mr. rogers: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rogers: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 1517 to correct the hiring status of approximately 30 customs and border protection officers stationed overseas under the wrong hiring appointments. i appreciate the opportunity to stand in support of this legislation and the place of ranking peter king, the sponsor of this bill, the republican sponsor of the bill. h.r. 1517 grants special authority to the commissioner customs and border protection to noncompetitively convert about 30 c.b.p. employees mistakenly hired under overseas limited employment to permanent status stationed at the overseas preinspection posts. c.b.p. operates preclearance operations for travelers to the u.s. are able to undergo entry inspections before boarding the planes. this facilitates travel while adding and important security benefit. unfortunately this hiring error if not addressed could force thes

mr. rogers: mr. speaker, i rise today in strong support of h.r. 3980, sponsored by my good friend from texas, mr. cuellar, who i'm pleased to serve on the subcommittee with. since 2006, congress has mandated fema to measure the nation's level of preparedness as well as the effectiveness of state and local homeland security grant programs administered by fema. both post-katrina reform act of 2006 and the 9/11 act of 2007 require fema to develop metrics with homeland security resources. these include the comprehensive assessment system, the target capabilities list and the state preparedness report. unfortunately, these measures have not been properly integrated by fema resulting in duplicative resulting requirements that put an undue burden on state and local departments. they can be strengthened and improved with input from stakeholders and the establishment of sound performance metrics. this bill seeks to improve the way grant programs are administered and managed by fema and will ensure that congre

mr. rogers. next is-- i am having a hard time seeing who is here. the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. schakowsky. >> thank you mr. chairman for moving so quickly to convene a hearing on the recommendations of the preventive services task force. i appreciate it. this committee has talked a lot about the ed for evidence-based science of the the last year but it is important particularly when it comes to something as critical as breast cancer screenings that we do look carefully into the justification for these recommendations and their ramifications for individual women. many of my constituents have questions as to i and i look forward to asking them but i do want to say right now that this is not something that should become a political football or in my view an attack on the need for health reform that guarantees access to comprehensive health care for women. we all want to ensure women, especially women threatened with life-threatening diseases like breast cancer and make sure that they have access to the health care that they need. without preexisting condition exclusions, gender rat

mr. rogers. next is-- i am having a hard time seeing who is here. the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. schakowsky. >> thank you mr. chairman for moving so quickly to convene a hearing on the recommendations of the preventive services task force. i appreciate it. this committee has talked a lot about the need for evidence-based science of the the last year but it is important particularly when it comes to something as critical as breast cancer screenings that we do look carefully into the justification for these recommendations and their ramifications for individual women. many of my constituents have questions as to i and i look forward to asking them but i do want to say right now that this is not something that should become a political football or in my view an attack on the need for health reform that guarantees access to comprehensive health care for women. we all want to ensure women, especially women threatened with life-threatening diseases like breast cancer and make sure that they have access to the health care that they need. without preexisting condition exclusions, gender r

mr. rogers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. roger: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. towns, mr. lynch, thank you very much for your work in a bipartisan way on this very important piece of legislation. all of the big issues we deal with, we do pause and pay attention to issues that impact lives like some circumstances like no other. . you can imagine the law enforcement community and i used to serve as an f.b.i. ate g agent, that every single day somebody suits up quietly with a search warrant or to go or arrest warrant to serve somewhere in america. and we forget because they are exceptionally good at doing what they do without getting hurt or harmed, but it is incredibly dangerous work. they get drug dealers and they get child pornographers and bank fraud executives, mafia dons and terrorists of the hardest sort. they bring them to justice as a part of defending the constitution and communities of the united states of america.

mr. rogers: thank you -- mrs. mcmorris rodgers: i rise in strong support of h.r. 2194 and urge my colleagues to support this bill. my husband and i visited israel and the people of israel want nothing more than to live in peace with their neighbors, many of whom have said repeatedly they want israel wiped off of the map. but the israelis are realistic about peace. they know it comes from strength, from clear military superiority, from letting your enemies know that they cannot defeat you. that is a hard, realistic peace. it's clear iran wants to break that peace and destabilize that region and make israel live in fear. after delays, we must now back our words with actions. iran must be held accountable. as iran takes one step after another towards nuclear weapons, it edges towards war. a vote in favor of this bill is a vote in favor of continuing a hard peace in the middle east and showing the rest of the world that a nuclear iran is not an option. i pledged to do all i could to maintain and expand a difficult pea

ellen embry, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs and mr. roger dims dale executive director department of veterans affairs department of defense collaboration and office of policy and planning for the department of veterans affairs and major general, keith -- w. merlin, united states air force, acting director of the -- of the office of transition policy and care coordination. and rear admiral gregory a. timberlake, united states navy acting director of the joint d.o.d., v.a. interagency program office. and dr. karen guys, executive director of the federal recovery coordination, for the department of veterans affairs. we have many actings here today because of the change in administrations. we're fortunate to have your testimony because each of you played an integral role in developmenting and implementing the wounded warrior policies. we're obviously counting on you to give us your honest assessment of the work that the departments have completed as well as areas where problems remain and work also -- work remains. we look forward to your statem

mr. rogers and then the witnesses will turn into pumpkins. >> great. >> thank you, mr. chairman. my question deals with metrics. mr. secretary, you talked about transferring authority over starting the process in july of 11 and in august of this year you talked about beginning the process of building these metrics by which we're going to measure succeed over there. can you tell me where that process is now? >> well, we have one -- we have a very detailed set of metrics that i think have been chaired with the congress that came out of the march endeavor. we have tried to narrow those and make them more price in terms of our expectations of the afghans, our expectations of the pakistanis and of ourselves and of our allies. those have been worked in the interagency and i will go back and see if we cannot provide those to the congress. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> mr. chairman? i don't have a question if i could read back something that i think the most important point made by the secretary. if i could just re-read it again. >> without objection. >> mr. secretary, you said here the

mr. rogers and sathe salahis. mr. gers is not a central figure -- miss rogers is not a central figure in security. the salahis have a firsthand knowledge of the security breakdown of that dinner. this inquiry necessitates swift action, especially in light of the series of upcoming white house holiday season events. it simply would not be prudent to spend committee resources and a time on engaging in a protected fight with the white house when the testimony is not central to the question at issue. >> mr. chairman, i could be heard on that, i do not believe you would have sent a letter to the white house requesting her if you do not believe that she was inappropriate witness. also, the fact that the deputy chief of staff has said beneficial memo to the white house staff saying that the social secretary's office will have to be part of security in the future, the white house believes that desiree roger [unintelligible] i think we have taken a very narrow and limited view of the jurisdiction of our committee if we do not b

mr. speaker, as he knows, the decision on libya was made by the scottish administration. it was their decision to make. it was not our decision to make. >> roger barry. >> mr. speaker, my constituents are extremely concerned about the impact of global warming and wants speedy action to deal with it members opposite in their european allies. will my right honorable friend assure the house that he has been doing everything possible so that both developed and developing countries can look to a deal at copenhagen? >> well, we are in the happy position of being able to work with the rest of europe to get a climate change agreement and in the position to work as europe with the rest of the world to make sure that we can move forward. and the talks that are taking place now including at the commonwealth conference are a desire to bring together the richest countries who will have to contribute to a climate change deal financially as well as with bold and ambitious targets. and the developing countries whom we want to make progress but whom we will have to be able to help. i'm pleased that we have agreed and i believe america and europe will also agre

mr. rogers neighborhood. at last check, there were 56 preschool shows on television. 56. six competing networks. how do you stand out? what we have tried to do is to or three things, focusing on targeted families to keep relevance. when we're pushing a program like healthy habits for life and we're working with friends, we have been able to really impact moms that are in a disadvantaged circumstances. that is one way we have stood above the crowd. the second is using a technology, and all the things that discussed, being able to push iphone apps, making sure that we are where the kids are. the third is international. we have been able to spread internationally and have a profound impact on some of these countries like egypt, bangladesh, south africa, and next year in nigeria, palestine, jordan. you will see billboards of the muppets all over, sponsored by the bank of jordan. that shows you the power of these iconic characters. that is how we have made a difference. >> speaking of international work, how do you ensure brand consistency while thinking globally? >> legally,

mr. rogers neighborhood. at last check, there were 56 preschool shows on television. 56. six competing networks. how do you stand out? what we have tried to do is to or three things, focusing on targeted families to keep relevance. when we're pushing a program like healthy habits for life and we're working with friends, we have been able to really impact moms that are in a disadvantaged circumstances. that is one way we have stood above the crowd. the second is using a technology, and all the things that discussed, being able to push iphone apps, making sure that we are where the kids are. the third is international. we have been able to spread internationally and have a profound impact on some of these countries like egypt, bangladesh, south africa, and next year in nigeria, palestine, jordan. you will see billboards of the muppets all over, sponsored by the bank of jordan. that shows you the power of these iconic characters. that is how we have made a difference. >> speaking of international work, how do you ensure brand consistency while thinking globally? >> legally,

mr. rogers when he was around, and sesame street is around, and you've got all these things which have workedey're considered safe and confidence-building, and that by the little copies and products. i have absolutely no idea if any generations into the small type media convergences, and whether the standard of 20 years ago about what children should see and can hear and watch and learn from and get excited by, whether it still works. but going after market prior mark -- mark pryor's question. >> i grew up with sesame street and zoom and other programs that i thought were great a time. a generation before had seen those programs, an oscar and elmo jumping around, they would understand it. every generation of kids finds different forms of information programming compelling. i think we will be able to address these questions with respect to children television workshop and sesame street's 2.0. i don't know what kind of quality of educational programming will attract viewers. i do believe that there are creative talents can continue to develop high-quality educational programming that meets the

the esteemed collector is middleton harris, and roger, and obviously mr. smith, who's daughter we're lucky to have here tonight. the production team who kept such detailed records that 35 years later, i could still trace the right folders. it inspired our senior editor here who brought this project to my attention who years ago. our production team headed, so inspired that they made this edition crisper and cleaner than the original. using just film. who recognized what a treasurer there was and published it in hard cover. this book touches everybody who touches it. that includes all of you inspired to be here today. and our panelist who are so excited to introduce. up first is dr. roscoe c. brown. [applause] >> the list of dr. brown's accomplishments are really enough to fill a book of their own. most notably, he is president of the bronx community college and creditor at the city university of new york. he sits on the board of several community organization including the boys and girls club, the funds for the city of new york, the urban issues group,

mr. rogers for five minutes. >> i think the witnesses for being here. -- i think.ever happen again. it seems like this is eagerly similar. this has a lot bigger numbers from that debacle. could you tell me why you think we have let this happen again? >> i cannot tell you why -- the only thing i can tell you is that i think we have had to build our own confidence in managing a program like this and learning what you need to put in place. some of the things we put in place at the start of this Ñiprogram, in hindsight, were nt affected. now we are in a position where we can stop or reduce stop and start over or fix what we think we need to fix to make the risk burden. that is what we are doing. -- to make the risk prudence. we are trying to fix what probably should have been fixed before this program. xdi cannot explain how we got here. >> i do not understand from a technical standpoint it is so difficult. the are basically cameras on a pole. çóand you wanted to them and the dispatch format. i doÑi not understand why we hae problems. this is not the most sophisticated

mr. rogers neighborhood. at last check, there were 56 preschool shows on six competing networks.u stand out? what we have tried to do is three things. one is to focus on the targeted families that i talked about, to keep relevant, so when we are working with our friends at the national wic association, we have been able to really impact moms who are in disadvantaged circumstances, to teach the kids healthy habits. that is one we have stood above the crowd. the second is using new technologies, and all the things i discussed before, and being able to push iphone apps, and just making sure we are where the kids are. the third is international. we have been able to spread internationally and really have a profound impact on some of these countries like egypt, in indonesia, and south africa, and next year in nigeria and palestine and jordan and other places. if you drive around jordan today, you will see billboards of the muppets all over, sponsored by the bank of jordan. it shows you the power of these iconic characters in being able to reach across cultures. >> speaking of your int

mr. speaker, as he knows, the decision on libya was made by the scottish administration. it was their decision to make. it was not our decision to make. >> rogerbarry. >> mr. speaker, my constituents are extremely concerned about the impact of global warming and wants speedy action to deal with it members opposite in their european allies. will my right honorable friend assure the house that he has been doing everything possible so that both developed and developing countries can look to a deal at copenhagen? >> well, we are in the happy position of being able to work with the rest of europe to get a climate change agreement and in the position to work as europe with the rest of the world to make sure that we can move forward. and the talks that are taking place now including at the commonwealth conference are a desire to bring together the richest countries who will have to contribute to a climate change deal financially as well as with bold and ambitious targets. and the developing countries whom we want to make progress but whom we will have to be able to help. i'm pleased that we have agreed and i believe america and europe will also agree

rogers. as for the individual that's breached security pursuant to committee rule six, mr. kings a ranking member is generally entitled to identify as a minority witness. ms. rogers' role is not security. there is a distinction here ms. rogers is not a central figure in so much as her role on the executive staff does no encompass security. moreover, the importance in light of the series of upcoming wouts season event. engaging in a fight with the white house on this matter when a testimony sought is not issue to the question. it is clear if the ranking members are correct. i will allow you to call whatever witness you would like to. i have supported you in the past. we look forward to clearing the room for executive session. >> today on washington journal, officer charles stevens talks about the conflicts of war. then a discussion on president barak obama's plan for sending more u.s. troops to afghanistan with scott wilson of the "washington post." a look at the dubai economy. following that. a discussion on the debate and the senate in the healthcare legislation. that's liv

so desiree rogers is not supposed to be here -- at a white house briefing yesterday mr. chairman you received a notice. we certainly didn't. he said that white house staffers don't testify before congress. that is untrue. i was on the banking committee in 1994 during the whitewater air as when president clinton said george stepanov list, maggie williams, hillary clinton's chief of staff, president's council and also sent at the previous council, senator mark aaron press secretary. all testified before congress and even on this issue when we're talking about the security of the president of the united states a person who made that decision is not going to be here. i think it's wrong and stonewalling and i think it confronts our committee. this is a bipartisan request for the white house which prides itself for being open, which prides itself on cooperation. in this incident they are stonewalling. and for a committee to work with the white house of an element of trust they have breached that trust and i am going to do all he can to work with you to issue subpoenas to have

so if desare rogers is not to be here for the white house mr. gibbs offhandedly set up the white house briefing yesterday mr. chairman may be received notice from the white house, we certainly didn't, we listened to what mr. gibbs said when he said that vice house staff don't testify before congress. that isn't true. i was on the banking committee in 1994 during the whitewater hearings when president clinton sent george stephanopoulos, maggie williams, hillary clinton's chief of staff, said lloyd cutler, president's council and also the previous council mark gearan, as press secretary to testify before congress and yet on this issue where we are talking about the security of the president of the united states, the person who made the decision is not going to be here. i think it is wrong, stonewalling. this was a bipartisan request, mr. chairman. a bipartisan request in the white house that prides itself on being open and on cooperation. but in this instance they are stonewalling. and for our committee to work with white house there has to be an