the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess u >> the house gaveling out. they'll be back at :00 eastern tame to debate eight suspension bills which include coast guard programs for 2019. and susan wild who won a special election in pennsylvania's 12th house district will be sworn in later tailed. also on the agenda this week, the g.o.p. tax package. follow the house, live here on c-span. >> when the new congress starts in january, there will be more than 100 new house and senate members. the democrats will control the house. the republicans, the senate. new congress, new leaders. watch the process unfold on -span. >> the european union approved a brexit deal with the united

kingdom over the weekend. after the vote, the presidents of the european council and commission and the e.u. chief brexit negotiator spoke to reporters. the british parliament will vote on the agreement in december. >> thank you. today the european council and the agreement of the united kingdom of great britain and northern island from the european union and the atomic energy community. the european council invited the commission, the european parliament, and the council to take the necessary steps to ensure that the agreement can can enter into on the 30th of march, 2019. provide for an orderly withdrawal. theure piian council approved the political declaration

setting out the framework for the future relationship between the european union and the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. the european council restated the determination to have as close as possible a partnership with the united kingdom in the future. i quote this passage of today's conclusions as it contains the sense of our meeting. ahead of us is a difficult process of ratification as well as further negotiations. but regardless of how it will all end, one thing is certain. we will remain friends until the end of days. >> yes, indeed.

it is a day on which we're satisfied with the results we have obtained. it's a very sad day to see a country like the u.k.. and the same would have applied to any other country, a country leaving the e.u. doesn't give rise to the raising of champagne glasses or applause. it's a sad day. and everybody who spoke today during the european council attempted to express their sadness. it was broadly shared if not nanimously shared. just over a year ago the european commission was given a monday to conduct negotiations with the united kingdom. we agreed to ask our friend to conduct the detailed negotiations, which i have followed very, very closely. increasingly closely.

i met michel very regularly to exchange views on how things are going. sometimes we just agreed, but only occasionally. more generally we tended to gree and in fact we always did agree because the difficulty was, the challenge was to maintain the unity of the 27. it's no mean performance if we consider that despite the pressure which came quite often from the u.k., pressure upon member states, that we have been able to ensure that we maintained the unity of the 27. not only for the duration of the negotiations, but on a daily basis as well. because often we had representatives and member states, ambassadors, so on, and we also had members of the steering committee of the european parliament because you've got to remember that as regard europe, the european parliament will have the final

say. ultimately we did have a difficulty with our spanish friends who are very much like, along with their country, and that applies to their prime minister and the predecessor. we agreed ultimately on the arrangements which applied to gibraltar. for those who are not spanish, please don't underestimate the importance of this question for the kingdom of spain. i talked to them numerous occasions about this the prime minister as well as his majesty the king, more recently, and i would point out today that the agreement we have obtained here today an agreement which is good for spain. so we're with spain. we very much appreciate and

admired the work done by my friend. the commission was charged with conducting these negotiations. nobody other than the commission could have done so, so i would like to pay special tributes to michel and also to those around him. there are those who appear on the television who work. then you have those who allow those who appear on the television screens to work. and i would like to pay tribute michel's main right-hand persons. and as michel was negotiating on behalf of the commission, also a word of gratitude to my secretary-general, to my head of private office, and also to ll of those around them.

a name very difficult to pronounce but he's easily recognizable. because without all of these, this agreement would not have been possible. >> i'm inviting those who have to rectify this deal in the house of commons to take this in consideration. this is the best thing possible for britain, this is the best thing possible for europe. this is the only deal possible, the only deal possible. i would like to add one sentence concerning the civil servants coming from those who are at the service of the commission. nobody, nobody of them would be pushed out. nobody would be ejected.

i have experience i have always admired the professionalism, the loyalty, the commitment of those coming from britain to serve the commission. i can't promise, but nobody will be ejected from the commission's system. good deal? sad deal? not the deal itself but the brexit is set moment for the european union. d i want to say for britain, too. the few ture -- this is the best deal possible. this is the only deal possible. i'm convinced that those having to ratify this deal and in westminster and the european parliament, we have this in their minds when they are

taking -- making their decision. every member of the european everyone the same apply to the members of the house. thank you. >> good afternoon to all of you. first of all thank you, to you, for inviting me to be on your side for this press conference. today we're reached a fair and balanced agreement with the u.k. this is the best deal possible given the circumstances. throughout this extraordinary, complex, difficult negotiations, we work constructively with the u.k. never against the u.k., never the u.k. worked constructively with us. thanks if i may to the british team. the agreement must now be

ratified. it is time for everybody to take their responsibilities. today's agreement will help create a trust and confidence needed for negotiating our close and unprecedented future elationship. we reline allies, partners, and friends with the united kingdom. >> if i might add a few words in french. do so to explain about this outcome in a very serious situation. brexit is a very serious situation. but i'd just like to explain why we have ended up with this outcome. it's an agreement, a a treaty which amounts to 600 pages. it gives legal certainty to all those who are affected by uncertainty created by brexit.

people, citizens, businesses, states. and all of this work would not have been possible, mr. president, without your personal trust. and the trust of the president of the european parliament. none of this would have been possible without the exceptional expertise and skills of our teams. first and foremost the team that the president allowed me to gather together in the commission. as i have always done i have been negotiating on behaft european commission. stefan he's already mentioned, in particular. but like many others in the commission, these ladies have really, really done the european civil service proud. with all their colleagues as well. i'm thinking ofure team, mr. president -- of your team, mr.

president, your private office, the secretary-general and his eam. as i said in front of the heads of state and government this morning, all of the departments in the commission have contributed. he directorates general, the secretariat, martin, the team from the private office, ichard and others. louise romero, i would like to mention. robert legal, the head of the two legal services. we're talking about a treaty. as all lawyers know, every word counts. so what i'm saying is that all of this work has only been possible because we have pooled all this expertise and experience. all the skills that these persons, these people could muster.

i have worked towards unity and i very carefully nurtured the unity which heads of state and government under -- they have wanted to show from the outset. we will continue to ensure that unity. that unity among member states and unity among institutions. i have been a part of one of those institutions the past. i will be very happy to continue the work under this aegis. thank you. >> the united nations security council held an emergency meeting in new york yesterday to discuss the confrontation between russia and ukraine in the strait which connects the black sea and the sea of azaf. this portion of the session included remarks by u.s. ambassador to the u.n., nikki haley. as well as the ukrainian ambassador and deputy russian ambassador. we begin with the united nations undersecretary-general for political affairs who gave