mr. speaker. mr. speaker, my point of order is quite simple. in the last two weeks both the house republicans and the house democrats have passed sweeping anti-earmark resolutions. moreover, the leadership of the house has said that they will ensure that earmarks are in the past. but, mr. speaker, this legislation is still -- filled with earmarks. not the least of which is the louisiana purchase. not the least of which is the bismarck provision. mr. speaker, the amount of earmarks violating both republican and democratic house rules against earmarks is beyond the counting of any of us. so, my point of order is intended to stop the bill until earmarks can be removed from the bill. i might note, mr. speaker, last night, until late at night, for more than 13 hours, republicans offered 80 amendments, many of which could have fixed portions of this bill, none, i repeat, mr. speaker, none were ruled in order. mr. speaker, i make a point of order that an earmark is tantamount to a bribe. an earmark to receive

mr. speaker.an i join the prime minister. our thoughts and prayers are not only with those that have lost their lives, but those that have been injured as well. last week the prime minister took on an inquiry of funding for the armed forces. when did the prime minister realize he misled? before or after he gave evidence? >> mr. speaker, i said last week and was shown this transcript of what i said. i decided to make it absolutely clear on the first occasion. i repeat defense spending has risen by 20%. every request by the ministry of defence and the commanders for funding has been matched by the treasury for the operations that have been conducted. i have to say, mr. speaker, there was a 30 percent real terms cut in defense expenditure under the last year. >> thank you, mr. speaker. may i also pay my own personal tribute to those, all of them that we have lost, and in my condolences to their families. and sure we miss them all. mr. speaker, as the prime minister why in his pew it should be the hal

mr. speaker. and, mr. speaker, i rise today in support of house concurrent resolution 249 to commemorate the 45th anniversary of bloody sunday and the role that it played in ensuring the passage of the voting rights act of 1965. today we remember a moment us occasion in our history. on march 7, 1965, 600 marchers led by my esteemed colleague from georgia, congressman john lewis, were savagely attacked by state and local police as they attempted to cross the edmund pettus bridge into selma, alabama. these brave marchers used the power of nonviolence to demand that most basic of democratic rights of every citizen, the right to vote. in return, the marchers were met with billy clubs and tear gas, but the marchers confronted terror with courage. their dignity in the face of brutality moved this house to pass the voting rights act which reaffirmed this nation's commitment that every citizen has the right to participate fully in the political life of the nation. this past weekend my family and i traveled to selma

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, beyond the walls of this capitol, there are millions of americans who can't afford health insurance and they live in fear of getting sick. millions more are discriminated against by insurance companies because they have pre-existing medical conditions. in my own life, as a child and as an adult, i lived without health insurance. a dear, dear niece of mine has a pre-existing condition that makes her uninsurable. passing health insurance is not a political game, it's personal. it's about real people's lives. when we pass this bill we will save lives. families will be protected, millions of americans will no longer live in fear. today, i will vote to end discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions, today i will vote to extend health care to 32 million americans and when this bill becomes law, health care security will finally become a reality for the american people. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. camp: at this

mr. speaker. you know, many things are said across the aisle in the heat of a debate. and if it hasn't been said yet, maybe the reason it has been said by everybody. i believe that the ranking member's an honorable person, i believe my chairman is. but you really hit rock bottom when you accuse us on this side of the aisle of not caring about our veterans. even the president of the national -- the vietnam veterans of america said this is shameless. you're fear mongering, it's not right, tell the truth and then let the chipping fall where it may. it's utterly dishonest to suggest, mr. chairman, that we are seeking to deny any soldier the health care they deserve and the benefits that nearly all republicans and democrats have spent our careers in congress working to protect and prove. why need we go to that? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. time has -- the gentleman's time has expired. mr. camp: i ask that the gentleman's words be taken down for the false statements. the spe

mr. speaker, mr. speaker, mr. speaker, is common cause within this house that we support the campaign in iraq and in afghanistan. and it is common cause, it is common cause also that we do not send our troops into battle without the commanders ushering us that they are properly equipped for the operations they are undertaking. in every instance where the ministry of defense asks for equipment under you or i, that's urgent operational requirements, that equipment was given. and if i may say so, as far as the vehicles were concerned, the leader of the opposition praise us last summer for what we have done to increase the number of vehicles in afghanistan. so if we're talking that these issues, let us find where the common ground is rather than where there is division. >> mr. speaker, is members apartment, his members of parliament have questioned the integrity of people who serve this country, fought for this country, who are essays in bravery of this country. before we go on he's got to get to that dispatch and asso

mr. speaker. six days ago it was announced that the world's first mass-produced affordable zero emission car would be made in wierside securing thousands of highly skilled manufacturing jobs. and as the prime minister to ensure the investment which has been permitted providing the infrastructure, charging point, and support for the british motors to wants to switch to zero emission cars will be maintained and improved in the coming years to ensure that the u.k. will have its rightful place as our leader and the zero carbon emissions. >> let me thank my right honourable friend for what he has done and what nissan has done. that will mean not only securing and creating jobs, 50,000 vehicles a year produced in the united kingdom. mr. speaker, i have to say that the one reason it was possible to make this investment was that there was support available from government for the development of the new technologies they are making. unfortunately the conservative and a policy would withdraw support. we are

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized to address the house for one minute. mr. poe: mr. speaker, three of our tenacious navy seals captured one of the worst terrorists in the world. in 2004 four blackwater security guards was transporting supplies to fallujah, iraq. they were caught in an ambush and murdered by those cowards in the desert. these americans were set on fire, mutilated, dragged through the streets and hung from a bridge over the ue raties river. the terrorist was the mastermind between the massacre of these americans, but navy seals captured this outlaw. but now for some odd reason they are being put on trial, the seals, not the terrorists. the whinny terrorists later claimed he was punched in the stomach during his capture on the battlefield. it hurt his little terrorist feeli

mr. speaker. it's march. it means march madness. normally it means hoops in basketball. but, no, this united states congress means more and more false statements made about health care. the other side of the aisle continues the march madness talking about socialism, comparing our system to england and canada. nothing like it at all. what our system proposes is subsidizing people who don't have health care and small businesses to make sure they get health care and can live truly life, health, liberty and the pure suit of happiness. they talk about abortion. doesn't change the hyde amendment. they talk about procedure, procedure they used. they talk about creeping socialism. there's nothing about socialism. the fact is this country is the last industrialized country in the world to provide health care for citizens. it's the right thing to do. we will be proud of this congress when we pass it. i wish it was bipartisan. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlema

mr. speaker, i'd ask mr. mcgovern if he has any additional speakers. mr. mcgovern: i have one additional speaker and then i'm closing. mr. diaz-balart: i'll reserve. mr. mcgovern: i'd like to yield three minutes to mr. blumenauer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon is recognized for three minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you. i appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in permitting me to speak on this. i continue to have profound reservations about our troop commitments first in iraq and more recently with president obama's decision to escalate our presence in afghanistan. history suggests we will not be successful in stabilizing afghanistan with military force. no one has, i don't think anyone ever will. afghanistan today is perhaps the most corrupt country in the world, ranked next to last out of 180, according to transparency international. if you have a culture of corruption it's hard to plant seeds, it's hard to have allies remain loyal. global economic development through roads and watt railroad not he isow teric abstract issues. these are th

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, this is the people's house.'re sent here to represent the people throughout america. some are actually in the gallery. some marching around this building. some are sitting at home watching on tv or they're in their car driving back from church and many of them have been calling this congress. and they've been asking one thing -- why does washington refuse to listen? they see what many on this side of the aisle see -- the arrogance of washington. we're here to represent our constituents which is why we're asking why are we voting on a health care bill today that empowers government instead of the people? survey after survey demonstrates the unpopularity of today's bill, not only the substance of it, but thethe deals, and the short cuts that led us to where we are today. but the deal is being pushed through because the majority in this congress refuse to listen to the people. the speaker has even said that she believes that she has to pass this bill to people can find out what's in it. the logic here is washington

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and to insert extraneous materials thereon. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. scott: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume at this point. mr. speaker, i rise today in strong support of house resolution 1082, which supports the goals and ideals of the fourth annual america saves week, which was held february 21 through february 28 of this year. mr. speaker, the primary focus of this year's america saves week is encouraging automatic and habitual savings, a great need at this time in the history of our country. this is a theme that is reflected in the work of our financial and economic literacy caucus. the treasury's office of financial education as well as the financial literacy education commission and federal agencies and nonprofit community based groups, private sector organizations, the consumer federation of america an

mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i want to thank and congratulate chairman levin for his leadership on this issue and particularly want to thank him for the gesture of reaching out to the minority on this and hope the a glimpse of things to come and as the chairman indicated, this is one of these areas that clearly all of america comes together. there's ample examples of where we've done this in the past, obviously with the tsunami back in 2005 and most recently members of the ways and means committee that were on the floor together urging us to change the tax code to accommodate the relief efforts in haiti. this also is really worthy of us coming together quickly in this tax season and allowing americans to make contributions to chile and in fact extending the period of time that their able to make -- they're able to make contribu

mr. deputy speaker, mr. deputy speaker, the structural deficits which takes into account the economic cycle is estimated to the 8.4 percent of gdp this year, and fall to 2.5 present by the period. mr. deputy speaker, that is a reduction of the structural deficit over two-thirds removing the bulk of the structural deficit by the end of the next parliament. as i said before, should the economy performed better than expected, will be able to do more to reduce the deficit. mr. deputy speaker, in 2007, government debt as a share of the economy was lower in the u.k. than in every other g7 country, except canada. debt has increased across the world as a result of this global recession. of according to the imf, medvedev is a share of gdp is expected to reach 82 percent of germany, 85 percent in america. as a result of our action to support the economy, i can forecast the public sector net debt here will reach 54 percent of gdp this year. it will then increase to 75 percent by the end of the forecast period in 2014-15

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. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. johnson: and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, this resolution honors the heroic actions of court security officer stanley cooper, deputy united states marshal richard j. "joe" gardner and the law enforcement officers of the united states marshal service and las vegas metropolitan police department as well as the court security officers involved in responding to the armed assault at the lloyd d. george federal courthouse in las vegas, nevada, on this past january the 4, 2010. on january 4, 2010, a man entered the lobby of the lloyd d. george federal courthouse, pulled a shotgun from underneath his jacket and began firing indiscriminately from outside the security area

mr. speaker, mr. speaker, mr. speaker, i didn't have a question. >> order. >> i which is ask if you could ask my auto and to repeat the question. i didn't have a question. there's too much noise opposite. >> it doesn't make much sense for members to shout at the tops of their voices and then complain when someone isn't heard. mr. phil wilson's? [laughter] >> and my writable friend tell me what it will be part of the bill? >> well, unfortunately nothing in the bill will be retrospective. but what should happen is assurances that were made to pay tens of million of pounds of tax should be kept. so we have taken those measures that were passed to the house last night. their importance, but that does not relieve lord ashcroft of his obligations to pay his taxes. >> mr. speaker, the government is often apologizing for things in the past, such as the treatment of child migrants to australia after the war. which however regrettable, the government was not responsible for. so why can't they apologize for things that they a

mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to support this important resolution, h.res. 1081. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee yields the balance of his time. the question is now will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution number 1081. so many as are in favor say aye . those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to, and without objection the mobaling the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. . for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? mr. cohen: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1087. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1087, resolution honoring the life of john h. "jack" ruffin jr. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohen, and the gentleman fr

mr. speaker, mr. speaker, mr. speaker, is common cause within this house that we support the campaign in iraq and in afghanistan. and it is common cause, it is common cause also that we do not send our troops into battle without the commanders ushering us that they are properly equipped for the operations they are undertaking. in every instance where the ministry of defense asks for equipment under you or i, that's urgent operational requirements, that equipment was given. and if i may say so, as far as the vehicles were concerned, the leader of the opposition praise us last summer for what we have done to increase the number of vehicles in afghanistan. so if we're talking that these issues, let us find where the common ground is rather than where there is division. >> mr. speaker, is members apartment, his members of parliament have questioned the integrity of people who serve this country, fought for this country, who are essays in bravery of this country. before we go on he's got to get to that dispatch and asso

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. gingrey: mr. speaker, when you're having fun, time really flies and even when you're not having fun it flies. thank you so much and we'll look forward to tomorrow. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, for 60 minutes. mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. and i do appreciate that very much. it is an honor any time to come speak, have the privilege of speaking on the house floor. it's been a long day, it's been a long week. i fear there will be longer days, weeks and years in the future if tomorrow this bill passes. because some of us have seen socialized medicine firsthand. as an exchange student in the soviet union i've seen it back in 1973. i know where this all goes. i've seen where this plays out. and i know that my friends on the other side of the aisle believe their motivation is the highest and best. i understand that. i understand our friends that are push

mr. speaker. i think everybody knows that -- the speaker pro tempore: the house is -- >> the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is correct. the gentleman will suspend members will remove their conversations from the chamber and take their seats. sproy -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> i think we all know sunday night the health care bill passed the house and today it's tuesday and there's an awful lot of celebrating going on, but i can tell you firsthand that a lot of people are not celebrating. in fact, a lot of people are very unhappy that this bill passed. i heard from them last night because i had one of my regularly scheduled live telephone town hall meetings and at the peak of that town hall meeting, we had almost 8,000 people on the call. i asked the question, do you feel like your concerns were heard by the democratic leadership before that bill was brought to the house? 86% of the people said no. later in that town hall call, i said, do

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. dingell: madam speaker, i thank my colleague mr. waxman for his leadership and his gracious comments. i want to thank and praise our speaker, our majority leader and the leader in the senate for the great leadership they have given us in this time. today is a day that's going to rank with the day we passed the civil rights bill in 1964. today we are doing something that ranks with what we did with social security and medicare. this is a day in which we can all be proud if we vote for that legislation. facts are an intransgent, hard thing. let's look at the facts of that this does. 32 million americans are going to have health care that don't now. america, which has health care of the best character in the world, does not make it available to 32 million of its people because they can't afford it. and americans every day are losing their health care. 18,000 americans every year die for want of health care. and 44,000 americans also go bankrupt because of it. what does this bill do? it gives americans the same health care that we here i

mr. speaker. i rise today to voice my strong support for h.r. 4786. i yield myself such time as i may consume, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. coble: the distinguished gentleman from minnesota has covered this bill in detail. i'll speak briefly to it. midnight february 28 through march 2 all the programs in the operations of the agencies funded under the highway trust fund came to a halt because an extension of these programs was not passed by congress, as the chairman has already pointed out. as a result, nearly 2,000 department of transportation employees were furloughed. this bill will ensure that these employees furloughed at no fault of their own will receive their normal compensation for that period of time. between february 28 and march 2 certain service transportation activities were classified as essential, such as federal safety inspection of trucks and buses. this bill approves these activities as essential actions taking to save

mr. speaker. speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from -- >> i ask for a call of the house. >> without objection, the call of the house is ordered. members will record their presence by electronic device. members will have 15 minutes to record their presence. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the continues. host: i want to tell you about him before we get into the discussion about policy in process on health care. in the 1993 was part of a working group for president clinton's task group on health care reform. as you can imagine, he has been very much involved in the debate. guest: thank you. host: this morning we have been all over the top rita. house democrats looking at this to pass obamacare without a vote on senate bill. this will be hard to unders

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. the house will be in order. the house will be in order. the gentleman from virginia. >> mr. speaker, i ask to address the house for one minute for the purposes of inquiring about the weekend schedule. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. cantor: i thank the speaker and i yield to the majority leader to inform the house of this weekend's schedule. mr. hoyer: i thank -- i thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the republican whip for yielding. as previously announced on friday, the house will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business. on saturday, members are advised the house will meet at 9:00 a.m. which is the customing with recorded votes as early as 10:00 a.m. this is a change from the previously announced schedule. this is a change from the previously announced schedule. we're going to meet. what's the problem? you know, let me tell you a little story senator sarbanes used to tell. he was giving a speech once and

mr. clyburn. the speakerpro tempore: before the gentleman is recognized, under clause 8 of rule 16 -- excuse me, 17, members may not refer to the occupants of the gallery. mr. spratt: three minutes. mr. clyburn: mr. speaker, we have come to a defining moment in our nation's history. tonight i'm thinking about the woman who called into a talk radio program i appeared on last august. she called in to take issue with the gentleman who had just called in earlier to say that he did not support our efforts to reform the health care system because he liked the insurance he had. the caller share herd experiences of having been dropped from coverage by an insurance company she thought she liked. just as she started her second treatment for breast cancer. she said to the gentleman, maybe he'd liked the insurance he had because he had never tried to use it. with these reforms, dropping people from coverage when they are diagnosed with catastrophic illnesses would no longer be allowed and denying insurance to children wi

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- the gentleman from illinois. >> mr. speaker, on that i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 416. the nays are one. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. we would ask the house come to

mr. speaker.firstly can i add my cond olences to those of my right honorable friends, david greenhouse that lives in elkerson, lived in my constituency and was a very brave young man. to receive a diagnosis of cancer must be one of the most frightening experiences in a person's life. currently one in three see a cancer specialist within two weeks. can i ask the prime minister to build on that goal and make it a legal entitlement, further reassuring patients and their families? >> i'm grateful to my honorable friend who's taken a very keen interest in how we can progress against cancer in our country. the truth is if people get early screening and early diagnosis there is a 90% cross chance of survival from both breast and bowel cancer. that is why we are so keen that everybody can see a specialist as quickly as possible and get the diagnosis as quickly as possible. that is what will save lives. i have to say the policy of having a guarantee of two weeks, then one week, has got massive support arou

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, further parliamentary inquiry. under house resolution 24 the gentleman from california, mr. stark, ranks next after mr. rangel in the resolution electing the members of the committee. under that resolution and by operation of the house, rule 10, clause 5-c, mr. stark is currently the chairman of the ways and means as i understand the answer, is that correct? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is acting chair. clause 5-c of rule 10 contemplates that the house will again establish an elected chair by adopting a resolution which typically is produced by direction of the majority party caucus. mr. carter: further parliamentary inquiry. in light of mr. rangel's letter to the speaker which states in relevant part that he requests the leave of absence, does the reinstating of the gentleman from new york, mr. rangel, to the chairman of the committee on ways and means require as a necessary action the adopting of a resolution by the full house of representatives ele

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does. >> i ask to speak out of order for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman has five minutes. . mr. edwards: charlie wilson was bigger than life and he was as real as the texas day is long. i considered it a privilege and a joy to know him as a colleague and as a friend. most americans will forever know charlie wilson from the movie "charlie wilson's war." i asked people who knew charlie if he was as collarful as he was portrayed to be in that movie. that movie was the only time ever that hollywood had to tone down reality in order to make it believable. i have no idea whether charlie ever read shakespeare. but whether he did or not, the twuth is he personified -- the truth is he personified hamlet. this above all, to thine ownself be true and it must follow the night, the day, thoust cannot be faulted to any men. did he know charlie wilson? he was not fault to any man, any person or any constituent, not eve

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. waxman: madam speaker, i yield to the majority leader of the house of representatives, the gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer, one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for one minute. mr. hoyer: i thank my friend for yielding. today is march 21, 2010. on march 21, 1945, martin luther king jr. led a march across the he had monday pettis bridge -- across the edmon pettis bridge. it was a march across that bridge towards a greater freedom for many americans. it was a march for a better quality of life for many americans. indeed, it was a march across the bridge for freedom and a better realization of the promise of our democracy. today, march 21, 2010, we will cross another bridge. it is not a physical bridge but it is a bridge that too many americans find that they cannot cross, a river that separates them from the security of having available the best health care that is available in the world. available to them. we are here to conclude a day of deb

mr. speaker. i would like to say that i take exception to the suggestion that this process has been conducted in an open way. we have 3,800 pages of materials right here that we've been given in the last three days. who on earth is able to go through 3,800 pages? that consists of the bill itself, h.r. 4872, 2,300 pages, house report volumes 1 and 2 from the budget committee report explaining the bill, that adds up to 1,300 pages. and the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the reconciliation act, 150 pages. that's a total of 3,800 pages that we've been given in the last 72 hours. what kind of process is this? i would like to yield one minute now to representative souder from the state of indiana. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana is recognized for one minute. mr. souder: in an earlier bill where i was talking about the veterans' hate care parts of this bill -- health care parts of this bill, chairman andrews and i had a follow-up discussion about two of the details which s

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, there are those who contend that we are moving too quickly, we're moving too swiftly and that we must slow down, in fact this frns lates into -- translates into, we really should not go forward at all. and to these who would contend that we should stop at this point, that we should simply let it go, my response is, we cannot let health care go because it won't let us go. the system is not sustainable. it is unsustainable as currently implemented, currently we're spending about $2.5 trillion per year on health care. $2.5 trillion is a big number. it's difficult to get your mind around $2.5 trillion. $79,000 a second, however, is a number that we can comprehend and that is what we're spending, $79,000 per second. 2018, depending on who's counting and how you count the numbers, we'll be spending more than 20% of g.t.p. per second. we cannot sustain the current system. it must be revamped. this system has to change. 46 million people uninsured depending on who's counting when you

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: ms. secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed without amendment h.r. 4691, to provide a temporary extension of certain programs and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman may proceed. mr. braley: thank you, mr. speaker. what we were talking about before that news -- welcome news arrived, is how you create economic incentives to change corporate behavior from excessive speculation and also provide new revenues to stimulate economic development and help us reduce the deficit. and i'm going to ask one of our newest members and youngest members for the populist caucus, our good friend from virginia, tom perriello, to talk about this -- the importance of having a bill like this to guide us on a new direction for economic recovery and what that means to the people in his district in virginia. with that i'll yield to my good friend. mr. perlmutter: thank you very much for that news and for the -- mr. perriello: thank you

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to very vice and extend their remarks -- which to revise and extend their remarks. i now yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. clay: thank you. mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 4621 as amended. i would like to thank chairman towns and ranking member issa of the committee on oversight and government reform and congresswoman maloney and congressman shaff etc. for working with me on this legislation. as chairman of the information policy census of national archives oversight subcommittee, this legislation is of particular importance to me. this legislation would require certain mailings which have the term census on the outside of the envelope to also include an accurate return address and the name of the sender on the envelope. h.r. 4621 would also mandate that such mailings follow existing legal requirements to include disclaimers m

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is correct. mr. kucinich: i would like to have the attention of members who are in the chamber. the speaker pro tempore: the chair would ask all members to take their conversations from the floor. the chair recognizes the gentleman from ohio. mr. kucinich: i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. speaker, in 2001 i joined the house in voting for the authorization for the use of military force. in the past 8 1/2 years it has become clear that the authorization for the ice of military force is being interpretted as carte blanche for sir couple -- interpreted as carte blanche for circumventing congress' role as a co-equal branch of government. my legislation invokes the war powers resolution of 1973 and if enacted would require the president to withdraw u.s. armed forces from afghanistan by december 31, 2010. the debate today will be the first opportunity we have had to revisit the 2001 authorization for the use of military force which the house supported following the worst terrorist attack in our

mr. speaker. . the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. record votes on postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts seek recognition? lynch good morning, mr. speaker. -- mr. lynch: good morning, mr. speaker. i ask that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1096 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1096, resolution encouraging individuals across the united states to participate in the 2010 census to ensure an accurate and complete count beginning april 1, 2010, and expressing support for designation of march, 2010, as census awareness month. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gen

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to call on the united states senate to follow the house's lead in passing the jobs bill. the house passed the hire act last week and now the senate needs to send it to the president for his signature. americans need jobs and we need them now. my constituents tell me they want congress to quit the bickering and the partisan posturing and get to work and fix the economy. wall street may be doing well enough for the bankers to reward themselves with big bonuses but folks on main street are still hurting. north carolina's unemployment rate has been above 11% for too long and some counties in my congressional district are experiencing unemployment as high as 14.6%. more than half a million north carolina workers are unemployed according to the new figures released by the employment security commission. i said before and i'll say it again, my top priorities are -- of what we need to be doing is jobs, jobs, jobs. the jobs bill will provide the incentive companies need to

mr. speaker, mr.sident, honorable members, on honorable senators, today is only the fifth time in the 110 year history of this parliament that the two houses have met together to hear an address from a visiting head of state or visiting head of government. and today's the first time that we do so to hear and address the republican president of indonesia. in doing so, we symbolize the profound changes that have occurred in the relationship between the two countries. mr. president, we welcome you as our neighbor. mr. president, we welcome you as our friend. and we welcome you now as a member of the family of democracies. a nation which now celebrates political freedom. a nation whose parliament is as loud and noisy and robust as the parliament which we are now assembled. a nation where freedom of the press is now exercised without constraint, without restraint, without fear of repression. these are profound changes in which you have played no small part. and we're delighted to welcome you now as a fello

mr. speaker. at this time i would like to yield five minutes to the gentleman from texas, judge poe, an esteemed member of our house foreign affairs committee, as well as the judiciary committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. poe: thank you, mr. speaker. this is about our troops. this is about americans who have been willing to protect the rest of us when duty calls and in time of war. army specialist juriet grimmle was one of those noble americans. he was a patriot and joined the united states army right out of high school. he had completed basic training before he graduated from high school, his junior year, at a high school in texas. in 2008 he married his high school sweetheart in a small ceremony before the justice of the peace. she joined him in alaska where he was deployed by the army to begin their young married lives together. he was a patrol supply specialists assigned to the 428th brigade special troops battalion, fourth brigade combat team, 2

mr. speaker. now, mr. speaker, i would like to recognize the distinguished ranking member of the veterans' affairs committee, a veteran of desert storm and retired united states army colonel, mr. buyer of indiana. for as much time as he shall consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. buyer: how much time the minority has? the speaker pro tempore: 13 minutes remaining. mr. buyer: thank you very much. i am first of -- first of all i would like to applaud buck mckeon and ike skelton for their efforts along with mr. levin permit this bill to be considered, but we haven't gone far enough. now, i -- it's kind of what happens when we rush or go too fast around here, we get sloppy in our drafting. now, when the bill that was passed here in the house, there was general authority provisions under the secretaries of d.o.d. and v.a. to ensure that those health systems would be protected. the authorities, their general provision authorities of the secretaries would be protected. that language wa

mr. speaker the house is -- >> mr. speaker -- >> you don't know that. >> mr. speaker -- mr. ill be in order. >> the gentle lady from new york will suspend. >> all right. >> the gentleman from california controls the time. the gentleman from california has been recognized. >> madame speaker, mr. speaker, i encourage everyone to read the rule because the only thing that we are guaranteed upon its passage is that the senate bill with the cornhusker kickback, gatorade, louisiana purchase, and all -- >> time is expired. >> -- in fact, becomes public law. >> the gentleman's time is expired. >> the gentle lady from new york is recognized. >> mr. speaker i yield myself one minute. yes the senate bill will become law today. followed by the reconciliation bill which contains the amendments to the law which contains what everybody here wants us to take out. the best way that they can achieve their ends of removing the things that are objectionable from the senate bill is to support reconciliation. and let's see if you can do it. >> the gentleman from new york. >>> we're here watching wh

mr. speaker. mr. ker, when we open our hearts to our young people, give generously and support and encouragement, these young people consistently exceed our expectations. let me tell you of the story of a dedicated group of students from a tiny island in the western pacific ocean and the teachers who supported and encouraged them. because on april 20, those students, the high school concert band, exceeded any reasonable expectations and will be performing at america's premier musical venues, carnegie hall. the high cool school opened a few years. it was a beautiful facility and needed to be filled with life and heart. the new students and new teachers quickly adopted the motto, one school, one heart, and began to bring their school to life. one of the new teachers, mr. dewitt. he is a musician and inspired his students who were enthusiastic to learn. but few had musical training. yet, within a few months of opening, he enjoyed the performance of his band, the concert band and quickly and the musical re

mr. shadegg: i thank the speaker mr. shadegg: i thank the speaker and i'd like to begin an hour hope to discuss with my colleagues and with the american people the extraordinary situation we face with respect to health care reform here in the united states house. i believe most people across america know that we've been debating health care reform for almost a year now, actually quite frankly a little over a year now. and i think most americans agree with me and probably with almost everybody who comes to this floor that our health care system needs to be reformed. i have been a passionate advocate for health care reform since i was elected in 1994 and i believe i've written more health care reform proposals and introduced them in this congress than perhaps any other member who began serving in 1995 or thereafter. i began working on patients' bill of rights legislation and have moved onto comprehensive reform legislation because i think our system can be much better than it currently is. indeed, if you look at it, the pre

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. gingrey: thank you, madam speaker. if the democrats are so proud of the health care bill, why the -- mr. kingston: if the democrats are so proud of the health care bill, why the sutter fuge. speaker pelosi said, we'll tunnel under it, bridge over it and break through it. if they're so proud of the health care bill, why the cornhusker kickback, why the louisiana purchase, why the gate tore-aid, why all the other special interest bills. if they're so proud, why not post it on the webpage. here's what the speaker said. we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what's in it. in other words, the height of d.c. arrogance and beltway we know best. i call on fair-minded democrats to join me in denouncing this process and standing up for transparent and fair and open government and let's have a bill that comes to the floor in which amendments are allowed and one that has come through the committee process. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> address the house for on

mr. speaker. speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. ms. woolsey of california. the the gentlewoman from california is recognized for five minutes. ms. woolsey: mr. speaker, there is no greater security threat in the world than the continued development and proliferation of nuclear weapons. a single nuclear strike has the pour power to destroy the planet and obliterate the human race. the headline in "new york times" read, white house is rethinking nuclear policy, and boy did it need some rethinking. after years of a grossly irresponsible strategy, we should all be grateful that the obama administration seems poised on this issue to put us on a course for global security. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman will suspend. the house will be in order. the gentlewoman may resume. ms. woolsey: mr. speaker, it appears that the president is prepared to dramatically reduce the size of the u.s. nuclear stockpile. all accounts are that there will be no development of n