mr. speaker. i rise today in support of the economic women's agenda and to acknowledge women's history month. women's history month is a time when we pause to recognize the extraordinary contributions that women have made throughout our nation's history. as a husband to my wife nancy, a leader in health care for women, a proud father of two accomplished daughters, and the grandfather of three girls with so much promise, i am absolutely committed to making our country a full range of opportunity available and reality for all of america's daughters. that's why i introduced earlier this month the women's economic bill of rights. because all women have a right to equal pay. all women have a right to fair treatment in the workplace. and to economic and retirement security. the women's economic bill of rights is about standing up in congress to make sure that we strengthen our commitment to advancing women's economic security for current and future generations. i encourage all of my colleagues to join me

mr. speaker. now yield three minutes to a very distinguished member of our committee, the gentleman from virginia, mr. connolly. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for three minutes. mr. connolly: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my friend. i also congratulate the ranking member, mr. engel, and the chairman, mr. royce, for their bipartisan leadership on this critical, critical resolution. mr. speaker, apparently once a k.g.b. agent always a k.g.b. agent. mr. putin seems to have learned nothing from history other than that there is power at the end of the barrel of a gun. to cite the fact that there are russian speakers in crimea as a rationale for one of the most audacious power grabs of the 21st century in europe no less forgets history. let us not forget that crimea was settled by stalin when he excelled and executed the native tartars, this was also done at the end of the barrel of a gun. russian interests were never threatened in the crimea after the revolution in

mr. speaker -- the speaker: mr. speaker, my colleagues, i know the house shares my deep concern over the backlog of benefit claims at the department of veterans affairs. it's nothing short of a black eye for our government. this country's made promises that it's our duty to keep and the house has acted to tackle this problem. even so, reform won't get very far when carried out by managers who have proven they're not up to the job. so we've recently introduced h.r. 4031, the v.a. management accountable ability, and this measure -- accountability act, and this gives the v.a. secretary the authority to fire and demote officials who aren't performing. the principle here is simple. when you're not getting the job done, you've got to go. at the v.a. it's been quite the opposite. for all the incompetence we've seen and all the lives that have been lost, the evidence shows there's been no accountability. only half measures and slaps on the wrist. an agency which has fallen down the job -- at any agency that has fallen down o

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, with all the questions surrounding health insurance today, it is vital that seniors can keep the health care coverage on which they depend. i remain committed to working in a bipartisan manner to address the long-term drivers of our debt, but i also understand we must consider the impact the decisions we make we have on real americans, recent efforts to bring medicare advantage payments in line with traditional medicare makes sense if the think of the budget solely as numbers on a spreadsheet, but we are seeing these cults resulting in smaller networks of doctors, cuts to add-on benefits and higher out-of-pocket limits. shifting the cost and burden onto our nation's seniors on fixed incomes. the medicare advantage cuts proposed for 2015 would be short sided and counterpro-- shortsighted and counterproductive if it led to hospital readmissions and, worse health outcomes. i add my voice to the growing bipartisan chorus calling for no more cuts to seniors on medicare advantage. i

mr. speaker. >> mr. speaker, i've been ask to reply on my right honourable friend the prime minister who is visiting israel in the occupied palestinian territory. i'm sure the whole house which will to wish to join me paying tribute adam morally from 32 engineer regiments who tragically died in cam bastion in march. our deepest sympathies are with them at this time. mr. speaker on a happier note i think the house would like to join my if the first paralympic gold medal winner and kelly gallaher and her teammate won gold and silver medals at the sochi games. i send congratulations to her and other competitors n additions to my duties i will have further such meetings later today. >> naomi long. >> thank you, mr. speaker. if i could add my sympathy as and thoughts and prayers to the family. my congratulations to kelly gallagher from northern ireland of course. one of the first -- mr. speaker, given rising racism and xenophobia in including racist attacks in my home state of south africa what more can govern

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. we will finally vote on the homeowners flood insurance affordability act. times are still tough for many hardworking families, and federal agencies like fema should not be in the business of making things tougher. yet that is exactly what fema's callus and impractical administration of the national flood insurance program is doing. homeowners in south florida and throughout our nation cannot afford the astronomically increased insurance premiums forced on them by fema. without action to correct this agency's abuse, many family budgets that are already at the breaking point, will fall apart. although i support pass

mr. speaker. it's now my pleasure to yield three minutes to the democratic whip, the gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. hoyer: i thank my friend, the ranking member, mr. engel from new york, and i thank mr. royce, the chairman of the committee, for bringing this bill to the floor. and working in a bipartisan fashion to affect an objective that i strongly support. i thank both of them for their work. the ongoing russian aggression against ukraine is unacceptable. in a gross violation of international law. i agree with president obama that russia's acting from a position of weakness, however. strong nations do not invade and annex territory from their smaller neighbors by force. and strong nations do not suppress the free expression of ideas and the voices of dissent within their own society. those are the hallmarks not of a great nation but insecure bully. great nations are those that stand together to reaffirm the principles o

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today i rise in strong support for this rule which will govern debate on important legislation that my colleague, doug lamborn, and i have introduced. this legislation, the preventing government waste and protecting coal mining jobs in america, would stop the administration from destroying thousands of direct and indirect coal mining jobs and stop the price of electricity in places like ohio from skyrocketing. since the early days of this administration, mr. speaker, the office of surface mining at the department of the interior has been trying to rewrite a 2008 coal mining rule. this rewrite has been fraught with mismanagement, waste of taxpayer dollars, intimidation by contractors of o.s.m. employees towards the contractors working on the rule, and even the director of o.s.m. demanding that the contractors change the job loss estimates because it would look bad politically for the administration. but look, don't take my word for it. you can go out and read the department's o

mr. speaker. we're not here today because we're concerned with the administration using discretion on a case by case basis, we're concerned with a president employing blanket policies of nonenforcement. in some cases the president isn't just ignoring enforcement of the laws he's effectively rewriting them. i understand the president isn't the first to expand executive power under his watch. he's not the first president to do that. in fact, congress has failed to protect article 1 powers for decades. this house, the senate has been in dereliction because they haven't actually protected article 1 powers. . this should alarm every member of this body. take the president's recessed appointments, for example. they've already been deemed unconstitutional by the d.c. court in a unanimous, unanimous decision. the court rejected the administration's argument that the president has the discretion to determine when the senate is in recession. the court explained, and i quote, allowing the president to define

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, yesterday the president submitted a very modest but responsible budget request. contains a host of very good ideas that should move this country forward. and that this congress ought to embrace. for example, on both sides of the aisle we agree that we ought to eliminate the waste of resources. but the greatest waste of resources is the waste of human potential. and it starts in the earliest years. so the president would extend access to pre-kindergarten education for all of our children, because he knows that that will enable us to have a far more prosperous economy and more cohesive society. and he would pay for it with revenue from tobacco taxes. a great idea. similarly he would take $4 billion in subsidies we give the oil and gas industry, invest it in new cleaner alternative energy. he takes $300 billion and invest it in surface infrastructure. i was just over in uzbekistan this month, they have a faster, more modern rail system than we do as does china. those are the kind

mr. speaker. it's now my pleasure to yield three minutes to the democratic whip, the gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. hoyer: i thank my friend, the ranking member, mr. engel from new york, and i thank mr. royce, the chairman of the committee, for bringing this bill to the floor. and working in a bipartisan fashion to affect an objective that i strongly support. i thank both of them for their work. the ongoing russian aggression against ukraine is unacceptable. in a gross violation of international law. i agree with president obama that russia's acting from a position of weakness, however. strong nations do not invade and annex territory from their smaller neighbors by force. and strong nations do not suppress the free expression of ideas and the voices of dissent within their own society. those are the hallmarks not of a great nation but insecure bully. great nations are those that stand together to reaffirm the principles o

mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to -- that when the house adjourns today it adjourns to meet at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady from texas. ms. jackson lee: i was unavoidably detained during a prevents . 2824 the government waste and protecting coal mining jobs in america on the lowenthal amendment number one. if i had been present, i would have voted yes, i ask unanimous consent to place anymy vote in the appropriate place of the congressional record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady's request will appear in the record. ms. jackson lee: in addition, mr. speaker, on h.r. 3370, the homeowner insurance affordability act, i was unavoidably detained with my constituents in my district and i would have wanted to have a resounding yes, i ask unanimous consent for this legislation will bring much needed relief to our constituents on the gulf coast. i ask that my vote of yes be placed in the record as at the appropria

mr. speaker. i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from north carolina, mr. holding a member of the committee on foreign affairs. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. holding: mr. speaker, i'd like to first thank chairman royce and ranking member engel for their leadership on this issue in the foreign affairs committee. the situation in ukraine continues to be grim and now is the time to support those that strive for democracy. included in house resolution 499 is an amendment i offered in committee to strengthen the language expressing the support of the house to work with our partners in the ukraine to improve transparency, combat corruption and protect individual rights through an independent judiciary and strong rule of law. this resolution, mr. speaker, is an important first step, but there's more we must do to address russia's violation of ukraine's sovereignty. i hope to work with the chairman and ranking nobody quickly pass a strong package of sanctions that tar

mr. speaker. thank you, mr. pallone. i cannot express my disappointment with the proposed additional temporary patch o the sustainable growth rate, the s.g.r., the doc fix. it's morphed no an annual ritual, disrupting the provision of medical -- medicine in this country as the physicians plead with us to not do something crazy. it's simply today an accounting sleight of hand. it's a power play and a fundraising tool, to be sure, that disrupts the practice of medicine, but we have absolutely no intention of ever having the s.g.r. cut occur. it may bite for a day or two, but we're not going to allow a reduction on that order of magnitude. we will find some sort of adjustment, as we always have, that will not be satisfactory and will continue the uncertainty and the indignity that is inflicted on people in the health care space and more important on the people that they serve. if you want to actually cut health care spending, we could do so, and if we would stop this charade of meaningless gestures of

mr. speaker, mr. peaker, this week bmw announced they're coming and bringing with them 100 skilled new jobs. hundreds of new jobs which are already in the pipeline. when he is next in the midlands, which is the manufacturing heart of our country, will my right honourable friend drop in tamworth and help me deliver our long-term economic plan and make tamworth the place to do business. >> i'm always delighted to visit tamworth not at least to pay homage to the senate taught of robert peale. important to do that. this manufacturing revival we can really see it in the west midlands with the news from jaguar land rover and new engine plant opening up and what he says about bmw as well. what we now see, one in four bmws with a british-made engine in it. that is great news. we want to see more jobs making things. more jobs exporting things and manufacturing revival in the u.k. >> mr. speaker, can i first speaking to myself, madam deputy speaker and people we served so well for 30 years join with the tribute

mr. speaker. mr. eaker, president obama and the administration has taken the uber presidency to a whole new level. time and time again we have seen president obama stretch the constitutional limits of the office. when president obama simply disagrees with the law, he just ignores it. mr. speaker, no person is above the law. the house of representatives is committed to living by the constitution and holding the administration accountable. the enforce act will give congress the ability to bring a lawsuit against the president for failing to execute our laws. mr. smith: the faithful execution of the law act will require any federal official who is not enforcing a federal law to report to congress on the reason for nonenforcement. mr. speaker, the enforce act and the faithful execution of the law act uphold the constitution. these bills send a clear message that no one is above the law and will not have the constitutional be disregarded. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from cal

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i just wanted to follow up on a point that leader pelosi just made regarding the o.c.o. account, the overseas contingency operations account. which in armed services we are dealing with right now. the president came over with his o.c.o. request for this year of $80 billion. this funds the troops over in afghanistan, the 34,000 that are still fighting courageously to defend our country. at the end of this year, the projection is is that troop level will be brought down to, at the highest level, of 10,000, possibly even lower, combat missions for all intents and purposes will come to an end. as the congressional budget office has democrat straight over and over again, they will score savings with the o.c.o. drawdown that's going to happen at the end of this year. the ryan budget has used those o.c.o. savings to help balance its own priorities. so this is not funny money. this is not hypothetical. anyone who has been on a could he dell -- codel over to afghanistan knows we are sp

mr. speaker. there will be -- this will be under a rule and there will be an amendment made in order to add the pay-for, is that correct? mr. conaway: the pay-for will be added to the rules committee. mr. hoyer: to the engrossed -- so before it comes to the floor will be paid for. i ask the gentleman, it's my understanding that the pay-for, i don't know if i'm accurate on this, but my understanding is that the pay-for is the repeal of the individual mandate, and if so, can the gentleman tell me whether he has any indication that the senate would be in agreement on that? and i say that because there hasn't been agreement in the past. and if we use that as a pay-for, it seems to me it puts at risk meeting the march 31 deadline, and i yield to my friend. mr. conaway: i thank the gentleman for yielding. the specifics of the pay-for has not been finalized. there are lots of things under consideration. we, too, want this done in advance to the march 31 date. like i said earlier, so that physician offices

mr. speaker. for far -- mr. killedy: thank you, mr. speaker. for far too long comprehensive immigration reform has been a low priority for the speaker and republican leadership. americans have spoken loud and clear. they want comprehensive immigration reform. just last year as the senate was considering comprehensive reform, the speaker said that -- or implied the house would take it up after the senate did. the senate acted in a bipartisan fashion and passed comprehensive reform on a vote of 68-32. then we were told that the house would take up comprehensive immigration reform after the speaker brought to his conference his immigration reform principles. that happened at the end of january. and yet nothing. nothing has been brought to the floor. if there is not a reason for us to do this on the basis of the policy, which i think is clear, it's consistent with our national interest and our national values to institute comprehensive immigration reform, i just would direct members of the other side to take a look at the bipartisan c.b.o. report t

mr. speaker. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues -- mr. speaker, this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, and in addition to my duties in this house, i shall have further such meetings later today. >> peter bone. >> mr. speaker, -- [inaudible] 2000 new jobs. local conservative councils, north telegraph, the listening campaign and my listening campaign have all supported this proposal. in nine years in parliament i have never known of the development that has so much public support. could be prime minister is his best effort to ensure that the outcome of the public inquiry is announced as soon as possible? >> i know my honorable friend campaigned vigorously for his constituents and for local businesses and for job creating developments like this one. as i'm sure he is aware i'm not able to get involved in specific planning decisions i understand the decision on this application will be made as it's possible and that was all the secretary of state taking to account all the representations including from the honorabl

mr. speaker, it's not a close call. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from ohio, ms. kaptur, for five minutes. ms. kaptur: i thank the chair. mr. speaker, i rise today in continued support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation of ukraine and stand with the people of that country for their liberty and full human rights. the first objective of international efforts to calm ukraine must be the overriding goal of no more bloodshed. the world community of nations must step up forcefully to affirm ukraine's new government, and not just for the sake of tomorrow. morally, nations that had supported soviet dictator joseph stalin or were bystanders to communism and nazism, that slaughtered millions and millions of people side those borders owe ukraine an historical debt. no place on earth suffered more. as demonstrators -- demonstrators have proven, corrupted leaders could not kill them for freedom and liberty. this is ukraine's moment and it is a break po

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, this bill reflects decades of work, work by local citizens who organized to reject the dictates of the federal bureaucracy and to protect public access and recreation. at the same time that this bill designates new wilderness, it also provides critical protections for the public's ability to visit and enjoy the sleepy bear dunes national lake shore in the state of michigan. let me give a little bit of background. in 1981, the national park service proposed a general management plan for the lake shore in michigan. the plan was so restrictive as to be punitive towards recreation. and it sparked a local backlash. after years of collaboration, a new plan was agreed upon that realigned the wilderness boundaries to restore sensible public access. this legislation would codify these negotiated changes into law and ensure continued availability of roads for visitors traveling to remote trail heads, to beaches, to back country areas, and to historic areas within this geography. the bil

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will post opponent further 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. the speaker pro tempore: the house shall be in order. would members respectfully take their conversations from the loor, clear the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. rogers: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4152. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4152, a bill to provide for the costs of loan guarantees for ukraine. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from kentucky, mr. rogers, and the gentlelady from new york, mrs. lowey, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from kentucky. mr. rogers: m

mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. mcgovern, for five minutes. mr. mcgovern: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. as part ern: this week of my end hunger now series, i wanted to focus on one of the most important programs, the w.i.c. program, the special sflell nutrition program for women, infants, and children, commonly known as w.i.c. is a fantastic program celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. it truly is an amazing program. one that has been a tremendous success for 40 years. w.i.c. is a short-term intervention program designed to influence nutrition and health behaviors in a targeted, high-risk population. what does that mean? well, mr. speaker, it means that it provides nutritious food and nutrition education among other services to pregnant women, infants, and young children. specifically w.i.c. provides quality nutrition educat

mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: mr. speaker, president vladimir putin's decision to forcibly annex crimea was based on his calculation that the price would be bearable. now, in fact, russia is susceptible to pressure. 70% of all the exports of russia are from oil and gas. 52% of the budget that goes to the power behind mr. putin's military and his government comes from that monopoly pricing on natural gas. that supplies the budget for russia. that is what gives him the power to manipulate the situation, the monopoly over gas that he has in eastern europe with respect to ukraine. if we want to check aggression from russia, we must push back and we must work together quickly, not only to confront this monopoly circumstance that exists there but also to quickly impose tough sanctions on president putin and on those who have been his accomplices in carrying out this aggression. diplomatically, our european allies h

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, last week the number of those cut off from emergency unemployment insurance surpassed two million americans. mr. cartwright: men and women who worked hard but lost their jobs through no fault of their own. now, i represent northern pennsylvania, and my district has been particularly hard hit. in one county, the unemployment rate is 7.5%. the scranton area it's 7.7%. congress could and simply should reinstate the expired federal program. these americans lost their jobs due to no fault of their own. they don't deserve to lose their homes as well. i will be shortly be introducing legislation to have a six-month moratorium on foreclosures for those that lost their unemployment insurance benefits. i ask my cligse to support this legs and vote to extend -- colleagues to support this legislation and vote to extend long-term unemployment benefits. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north

mr. speaker, i have a motion to recommit at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: is the gentleman opposed to the bill? >> i am opposed in its current form. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman qualifies. the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: mr. bera of california moves to recommit the bill, h.r. 2824, to the committee on natural resources with instructions to report the same back to the house for thewith, with the following amendment. page 3, after line 20, add the following, sections -- the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will suspend. the gentleman from ohio. >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to dispensing ith the reading? without objection, the gentleman from california has five minutes. mr. bera: thank you, mr. speaker. this is a final amendment to the bill which will not kill thank you, mr. speaker. this is the final amendment to the bill which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. if adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to fin

mr. speaker. next i'd like to recognize a great advocate for this bill and for his state, mr. scalise of louisiana, for one and a half minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one and a half minutes. mr. scalise: i thank the gentlelady for yielding. we have a flood insurance program that's broken. 18 different times in the last five year the national flood insurance program has either expired or nearly expired because of all of the flaws and disagreements within congress. yet the result of that was the biggert-waters law of 2012 that is now being implemented in a way that's unworkable for the nation. mr. speaker, i think if you look at what american sfam -- families expect they expect a flood insurance program that's sustainable and affordable. these two are not mutually exclusive and in fact what we're acheing with this bill that's on the floor today will accomplish both. it will make the program sustainable for the future with real reforms, reforms that can actually be implemented in a way that will allow the program to move forward and pay for itself

mr. rangel. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for two minutes. mr. rangel: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. rangel: thank you, chairman levin. this bill has nothing to do with paying the doctors that work every day giving medical care to medical care patients. is destroirg do the affordable care act for the 51st time. i'm certain that those listening to the debate and know what's going on believe it's ridiculous to try to defeat a bill that's been signed into law, because they know that the senate's not going to pass it and they know that is, know that the president will veto it. why do they do it? well, they do it because there's a small group of people in the republican party that don't mind politically dying. i don't mind them taking down the party if that's their intent, but they're taking down the democrats and the reputation of the house of representatives as well. somewhere along the line the speaker has to do again what he has done before and that is saying enough of this.

mr. speaker. >> mr. speaker, i've been ask to reply on my right honourable friend the prime minister who is visiting israel in the occupied palestinian territory. i'm sure the whole house which will to wish to join me paying tribute adam morally from 32 engineer regiments who tragically died in cam bastion in march. our deepest sympathies are with them at this time. mr. speaker on a happier note i think the house would like to join my if the first paralympic gold medal winner and kelly gallaher and her teammate won gold and silver medals at the sochi games. i send congratulations to her and other competitors n additions to my duties i will have further such meetings later today. >> naomi long. >> thank you, mr. speaker. if i could add my sympathy as and thoughts and prayers to the family. my congratulations to kelly gallagher from northern ireland of course. one of the first -- mr. speaker, given rising racism and xenophobia in including racist attacks in my home state of south africa what more can govern

mr. speaker. >> thank you, mr. speaker. >> this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and according to my duties, i shall have further such meetings later today. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i think we should also congratulate on his tremendous win in that winter olympics. it was announced a bonuses of 2.3 billion pounds. 140% pay rise for the chief executive. when ordinary families face a cost-of-living crisis. isn't it time for this government to listen to labor to get our young people back to work? >> i congratulate the olympic team for the best metal performance since 1924 at a winter's game. it was a huge honor to welcome them. we had an explanation of the task of the skeleton bobsledding and indeed curling. congratulation goes to everyone involved and all those who helped to train them. on the issue of bank bonuses -- they are well down from the appalling situation. what we need to see if the proper control of all forms of pay. what i do not want to see and and what i think we are getting is focusin

mr. speaker. i now yield three minutes to a very distinguished member of our committee, the gentleman from virginia, mr. connolly. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for three minutes. mr. connolly: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my friend. i also congratulate the ranking member, mr. engel, and the chairman, mr. royce, for their bipartisan leadership on this critical, critical resolution. mr. speaker, apparently once a k.g.b. agent always a k.g.b. agent. mr. putin seems to have learned nothing from history other than that there is power at the end of the barrel of a gun. to cite the fact that there are russian speakers in crimea as a rationale for one of the most audacious power grabs of the 21st century in europe no less forgets history. let us not forget that crimea was settled by stalin when he excelled and executed the native tartars, this was also done at the end of the barrel of a gun. russian interests were never threatened in the crimea after the revolution

mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from tennessee seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. mrs. blackburn: i rise today to highlight the importance of rural health care providers. once again we see president obama standing on ideological grounds rather than actually taking the time to understand who provides medical care to seniors and how they do it. at the time he is giving stump speeches and trying to convince us that obamacare is working, he is taking $422 billion out of medicare. now part of these cuts come from critical access hospitals and i'm referring to the cuts that he is making to medicare and -- in his fiscal year 2015 budget. it's similar to what he did each of the past two years he, targets the critical access hospitals in order to pay for obamacare. he is proposing to cut medicare p

mr. speaker. let's see who we thought said these quotes. the power of what has begun to be termed the imperial presidency grows. the ability of our democratic institutions, especially the federal legislative branch, to constrain it seems more uncertain. next quote, we are a co-equal branch of government, if our systems of checks and balances going to operate, it's imperative we understand how the executive branch is enforcing or ignoring the laws signed into law. we are talking about a systematic -- another quote, talking about a systematic extra constitution mode of conduct by the white house. the conduct threatens to deprive the american people of one of the basic rights of democracy. the right to elect representatives who determine what the law is. subject only to the president veto. does not mean having a president sign those laws, but saying he's free to carry them out or not all he sees fit to carry out. another quote is, i believe that all of our interest to work together to reign in excesse

mr. speaker, mr. speaker, this week bmw announced they're coming and bringing with them 100 skilled new jobs. hundreds of new jobs which are already in the pipeline. when he is next in the midlands, which is the manufacturing heart of our country, will my right honourable friend drop in tamworth and help me deliver our long-term economic plan and make tamworth the place to do business. >> i'm always delighted to visit tamworth not at least to pay homage to the senate taught of robert peale. important to do that. this manufacturing revival we can really see it in the west midlands with the news from jaguar land rover and new engine plant opening up and what he says about bmw as well. what we now see, one in four bmws with a british-made engine in it. that is great news. we want to see more jobs making things. more jobs exporting things and manufacturing revival in the u.k. >> mr. speaker, can i first speaking to myself, madam deputy speaker and people we served so well for 30 years join with the tribute

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, the supreme court will soon hear oral organizements in the case commonly referred to as hobby lobby. the outcome of this case will determine whether or not a for-profit company has the right to limit a female employee's access to health care under the guise of religious freedom. already the supreme court has wrongly declared that corporations have a right to freedom of speech as determined in the case of citizens united. in just a few short years this ruling has led to a flood of undisclosed money and to our elections and corrupted our political system. corporations' latest attempts to secure the actually protected rights of citizens is equally as dangerous. only a living, breathing woman should have the right to decide how and when she wants to have a family. and regardless of her decision, that choice belongs to her and not to the corporation for which she works. millions of women depend upon birth control pills for reasons beyond preventing unintended pregnancies. including

mr. speaker, -- mr. peaker, that in the year 2014, we are still struggling to pay women the wages that they deserve. they are still not receiving equal pay for equal work. that on its face is wrong. women in my home state of nevada are paid about 85 cents or every $1 paid to men. and while that is better than the 77 cent national average, we still have a long, long way to go. as my colleagues have already explained, african-american women and latinas, this pay gap is even larger. african-american women on average earn only 64 cents and latinas on average earn only 55 cents for every $1 earned by non-hispanic men. in my home state of nevada, the pay gap between men and women is on average $6,316 per year. now, that's real money. and it makes a real impact in the lives of families. nevada women lose approximately $2 billion per year because of this wage gap. now, what can $6,316 pay for for families in my home state of nevada? $6,316 is about 46 more weeks of food. $6,316 per year is four more months of mor

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, despite the recent military drawdown, our nation continues to rely upon qualified and well-trained volunteers to join the military in order to regenerate our armed forces. some of these young men and women have prepared their entire lives for service while others find the call to duty some years later. all chose to serve their country in uniform and do so with honor and bravery. and when joining the service, new recruits must undergo comprehensive medical and physical examinations in order to certify they are both fully fit and capable of performing the range of rigorous and demanding jobs our military must carry out. however, mr. speaker, despite comprehensive physical and medical evaluations, there's no similar examination for mental health competency. meaning we thoroughly examine knees and backs and eyes and even the heart, yet leave the most part of the body, one's mind, off-limits. no, this is certainly cause for concern, and what some view as a serious gap in recruitmen

mr. speaker. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues -- mr. speaker, this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, and in addition to my duties in this house, i shall have further such meetings later today. >> peter bone. >> mr. speaker, -- [inaudible] 2000 new jobs. local conservative councils, north telegraph, the listening campaign and my listening campaign have all supported this proposal. in nine years in parliament i have never known of the development that has so much public support. could be prime minister is his best effort to ensure that the outcome of the public inquiry is announced as soon as possible? >> i know my honorable friend campaigned vigorously for his constituents and for local businesses and for job creating developments like this one. as i'm sure he is aware i'm not able to get involved in specific planning decisions i understand the decision on this application will be made as it's possible and that was all t

mr. speaker. this morning, i had meetings with colleagues and others and i shall have further meetings later today. >> thank you, mr. speaker. what assurances can the prime minister gave to residents that localism will give them a third chance against greed and profit when it comes to their wish to end this wage stomping? given that there is no evidence of need, a promise that would end in 1995, no more dumping. does the prime minister really believe in localism? >> i do believe in localism. that is why we got rid of a lot of the regional spatial strategies and return power to local governments. we did a number of things that local councils have been asking for in terms of empowering them, giving them a general duty of competence so they can act when they think it is necessary to act. on the specific issues, i will look closely and write her. >> i know my right honorable friend will be as concerned as i am about the potential job losses in my constituency. will he help support those who are affect

mr. speaker. -- mr. crawford: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 311. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. crawford: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. crawford: thank you again, mr. speaker. the farmers undertake environmental land stuartship act, or the fuels act, brings much-needed relief to the nation's agriculture community. it has 73 co-sponsors from members on both sides of the aisle. it passed the house unanimously last congress in an amendment to the house farm bill. it has gained support including every major farm group. the spill rules requires that oil storage facility with a capacity over 1,320 gallons makes infrastructure modification without the possibility of a spill. these mandatory improvements along with the necessary inspection and -- will cost farmers tens of thousands of

mr. speaker. a closed rule. and i just saw some documentation of how many closed rules we have had in this house -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for an additional half minute. ms. jackson lee: the jackson lee amendment that was not allowed would ensured that notwithstanding any provision, no delay in the application of the affordable care act would have occur. would have called for studies about medicare providers. would have given us real information. jackson lee amendment number two would require the secretary to submit a report on cost savings. the point is, between waters right this is a is again skewing the rights of people dealing with water rights and then the s.g.r., this rule should be opposed, we should get back to the drawing boards, can we all get along, work together on the right kind of legislation for water rights but more importantly, mr. speaker, our doctors deserve better. and i will say to them, you will get better from us. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gen

mr. speaker. i'm sure the whole house would like to join and contribute to donate to you. alongside a record of ministerial parliamentary and public service, he was also a great writer, great tires, great campaigner no matter whether you agreed with his views are not. he will be missed by both sides of this house at the right honorable member for leeds central and other members of his family at this time. i'm sure the hospitals to join and pay tribute to the winter paralympic team following the great success at the so she special congratulations to kenny gallagher who won her first-ever gold idol at the winter paralympics and jay hetherington, was their most successful winter paralympic format most. mr. speaker this morning i had meetings with colleagues another's in addition i shall have further such meetings later today. >> mr. speaker, i'm sure the remarks made by the prime minister today and also the remarks on graduating the paralympics team. of course the paralympics started. [laughter] mr.

mr. speaker. it will ensure that my constituents in eastern and southeastern ohio, along with other hardworking americans employed by the coal industry, all across the country, can keep their jobs and continue to mine and use the coal that powers our manufacturing engine here in america. it directs the states to implement the 2008 rule. a rule that had tens of thousands of comments and was thoroughly vetted before being thrown aside by -- mr. hastings: i yield the gentleman one additional minute. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one additional minute. mr. johnson: after five years the states would be asked to report back with the description and detail of any proposed changes that should be made to the rule. this legislation ensures that the states are directly impacted -- that are directly impacted by the proposed rule would have an actual say-so process instead of a top-down approach from the office of service mining. -- surface mining. and despite what some may say, it does not stop t

mr. speaker. i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from ohio, our friend and colleague on the house ways and means committee, jim renacci. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized for two minutes. mr. renacci: mr. speaker, i rise today in strong support of h.r. 4118, the simple fairness act. according to a recent gallup poll, 51% of americans disapprove of the president's health care law and for good reason. the rollout of the failed misguided law was nothing short of disast russ. it's played whips by preventing many americans from purchasing health insurance from the federal and state exchanges. through the president's -- though the president promised lower costs, many are facing the reality of higher premiums and a steep penalty if they cannot afford the plans that are offered. recently, the administration delayed the employer mandate for a second time, leaving intact the mandate that requires individuals to purchase health insurance or pay a fine. the bill before u

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i want to talk for two girls from maine. they both celebrated their eighth birthdays last month and are in second grade. ms. pingree: since their presents are just days apart they decided to have a joint birthday present. instead of presents, they asked for people to bring the most needed items from the food pantry. there was never a suggestion from a parent or teacher to do this, they planned it all themselves. i agree with their teach whore said, these two girls have some of the biggest hearts she's ever seen. their compassion and generosity is inspiring and i want to recognize and thank these two emerging leaders from maine, gabbie and alice, for recognizes not only that no one in their community should go hungry but also that they have the power to effect change. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my