the presentation of the colors by the united states armed forces colorguard, the performance of our national anthem, and a retiring of our colors. ♪ >> halt. present arms. [band plays "the star-spangled "]nner ♪ >> please remain standing as the chaplain of the united states house of representatives, the reverend patrick conboy, gives the invocation. let us pray.oy: lord god of mercy, we gather to remember an iconic moment in our history when millions of souls in america were declared to be slaveryn and women and was forever formally banned from by united states of america the adoption of the 13th amendment to the constitution. advance in our evolving sense of those freedoms we have come to believe define people.self-governing unfortunately, the badges and slavery for cure devices decades in intended to maintain a separate but equal, mythical world. the pains of racism, like a national genetic defect, played a still, though so many wish it were not so. us. have mercy on bless those who have been elected to secure laws protecting and expanding our cherished freedoms, that the wisdom and freedo

it is a call to our national conscience, a reminder of our enduring obligation to be the land of freend the home of the brave. an america worthy of his sacrifice. so, ladies and gentlemen, these are the recipients of the 2015 presidential medal of freedom. let's give them a big round of applause. [applause] and now have a seat. we are not done. they have got to get some hardware here. my military aides, let's read the citations. >> presidential medal of freedom citation. larry berra, receiving on behalf of lawrence peter berra. one of our nation's most beloved and quotable sports heroes, lawrence peter yogi berra was a world-class baseball player and great spirit. he left home to join the navy, fought on d-day and came home with a purple heart. as a three-time m.v.p. major league catcher, he won 10 world series championships. as the manager of the new york yankees, he guided his team in the sport he loved with the wisdom that lives in our national consciousness and taught us all that we can observe a lot just by watching. [laughter] >> it took them a while. [laughter] [applause] >> bo

they make our nation great. you, was born and bred in my home state of pennsylvania. it was 1863. kepart andca cap enlists in the union army. he was already 31 years old with hazel eyes and a dark complexion and our hair. i'm quite sure he was a handsome man. it is hard to know why a man of his age and with the family would decide to enlist, even if it was to be part of the famed 13th regimen, of which he served. mr. bill miller ponders the same question. why would his great-great-grandfather choose to enter the war with the family to care for. why did he serve? perhaps it was because the union victory at gettysburg, a few short months before, had galvanized enlistment among men and women in the north. perhaps it was because he felt a againstto fight slavery. perhaps it was because the lisbon bounty, a sizable amount, would do his family well in a time of need. perhaps mr. miller will never know what prompted his great great granddad to prompt this to join this-- brotherhood. i know that with his persistence --

we need to beat hillary clinton to take our country back and keep our nation safe. i can. i am. and together if you join me, we will take our country back. >> zboof bush. >> ask yourself, which candidate will keep you and our country safer, stronger and freer? hillary clinton has aligned herself with barack obama on isis, iran and the economy. it's an alliance doomed to fail. my proven record suggests that and my detailed plan itself will fortify our national and economic security. my proven record as governor will give you a sense i don't make false promises. i deliver real results. for america to be safe and sound, i ask for your support. thank you all very much. >> senator rubio. >> thank you. as we near the end of this year, we enter one of the most important elections in a generation. for what's at stake in this election is not simply what party will be in charge, but our very identity as a people and a nation. for over 200 years, this has been a special country. a unique place where anyone from anywhere can achieve anything. but now, millions of americans feel like they are

ruckelshaus has served our nation with dedication and integrity.he first administrator of the environmental protection agency, he led the government's efforts to help communities struggling with contaminated rivers and polluted cities. years later, he returned to the helm to carry forward its mission of environmental stewardship. with conviction and courage, william d. ruckelshaus continues to place principle over politic, continued his lifetime advocacy on behalf of our nation and our planet. [ applause ] >> steven sondheim. [ laughter ] an acclaimed lyricist and composer, he is a master of the american musical. his witty, poignant tales and many are grappling with dark urges. his musicals are full of joyous energy, sustained by gorgeous melodies and brilliant turns of phrase. his astonishing body of work includes many of our nation's best loved most frequently staged musicals and people around the world know and love his songs. he has forever left his mark on the american stage. [ applause ] steven spielberg. [ applause ] from e.t. and jurassic p

my top priority is to ensure we provide for our national security. this omnibus does precisely that. this is one of the most dangerous times in our history. we must ensure that the united states remains not only the greatest country in the world, but also the strongest. the u.s. and our allies face threats from countries such as iran, russia, china, north korea . additionally radical islamic terrorists such as isis continue to threaten everything we stand for. as chair of state foreign operations and vice chair of defense appropriations i'm very proud of what this bill does to ensure resources are available to counter these threats. i have worked hard to ensure our military has the tools it needs. we fund the equipment required to confront our enemies head on, and we take care of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and their loved ones. not only does this bill provide funding for training and readiness, it also funds critical family services. assist abc is provided for our allies including israel, jordan, and ukraine who are vital partners this fi

and for more than two centuries, it's remained at the core of our national character. ldest tradition. it's who we are. it's part of what makes us exceptional. after all, unless your familiar is native american, one of the first americans, our families, all of our families come from someplace else. the first refugees were the pilgrims themselves, fleeing religious persecution, crossing the stormy atlantic to reach a new world where they might leave new world where they might live and pray freely. eight signers of the declaration of independence were immigrants. and in those first decades after independence, english, germans, and scottish immigrants came over, huddled on creaky ships, seeking what thomas payne called asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty. down through the decades, irish catholics fleeing hunger, italians fleeing poverty, filled up our cities, rolled up their sleeves, built america. chinese laborers jammed in steerage under the decks of steamships, making their way to california to build the central pacific railroad that would tr

council to include as deputy national security adviser, also as deputy secretary of state and as our nation's first director of national intelligence. i could go on and on. but i'll stop here. john's leadership has been instrumental to membership growth the past three years. and we owe him a debt of gratitude for guiding us through this period ever of prosperity. thank you, ambassador negra ponte. in we allow government and education to work better and in concert with our national security efforts. it has made it a special run for ambassador negra ponte and myself. this is when those ale es come together. it makes all the difference. i'm proud of the work insa has done to promote cross-sector work and innovation. and i know insa will continue to promote these efforts in 2016. please, ambassador, negra ponte. [ applause ] >> thank you, joe. good evening, everybody. the feelings and sentiments are reciprocated, joe, about you. when i agreed to take on the position of chairman of insa, i was told that my first challenge would be to find a new president of the organization. and my first and only

cherished freedoms with the wisdom and vision to root out all traces of involuntary servitude in our nation notably human trafficking in our own time, so we can declare with pride we are the land of the free. bless us as we gather here today. help us to give honor to our ancestors whose heroic political exploits set us on an ever expanding course toward freedom for all people. and dear god, bless america. amen. >> please be seated. ladies and gentlemen, united states representative from the first district of north carolina and the chair of the congressional black caucus, the honorable g.k. butterfield. [ applause ] >> on behalf of the 46 members of the congressional black caucus, i would like to first thank speaker paul ryan and congressional leaders for tho z authorizing and sponsoring this historic program today. we also thank president obama for his participation in issuing a 13th amendment proclamation last week. the ratification of the 13th amendment is arguably the most important day in african-american history and indeed american history. thank you, speaker paul ryan. thank you, pres

is secure, and that is that it will help make our nation more secure, national security through energy security, helping keep our people safer. so let me go through these benefits, just take a few minutes -- a few minutes and go through these benefits one by one. and let's start with the american consumer. the price of oil is based on supply and demand. the more oil on the market, the lower the price. simple economics. supply and demand. the volatility in the global price of crude oil is felt right down to the consumer level. more global supply means lower prices at the pump for gasoline, benefiting our consumers and small businesses across the country. that means more money in consumers' pockets. those facts are backed up by studies at both the u.s. energy information administration, the e.i.a., which is part of the department of energy, and also the nonpartisan brookings institute. this spring, e.i.a. administrator adam semenski confirmed that finding in testimony before our energy and natural resources committee, of which i am a member. and in september, the e.i.a. released a new re

two of our national treasure campaigns, but also including the cesar chavez national monument and theriet tubman national monument. several of these monuments have been included in the conservation land system. as secretary, she has championed the blm program that is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. we have a lot of anniversaries. as of this past july, this administration has protected more than 260 million acres of public lands and waters. more than any other president in our history. [applause] secretary jewell has been a strong proponent of initiatives diverse places. using the historic reservation fun to tell more american stories. in this year's budget request, she and president obama requested an additional $33.5 million for the historic preservation fund. to support a civil rights initiative. this includes $30 million for a competitive grant program. it is to document, interpret, and preserve more stories and sites associated with the civil rights struggle and the african-american experience. and $2.5 million in grants for historically black colleges and universities

our nation is exceptional and is intended to lead. fellow citizens, it is time -- it is time -- to take our country back. thank you so very much, ladies and gentlemen. thank you so much. thank you. >> so, we'll take some questions if you don't mind. >> yes, sir, i'd love to. >> excellen as a business executive you've obviously negotiated many deals. >> yes, i have negotiated many deals. maybe even more than mr. trump, who knows. >> so, in light of that, do you believe it's possible to negotiate a peace between israel and the palestinians and what role would you see your administration having in that effort? >> well, frankly, i think that answer depends very much on the palestinians. you cannot negotiate a deal with people who do not recognize your right to exist. so, unless and until -- unless and until -- the leaders of the palestinian people grow so war weary that they are prepared to accept israel's right to exist, then, no, sadly, i do not believe peace is possible. however, i also believe that if a leader in the oval office makes

treatment as government employees when they are being sent abroad to offer their service on behalf of our nation. cultural diplomacy like the services of these brave men and women provide in the face of international disasters is critical to our international image and international relations. i ask that my colleagues support this bipartisan commonsense legislation. i thank you. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the entleman reserves. the gentleman from california, mr. royce, is recognized. mr. royce: i yield four minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. issa, a senior member of the committee on foreign affairs and the author of this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. issa: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. i want to thank you and ranking member engel for bringing this in a timely fashion to the floor. i want to thank my partner in this legislation, mr. boyle of pennsylvania. now, congress often does things and makes a lot of to-do about it. i don't want to overstate this simple technical correction, but i don't want to un

over year conflict over this matter between our authorizing and appropriations committee is in our nation's best interest. such back and forth only delays our shared desire to end our reliance on russian technology and from our space launch supply chain while injecting instability into our national security space launch program. that instability threatens the reliable launch of our most sensitive national security satellites and the stability of the fragile industrial base that supports them. but i cannot allow -- i cannot allow the appropriations committee or any other member of this body to craft a take-it-or-leave-it omnibus spending bill that allows a monopolistic corporation to do business with russian oligarchs to buy overpriced rocket engines that fund russia's belligerent and ukraine in its neoimperial ambitions. i'd like to address this issue in a larger context. the way that the congress is supposed to work is that authorizing committees authorize, whether it be in domestic or international or in this case defense programs, the responsibility of the authorizing committee is to mak

as we search for our national identity. me with me. we are a great nation. [applause] [cheering] [applause] we are a great people! [cheering] [applause] may god give us the strength to be worthy of this greatness. let's go get them! [cheering] [applause] [applause] ♪ announcer: c-span takes you on the road to the white house. best access to the candidates at town hall meetings, rallies, and meet and greets. we are taking your comments. as always, every campaign event recover is available on our issite, -- we cover available on our website, c-span.org. "very week, "reel america brings your archival films. >> [singing]

could our nation's military cyber networks be on the verge of a cyber attack? our national correspondent investigates (sleepover safety)sleepovers are what most kids look forward too, but there are a few recommendations you should keep in mind before allowing 3 3 it's not as bad as it could have been for most of siouxland... but the eastern areas are still looking at between 6 and 10 inches of snow today.thanks for joining us this snowy evening, i'm diana castillo, larry wentz is off tonight. 3 3 3 we're going to kick things off tonight with meteorologist messy start to our work week, so what can we expect tomorrow? 3 a winter storm warning and winter weather advisories continue into early tuesday morning. windy conditions with cold temperatures continue tonight with the snow, as it tapers of. still expecting 1-3 inches over night into the early morning hours. tuesday brings overcast skies with temperatures near 20 degrees and over night into wednesday morning could see a few more flurries. the rest of the week seems to be quiet but very cold as the snow pack k

even as the current administration has turned her back in recent years, no people have stood by our nation on issue after issue more than the people of israel. i encourage you to go back and look at the united nations roll call votes time and again in the interests of america are challenged israel is one of the few countries the votes with the united states over and over and over again. likelike our own country the state of israel is an extraordinary story in the history of the world. i believe our nation's sure moral foundation and the common moral destiny. let us stand with them, as they have stood with us. let our nation service beacons of light and ever darkening world. thank you for having me today. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. >> we have nine minutes. we have about nine minutes for some questions. these are questions that we have curated over the last week or so from our members and attendees across the country. the troubling thing is that you answered about 85 percent of them in the course of your terrific speech. we are going to try and find some things that we can

i believe that if a particular foreign policy can both maintain our national security interests while also being able to take the moral and compassionate high ground, then we should pursue it. however, when those two things are at odds, national security must trump other considerations. as you may have heard -- [ applause ] as you may have heard, i visited syrian refugees in jordan over the thanksgiving weekend. my heart goes out to these people who simply want to live their lives. they want to send their kids to school, go to work have dinner as a family, live without the shadow of war and terror hanging over them. it is the moral and compassionate instinct to open our arms and welcome them into our nation. however, we do not have the tools to properly vet every single one of these refugees and from the standpoint of our national security, no u.s. president should adopt a policy that will likely allow terrorists to legally enter the united states via a refugee settlement program born out of our compassion. [ applause ] i believe the answer is to create safe havens for the refugees in

after all, the future of our nation depends on it. our states depend on it. our schools depend on it. and our families and children depend on it. i credit the success of this bill to the different and diligent work of the chairman and ranking member of the senate help committee as well as the chairman and ranking member of the house, education, an and workforce committee. i know how difficult it can be to strike a deal that is agreeable to both sides, but our committee leaders have done an outstanding job. i wish to thank them for helping us to reach out and reach a compromise. that's exactly what this bill is, a compromise, and while neither side considers it perfect, both parties can agree that this bipartisan legislation will significantly improve the quality of education in our country. i have met with a wide variety of local education leaders in utah, and each one i've spoken to supports this bill. this legislation helps fix a broken system that is failing our students. once we pass this reauthorization, our work will be far from over, but we will once a

and now our nation. allow either isis or islamophobia to define who we are or to determine our destiny. we will define ourselves and we will charge our own destiny. he initiatives were discussed sunday on a long day of more than 100 national and regional muslim leaders in virginia, representing all areas of the country and all segments of the community. sunday summit was convened in response to the unprecedented rise of biased incidences in the wake of paris terror attacks and the san bernardino killings. however, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the overwhelming support we have received from our fellow citizens. even from political candidates, and from our neighbors and supporters. this is america and how we see america. this is how america will continue to be one nation for all. thank you. >> now i would like to introduce the national board chair on the council of coalitions. >> the council of american islamic organizations, a founding member, joined us in this summit. the summit brought

they have been instrumental not just in our work, but in our nations work. -- our nation from work. have worked with us other initiatives through the america'sluding save parks. you thank you for the work have shared with us today. thank you for coming here. and they also paid for our lunch. so thank you for that. [laughter] [applause] it is now my pleasure to introduce our keynote speaker today, who is going to end this conference on the same high note we have had all week. as the head of the department of interior, sally jewell runs the largest arts organization the world. she oversees more than 70,000 employees which service a steward for almost 20% of the land and the united states, including parks, wildlife refuges, and beyond, and historic preservation is very much part of their portfolio. according to a 2011 study, the more than 400 units of the national park service, there are , 2e than 7000 buildings million archaeological sites and 123 million objects and documents. only the smithsonian has a larger objects collection. ewell oversees all of these and has been deeply commit

priority placed on the federal government to get people in position to provide the protection to our nation's military cyber networks be on theheerge of a correspondent investigates( sleepopor safety )sleepovers forward too, but there are a few recommendations you should keep in mind before allowing 3 3 it's not as bad as it could have been for most of siouxland... but the eastern areas are still looking at between 6 and 10 inches of snow.thanks for joining us this evening, i'm diana castillo, larry wentz is off tonight. 3 and tonight winter weather is first on fox. 3 3 3 we're going to kick things off tonight with meteorologist kayla novak... kayla, it was a messy start to our work week, so what can we expect tomorrow? 3 a winter storm warning and winter weather advisories continue into early tuesday morning. windy conditions with cold temperatures continue tonight with the snow, as it tapers of. still expecting 1-3 inches over night into the early morning hours. tuesday brings overcast skies with temperatures n nr 20 degrees and over night i io wednesday morning could see e few more flurrie

is competitive so that taxpayers end up getting the best outcome for the dollars they put into our national defense. we've got to generate competition to drive down costs, and we've got to bring to an end our reliance on russian manufactured rocket engines. i wish that were not the case. i irish that our relationship with russia was positive in every aspect, but it's not, and i join with virtually all of my colleagues in believing that the sooner we move away from russian-made engines to american-made engines in competition, the better for us and the better for our nation. there's no doubt that our omnibus appropriation bill recognizes the need to end our reliance on russian engines, and we actually put our money where our mouth is. we added $143.6 million on top of the $84.4 million requested by the president to accelerate the development of a new rocket engine. this amount is $43.6 million more than the $100 billion authorized by the defense authorization committee. so we are making certain that we are going to end this reliance on russian engines. the question is how we manage the space

it goes back to the founding of our nation. so, it's a very daunting process to take on, such a role, it's a lot of hard work, but also is incredibly gratifying. especially when one gets a chance as i have my lovely wife has had yesterday to witness the recipients of the congressional gold medal. the congressional gold medal ceremony, which occurred yesterday, so my head and my heart is spinning with the events of yesterday. because that particular congressional gold medal combines so many stories, combines a stories of world war ii. it combines the horror and terror that hitler and his millions had visited the-- upon europe and literally the world and it also involves heroic efforts that were up until recently untold and unsung of museum curators and architects and restorers and artists and sculptors and archivists who took it upon themselves, they were in very comfortable lifestyles and had no need to be impressed into service, but order to save the great cultural treasures of the world put life and limb at risk and saved gre

and for many days our nation did not know who would be the next president. can you ever imagine such a thing happening in our history again? but happily indeed it was resolved. we followed our constitution. and the election went into the house, the house of representatives, oh, they argued and debated, argued and debated. you know they voted 33 times without breaking the tie. finally, finally, can you imagine a gentleman who had been my nemesis, who represented the complete opposite end of the political spectrum from me, general alexander hamilton, wrote me to suggest a compromise. he first suggested that as he considered me to be the least dangerous of the two, that if i -- if i were elected the third chief magistrate, that i would not seek to cast out of office all federalists, but to provide an equilibrium in the new administration, then he would encourage new york to enter into my political arena. i promised him that we might maintain the promises of our nation, maintain a fair and open government. do you know that presidential election of 1800 i have re

and the united states postal service to welcome each of you here today on this historic day in our nation's history. this courthouse village stands not just as the symbol of war's end but as a point of departure for a transformed nation. the significance of what took place in mr. mclean's parlor settled the issue of who would be the victors of the american civil war. but many questions remained unanswered. soldiers echoed their thoughts in letters and diary entries. while letters of union soldiers reflected jubilation, their words also reflected concerns. turn it down now. in the the front lines of appomattox chapel, j.l. mulligan of the 140th pennsylvania wrote a few days later, though the army of northern virginia is ours, still grave questions remain to be settled for which god alone can give the true wisdom and guidance. a confederate artillerist private berkeley recorded a diary entry on april 11th after confirming in his previous day's entry that lee had surrendered his whole army. surely the last 24 hours has been a day of the most intense mental anxiety i have ever experienced. thou

it is a call to our national conscience. reminder of our enduring obligation to the land of the free and the home of the brave. and america worthy of his sacrifice. german, these are the recipients of the 2015 presidential medal of freedom. let's give them a big round of applause. [applause] [applause] have a seat. they have to get some hardware. let's read the citations. >> residential metal of freedom citations. berra, on behalf of berra.e peter a world-class baseball player and a great spirit. he fought on d-day and came home with a purple heart. matronlye-time m.v.p. catcher, he won 10 world series championships. he guided his team in the sport he loved with the wisdom that lives in our national consciousness. he taught us all that we can observe a lot just by watching. [laughter] [applause] bonnie carroll. [applause] after her husband died in a army plane crash, she channeled her own grief into service. as the founder of the tragedy assistance program for survivors, she has devoted her life to building a network to help

this is the security of our nation. we've had tragedies in chattanooga and ft. bernardino last week. our friends and allies in france have experienced this. this is beyond politics. this is about our national security and a strategy. the president is late to the game for this. but for future going forward, there are still 13 months of his administration and he has a responsibility for safety of our country. >> sure. if you say that we all agree that it's not about politics. it's about us. it's about you. me. all of us as americans. with that in mind because politics has been at play unfortunately. do you think that whatever the policy that the president lays out with the advice of his commanders as you suggested that he needs to listen to them, do you believe that people in congress, everybody sitting on either side of the aisle can rally around whatever the strategy is and if you don't agree specifically with the president laying it out, can you go ahead and get together and talk about it together and make creative -- submit creative suggestions so that it can

it is there you can now experience the major battles that shape our nation. on a golf course. the course at west point allows you to tee up while you take a history lesson beginning with the american revolution and ending with afghanistan. i played the course while honoring the men and women who have gone to war to keep the rest of us free. you'll find it 50 miles north of new york city and 250 years back in the history of this nation. >> george washington found this to be what he called the key to the continent and thought if he could control west point and control therefore the hudson river against the largest navy and largest army, the british navy, we could secure the united states. it was an eight-year war -- the revolution. >> west point. george washington's brain child. the nation's oldest military academy. known for its distinctive stone architecture and iconic cadet chapel, it has trained some of the best who have led american soldiers in war time. grand and lee, pershing and patton, macarthur, eisenhower, petraeus and odierno. now it is a place where america's wars a

and this gives a value of 2.9 hectares of forest per capita. 15% of our nation corresponds to protected wildlife areas. in paraguay, we are renewing our public transport fleet, investing in new technologies that are multimodal and efficient for reducing the use of fossil fuels. we are carrying out historic investment in health infrastructure to improve the quality of our water resources and the quality of life of our people. we are undertaking a national forestation reforestation program to reduce the pressure on native forests, developing a sustainable energy framework. although paraguay does not make significant contributions to global emissions, we do suffer from the consequences of climate change. undeaking the commitment as part of this convention, par guy has presented its proposal for national contributions and actions for low carbon growth. president, we know that the agreement that will be adopted in this conference is very ambitious, and it is a challenge. it is nothing less and nothing more than the protection of our planet and the face of the devastating effects of unbridled

when they went off, as i said earlier, they didn't complain, they didn't make excuses, and when our nation called, as i said before, they said count on me. we must keep the promises we made to our vets. we must keep those promises for their entire lives. our vietnam vets and their families made incredible sacrifices. we can do a better job of giving them the recognition they deserve and the support they deserve. let's do it through words and action in our everyday daily lives. let us remember those who have sacrificed so much to defend our nation and our freedom, and let us preserve their legacy and follow their example of service to others. and when you see someone wearing a ball cap that says vietnam vet, world war ii vet, korean vet, iraq, afghanistan vet, when you see them, say things. my guess is what they'll say to you is thank you, i was just doing my job. but they were doing so much more than just their job. they were protecting our nation and making sure that our children and our children's children had a chance to grow up in this most blessed of all places. god bless every americ

it represents, i think, a compromise on the political balance of our nation. we have resolved many policy challenges. we provided predictability to our agencies and predictability to policies that help private investment in our economy grow. it advanced a cleaner environment, security of our homeland, education and welfare of our citizens, america's ability to compete globally. it deserved our support and i was glad to see that it was passed and shortly will be signed by the president and will be the law of this land. mr. president, i know there are other colleagues here, so let me very briefly if i might consent to speak on a different issue, be separated in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cardin: mr. president, earlier today i took the floor and senator cruz was here, and he raised an objection to a unanimous consent request that i had not yet made. and i'm not going to make that unanimous consent request, but i'm going to mention as the ranking member of the senate foreign relations committee, there are 14 nominations that our presi

a truly bipartisan approach to very real problems confronting our nation. i've been to the floor many dozens of times to talk about our country falling apart and i won't reiterate those statistics again. they're in the record. but this bill, this is now 10 years and three months since congress last passed a long-term bill. this five-year bill will give states and local jurisdictions, cities and counties, the capability of dealing with bigger problems that confront our system of transportation. the series of short-term fixes we've had over the last five years and three months are the map 21 bill did not give them the long-term certainty they needed. there's predictability in this bill they know how much money they'll be receiving. and the levels are higher than current expenditures. sure, i think we should invest more, but the bill also contains a provision i championed that says should a future congress, you know, allocate more funds to transportation infrastructure that money will flow through the policies and the formulas in this bill with no further actio

and our national economy. in other words, the security of the port of long beach is not to be treated lightly. i'm not a stranger to the critical nature of the port, but we are now learning about emerging port-specific cyberthreats. this body recently took the first steps to fight off the growing threats to our nation's cybersecurity with a number of bills and hearings on this topic. i'm glad that out of those hearings our attention now turns to the cybersecurity of our critical infrastructure, including the hundreds of cargo ports in this country. as a result of h.r. 3878, we would see working groups forming at our ports and coming to address -- coming together to address port-specific cybersecurity vulnerabilities. these findings would be shared with appropriate stakeholders, including federal and local governments, port authorities, terminal operators as well as law enforcement in an effort to enhance cybersecurity situational awareness at the ports. i am confident that these working groups will continue to

technologyion increasingly available poses a growing challenge to our nation's defense. the next generation of easy-to-use encryption is rapidly approaching. let me just explain, we knew of four or more individuals whom our security team had been watching. workple in san bernardino on indicating with those people. strong encryption, we did not detect it. in the case of san bernardino, there were some red flags, people building an arsenal, neighbors who might have suspected something. we need to watch and we need to -- report.record but when people can use encryption technology to avoid detection has to be solved. the minute you begin to solve the encryption problem by giving our security officials the ability to get in a backdoor, it opens the possibility for criminals to be able to use that exploit accesso to the encrypted technology. so, what do you do? you sit down with people in the technology community, the intelligence community, the legislative community, and you fix it. there is not a single problem that we see that cannot be fixed if we get smart people in a room

we need to join republicans and democrats to an issue that threatens our national security, threatens our economy, threatens our environment. it is an issue that is looming out there and needs attention. and so we look forward to work with our friends on the other side of the aisle to move forward on this issue. as i looked over there and saw what was happening, i remember many of the briefings we've had and everyone that has looked at this challenge of global warming, of climate change says that we need to do two things. one is we need to drive capital to new energy, to new energy sources, to clean energy sources. we need to innovate is what they're talking about. if you get the capital there and you get the private sector working, you can come up with the solutions. and secondly, we need to put a signal in the marketplace to invest in clean energy and renewable energy. and i was so proud of what had happened over there in terms of the world joining together. more than 184 countries came together and we're going to see the conclusion of it -- of their action this week, but they have

president conceded that the complete withdrawal of our forces from afghanistan would be harmful to our national security interests and slowed our withdrawal in the face of al qaeda and taliban resistance, he has inflectionably clung to a fixed date for our drawdown of forces in iraq. and as the president inflectionably pursued an end to the war on terror, the terror threat dapted as al qaeda advanced in presence and capability and al qaeda in iraq grew into the terrorist army we now know as isil. isil has used social media and encrypted communications burgeoned at the very moment that the president and his allies were working to take critical electronic surveillance tools away from our intelligence community. so here's what we need from the president now. what we need from the president is for him to clearly outline, clearly outline what it is he aims to achieve, how he aims to achieve it and what authorities he thistle need to make that happen. he needs to match strategic objectives to the means to reach the goals. the president needs to tell us what authorities he needs to defeat encrypted on

over year conflict over this matter between our authorizing and appropriations committee is in our nation's best interest. such back and forth only delays our shared desire to end our reliance on russian technology and from our space launch supply chain while injecting instability into our national security space launch program. that instability threatens the reliable launch of our most sensitive national security satellites and the stability of the fragile industrial base that supports them. but i cannot allow -- i cannot allow the appropriations committee or any other member of this body to craft a take-it-or-leave-it omnibus spending bill that allows a monopolistic corporation to do business with russian oligarchs to buy overpriced rocket engines that fund russia's belligerent and ukraine in its neoimperial ambitions. i'd like to address this issue in a larger context. the way that the congress is supposed to work is that authorizing committees authorize, whether it be in domestic or international or in this case defense programs, the responsibility of the authorizing committee is to mak

our national security interests. putting isis or al qaeda or the muslim brotherhood in charge of yet another state in the middle east is not benefiting our national security. instead, we need a president who focuses clearly and says we will utterly destroy isis. [applause] senator cruz: who makes abundantly clear to any militant on the face of the earth, if you go and join isis, if you wage jihad against the united states of america, you are signing your death warrant. [applause] senator cruz: and then finally, we have the iranian nuclear deal. if i am elected president, i have pledged on the very first day in office to rip to shreds this catastrophic iranian nuclear deal. [applause] senator cruz: you know, at some of these republican debates there have been other republican candidates for president who have said, gosh, that's not a very sophisticated approach. you don't understand. we need to wait and see if we can trust the iranians. let me tell you what. i do trust the iranians. when the ayatollah khomeini burns a

you know, we all talk about national security as being our top priority, national security is more than just a number of weapons we have in our arsenal. it also includes the cleanliness and purity of our environment. and it's about time we become good stewards of this planet. and so, i urge my colleagues to vote no on the previous question. and to vote no on this backward thinking legislation that really should not be on the floor today. with that, i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts yields back his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself the balance of my time. i do feel obligated to point out in the absence of the waxman-markey bill during the -- during this administration and he previous administration between 2005 and 2012, carbon emissions in this country fell because of market based activity. that puts the united states halfway to the goal that it set for itself in the united nations agreement, a goal that we would reduce carbon emissions by 20% in the year 2020. we are halfway th

captured by isil, and we need to free them and liberate them for the sake of lebanon, for the sake of our nation, for the sake of our decision. we have to trust your nation. you have to trust your government. we have nothing at all but lebanon and we need to go for lebanon. we need to exert all efforts for lebanon, because lebanon needs all of us, military people and civilian people, from all categories, my beloved ones, there are efforts, efforts that have been exerted internally, namely, the efforts of the cabinet, the efforts of the government and there of other efforts made by the security agencies, the army, the intelligence, all the security agencies have worked in harmony through one year and four months to reach that day. we were very patient. also, the judiciary, the judiciary in every step were there, we have as you can seat and we have crossed it to the freedom, to the dignity, to the dignity of our country, to the dignity of lebanon, and i would like in your name to thank and express appreciation to every country, to every leader who participated with us to reach that day of joy, par

as golfers battle the course, they are reminded of the military battles that shaped our nation.1812 and the civil war, our nation's bloodiest in which west point educated generals led the armies on both sides. >> there's a lot of soul searching whether to stay loyal to the union or secede to the south. >> the bonding here and how close you know each other here is incredible to see. though you have the north and south and confederacy and union, they are close personal friends and understand their strengths and weaknesses. it is pretty significant. >> through world wars i and ii, korea, vietnam and the gulf war, vietnam, still america's most controversial war causing the lives of 58,200 americans. among them, 273 graduates of west point. after the paris peace accords ended the war in april 1973, american forces would see more than a decade of quiet. until communist cuban troops overthrew the government of a tiny caribbean nation and, in response, president ronald reagan ordered the invasion of grenada. >> grenada we were told was a friendly island paradise for tourism. well, it wa

my top priority is to ensure we provide for our national security. this omnibus does precisely that. this is one of the most dangerous times in our history. we must ensure that the united states remains not only the greatest country in the world, but also the strongest. the u.s. and our allies face threats from countries such as iran, russia, china, north korea . additionally radical islamic terrorists such as isis continue to threaten everything we stand for. as chair of state foreign operations and vice chair of defense appropriations i'm very proud of what this bill does to ensure resources are available to counter these threats. i have worked hard to ensure our military has the tools it needs. we fund the equipment required to confront our enemies head on, and we take care of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and their loved ones. not only does this bill provide funding for training and readiness, it also funds critical family services. assist abc is provided for our allies including israel, jordan, and ukraine who are vital partners this fi

it is there you can now experience the major battles that shaped our nation on a golf course, the course at west point allows you to tee up while you take in a history lesson that unfurls one hole at a time beginning with the american revolution and ends with afghanistan. i had an opportunity to play the course while honor aing the men and women that gone to war to keep the rest of us free. you'll find it 50 miles west of new york city and 250 years back in the history of this nation. >> george washington found this to be what he called the key to the continent and thought if he could control west point and the hudson river against the largest navy and army in the world, british army and navy, we could secure the united states and it was an eight-year war in the revoluti revolution. ♪ >> west point, george washington's brain child. the nation's oldest military academy known for its distinctive stone architecture and cadet temple.it's a place w wars and those who fought in them are memorialized in one of america's favorite games. >> perfect. >> you got that, right? >> carved into the gran

we are a nation worried about our security and rightfully so. it is why we are calling on the president to do so much more to defeat this terror. it is why we are begging the president for a stronger national security test. we must always insist on a security test. but we must never require a religious test. it is time that my side of the aisle has one less candidate in the race for the white house. it is time for donald trump to withdraw from the race. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohen, for five minutes. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. first of all i'd like to congratulate mr. jolly on his statement. i thought that showed some courage and reflects the values of a lot of people here in the house and united states of america. needed to be said. mr. speaker, some of us on both sides of the aisle have been working hard to reform our marijuana laws to allow more state flexibility in how marijuana is regulated and treated commercially and m

>> well, sir, we believe that engagement with pakistan is in our national -- >> other countries don't give them money and they still talk. i'm not saying we close our embassy. are you saying that the pakistanis would refuse to talk to us? does every other have to give them money like a party gift to have a conversation? >> we think our assistance programs, whether we're talking about the civilian or military, have actually done a lot to improve the conditions. in the case of civilians, the lives of ordinary pakistanis. and pakistan is facing an enormous demographic challenge. it has a youth bulge. the youth are about to come into the most productive years of their lives, either they'll have jobs or not have jobs. >> i know we do some good for pakistanis. if we spent that money in india and congo, we would do an equal amount of good. what is the pakistani response if we simply say, zero? >> well, i really can't say what the government of pakistan would -- >> so we're spending $2 billion, much of it military, and if we eliminated the military aid, it's clear that the pakistani military

it's our nation's 911 for dangerous spills. staffed by the coast guard 24 hours a day, passing on reports to relevant national response teams. those teams then go to the site of the spill, assess the situation and determine the best way to mitigate exposure and clean up the spill. often it is the coast guard being called upon to clean up a spill when it involves surface water. back in march, i visited a coast guard station and while i was there, we talked quite a bit about a serious deficiency in their capabilities, a serious deficiency that came to light in one of the greatest environmental disasters. in 2010, there was a large spill on the calla ma zoo river. and the coast guard was called upon to help with the cleanup efforts. when they arrived, they learned the equipment they had brought to the spill was for one type of oil, the oil they believed to have been involved in this particular of incident, but the oil in the river was an entirely different type and consistency than what they had expected and required a different cl