mr. thompson, for five minutes. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today as co-chair of the bipartisan house career and technical education caucus in order to recognize february as national career and technical education month. career and technical education programs continue to evolve in order to ensure that workers are prepared to hold jobs in high wage and high skill field like information technology, health care and manufacturing in the 21st century. for this time of record high unemployment, career and technical education provide the lifeline to the unemployed who look to be alongside young adults just out of high school in the rapidly evolving job market. career in technical education, while historically undervalued, provides an opportunity for america to remain globally competitive. while also engaging students in practical, real-world applications of academics coupled with hands on work experience. now, as we move towards fiscal year 2014, i join with a bipartisan group of my colleagues, and not only recognizing the importance

mr. thompson's hearings on tv, they were broadcast over and over again, one thing you can see at these hearings, the antigun violence prevention people only had one message, the second amendment. they all stood up and said the exact same thing and with all of our good intentions, our folks had one thing or another and one thing and another but we do have to have something that just rides it home. it was the president who said it very well. he said, you have an a-plus rating from the nra or do you want to have safety for our children? stop the funerals. stop the funerals. what i'd like to do is follow up to this, joe, with your permission, mr. mayor, and barbara for you to be part of it, is to bring bobby scott out to talk about the violence issue. those questions have been raised over and over again and he has been a champion on this issue. it's the promise act for reducing violence and increasing opportunity for young people in some of our leading communities and i think that would be an appropriate follow-up to this at some time in the near future. with that i again thank you all very much fo

mr. thompson tends to say, assault magazines, these high capacity weaponry to cause more damage to do so in a way that really does help us protect and defend. i'll have more to say in this limited amount of say so i am going to yield with great respect it my colleague who has spoken out on this so mag 95 sently in the congress of the united states and is a respected voice on the subject, congress woman jackie spears. >> thank you for your leadership and your powerful comments this afternoon and dr. marshal for hosting us to my great colleague and friend and sharer of the chairmanship of the task force who is walking a very delicate line but doing so very ably and effectively, to our great mayor of our great city, thank you and to our great police chief who i really enjoy the opportunity to work with. i am pleased to be here. i am honored to be here. i tell you that this is personal for me, it's also professional for me. i realized after new town that in many ways i had failed. i had failed to do my part. we all failed to do our part when there is yet another homicide that takes place. an

mr. thompson: mr. speaker, the only way for washington to control its spending problem -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. please carry conversations to the cloakrooms. the gentleman may continue. >> the only way to control spending problems is to start budgeting and budgeting responsibility. house republicans have passed budgets for two years that reduce economic growth. unfortunately, the senate hasn't passed a budget in four years and the president missed the deadline for submitting his budget to cronk for the fourth time in five years. you don't have to look beyond these facts to see why the country has trouble living within its means. mr. thompson: on january 23, 2013, the chamber passed the no budget, no pay act, forcing members of the senate to submit a budget or not get paid. we will submit a bill to require the president to set a budget that balances. the american people have to live within their means. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for

mr. thompson. >> i like my colleague, ms. jackson lee, look forward to this hearing. some of these witnesses, i haven't seen in quite a while. good seeing you. today's subcommittee is examining the department of homeland security efforts to achieve border security. with the support of congress, d.h.s. has made better efforts to better secure our borders in recent years as already outlined by ranking member's opening statement. reasonable people may disagree about the best way to proceed from here about what having the support -- a secure border means. some believe we need extensive technology along the borders. others including me see targeted resources accompanied by a comprehensive border security strategy that ensures we are using taxpayers' border security dollars wisely and avoiding past acquisition failures. some may believe we need to return to operational control as our metric for measuring border security. others, i clueding me, believe we need a workable set of metrics that offer an accurate assessment of our borders at and between the ports of entry. earlie

mr. thompson. >> thank you, mr. scheer. i like my colleague, ms. jackson lee, look forward to this hearing. welcome to the witnesses. some icing for quite a while now. good seeing you. today set committee is examining the department of homeland security suffers to achieve border security. with the support of congress coming ths has made unprecedented efforts to better secure borders in recent years has already outlined by ranking member jackson lee's opening statement. reasonable people may disagree about the best way of disappeared worker means. we need new expensive technology you want the borders. others including me see the need for additional effect they targeted resources accompany the comprehensive order security strategy that ensures we are using taxpayer border security dollars wisely and avoiding past acquisition failures. some believe we need to return to using operational control as our matcher for border security. others including me believing neither workable nightshirt and a set of metrics that offer an accurate assessment of securit

mr. thompson: request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: so ordered. mr. thompson: we hear a lot about sequestration on the news and i want to run down sequestration by the numbers. it has been 290 days since i and my republican colleagues voted for the first of two bills to replace the president's sequestration with smarter, more responsible spending cuts that total $1 trillion over 10 years. why is that needed? mr. speaker, the official debt today is $15.5 trillion. $50,000 for every man, woman and child this this country. that's not the real debt. and when you look at every living individual today with medicare and social security that is between $72 trial con. economists estimated by the year 2020, interest alone, interest alone on an annual basis will be $1 trillion. sequestration, we are looking at $85 billion out of a $3 trillion budget. we call on the senate democrats and president obama for smarter, more bipartisan ways to replace the obama sequester and to address things and don't leave a legacy of debt fo

mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, it's been almost 300 days since the house first acted to replace sequestration with targeted reforms that achieve the same level of deficit reduction without harming the economy. yet, the senate has failed to act. the administration states the commonwealth of pennsylvania is set to feel the impact of sequestration more than most states, yet has offered no constructive plan forward. the house has put forward two concrete proposals for a commonsense path to deficit reduction that will not harm our national security and will not harm our fragile economic recovery. we all must make sacrifices in order to reduce the debt and fix washington where we can no longer spend $1 trillion more than we spend each year. this is a recipe for economic decline. spending is the problem. it's time for the president t

mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. in february, we celebrate national recreational therapy month. leading a healthy life means not only the absence of illness but a level of physical, cognitive, emotional, social and leisure well-being which is the reason for recreational therapy. they touch the lives of individuals facing life-changing disease and disability all across the nation. these professionals help individuals navigate these challenges, achieve healthy incomes -- outcomes and ultimately an overall better quality of life. having worked in this profession for 28 years i witnessed firsthand how the services profession made significant differences in the lives of so many. these services are provided by professionals nationally certified by the national council for therapeutic recreation certification. recreational therapy only angst to imp

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today i rise to congratulate dan fisher, the superintendent for the school district in pennsylvania on his upcoming retirement and on his 40 years of education service. dan fisher began his education career at the school district as a teacher in 1973. i had the privilege of having mr. fisher as a teacher where i first learned the workings of government and a constitutional republic. dan later went on to become the assistant principal in 1982, the assistant superintendent in 1985 and the district superintendent in 1989 where he served for 23 years. i've had the honor of serving on the school board with mr. fisher's leadership as superintendent. dan has been a visionary for education and improving educational outcomes. superintendent fisher has tirelessly served as a leader in our community for the past 40 years. thank you, dan, for being such a tireless advocate for our kids and thank you for being a friend to me and also my family i wish you the very best in your retirement.

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. the congressional natural gas caucus has a bipartisan team in order to expand efforts and organizational resources in the 113th congress. despite a fragile economic recovery, the nation is witnessing an energy revolution through energy resource development is offering economic growth, new jobs and lower energy costs. america's null found ability to access expansive reserves in natural gas is a large part of this new domestic resource base, which has afforded new opportunities for america's manufacturing base on the comparative advantage of lower energy costs and for american families as they heat their homes at the fraction of costs. there are countless policy challenges that must be leveraged for the nation to continue benefiting from its abundant, clean, low-energy source. the mission of the natural gas caucus is to educate members of the public and as important depesk energy resource and the energy demand and obtaining energy security. i along with my fellow co-chairs, gene green f

mr. thompson: mr. speaker, today i rise to recognize the more than 20,000 individuals who represent the pennsylvania special olympics. the special olympics is about people helping people. it's a global movement that has flourished due to the commitment and passion of its local volunteers and the determination of its participants and its athletes. in march of each year the pennsylvania special olympics hosts more than 300 athletes and 100 coaches in the state floor hockey tournament. this year's two-day competition and team and individual skills floor hockey will be held at my alma mater. where i will have the opportunity to attend and lend a helping hand on saturday, march 2. i'd like to commend the pennsylvania special olympics for their years of hard work, from ex panledsing an ever-growing -- expanding an ever-growing volunteer base, to help athletes develop individual fitness and courage. i look forward to sharing these experiences with other local community and wish all of our participants the ver

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. on tuesday the president stated that quote with renud confidence the state of the union is stronger. i would know the president would like that to be the case is that for the 23 unemployed americans who are struggling to make ends meet. the conference of americans renewed when they fill their oil tanks and gas tanks at record-high costs. is their confidence renewed when the data shows economy is shrinking for the first time in 3.5 years. it requires smart solutions but unlike the president, smart solutions means smaller government and not bigger government and greater emphasis on promoting freedoms. lower taxes and fewer regulations to grow jobs. fewer restrictions on accessing energy under federal lands that can increase domestic energy supply. these are among the solutions we need, mr. speaker. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address t

mr. thompson: money that could otherwise be used to educate our kids or put aside for those most in need. most would agree that borrowing on the backs of our children to pay for promises our government cannot keep must end. and that only together through the collaboration of both parties can we assure america begins to live within its means. during the last congress there was one area where both parties came together. it was an effort that made improvements in programs resulting in better use of each tax dollar. it was an effort that also achieved deficit reduction. this effort was the farm bill. many of us are eager to hear the president's plan to help the nation achieve fiscal balance during next week's state of the union. i encourage the president to elevate passage of a new farm bill to the forefront of the speech. it's good policy. it's one area where we can come together and start the path of fiscal balance and i encourage my leaders in the house to welcome this call. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> un

mr. thompson of california, ms. schakowsky of illinois, mr. langevin of rhode island, mr. schiff of california, mr. gutierrez of illinois, mr. pastor of arizona and mr. himes of connecticut. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the news to >> i'm so many members after a late night last night. we were so pleased that he mentioned violence against women and recognized the leadership of vice president biden. as you know, yesterday, the senate passed a bill, mr. hoyer, our whip, would love to tell you the numbers, so i'll leave that to him to do, but here we are again, last year -- last night, the senate passed the violence against women act and we are calling the majority in the house to bring the bill to the floor. delay is not an option. every moment of delay is harmful to women, a delay when so many women are forced to suffer in silence in the face of abuse. not an option when they fear for their lives in their homes. not an option when millions of the lgbt community, native americans and immigrants particularly with a delay in the

mr. thompson and mr. mccaul share the leadership and judiciary, as mr. conyers and mr. goodlatte, where i am the ranking member of the board of security committee, that we through the congressional black caucus find a way to uphold the values of our ancestors, hold the values of the pioneers and leaders that have traveled to the journey of civil rights, that we can see the plight and the pain of those who come now. i want to say in closing that as a member of the congress, having the privilege serving the 18th congressional district, even in a city like houston, it is enormously diverse. having a large number of counselors, officers and people who have come from all walks of life, who have come through our doors in the 18th congressional district, begging for help, pleading for their children not being able to be deported. and i would say to my colleagues, you have not -- and those of you who come from this diverse background, fully understand what it's like to hear a mother's shrill scream in your office when you said to them that we're going to stop the deportation of

coach thompson not shy about singing the praises of one mr. porter. >> he is one of the best players in the country. he has consistently shown that and someone that takes pride in and everyone in the room heard me say this, takes pride and excels at every aspect of the game. he is not just thinking about my touches and my shots. and all of it -- it is under the umbrella, undhow to put news th best position to win. burns played and coached under mike shanahan in denver where he has been the broncos assistant team coach since 2007. he is a tc williams graduate. let's hit the healllie pad. ioc decided to remove wrestling from the olympics in 2020. that's terrible. wrestling was the oldest olympic sports. get ready to see more of tiger. signed up to play three state turpts. trying to get ready for the masters in april. according to a former financial adviser, vince young, former nfl quarterback took out a loan for $300,0 $300,000. very for loan, this was. he needed to throw a birthday party for himself. even though he was already having financial

>> anne thompson in vatican city for us this morning. thank you so much. >>> mr. roker is here now with a check of the weather. good morning, al. >> hey, we've got a little unsettled weather in the east. down south, we've got a risk of strong storms in the southeast. a few winter weather advisories from west virginia through long island. we've got frozen precip up through ohio. we're looking for half an inch to an inch of rain in the midatlantic on into the southeast. and later this afternoon we expect one to three inches of snow east of long island could see about four inches. we'll have a check of your local forecast right after this message. ♪ "love" a collection by prabal gurung, exclusively at target. for a limited time. >> and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you very much. >>> this morning we're getting a first look at the passengers strand on that cruise ship in the gulf of mexico. >>> and the best in show from the westminster dog show. we'll meet banana joe. he's a cutie. >>> still ahead natalie will get help from her best friend, zara, fo her pub

mr. pope? a second career seems out of the question. he can't be a wall mart greeter. that's not going to -- gatorade is in aisle eight. >> ann thompsons back with me. they had the wrong part of that there. ann, i was trying to show the part that included you. we got that messed up. sorry. i just want to see you reacting because you were on john stewart last night. >> that's hysterical. >> yes, indeed. what is next for the pope? tell me about the conclave. they're going to meet on monday and apparently then decide when the conclave will begin? >> yeah. i think what you will see over the weekend -- this is sort of a getting to know you period for the cardinals. the pope benedict apointed 57% of the cardinals, and so that means they've only been elevated in the last eight years. they don't know each other well. that involves both the cardinal elector. those are those under the age of 08 1k3 those over the age of 80, and in those meetings they discussed the state of the church, and have all kinds of things to talk about. we belief the first thing on their agenda will be when to get the conclave underway, and that's when the vote -- that'

>> anne thompson in vatican city for us this morning. thank you so much. >>> mr. roker is here now with a check of the weather. good morning, al. >> hey, we've got a little unsettled weather in the east. down south, we've got a risk of strong storms in the southeast. a few winter weather advisories from west virginia through long island. we've got frozen precip up through ohio. we're looking for half ohio loo for half an inch to an inch of rain and later this afternoon, we expect maybe about one to three inches of snow locally east end of long island could see about four inches. that's your latest weather and a check of your local forecast right after this message. >>> good morning, it's 7:21. mostly cloudy sky now. temperatures right around the freezing mark. most of the region and we do have some rain that's near richmond. now advancing north and east and moving into the lower neck and northern eastern shore. later today rain moving into the metro area and snow tonight. maybe just a dusting or a light coating on grassy areas and a little bit more up around the >

mr. philpott's book tells the story of jim thompson, a man known as america's longest-serving p.o.w. at 1 p.m. sunday akbar ahmed talks about his bar, the thistle and the drone: how america's war on terror became a global war on tribal islam, follows by jennifer lawless, author of "becoming a candidate: political ambition and the decision to run for office." c-span's new series, first ladies: influence and image, premieres at 9 p.m. eastern on monday. in honor of that series, we bring you mary brennan, author of "pat nixon," at 2:30 on sunday. then at 7 p.m., rachel swarns in her book, "american tapestry." for more information on the first ladies' series, visit c-span.org/firstladies. on monday booktv continues our programming with lawrence wright on scientology, michelle alexander on the new jim crow, max boot on guerrilla warfare and jonathan katz on haiti aid, just to name a few. watch these programs and more all weekend on booktv. for a complete schedule, visit booktv.org. >>> here's a look at some books that are being published this week. earnest free berg, humanities professor

. >> anne thompson, a lot more from you coming up from the vatican. for now, back to new york and mrks so much, savannah. young man, wanting to push across the racing channel? >> starting april 6th of this year, i'll be pushing across the country. >> to do what? >> to raise awareness for all persons with disabilities and as to raise funds for an organization called stay focused. >> good luck. we hope you have good weather for it. >> thank you. >> let's see what we've got for you today. we're going to look basically at the snowfall for boston. they are nine inches above where they should be this time of year, almost 43 inches of snow. chicago, how have you been doing? well, you're almost 10 inches below where you should be at this point at 19.4 inches. a lot of rain down south. mobile, alabama, 11.3 inches of rain. that's almost 6 1/2 inches above normal >>> 7:36, thursday morning. good morning, i'm meteorologist christina loren. check out the embarcardero. just a spectacular start to the day. an area of low pressure to our north. clouds spilling into the bay area around that system.