mr. speaker. mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma rise? mr. lankford: mr. speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition? mr. lankford: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2213. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2213, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 801 west eastport street in iuka, mississippi, as the sergeant jason w. vaughn post office. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. lankford, and the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. lankford: i yield

mr. speaker. we've been down this road before. our country faces unprecedented debt. bergburg the house has worked to cut spending and reduce the -- mr. berg: the house has worked to cut spend and reduce the deficit but the obama administration would rather raise taxes and mislead americans with scare tactics rather than support these commonsense solutions. . we cannot do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. americans have tightened their belts and have made the tough choices. it's time for washington to do the same. our financial situation is a mess. it's going to be a long road to get our country back on track. but it's clear we can begin right here. we need to cut the spending. we need to cap the growth in government and we need to balance the budget. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. speaker. i would remind my colleagues that this provision they're tal

mr. speaker. we must act in an unprecedented way and that is to follow the boehner plan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, i'd like to ask unanimous consent to insert in the record a statement by robert greenstein, the president of the center on budget and policy priorities who says that -- if enacted the boehner bill could really produce the greatest increase in poverty and hardship by any law in modern history. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcgovern: at this point i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from colorado, my colleague on the rules committee, mr. polis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized for two minutes. mr. polis: mr. speaker, this smoke and mirror bill before us today stands to increase, yes, increase the deficit of the united states of america by over $100 billion. let me walk the speaker through the math here. this is why credit ratings matter. countries that have a.a. cred

mr. speaker, with that, mr. speaker, i'm happy to yield one minute to our presidential candidate, our good friend from still water, minnesota, mrs. bachmann. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized. the house will be in order. mrs. bachmann: thank you, mr. speaker. throughout this debate over guaranteeing insane never-before-seen in the history of this country levels of spending, president obama has coolly stood on the sidelines, his arms crossed, very simply castigating republicans for n giving him a $2.4 trillion blank check. meanwhile the only plan that the president has put forward is his february budget which in itself contained yet one more $.5 trillion deficit. the president has no plan. only the republicans have offered plans. now is the time for the president to show leadership and the only leadership that he's showing is one that's saying,ities ,ities ,ities -- saying, tisk, tisk, tisk. we call on the president of the united states to finally engage in the process. and i yi

mr. speaker, thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, by the direction of the democratic caucus, i offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. caller: house resolution 377, resolved, that the following named members be and are hereby elected to the following standing committees of the house of representatives -- one, committee on armed services -- mr. larson: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered as read and printed in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. without objection, the motion is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the house will be in order. members, please take your conversations from the floor. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> mr. speaker, first to make a point of order that the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is correct. the house is not in order. members, remove your conversations from the floor. the house will be

mr. speaker. the speaker: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i ask for a recorded vote on the closed rule. the speaker: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is 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 236. the nays are 177. the resolution is adopted. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the house will be in order. for what purpose does the gentleman from idaho rise? >> madam speaker, i present a privileged report for printing under the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: report

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to address bills pending on -- who were already signed into law in 45 states that will disenfranchise voters. these bills will prohibit address changes at the polls, end volunteer run voter registration drives, end same-day voter registration and limit absentee voters to cap their ballot. photo identification requirements, just this month the ohio state legislature passed and the governor signed into law one of the most draconian voter measures in the nation. ohio's house bill 194 invalidates a vote where a voter properly marks the ballot in support of a particular candidate but also writes in the same of that candidate. these bills dramatically reduce the time required for early voting and eliminates the requirement that poll workers direct voters to the correct precinct. these new policies are a clear attempt to prevent certain predetermined segments of the population from exercising their right to vote. to be frank, mr. speaker, these efforts have an all-too fa

mr. speaker. last november we all know that there was an overwhelming message that was september by the american people to washington, d.c. and that message was, number one, create jobs. get our economy back on track and in so doing rein in the dramatic increase in the size and scope and reach of government that we witssed in the past several years. we all know in the last four years we've had an 82% increase in nondefense discretionary spending, an 82% increase. so the message that was sent was, that has to come to an end. so speaker boehner, when asked by the president of the united states to move an increase in the debt ceiling, said that he was willing to do that. he recognized, as i believe an overwhelming majority of both democrats and republicans in this institution recognize, it is absolutely essential that we increase the debt ceiling. we've got to do everything that we can to ensure that social security checks get to those retirees. we have to make sure tt the many other obligations that

mr. speaker, thank you, mr. levin. at this very moment the whole world is watching in on the united states congress. it is a sad day for the united states congress. we in america, the preeminent military, economic and cultural leaders in the world are governing like we're a thirled world country -- third world country. t.s.a. sad time for this body -- it is a sad time for this body that we cannot come together. sad is the american public who looks in at this and recognizes that it's theater, except that it's become the theater of the absurd. in a frail recovery where americans are already overburdened, what we have in front of us is a manufactured ideological crisis. 18 times the debt ceiling was raised for ronald reagan. eight times for george bush. because they would never stand in this body to see a default on the full faith and credit of the united states. as the world looks in and we default on a global economy and we default, march toward defaulting on a national economy, the most ruinous thing is that we are def

mr. speaker, mr. speaker, there are currently 163 statutory organizations within the national health services. can the prime minister tell us how many there will be after his reorganization? >> i can tell the honorable gentleman -- what i can tell the honorable gentleman is the health reform that now have the support of the health minister will see a reduction in bureaucracy because they're getting rid of strategic health authorities and we are getting rid of primary care trusts. >> ed miliband. >> let me get an answer to the question, mr. speaker. the number will go up from 163, the 521. [shouting] >> health and well being bored, shadow commissioning groups, authorize commission groups and national commissioning boards. sha clusters, clinical networks, and clinical centers. mr. speaker, is this what he meant by bonfire? [shouting] if you looks at the figures of savings, he will see where saving 5 million pounds through the reduction of bureaucracy. that is what's happening. what we inherited was a sit

mr. speaker. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i had meeting this morning, in addition to the duties in the house, i shall have further such meetings today. >> mr. speaker, secretly deleting voicemails left for a teenager. buying the silence of the public figures that could incriminate your business, and publishing the details of a disabilitied child who happens to have a famous father. i ask the prime minister are any of these the acts of a fit and proper person? >> here. >> my honorable friends makes an extremely powerful point in a powerful way. i think we have to be clear about what is happening here. there is a fire storm, if you like that, that is engulfing parts of the media, parts of the police, and indeed our political system's ability to respond. what we must do in the coming days and weeks think above all of the victims like the downing family watching this today and make doubly sure we dependent to what happens and prosecutor those who are guilty. [cheering] >> mr. speaker, yesterday, i met the family of milli

mr. speaker, -- you know what, mr. speaker, i think the public and the victims of the scandal want us to rise above it and deal with the problems that the country faces. >> ed milliband. >> mr. speaker, he just doesn't get it. [cheering] >> he just doesn't get it. i say this to the prime minister, he was worned by the deputy prime minister of our hiring andy, and he was warned by lord ashtown about hiring andy, he has now admitted in the house of commons that his chief of staff was given complete evidence, which contradicted andy's previous account. the prime minister must now public the fullest account of all of the information that was provided and what he did and why those warnings went unheeded. he should do, most of all, he should apologize for the era of judgment he had in hiring andy. >> i'm afraid, mr. speaker, the leader who is not getting it the leader. what the public wants us to do is sort out bad practices of the media, fix the corruption in the police, they want a proper public inquiry, and they are entitl

mr. speaker. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i'm sure the whole house would wish to pay tribute to scott mcclairen for the royal regiment of scotland. this week i witnessed at first hand the sacrifice of our soldiers. i pay tribute to the bravy of this brave soldier. our thoughts will be with his family and friends but we pay tribute and all like him who serve our country so magnificently in afghanistan and elsewhere. >> here, here. >> i had meetings with ministerial members. >> can i agree with what the prime minister said and i have a son in afghanistan. it's a dreaded thing thinking you get that knock on the door that he's lost in action. and our sympathies go with scott's father and mother and that particular team. here, here. >> mr. speaker, that yesterday we give 10 billion pounds to the bailout to banks in greece. we give 7 billion pounds to the bailout in ireland. we give 100 billion, this is the british taxpayer, 100 million a year for their -- the quality of the banks in this country for insurance purposes and other pu

mr. speaker. there is an err of unreality here on capitol hill. there is some people with no experience in government, little knowledge and less regard about the outcomes who are pontificating, lecturing, threatening. the disconnect between the rhetoric, the reality between governance and an ideological agenda is in large part why we are in the conundrum we are in today with the debt ceiling, something that has routinely been increased year after year for decades. it was on full display in the republican-controlled house yesterday as we debated the interior appropriation bill. now, remember last woke, republicans took to the floor with a so-called cut, cap and balance proposal, which is their answer going forward with the economy. it would require, impose an 18% limit on the amount of spending that the federal government could employ in any one year. now, remember that is not what we have done for years. ronald reagan never proposed a budget that was even 21% of gross domestic product, so it's a dr

mr. speaker. i yield a minute to the gentleman from texas, mr. green. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. green: i rise in opposition to the drastic cuts of social security and medicare and other crucial federal programs that this cut, cap, and balance act were forced on th american people. the cut, cap, and balance act takes our nation closer to default, holding the debt ceiling hostage until congress passes the constitutional amendment to limit spending to 18% of g.d.p. the last time it was below 18% of g.d.p. was 1966. even under ronald reagan the federal spending averag over 22% of g.d.p. there is almost no conceivable way to revert federal spending back to the 1960 levels without sharp cuts in every program, including medicare and social security. in ord to reduce federal spending 18% of g.d.p., every federal program, including social security and medicare, would need

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise and urge my colleagues to support -- i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: thank you. mr. speaker, i rise to urge my colleagues to support h.r. 440, establishing a special envoy to promote religious freedom of religious minorities in the near east and south central asia. the bill is authored by my very good friend and colleague, congressman frank wolf, who is also the author of the international religious freedom act of 1998 and other religious freedom legislation. he has taken the lead in this congress time and time again to advance the cause of those who are persecuted because of their faith. i wish to thank him for his years of service on this issue, his legislation and tireless advocacy on behalf religious freedom. mr. speaker, this bill establishes the special envoy position for religious minorities in 31 middle eastern and south central asian countries. almost all of which have had bad or very b

mr. speaker? i think the public and the victims of this appalling scandal want us to rise above this and deal with the problems of the country faces. >> mr. speaker, he does -- he just does not get it. i say this to the prime minister. he was warned about the deputy chief prime minister about hiring andy coulson. he has not admitted in the house of commons today that his chief of staff was given complete evidence which contradicted andy coulson's previous account. the prime minister must now published the fullest account of all the information that was provided and what he did and why does warnings went unheeded. he should do -- he should apologize for the catastrophic error of judgment in hiring andy coulson. >> i am afraid, mr. speaker, the person who is not getting it is the leader of the opposition. what the public wants us to do is to address this firestorm. they want us to sort out bad practices of the media. they want us to fix the corruption and the police. they want a proper public inquir

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today i would like to extend my sincere appreciation to paul callahan, a dedicated staff member in the office of the second congressional district of south carolina. after eight years in washington, paul will be departing the office at the end of this month to return home to south carolina. paul has been a faithful public servant for the people of south carolina's second congressional district since november, 2003. he has served in a variety of capacities ranging from scheduler to legislative core spendent to senior legislative assistant. paul truly fulfills the role of dedicated hill staffer. most recently, paul's pour foalio has con-- portfolio has consisted of housing, telecommunications and foreign affairs. his hard work has been a valuable asset in the office for the citizens of south carolina. it is with sincere gratitude i'd like to thank paul for his expertise and enthusiasm. he will be missed in the office, and i wish you well. i wish you, jenny, charlotte, juda and-m

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman ll suspend. the gentleman will suspend. the house will be in order. the house will be in order. the gentman has the right to be heard. the gentleman from massachusetts will state his inquiry. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, is it true that a bill considered under suspension of the rules denies the minority party the right to offer any amendments or even a motion to recommit? the speaker pro tempore: a motion to suspend is not liable to amendment on the floor. mr. mcgovern: further parliamentary inquiry, meerks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will state his parliamentary inquiry. mr. mcgovern: is it true that it requires a 2/3 supermajority vote in order for a bill to vote? the speaker pro tempore: under rule 15, a motion to suspend it will have 2/3, a quorum being present. mr. mcgovern: further parliamentary inquiry, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will state his inquiry. >> the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore

mr. speaker. at a well-intended briefing conducted by the aclu, the national institute for puerto rican latino policy and the legal defense and education fund, as part of their briefing, these organizations showed a video depicting some of the many themes of violence by the police of puerto rico against unarmed and peaceful protestors. i have seen this video and i am certain that many members that see these images would be moved to indig nation and action, that these things happen under the american flag and these abuses are committed against american citizens is simply shameful. if any of my colleagues saw these images, i am sure they would feel the same thing i felt when i saw them. mr. speaker, it's out of my deep concern for the people of puerto rico that i wish to inform my colleagues that i have sent a letter today to the attorney general, eric holder. this letter requests the release of any and all documents and information regarding contacts by officials or representatives and lobbyists of

mr. speaker, was mrs. brooks lying yesterday when she said it was the chancellor's bright idea to hire andy coulson? >> the chancellor has many bright ideas and the chancellor and i discussed many things but in the end i never seek to shuffle off my responsibilities. this was my decision. i'm accountable for it. >> mr. speaker, one of the leader of the opposition charges in his statement was the reason the commissioner didn't tell the home secretary or the prime minister about the appointment of neil wallace because of the position of andy coulson. the right member said that when he was the home secretary he wasn't informed about that appointment. isn't that rather bad to leave it -- >> even from nigeria i was able to follow the home secretary's excellent statement where she made precisely this point referring to what the former home secretary has said. so i do think it rather blows away part of his very flimsy case. >> sheila gilmore. >> thank you, mr. speaker. from the time i was elected to this house, i

mr. speaker. and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. now in order under the rule to have 30 minutes of debate controlled by the committee on ways and means. 15 minutes will be controlled by the chairman of the committee, mr. camp of michigan and 15 minutes controlled by mr. levin from michigan. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp. mr. camp: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. i mr. camp: i support the act which cuts out-of-control spending and responsible and necessary plan to avoid a default on our nation's debt. as we know under president obama, we are experiencing our third straight year of deficits in excess of $1 trillion. in four years, president obama's actions and projected budgets will add more than twice to our debt than was added during the previous eight years. all told, the debt will double under president obama's watch and reach a staggering $26 billion by 2021. double

mr. speaker. last weekend in eden prairie, minnesota, i had the privilege of attending a 5-k run in remembrance of u.s. major voise who lost his life when his offspring helicopter tragically went down in afghanistan. and now his family and friends have found a way to honor his life and sacrifice through an annual event that is now used to raise funds for a college scholarship awarded to students at eden prairie high school where randy graduated in 1985. in addition to this scholarship, his run seeks to raise awareness of the contributions of our men and women in uniform that they make every day to keep america free. the major may not live us but his memory lives on through his family and friends and his community and through the scholarships through the local high school students that share his values. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? mr. kucinich: mr. speaker, i ask permission to address th

mr. speaker. i yield a minute to the gentleman from texas, mr. green. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. green: i rise in opposition to the drastic cuts of social security and medicare and other crucial federal programs that this cut, cap, and balance act were forced on the american people. the cut, cap, and balance act takes our nation closer to default, holding the debt ceiling hostage until congress passes the constitutional amendment to limit spending to 18% of g.d.p. the last time it was below 18% of g.d.p. was 1966. even under ronald reagan the federal spending averaged over 22% of g.d.p. there is almost no conceivable way to revert federal spending back to the 1960 levels without sharp cuts in every program, including medicare and social security. in order to reduce federal spending 18% of g.d.p., every federal program, including social security and medicare, would

mr. speaker. will the prime minister be aware of the news this morning that portugal's debt has been downgraded to junk status. does he not agreed that you can't put off difficult decisions and the only plan b is bankruptcy? >> my honorable friend is entirely right. plan b stands for bureaucracy. we can see what governments don't get control of their debt and deficit and we can see the party opposite does not agree with that. >> does the prime minist agree with him with the offensive dangerous driving does not cause harm to these victims. sometimes they are left paralyzed and brain damaged. will the prime minister support me a my front bench in increasing the maximum sentence to seven years? >> i know the honorable gentleman speaks of great personal knowledge but not because of a constituency but because he worked as a barrister. death by driving and with the only tier sentence in the case someone was brought to me and someone was damaged in life and the maximum sentence for two years and we're lo

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, since 2005, i've spoken from this very spot 399 times. on nearly every occasion that house rules allow, i have stood to deliver a five-minute special order highlighting the moral outrage of the united states' continued military engagements in iraq, afghanistan, and now libya. i speak of the need also of a new smart security to keep america safe. today will be my 399th speech. i look forward to reaching number 400 next week, and i will continue this until my last day as a member of congress, which gives me approximately 18 months, 1 1/2 years, time to bring our troops safely home. during this week, the week that the house is debating the appropriations, i thought it would be fitting to focus on more spending, on the staggering costs that taxpayers are being asked to bear for our military occupation. $10 billion a month is a lot of money, and that's the price tag for the privilege of continuing to wage a 10-year war against afghanistan. $10 billion a month. the american people w

mr. speaker. having seen the committee report, i immediately asked the head of the civil service to a great -- service. there was an inquiry to meet growing public concern. this was contained in a memorandum to be rejecting such an inquiry. there was a media culture and deliberate obfuscation by news international. the practices were still continuing. the time has elapsed, and evidence has been destroyed. some people love already been punished, but there is no evidence of systemic failure. the decisions had been checked with the crime prosecution service, and this with the news of the world would deemed to be politically motivated because it was so close to the election. i think for the benefit of the future debates on this, mr. speaker, the memorandum stated about the judicial inquiry, and there was a case for a judicial inquiry but not a strong case for a non judicial inquiry it. to reopen the inquiry. >> mr. stewart. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this is bogus. mr. gordon brown. >> perhaps we ough

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia. mr. westmoreland: i request a recorded vote. no, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from idaho rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the further consideration of h.r. 2584 and that i may include tabular material on the same. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. pursuant to house resolution 363 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole on the state of the union for further consideration of h.r. 2584. will the gentleman from illinois, mr. dold, kindly take the chair? the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for further consideration of h.r

mr. speaker. for the purpose of debate only, i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from colorado, mr. polis, my colleague on the rules committee, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. webster: during consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. webster: mr. speaker, i rise today to support this rule and the underlying bill. the resolution 337 provides for an open rule consideration for house resolution -- h.r. 2354, the energy and water appropriation act of 2012. this rule provides for ample debate and opportunities for the members of the minority and majority to participate in that debate. the rule places no limitations on the number of amendments to be considered as long as they com

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, it was an honor to be here earlier with congressman ted poe from texas explaining about the federal lands and how they could be developed to create jobs and opportunity. it's particularly fitting that the speaker protemperature at this moment is daniel webster, congressman from florida, because over his head is inscribed a statement, a very wise statement from the previous daniel webster, the statesman of our country, and in the inscription over the head of our speaker pro tempore at this moment it says, let us develop the resources of our land. and so we know that the original daniel webster was correct and we know that judge ted poe is correct and our speaker pro tempore is correct. mr. speaker, last night the house passed the cut, cap and balance act of 2011. as the co-sponsor of this legislation, i am grateful to have my colleagues support this measure with bipartisan votes by republicans and five democrats. it cuts spending by $111 billion in twelve. it enacts statutes th

mr. speaker. under the previous labour government, when my right honorable friend the member for ashford damien green was arrested by the metropolitan police, the prime minister and home secretary today were not notified of the details of that investigation. at the time the labour front bench insisted that the matter of ministerial primity that they were not doing do. has he done what he should do and to say otherwise is hi-spock si? >> my right honorable friend makes a very good point. i think when you read the exchange of emails and you see what edward luellen said, you see it was cleared by inadvance of jeremy hayward. we don't live in a country where the prime minister should start ordering who should be arrested and who shouldn't be? >> the home secretary made a statement on monday of over 1,000 words but the two words neil and wallace weren't mentioned. she like me was unaware of his appointment. but we didn't -- we weren't in a situation where neil wallace's buddy was working for us. did th

mr. speaker. as we are talking about debts and deficits, financially, i'm here to talk about a freedom debt and freedom deficit that's occurring in parts around the world. one i have been focused on a lot is the country of belarus. the last dictatorship in europe. the political and economic and human rights situation in belarus has significantly deteriorated. a total of 33 opposition leaders and activists are still being held in prison for peacefully protesting against the dictatorial regime in 2010 presidential elections. slept protests have sprung up on an online campaign called revolution through social networks which encourages people to come to their locality, central squares, every wednesday to, press discontent with the lukashenko regime. journalists and ordinary people have and continue to be arrested. the authorities have also launched a distributed denial of service attack on opposition websites. the united states and the european union continue to condemn these activities. we must think

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. rangel, for five minutes. mr. rangel: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. rangel: mr. speaker, my colleagues, we have the opportunity to debate whether or not our brave young men and women are fighting in wars in foreign lands that has not been approved by the congress. as we talk in terms of trillions of dollars as to the national debt that we have acquired and think of ways we can reduce it, as we look at our revenue code and recognize that it is just so totally unfair and should be reformed and revamped, millions of people have awakened this morning unable to really consider these important issues because they are without work. millions of people have lost their self-esteem, have lost their jobs. some have lost their health insurance. many have lost their homes. others have pulled their kids out of college. cars have been lost because of the inability to pay, and credit has just been nightmares to them. including

mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from new jersey. >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> mr. speaker, the people of south sudan have endured two decades of wanton violence, rape, torture and hunger, systematically imposed upon them by the khartoum. mr. smith: four million people displaced and countless families disamated. the comprehensive peace agreement of 2005 ended the war and put south sudan on the path to nationhood. tomorrow in the people of south sudan emerge as the newest nation on earth. tomorrow when that dream is realized, americans will join the people of south sudan in celebrating this extraordinary hope-filled event. yet, recently at least 100,000 sudanese have been displaced from one area and tens of thousands of southerners living in another state have been recently forced from their homes, some of them m

mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. rangel: good morning, my colleagues. like most of you i have taken so many things around this wonderful capitol for granted, and this beautiful statement, in god we trust, unfortunately for me as han one of them. it has not really struck me like the pledge of allegiance to the flag or the "star spangled banner," or so many other things, but i think that now is the time that we really need god to guide us to do the right and the moral thing. and the reason we have to do it because we are dealing with something that is basic to all religious and faiths and that is our responsibility to make certain that we balance our budget, do what is fiscally necessary for our great nation to survive. but also to do it in such a way that the poor and the vulnerable who have nothing to do with the crisis that we face, are not hurt. so i guess this is what we are talking about when we say

the speaker pro tempore: thank you. mr. dreier: let me say, madam speaker, that senator mcconnell has just minutes ago asked senator reid to bring the reid proposal to the floor of the united states senate and a decision has been made by senator reid not to bring the measure up. on at least three occasions senator mcconnell has asked since senator reid has said that his proposal is the only one that can pass both houses of congress, senator mcconnell has asked us to show what we all know and had a is there is not going to be a majority of support in the -- all know and there is not going to be a majority of support. we look forward to the discussions that will take place between speaker boehner, senator reid, leader mcconnell, leader pelosi. and with that, madam speaker, i'd like to yield 30 seconds to a hardworking new member of congress from indiana, mr. young. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. young: thank you, madam speaker. we need to cut spending now. we need to contr

mr. jordan: reclaiming my time. the speaker pro tempore: the time is controlled by the gentleman from ohio. mr. jordan: is the gentleman from maryland suggesting if there's some changes made to the balanced budget amendment in our legislation that there would be 50 votes in the house to support it on your side? mr. van hollen: i've already indicated that there's a conversation to be had with respect to what's a reasonable approach but that is absolutely not what we're dealing with in this particular bill. the fact is you've got -- mr. jordan: reclaiming my time. what you're say something you think the balanced budget amendment is a good idea and something we need. mr. van hollen: we believe, as the president said, the best way for to us balance the budget is to get together and hammer out a deal sooner rather than later. mr. jordan: that's really worked well over the last 30 years. i yield to the gentleman from indiana. mr. burton: mr. speaker, the american people who may be paying attention to this whole debate may be confused

mr. speaker -- the speaker pro tempore: so ordered. mr. boustany: mr. speaker, as an original co-sponsor of this bill, i rise in strong support of h.j.res. 66 which would continue the imposition of sanctions against the repressive regime in burma for another year. the purpose of imposing sanctions against burma is to promote democracy and respect for human rights and improve living conditions for the burmese people. unfortunately the ruling giunta is zill dedicating to working against, not toward, those objectives. for that reason i am in favor of continuing our practice of extending import sanctions against burma for another year. burma's regime is one of the most -- one of the world's most repressive and continues to prepress democratic movements and humanitarian imism. on november 7, 2010, the military hu -- junta known as the state peace and development council or spdc, held an election for the first time in 20 years. however, while the elections are usually -- while elections are usually considered a step towards democracy, in this case it was actua

mr. speaker. i applaud my friend, the distinguished chairman of the financial services committee, the gentleman from alabama, spencer baucus, for providing such an open process and an opportunity for all members of the financial services committee to participate in reforming and changing this bill. additionally, the chairman of the rules committee, the gentleman from, david dreier, has once again provided members of this body with a rules committee vote to ensure that we have transparency and accountable structure under the rule which we are discussing today. allowing members from both sides of the aisle this opportunity to offer amendments and to join in the debate of the underlying legislation. today marks the first anniversary that president obama signed into law the 1,300-page unprecedent federal overhaul of the financial services industry. the frank-dodd wall street reform act. i had the opportunity to discuss this bill today and also i did last congress and we spoke at that time about its ove

mr. speaker, a message from the president. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: mr. secretary. sloim i'm directed by the president of the united states to deliver to the house of representatives a message in writing. the speaker pro tempore: the committee will resume its sitting. the chair: the gentleman from idaho is recognized. mr. simpson: i yield five minutes to the esteemed chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from kentucky, mr. rogers. the chair: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized for five minutes. mr. rogers: i thank the chairman for yielding. i rise today to commend this bill to our colleagues and urge that it be passed. it includes $27.5 billion in federal spending that's a reduction of $2.1 billion below last year. $3.8 billion below the president's request. some have complained that these cuts are too much. too fast. so it's important to remember that these agencies and programs have seen unprecedented massive increases in spending in recent years. this sort of excess has contributed to our astronomical debt and threatening our recovery. we

mr. speaker. i commend the appointment of lord justice as the justice secretary will confirm is a man of the highest intelligence and integrity. and somebody that i think is extremely well equipped to take on the job. only a few of the future regulations of the press. may i urge the prime minister not to fall into the trap which i think someone in the press is setting to assert that any degree of statutory regulation is bound to lead to self-regulation. given the express newspapers have withdrawn from the press complaints commission as they did in january, will he have knowledge that there will be some measures which will have to be imposed by statutes, in order there's a strong assistance of self-regulation? >> i think the gentleman speaks wise words about this. there are ways of setting up a regulatory system that effectively independent, nonstatutory, not involved -- with the governments fingertips all over it that can do a good job and trusted job. you see that in the advertising. that is not

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? >> i have a motion to recommit at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: is the gentlewoman opposed to the bill? >> oh, yes i am opposed to this bill. the gentlewoman qualifies. the clerk: ms. hochul of new york moves to recommit -- >> i reserve a point of order. the clerk: ms. hochul of new york moves to recommit the bill to the committee on rules to amend section 403-b-3 at the end following a new clause, prioritizing deficit reduction from corporate subsidies before cutting education. the joint committee shall first consider the elimination of, one, oil and gas subsidies for the major integrated oil companies and, two, subsidies for corporate use of aircraft before cutting essential education programs that are necessary for the creation of jobs, economic recovery and investment in america's future. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from new york is recognized for f

mr. speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. there's an unfortunate time-honored tradition in the house of people coming to the floor and objecting to reductions in spending with heart felt arguments as to why the spending is necessary and never offering any suggestions about where the money might be made up instead. and that frankly is one of the reasons that we have the huge deficits and debts that we do, so i want to break with that tradition and talk to you about a spending reduction i have a great concern about and then talk about how we might make it up instead. there is not a person in this house who's not been touched in some way by cancer in their family and someone they love, some friend. i don't think there's anybody here that hasn't had the heartbreak of dealing with malig nancy in their family -- malignancy in their family. i don't think there is not a member that could do anything about solving this problem. there is not a republican or democrat who is indifferent of the problem of fighting cancer. now, cancer come

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hoyer: thank you and i yield to the majority leader. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. cantor: i thank the gentlelady. i thank the speaker, i thank the gentleman from maryland, the democratic whip, for yielding. madam speaker, on monday the house will meet at noon for morning hour and 2:00 p.m. for elective business with votes postponed until 6:30 p.m. this is a change from the legislative schedule that was announced at the end of last week. we will be sending out an announcement shortly so that all members are aware of this change. again, madam speaker, the house will now convene on monday of next week, not tuesday. it is critical, madam speaker, that we solve our nation's fiscal problem and intend to schedule the house for legislative business if needed to accomplish that goal. mr. speaker, how it's is not in order -- the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is correct, the house will come to order. please take your conve

mr. speaker. >> thank you, mr. speaker. am sure we want to pay tribute to their royal regiment of scotland. eyewitness to that first hand the sacrifice from our shoulders. i pay tribute to the bravery and dedication of this particular soldier was lost in such tragic circumstances. our thoughts are with him and his family and friends at this time, and we pay tribute to him and all like him in afghanistan and elsewhere. mr. speaker, this morning, i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, and i shall have further such meetings today. >> mr. campbell. >> can i agree with the sentiments that the prime minister has made? yesterday, we gave 10 billion pounds to the banks in greece. we gave 7 billion pounds to ireland. we gave 100 billion, this is the british taxpayer, 100 million per year for the quality of the banks in this country for insurance purposes and our purposes. why does the prime minister not go down to his friends in the city and xs -- ssack a few spivs? >> first of all, mr. speaker, it is this government

mr. speaker. this rule provides for an ample open debate, allowing our colleagues from across the aisle to offer legislative proposals to this bill. furthermore, the underlying bill addresses two critical concerns. if you listen to the speeches made in this chamber every day and every member of this house, unemployment and dependence on opec oil. as i have stated, 20,000 shovel-ready jobs can be created with the approval of this infrastructure project. approval of keystone x.l. pipeline will also serve to increase oil imports from our