mr. speaker. mr. peaker, the new defense secretary has been quoted saying there could be -- can that prime minister did he guarantee the safety of our military personnel and equipment is this yet another ticking time bomb the government has failed to see common? >> well, mr. speaker, action across the public sector departments make sure that they follow the technical guidance to identify and mitigate. and as sheen with example in the nhs we have moved hospital effected into the hospital program but also more generally this is a government that has invested record sums in defense, 24 billion pounds, at the less spending review, the single biggest and defense been since the end of the cold war. >> thank you, mr. speaker. it's finally important that we retain, recruit and protect our prison offices. so will the prime minister agree to stop any prisoner who assaults a prison officer from being released early from jail? this information will be very popular with prison officers it would be very popular with

mr. speaker. i rise today to honor the life of bill richardson, former governor bill richardson was a devoted public servant and a skilled diplomat whose career improved countless lives in new mexico and across america and indeed the world. as governor of new mexico, he tirelessly worked to improve the lives of his constituents while making history, leading as a latino. but bill richardson's influence extended well beyond the borders of new mexico. he served as energy secretary and also as a u.s. ambassador to the united nations, where his diplomatic skills and commitment to peace played a role, a pick of toll role in addressing -- a pivotal role in addressing many global challenges. today we remember governor bill richardson and we also honor his legacy of public service, diplomacy and continuing with his work at his center. he was an inspiration to all of us and he was a true american patriot. his leadership and kindness will forever be remembered. rest in peace, my friend. thank you, and i yield

mr. speaker. i urge support of h.r. 1435 from the energy and commerce committee member, my colleague, dr. john joyce. for more than a century the internal combustion engine has allowed people to increase their mobility and raise their standard of living. restrictive government mandates isn't how we are going to lead the next 100 years. that's what the e.p.a. and california are trying to do. by mandating the new vehicles sold in the state be electric. 17 other states are ready to follow suit if the e.p.a. approves the recent waiver request from california. the reality is, gas powered cars are much less expensive than e.v.'s and continue to outperform them in range, toeing capacity, and ability to operate in severe weather conditions. studies have also warned that a rushed e.v. expansion could overwhelm our electric crede. in california governor newsom has reported asking people not to charge their e.v.'s during blackouts. and e.v.'s currently make up just 4% of the vehicles in his state. the decisio

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, did you know that more than 40 million americans have served in the armed forces since our nation's founding? from from san juan hill to saipan. americans' sons and daughters have protected our precious freedoms and protect liberty both at home and abroad. each one had a duty to serve, but our duty is to remember. so on september 15, national p.o.w.-m.i.a. recognition day, we remember the more than 500,000 prisoners of war who endured the horrors of enemy captivity and served through severe suffering and incomprehensible trauma and remember the tens of thousands of brave patriots who are still missing in action and have yet to return home safely to the warm embrace of family and loved ones. thousands of ceremonies will take place. balloons will be released and hundreds of thousands of americans will gather to honor the lives and deeds of our greatest heroes in church yards, national cemeteries and town squares and black and white flag will fly proudly. all of this is good and

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize earlyville farm located in pennsylvania in elk county as a century farm. the pennsylvania department of agriculture recognizes pennsylvania families who have been farming the same land for 100 years. through the century farm programs. in order to qualify the same farm must own the farm for at least 100 consecutive years. family member must live on the farm. on a permanent basis. and the farm must consist of at least 10 acres of the original holding. or gross more than $1,000 annually from the sale of farm products. the earlyville farm has been operating since june of 1923. when giovanni, an immigrant from italy, purchased the 10.2 acres. raised his family there. and the farm has been passed down for four generations. today ernest jr. continues to work on the farm along with his nephew, mike. mike will be the great grandson of giovanni. thank you to the family for your work to feed american families and congratulations for this emarkable -- remarkable

mr. speaker, mr. ker, that rebuilds the school program to limit 500 scores over a decade and pays completely assistance with what happened previously. it is worth pointing out during the parliamentary debate on that spending review, the labour party and him did not raise the issue one single time. but before he comes on the next political bandwagon he should get his facts straight. h [shouting] >> mr. speaker, carmel college in darlington was on the laborers building list in 2010. they scrap it and now children there are in a crumbling school. and and on the one hand, we have them say it's nothing to do with him. on the other side we have the facts. there's a subway to clear this up. why doesn't he commit to publish the request from the department of education for the school rebuilding program, and what risk he was warned of before he turned them down? >> mr. speaker, the honorable gentleman has now brought up twice the labour school rebuilding program. he has not brought it up twice so let's look at t

mr. speaker. that it represents working-class people. 4500 pounds per year, does the prime minister agree with me that is unacceptable for londoners to face the unacceptable task and do everything he can to help working people. >> mr. speaker, it is disappointing that -- charging hard-working people 12 pounds 50, adding to the burden of the cost of living. while we focus on helping hard-working families. >> can i join the prime minister , think we all speak for the whole house we speak on that subject. i would also like to extend the warmest of him to our new labor member. he's already made history for the labour party but overturning the largest tory majority ever. i would also welcome the honorable members from oxbridge and south raichlen. mr. speaker, the root of single well primary school collapsed, thankfully happened on the weekend and no children were injured. everyone knew the problem existed in other schools. yet the prime minister decided to half the budget for school mountain -- school

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to raise further awareness of an issue of great importance to this legislative body and to many of our constituents. the problem of drug shortages. specifically cancer drug shortages. as a physician i know this has been a problem for decades. and there isn't one solution to the problem. let me tell you some personal stories i have heard recently. i heard this month from a family in my district with a 5-yard line son battling a rare leukemia. for 2 1/2 years the family has been facing heartbreaking challenges, made significantly worse by shortages of generic medications. first their son was supposed to receive ara-c. this is a generic chemotherapy medication the family should have been able to inject into the little boy's thigh at home. during a particularly fragile stage of his treatment. instead they were informed that shortages would prevent them from obtaining that form of medication. and they would need to deliver all chemotherapy through a central port intrav

,;. waiting for by the welsh gov but mr speaker , mr speaker, >> but mr speaker, mr speaker, of courseints of something that we are dealing with in the right and responsible do note responsible way. but i do note that mentioned that he has not mentioned a single other thing that has happened since we last met across these despatch boxes. mr speaken across these despatch boxes. mr speaker, about hard speaker, he talked about hard working families across britain , but what's happened? energy bills down, mr speaker , what's bills down, mr speaker, what's happened to inflation down, down, mr speaker, what's happened to small boat crossings down, mr speaker? >> and when it comes , mr >> and when it comes, mr speaken >> and when it comes, mr speaker, and when it comes to economic growth, what's happened? it's gone up. mr speaker . speaken >> he tried. he tried time and time again to talk down the british economy, but people weren't listening . thankfully, weren't listening. thankfully, his entire economic narrative has been demolished and the conservatives are getting on delivering for brita

mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from massachusetts seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, 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. >> a handful of issues has always transcended independence, our troops, the guardians of freedom have always been one of them. ms. clarke: but in the maga republican party, nothing is off the table. nothing takes priority over aire goal of a nationwide abortion ban. ms. clark: military promotions, our troops paychecks and the national defense bill held hostage because extremists want to tear away the reproductive freedom of the very people fighting for our freedom. i urge my colleagues, put our country first and instruct the conferrees to deliver a defense bill that puts freedom over facism. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, before i was elected to serve in the house of representatives, i spent nearly 30 years with the nonprofit health care field assisting those base facing life changing diseases, disabilities, and therapist, rehabilitation services manager, and licensed administrator. i'm acutely aware of chat lens many face -- challenges many face when it comes to reasonably priced health care. as a member of congress representing nearly one third of the landmass of pennsylvania, one of the most rural districts east of the mississippi, i am keenly aware of the problems that my constituents face when accessing medical services. we are facing a health care crisis in our nation's rural areas. these often disadvantaged populations are still struggling to access affordable, quality care. many remain uninsured. most are underinsured. however access to quality care remains the largest challenge. even when people gain access to health insurance, it doesn't mean equal access to care. rural hospitals acro

mr. speaker, in mr. speaker in 2013, legislation was signed into law that created an electronic duck stamp. the thought there was with the internet work the ability to improve access to compliance, we would allow for a digital duck stamp to allow -- to provide 45 days of authorization to go hunt. 45 days. the problem was, the physical paper stamp often missed that 45-day window. so the problem would be, someone paid to get a duck stamp, they had a 45-day authorization window, the physical stamp didn't come in after the opened they have period, so the hunter would be out of compliance yet they did everything right. this bill is simple. it allows for the digit at authorization, electronic authorization, to be extended throughout the season. importantly, mr. speaker, it still preserves the physical stamp that so many people treasure and collect annually. so it does allow for -- it does require the stamp be physically mailed later on. i want to give a huge shout out to co-sponsor cor of this legislation, cong

mr. speaker. last week i met the board for dentistry provision so when surgeries closed without notice recently, an immediate strain is put on the public. what can be done to ensure know what is left without access? >> my honorable friend, we will look into this issue. 3 billion pounds a year, there is no geographical restriction for where a patient should attend and keep their records up to date and typically where they enter a contract it should work together to ensure funding is reallocated and patients continue to access care. >> i have someone who's paid more money in the value of the uk, safe to say i minister might not be as invested in this topic so clear up any confusion, will commit his party for the next general election? yes or no? >> mr. speaker, the party that introduced and a 3000-pound increase in the party that ensured 200,000 fewer in poverty today and an extra 300,000 to support them through. our track record is clear. >> i don't think we have a yes there. imagine my shock and u

mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair now recognizes the gentleman from missouri for five minutes. am the gentleman is recognized. mr. alford: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize i recently introduced legislation, the congressional access to bureaucratic offices, the cabo act. oversight of the executive branch is one of the core functions of this very body, the u.s. house of representatives. but agencies have continuously refused entries to members in this house. for six long months we have been refused entry in the u.s. department of agriculture and the small business administration. i sit on the ag committee and the committee of small business. this is unacceptable. from everything we've been told, it appears that at least half of the federal work force is away from their office at any given time. some reports say if you go to these federal offices down the way here from congress, fewer than 20% of the work force will actually be at their desks. so i ask, mr. speaker, are these agenc

mr. speaker. at some point the government has rightly decided and swiftly acted. he talked about school budgets talked about what i have done, but let me just walk him through the facts of actually what that review did. funding for school maintenance and rebuilding will average 2.6 billion pounds a year over this parliament, representing a 20% increase of the year before. indeed, mr. speaker, far from cutting budgets as he alleges, the amount spent last year was the highest in a decade. mr. speaker, that spending review maintains the tory building program, delivering 500 jobs over a decade and is completely consistent with what happen previously. it is worth pointing out that during the parliamentary debate on that spending review, the labour party did not raise the issue one single time. before he jumps on the next political bandwagon, he should get his facts straight. mr. speaker, carmel college in darlington was on the building list in 2010. they scrapped it, and now children there are in a cru

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, since president biden took office, there have been over 5.8 million illegal crossings on our southern border. and 1.6 million illegal immigrants have evaded apprehension. instead of funding our border patrol agents to deal with the rise and attempting crossings, president biden has chosen to knife dozennings -- inis eat this advise capitols is by ending trump administration's remain in mexico. between the ages of 18 and 24 overdoses of americans, democrats' failure to pass comprehensive border -- border security legislation is indictment of their failure to protect the american people. instead of addressing the importation of fentanyl related substances, liberals in this body have voted against legislation like halt fentanyl act, which is legislation that would permanently classify these drugs as schedule one narcotics and impose harsh penalties on the dealers who traffic these deadly poisons. in the past year, i have spoken with too many first responders who have admin starre

mr. speaker. i yield back the balance omy time. the speaker proempore: the for what purpose does th gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous revise and extend my remarks. the speaker o tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recogniz for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i stand her todayeyond frustrated by the crisis in veterans health care in my community. right now we have just fr physicians,nly two mental heal clinicians, trying to provide care for over 27,000 veterans in n joaquin county. vetera are waiting up to 90 days to speak to a doctor, or get somethings simple as a prescription refilled. that's the longest wait time in the statef california and frankly it's a disgrace. e of our veterans recently had to have his leg amputated because he couldn't see a doctor to get his diabetes medication refilled. unacceptable. i kw our lal v.a. staff are doing everything they can but right now we need secretarymcdu. we need more ctors and we nd them now. i hav petitionsn high hand from vetera

mr. speaker. i yield. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does gentlelady from virgin islands seek recognition? ms. plaskett: ask unanimous consent 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. plaskett: thank you, mr. speaker. as we in washington argue over the budget, and the depletion of fema funds for rebuilding, children in the virgin islands are suffering from excessive heat and-n classrooms. that has affected the academic calendar year of students in the territory. excessive heat has literally contributed to substantial interruption of the learning at a critical part of this school year. students have been so deeply affected by these issues that they have taken to the streets on the island of st. croix to protest the current administration's what they believe lack of maintenance of the school. our students have embraced the spirit of protest that runs so strongly in the heritage of

mr. speaker. it's a privilege to yield to the chairman on the committee on the budget, mr. arrington, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. arrington: policies have consequences. over the last two years we've seen a string of self-inflicted crises because of my democrat colleagues and this president. i'll give you two examples. $11 trillion over two years from my democrat colleagues. $6 trillion went to the national debt, all of which lit the fuse on this inflation firestorm, this cost of living crisis that is punishing working families from coast to coast. we've got to stop the spending that's bankrupting this great country of ours. this president's dereliction of duties to uphold the laws of the land, his failure to provide for a common defense, to defend our sovereign borders, and to put the safety and security of the american people first has created unmitigated and unprecedented crisis at the border where we are being flooded with criminal activity and dru

mr. speaker, i ask why. i also ask when, when will this chamber get back and off insanity island and budget. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. carter: i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection mr. carter: mr. speaker, i rise today in remembrance of william buck crosby. he served as an indicator of chemistry and biology and retired as interim superintendent of glen county schools. he was a member of the ymca board and held the position of first vice president. he was a recipient of many awards in his community including being inducted into the benedict college class of 2023 athletic hall of fame and first and only african-american chairman of the hospital authority. and he was the first african-american to receive the 10th bishop of georgia's bishop award. he will be remembered a teacher, administrator, a friend to all and capital for all of us to live

mr. speaker. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 5860, as modified. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, -- the gentlelady from connecticut. ms. delauro: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing

mr. speaker. i rise today to honor captain eleanor cook. mr. speaker, the house is not in order. mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the captain eleanor cooke. to friends and family she was known as elie. the fifth of eight children of david and victoria lebeau. she graduated from high school in 2012 before attending murray state university in contract c in 2018, she answered the call of service and joined the marine corps and become ago pilot. it was in the marines where she met her beloved husband, chase. elie received the national defense service medal, global war on terror service headal, and sea service deployment ribbon. in march of this year, she was prompted -- promoted to captain three weeks ago elie lost her life in a v-22 osprey crash on training mission off the coast of australia. two other fellow marines passed away as well. her family and her home community mourn her loss. so does countless other southern illinoisans. she was special. as her obituary noted, there was just something abo

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, september is suicide prevention month and nearly every 12 minutes an american dies by suicide. it's now the 10th leading cause of death in the united states, suicide claims the lives of more than 2,000 pennsylvanians each year. an average of five lives each day. mr. speaker, suicide is preventable. increasing access to crisis resources saves lives. mental and behavioral health research saves lies. ending the stigma around mental health and suicide saves lives. suicide risks increases when several health factors and life stressors converge to tee cy ate an experience of hopelessness and despair. together we can reverse this course. by making mental health care, substance abuse treatment and suicide prevention a national priority we can reverse the tide on those deaths -- depths of despair. in fact, in 2020, the united states designated 988 as the national suicide and crisis hotline making it easier for all americans to reach help if needed. mr. speaker, let's keep the conversat

mr. speaker. thank you to the chairman. and i yield back. mr. westerman: mr. speaker, i must say that it's an honor to work with a colleague like chairman thompson who cares so much about forest health and i appreciate ranking member and the minority a in supporting ths bill as well, as it did pass unanimous out of both committees. i have no further requests for time and am prepared to close and i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you very much. i urge my colleagues to support the legislation. it creates parity and access for two significant constituencies, counties and tribes and creates parity for them. and i think at the end of the day, creates a collaborative effort that is more comprehensive and more ex tensive. with that, -- extensive. with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. westerman: mr. speaker, the magnitude of our forest health needs an all hands on deck approach that utilizes

lawrence eshalomi mr speaker , mr lawrence eshalomi mr speaker, mr speaken lawrence eshalomi mr speakerthere could be rack present in military buildings. >> so can the prime minister today guarantee the safety of our military personnel and equipment, or is this yet another ticking time bomb that the government has failed to see coming? yeah prime minister. >> mr mr speaker, actually, across the public sector department to make sure that they follow the technical guidance with regard to rack, identify and mitigate as required and as you've seen with the example in the nhs, we have moved hospitals affected into the new hospital programme , but the new hospital programme, but also generally , this is the also more generally, this is the government that has invested record sums in defence, £24 billion at the last spending review , the single biggest review, the single biggest uplift in defence spending since the end of the cold war. >> sir philip davies, thank you, mr speaker. >> it's vitally important that we retain, recruit and protect our prison officers . so will the our prison officers

mr. speaker. as chairman of the house foreign affairs middle east, north african, asia subcommittee i'm grateful to recognize the third anniversary of the successful abraham accords on september 15. under the leadership of president trump, this historic agreement between israel, the united arab emirates, united states, and later bahrain, morocco, and sudan represent the most significant step toward a stable and positive arab-israeli relationship in modern history. it marked the first public normalization of relations between an arab country and israel since jordan in 1994. in june, i led the bipartisan u.s.-israel partnership and abraham accords enhancement act of 2023 which re-authorizes key cooperative programs between the united states and israel and fosters the utilization of,isting programs to help expand the aa ham accords. our thoughts and prayers are with the people of morocco and earthquake recovery. in conclusion, god bless our troops who successfully protected america for 20 years at gl

mr. speaker. it's a privilege to yield to the chairman on the committee on the budget, mr. arrington, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. arrington: policies have consequences. over the last two years we've seen a string of self-inflicted crises because of my democrat colleagues and this president. i'll give you two examples. $11 trillion over two years from my democrat colleagues. $6 trillion went to the national debt, all of which lit the fuse on this inflation firestorm, this cost of living crisis that is punishing working families from coast to coast. we've got to stop the spending that's bankrupting this great country of ours. this president's dereliction of duties to uphold the laws of the land, his failure to provide for a common defense, to defend our sovereign borders, and to put the safety and security of the american people first has created unmitigated and unprecedented crisis at the border where we are being flooded with criminal activity and dru

the speaker pro tempore: so moved. mr. mccollum: the the speaker caved again because they refused to write a bill to get bipartisan support. here we are debating the ukraine assistance again. as i said in the rules debate, we debated this funding twice yesterday. the biggs amendment was rejected by the house by a vote of 104-330. and the gaetz amendment was rejected by this house, 93-339. we debated this. this house considered similar amendments in the national defense re-authorization act earlier this summer. and at that time the greene amendment was rejected by a vote of 89-341 and the gaetz amendment was rejected by 70-385. these amendments were rejected because a majority of this house stands for preserving democracy. we stand for working with our democratic allies in preventing vladimir putin through seizing land through force. and these amendments were rejected because of the strong bipartisan support for including consistent funding for ukraine in the base defense bill. the ukraine security assistance initiative has

mr. hoish. the speakerro tempore: members are reminded to direct the comments to the chair and not each other and the gentleman from maryland is recognized for three minutes. mr. hoyer: the american people deserve to know why we are in this position. and they need to know less than 5% of us of the 435 members of this body have put us in this position. the gentleman from texas indicated how they did that. they have held hostage the rest of us unless the bill they want is passed. they are taking hostage the american people. they are taking hostage federal employees. and they are taking hostage of the congress of the united states. over the 300 of us, over 300 of us, 147 republicans and 165 democrats voted to compromise. i would call all of your attention to a 1998 speech in october by newt gingrich and called it the per if he cannist speech he made a deal with clinton and newt gingrich, a lot of democrats in the senate and republicans in the senate who said don't always agree with us but the american people e

mr. speaker. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 5860, as modified. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, -- the gentlelady from connecticut. ms. delauro: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 9 of rule 20, this 15-minute vote on the motion to suspend the rules will be followed by a five-minute vote on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal if ordered. this is a 15-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

mr. smith. the speaker pro tempore: members are reminded to refrain of personal attacks on members of this body or the u.s. senate. the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: thank you very much, mr. speaker. if you support ukraine, you cannot support this rule. my overarching concern here is for ukraine. let's start with the fact that there's a ukrainian supplemental that's needed to continue our support that the house republicans are refusing to bring to the floor in any form and have given no indication whatsoever they're going to bring that bill to the floor, which is frustrating because we had a number of votes on support for ukraine. it is very apparent that over 300 members of this body support that, the overwhelming majority of republicans, and yet as of october 1, our ability to continue to support ukraine also dice. so for all those members on the other side of the aisle who support ukraine, why are you letting that support die? why aren't you insisting on moving forward with some kind of vote on the

mr. speaker and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlelady from massachusetts, mrs. trahan, for five minutes. mrs. trahan: we have 10 days before the republicans force a shutdown, 10 takes until the food assistance nearly 50 million americans rely on including six million women and children is put in jeopardy, 10 days until seniors struggling with social security or the medicare issue can't get someone on the phone to get their benefit or to keep their coverage. 10 days until the loans small businesses depend on to pay their workers and keep their doors open are delayed for who knows how long. mr. speaker, we've seen this train recollect before. republicans shut down the government for over a month in 2018 while they demanded billions in taxpayer funds for donald trump's border wall. the same one that mexico is supposed to pay for. that shutdown lasted 36 days, hurting families and reducing our economic output by $11 billion, most of which was never recovered and only ended after pla

mr. speaker. i rise today to honor and thank louisiana's brave first responders who valiantly rose to the occasion this summer as our state was hit with unprecedented wildfire, the largest of which is still burning today. tens of thousands of acres have been charred. nearly half the parishes in my district were ablaze. at one point pooforts sabine, caddo and desoto parishes and others were on fire. we received support from the state fire marshal and the u.s. forestry service dispatched firefighters. many other first responders have been -- many of the first responders very volunteers and louisianans who donated time and shelter to their neighbors in need. louisiana is home to the most resilient people you'll ever meet and we will bounce back from these filedfire -- wildfires just as we've done from every disaster we've ever faced. it's a great honor to represent so many of these heroic individuals in congress. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from utah see

down, mr speaker. what has happened to small blood crossings? down, mr speaker. and the conservatives are getting on, delivering for britain. inflation falling, energy bills coming down, people in the west midlands are disappointed to see that labour run the birmingham city council has gone back. as a west bromwich mp, i am no stranger to labour incompetence. does he and that labour have demonstrated yet again that they always run out of other people's money? mi; again that they always run out of other people's money?— other people's money? my other friend is exactly _ other people's money? my other friend is exactly right. _ other people's money? my other friend is exactly right. we - other people's money? my other| friend is exactly right. we started by hearing how a labour in london are charging hard—working people with fees at now we are hearing how labour in birmingham are feeling hard—working people, losing control of taxpayers money and driving their finances into the ground. they bankrupted birmingham, we cannot let them a bankrupt britain. mr bankrupted

well, mr speaker, wood green academy in sandwell was on labour's building list in 2010.hey scrapped it and now children there are in a crumbling school. the head of the national audit office accuses him of taking a sticking plaster approach. the nao report says he cut £869 million. the person who ran the department for education says he is personally responsible. on monday, he leapt to his own defence, saying it is utterly wrong to blame him. so why does literally everyone else say it is his fault? mr speaker, the professional advice from the technical experts on raac has evolved over time, and indeed it is something that successive governments have dealt with, dating back to 1994, mr speaker. now, as new advice has come forward, the government has rightly, decisively and swiftly acted in the face of that advice. but he talked about school budgets and talked about what i had done, but let me just walk him through the facts of actually what that spending review did, because he brought it up. he brought it up so presumably he would like to hear the facts. funding for schoo

mr. speaker. i rise today to celebrate a remarkable collaboration between cold zero premium spirits and cedar ridge distillery that embodies the spirit of giving back and honoring our veterans. casey, a former green beret, brought together friends and colleagues from the military and co-founded cold zero in iowa. this year members of cold zero spirits spent the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 terror attack, bottling whiskey. each bottle is signed by one of six medal of honor recipients, including cedar rapids native. as we approach veterans day, let us remember the profound impact we can have on the lives of our veterans by rallying around organizations and businesses who support them and veteran owned. thank you cold zero premium spirits and cedar ridge dill disry for your inspiring efforts to make a difference. i would like to wish a happy birthday to the most special man in my life, my house kirk, happy birthday. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: -- my husband, kirk. happy birthday. wit

>> madam speaker -- mr. t mr. thompson. mr. thompson: madam speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i rise today to recognize national teach ag day. national teach ag day is for anyone who wants to celebrate school-based agricultural education. share the story of agriculture education's importance and effectiveness in the united states, and encourage students to consider careers as agricultural educators. this year we are celebrating 75 years of national association of agricultural educators. madam speaker, our agriculture educators are responsible for cultivating and inspiring the next generation of agricultural leaders. this happens in the classroom with extension programs or groups like f.f.a. and 4-h. by recognizing them we can ensure students have knowledge and exposure to the students that agriculture industry and sector has to offer. thank you to all the

mr. speaker. mr. speaker, my amendment, number 172, would prohibit funds made available by this act to require a member of the armed forces or a civilian employee of the department of defense to receive a covid-19 vaccine. the fiscal year 2023 national defense authorization act rescinded secretary austin's memorandum requiring that members of the armed forces be vaccinated against covid-19. unfortunately the ndaa did not prohibit future mandates. the last mandate resulted in over 8,400 troops being kicked out of the military for refusing this experimental vaccine and we lost about 60,000 reservists. countless individuals also decided not to enlist because of this mandate. while our military is failing dramatically to meet recruiting goals, it is outrageous that the department of defense would condition employment on receiving a covid-19 vaccine. for example, in 2022 the army sought 60,000 recruits, but only enlisted 45,000. for 2023, the army is aiming to recruit between 65,000 new members, but is only

mr. speaker. as the chairman of the legislative graunch subcommittee and appropriations which has very specific jurisdiction over member pay, i just want to say plainly and unambiguously, in the 70 pages in this thing directly or indirectly, there is nothing, there is nothing that will lead to a member pay raise. mr. amodei: that will be next week where it is appropriately considered on the floor in terms of cost of living or other things on the floor. ms. delauro: will the gentleman yield? mr. amodei: yes, i will. ms. delauro: i would make reference to page 7 of the 71-page document, and in the senate bill they include a line that says -- the senate bill includes the blocking or the we break for live remarks from speaker mccarthy. speaker mccarthy it is clear i have tried every way listening to every person in the congress. when we went to vote, we passed it. it was tough but we got it through. what i have wanted the bill we

mr. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. jeffries: i thank -- i thank the distinguished gentlelady -- i thank the distinguished gentlelady from connecticut, rosa delauro, for her leadership over my colleagues and government. i rise today to have a conversation with the american people. strap in, this may take a little while. we want to talk about why we are here at this moment on the brink of a shutdown that was entirely unavoidable and has been brought to us by the extreme maga republicans. who have decided that rather than pursue the normal legislative process of trying to find common ground, not as democrats or independents or republicans, but as americans, rather than try to pursue policy achievements through the normal legislative process, that they want to threaten the american people with a shutdown. to try to drive your extreme agenda down the throats of the american people. why are we here? at this moment? on the brink of a catastrophic shutdown that will hurt everyday americans. hurt children. hurt families. hurt o

mr. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from minnesota yields back. the gentleman from california is recognizedhair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. diaz-balart: madam chairwoman, thank you so much. i am proud to speak on the fiscal year 2024 department of state, foreign operations, and related programs appropriations bill for floor consideration today. anybody who has read the bill you know that it's pretty straightforward. if you are a friend, an alley of the united states -- an ally of the united states, this bill supports you. but if you are an adversary or cozying up to the adversaries of the united states, frankly, you are just not going to like this bill. i am extremely proud of this legislation which was carefully and thoughtfully developed over many, many months. in my judgment, it reflects the values and interests of most americans. we carefully reviewed all the organizations and programs that receive u.s. taxpayer dollars in this bill. among the key factors, let be be very blunt, it's whether investments advance our national securi

mr. speaker, i rise for one minute speech. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. mrs. kiggans: mr. speaker, i rise today to stand up for the men and women serving in america's armed forces. i'm working day in and day out to prevent a government shutdown in just over 48 hours. if congress can't reach a deal on government funding before saturday night, those serving in our military will not receive their paychecks. i will not allow the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our country to go without way. that's why i introduced the pay our troops act, ensuring our troops and the coast guard, will be paid on time no matter what. as we continue working to avoid a government shutdown, my bipartisan legislation would give our troops the financial reassurance they deserve. our service members shouldn't suffer because of washington dysfunction, especially not at a time when inflation and interest rates continue to hurt our military families. i'm a navy veteran, spous

the speaker pro tempore: so given. mr. joyce: madam speaker, i rise today to conkralt great lea -- congratulate lea of bedford county, pennsylvania, who won a second gold medal this past thursday at the world jr. aquatic swimming championship in israel as a member of team u.s.a. a senior in high school, she has won races across the country. and now around the world. through her commitment to training at both the blair regional ymca and in her family's pond in bedford county, lea has shown the hard work and determination can provide and incredible recipe for success. as she represents both our district and our nation, leah faced tough competition from over 600 athletes representing 100 nations. during the team event leah set a personal record in the 100 meter butterfly, with a time of 57.75 seconds. with her continued success in the water and her support of friends and neighbors in bedford, she continues to set an incredible example for student athletes in central pennsylvania. on behalf of all of pennsylvania's 13th congres

the speaker pro tempore: without objection mr. payne: mr. eaker, i rise today to address the impending government shutdown. 1980, 14 times the government was shutdown and all of them initiated by the republicans. the last one in 2018 cost our country $3 billion. now speaker mccarthy -- mccarthy. and senate republicans have a bipartisan bill to prevent a shutdown but speaker mccarthy won't even consider it. it will stop paychecks tore millions of americans and stop law enforcement from fentanyl from entering our communities and make our borders weaker. i don't know that they will win with a government shutdown but i do know that it is the american people who will lose and voters will remember this action in the future. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection mr. lamalfa: america's energy is critical for its economy and peop