thought all the heroes and liters were granite white men. this bill is to express equal representation of all americans as essential in our historical perspectives in the educational value the capitol offers its thousands of visitors. i ask my colleagues to look at the bill, support it and have more diverse representation among the statuary in the united states capitol. thank you, madam speaker, and i reserve the balance of my time -