the epidemic has been and where it is going. more questions on ar.gov.u can go to pepf thank you for your time. guest: thank you. that does it for washington journal. mike bost to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, paul d. ryan, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 6, 2015, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour ebate. the chair will alternate

recognition between the parties with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip , but in o five minutes no event shall debate continue eyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson, for five minutes. mr. ompson: thank you, speaker. mr. speaker, yesterday the house passed the 21st century cures act with a vote of 392-26. i was proud to support the cures act that exat the indicts the discovery, -- expedites the discovery, the development of medicines for new cures. disabling conditions where none exist today. this included long overdue reforms to our nation's mental health system. mr. speaker, the text of the cures act additionally contain my special needs trust fairness

act language. this corrects a civil rights oversight or issue for persons living with disability, to be allowed to establish their own special needs trust. without this legislation, the way the law exists today, a person, any person living with a label of disability is deemed incompetent, to be able to set up and manage their own special needs trust. their parents can do it, grandparents, court-appointed guardian, but they are deemed incompetent. i want to thank my colleagues tore their support and -- for their support and ask the senate to take swift action. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the life of dr. david wright, a dedicated public servant and community leader from clarne county, pennsylvania, in the pennsylvania fifth congressional district. was a beloved professor and head of the department where he taught for 30 years.

dr. wright served in the pennsylvania house of representatives from 1976 to 1996. his 20-year tenure is the longest served in the state house by any representative from clarion county. as a house member, dr. wright served as chairman on several committees and took on various leadership roles. he continually advocated for rural pennsylvanians and authored language that created the center for rural pennsylvania. he also played a major role in establishing the state system for higher education which unified pennsylvania's 14 state colleges into a compre hence of system. dr. wright passed away on november 18 at the age of 80, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to benefit pennsylvanians for years to come. my thoughts and prayers are with the wright family. mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of the 75th anniversary of the american tree farm system, the largest and oldest woodland certification system in the country. it was founded in 1941 to

protect landowners across the country and help meet the growing need for -- demand for forest products. in 1954, the principals of the american tree farm system had certification, establishing a clear outloin for proper forest management and conservation. today, the american tree farm system is comprised of more than 70,000 individuals and families that manage more than 20.5 million acres of forest. these tree farmers benefit our nation's forests and our economy while providing timber, homes for wildlife, recreational space and clean water. in honor of its legacy last june, i introdoused h.con.res 44, bipartisan legislation celebrating the american tree farm system and recognizing the 75th anniversary. i congratulate the members of the american tree farm system on this remarkable milestone and applaud their work with landowners and foresters across

the united states. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer, for five minutes. mork, day by day, we're -- mr. speaker, day by day we're learning more about the future trump administration and as the picture becomes clearer, usually the news is troubling. one of the most unsettling indications about the trump administration and the republican party is the abandonment of a half century of bipartisan foreign policy regarding israel and our commitment to a two-state solution. israel has no greater friend in the world than the united states. but one of the ways to demonstrate friendship is to be clear when your friends are making mistakes. settlement activity by israel on the west bank and the renewed destruction of palestinian homes and confiscation of property are mistakes.

the overwhelming majority of israelis still favor a two-state solution. they just despair of it being possible. the steps the netanyahu government is making on that path making it more remote. donald trump and the republican party he dominated at the republican convention abandoned the two-state solution. for the first time in half a century, the bipartisan commitment to a two-state solution has been stripped from the republican party platform. this matters. donald trump has empowered two of the most extreme voices who have emboldened and defended settlement activity and undercut the necessary two-state solution to manage his policy advice on israel. this should be disturbing for everyone concerned about middle east peace. the world is a complicated and

dangerous place. there are hints that donald trump is starting to learn about this complexity in fits and starts. witnesses' statements after visiting with president obama and his walking back some of his most extreme and definitive campaign promises. it is important that the reality in the middle east catches up sooner rather than later. a prime example is the iranian nuclear agreement, one of the few things that china, russia, great britain, france and germany and the united states all agreed upon. it's not perfect, and there are certainly iranian leaders who are dangerous people, but this agreement was the best alternative and the only thing that all these parties could agree upon. now, it's easy to talk on the campaign trail about blowing it up. it's harder to do in reality when it is actually working, as it was supposed to do, and in

fact it's supported by an even overwhelming majority of jewish voters. we all have responsibility for a thoughtful foreign policy, and democrats must stand firm to reject some of the reckless proposals from the trump administration. but our republican friends in congress should not allow a half century of bipartisan foreign policy to become a casualties of some of the most extreme voices of american and israeli politics. the time to speak out is now. everyone must find their voice. failure to support a two-state solution and reject the misguided settlement efforts which would make that solution impossible is a prescription for more pain, unrest and violence between israelis and palestinians.

middle east peace should not be a casualty of the american election. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, for five minutes. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. congressman tom lantos was a giant of a man, an inspiration to all of us who knew him and greatly admired by his peers. tom was a patriot, a recipient of the presidential medal of freedom who championed justice, human rights and human dignity across the globe. tom lantos was a holocaust survivor, the only holocaust survivor ever elected to serve in this esteemed institution. coming to america as a penniless immigrant, tom's life story is one of perseverance and fortitude, yet, a kinder and more loving man you would not ever find. tom was the embodiment of the american dream, building a wonderful life for himself, for

his wife and their two daughters. he made it his life's work to see to it that the horrors he had seen, the horrors that he had lived through would never be brought upon others ever again. his background as a survivor and a member of congress gave him a unique opportunity to forge an ever-stronger relationship between the united states and our ally, the democratic jewish state of israel, and to guarantee that the jewish people will always have a homeland. and now tom's legacy and his memory are being honored in israel on december 19 where a statue will be dedicated in his honor. i extend my most sincere and heart-felt words of admiration to tom's family. i congratulate them all on this auspicious occasion. tom lantos was an honorable and eman, mr. speaker, deserving of such a great honor. mr. speaker, i rise today to

recognize brother kevin, president of christopher columbus high school for his 45 years of service to this wonderful institution and for a 60th anniversary as brother this year. since arriving at christopher columbus high school, he has een a champion for students, teachers, dean of discipline, athletic director, varsity coach for over 18 years, developmental director and principal. his legendary reputation has carried him through many recognitions and accolades, including the respect and admiration of his peers, his co-workers and our loving community. in 2008, for his distinguished service to the church and devotion to the catholic education system, brother kevin was de-bestowed the cross, the highest medal that can be awarded by the pope. and so again, brother kevin,

congratulations on this magnificent milestone as the heart and soul of columbus high school, you have been a leader, you have been a role model but more importantly, you have given countless students the ability to pursue their dreams and reach their full potential. go, explorers, go, brother kevin. mr. speaker, it gives me great joy to recognize high point academy, a well-respected bilingual private school located in my community on its 40th anniversary. since its founding in 1976, high point academy has provided generations of students with an excellent education in a positive and nurturing academic environment. this prestigious institution is a model of academic excellence, imagination, innovation and creative thinking. i am proud that over the last 40 years, the gifted educators at high point academy have helped develop successful students who have gone on to become leaders in our south florida commount and indeed throughout our -- community and

indeed throughout our nation. the principal and the whole high point academy, congratulations on this very special anniversary and thank you for decades of outstanding educational contributions to our south florida community. mr. speaker, today is a milestone in the history of the fight against aids because we are celebrating the 28th world aids day. for sure, we must continue to build upon a bipartisan commitment to ending aids by the year 2030, both here in the u.s. and around the world. i will remain deeply involved as the republican co-chair of the congressional hiv-aids caucus because south florida, my community, is ground zero for the next phase of the battle against hiv-aids. sadly, florida's number one in the nation for new h.i.v. cases, and south florida accounts for more than half of all new h.i.v. cases in our state. florida's growing struggle with

hiv-aids mirrors a larger dynamic taking place across the south, for which the region as a whole is not well prepared, and south florida's issues in particular are exacerbated by the demographics of h.i.v. ur mag me tism of a -- magnetism of a tourist community. next year is a big year for the fight against hiv-aids. the aids community, the congressional aids -- hiv-aids caucus will remain committed to putting an end to aids by the year 2030. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. quigley, for five minutes. mr. quigley: thank you, mr. speaker. eight years ago our nation was in the midst of a great recession. it was the worst economic downturn since the great depression, unprecedented in both severity and duration. an economic tail spin that

blindsided many, devastated millions and robbed good people of their savings, their security and their way of life. a disastrous combination of irresponsible lending, overly complex derivatives and inadequate regulatory oversight that led to a near collapse of our financial system. over the course of this economic catastrophe, more than five million americans lost the roof over their head and another nine million lost their paycheck that they relied on to support themselves and their families. . this extended far beyond economics. at the end of 2008, almost 16% of the population was uninsured. this meant that over 50 million americans were crossing their fingers, holding their breath, hoping to avoid any unpredictable, unanticipated,

and uncontrollable health concerns that would turn their lives upside-down. simply being a woman or having asthma was enough for insurance companies to deny you quality care and basic preventive and primary care services were hard to come by. thousands of brave men and women in uniform had been killed and scores more wounded in a long and polarizing war in iraq. lgbt americans had to keep their true identities hidden. gay men and women who served in their nation in uniform and risked their lives in defense of our freedom had to stay quiet about whom they loved. and those who were open about their sexual orientation were not allow to join their partner in marriage if they lived in one of the 48 states that prohibited same-sex marriage. this was the state of our nation, this was the america that president obama inherited on january 20, 2009. things look a little different

today. and i know that i speak for millions of americans that are grateful for the past eight years fueled by real change that made our economy stronger and our society much more just. when president obama took his oath of office, the economy was bleeding 800,000 jobs a month. today we have seen record private sector job growth marked by over 15 million new jobs over the past 80 months. at the height of the recession in 2009, unemployment hit an alarming 10%. today the unemployment rate is below 5%. today thanks to dodd-frank, systemic risk in our financial system has been significantly reduced and our largest brank banking institutions are more transparent and accountable than they have been in decades. today marriage equality is now the law of the land in all 50 states. today nearly 18 million previously uninsured americans have gained coverage under the

affordable care act resulting in the lowest uninsured rate in history. today men and women are charged the same price for health care. americans can access preventive care services at no cost. pre-existing conditions don't bar individuals from treatment and young people can stay on their parents' plan until they are 26. today because of lily ledbetter fair pay act, the first piece of legislation signed by president obama, women can more effectively challenge u.n. equal pay practices. today previously fraught relationships with many allied countries have been restored. today the combat mission in iraq is over and tens of thousands of troops are back home with their families after years of war. today justice has been served and osama bin laden is dead. today our nation has championed some of the most profound climate change initiatives in the world like the clean power plan and the paris accords to help protect our precious

natural resources and defend our environment for generations to come. it is up to us to decide if we want to move forward or back. nearly a decade of progress is on the chopping block. there is no doubt that everyone is still reeling from the long and divisive campaign season that culminated in abelection -- election that left millions of americans in fear once again. the economic recovery and social victories we have seen during the obama presidency have been substantial. but much more work remains. to ensure that all americans have an equal opportunity to succeed. because even though today looks better than it did eight years ago, what will tomorrow look like? as for now, and as for me, i am proud to have served in the people's house under this president. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, for five minutes. mr. speaker,

president-elect trump has many difficult tasks ahead. one of which is to promote long overdue infrastructure construction at a time when the national debt exceeds our entire economy and interest costs alone are eating us alive. some have said that a rebounding economy resulting from tax reform can pay for it. that may be, but it's not guaranteed. it cannot be accurately forecast. and we'll need any new revenues to beef up our defenses and reduce our deficit, two other critical objectives of the new administration. others have proposed tax credits to leverage private capital for infrastructure improvements. but tax credits reduce revenue and widen the deficit. worse, such public-private partnerships have proven a fertile breeding ground for corruption, crony capitalism,

waste, and fraud. as we learned during the obama stimulus fiasco, massive government spending might stimulate government, but it does little to stimulate the economy when it's squandered for boondoggles like subsidizing solyndra and paying cash for clunkers. how do we avoid the mistakes of the past, control the deficit, protect taxpayers, and yet add $1 trillion of new infrastructure in a way that helps the economy and not just lines the pockets of politicallywell connected interests? first, get government out of the way. stop obstructing major infrastructure projects like the keystone pipeline. keystone and many other projects like it across the country already have private capital ready to finance them. keystone by itself would unleash an estimated $8 billion of privately financed infrastructure construction and when complete would mean a half

million barrels a day of canadian crude oil entering u.s. markets. in my district alone, one abusive official in the sacramento office of the army corps of engineers single-handedly blocked tens of millions of dollars of critical infrastructure construction desperately sought by local governments in the region. multiply that across the contry, and you can see how many infrastructure projects already are financed but cannot move forward because of federal obstructionism. second, streamline radical regulation that is have made many infrastructure projects cost prohibitive. in my district, the little town of forest hill, gets its water from the sugar pine reservoir, formed by a dam that has an 18-foot spillway but no gate. the town is trying to increase the reservoir's capacity by adding the missing gate. the gate will cost $2 million. but environmental studies, environmental litigation, and

forest service fees, have inflated the cost to $11 million. so this project has stalled. multibillion dollar expansion of shasta dam in-- stalled for similar reasons. multiply this across the rest of the country. third, use revenue bonds to finance capital intensive projects like dams and bridges. california built its iconic golden gate and bay bridges with loans from private investors, repaid by tolls that were charged only to the users of the bridges. the taxpayers were never on the hook for a dime. and the loans were paid back ahead of schedule. the famous california state water project constructed 21 dams and 700 miles of canals much the revenue bonds and self-liquidating general obligation bonds that financed it were paid back not by general taxpayers but by the users of the water and power. fourth, restore the integrity of our highway trust fund. we built the modern instate

system with the federal excise tax paid by highway users at the gas pump. the more you drove, the more you paid for the roads you were using. but over the decades, more and more of these funds were bled away to subsidize mass transit and other purposes unrelated to highway construction. restoring highway taxes for highways would go a long way toward addressing the maintenance and construction backlog. fifth, repeal the outdated davis-bacon act that requires federal projects to pay grossly inflated wages. think tanks like the heritage foundation and the competitive enterprise institute estimate that davis-bacon alone inflates total construction costs by roughly 10%. that means just repealing this single act would add one new project for every 10 existing ones at no additional cost. these are just a few of the ways that massive infrastructure projects can be financed at zero cost to general taxpayers. because these reforms are actually directed at projects

for which there is a demonstrated economic need, political favoritism and corruption inherent in government directed programs can be greatly reduced. mr. speaker, freedom works. and it's time that we put it and america back to work. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. costa, for five minutes. mr. costa: ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. costa: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize leslie magowan, as november's hero wine -- heroine or heroin of the month is an individual in the communities in the san joaquin valley in california who go the extra mile to make a positive difference for the people from which i serve. leslie is the c.e.o. of the livingston community health and medical and dental provider

with community health center locations throughout merced county. she's been a part of the team at the livingston health center for over 10 years. and she's been instrumental in development of the success of the house certainty, which enables residents in merced county to receive health services otherwise that would not be available. 100% of merced county is a health professional shortage area. not enough health care. in other words, the county has a major shortage of primary care physicians. livingston health center has an important role in working to fill that gap so that no one goes untreated. most recently leslie led the efforts for the opening of the wellness center at the livingston high school. it's the only school-based health center in merced county. the wellness center provides medical care and counseling and dental services to students, their families, and local residents at no or very low cost. additionally, leslie has implemented the programs like

the back-to-school fair, homeless health day, an annual scholarship fundraiser to help ensure people know that they have access to quality and affordable health services. this was all made available as a result of the affordable health care act. livingston community health and its doctors, nurses, and staff work to ensure that individuals who live in rural communities, many rural communities throughout this country, many that i represent, and throughout merced county, have access to quality, affordable health services. as a strong supporter of community health centers, it's a pleasure to recognize and give a big thank you to leslie and her team and staff, doctors, and nurses at the livingston community health centers. mr. speaker, i also rise today to speak about the water and california's ongoing drought. this week the california department of water resources announced that the 2017 initial allocation for the state water project is 20%. not good.

i joined with drought stricken communities like those in the san joaquin valley, the california farmers, farm workers, and farm communities who are all praying that the initial water allocation of 20% improves when the department of water resources issues the final allocation, not just for the state water projects, but for the federal water projects as well. however, with the current operations of california's water system, it would take storms of biblical proportions for these agencies that are served by the state and federal water projects to be able to increase those allocations to 100%. that's why congress must act now to pass the california water bill that will improve operations to fix our broken water system. we need legislation to provide funding to improve our water infrastructure and to move more water when larger storms are available as in last weekend. california may soon face a sixth consecutive dry year. and therefore as a result of the drought and inadequate

broken water system, hundreds and thousands of acre-feet of water have been lost. 600,000 acres of productive farmland has unfortunately been left unplanted. some families in my district do not have a reliable water to drink, cook, or bathe in. the drought together with the current water policies are devastating to the san joaquin valley. so, mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to work together in these last few days as we try to assist the people in michigan and flint and bring together a package of legislation that will end the impasse that we have had and provide water if, in fact, the good lord sees to bringing rain and snow to the mountains this winter in california. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from minnesota, mr. emmer, for five minutes. mr. emmer: mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate the elk

river high school football team on their class 5-a state championship victory. entering the state title game unfeeted, the elks scored an impressive 42 points and rushed for a total of 446 yards over spring lake park at u.s. bank stadium last saturday. the elks had an incredible season, averaging 45 points and 449 rushing yards per game. every elk deserves mention but two in particular played a special role in their success. nick rice and sam givis. rice finished the season with 2,154 rushing yards and a total of 25 touchdowns. and givis finished with 1,330 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. . they worked hard this season under coach hamilton and their hard work paid off.

congratulations on being the 2016 minnesota state high school football champions. mr. speaker, i rise today to remember the life of st. francis police chief jake raley, who lost his battle with a rare form of cancer last month. what a life he lived. jake spent his life working tirelessly to better the st. francis commount and the lives of those around him. a native minnesotan, jake grew up there and attended bethel university where he studied criminal justice. upon graduation, jake joined the st. francis police department where he served for 17 years. his passion for his work and the compassion he displayed to others ultimately led to his promotion to st. francis police chief earlier this year. jake was committed to his family and his community. his life is the definition of public service. he will be missed. i would like to express my sincere condolences to jake's wife, brooke, and son, aidan.

please know the impact jake had on this world will always be remembered. mr. speaker, i rise today to pay tribute to the life and work of dr. warren warwick. as a professionor of pediatrics at the university of minnesota, dr. warwick was a pioneer in the advancement of care for cystic fibrosis patients. early in his career, he founded the university of minnesota cystic fibrosis clinic where he served as director for nearly 40 years. dr. warwick is -- was known for his compassion, kindness, ingenuity and tireless commitment to the improvement of patient care. ecause of his work, the cystic fibrosis patient registry was created. before, cystic fibrosis patients typically lived into their early childhood. today, many live well beyond their 50's thanks largely to the advancements and treatment

only possible through the patient registry and dr. warwick's unwavering commitment to research and excellence in patient care. in addition to serving his patients, dr. warwick honorably served his country for over 30 years in the united states army reserve medical corps, retiring as a colonel. his legacy, one of a passionate, pursuit of excellence and dedicating his life to helping others will live on. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from hawaii, ms. gabbard, for five minutes. ms. gabbard: thank you, mr. speaker. growing up in hawaii i learned the value of caring for our home and caring for our planet and the basic principles that we are all connected in this great chain of cause and effect. the dakota access pipeline is a threat to this great balance of life. despite strong opposition from the sanding rock suh and and other rock sioux

federal agencies, the army corps of engineers approved confirmed access to the pipeline without adequately consulting the tribes and without giving impact to the sacred sites and their water supply. just one spill near the tribe's reservation could release thousands of barrels of crude oil, contaminating the tribe's drinking water. the impact of the doorkt access pipeline is clear -- dakota access pipeline is clear. the company constructing the pipeline has a history of serious pipeline explosions, which has caused injury, death and significant property damage in the past decade. the future operator of the planned pipeline, sew knowingo -- sonoko logistics, has had over 200 spills in the last six years alone, more than any of its competitors.

protecting our waters is not a partisan, political issue. it's an issue important to all people and living beings everywhere. water is life. we cannot survive without it. once we allow an aquifer to be polluted, there is very little that can be done about it. that is why it's essential that we prevept our water resources from being pollute -- prevent our water resource fathers being polluted in the first place. our founding fathers took great inspiration from native american forms of government and the democratic principles that they were founded on. their unique form of governance was built on an agreement called the great law of peace, which states that before beginning their deliberation, the council shall be obliged, and i quote, to express their gratitude to their cousins and greet them and they shall make an address and make thanks to the earth where men dwell, to the streams of water, the pools, the springs and the lakes, to the maze and the fruits, to the medicinal herbs

and trees, to the forest trees for their usefulness and to the great creator who dwells in the heavens above who gives all the things useful to men and who is the source and the ruler of health and life, end of quote. this recognition of our debt to the creator and our responsibility to be responsible members of this great web of life was there from the beginning of western democracy. freedom is not a buzz word. the freedom of our founding fathers was not the freedom to bulldoze wherever you like. our freedom is a freedom of mind, a freedom of heart, a freedom to worship as we see fit, freedom from tyranny and freedom from terror. that's the freedom this country was founded on. the freedom cultivated by america's native people and the freedom that the standing rock sioux are now exercising. this weekend i'm joining thousands of veterans from all across the country at standing

rock to stand in solidarity with our native american brothers and sisters. together we call on president obama to immediately halt the construction of this pipeline, respect the sacred lands of the standing rock sioux and respect their right to clean water. the truth is whether it's the threat to essential water sources in this region, the lead contaminated water in flint, michigan, or the threat posed to a major hawaii aquifer, each example underscores the vital importance of protecting our water resources. we cannot undo history, but we must learn lessons from the path and go forward, to encourage cooperation between free people, to protect the sacred, to care for the earth and for our children and our children's children. what's at stake is our shared freedom and democracy and our shared future on this great turtle island, our united

states of america. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. meadows, for five minutes. mr. meadows: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize the service of a great public servant on his retirement, captain william b.j. ford. b.j., as i call him, a great friend from caldwell, north carolina, has served in the called we will county sheriff's office for many years. i can rise and go through a litany of different positions on how he's served that great county, but it would miss the point. it would miss the point of who b.j. ford really is. he's a gentleman that not only do i call a friend but he is someone who has served called we will county over and over and over -- called we will ounty over and over --

caldwell county over and over again. has not only served the called we will county area -- caldwell county area as a officer, but he served those in need. i remember specifically just a few years back where he and i were working together on trying to serve some of those that were in most need during an event at halloween time. some that would come in, there he was making sure not only children and families were recognized for what they had or didn't had but some of them, perhaps as they showed up to get the meal that only they could have provided at that particular event. it is the heart of a big man, a big man of courage that i recognize today on his

retirement. i wish him the very heart-felt congratulations on a life that has served caldwell county so well and i wish him the very best in his future endeavors. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from kentucky, mr. barr, for five minutes. mr. barr: mr. speaker, i rise today to honor commerce lexington, the chamber of commerce for my hometown of lexington, kentucky, which has been named the 2016 chamber of the year by the association of chamber of commerce executives. commerce lexington won the large chamber category over the great cities of brock lynn, new york, jacksonville, florida, and tacoma, washington. this award is recognition of commerce lexington's work to promote economic development, job creation and overall

business growth in lexington and neighboring commounts through its many -- communities through its many programs and services. as a member-driven organization, the award is also a reflection of commerce lexington's 1,700 members as well as their volunteers and staff ablely led by c.e.o. and president -- ably led and c.e.o. -- by c.e.o. and president bob quick. they received a grant award in commouncations for their here's our proof -- commouncations for their here's our proof marketing campaign during the breeders' cup world thoroughbred championships which showcased central kentucky and the bluegrass region as a great place to do business as well as an ideal location for conventions and tourism. it helped, of course, that american pharoah did what no other thoroughbred had done in history, win not only the triple crown but also the grand slam of thoroughbred racing

going wire-to-wire in the breeders' cup classic at keeneland racecourse. keeneland, of course, a key member of commerce lexington. mr. speaker, i hope that all of my colleagues will join me in congratulating commerce lexington on achieving this national honor and for their hard work to encourage jobs and economic growth in central kentucky and to share how special our city and our region are with the world. of course, lexington, the world's horse capital of the world. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. carter, for five minutes. mr. speaker, i rise day in recognition of master

firefighter michael curry who passed away in the line of duty on saturday, november 19, in savannah, georgia. mr. curry's work as a firefighter allowed him to do what he loved most -- help people. on his last alarm as a firefighter, he rescued seven people from the savannah river when a ferry boarding platform collapsed. his 13 years of dedication to the savannah community and the fire department shows in his numerous volunteer activities. he worked as an emergency medical responder, disaster search and rescue technician, swift water rescue technician, advanced rescue diver and was involved in groups, including the ali temple, the georgia critical incident stress foundation and was the cub master for pack number 4102. michael curry is a true hero who died in service to our community, running toward an

emergency while others sought out safety. i am heart broken by this loss. our community is heart broken by this loss. i encourage everyone to keep the curry family and first responders everywhere in your houghts and prayers. mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of don lagana, a longtime reporter in the savannah community, who passed away on sunday, november 20. mr. lagana joined the local savannah news station in 2004, and quickly became an integral part of the savannah news scene and a familiar face in our homes. his career began in syracuse, new york, as an intern. his talent for find agnus and bringing a unique point of view allowed him to quickly rise up the ranks. when he moved into savannah, he became the weekday morning

anchor for the news at day break, an investigative reporter who exposed consumer issues. a testament to his talent, he received multiple awards and was honored throughout his career with the most recent being best local tv news anchor 2016 by connect savannah. in addition to his news accomplishments, mr. lagana had a heart of gold and was constantly involved in the community. in 2011, he competed in dancing with the savannah stars, raising the most money for abused and neglected children. his colleagues describe him as a trusted friend to all and someone whose bright, loving personality will be deeply missed. mr. lagana's loss is felt by the whole savannah community. i encourage everyone to keep the lagana family and wtoc savannah in their thoughts and prayers. . i rise today to recognize the

u.s. army's third infantry division and its 99 years of service to the united states arment forces. it's been low created in coastal georgia for the past 20 years, yet it's amazing history dates back to 1917. during world war i, the third infantry mission earned the name rock of the important. by pushing the germans across the river. and stopping the important allieded city of paris. they continued to fight the germans as other units retreated. in 1943, during world war ii, the third i.d. was one of the first divisions to fight the axis powers on all european fronts. they fought in north africa, italy, france, germany, and austria. the third i.d. even liberated half of french morocco from nazi influence. since the world wars the third i.d. has continued to support america's safety and freedom by fighting bravely in the vietnam war. the korean war, operation desert storm, and the global

war on terrorism. thank you to the third i.d. for your urge, your sacrifice, your commitment to our national security. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from south carolina, mr. wilson, for five minutes. mr. wilson: thank you, mr. speaker. last friday began a new era for the people of cuba. too long the murderous dictatorship of fidel castro has reduced one of south america's wealthiest consequencetry to poverty. a recent editorial in the charlotteton stated fidel though he thrived on opposing the u.s. he was long subcertificate veeant to another super power, the soviet union, until it's welcomed demise in 1991. he also was an enthusiastic proponent of the soviet's reckless decision to put weapons of mass destruction named at the u.s. and his country, end of quote.

president-elect trump has correctly reviewed, quote, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long. and towards a future in which the wonderful cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserved, end of quote. i have inspired by the late louie and nina who fled cuba with their three daughters as all of their property was stolen. they told me about their daughters. ey were told to pack for a two-week visit to visit a sick aunt in new york. they went to an department store there in cuba and they bought suitcases and then when they arrived home, the secret police was already at the house. and they asked what are you buying suitcases for? so it was explained that they were buying suitcases to go visit a sick aunt in new york and that they would be returning in two weeks. they just didn't have the heart to tell their children, three

young girls, that they would never return to their home. they would never see their personal property. that their cars, the ones that now appear to be unique, these are all stolen cars when you see the classic cars in cuba. and everything that the family owned was stolen by the communist government. but they fled to west columbia, south carolina, where they worked hard to achieve the american dream of extraordinary economic success as neighbors in my home county of lexington, south carolina. conclusion, god bless our troops and may the president by his actions never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until noon today. ing g

sure that burritos that are being provided are being warmed properly. >> washington journal continues. host: we will talk with gene .reen let's talk with the democratic leadership elections. guest: i voted for anti-pelosi. we were in the majority. i sat down with her. we worked on health care and energy legislation even though there is some philosophical differences between texas and

california. she has worked harder than any leader i have ever seen and it was about a two thirds vote. not to take anything from congressman ryan. he is a good friend and i have worked with him also, but that happens, we lost an election and were hoping we would pick up more seats. host: what do you make of congressman ryan's challenge? he was able to peel off 67 some votes. do you think as the republicans claim that this indicates democrats are not unified? guest: i think you will see us unified because when you see what is happening on the notblican side, they have super majorities in the house and senate. we picked up six seats. in the senate they will probably have 52 senators so they cannot break the filibuster. i think it is a little closer than most people think, although losing the presidency was a

usgh one because so many of -- hillary clinton when my district with 70% of the vote in an urban district in houston. we have bigger turnouts than we ever had in my career. it is frustrating, but we deal with it. lost, thecrats have lowest since 1929. how do you brought in the appeal? guest: i think that is part of my job and also the democratic senators, to talk about we have a president who is probably going to be an unprecedented president. we have never had a president who tweeted like he does. that is good for open government , but it is also unusual. trump isident-elect inaugurated, we will deal with it. i have served under a lot of

different presidents and governors so we will work with him, worked with him when we can. host: do you think you will be able to work with tom price who is mr. trumps nominee to head up the human and health services? guest: he and his wife and my wife are good friends but we are not physically there. i have been with tom on health care seminars and it is a position, every physician i have ever met just wants to help their patients and i think i share that with our future secretary of health and human services. i hope that is what we can do whether it is making sure that people have access to health care, and i hope he continues to shared. when politics get in the way of people having health care, that is when we ought to step back and do our job. host: what is the proposal put

forth by the republicans on medicare, and how do the democrats react? guest: speaker ryan has a concern that we do not want to privatize medicare like we did in 2003. we brought health insurance companies into it with medicare advantage. that has been some success but but again i want to make sure whether it is our seniors or anyone else, that they have access to health care. we are doing some great things in our country on health care and want to make sure my constituents can benefit. host: one thing that appeared to have bipartisan support is the house yesterday passing expediting therapies. century curesst zach? guest: it started years ago.

they set a goal to try and jumpstart medical research. has been over a decade cutting federal funding for medical research. to look at some of the cures we are just a little away from, we need more research and fda reform. we have been working on this bill for about three years, and in its reduced amount because it went to the senate a year and a half ago and we had a lot of give-and-take, it is still a great shot in the arm for medical research and also fda reform so we can get this cures to the bedside. host: details from the washington post, a past 392-26 and would set aside money for biomedical research, intended to streamline the drug approval process. medical device companies have been pushing the

legislation for more than a year, riding a wave of rare bipartisan support. the final bill contains a cornucopia of health care related provisions including one billion for opioid abuse prevention. 1.4 billion for president obama's precision medicine initiative and 1.6 billion for the brain initiative to map and understand diseases affecting the brain. what about the concerns from critics that this would erode standards? do you share that concern? guest: no, i do not share that concern. part of the goal was to look at the fda. when it takes a long time to get from the lab table to the , there is somea examples of pharmaceuticals that have taken six to eight years to

where doctors can prescribe them. we do not want to cut down on to make, but we want sure the bureaucracy does not get in the way and that is what our goal is. we started out with a much more ambitious plan. we won it $10 billion over five years and a half $1 billion for fda reform. a billion butlf we lowered it for medical research. this is a big win for the national institute of health, because they do not do that kind of research. they find all kinds of programs. m.d. anderson hospital which is like sloan catering in new york, nihived an age funding -- funding. cancer treatment is revolutionary.

the precision medicine, the president talked about it. we are seeing great things in cancer treatment that were not around three to four years ago. liverpool,h in east ohio, a republican. i have been a lifelong democrat. i voted republican this year. i believe there was a misconception when it comes to this election. many people thought that this was a whitewashed election. it was stated in many news media's that uneducated white people or people without college educations swayed this election. the point is, blue-collar workers swayed this election.

and many of us were democrats and we voted republican. many of us were union members, including myself. the obama administration and hillary clinton many times fortised white americans things that they did not do. were racist that we even though we voted in a black administration. we were told we needed to be more sensitive to other people's needs. this is not true but we were offended. that i know means exit a whitewashed election. host: let's take your point. guest: i think in what you are when democrats lose pennsylvania, michigan, and wisconsin, we lost the blue-collar workers, and i'm still a union member. i paid my way through college as a union printer. i think that happened across the

country, and i think president-elect trump addressed the trade issues. i did not vote for free trade agreements because im in a blue-collar working district in houston. typically we do great on international trade at the port of houston, but i represent those who work at the plants on the side of the port of houston. democrats,t, and as should have been more open to changing some of these trade agreements starting with nafta all the way up to the transpacific. i am hoping you will come home in the next election. host: what could bring that voter home, specifically with the affordable care act? people are seeing their health care costs and they cannot afford it. do, how canocrats you agree, where can you agree with republicans to possibly fix

the affordable care act? guest: my response from some republicans is any legislation that passes, we have to revisit that law. we passed the affordable care act in 2009 and we have had a number of sessions since then, but the only time we have had 60 plus tries to repeal it, i want to fix it. the problem with the affordable care act is just like when i had a business, or managed a business. if we had too many claims on our insurance our rates went up which is what happened. the sickest people are getting the health care, but a lot of the younger people, the people who are well are still going without it and paying the fee from the irs because it is a fine. we have not had that universal coverage that we aim for because you cannot have an insurance plan public or private, where

you only have people that are very sick getting services without people paying in. you have to have the healthy folks and the people who are ill because the healthy folks will get ill sometime. over the last six years, the republicans have said we did not created and we are not going to fix it. now they have the presidency, the house, and the senate, and i would love to be able to fix it. before the affordable care act in my district, we had the highest in the country of people who worked and did not get insurance through their employer. is, i have over 50,000 constituents who do not have any kind of health care because they 50,000 people without insurance in my district. i would like to sit down with republicans and say, we want people covered instead of having

everybody go to the emergency of us more.osts all host: headline in the washington post. it said replacing obamacare may take years. texas said it will take time to move people who use of obamacare programs into the new health care system they have promised to create. that process is further complicated that republicans have never released a proposal for how they would replace the system. guest: hindsight over the last six years, i've heard from republican majorities say we are going to repeal and replace but the only thing we see are repealed. withld be glad to work them on replacing with somebody that provides health care coverage for your host: let's hear from michael, independent. caller: good morning. with what the first

fellow said. i always vote for the democratic and very rarely republican ever. i gave up because you only support illegal aliens and their issues and minorities, you forgot about us. you forgot about the white working-class and now you got it. me tellg obamacare, let you something -- you had a majority and the first two years of obama's presidency. and what did you do? why didn't you give us a single-payer program? hasn't a in the world you do nothing for us. now you elect pelosi and trump is electing all kind of insiders. where do you expect people like any satisfaction from any of you. i seemed you are all corrupt a you should all be voted out and

i am for term limits. thank you very much. guest: appreciate your opinion. i have a blue-collar district although a huge majority hispanic. hard-working people. obviously, i disagree we only work with undocumented. those folks do not vote no matter what people say, in texas, they do not vote. about his argument about the affordable care act, the democrats did not deliver? guest: we did the best we could evil with our majorities. passed byhat has ever legislative body needs to go back and be revisited. we have not done that. i would agree, there are things i would have a voted against a lot of them. we have not had that chance. single-payer,r a you will never get a single-payer out of a republican majority congress. host: a democrat.

caller: buddah. guest: south of austin. caller: absolutely. i am out in the country. we love it out here. in travis county, a wonderful place. pardon me. let's talk about -- you did touch on my concern -- one of my concerns. i have quite a few. what are we going to do about keeping medicare? my husband will the 69 in october and he just retired. he is on medicare now. , ryan and drug all want to privatize medicare. i am really worried about this. , theve got the democrats democrats have got to come up with a sound plan to keep medicare and social security because trump and ryan are going

to push through publicist nation a social security. we are living on that right now. i teach, a wonderful university really focus on students -- well, i will not go into that. texas state, come see us and send marcos. youthful waters. cos.n san mard please protect medicare social security. guest: it was created under a democratic presidential -- president in 1935 and has been a success. if anybody tells you our budget deficit is because of social security, it is wrong. granted the trust fund has the federald government borrows and pays with an interest rate. social security is not the

issue. medicare is an issue because even though those of us working and paying medicare taxes, seniors pay fc, a lot of the money come from general revenue. we have problems with their. i do not want to see the privatization of medicare anymore than what we have done. -- well problems there. it used to be my seniors in my area in houston, only 20% were medicare advantage, now it is up to 40%. they have products that would help and it is working. it is a cause issue. we have to figure how to pay for seniors' health issues. host: independent. caller: hello. good morning. yeah, i am along with everybody else about the democrats. you do not see evolved. you hang on west nancy pelosi. you give us hillary clinton.

hung on to debbie. it is nothing that people seem the democrats that make them want to continue to vote with them. it is nothing there. guest: we have lost elections since 2010 and we lost the presidential election that all of us were surprised at. think, their problem, i i have a district in houston that's overwhelmingly democrat. maybe with all of the redistricting over the years, republicans and democrats, i have a district that hillary got 70% in. have three democratic members in southeast texas, 10 altogether. seven republicans and three democrats. don't blame the democrats because we are not the majority. everything that is happened since then through congress is not the by republican majority.

host: michigan, and republican. good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to remind your guest that health insurance was originally an inducement to sign up with an employer. it was offered as a benefit. they wanted to attract quality people. they wanted the best perspective employees to sign up with their company rather than go to competitor down the street. earth thisdea how on got blown up into simultaneously an entitlement and mandate and i think it is not only wrong in and of itself but symptomatic of this whole tendency to make everything and entitlements. guest: i agree that health care system we crated in the 1940's

was wage controls and for companies that wanted particularly in michigan, a blue-collar area, they crated incentives for employees to stay because they cannot give them more money because of price controls. what frustrates it during world war ii, we rebuild western europe. we rebuilt japan, south korea. the countries we rebuilt have a single player -- payer for everybody and their country. right now, a person this a job in michigan or texas and you have that job, but the nest question, does my employer-provided insurance? over the years, will say that employer insurance erode because small business an even larger business said we do not have to do it. that is part of -- it should be part of your job. if more employees covered it and that's what the affordable care act it did, if you have 50 or more employees, you need to provide a health care plan that

is the standard plan. -- it ise right becoming entitlement. the choices people do not go to the hospital except for the emergency room so their diabetes, it calls us more. -- costs us more. butas become an entitlement a necessary entitlement for people to be able to take care of their families. host: washington post reports president-elect by picking tom price is signaling he would like to move in the republican's direction of repealing and replacing and saying the price plan advocates the use of private health savings accounts that allow workers to set aside money for health care spending. republicans are planning to use a special tool known as reconciliation at that would allow them to avoid a filibuster and repeal obamacare with a simple majority. the replacement legislation would not have that same protection as it moves through congress, it means the

republicans will have to work with democrats. how do thing they would do that? what togain, if you repeal it, let's see what you are going to replace it. do not say, we will replace it next year. people need health care every day. the 20,000 people in our willict that has announced be thrown off. also a lot of good insurance reform in that revision. and that is why the republicans and president-elect trump will say it is hard because do you want have pre-existing conditions where the insurance company will not take you because you are diabetic? one of thewant biggest reforms in there is under the affordable care act, every premium dollar, 80 percent of that is required to clawback in health care. that was revolutionary. --, back in health care. when we pay our premiums, 80% of that will come back.

before that, it was 60% or 50%. that is probably one of the more popular ones. i hope the republicans will leave that in. health care, you should be able to receive a print host: marie is up next, a republican. caller: good morning. i wanted to talk about the social security. i wanted to remind him, it was democrats when lyndon johnson in 1968, yet a democrat house and he had a democrat house and senate as spent too much money on the great society which was a failure. when you wanted to run again, he did not want people to know that he had spent so much money. they agreed to take the money out of the trust fund of social acurity and put it into general fund so people would do not know at the time he had gotten us into so much debt. ever since then, we could've had

raises. it has not been put back with interest, otherwise, we could have had a raise every year. , ifmore thing on medicare this president obama spent $760 billion to start what is not affordable health care, are we going to get that back with interest if it changes? of course not. i wanted to remind him, it was the democrats that have taken the money out of social security and medicare. social security is not an entitlement. i know we have used a lot out of it. we have paid into it. and we should be entitled to get that back. thank you. you areirst of all, right. social security, we pay into it and our employers pay into it. typically, we got more back the based on what your employers pay. what you said about lyndon .ohnson, we researched that

and i found out that social security administration, if you go to their website, they talk about it. that was never a lump sum of money. i heard that rumor for the last 30 years. and we've got documentation from the social security administration that the federal government borrows the money, by law, the only place social security can invest the trust itd and it goes -- we borrow . and we pay it back with interest. if you go to the social security website, i am sure it has that information. i was concerned that lbj did it that. that is not correct. social security is paid for. it is not part of the federal issue. medicare is separate. but not has a trust for nearly as good as social security. host: a democrat. caller: good morning. the reason why the democrats

have not been winning is because they do not get out the lies that the republicans has and that is the biggest problem. democrats are disbanding the story like with the story said about lg they -- lbj how democrats borrowed money from social security and medicare. that is the first time i've heard a democrat defend against that rumor or lie. that is why the democrats have not been winning just like with the affordable care act. when they were negotiating that and president obama said if you like your health care, you can keep it. amendmente, but an indicated that, no, you cannot. therefore, the democrats did not get out and say the republicans amended that and the president was telling the truth. that life flourished and that is what is happening for all of these years.

democrats need to get a backbone and stand up for themselves for the host: less a response from gene green. trying tore been defend it. i hope you heard of recent call because i am a big supporter of the social security plan. my father benefited from it. i want my grandchildren's' generation to have social security. been around for years even before the internet. it is just not true. if you go to the social security website, you will see it is not true. we pay the money back. social security, i do not want it investing in wall street. i want them investing in the strongest in the world for the trust fund and that is you as debtbecause women -- u.s. because will never defaulted. you are right, we need tough fight more. was created by a democrat president. host: a republican.

caller: good morning. it is really morning in california. about illegals voting in california. when you go up to register to not have to show nothing. you do not have to show your driver's license or anything. that -- on the the other deal about medicare, when i was going to the doctor, my doctor dropped me because -- because of the affordable care act or obamacare. so, i think these democrats should get a crying towel and stick to it. bye. guest: i do not know about the crying towel but love a lot of fights. maybe a fighting towel.

in texas, when i register to vote when i was 21 back then and now you can do it as a team. i filled out a voter registration card and i showed my birthday and i am sure california has the same thing. -- and now you can do at 18. they can check that. also a line if you're naturalized citizen, where you naturalized? those records can be checked if they want to. abouthear all of this illegal people voting. that is not the case, at least i know it is not in texas. host: a couple of tweaks. george asks -- tweets.uple of -- george asks -- jodie ask -- guest: historically, health care has been tied into unemployment.

one of the only countries that provide health care based on your employment area that is traditional. therefore both here at tried to build on the employer-based and that is why the president and people said if your company likes of the insured's and you do, you can keep it. a lot of companies realize they can send their employees to the affordable care act. i would not mind looking at other options, but i am hoping our new secretary of health and human services work with us. the bottom line is that people need health care whether the medicare is a senior or affordable care act, whatever they want to call it. healthgoing to need care. they are going to need the health care. they will show up in emergency world we will pay out of tax rates if they do not share the cost for host: is at the aca a cash cow? guest: insurance companies are

part of it. originally, they opposed it because some of the restrictions like you have to pay 80% of your premium out to benefits. they also were hoping that because we would cover a lot of folks, insurance worse because you spread of the risks. not all of us will have open heart surgery but you want to make sure those folks are covered so you have to have people well enough that they pay in premiums. that's what insurance is about. auto insurance, home insurance or health insurance. right now, we have more six people -- six people and that's what insurance companies saying they have to raise rates. that would've happened anyway in the free market because that's what happened before the affordable care act. host: a republican. caller: good morning representative green. i have one question of. actually, i have a couple. the first, where does the subsidy come from when you offer

to the poor? two, why not start taxing sugar? -- and three,have have the federal government increase our output of sugar, that would bring the price down -- you are for the federal i am an urban democrat and i am not that familiar with farm subsidies. your idea of taxing sugar. excess isgar in probably not good for you. diabetes, obesity but on the federal level, we probably still support our agricultural community and sugar is a cash crop. in south texas, they grow sugarcane. right -- the federal government does some

things that are not healthy for our constituents. host: gene green, the ranking member, the top democrat on the energy and commerce subcommittee on health. valerie in lafayette, indiana. caller: good morning. i just wanted to encourage you, representative green, and the rest of the democrats. i want you guys to stay strong and fight for us and these people that are calling in negative about democrats, in four years, they will probably be back around. because after president-elect trump and arrested republicans get through with us as a country, they are going to see that it was all a con game. just stay strong to fight for us and i appreciate your service. guest: thank you.

and as a legislator, i like to legislate. i will legislate with republicans or democrats for the good of the people in our country. i held that is what we will do. host: marietta, florida. caller: i have a question about the bill you are sponsoring. as far as medical research. all of these about the affordable care act and how expensive insurance is and we cannot afford it now, but yet some large companies are getting a large chunk of money from the taxpayers. a lot of folks cannot afford insurance that they offer now for the affordable care act. why do you folks keep sponsoring legislation and approving it for larger dollar items when we cannot afford would be half -- what we have? best wishes to you. guest: thank you.

the affordable care act when it passed in 2009 was paid for. whatever the cost to the affordable care act has been for the federal government, we had to raise money elsewhere. none of the affordable care act costs with into the national debt. the act that just passing the house and hopefully the senate next week is also paid for because i believe of our national debt, if we are going to fund something, we do not just new to add to the debt. we need to see where we can cut. sometimes pay for our illusionary. for example couple you selling example, we have you selling oil for infrastructure a it is part of this paid for the cures. the senate can change that areough the numbers now working with the senate to get a bill they would accept.

even the cures act would be paid if we syria if -- theory, sell the oil. comment from texas, i would rather us not sell it for $50, let's wait until it gets to $100. host: up next is john in new hampshire. independent. caller: a good morning. i would like to make 2 comments. say if youd like to guys would legalize marijuana, use that money towards that health care system. you are talking about billions of dollars. rubio ominous bill, marco cut the subsidies to cover for smaller insurance companies, that's why the rates went up. thank you very much.

guest: what you say about a lot of our states are doing, legalizing marijuana, congress, i have seen over the years has changed. we have had bipartisan majorities who allow for medical and things like that. some states, colorado, out west, on the national basis, i do not think you will see us doing anything like that. know if it is that popular. states have the right to make those decisions on their own. host: glendale, maryland. democrat. is,er: my question or issue this whole voting for trump was completely white lash. every caller, every white male is woe is me, you forgot about it. it is no way we forgot about

white males. white males is the center of america. everything is built around this. me, for the minorities, the immigrants, we do not key -- get the attention or medical coverage. it was an act -- an educated, blue-collar workers voted against democrats. the fight is to bring medical care to everybody but that without it, you have people who are sick, who have spread disease and they needed that help. we have to do that. we have to keep the medical benefits there for everybody. guest: where all in a this together. we are all in this together. i explain to people, we have new immigrants. all of our families came from somewhere else. historically, we are in immigrant nation. we also have a tendency that people did not like the irish.

nowadays, it is acceptable. people did not like the italians. here, pool the latter up and now you do not want hispanics or asians or something like that. we are in immigrant nation pretty if you come here to work, that is what our nation is about and we want you to them to support your family. a lot of countries that are common from, they do not have the opportunity. host: an independent. caller: good morning. how are you today? yeah, what i do not understand about the democrats is why all through the election they never mentioned about the outrageous cost under the bush junior administration. when he became president, the average blue-collar family paying $5,000 and after he left, $12,000. that is why people were screaming for a health care program. the democrats never mentioned it. all of this stuff about

domestic, ronald reagan -- [inaudible] that are other industries will benefit from cheap labor. the democrats lost the election. saves general motors bum michigan votes republican. why? the fed never told the people what republicans are doing. thear as health care, democrats need to tell people under bush it with the one under 40%. $12,000. 140%. you're paying under $30,000 a year today under obama, you are aing that much better under republican administration. host: let's have the congressman jump in. we will not have passed the affordable care act if insurance system we had was five. -- fine. myhad a district, 44% of

constituents who work and did not get insurance through their employer. if left employer-based insurance, we should not have 44% not having insurance. we worked on it. the committee and i are proud to bend to say with expanded health coverage. with it butoblems there are problems with any piece of legislation, any legislative body does. what will say because we lost the majority in 2010, we cannot go back and fix some of the things under the affordable care voted 60 times to repeal it. the republicans have the presidency, the house and senate , i what does see what they can do and i want to work with them as long as they provide health care. in north carolina. a democrat, our last for the congressman. good morning. caller: good morning. the way i see it. after the elections,

presidential elections, hillary clinton it anointed to be the next president. as far as immigration, we're all immigrants. they need to come in the proper way. thank you. can: do you think democrats work with this president-elect donald trump if he says i will include a pathway to's is that ship with border security, building the wall? -- a pathway to citizenship with border security, building the wall? guest: i want to protect our country. we do not want people who will harm of coming care. we need border control. any country that has 10 million, 11 million people undocumented who have been here and their children are probably citizens, why would we not let those folks have a pathway to citizenship? that is bend a big issue.

apologies like to have people come in but they do not want to them to stay. they wanted them to work. we do not make people, u.s. citizens. if they want to and they are not felons or anything, we ought to have that pathway >> and the u.s. house gaveling back in in about 25 minutes at noon eastern. they will take up the 2017 defense programs bill. also a bill that would limit part of the dodd-frank financial regulations law and a bill that would provide funding, additional funding for the house subcommittee investigating fetal tissue research. that gets under way in about 25 minutes. we'll take you live over to the capitol. we're expected to hear from house speaker paul ryan and his weekly briefing with reporters. nancy pelosi, the re-elected democratic leader, we understand, will brief reporters tomorrow.

so we'll have that live for you as well. we'll stay here live and wait for speaker ryan and his briefing today.

>> waiting to hear from house speaker paul ryan live here at the capitol visitor center. reporters gathered for speaker ryan's weekly briefing. the house itself coming back in at noon eastern. about 20 minutes from now. they will take up the defense authorization bill and also the -- a bill that provides additional funding for that investigative panel, the subcommittee investigating fetal tissue research. we expect votes much later this afternoon. the senate, meanwhile, is in session. they'll have a vote coming up at 1:45 eastern on the 21st century cures bill. it's a bill passed by the house last night. a package of biomedical innovation bills and some of which designed to spur development of new drugs for issues like opioid abuse and more. passed in the house yesterday. the senate expected to pass it and the white house issuing a statement that president would sign that bill.

also want to let you know about our live coverage later this afternoon. president-elect donald trump first of all is in indiana, will be this afternoon visiting united technologies, the carrier air conditioning plant in the state of indiana. vice dianapolis, indiana, president-elect mike pence will be there. we'll have that online, stream online at c-span.org. and mr. trump calling it the thank you america tour. first up, cincinnati, at 7:00 eastern over on c-span2.

>> ahead of this afternoon's house session, house speaker paul ryan set to speak to reporters. tim ryan lost his challenge yesterday for the democratic

leadership position in the house. the vote 134-63. additional leadership decision still being made, including today billy house from bloomberg tweets that the house democrats are postponing their pick for the democratic congressional campaign committee. here's speaker ryan coming up momentarily.

speaker ryan: good morning, everybody. first off, i want to say how excited we are the fact that we passed the 21st century cures legislation yesterday with a vote of 392. this was fantastic, bipartisan legislation which also included mental health reforms. kudos goes out to fred upton, chairman of the commerce committee, tim murphy, who worked so hard on these pieces of legislation. i also want to thank the democrats for working with us in good faith on the commerce committee and in particular for getting this legislation across the finished line and i expect this to pass in the senate. another issue the senate will be taking up is the 10-year iran sanctions act. that's something we passed near unanimously in the house. that's legislation that needs to get done. we have completed the conference report on the defense authorization bill, the ndaa bill. that gives our troops a

much-needed 2.1% pay increase. this is extremely important to give our war fighters what they need to stretch our military dollars farther. that's something we're excited about bringing to the floor. we're getting close on the wrda conference report. this is something we think is important. we're hoping to achieve wrapping that up and then ongoing on the continuing resolution which we hope to bring to the floor as soon as possible next week. with that i'll just open it up. reporter: thank you. is as a free market conservative, i wonder if you're uneasy about the donald trump administration offering incentives to carrier to keep jobs in this country, essentially some saying picking winners or losers or should the free market work its will? speaker ryan: well, i'm glad we are keeping jobs in america, aren't you? i am not sure about the carrier arrangement but i know that mike pence is still the sitting governor of indiana and i have no doubt he had a hand in

helping this and that's what governors do. i talk to scott walk ber this stuff all the time in wisconsin where governors get involved and make sure companies stay in their states or they attract companies to their states. that's something that's pretty common for state level of governments to do. i don't know the things about this. i am glad that people are keeping their jobs in indiana and not going to mexico. reporter: can the president-elect undo the executive action for dreamers with work visas? speaker ryan: there are hundreds that we will be sifting through. i am not going to get into everyone on their merits. that's something that the transition team is working on right now as to what executive actions that obama, the bauks did and how they're going to deal with it -- the obama administration did and how they're going to deal with it. i have no answer because that's something the transition team will be working on. i know they want to make sure we have smooth transitions. what we're focusing on with

respect to immigration, securing the border, making sure the border is secure, making sure that the resources match the authorization that currently exists to actually secure the border and that's the legislation we're focused on. reporter: you're interested in seeing some kind of changes to medicare and talking with senators -- speaker ryan: i proposed these budgets for years. reporter: you said for a long time it's something you're interested in. are you still interested in it, what is the timeline and are you concerned that some colleagues in the senate will try to temper the house -- speaker ryan: what's happening is you're getting the latest of democratic talking points to play medicare scare politics which is something they do every tuesday. i have not discussed medicare with president-elect trump. mind you that obamacare itself does a lot of damage, in our opinion, to medicare. obamacare itself puts this new

board of 15 bureaucrats, the ipab, in charge of cutting medicare in ways that will deny care to seniors. medicare itself is on a path to going bankrupt in 2028, i believe, off the top of my head. so the trust fund gets exhausted in the next decade so we are going to have to do things to preserve and shore up this program. the rsms we've been talking about here in the house republicans for many years are reforms that do not affect the benefits for anyone in or near retirement. for those of us who are in the younger generations, the x generation on down, it won't be there for us if we stay on the current path. so we have to do things to fix this program so we can guarantee that it's there intact for current seniors but also there's something for us when we retire. and the kinds of reforms we've been advocating here are nothing different than what federal employees have. you get to choose among plans that are comprehensive of and guaranteed to meet your benefits. or if you want to stick with

the current traditional program you can do that as well. that is good reforms. that's what c.b.o. tells us is a good way of actually improving cost, lowering prices and expanding choices. medicare advantage is a program that medicare works pretty darn well that seniors like. so obviously you said something about a program that i care deep about. as far as what our mans are with respect to reforming and preserving, that's something we haven't discussed with the administration and we'll do it as the year goes on. yeah. reporter: about the c.r., there's this concern now that it might need to go later or could get jammed up because of the senate and so on. could you just step back for a minute and give us an explanation to why when earlier leadership, such as mcconnell, said let's finish the budget this year, let's get it done, why was there this push to have a c.r. and why does the

incoming administration favor that approach? speaker ryan: ok. so getting jammed up and the senate is something we'll hear a lot this year. they just move a little slower than the house does. their system is different than ours is. and they got to stand up to trump government. so the senate is going to have to do all of these confirmation votes and hearings on cabinet and subcabinet officers. probably going to have a supreme court pick coming sooner or later that they are going to have to confirm. that takes a lot of their time which we don't have here in the house. so there's a concern about calendar. in the house we can have a shorter c.r. and it's not a problem for us. it's really a question of managing the senate's calendar. that's what this discussion about the end date of the c.r. is all about. with respect to why we wanted a c.r., we wanted to bring in the new republican government in place so we can negotiate

appropriations with that government which we think is going to be much better negotiations than with the existing government that we have a lot of problems with and where they spend money. just that simple. reporter: couldn't you admittedly now -- couldn't be the c.r. become a problem given what the senate calendar is? speaker ryan: i don't think so. we are working with leader mcconnell and their calendar and talk about concerns which is legitimate because they have different responsibilities than the house does. that's why we'll work with them on the proper timing of the c.r., get it in the next administration and then finish the job there. we also want to make sure we just have a smooth transition from one administration to the next. reporter: thank you. the education secretary messaged mitch mcconnell this morning. you wrote in a better way about the idea of reverting things from federal control back to tates and local governments. [inaudible] there's a question, though, but

some of the performance of these charters. you're a parent and have kids in grade school. but do you have reservations about maybe going too far because of the mixed reports we have gotten about charter schools? speaker ryan: no because of the word you use "parent." i will send them to the best school as i can. who cares more about your kid than you do? so i do believe that in this debate becomes an arrogant, paternalistic notion that washington knows better or best on how your children should get educated. i think patients know best, care the most and so that is why we so deeply believe and not decentralizing power but decisionmaking back to the states and then opening up competition. education reform should be about results. what educates kids -- today's kids, not tomorrow's kids, today's kids the best? open it up so we can have different competitive models. choice, charter, public, everything in between, and let

that be done in the states. that's something we all feel very passionately about. look, this is something we do in wisconsin quite a bit. i can take you to milwaukee and show you extremely successful charter schools, choice schools and public schools. and that's something that we're excited about moving on because this is our future. reporter: thank you, mr. speaker. back to the carrier deal. with you -- speaker ryan: i don't know much about it so i can't say about much about it. reporter: you met with vpt-elect pence yesterday. i'm sure there was conversation about it. speaker ryan: we were talking about 2017 legislative calendars and how we hit the ground running and making sure that we're on the same page with respect to legislative priorities so i don't know much about this deal. reporter: there are tax breaks being given, tax incentives being given to the company to stay there. is that the kind of federal governing strategy that you can envision, is that something that congress can -- or is this

a one off? speaker ryan: i don't know the answer because i don't know what this is. whether it's indiana competing for jobs just like wisconsin does. but what i can tell you about the tax code with respect to incentives in businesses, this is what tax reform is all about. comprehensive tax reform, which you can go to better.gop and see what we've written is making the tax code far better for businesses to stay in america. i don't know the contours of what carrier's experiencing, but we tax our businesses at much, much higher tax rates than foreign competitors tax theirs. 35%. the average in the industrialized world is 24%. our successful small businesses, which is, you know, most of our businesses, eight t of 10 businesses file as individuals and their tax rate is 44.6%. we are killing jobs and competitiveness in america because of our tax code. tax reform is central to fixing this problem.

look, the fax ,000ation looked at our -- the tax foundation looked at our tax code and said it could have .1% added to the economy. capital restoring and returning to america. that's what we're talking about with respect to reforming our tax code not just carrier, not just one offs, but all american businesses. >> last question. reporter: mr. speaker, on january 1 -- [laughter] you guys expect to do two budget resolutions next year. seems to be the plan. a, general timeline, and, b, do you expect premium support at least on the house side? speaker ryan: don't know. we have not written these budgets yet and the reconciliation that follows it that this is our intention to use every tool we got to make progress for the american people, to make good on the promises that were made. we believe obama -- you have to remember obamacare is really hurting families.

obamacare is giving families yet again another double-digit premium increase. really high deductibles and fewer choices. so many people in this country have one choice which isn't a choice. it's a monopoly. so we also see the worse things coming. the yet is -- the worse is yet to come with obamacare. we have more pullouts. united pulled out. aetna pulled out. we see more of this coming so we need to give the american people relief from obamacare. with respect to all the other issues, reconciliation is the proper budget tool that you use for budget legislation. health care, tax, these are budget issues that will be dealt with in that way. reporter: but do you see them, though -- you've been talking premium support for several years. speaker ryan: i don't know the answer to your question, jonathan, because these are ongoing questions with the transition team and something we'll work together in congress. thank you very much, everybody. appreciate it. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016]

[captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> and some news from the democratic side of the house -- the "l.a. times" reporting that california governor jerry brown is picking javier becerra, congressman becerra to be california's next attorney general filling the vacancy to camila harris. the house will take up the national defense authorization bill, the dodd-frank bill, limiting portions of that law and also funding for the subcommittee investigating fetal tissue research. and coming up this afternoon, donald trump is in cincinnati later today beginning his thank you, america, tour. starting today, though, he'll be in indianapolis at 2:00 this afternoon visiting the carrier air conditioning plant and the 1,000 jobs that are staying in indiana. 2:00 eastern you can find that online at c-span. the rally in cincinnati this

evening on c-span2 at 7:00 eastern. >> this weekend the c-span cities tour, along with our cable partners, will explore the literary life and history of tempe, arizona. on "book tv" on c-span2, learn about man's relationship with wildfires and efforts to change the narrative of fire and its role in the environment with steven pine, author of "between two fires," a fire history of contemporary america. >> for 50 years, this country after the great fires of 1910, which traumatized the u.s. forest service, tried to take fire out of the landscape and the problem was that we took good fires as well as bad fires out. in the last 50 years, which is rather a long time, it's half the history of our engagement, we tried to put good fire back in and that has been very difficult. >> and hear from brook simpson about the challenges of writing history. >> i'm the person that tells that story and i'm going to try

to do it as best as i can, as honestly as i can, as balanced as i can. but i get to do something fundamentally creative and say, this is what i think happened. >> then on "american history tv" on c-span3, hear about the lives of u.s. senators barry hayden.r and carl >> when you look at carl hayden's career, he really was responsible for co-sponsoring and writing a huge amount of legislation that benefited the citizens of arizona and the citizens of the united states. and his legacy was very much a legislative legacy. barry goldwater was really a person who is an icon for the western united states. he was a person who represented the interests of the west.

>> and jared smith, curator of hitter at the tempe history hew -- occur ator of history at the tempe history museum. >> charles hayden was originally born in connecticut. he comes out west during the course of his life, travels over the santa fe trail. he runs freight. he eventually makes it to arizona in 1850. >> sunday afternoon at 2:00 on american history tv on c-span3. working with our cable affiliates and visiting cities cross the country. >> the u.s. house gaveling in next. they'll take up the 2017 defense programs bill, offering over $619 billion in military plans, programs and purchases. also, a bill dealing with the dodd-frank financial regulation law and a measure providing additional funding for the

house subcommittee investigating fetal tissue research. votes expected later this afternoon. live coverage of the house now here on c-span. the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. loving and gracious god, we give you thanks for giving us another day. help us this day to draw closer to you, so that with your spirit and aware of your presence among us, we may all face the tasks of this day. bless the members of the people's house. help them to think clearly, speak confidently and act courageously in the belief belief that all noble service is -- in the belief that all noble service is based upon