if we see low numbers for republicans, it will be a big night for espy. host: appreciate your time this morning >> a look for victory and concession speeches tonight on c-span in that runoff race in mississippi. sunset over the capitol but the house is just coming in for work for legislative work, their first of the week. back to continue the lame-duck session. they have eight springs bills coming up in the next -- suspension bills coming up in the next hour including the coast guard re-authorization, a bill that would expand u.s.-mexico relations with educational and professional exchange program. votes after 6:30 this evening. they'll also swear in a new member, democrat susan wild, winner of the pennsylvania 15th district, special election. she also won the seat for the 116th. message. the messenger: mr. speaker, a message from the president of the united states.

the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i'm directed by the president of the united states to deliver to the house of representatives a message in writing. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which the yeas and nays are ordered or votes objected to under clause 6 of rule 20. the house will resume proceedings on postponed questions at a later time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i move to suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendment to the bill h.r. 4254, the women in aerospace education act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.: r. -- h.r. 4254, an act to amend the authorization act of 2002 to strengthen the aerospace work force pipeline by the promotion of the teacher collarship program and national aeronaughtics and space administration internship to women and for other purposes. senate amendment.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. smith and the gentleman from texas, mr. veasey,. we isle -- each will control 20 minutes. this chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. smith. mr. smith: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on h.r. 4254 the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, ordered. mr. smith: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i support h.r. 4254, the women in aerospace education act as amendedy the senate. i speak on behalf of the bill's sponsor, representative steve knight, who cowl not be here this afternoon but who has worked for more than aier to get this bill across the fin herb line. h.r. 4254 directs nasa and the national science foundation through the robert noyes similarship program to use fellowships and internship to

encourage more women to get aerospace experience while training to be science and mathematics teachers. these teachers are then better equipped to educate and inspire state of the unions to pursue careers in aerospace. 20% of u.s. aerospace engineers are of retirement age today, they're beginning to exit our work force which will create a shortfall in our national security preparedness. meanwhile, women represent only about one quarter of ahn science, technology, engineering and math, or stem, workers and only about 15% of all aerospace engineers. with eneed to improve our stem education pipeline from ensuring stem classes are available to students at a young age to encouraging young americans to pursue the completion of a degree in stem fields. attitudes about career paths are formed at a young age. the role models and young leaders from which women learn have an enormous impact on future decision making. the women in aerospace education

act directs some of the federal government's best teacher training programs to increase the number of women teachers who can educate students about the nation's leading aerospace programs. i want to congratulate representative steve knight and his co-sponsors, representative elizabeth esty and research and technology subcommittee chairwoman barbara comstock, for advancing this bipartisan legislation. we look forward to its being signed into law soon. if all goes well, it will be the 15th science committee bill to be enact intod law this congress, and one of 35 bills that the committee has passed in the house this year. i urge my colleagues to support the bill and send it to the president's desk and mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas, mr. veasey, is recognized. mr. veasey: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. veasey: i rise in support of

h.r. 4254, the women in aerospace education act. i want to thank mr. knight and ms. esty for introducing this very important piece of legislation. women continue to be underrepresented in the aerospace sector. for example, a 2016 analysis revealed that over the past 15 years, women have made up on average just 15% of nasa's planetary mission science teams. while there has been increasing interest in supporting women's advancement in all stem fields, particularly on the science committee, the low representation of women on nasa's planetary science mission team has remained largely unchanged. i am heartened by recent efforts at nasa to tackle the issue of diversity on its planetary science mission team. he 2016 new frontiers call for pr posals included new language highlighting the benefits of diverse and inclusive mission

teams. i was pleased to see that one of the finalists for this competition they are dragonfly mission, to saturn's moon, titan, is led by a woman. additionally, one of the two missions selected in 2017 for nasa's discovery program, the site mission to a metallic asteroid, is also led by a woman. . the principal investigator, dr. canton, is now the second woman to lead a competitive planetary science mission for nasa. and yesterday's successful landing of nasa's in-flight spacecraft on the surface of mars offers another reason to feel optimistic. the team of scientists and engineers that made the groundbreaking landing possible included 135 women, or about 25% of the team. to build on this progress, h.r. 4254 addresses the challenge in recruiting and retaining

talented women in aerospace by directing nasa to promote internships and fellowship opportunities to women. the bill also directs to include research experiences at national laboratories and nasa centers in the robert noyce teacher scholarship program. research has shown that the best teams are those in which all good ideas are heard. gender diversity on nasa's planetary science missions and in the aerospace sector will lead to more diverse quests. to get the best science, we need more women in aerospace. and h.r. 4254 will help get us there. i urge my fellow members to support h.r. 4254. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has the only time remaining. mr. veasey: mr. speaker, i yield my time as well. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendment to h.r. 4254. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the senate amendment is agreed to, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill s. 1768, the national earthquake hazards reduction program re-authorization act of 2018.

the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 1768, an act to re-authorization and amend the national earthquake hazards reduction program and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. rohrabacher, and the gentleman from texas, mr. veasey, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. rohrabacher: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and to heir remarks include on s. 1768, the bill now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. rohrabacher: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rohrabacher: thank you very much. mr. speaker, i rise in support of s. 1768, the national earthquake hazards reduction program re-authorization act of 2018. the bill before us is the text,

the same text of h.r. 6650, the bill i introduced in the house earlier this year to re-authorize a federal program that improves america's earthquake preparedness and which the senate agreed to accept as the final agreement with a little indulgence, i might then say this will be the rohrabacher-feinstein earthquake bill, but that's the way it goes. for 40 years, the national earthquake hazards reduction program, the nehrp, has supported efforts to assess and monitor earthquake hazards and risks across our nation. for federal agencies coordinate their earthquake activities under this program. the u.s. geological survey, the national science foundation, the federal emergency management agency, and the national institute of standards

and technology, these agencies assess earthquake hazards, deliver notifications of seismic events, develops measures to reduce earthquake hazards and conduct research to help reduce overall american vulnerability to earthquakes. the congress last reviewed and re-authorized the program in 2004, and that law expired in 2009. alhe though congress continues to appropriate -- although congress continues to appropriate funds for this important work, the legislation before us makes long overdue changes to modernize the program and make it more effective. the bill removes outdated language related to earthquake predictions and instead emphasizes the continued development of an earthquake early warning system. the bill also reduces various administrative burdens for federal agencies, burdens that are disruptive to the essential mission of the program. our approach also improves data

sharing between these agencies. finally, the legislation provides a five-year authorization for appropriations at the current federal level. in my home state of california, we understand the omnipresent threat of another passive earthquake. according to the usgs, california has a 99% chance of being devastated by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake or an even larger one in the next 30 years. that is the same power as the 1994 northridge earthquake which killed 57 people and injured more than 8,700 and caused the damages up to $50 billion, making it one of the costliest disasters in american history. california's not alone. close to 75 million people in 39 states face significant risks from earthquakes. by being prepared for future

disasters, we reduce our potential loss of life and property for those who will suffer those conhe is he againsts. i want to thank senators dianne feinstein and lisa murkowski, who introduced this bill in the senate, as well as representatives -- representative you -- representative paul. i hope i got that correctly. i'm sorry if i did not. who joined me in introducing the bill in the house. i want to thank the leadership of the house natural resources committee and the house transportation and infrastructure committee for working with us to bring this bill to the floor. although the science committee has primary jurisdiction and we were given superb leadership by our current chairman, that the committees -- this committee in science does share jurisdiction with these other two programs -- these other two committees over the agencies and programs.

mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to place in the record an exchange of letters between the house science committee and these two committees. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. rohrabacher: and mr. speaker, let me, again, express my deep appreciation for the leadership on the other side of the aisle but especially now we will be losing our chairman for the great job that he's done as chairman of the science committee. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. veasey: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. veasey: i rise today to support senate bill 1768, to re-authorizing the national earthquake hazards reduction program. i want to thank senators feinstein and murkowski for developing this good legislation. i also want to -- i'd also like to thank my colleagues, representative rohrabacher and jayapaul for introducing -- jayapal for introducing this and working to arrive at the

consensus legislation we are considering today. the years 1964 and 1994 mark two of the worst earthquakes in u.s. history. hundreds lost their lives and thousands sustained injuries hat hit alaska and northridge. damage was in the billions of dollars resulting from earthquakes and tsunamis and while our nation has been in the path of natural events lately, we've been spared from the big earthquake for many years. but we should not become complacent. because another big earthquake will happen. and the human and economic toll will be felt far beyond the immediate disaster zone. 1768 makes federal investments in research and preparedness activities that will help mitigate earthquake risks for americans from coast to coast.

specifically, s. 1768 re-authorizes funding for the national institute of standards and technology, national science foundation, and the u.s. geological survey and the federal emergency management agency to continue to carry out research and other activities under the nehrp program. usgs ehrp, n.s.f. and will have instrumentation that will advance our understanding of the onset, propagation and intensity of earthquakes. such research helps advance our early warning capabilities and helps communities make informed decisions for earthquake preparation. it carries out applied research that provides earthquake

resilient building codes and design guidelines. this bill aims to help communities survive a catastrophic event and continue with the critical operations such as emergency services, utilities, and communication networks. fema provides earthquake training and awareness to states and territories and assist communities in creating seismic mitigation plans in the event of a high-impact earthquake. these activities are invaluable in preparing communities for an earthquake and its aftermath. the last re-authorization was nearly 15 years ago, and the authorizing law needs several updates to ensure it is keeping pace with the state of the science on earthquakes and translating that science into saving lives and property. the bill before us today includes those much-needed nehrp and provides

agencies with the greater budgetary certainty for the next five years. i appreciate my colleagues working on this bill in a bipartisan fashion in the house and senate and i urge support for this bill. thank you, mr. speaker. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. rohrabacher: mr. speaker, i now yield to the speaker -- to the chairman of the science committee, the gentleman from texas, mr. lamar smith, for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for five minutes. mr. smith: mr. speaker, first of all, i want to thank the gentleman from california, my friend and colleague, for yielding me time. mr. speaker, i support s. 1768, the national earthquake hazards reduction program re-authorization act of 2018. the final text of the legislation we are considering today was first introduced by representative dana rohrabacher as h.r. 6650 in august.

representative rohrabacher an active and valued senior member of the science committee, led efforts to improve the original senate bill and authorize some additional fundsing to advance earthquake monitoring and early warning systems that are critical to his home state of california. it has been 15 years since the earthquake hazards reduction program was last re-authorized. this legislation modernizes earthquake safety programs that help states prepare for and respond to earthquakes. the earthquake hazards reduction re-authorization act is the result of bipartisan collaboration and work with the relevant agencies, congressional committees, and private sector and state agency stakeholders. i want to thank representative rohrabacher for his initiative on moving the bill forward and working across the aisle and across the capitol with senator dianne feinstein to get it across the finish line. i also want to congratulate him

for his 30 years of service to the house science committee, the congress, and his constituents. since joining the committee in 1989, he's been a dedicated advocate for our nation's space exploration programs, energy, research and innovation and preparing our nation for natural hazards. i urge my colleagues to support s. 1768 and send it to the president's desk and i'll yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. . mr. veasey: i have no further requests for time and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. rohrabacher: we californians know what suffering happens when you're unprepared for a wildfire, we've learned that lesson very tragically recently. there's no need to suffer for being unprepared for the next earthquake and that's what this is all about. i want to thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and

especially thank our chairman for the fact that we've worked together in a way that's going to really have a positive impact on so many people by preventing them from having to suffer what we've seen recently in the wildfires in california. mr. speaker, though there's often disagreement in the people's house, we should never overlook those many areas of concurrence. there are those who believe that human activity, for example, is causing a cataclysmic jump in the temperature of the planet. hers don't accept this and therefore oppose legislation that restricts human activity. this has been tumultuous. however, there are is many other areas you can focus on. there are some -- we have a wide acceptance, for example of precautionary measures that are justified and needed.

research and understanding how bill and -- buildings and bridges and other infrastructure reacts to earth quablings is an example of something that i can really expect that we all agree on. we can see that even here in this debate. i will not be here next year, but i wanted to mention just a few other science-related areas where bipartisan action could be affected and where the cost of prevention are minimal as compared to the potential damage. these are things we have worked on but have not come to a conclusion. the chairman and i won't be here next year but i thought hyde mention it. i hope there can be real progress made in the next few years when it comes to the protection of our planet from asteroids and comet which is have caused massive damage, even extinction, over the last 250 million years. although we are searching in space near and far for these objects now, we have not

organized our put in place the means to divert them or eliminate their threatening object when it's observed eading in our direction. another common issue, protecting space assets from orbital debris which is basically a manmade minefield in space. we rely on our space-based assets for defense, for science, for farming, for a huge portion of our commerce and even navigating the car to the local market. there are many other plans to use new satellite constellations for helping an increased number of people and thus we will be expanding, hopefully, the observing and monitoring of what's going on in the planet for the benefit of the people of the planet. but none of these uses of space will ever be put to work for bettering our lives unless we deal with the debris issue. if we are not protecting our space-based assets, we are

risking our future, our way of life, our security, and our prosperity. i am sorry we did not get this done, it was a bipartisan effort, we just didn't get that among all the things we were working on this congress. but i hope the next congress will succeed and will focus on those two issues where we can cooperate in a very bipartisan way. mr. speaker, i ask my colleagues to support the moving forward of s. 1768, the national earthquake hazard reduction program rethrsation act of 2018. may we always be prepared to deal with natural disasters, thus protecting our people from needless tragedies. we will always live with the potential of -- of a severe earthquake but we can minimize the loss of suffering, that's what we are ding here with this legislation. i look forward to the bill being signed into law by the president by the end of the year and yield back the balance of my time the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the request is will the house

suspend the rules and pass senate 1768. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid n the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. smith: i ask unanimous consent for the science, space, and technology committee be discharged from further consideration of s. 33 9 and ask for its immediate consideration by the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 3389, an act to redesignate a facile i have to the national aeronaughtics nd space administration. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the cofferings the bill? bill is jection, the read a third time and passed and

the motion to reconsider is lid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5273 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5273, a bill to reduce global fragility and violence by addressing the causes of violence, violent conflict and fragility in pilot countryings and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california, mr. proist and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the wrelt from california. mr. royce: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material in the record.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. royce: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: mr. speaker, since the horrific attacks of september 11, 2001, the united states has committed lives and treasure to help stabilize countries plagued by conflict and by insecurity. we undertake these efforts because unchecked instability abroad threaten ours economic, humanitarian and security interests here at home. of course the united states cannot achieve its objectives alone. we need to coordinate with willing and able partners. we need to endanger local leaders, we need to empower civil society, we need of course to work with the private sector and we need to improve coordination among our own national security agencies to ensure they're working together to advance clearly defined

objectives. and to eliminate duplication and waste. through this process they learn and adapt. last june, the department of state, the u.s. agency for international development, and the department of defense released a security assistance review which set out a framework to improve u.s. security assistance programs. including stabilization. the legislation we are considering today builds on that effort. and this legislation requires the secretary of state, in coordination with the administration of -- administrationor of usaid, the secretary of defense an the heads of other relevant federal agencies to develop a comprehensive initiative to address global vibles and instability. within six months, the sec retear of state will submit to kuok an implementation plan that sets out clear goal and objectives, identifies priority countries and res, defines the roles and responsibilities of

each u.s. department and agency and describes efforts to improve coordination and private sector engagement. then, building off that initial survey, the secretary will sub submit to congress a 10-year implementation plan for each identified priority country and region that aligns the diplomatic, development and security interests of the united states. this is a timely bill that will help ensure the effective use of u.s. foreign assistance, reduce violence and insecurity abroad, and keep america safe. it enjoys bipartisan support and it just makes sense. and i would like to thank the sponsors, ranking member eliot engel, terrorism subcommittee chairman ted poe, homeland security chairman mike mccaul, bill ketoing of massachusetts, and their bipartisan co-sponsors for their work on this bill. with that, i reserve the balance

of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new york are is -- is recognized. mr. engel: i rise in support of this measure and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: i'm proud to have authored this bipartisan piece of legislation and i want to thank chairman royce for his leadership bringing it to the floor. i also want to thank congressman poe, mccaul, keating, and adam smith for joining me as original co-sponsors. around the world, levels of violent are at a 25-year high, driving massive instability. this is global security threat as fragile, unstable states are breeding grounds for criminals and terrorists. there's a significant economic toll as well. violence and instability undercut american investment and development efforts cost the global economy nearly $15 trillion a year probably worst of all this violence and instability has created

humanitarian catastrophe, the world now faces an unprecedented refugee crisis, 68.5 million people have left their homes. this is the highest level ever recorded. naturally, we need to do more to end this violence and instability and prevent it from happening in the first place. over the year, we've learned a lot about what works to stabilize countries, stabilize conflicts and prevent violence from breaking out. we need to update our government policies to implement those lessons. this bill does just that. by establishing an initiative to reduce fratidge -- fragility and violence and align american policies and programs with best practices. it will require the state department, usaid, and the department of defense to coordinate their diplomatic, development, and security activities with a focus on at least six priority countries or regions. it also requires innovative

approaches to coordinate our work with partner, measure results, and atapt to changing conditions. finally, it mandates robust oversight to ensure our efforts are implemented effectively. the global fragility and violence reduction act is an important step in forwarding many of the most devastating crises facing the world right now. and preventing new ones from emerging in the future. i'm happy to have authored this legislation and i urge my colleagues to join me in passing it today. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is ecognized. mr. royce: i yield two minutes to judge ted poe. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. poe: i thank the gentleman and want to express my strong support for this legislation, which i am an original co-sponsor. i was proud to work alongside

ranking member engel, mr. adam smith, mr. mccaul, and representative keating on this legislation. around the globe today, mr. speaker, fractured nations are struggling with conflict, violence, and a range of other challenges that degrade security and prevent their internal development. weak states and ungoverned places anywhere in the world provide opportunities for terrorism and instability to flourish. as a result, these fragile states become national security concerns for our country. mr. speaker, we need to solve problems in a smarter way, so we don't have to constantly deploy america's sons and daughters into harm's way to fight more foreign wars. the united states has been at war consistently for over 17 straight years. maybe it's time we rethink our philosophy of constant military involvement throughout the globe as a first response to turmoil and unrest. we need to address the underlying root causes of

instability, create -- treat the disease, not just symptoms. that's what this bill will do. it will require the development of a whole government approach to targeting root causes of instability and conflict in the world's most fragile regions before they require military interventions by the united states. instead of parallel efforts that often respond to conflict with short-term solutions, this bill will require long-term coordinated strategies that make our foreign assistant dollars more effective. it will allow congress to have more oversight on those foreign aid dollars. the money we spend abroad must be designed to solve problems, not endlessly consume resources by military conflict. i want to thank ranking member engel for his leadership on this critical issue. i do urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and also want to take a moment to thank ranking member engel for his friendship and support and his work on the foreign affairs

committee since i have been on the committee. also want to thank the chairman, chairman royce, who will also be leaving congress at the end of this session, for his work. as we have said numerous times, if more committees would work in a bipartisan way to solve a specific goal, the long-term interest of the united states being that goal, i think things would be better here in the house. but i want to thank both of these members for their relationship with me and for working so hard to help america solve these international problems in a bipartisan way. and that's just the way it is, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: yes, thank you, mr. speaker. the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, who just spoke, i think is very appropriate now as the congress is moving to an end to thank him for his hard work, for his good friendship.

he really is a member's member. he's really indicative of the bipartisan showing that we had for many, many years on the foreign affairs committee. ted, we're going to miss you on the committee. we'll hope you'll continue to watch us and call us and keep in touch with us because you truly are a fine member and someone that i'm really proud to call my friend. if i may so say, that's just the way it is. mr. poe: i thank the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. mccaul, chairman of the committee on homeland security and a senior member of the foreign affairs committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. mccaul, is recognized for two minutes. mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of the bill i wrote with mr. engel, my good friend, the global fragility and violence protection act.

one of our greatest national security challenges is preventing violent conflicts around the world. violent conflict creates hostile environments and displaces and deprives citizens. it cost the global economy over $14 trillion annually. they also provide fertile recruiting grounds for terrorist groups and transnational criminal organizations that i tracked as my role as chair of the homeland security. often these strive in states where it's fragile, where the government loses sight of its own people. when ignored, these breakdowns in the government ultimately can lead to lengthy and costly involvement by the united states. that's why today congressman engel and i are proposing an innovative new way of thinking about these challenges. the global fragility and violence reduction act acquires -- requires the administration to launch an initiative to

reduce this fragility and violence. this will guide our efforts to reduce violent conflict and hope fragile states down a path towards stability. this bill also requires the department of state, in coordination with usaid and the department of defense, to identify 10 countries or regions as a pilot program to start to new initiative. this initiative ensures local partnerships are at the core of any solution in order to deliver better long-term results. and since such -- each fragile state is different, this initiative is flexible to address the causes of fragility. what may work to solve the economic and migration issues in venezuela are likely to be different than the solutions needed to help curb terrorist groups in west africa. by integrating state, usaid, d.o.d. together in prioritizing, we are reshaping how we think about how we deliver aid and development

resources to them from spiraling into chaos. i'd like to thank, again, the ranking member. i'd like to thank chairman royce for his friendship. mr. poe, mr. smith. and i hope everybody will attend the chairman's portrait unveiling at the national archives this evening. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. again, i want to thank the bipartisan group of lawmakers who worked with me on this bill, mr. poe, mr. mccaul, and thank you, chairman royce, for your leadership, as always. after 17 years of war with no end in sight, we should all be able to understand the value of preventing conflicts before they start. we've learned a lot about what works and what doesn't when it comes to stabilizing conflicts and preventing violence breaking out. this bill applies those lessons to american policy. by's drg the root causes of vy -- by addressing the root

causes of violence, we get closer to a more stable, more prosperous world. so i strongly support the passage of this measure. i encourage my colleagues to do the same, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: well, thank you. let me begin by thanking mr. engel, the author of this measure, and express my deep appreciation for his help in all that we've undertaken with our committee. there are, as eliot knows, 70 million men, women, and children who have been displaced by from conflict around this globe. while the united states is the most generous provider of humanitarian assistance, it's really true that no amount of tents and sheeting will stop the suffering and the misery that these people feel. we need solutions to get at the roots of these problems, and

the legislation we are considering today helps us down the right path to do that. while it does not obligate the united states to take on stabilization efforts, it does provide the framework for improved coordination so that we can be more strategic, more efficient, and more effective with our diplomatic, development, and security assistance. so thank you, mr. engel, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5273, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- mr. royce: mr. speaker, on that i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed.

for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. royce: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1567, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1567, a bill to promote economic partnership and cooperation between the united states and mexico. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material on the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: mr. speaker, i want to thank representatives cuellar and representative castro, as well as ranking member of the foreign affairs committee, mr. engel, and chairman of the homeland security committee, mike mccaul, for their work on the legislation that we are

considering here today. the united states and mexico share strong economic and cultural ties. as our neighbor to the south, a strong, stable mexico benefits the united states. realizing this, we already have many professional and educational exchanges between our two countries to help see that young people in mexico graduate from school and enter the workforce with the skills, the credentials and the experience that they need in the 21st century. in the 2015-2016 school year, 5,000 u.s. students studied abroad in mexico, while 16,000 mexican students studied in the u.s. and they did this through various exchange programs. these are good numbers, true, but more can be done to ensure that our young people are taking advantage of existing opportunities to study in both countries, and this bill builds on existing programs, to expand and strengthen these exchanges.

in particular, the bill focuses on exchanges in four important areas and these are higher education, medical school, entrepreneurship, and in the energy sector. these are all areas from which the u.s. and mexico stand to mutually benefit from greater cooperation. there are, of course, areas in which the u.s.-mexico relationship can improve. for example, mexico needs to do more to combat the rampant corruption that has taken its toll on its citizens' trust. but this does not mean that our two countries cannot work together to ensure a brighter, more successful future for young people in both of our countries. educational and professional exchanges are key to that goal, so i urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of this

measure, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: mr. speaker, this is a good bill. i thank its authors and chairman royce for bringing it forward, and i'll discuss its merits in a moment. because i can't in good conscience stand on the house floor and talk about our economic partnership with mexico and not speak for a moment on what's happening right now on our southern border. the president tweeted that the my grants seeking -- migrants seeking asylum are stone-cold criminals. i see images and i don't see stone-cold images. i see children with bare feet. i see hungry mothers, toddlers in diapers and desperate fathers, and i see tear gas being lobbied from the united states into mexico. the president says not to worry. he says it's very safe sort of tear gas. the american people aren't stupid. the american people know what this country stands for. they know we're a nation of immigrants. they know that america doesn't kick people when they're down or slam the door on those

fleeing poverty and violence. i hope the president gets the message. now, the measure before us deals with the incredibly important relationship with our neighbor to the south, mexico. mexico is our close friend and ally, our third largest trading partner, and a country with which we share extraordinarily close cultural and person-to-person ties. this bill builds on the balm administration's -- the obama administration's 100,000 strong. by requiring the secretary of state to expand the exchange programs that will allow us to share and learn from each other. there is no way to advance the relationship of our bilateral ties than by allowing young people and professionals experience what makes each of our countries unique. it is also critical we send a strong message to the mexican people, that the united states congress will not walk away from them despite any damage done to our relationship over the past several years.

as i have said many times in the foreign affairs committee and on the house floor, the united states should be in the business of building bridges, not walls, to our friends in mexico. the timing of this legislation could not be more ideal. four days from now, andres lopez will be worn in as president as mexico. by passing this measure today, the house of representatives is recommitting itself to our bilateral relationship. we're sending a loud and clear message that the prosperity of our country's futures depends on an enduring u.s.-mexico relationship. so i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i'll continue to reserve the right to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. mr. engel: mr. speaker, thank you. i yield five minutes to the gentleman from texas, the author

of this bill, mr. cuellar. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for five minutes. mr. cuellar: i want to thank the ranking member, mr. engel, for yielding to me, but also for his leadership in bringing this bill to the floor. i want to thank you and your staff for the wonderful work that you have done. chairman royce, i want to thank you and your staff for your leadership, both you and ranking member engel, we spoke a lot about this bill and why it's important we pass this particular bill. i want to thank my colleagues, representative castro, who helped on this bill. mr. speaker, mr. poe, i want to thank you all for this work in the committee and representative mccaul for signing on as a bipartisan measure. and the next few days on friday, representative mccaul and myself will be going over to mexico for

the swearing in and i think this is an important time to have this bill to send a positive message. this bill is important. it is bipartisan legislation that promotes mutual national security interests and economic partnership and cooperation between the united states and mexico with the focus in the energy, the health, entrepreneurshipship and education sectors. mexico is one of the united states' top trading partners with an estimate of $615 billion in a two-way trade between these two countries. which means every day there is more than $1.3 billion of trade between the u.s. and mexico. every single minute, you are talking about more than a million dollars of trade between the u.s. and mexico every single minute. and it is important to have this type of relationship.

as the chairman mentioned a few 2015-2016, in according to the national institute of international education, students studied in other countries in the western hemisphere and 84,000 nonu.s. students studied in the u.s. and only 16,000 of those non-u.s. students were from mexico and this is why we need to do more to increase our educational change with our very portrayeding partner. specifically this bill establishes that it shall be the policy of the united states to continue deepening the economic cooperation between the united states and mexico and to expand the educational and professional exchange programs with our neighbors to the south. in order to do this, it would require the secretary of state to develop a strategy that one, encourages more economic exchanges between the two

counties at the different levels, especially with communities in the southern border region. number two, it would encourage the institutions and businesses o col rate to train aspiring entrepreneurs. and number three, it would extend cooperation through vocational exchanges between both countries and number four, and fostering by national partnerships between university and medical school and nursing programs. and that's a natural fit we can do with that particular neighbor to the south. so, again, if we increase academic exchanges at universities that we have in texas and across california and new mexico and arizona, that basically means we will better prepare our students for success

in the workplace, increase job opportunities for those areas in the small businesses along the border. to conclude, i thank the chairman, chairman ed royce. ou are very passionate about mexico. and my ranking member member, elliott engel. this is something we feel very important about mexico and thank you for advancing this bill throughout the committee and the staff on the republican and democratic side. to conclude, i encourage my colleagues to support this important bees of legislation and i look forward to seeing this bill passed into law and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: reserve. the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: i want to close by emphasizing the importance of

the u.s.-mexico relationship. for so many years, this relationship was characterized by mistrust. that has changed over the past two decades. just one example, bilateral cooperation on countering narcotics is now the norman led o the extradition of chapeau guzman in the united states. america.trial now on 20 years ago, it would be hard to imagine to come in support of a educational bill. now a bill will glide through the house with little opposition. but we cannot take this cooperation for granted. far too much is at stake to allow the bilateral relationship between the united states and mexico to deteriorate. there is a new government, new leader of mexico coming in, and

i hope we could very swiftly establish the good relationship that our two countries have and ot dwell on some of the recent discussions and problems involving a wall or anything else. so i thank my colleagues for joining me in supporting this legislation to double down on the successes in the u.s.-mexico partnership. i thank chairman royce. i thank the sponsor of this bill and i thank mr. cuellar and i thank my colleagues for supporting this bill. i urge passage the u.s.-mexico partnership is one of our most important partnerships in the house of republics and ought to be doing everything we ought to be doing bypassing this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i

may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: mr. speaker, in closing, i would like to again stress that this is one of america's most important relationships. and i would also like to stress my appreciation for the work of congressman henry cuellar, not just on this bill, but on the overall relationship with mexico. i have had the opportunity to work with him in the past. i know his passion on this and i appreciate his effectiveness. i thank representative castro as well and the ranking member of this committee, mr. engel. and i should mention the work also of the chairman of our homeland security committee, mike mccaul. they all worked on the legislation which we are considering today. i think that educational and professional exchanges really allow young american and mexican students and young professionals, the chance to not only experience a new culture

for them, but also to ensure that our young people graduate from school and enter the work force with the skills, the credentials, the experience, the knowledge also, about our neighbors. the knowledge they need in the 21st century. i urge all of my colleagues to join us in supporting this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time, mr. speaker. e speaker pro tempore: those in favor say aye. . those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspend dollars, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. royce: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4591 as ealeded.

the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: a bill to impose sanctions with respect to iranian persons that threaten the peace or stability of iraq with the government of iraq. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. royce. mr. royce: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. royce: i ask unanimous consent to introduce into the record letters exchanged with the other committees of jurisdiction on this bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. royce: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: this past september, thousands of iraqees protested throughout the south of the country calling for iran to stop

meddling in their democracy. yet, as these protestors shouted s wereran, out, their plea met with bullets, with militias, funded and commanded by iranians. this latest bout of violence in iraq is not surprising. iran has used the fight against isis as an excuse. to expand its footprint inside iraq and to fund tens of thousands of militia forces. even as isis has receded in raq, iranian-backed militias have continued to expand throughout the country and syria, where these militias have helped the brutal regime commit

countless war crimes. these militias not only threaten the syrian and iraqi people, they pose a serious threat to u.s. personnel serving overseas. two months ago, one of these launched mortars at the u.s. embassy in baghdad prompting a stern warning that the u.s. will hold the regime accountable for any account against u.s. personnel or u.s. government facility. these militias also pose a direct threat to israel. some have formed a brigade with the explicit intent to attack israel. u.n. ambassador has cited reports that iran has begun transferring ballistic missiles to these militias that are in iraq.

despite all this, many of these iranian-backed militias have not been designated as terrorist organizations, nor are they otherwise subject to u.s. sanctions despite being affiliates of iran's revolutionary guard. this oversight could allow these militias to access the u.s. financial system. mr. speaker, this bipartisan legislation will allow support and it will bring that support to democracy in iraq and it will counter iran's deadly influence there. this bill is narrowly tailored to go after those militias funded and commanded by the irgc, the same militias that have attacked our soldiers, the same militias that continue to threaten those in the region. i am pleased this bill includes provisions to establish a watch list of iranian-backed militias

in iraq which will alou congress to monitor iran's activity in the country including new militias which may emerge in the future. the iraqi people deserve and want again you inreform, democracy and above all else, they want peace. this cannot happen so long as iran continues to command militias within iraq. empowering iranian militias is a step backwards for iraq. it would introduce the hezbollah model and all the chaos that goes along with it. iranian influence will only perpetrate the cycle of violence and increase the sectarian polarization increasing the emergens of al qaeda al qaeda. for all these reasons, i urge my colleagues to join me in

supporting this measure and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. engel. mr. engel: i rise in support of this bill and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: i thank my colleagues for the bipartisan leadership on this legislation and i want to thank chairman royce for working with me to get this legislation into shape for the floor. the vision that democrats and republicans have for iraq is very similar. we all want to see iraqies work together to provide for a future for their country and access the wealth of their country's national resources. we want to's iraqies focus more on what units them than divides them. we want to prevent isis and the

next generation of isis or al qaeda. we want to protect religious minorities. that's why it is so important to bring this legislation to the floor today. that's why republicans and democrats work together to find common ground on american policy in iraq. especially after the iraqy election which path iraq will choose, we want to demonstrate to the people that we support their efforts. this bill penalizes those who want to exploit their sectarian differences and those who use violence. it establishes a separate watch list to help keep track of proxy groups in iraq that are doing the bidding of iran's islamic revolutionary guard corps. it sends a message to those in power must prioritize answering

to the iraqy people and not to iran. we hope this legislation will empower those who seek a better future for its people. i'm glass to support h.r. 4591 and i reserve. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from illinois, mr. adam kinzer. the author of this -- mr. adam kinzinger, the author of this bill, and his service to our country includes serving in iraq and in afghanistan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. kinzinger: well, thank you, mr. speaker. mr. chairman, thank you for yielding and for your many years of service. i rise today in strong support of h.r. 4591, the prevent destabilization of iraq act, which i introduced with my colleague, representative suozzi. since the toppling of saddam hussein, iran has been working to gain access and influence in iraq by dismantling american

efforts to stabilize the country in the region. it's abundantly clear that iran is gaining to further their radical agenda in iraq and we must counter that i tyrannical regime and provide hope to the iraqi people. a paramilitary structure is trying to undermine the iraqi security forces. just this week we saw the head of a powerful p.m.f., which will be sanctioned under this legislation, demanding the iraqi government allow these militias to secure the border with syria. not only will this legitimize the p.m.f. but will give the iranians one of their greatest desires, a secure land bridge from deran to the mediterranean. over the past few months we've seen the security situation in iraq slip further into despair. the u.s. compounds in baghdad and basra resulted in the latter shutting its doors. i believe retreating will only hurt the iraqis and make the

region a more dangerous place, a lesson we have already learned once. following the elections in iraq this year, we saw iranian proxies and militias as well as iraqis working on behalf of the iranians attempting to form a coalition government in baghdad. this act, which passed the committee unanimously, would mpose sanctions on iranians or any other person that threaten the security of iraq. their leaders, many of which are trained and funded by the iranian revolutionary guard core, passage of this ensures the iranians are not given a free pass to meddle in the affairs of the iraqi people. i thank all my colleagues for the work on this and, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california reserves, and the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: mr. speaker, it's now my pleasure to yield four minutes to the gentleman from new york, an original co-sponsor of the bill, mr. suozzi. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for four minutes. mr. suozzi: thank you, mr. speaker.

and thank you, ranking member engel, and chairman royce, for their bipartisan cooperation in this committee, and i'd like to thank representative kinzinger for his leadership on promoting stability in the middle east overall. i stand in support of the bipartisan h.r. 4591, preventing the destabilization of iraq act. at the 2018 united nations general assembly, iranian president rouhani spoke begins foreign interventions of alien wishes of the people of the region. iran's foreign minister complained about countries which support, quote, nonstate actors who wreak havoc through terror. they both might want to look in the mirror. in iraq, iranian backed militias have committed human rights abuses for years, executing and beating people. they have taken roles in trying to influence yirke's nation's political system. irgc recent elections,

commander coerced shiite parties with different views to form a parliamentary majority, one that would presumably iran's agenda. this is one example of iranian activities across the middle east. in syria, militias have done their own share of looting and murdering. the hueties oppressed their own -- the houthis oppressed their own people. to bahrain to lebanon, iran has played a destabilizing role. this bill will sanction any foreign person, not just iranians, conducting significant destabilizing activities in iraq. corruption is indemic and rampant in iraq's political system. iraq's long-term stability depends on a representative government that reflects the will of the people. the bill requires our government to review the status of two of tehran's proxies in iraq. h.h.n. and h.a.h.

and whether they should be designated as foreign state organizations. a.a.h. claimed responsibility of thousands of attacks on u.s. and coalition forces including the tragic 2007 attack on the headquarters which resulted in the execution of four americans. e group is notorious for explicitly formed penetrators, devastating i.e.d.'s that have killed and maimed far too many american troops and americans. h.h.n., hezbollah brigades of iraq have played an active role against americans during the iraq role and now in syria's civil war, boasting of a unit in targeting israel. these groups claim to -- they exist to protect iraqis, but as the evidence clearly demonstrates, they terrorize their countrymen and innocence across the region. these militias is not the only security threat in iraq. although the islamic state has largely been driven from iraq,

the country still faces a myriad of economic and political challenges. ft unaddressed, iraq has created a void for isis to fill and throw the region into chaos and turmoil. basra, iraq's second largest city, protested the corruption and mismanagement that's tainted their water supply and left their electrical grid in at that timers. they directed some of their agers at the militias to enrich themselves. the original iraqi suffered. they could not provide the citizens what they so desperately need while so much power is controlled by the militias. we must stand with the iraqis. for these reasons, i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 4592, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, reserves. and the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from florida,

ileana ros-lehtinen, chairman emeritus of the foreign affairs committee, who chairs the committee on the middle east and north africa. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida is recognized for two minutes. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the chairman, chairman royce, and i commend both you and ranking member engel. i'm going to miss serving with you, eliot, and as chairman royce and i say, bye-bye in just a few weeks, but i want to thank them for always bringing to the floor bipartisan bills that make america a stronger place. and, mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of mr. kinzinger's bill, h.r. 4591, the preventing destabilization of iraq act of 2018. this timely bill will impose sanctions against a multitude of iranian militias, proxies, terrorist groups, other nefarious entities that are operating in iraq and it makes it clear that the united states

will not allow iran to continue undermining the stability of iraq. this bill also includes important language authored by our presiding officer, judge poe, ensuring that the state department determines if certain iranian affiliated individuals are operating as terrorists, then they should be designated as terrorists. it further includes language by our great friend, congressman joe wilson of south carolina, requiring a determination on whether afghan and pakistani brigades under the control of the iranian revolutionary guard corps, should also be designated. this is commons, mr. speaker. as adam -- this is common sense, mr. speaker. as adam kinzinger knows intent on raq is

continuing everything we can to block their proxies' assets to cut off their funding and restrict their travel. so thank you, mr. royce. thank you, mr. engel. as we know, iraq is a very important partner. this bill prioritizes its stability, and i thank the sponsor, mr. kinzinger, for authoring this bill. i encourage all of my colleagues to support it. thank you for the time, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida yields back. the gentleman from california reserves. and the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. before i -- well, let me say this. happy and s both a sad moment for me. i'm happy because the new

congress, i'll be in the majority, but i'm sad because so many of my friends are retiring and not coming back. i mentioned my good friend, mr. poe, before, and i just want to mention our now speaker up here, my good friend, ileana ros-lehtinen. we have been working together for more than 25 years in passing all kinds of important , gislation involving people support around the world, making lives a little bit better for people, working here to promote democracy at home. i want to just have the opportunity to say that this congress, we'll be missing you. i know i'll be missing you and we will be in touch. you are the kind of member we need more of. someone who always reached across the aisle. someone who always worked in a bipartisan manner. and someone who is effective and intelligent. i'm' just proud to call you my

-- i'm just proud to call you my friend. i have to say that. so i'm going to close and say . at iraq is at a crossroads we have another speaker. sorry. so i'm going to reserve. ok. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from -- mr. engel: i got carried away. mr. royce: i yield window minutes to the gentleman from texas, judge ted poe. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. poe: i thank the gentleman. i want to reiterate, madam speaker, on the foreign affairs committee, meets and makes a decision, we do that almost in unison. republicans and democrats looking out for the best foreign policy of the united states. and chairman royce and mr. engel, chairman engel, will do a great job in leading that

effort as you have done in the past when you were chair of the foreign affairs committee. but i'm proud to support representative kinzinger's bill, preventing destabilization of iraq act. for too long iraq has been the center of chaos, instability in the middle east. while much of this is due to terrorist groups, it's expansion is saber rattling neighbor to the east, also bears enormous responsibility for undermining iraq's sovereignty and security. iran is determined, in my opinion, to make iraq a puppet state of its tyranny. for years, iran has armed and financed thousands of iraqi militia fighters loyal to tehran to spread its influence and fight its foreign wars. many of these militia have american blood on their hands as well as their own countries. earlier this year, iron's proxies in iraq -- iran's proxies in iraq seized more

seats in their government and crushed iranian protests. this legislation codifies crucial authorities to target iran's destabilizing activity. the bill also includes parts of my iranian proxies terrorist sanctions bill which calls for the designation of two of the deadliest iraqi militia groups backed by iran, a.a.h., and h.h.n. they have attacked americans, including firing rockets at u.s. diplomatic facilities in iraq as recently as this past august. they have participated in basharal-assad's slaughter of the people and attacking israel. war is in the mind of the ayatollah. we must battle them. iraq is one of the key areas. this legislation is a step towards confronting iran's conquest of the middle east. i urge my colleagues to vote for this important legislation,

for the senate to quickly bring it to the floor, to help stop iran, the world's number one state sponsor of terror, from spreading its violent hate, and that's just the way it is, madam speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: seems like we are playing revolving chairs but i'm glad to see my friends from different angles. madam speaker, iraq is at a crossroads and someone who wants to see iraq succeed, i support this will legislation because it ill help iraqis build a better future. the united states will not side with those who continue to foment dresk strife. if you threaten peace and

stability and prevent humanitarian assistance, you will be penalized. i urge my colleagues to pass h.r. 45091 and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i yield myself such time as i may consume. in closing, i would like to thank my colleagues for their bipartisan work on this important legislation. this measure will send a clear message to the iraqi people that the u.s. supports them for their est for stability, peace and democracy will fment the december lation left by isis, they need to establish a democracy free of iranian meddling. to be clear, these militias are not just a threat to the iraqi people. these same militias have launched mortars at the u.s.

embassy in baghdad and continue to threaten israel. it is well past the time that these militias face justice and accountability for their war crimes. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back his time. all time has been yielded back. will the house suspend the rules and pass the pill h.r. 4591 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- the gentleman from california. the rules will be suspended. the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. royce: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6207 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. h.r. 6207 a bill to support

the democratic republic of the congress and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, each will control 20 minutes. mr. royce: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five five legislative days to include their reremarks and include extraneous material. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. . mr. royce: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of this bill. this is the democratic republic of the congress democracy and accountability dr congo democracy and accountability act. i thank congresswoman karen bass, and ranking member engel. thank for like to

their work on this bipartisan legislation. long overdue elections in the democratic republic of the congo are scheduled now for december 23, 2018. but we all know that simply holding elections is not enough. the president already has remained in power two years past his constitutional mandate. and while i'm pleased he will reportedly step aside, the corruption of the government runs much deeper than the presidency. government officials and security forces continue to use their positions of power to undermine the election and to stroke instability in the country. peaceful protests have been met were violence, with mass arrests, and even been met with torture. new reports of abuse and intimidation against journalists and against activists by

government forces emerge now every day. meanwhile, arbitrary legal impedements have barred prominent opposition candidates from running. the government insists on using untested and confusing voting machines, leaving the election vulnerable to vote manipulation and into rigging. the government continues to boycott international efforts to support election preparations and to increase humanitarian assistance and continues to deny in the face of serious and mounting evidence that there is a problem. i have been on three trips to the congo over this issue over the years. the people of the congo are suffering. and the humanitarian situation is dire. over four million people of congo are internally displaced. more than 13 million people are

in need of urgent humanitarian assistance including six million facing acute food insecurity. nd another ebola outbreak is threatening the lives of thousands. we know that government security forces are responsible for horrific human rights abuses and for provoking instability across the d.r.c. just last year, two researchers were killed investigating human rights abuses in the count try. one of these researchers was an american. the government continues to block efforts to fully investigate and hold individuals accountable. this cannot stand. the u.s. must be fully engaged in support of the people of congo and their struggle to freely choose their next leader.

this legislation we are considering today is a call to action. it requires ar determination or individuals responsible for undermining peace and security. it calls for impeding and going after those. it calls for a focus on those who are olympicing the democratic process. it calls for going after those who are committing human rights violations and engaging corruption so they can be sanctioned. mr. speaker, we have seen the sad situation before in the d.r.c. and seen instability and conflict into neighboring countries and undermine the entire region. we cannot let this cycle continue. and a failed election in december would surely inflame the violence. this is why we must take decisive action to hold individuals accountable and

ensure free and fair elections this december. i urge my colleagues to support this measure. and before reserving, mr. speaker, i would like to yield the remainder of my time to the gentleman from new jersey, the author of this bill and ask unanimous consent that he control that time. and with that, he we will reserve to allow the ranking member to be recognized. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman from new jersey will control the remaineder of the majority's time. the majority reserves and the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from california, the lead democrat on this bill, the ranking member of the african subcommittee, ms. bass of california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized. ms. bass: i rise today to strongly support h.r. 6207, the

dem rick republic of the congo democracy and accountability act of 2018. i'm proud to be a co-sponsor of this important piece of legislation that promotes free and fair elections by imposing sanctions on high-level individuals who are undermining institutions in the country as well as those who are responsible for extrajudicial killings and engaged in public corruption. the d.r.c. has the potential to be one of the richest countries. it has copper, gold, diamonds and many other minerals. the congo river is the most powerful river in africa making way to generate hydroelectric power and some scientists say it could provide enough power for subsahar and's electricity needs. it has great agricultural.

this country has all the conditions to thrive and flourish, but it has not. instead, continued delays in holding elections have increased tensions and unrest. ongoing conflicts have resulted in hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons and refugees. the country is in a human rights crisis and on top of all of this, the d.r.c. is suffering from an ebola outbreak. it has been exacerbated by political elections. the current crisis started in 2015 when the president, who is constitutionally barred from re-election deliberately stalled re-elections. his second constitution term ended in 2016. since then, the political situation has steadily declined. the government and security forces have cracked down on

anti-government mobilization. shut down immediate i can't remember outlets and targeted arrests of activists. the president said he would uphold the constitution. even with this announcement, the environment remains tense for activists, journalists and religious leaders. according to human rights watch and amnesty international, the government made a new round of arrests of activists ahead of the election. this display of ahead of the long awaited presidential election undermines people's ability to freely participate in the electoral process. the government must immediately release all people ash temporarily daped for peacefully protesting including the numerous pro-democracy activists

and journalists. finally, the government must investigate and hold to account those responsible for -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized for one minute. ms. bass: this legislation is extremely important for addressing conditions in the d.r.c. but important for sending a message to the world that the united states has not retreated from its commitment to protect human rights and advance democracy around the world. the late former u.n. secretary annan said its future is in danger. this could be a threat to the stability and peace. the situation in the d.r.c. is deteriorating as we speak and time that we act. finally a call to the region, join chris smith, ed roist and elliott engel and i that

supports this bill for human rights accountability in the republic of the congo. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. smith: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: i rise in support of this bill. i want to thank chairman royce and the ranking member for their very strong support of this legislation and for their strong statements today. i think it is another example of bipartisan legislation and the house uniting over a very egregious situation that is occurring in the d.r.c. i would point out, i have visited the d.r.c. myself and the capital. raised a number of human rights issues when i was there and i traveled to go mmp a where there was terrible acts of bloodshed

created by both the government troops as well as those that were combatting the government. and even terrible acts by the acekeepers, number -- u.n. peacekeepers. and in my subcommittee, i chaired four hearings on this horrible practice of the peacekeepers themselves causing such violence against kids. there is a much better situation, but it is still awful. and again, we are facing another serious crisis. . . we made part of the trip where we went to ethiopia but we were denied visas. we could not get visas to go to the d.r.c. because we wanted to raise issues with regard to the election and the human rights

abuses. we were denied that by not getting a visa. this bill could not be more timely. indeed, there is an urgent need to focus on the d.r.c., a strategically low indicated re-- located resource rich country. the wonderful people of the d.r.c. deserve better, far better than they got from the regime. next month just before christmas, the country is heduled to vote to replace joseph kabila. there is further talk of further postponement of election which will accord with his desire to postpone a transfer of power for as long as possible. it will be attributable to holding a free and fair

election. this bill before us today shows congressional reserve that there be accountability and codifies three executive orders by three presidents, president bush, president obama, and president trump. it points out that there needs to be significant progress towards holding free and fair elections or else they will not be lifted, and does so for seven years, and we're talking about respecting fundamental freedoms of the press, expression, and assembly, as described in the december, 2016, agreement and in u.n. security council resolution 2348. it also points out that there needs to be in the legislation free and fair presidential elections in accordance with the constitution of the d.r.c. and a democratically elected president has been sworn in and taken office. it also supports the humanitarian and accountability

efforts of civil society groups, pushing back against civil strive and political repression. particularly, it acknowledges the role of the faith community and the catholic church which educates and heals the congolese people through its schools and hospitals while upholding the need of the rule of law and respect for constitutional principles in the d.r.c. indeed, the congolese conference of catholic bishops has played a singular role in promoting restoration and democracy and respect for fundamental civil and political rights, including brokering the december, 2016, st. sylvester agreement. mr. speaker, this is a critical time for the d.r.c. we have an emerging ebola crisis in the eastern part of the country, and i would note over the weekend our embassy was forced to close due to credible and specific terror

threats. the embassy will remain closed at least until tomorrow because of those threats and perhaps even beyond that date. we are hurdling towards a political inflection point within the next point, which will either mark a turn towards proper constitutional governance or a downward spiral towards growing chaos and bloodshed. i urge support for the bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: mr. speaker, i rise in support of the bill, once again, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: i want to thank our staff members who made this bill possible, particularly leslie warner of my staff. we traveled to congo in 2016 had chairman royce and

very important meetings there, frustrating but important meetings. so i am proud to be an original co-sponsor of this measure. the democratic republic of the congo, d.r.c., borders nine different countries in sub-saharan africa. this is why stability in the d.r.c. is a priority, not just for that country's people, but for many other countries, including the united states. that's why chairman royce and i led a codel there. mr. smith, ms. bass have been there and have really cared about the region. for years, the d.r.c. has been on the brink of crisis. more than 13 million people need humanitarian support, including 7.8 million children. and across the country, violent onflicts have intensified, including in in an area where people are dealing with a

deadly ebola outbreak. the government has showed a concerning disregard to democracy with troubling restrictions on freedom of expression and reports of congolese security forces violating the human rights of peaceful protesters. next month, the d.r.c. will hold elections, as my colleagues have mentioned, that were supposed to be held back in december of 2016. so it's a critical time for the united states to show that we are committed to the d.r.c. having a peaceful, political transition and moving toward accountable democratic governance. this bill asks the administration to continue providing robust humanitarian and development assistance to the people of the d.r.c. it also requires the president to submit a report to congress dealing the extent to which congolese government officials are involved in human rights

abuses against civilians and codifies previously executive orders that target the property and interests of any persons responsible for actions that threaten the stability of the d.r.c. its important we continue leading the international community to address the many challenges in the d.r.c. that's why this bill asks the administration to keep the d.r.c. on the u.n. security council agenda and work to ensure the u.n. peacekeeping mission there has sufficient means to operate effectively. after decades of conflict and instability, the people of the democratic represent lick of the congo deserve a peat -- represent lick of the congo deserve deserve a peaceful -- republic of the congo deserve a peaceful nation. i urge support of this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves his time. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. smith: i am prepared, mr. speaker, to yield back. the speaker pro tempore: is the

gentleman prepared to close? mr. engel: i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for the remainder of his time. mr. engel: ok. i again want to thank mr. smith and ms. bass and, again, it's in the national interest of the united states to support a peaceful political transition and accountable governance in the d.r.c. with elections scheduled for next month. this bill comes at a critical time. i urge all members to join me in supporting this important legislation. i thank mr. smith, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yields back. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for the remainder of his time. mr. smith: i thank my friend for his support. this is a true bipartisan bill. our fingers are crossed for the people of the d.r.c. they deserve a free and fair election and whoever emerges as a winner hopefully will take them on a new course. yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. all time has been yielded back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6207, as amended.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are -- the gentleman from new jersey. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. smith: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendment to h.r. 390. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. an act to .r. 390, provide emergency relief for victims of genocide, crimes against humidity, and war crimes in iraq and syria, for accountability for perpetrators of these crimes and for other purposes, senate amendments. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the

gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith. mr. smith: i thank you very much, mr. speaker. i ask make that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. smith: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to urge strong support for h.r. 390, the bipartisan iraq and syria genocide relief and accountability act. i want to begin by offering my special thanks to the majority leader kevin mccarthy for his strong and sustained support for the victims of genocide, for this bill, and for the work of his amazing staff, especially luke murray, who's done yeoman's work by making sure this moves forward. i want to thank senate majority leader mitch mcconnell and his chief of staff for their work as well as our friends on the senate side. especially i want to thank ed royce, our chairman, and ranking member eliot engel, again, for their wonderful

support for this bill. and for all the members. i do want to thank anna eshoo, who has been tenacious in her support for genocide-targeted communities in iraq and syria, and matt mcmurray, her chief of staff, who's also been a great friend to work on this legislation. my thanks to mary noonan, my chief of staff, pierre, our staff director for the foreign fairs subcommittee, nate age -- nate hurd. so many others who have been a part of this effort to get this across the finish line. mr. speaker, in september of 2013, i chaired my first of 10 congressional hearings focused in whole or in part of christians,ia zeeties, our relidgic and ethnic minorities targeted by isis. frustrated and deeply

disappointed that the previous administration was failing to direct aid to these survivors and to support criminal investigations into the perpetrators, three years later on september 8 of 2016, i introduced h.r. 5961, it was clear then as it is now that local, overstretched, underfunded troops on the ground were being forced to ill a huge gap, like the chaldean catholic archdiocese of erbil. supported by the knights of columbus of carl anderson, and by aid to the church in need. today, the knights of columbus have triggetted $20 million. the aid to the church in need has contributed more than $60 million. to the response for these people who are the survivors of genocide. without this support from private charity, mr. speaker, many people, especially

children, would have died or have been afflicted with serious disease or disability. where was the united states? no where to be found. just before christmas of 2016, i led a delegation to erbil at chaldean ion of the archbishop who was heroically leading the effort to sustain more than 70,000 christians who have fled isis as well as some yezidis as well as some of the muslims. there i met with genocide survivors, almost all of whom told me that they had family members who were murdered, tortured, beaten, and raped by isis. their stories were tragic beyond words, heartbreaking beyond words, but members of my delegation and i were in awe of their deep and abiding faith in god, their resiliency and their courage. they simply would not quit.

they would move on and try to live a life and try to thrive. we visited a camp of 6,000 internally displaced persons managed by the archdiocese, the u.s. government had not even visited until just before our trip in 2016, even though it was 10 minutes away from the consulate. i was told i shouldn't go, it was too dangerous. i said, was there a specific threat? and there wasn't. when we got there we were met by 250 to 300 children, all about fourth, fifth graders, thereabouts, singing christmas carols, and i said, boy, that's a real threatening situation. it was foolish in the extreme, and they needed our help. they were not getting enough food. they were not getting enough medicine, and their shelter was very meager, to say the least. so in january, 2017, i introduced h.r. 390, a stronger version of the previous bill, the house unanimous he -- unanimously passed it, again, totally bipartisan, on june 6.

the senate passed it with a slightly amended version which is why it's before the house today for reconsideration. h.r. 390 authorizes the administrator to the u.s. agency for international development and the secretary of state to direct humanitarian, stabilization and recovery assistance to these communities to enable them to survive and someday thrive in iraq and syria. authorizes to fund entities conducting criminal investigations into isis perpetrators who committed atrocity crimes in iraq. the evidence these entities collect and preserve will be will be used to apprehend and convict in a range of court settings. we have learned from the courts in row wanda and sierra leon, you have to capture this information and get the testimony from survivors and eye

witnesses to if he can tu ate effective prosecutions. the surviving ethnic communities have begun to receive targeted aid from the united states under usaid e president pence, green and secretary of state pompeo. and the governments have stepped up to provide assistance. we have got to move quickly on this bill and on implementation of it. of the church op there told me today, christians in iraq are still at the brimbing of extinction. h.r. 390 is vital to our survival. if it becomes law, implementation must be full and fast. otherwise the help it provides will be too late for us. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: i rise to support this measure and i yield myself such time as i may consume.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: a huge amount of work has gone into this bill. i want to thank representative smith of new jersey, who has been a tireless advocate on behalf of victims of genocide. his efforts have helped to ensure that religious minorities have a place in iraq and syria, that their presence remains part of the fabric of the middle east. isis sought to eliminate the religious minorities. the house foreign affairs committee has heard hours of testimony from genocide victims. e a man recounting the beheading and women detailed gang rape and sex slavery and heard from a number of survivors that international assistance was not moving quickly enough to get people resettled in their

homes and communities of origin. this bill would help to ease those people's suffering and bring to justice those who are responsible. it would offer assistance in prosecuting crimes against humanity and war crimes and would require our government to identify those who are vulnerable to genocide and war crimes and help with their stability in the future. this bill will be an important tool in reaching our goal in iraq and syria preventing the resurgence of isis. we cannot let them control people again. in iraq, this means addresses the root conflict of people that moved people to join the extremist organization like isis in the first place. it means pushing back on iranian influence because iran divisions and iraq overcome by sectarian strife and intolerance.

in syria, that means finding a political solution. assad is a magnet and he continues to employ the worst violence against his own people. since assad's thugs took the life of the first protestor in syria, more than half a million syrians have been killed and 11 million people have lost their homes. i remain convinced and concerned about what our military is doing andyria in the days of isis syria, how do we justify our military. this is a slippery slope and we have to be careful. addition, if my legislation sees the protection act becomes law, we can provide the administration the leverage it needs to push for a solution to provide justice to assad's

victims and prevent the united states from getting further meyered into another war in the middle east. the only solution to the crisis in syria is a political solution. this will help paveal path to that political solution. i urge the other body to pass it so we can get it to the president's desk and i believe the other body would pass my bill but for a single member who to olding it up, i urge him lift that hold so this bill can become law and i urge my colleagues to pass the bill before us today. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. smith: i yield to representative ros-lehtinen. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida is

recognizeded for two minutes. ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to rise in the support of chris smith's bill. i again thank chairman royce and our esteemed ranking member for their efforts for bringing this important and bipartisan bill to the floor. this commonsense bill authorizes federal agencies to provide assistance to entities that are working to hold accountable those responsible for genocide, for crimes against humidity, for war crimes in iraq and syria. over the last seven years sadly, isis has explicitly targeted and murdered tens if not hundreds of thousands of religious and ethnic minorities, mostly christians in iraq and syria. we need to ensure that the proper people are being held

accountable by giving the administration all of the tools it needs to coordinate with and support the organization that can identify and can prosecute those responsible. in addition, mr. smith's bill prioritizes emergency assistance to these religious and ethnic religious groups that are targeted by isis who continue to face persecution. syrians remain in desperate need of stabilization assistance and we must ensure these religious and ethnic minorities are getting the help they desperately need. i thank chris smith by authorizing this -- authoring this important bill and giving the authority to the administration and i urge all of my colleagues to give it its strong bipartisan support. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: in closing, mr. speaker, let me thank mr. smith and mr. royce for their hard work. the violence that has overtaken syria and iraq is heartbreaking but cannot allowed the magnitude of the problem to discourage us to work towards a solution. this bill puts a focus on some of the most vulnerable groups and will help to ease their plight. before i close, mr. speaker, i want to again thank you, mr. poe for your friendship, for your hard work. ms. ros-lehtinen, for your friendship and hard work. and chairman royce just stepped out, but i want to say -- we always talk about the bipartisan work that we have done on the

foreign affairs committee. and we always say that foreign affairs committee is the most bipartisan committee in congress and should be and has to be because partisanship really should stop at the water's edge when we are talking about global interests, we have the same interests and that is one of the wonderful things. ed royce and i don't know if i will have a chance to say it again in this congress and i want to say it now, ed royce has been a magnificent chairman and a magnificent friend. he has led this committee into bipartisanship. on virtually all matters involving the global stage and we have become a more effective committee because of his leadership. so i just want to say to chairman royce, thank you for a job well done, mr. chairman. it has been a pleasure serving with you and all the members on

the committee. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yields back his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey for the remainder of his time. smith smith -- mr. smith: i thank the ranking member and the former chairwoman of the committee. she has been a leader on human rights all over the world, especially with regards to iran and some of the legislation she has gotten enacted into law. i thank you for that are extraordinary leadership. this is pulling us together and helping a group of people, survivors of isis, genocide, who are in desperate need of assistance. we are past the emergency level in most cases. when we introduced the bill, we named it emergency. but there is so much more that needs to be done when it comes to recovery and sustainability

of these precious lives that have been wounded through isis and mass murder and recognized by the obama and trump administrations. this is an idea whose time has come and my hope it will be implemented faithfully and aggressively the moment it is signed. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendment to h.r. 390. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. the senate amendment are agreed to. the motion to reconsider is laid n the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i move to suspend the rules and consider house amendment 1 40. the clerk: senate 140, an act to amend the white mountain apache quantification act of 2010 to larify the amounts of wmut settlement fund. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. shuster and the gentleman from oregon, mr. defazio, will each

control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. so ordered. mr. shuster: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i'm proud to come to the floor tonight not only with another coast guard re-authorization bill but will be the last bill hat i will pass as my chairman ship expires and i leave congress at the end of the year. it is a proud moment and i'm proud that s. 140 was named the frank lobiondo coast guard re-authorization act of 2018. the coast guard is an armed service with a difficult mission to enforce federal laws on, over and under the high seas and in

the jurisdiction of the united states. this bill supports the coast guard and service members by authorizing funding for fiscal year 2018 and 2019. the legislation includes three bills reported from the transportation and infrastructure committee. the coast guard reform act of 2017, coast guard reform and federal march tim act. the bill promotes safety and modernizes coast guard administration and provides protection for american businesses and once again, it authorizes a heavy ice breaker to be purchased by the coast guard. we hope the appropriators find the money to do that. the bill is named for frank lobiondo who previously served as chairman during five different congresses. his leadership translated to many legislative victories for the coast guard and hard working

coast guard members. it is fitting to name this after frank lobiondo. and i urge all members to support the frank lobiondo re-authorizing coast guard act and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon. . mr. defazio: i rise in full support of s. 140, legislation that we've been somewhat patiently waiting for the senate to move on for over a year. this legislation incorporates three different bills passed, reported by the transportation and infrastructure committee last year. h.r. 2518, coast guard authorization of 2017, h.r. 26, coast guard improvement reform act, hrment r. 2593 -- h.r. 2593. this is going to provide both positive improvements in maritime policy, help with the

competitiveness of the u.s. maritime industry, and it is going to be of substantial assistance to the coast guard. there are issues where we have disagreement. it's not a perfect bill. but i'm pleased to support it and would urge all members to support it. i'm particularly pleased with the two-year authorized funding levels for the coast guard. it's been hurt over a number of years, their budget has been too thin. and cuts imposed by the budget control act have been harmful. so this is a reasonable, not optimal, funding liffle. but it will -- level. but it will meet both the acquisition and operational needs ability the appropriations committee will have the capability of meeting the targets we have set. it would have rigorous new processes before the coast guard can permanently close any air facility it operates. in my home state of oregon, there was a rather sudden

announcement of a closure of an air facility in the midcoast, newport, in representative schrader's district. the waters of the pacific are extraordinarily cold year-round. survival times are not long. and we were putting mariners, both recreational, commercial and others, at risk. so we have now poimsed a new process that will have to be -- a new pro-- imposed a new process. there will have to be a new process, and congress will have to evaluate and if necessary reject future proposed closures. i also support a provision in the bill that will allow a certificate of documentation to be renewed on a multiyear basis. the coast guard has had a backlog forever on certificates of documentation. and they're annual. even if, you know -- and the rationale has been, we need to know your home port every year. well, we're going to have a

process where you can get a five-year certificate and then if you change your home port, you have to report it within a certain number days to the coast guard. that solves that issue. there was a long discussed provision that was very controversial on the senate side, on the vessel incidental discharge act. we came up with a compromise. again, i think -- you know, i don't know that it's optimal, but we can live with it. it sets strict technological standards for vessel discharges under the clean water act, to protect local waters, minimize the introduction spread of aquatic invasive species, which are becoming an incredibly expensive and difficult problem. we don't need to spread any more. it establishes a uniform national standard for water treatment that will be developed both by the e.p.a. and the coast guard. to aid commercial carriers and movement of goods by providing regulatory certainty throughout

the united states. and it retains a significant role for individual states and citizens to protect their local waters, which has been a critical sticking point in prior efforts to pass this measure. so, under this proposal, states are guaranteed the ability to co-enforce and oversee implementation of vessel discharge program, petition the e.p.a. and coast guard to strengthen standards should technologies that are more stringent become commercially available and to call for the establishment of no discharge zones in important and sensitive state waters, similar to those currently available for marine sewage. that, again, was not necessarily optimal. but i think it's workable. and protects the interests of the state and our precious resources. i want to acknowledge the chairman and thank him. this will be the last bill he manages on the floor. he has imposed regular order on

the transportation and infrastructure committee, with the water resources development bill, the first long-term f.a.a. bill in three decades. and now an excellent coast guard authorization, in addition to other products. i'd like to also thank my ranking member, soon, perhaps, depending on where he decides to go, chairman, of this subcommittee, for his contributions. and john, this is the third time john has worked with the republicans to deliver a good coast guard bill during his tenure. so all in all, this is a strangely productive day for the house of representatives. and i'm proud to be here. with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. speaker. i now recognize for two minutes the chairman of the coast guard subcommittee, mr. massie. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from florida is recognized for two minutes. mr. mast: thank you for yielding me the time to speak in support of this bill named after -- this act named after our friend, frank lobiondo. but thank you also for your time as chairman of the full committee. as representative of florida, the state with the second largest coast line in the country, i do have a profound respect for the men and women of the u.s. cofede guard and as a veteran as well -- coast guard and as a veteran as well it. has been an honor to work on -- well. it has been an honor to work on such a bipartisan committee, who likewise who has been filled with members who support the coast guard across a diverse set of sets. every hour of every day the coast guard protects america's water ways. they promote a healthy environment, ensure safety of mariners, they enforce our laws , they keep us safe from piracy, they keep us safe from smugglers. day in and day out. i've had the opportunity to see some of their work firsthand. recently i met with a search and rescue team in north carolina as they worked tirelessly on behalf of

communities impacted by hurricane florence. i see my local coasties in places like fort pierce. i see them saving mariners young and old. those lost at sea. there's no doubt that they're selfless heroism and their decisive work saved many lives in the carolinas, just as it did in florida's panhandle after michael and across the nation wherever disaster befalls us. i'm proud to support this bill which authorizes $10.6 billion to strength be and support the u.s. coast guard and its invalue beable defense of you are -- invaluable defense of our waterways and our homeland. this provision will finally resolve a decades' old conservation issue inure mayorga district and transfer -- issue in my district and transfer acreage to ensure endangered turtles continue to thrive there. we're doing our part to help ensure the natural beauty of the treasured coast is maintained and continues to drive our economy for many decades to come. i ask my colleagues to join me

in supporting the brave, hardworking men and women of the u.s. coast guard, their indispensable work, by supporting the frank lob yonedo coast guard -- lob beyondo coast guard authorization -- lob beyondo coast guard authorization -- lobiondo -- lobiondo coast guard authorization act and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for as much time as he wishes to use. >> i'll make this very brief. mr. garamendi: i know we're up against the clock here. mr. shuferte, thank you very much for chairing the committee during my tenure on it. and mr. defazio also, for your leadership. i want to also express my appreciation to your new chair, as well as the previous chair of the committee, mr. hunter, with whom i was able to work over the last three years. for the record, i'll submit my statement in full. essentially thanks good bill that covers the things that the coast guard needs. it increases their funding to a level that is necessary.

the title of the bill is proper. mr. lob beyondo, for dur lobiondo, for your many years of service. there are a couple things about the bill that i do want to speak. to that is, we have in the bill a backup system for the g.p.s. that we so much rely upon now. it's finally going to get into the legislation. we also move forward with the blue technologies and the ato be mouse -- autonomousering both air and underwater vehicles that are going to be necessary for the coast guard to fully carry out its responsibilities. beyond that there are some things in the bill that are a compromise. one i want to point out that is very important and that is section 834 to which i continue to object. this is a bill that actually wood chip to aged ply the waters of the mississippi. the coast guard correctly

states that this vessel constructed primarily of wood and operating overnight passenger trade prevents an unacceptable fire risk to its passengers and crew and accordingly the coast guard is opposed to this particular section. it's unfortunate that is in the bill. i would like to have unanimous consent to put into the record two letters, one from the administration objecting to this provision, and another one from the national volunteer fire council. thank you. with that, i think i've consumed all of the time allowed. i was simple -- i will simply close in this way. all in allers this our third effort -- all in all this is our third effort successfully to pass legislation. i see the majority counsel over there john, thank you so much working with us, and on the minority side, david, you're extraordinary individuals. it's been a pleasure working with you on this, the third successful passage of the coast

guard re-authorization. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back. the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. speaker. it's knew my honor to recognize the current chairman of the subcommittee on aviation, the former chairman of the coast guard committee and the namesake of this bill, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. lobiondo. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. mr. loebsack: thank you, mr. speaker -- mr. lobiondo: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. shuster, thank you. mr. defazio, thank you. it's an honor to have represented the coast guard's only recruit training center in the nation, which is in my district. it's an honor to have represented the coast guard air station in atlantic stegs city, which is the largest helicopter station that the coast guard has. and most of all, to recognize the men and women of the coast guard, which this bill will benefit.

and there are very few issues which have been so bipartisan across the board in my time here in congress. when i first came, i didn't really understand the commitment that the men and women of the coast guard continue to make for our nation. always being asked to do more and given less to do it. in many respects i wish we could have done more over the years. but to be able to move forward with a bill like this, that's so bipartisan, i think speaks to our commitment as a legislative body to the men and women that we owe so much to, to protect our country. i want to particularly thank jeff gosselin, who is now with the full transportation committee. but was on my staff for a number of years. and really did an amazing and outstanding job with coast guard issues for me and helping me understand them and move them forward. so i want to thank all of my colleagues who have made this day possible. and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon. mr. defazio: i would yield two

minutes to the gentleman from washington state, representative larsen. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. larsen: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of the frank lobiondo coast guard authorization active 2018. protecting the maritime jobs of the hardworking washingtonians in the second district of my state, including at the industries, is a priority. the passage of this legislation supports u.s. maritime defense policy, and sustains a strong domestic ship building industry. it is a win as well for the hundreds of men and women at the daca creek industries, with which is a key contributor to our regional economy. and i appreciate the coordination with senator can't well, senator sullivan, and representative don young as we have worked for a year and a half to find a path to save the hundreds of jobs at d.c.i. i also want to thank my friend, frank lob beyondo. it is fitting that this --

lobiondo. it is fitting that this bill is named for him as he is a champion of all things transportation. and he worked tirelessly for the people of new jersey, the people of his district, and for the people of this country, to ensure that we have an infrastructure system in this country that worked for all of them. it has been an honor to swerve him for nearly two decades -- serve with him for nearly two decades and i will miss the work of representative frank lob beyondo -- lobiondo. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from oregon reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. speaker. i now recognize the former chairman of the subcommittee on coast guard, and an advocate for the coast guard, the gentleman from california, mr. hunter. the speaker pro tempore: for how much time? mr. shuster: three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. hunter: thank you, mr. speaker. i first want to thank chairman shuster for giving me the opportunity to serve for nearly six years as the chairman of the coast guard and maritime

transportation subcommittee. and i'd like to thank him for yielding. i rise in strong support of senate bill 140, the frank lobiondo coast guard authorization act of 2018. congressman lobiondo is and has been a tireless advocate for the men and women of the coast guard and there is no other name more fitting for this bill. title 9 contains the incidental discharge act, legislation that i introduced for three consecutive congresses. it got compromised a little bit in the senate but still getting done. mr. garamendi held many subcommittee hearings together and he has been known to ask about the backup to g.p.s. his question is met with blank stares. this bill makes important progress -- the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the gentleman is recognized.

mr. hunter: this bill makes important progress on a backup g.p.s. system. timely, section 514 comblishes this backup component of the system and that is no doubt thanks to mr. garamendi's tireless work. the legislation establishes a land-based unmanned system. they never had their own program until now. they had to rely on other services or agencies. these additional assets will strengthen to improve search and rescue missions. during the last six years, we held 46 hearings and five round tables and worked to protect the jones act to make sure we have a strong strail base. it would be critical at a time of conflict. congress enacted legislation coming out of the tragic accident to improve the safety f those american marinners and

reduced burdensome legislation and the competitiveness of the u.s. flag fleet. we held joint hearings to shed light on security vullneshts at our port and sort to enter cargo to look at the shared missions of the navy in carrying out defense missions. and they are a military service. he subcommittee modernized our flight to encourage the navy and coast guard. . speaker, i want to thank some people. and stronging strong relationships. the court gord liaison office have represented their service well and i would like to thank them for their hard work. and i want to thank congressman garmeppedy for his friendship and being a strong partner on

these issues. i thank the subcommittee staff who have been invaluable as a resource who worked tirelessly to carry out the subcommittee's mission. i urge all members to support the legislation and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania resevers. the gentleman from oregon. mr. defazio: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from connecticut. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from connecticut is recognized. mr. courtney: i rise in support of this bill. this bill provides critical critical depideance as it protects our nation's shores. the bill increases authorized funding levels and coast guard's ability to achieve it and procure three new national security cutters. it includes to enchewed that response to 911 calls are trained to relay that information to the coast guard.

sector long island sound has been working in new jersey and new york to route these calls. i thank the captain for bringing it to my attention to include this language in the bill. eastern connecticut is the proud me of u.s. coast guard academy. i'm excited this bill includes a provision that will boost construction of the future national coast guard museum. in particular, it authorizes engineering and design work to be performed by the coast guard. the coast guard is the only military service without its own museum. and under the leadership, this project is well on its way to becoming a world class destination to showcase the rich heritage of the coast guard hich dates back to 1790.

it was organized before the u.s. navy. i thank the chairman, mr. shuster and mr. lobiondo as they depart. they are great role models. i thank the ranking member, mr. defazio and the subcommittee ranking member john garamendi for their hard work. for helping guide this bill to a successful conclusion. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from oregon reserves. it house will be in order. the house will come to order. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: i now recognize the the gentleman from ohio, mr. chabot. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. chabot: i rise in strong support of this legislation. i thank the chairman and i would like to highlight a specific provision. this preserves an important

american piece of history. it would reinstate the delta queen status that prohibits overnight passengers. congress granted it a reprieve from that law that adversely impacts it for four decades. congress recognized that it was constructed before the law that adversely impacted and the law was intended to regulate vessels at sea. it was never intended for boats like the delta queen and congress granted this reprieve for 40 years. we failed to do it back in 2008. looking at economic dollars in the river areas of this country including the cincinnati area. it will be one of the stops and means a lot of jobs for a lot of people. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves.

the gentleman from oregon. mr. defazio: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i want to thank my staff for their hard work and congratulate the chairman on his last bill passing on the floor. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: i urge all my colleagues to support this bill. it is a good bipartisan bill. and i urge all of my colleagues to vote for it. i would like to thank the staff on both sides of the aisle and our side of the aisle, for tremendous work and he just informed on the subcommittee's jurisdiction we will have authorized every single program. john, great work by you and your team. i would like to submit the names without objection of the staff. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. so ordered. mr. shuster: i thank my members for the great support to move a

lot of bipartisan legislation. i want to thank them for that. i thank my subcommittee chairman in working with me and timely to thank my counterpart, the leader of the democrats, for always being sometimes, sometimes being a worthy foe. most of the time being ar dependable and able ally and thank him for all his work and hank him for the small gift, going-away gift that he gave me. i appreciate it greatly. and thank him for all his effort and his work. and i have no say who is going to be the next chairman of the committee, but i can tell you nobody is no more able than peter defazio. i wish you the best and i look forward to seeing you down the road. and i urge passage of s. 140 and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the

balance of his time. both sides have yielded back all time. will the house suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendments to the house amendment to senate amendment 140. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the rules are suspended. senate amendment is agreed to. without objection. the motion to reconsider is laid n the table. the chair lays before the house a message. the clerk: to the congress of the united states. pursuant to the international emergency economic powers act, the national emergencies act, section 212 of the immigration and nationality act and section 301 of title 3 united states code, i report that i issued an executive order declaring the national emergency to deal with the threat posed in nicaragua

and the violent response that began on november 18, 2018 and undermining of democratic institutions and the rule of law, its use of violence and repressive tactics against civilians and the corruption leading to the destabilization. the executive order bureaucracies all property and interests and property within the united states' jurisdiction of any person determined by the secretary of the treasury in consultation with the secretary of state, one to be responsible for or complicit in or to having directly or indirectly or engaged to engage in any of the following. a serious human rights. actions or policies that undermine processes or institutions, actions or policies that threaten the peace or stability of nick rag wow. d, any transaction or series of

transactions on behalf of or otherwise related to the government of nick raug what. such as the misprecipitation of public assets for personal gain for political purposes. corrupts related to government contracts. to, two be a leader or official who have engaged in any activity described in section 1 or of an entity whose property is blocked. three, to be an official of the government of nicaragua or served as a official on or after january 10rks 2007. four, to have assisted, sponsored or provided financial material or technological support for or goods or services in support of. a, any activities described in section 1 or b, any person whose

property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the executive order or five, to be owned or controlled by or to have acted or purported to be acted directly or indirectly any person whose interests are blocked pursuant to the executive order. i have delegated to the secretary of the treasury in consultation with the secretary of the state the authority to take such actions including the promulgation of rules and regulations and include all ippea. ncluded by all agencies of the united states government are directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of the executive order. i'm enclosing a copy of the executive order. signed donald j. trump, the hite house, november 27, 2018. the speaker pro tempore:

referred to the committee on foreign affairs and the judiciary and ordered printed. clause 8, rule 20, proceedings will resume on the questions previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order. the motion to suspend the rules yeas s h.r. 5273 by the and nays. the motion to suspend the rules and pass by the yeas and nays and agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal, if ordered. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes.

the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the the gentleman from california, mr. royce, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5273 as amended, on which the the yeas and nays are ordered the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5273, a bill to reduce global fra guilt and violence by improving the capacity of the united states to reduce the causes of violence in pilot countries and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of

representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 372, the nays re 16. 2/3 being in the affirmative,

the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: ok. without objection, the vote is 374 --

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 376, the nays are 16. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. without objection, the title is amended.

the speaker: the house will come to order. members and staff please take your conversations off the floor for the swearing in. he house will be in order.

members and staff please take your conversations off the floor, the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, i have the honor to transmit here with a facsimile copy of a letter received from mr. jonathan marks, commissioner, bureau of elections, commonwealth of pennsylvania, indicating that according to the preliminary results of the special election held november 6, 2018, the honorable susan wilds was elected representative of congress for the 15th congressional district, commonwealth of pennsylvania, signed, sincerely, karen l. aas.

the speaker: the house will come to order. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the gentlewoman from pennsylvania -- >> mr. speaker. the speaker: the gentleman is is correct. the gentleman will suspend. he house will come to order. there's one particular side of the house that's a little loud. the house will come to order. the gentleman needs to be heard. the gentleman is recognized. >> i ask unanimous consent that the gentlewoman from pennsylvania, ms. susan wild, be allowed to take the oath of office today. there has been no objection raised toerer election. the speaker: will representative-elect wild an members of the pennsylvania delegation present themselves in the well. all members will rise.

and the representative-elect will raise her right hand. do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same that you take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you're about to enter, so help you god. congratulations you are a member of the 115th congress.

the speaker: the house will be in order. members of the gallery will be in order. without objection, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. doyle, is recognized for one minute. mr. doyle: mr. speaker, it's my great pleasure to welcome our newest colleague. a long-time resident of pennsylvania's lehigh valley, susan wild has a distinguished legal career in private practice, as well as in public service. she also has an impressive record of community involvement and leadership, serving on boards of a number of local nonprofit organizations. i'm happy to welcome representative wild to this body and i look forward to working with her and our colleagues in the pennsylvania delegation to serve the commonwealth and this great nation. now i would like to yield to the senior republican member of the pennsylvania delegation,

representative thompson. mr. thompson: on behalf of the entire pennsylvania delegation, susan, we're just pleased to welcome you to the 115th congress. congratulations. the speaker: does the gentleman yield? mr. doyle: now i yield to our newest colleague in the house of representatives, ongresswoman susan wild. wild while mr. speaker, -- ms. wild:, mr. speaker, representatives of the 115th congress, i'm profoundly

humbled -- the speaker: the gentlewoman will suspend for a moment. the gentlelady deserves to be heard. members, please take their conversations off the floor. ms. wild: i'm profoundly humbled and honored that the people of my district have entrusted me with the duty of representing them. the work of conducting the people's business in this chamber has endured through unfinished struggles for full equality and justice, through conflicts abroad, and crises at home. i look forward to taking part in that work through the remainder of this session, and into the next congress when a historically diverse freshmen class, including more women than ever before in our tion's heftry, -- history, will take their oaths. our first responsibility must be to the most vulnerable and least fortunate among us. and our voices should amplify theirs. my parents both lived lives of service. my father, a conservative republican, spent his entire career in the air force and was

driven by a sense of duty. my mother, a progressive democrat, believed at her core that we are defined by what we do for others. they both passed away now, but my standing here is a testament to them. we in congress have a responsibility and opportunity to improve the everyday lives of the people of our districts. on behalf of my community, your communities, and generations to come, i know that we can and must rise to the occasion and deliver shared and lasting progress. thank you. the speaker: under clause 5-d of rule 20, the chair announces to the house that in light of the administration of the oath of office from the gentlewoman from pennsylvania, the whole umber of the house is 432.

without objection, five mib voting will continue -- five-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from california, mr. royce, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6207, as amended, on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6207. a bill to support democracy and accountability in the democratic republic of the congo and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question -- the speaker: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are --

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 374rk the nays are 11. -- are 374, the nays are 11. 2/3 recorded as present. 2/3 being in the affirmative,

the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on thible -- on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> thank you very muchism ask unanimous consent that thed orer of the house of january 8, 2018, regarding morning hour debate not apply tomorrow. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: i ask unanimous consent that it be in order at any time on the legislative day the vember 29, 2018, for speaker to entertain motions that the house suspend the rules as though under clause 1 of rule 15. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so order. -- so ordered. for what purpose does the

gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to take from the speaker's table senate concurrent resolution 51 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: senate concurrent resolution 51, concurrent resolution to correct senate 140. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the consideration of the concurrent resolution? without objection, the concurrent resolution is agreed to and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. frurn does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on transportation and infrastructure be discharged from further consideration of h.r. 6793 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6793, a bill to transfer a bridge over the

wabash river to the states of illinois and indiana and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the consideration of the bill? mr. mast: madam speaker i have an amendment at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mast: i have an amendment at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment in offered by mr. mast of florida, strike all after the enacting clause and insert the follow, section 1 -- the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will suspend. the gentleman from florida. mr. mast: i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the amendment is agreed to. the bill is engrossed, read a third time, passed and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. mast: i ask unanimous consent to take from the speaker's table the bill h.r. 6622 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6622 a bill to

designate the federal building he kated at 2110 first street in fort myers, florida, as the george w. whitehurst federal building. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the consideration of the bill. mr. mast: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? mr. mast: i have an amendment at the desk. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. mast of florida. strike all after the clause and insert the following. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. mast: i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the reading is dispensed with, the bill is engrossed, read a third time, pass and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman -- without objection thirks title is amended. for what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on house administration be discharged from further consideration of

h.r. 7120 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7120, a bill to amend the federal election campaign act of 1971 to extend through 2023 the thrt authority of the federal election commission to impose civil money penalties on the basis of a schedule of penalties established and published by the commission. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the consideration of the bill? without objection the bill is engrossed, read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on veterans affairs be discharged from consideration of h r. 7163 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7163, a bill to

designate the station of veteran affairs as the major brent taylor vet patient center. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the cofferings the bill? without objection the bill is engrossed, read a third time, and pass and this motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the unfinished business is the question on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal which the chair will put de novo. the question is agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the journal stands approved. the chair will now entertain

requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: i rise today to recognize and congratulation ieutenant commanter victoria marume on her separation from the united states navy after 11 years of faithful service to our country. an esteemed member of the united states navy, lieutenant commander marume most recently served a these liaison in the navy's u.s. house of representatives liaison's office. i was so grateful for victoria's guidance during delegations that i was so proud to lead abroad as she always handled stressful situations and difficult individuals, i won't name names, with poise, humor, and resourcefulness. the talent she exhibited on

capitol hill will serve her well on every path upon which she finds herself in the future. as lieutenant commander marume embarks on a new chapter in her life it's my hope she may recall with a deep sense soft pride and accomplishment the outstanding contributions she has made to the united states navy, to the united states congress, and to our great nation. even though she is a florida gator. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? the gentleman is recognized for ne minute. >> madam speaker, flu season is upon us and i rise today to raise awareness about the 100th anniversary of the deadliest medical catastrophe in history, pandemic.nfluenza

mr. payne: 100 years ago, the flu took the lives of more people in one month than the entirety of world war i. the 1918 flu pandemic lasted 16 months. during that time the average american's life expectancy dropped by 12 years. 100 years later, there are still many outstanding questions about the flu pandemic, but what is certain is that the flu virus still poses an undeniable threat to our nation. last year an estimated 80,000 americans died from the flu. investing in research and development for novel anti-viral and ensuring people get the flu having seen is crucial to protecting our nation from another flu pandemic like the one we faced 100 years ago. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman

from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, i rise today on giving tuesday to recognize the importance of charitable giving, especially during this time of year. with the christmas and holiday season upon us, we recognize and celebrate many blessings. mr. thompson: as we reflect on all we've achieved and accomplished we must remember the less fortunate among us. giving tuesday began in 2012 as a day to encourage charitable give thoke heels of shopping-focused days like black friday and cyber monday. it's a dedicated day to give back. americans are compassionate people who care about their neighbor ops giving tuesday and all year long. through monetary donations or fwifts of time through volunteer, we are always find weighs to give back to communities. today on giving tuesday, we find ways to lift up our fellow citizens. these acts of kindness and generosity highlight our american values. the best way to celebrate your

blessings is to share them with others no gift is to smule, no gesture too insignificant to someone in need. it's the american way. thank you, madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition? mr. langevin: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my rashes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. langevin: as co-chair of the congressional caucus on foster youth, i rise to recognize november as national adoption month. all children deserve the love and security of a forever family. unfortunately, this is not a reality for too many children aross the country. more than 123,000 children are waiting right now to be adopted from foster care in the united states. those who reach adulthood and exit care without a family are far more likely to experience bouts of homelessness and unemployment among other negative outcomes. madam speaker, who among us

would have succeeded without the love and support of our families to be there for us, whether it was the family we were born into or the family we make. we must ensure that every child as the family they need to thrive. adoption provids a pathway. on november 17, 19 rhode island families celebrated national adoption diby finalizing the adoptions of 23 children. i'd like to honor these families and others who opened their hearts to children in need. there's no greater gift than the gift of a forever home. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute & revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i want to congratulation the champlain park girl's volleyball team on winning the championship, the first team in school history to bring a championship trophy back to champlin park, and their victory

happened after outlasting an a team play nirg that -- in their sixth finals. the pressure was on for the rebels to win their skl's first state final. they delivered every step of the way. they showed the kind of true determination that make them champions on and off the court. madam speaker, congratulations to these student athlete the coaches, their parents, and all of the fans and the entire champlin park community on a well-desembd, hard fought win becoming state champions inch yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from washington seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman the speaker pro tempore: werks are werks, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. jayapal: madam speaker, i rise to say how pleased inal we have passed the niherp. i'm grateful to senator feinstein as well as my colleagues in the house, representatives roar back, knight and lamar smith for their leadership in bringing this forward. this has been an important

issue to me since i was in the state senate, given my state's geography and the serious threats that we face from albuquerques. the re-authorization is the very first step to ensure that our states have the resources they need to prepare for albuquerques. states like mine that have been anticipating a catastrophic albuquerque for many years. and as we've watched tragedies unfold around the world, it's clear that we have to do everything we can to build resilience so that when earthquakes inevitably strike our communities are as prepared as they can be. this re-altogether zakes will make sure that all of our -- this re-authorization will make sure that all of our communities have early warning systems and better monitoring for seismic activity. i hope this bill will be one of many and that we continue to build on this progress to ensure ample investment to build resilience, particularly for schools and hospitals. i look forward to working with my colleagues to push this forward in the next congress. thank you, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition?

without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one inute. mr. olson: madam speaker, all texans know that our stars are big and bright at night. but lately 16 stars have been the biggest and brightest ever seen in the county. and here they are. these stars' names are alana, brittany, carle, taylor, tiana, randy, skyler, charlie, claire, eagan, vali, mia, tyler, lindsey, kendall and payton. they revolve around a star alled coach laura mclauf land.

-- mclove land. they are the 2018 ridge point panther volleyball team. .nd we are so proud -6 was their record, 14-0 in district play. they have a warning for 2019 and beyond. the panthers are still hungry. we'll be back. you can count on it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from ohio seek recognition? ms. kaptur: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. jayapal: madam speaker -- ms. kaptur: madam speaker, how troubling it is that general motors has announced it is idling five major auto plants across the united states and canada. at the chevy plant in ohio

alone, 1,600 jobs are on the chopping block. the dire impact in ohio surges to 5,000 more potential lost jobs when auto parts suppliers are considered. resident trump promised to cure the red ink of manufacturing job loss and wage-crushing trade deficits. under him, both are getting worse. instead his party enacted deficit-busting corporate tax giveaways with the republican tax scam. where do the automakers intend to invest their bonanza? not here. time and time again american taxpayers and workers have been asked to help the u.s. automakers. this latest move from general motors is an affront to their investment. president obama and congressional democrats refinanced the ailing american auto industry in 2009. democrats saved american manufacturing while the vast majority of republicans voted no. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. ms. kaptur: madam speaker, we

need fair trade to open markets and create jobs here at home. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from florida is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, moifment i rise today to express our support for our great ally, israel, and also to share my concern about a recent decision from the company airbnb. on november 20, airbnb made the decision to delist about 200 jewish homes in the west bank. this decision is a win for the boycott movement. the b.d.s. movement is blatantly anti-semitic and consistently targets businesses that are operating in israel. as a representative from northwest florida, i'm proud to serve a state which has stringent anti-b.d.s. laws. i am incredibly proud of governor-elect ron desantis for sharing his concern and for stating unequivocally that if airbnb continues to engage in

b.d.s. activities, they have a right to speak, but that they will hear from all of us very soon. mr. gaetz: with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? -- or from alabama seek recognition? ok. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. >> madam speaker, i rise today to congratulate the western high school pioneers on their first ever c.i.f. football championship. since western high school opened its doors in 1955, the pioneers have never won a coveted prize. now 63 years later, coach stan david said put together a very talented team that finally won c.i.f. and having grown up in anaheim, i've seen many, many talented western high school football teams come and go.

but coach davidson, i have to say, congratulations. job well done. again, congratulations to the pioneers, to the parent, to the student body. job well done. congratulations. we're all proud of you. madam speaker, i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following personal request. the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. garrett of virginia for today and tomorrow. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request is granted. under the speaker's announced the of january 3, 2017, gentleman from california, mr. garamendi, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. garamendi: thank you, mr. speaker. wanted to move to the subject of climate change. however, my colleague, terri

sewell, has reminded me that a very important organization needs a few moments. so i'd like to turn over the few few minutes here to -- the few minutes here to gentlewoman and let her speak about this center. >> thank you very much. mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of rex buffington for his life's work as executive director of the center for public service leadership since it was established 30 years ago. i want to again thank the gentleman from california for yielding us this time. i'm joined here tonight by my fellow board members of the center, as we speak about the retirement of the executive director, rex buffington. for over 30 years, the center has taught, inspired and trained our nation's young people through programs such as debate, women's leadership initiatives, and the truman scholars. ms. sewell: thanks to the leadership of rex, from the

very beginning their work has had a powerful impact on our nation's leadership. mobilizing a generation of dedicated public servants and community leaders. i'm happy to share with rex not only our southern roots, he's from mississippi, and i'm from alabama. but our mutual love for debate and our dear friend, my former debate coach, high school debate coach, that is, coach billytate. coach billytate, my high school debate coach, was instrumental in the creation of the center's novice speech and debate tournament. i know that my life's journey would not have been possible if it had not been from a high school debate experience. i know the center's debate program is just one of the many programs that young leaders across this country are being equipped with invaluable tools necessary for leadership. rex knows that it's the people behind our democracy that makes democracy work. he's been quoted as saying, no government, regardless of its history or structure, can be better than the people who make it work. i agree with rex. we have had programs aimed at

attracting thoughtful, committed and honest leaders to public service. we get good policies in the end. while i'm disappointed to see rex's time as executive director come to an end, i know that his leadership has set the groundwork for another 30 years of success in attracting young people of character to public service. the impact that rex has had has been enormous and we thank him. mr. speaker, i yield time right now to my colleague from mississippi, gregg harper. raquel harper thank you, congresswoman sewell mr. harper: thank you, congresswoman, sewell -- congresswoman sewell. it is with great gratitude that we honor rex buffington for his many years of distinguished public service. rex buffington was apointed executive director to the john c. stens i center for public policy when the sent wars established in 1988 to promote and strengthen public service leadership in america.

as executive director of the center, rex has been responsible for development and delivery of programs aimed at attracting young leaders to public service and providing current public service leaders with opportunities to further develop their leadership skills and capabilities. participants in the center programs range from students in high school to members of congress. prior to his work at the center, rex served as press secretary to senator john c. stenis of mississippi for 12 years. as the senator's chief spokesperson, chief writer and communitycations director, rex coordinated activities and strategies aimed ate cheesking the senator's mission and legislative agenda. i am so honored to serve as chairman of the board of trustees for the center for public service and i've seen what rex has done firsthand and it's been a privilege to work directly with him. rex is an encourager of every person that he comes in contact

with. he knows better than anyone the legacy of senator john stenis, who served mississippi and our nation with great distinction for over 40 years as a u.s. senator, ultimately becoming president pro temp. president reagan once called the mississippi senator an unwavering advocate of peace through strength. senator stenis had passion for fostering leadership and promoting public service. two objectives that rex has car railroad i forward -- carried forward during his time serving as executive director. the aircraft carrier, the only one not named after a president, has the two-word motto adopted by senator stenis that he had which says, look ahead. senator stenis would be proud of the work that rex buffington and the center for public service continued to do and he would be proud of you, rex, for your great work that you have done. we are all very proud of the great work that you've done over these years of distinguished service to mississippi and to our nation.

congratulations on a job well done. we wish you the best as you look ahead. now i'd like to recognize and yield to martha roby, congresswoman from alabama, also a member of the board of rustees. mrs. roby: i thank my colleague and want to very much thank my colleague from california for your generosity in yielding a few minutes for this very important moment. mr. speaker, i rise today to pay tribute as well to a true public servant, rex buffington. rex has dedicated so much of his professional life to and supporting leaders in this country. most recently, as you have already heard, as the executive director of the john c. stenis center for public service, where he's served admirably since the center's establishment in 1988. after many years of encouraging

new leaders and supporting existing ones, rex is retiring. his tireless efforts will be greatly missed. but i know i speak for many who know him in saying we are proud of him and we are confident that this next chapter brings more wonderful milestones. so i'd like to take this opportunity to say to rex, thank you. your work for the stenis center has positively impacted american leaders from all generations. in walks of life from high school students to the members of congress who walk these halls today. and know this firsthand because i am one of those members that you have impacted. i wish you and john gavin and catherine great success in the road ahead. you will be missed. but your impact will be felt for many years to come. again, i thank my colleague and yield back.

mr. garamendi: thank you for bringing to our attention one of the important organizations that develops leadership here in the united states and obvious from the two of you, perfect examples of the success of the senate. now, we will turn to another topic that is of interest. if my colleagues would just excuse me for a moment, i always try to start these sessions with purpose. what are we all about here? and i often use this. this is from franklin roosevelt and he said the test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much but whether we provide enough to those who have too little. i always use this. how does this fit into climate change?

what would the words of franklin roosevelt have to do with of te change in the era greenhouse gas emissions. no, it may be difficult to make the connection, but there really is one, and i want to start with -- what is our purpose here? if we think about climate change, we are going to have to understand and read and pay .ttention to this .his this is the cover of an extraordinarily important document that the federal government, the government of the united states of america issued last friday, when most of america was out shopping, black friday. now, there may be some reason

that the administration chose to issue this critical report on that day. if it was to bury the report, they are not going to be successful, because this document required by the congress over the last 20-plus years, gives a collarion call to every human being on this planet today. and that collarion call is so important that on this first day following thanksgiving and the issuance of this report, we brought it to the floor of the house of representatives to alert this nation that despite trying to hide this report on friday, it is now part of the public record. and we need to understand what

the impact of climate change is on all of us americans today and generations into the future. the impact is stark. it is heavy. it is ominous. and it is already happening. -- i'm fromont page california. we know about fires. this is a month ago. fires in california. all of these at one time. the largeist ngle fire, the sierras and

camp fire, more than 1,000 homes burned. the entireing nearly state of california. are those fires as a result of climate change? the answer is absolutely yes. the extensiveness, the severity nd the number of acres burned. more familiar perhaps and more recent, just days after those fires that i just put up there, this one happened. 84 people known to have perished in the paradise fire and most mass casualties in recent history in the united states.

and unfortunately, there is still a couple hundred people unaccounted for. is this fire as a result of climate change? yes, it is. the intensity of the fire. the way it tore through the forest and wiped out an entire town of 26,000 people. 14,000 residents burned out of their home in this fire. more to be said. ow about flooding? port arthur, texas, a city flooded, and more along the gulf coast. this fall. another community, totally wiped

out or near totally wiped out on the florida panhandle. massive storms. ripping through the caribbean and up into the united states. flooding. al result of climate change? the severity and the intensity of the flooding. north carolina, south carolina, florida, texas and in california, we have our share of it also. all of these are words laid out in this climate assessment. economic losses today and into the future. perhaps 141 billion dollars over the next several decades from heat-related deaths alone. $118 billion in sea level rise.

you live on the coast, san francisco bay, florida, good portion of florida, miami, the everglades, the east coast, all of it, affected by climate change. e have a problem, folks. are you interested in ecology? are you interested in wildlife? are you interested in forests? forest in ce a green california. we predicted in the mid-1990's, when i was given a task as the deputy secretary of the department of interior to investigate and to anticipate what climate change would bring to america. and we said there would be more fires, more intense fires.

there would be more devastating and larger and faster. we said there would be more flooding. we said that hurricanes would be even greater than in the past. we predicted that a city called new orleans would flood. we predicted that a place called new york city would flood. and they both did. a few short years after that report, as we prepared the united states for the climate conference. coming out of that conference, the house of representatives and the senate of this great body denied the opportunity for the united states to join in that -- in the treaty that came out of that conference. and it got worse. the forests of california, we present digitted there would be a die-off and there is. this is just one small part of the massive die-off of trees

that is occurring in the trees all across america, even into the arctic regions. pay attention, america. pay attention, congress. pay attention, senate. and for heavens sake, president trump, please pay attention to the reality of climate change. it is here. it is a massive problem. the u.s. military more than a decade present digitted that wars would be breaking out ecause of climate migration. climate refugees. it's happening. it's happening around the world. read this assessment of what it means to america. we have an obligation. we the 435 representatives of the american people have an

obligation to address this crisis. not a crisis of the future, a crisis of today and the future. do we have the courage to do this? o we have the courage to decarbonize our energy supplies? we have to find the courage. we have no choice. joining me tonight are people, members of this house, who share the commitment to address climate change. i'd like first to ask my friend from the city of chicago, mr. schneider to join with us and hare with us his concerns. mr. schneider: i thank you for organizing this and drawing

attention to this critically important issue. it is more than a little bit shameful that the the administration issued it on black friday when most families, most people are focused on the thanksgiving holiday, some are shopping or hanging out with their family and friends. t this was an apparent opportunity to introduce this report when people aren't paying attention. we are seeing it with the concerns that people have, watching the fires in california. the floods and hurricanes this summer. last year, with the hurricane, flooding in the texas and florida and puerto rico and the virgin islands. the report released on friday was assembled by 13 federal agencies and covering more than 1,000 pages of detailed analysis

and data. highlighting the impacts between the effects over the next decade, into the next century if action is nt. increased storms, flooding, mudslides from the storms, loss of physical problem, human costs and other damages. droughts that are leading to fires. crop failures. loss of land, not just in our country, but literally around the world. the facts are clear. but again, the trump administration tried to bury this report and the president himself because he does not believe the reportment. well, to put it simply, this is not about beliefs but about science. the facts could not be more clear. climate change is a serious threat to our nation, our

economy, our national security and the planet we pass on to our children. we need to take action now before it is too late. the forecast more climate effects could reduce the size of the american economy by 10% before the end of the century, almost doubling the impact to our economy of the great recession of 2008. the recent fires in california were exacerbated by climate change and more fires are forecast in the southeast and throughout the west if action is nt taken. the agricultural midwest from where i come, will be particularly hard hit. sector the farming could lose so much activity. we need to do something. on the national security front, we will be affected, the report says that climate change

variability and extreme events in conjunction with other factors could exacerbate factors. droughts, floods, wildfires and other extreme events stress nations and people through loss of life and displacement of populations. while the white house refuses to make climate a priority, i'm hartened that the pentagon continues to treat this threat with the seriousness it deserves and focused on it as a national security crisis. this is a global challenge and can only be met with a global response. it needs the nations of the world to come together. this is literally a call to action for all of the people of the world. that is the power that was behind the par is climate accord where every nation said we must act with urgency.

sadly, this administration is turning away from that responsibility. that obligation, we are seeing many cities, communities, states and even business leaders saying, we are in, we are not going to step away. the trump administration continues to say we are walking away. the trump administration continues to make matters worst. they slowed our transition away rom dirty forms of energy. they are not limiting methane pollution and last year the president withdrew the united states from the paris climate agreements. climate change is a problem that requires global solutions and american sleep must play a role. we must stay within the paris accord. there is still time to fix this problem if we take action today

and if we come together as a nation and as a world. i hope we can do that as a body and a nation and i hope this country can make sure we pass on to our children an environment, a climate, a world that is worthy of its legacy of a great nation, and i yield back. . mr. garamendi: thank you for your forceful worded and the facts that you brought to the table. not alternate fact bus real facts. we have a challenge and i know that with the kind of leadership you're providing for all of us here in the house of representatives and back in illinois, we have no choice but to get this done and we will. thank you for joining us tonight. i'd like now to turn to my colleague, mr. payne, from new jersey. we often are here on the floor together, mr. payne. please join us and we'll talk about this issue as it might

effect you and your constituents. mr. payne: thank you. first i'd like to start by thanking my colleague, congressman garamendi, from the great state of california, for hosting this evening's special order hour on the threat of climate change for our nation and our constituents. mr. garamendi has done a great service by hosting timely and important special orders throughout the 115th congress. today's special order hour is a special -- is especially important as it comes on the heels of the trump administration's attempt to bury its own climate change report. and only a day after devastating fires in california were contained. because of global climate

change, the united states is going to suffer from more frequent and more devastating disasters like superstorm sandy, which caused massive flooding in my state in 2012, and the campfire -- camp fire, which is the deadliest and most destructive in california's history. considering that donald trump thinks that climate change is an international conspiracy, a ax concocted by the chinese, it comes as no surprise to me that he has released his own administration's climate change report on black friday, when people are out with their families, shopping and not paying attention to what's going on on the news. the u.s. climate assessment is

damning. it gives president trump and his g.o.p. allies no cover to proclaim that climate change isn't real. the report took our country's top climate scientists four years to research and write. it is more than 1,000 pages long and represents work done by 13 federal agencies. one of the authors, catherine ho of texas tech university, sum ar rised -- summarized evidence like this. climate change is happening here and now. if the united states does not act fast, the effects of climate change are only going to get worse for the american people. we already have a deal -- we already have to deal with increasingly frequent and deadly wildfires, hurricanes

and extreme weather events. that's going to get worse if we don't curb the greenhouse gas emissions that are impacting our climate. climate change also means that some areas will see more rains and more flooding. our nation's infrastructure is already suffering from neglect as we've had a special order hour on that in the past. the american society of civil engineers gives our infrastructure a d-plus. the stress of more frequent and intense rain, flooding and heat is likely to cause a great deal of damage to our already frail infrastructure. flooding will overwhelm and erode our roads, it will stress and possibly bring down bridges . we will have to shut down major roadways, railways and ports.

people's lives and their livelihood will be at risk. for my district in new jersey, the economic impact would be devastating. my constituents work at port newark, the busiest in the east. they travel to and from jobs in new york city through the nation's busiest tunnels and bridges. which are already overwhelmed. they live on or near the water. our national infrastructure just wasn't built for the kinds of extreme weather we can expect if climate change goes unchecked. i have no doubt that the people of new jersey -- that the people of new jersey are resilient. but the longer our federal government takes to address climate change, the more difficult it will become to adapt. but it's not just our infrastructure that is at risk if we don't take action on

climate change. if left unchecked, climate change is going to hospitalize and kill our constituents. according to the 2017 new jersey climate and health report published by ruckers university -- rutgers university, air quality changes, such as increased ground level ozone and fine particulate matter changes in the air, will cause a rise in respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease and mortality. extreme heat and increasingly frequent heat waves will exacerbate people's existence -- exacerbate people's existing medical conditions. and cause more heat-related deaths. changes to our ecosystem caused by increased humidity and higher temperatures will spread and pass infectious diseases.

and the vulnerability will not be equal. he people must -- most at risk and people least able to mitigate to safety, the elderly, the young, children, and people with existing medical conditions, poor residents, urban residents, people of color, laborers. these are all the people who are most at risk. the trump administration and our g.o.p. colleagues can keep their heads buried in the sand. or they can work alongside countless people in government, academia, business and civil society to mitigate the effects of climate change. to borrow a warning from our co-author of the u.s. climate assessment, it's absolutely not too late to take action. but costs will really start skyrocketing if we don't

iranian in these emegs -- rein in these emissions. mr. speaker, my democratic colleagues and i are ready to pursue a greater future for our people. we're ready to transition to cleaner energy sources. we're ready to make sure auto emissions standards reflect the 21st century technology. we are ready to make sure all americans have access to clean air, clean water and high-quality health care. the question is, will our republican friends join us? mr. garamendi, i want to once again commend you for always having these timely special order hours on issues that are critical to us at this time. you never miss a beat in terms of bringing issues to the floor that are relevant, important, and need to be addressed as soon as possible.

and with that, i yield back. mr. garamendi: mr. payne, thank you so very much. in your discussion you hit upon a really important issue. and it relates to this. i brought this up because this is where i'm coming from on public policy. when f.d.r. said, it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little, normally we think about this in terms of economics. we think about it in terms of wages, living standards and the like. but you hit this squarely. because it is those who have little that are going to be the first and most terribly impacted by climate change. you talked about the vulnerable. you talked about the elderly. the young. the working class. communities of color. those who have the least will be the least able to adapt. they won't be able to afford

the additional electric bill for air conditioning. they're the most likely to get sick from the various new illnesses that will work their way into the american health care system, as the climate warms, we can expect to have more tropical hot weather illnesses coming. with see it already. west nile virus, the example that you gave -- we see it already. west nile virus, the example you gave. i don't think f.d.r. had climate change when he talked about this. this is what he talked about during the great depression. mr. payne: right. mr. garamendi: this is relevant today in the era of climate change. not just here in the united states. but you look at the poor around the world. the population of bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in the world. likely to be 50% or more of that population will have to move because of sea level rise. ethiopia, where i served, patty and i served as peace corps volunteers, has always been

plagued by famine as a result of the climate moving back and forth. it will get worse. and so we provide enough for those who have too little. across the world, this is a key issue. joining me now is my colleague from california, he and i get share the great sacramento-san joaquin delta. before i come to you, mr. mcnerney, i'm going to put up one of your favorite things here. for to you look at. because i know this is what gets you really excited. clean energy systems. this has been your life's work. and you can talk about it, when you finish, we'll talk a little bit more about some of these. mr. mcnerney from california. mr. mcnerney: i thank the gentleman and friend for yielding. i want to thank my colleagues here tonight.

mr. payne, mr. schneider. especially mr. garamendi. you've been an absolute fierce advocate for action on climate and other issues and you're untiring. i really have a lot of respect and admiration for that. let me talk a little bit about the report first. this is a scientific report. it was created over a period of years by scientists. it's not an opinion paper. it's a paper that is based on facts, based on modeling. if you do modeling you know what happens is you create a model, you test it against the facts, you adjust the model, you test it against the facts, you adjust it. and you do it until your model is pretty accurate. then you make predictions. that's what's happened here. they have some very well-tested mol it's -- models that are predicting very bad things. so it's an important piece of scientific literature and i think science should be at least involved in the decision making in our great country. now, i think it's almost

laughable that the administration tried to limit the exposure of this report by putting it out on black friday. well, i guess that didn't work. because a lot of people are excited, in a negative way, about this report and what it says. i think most americans recognize, they recognize that there's a problem here. most all americans recognize that. especially the millennials and the younger americans. they know because it's going to effect their lives. their lives are going to be directly affected more and more as we go forward. so they're very engaged in this issue. i think everyone knows in their hearts that there's a problem here. but i think one of the things that's a challenge is, how do we move forward on this? people don't like change. people like to assume that their lives are going to go on, that they're going to do the things the way they've always done them. but i think one of the things they're worried about is jobs. well, let's talk about that for a second. john mentioned that, mr.

garamendi mentioned that i worked on wind mills, i work on wind mills for 25 years. i climbed a lot of wind mills. it's a pretty exciting thing to do. you're up there working on something that's cool, you're looking down on the natural environment around you, i tell you, if i was a kolmer, i'd say, that's a -- coal miner i'd say, that's a pretty good alternative. to go up on wind mills and work your hard out and create clean energy. so, another thing to think about is the number of jobs per energy produced. renewable energies create a lot more jobs per unit of energy produced. why can't we move forward? i think the economy is going to improve if we reduce our consumption of fossil fuels. it will create jobs and make the environment cleaner and less health impacts from coal and

from oil and see a lot less climate impact. so there is a lot of really good reasons to move forward. if you can look at what america and the world will be like if we weaned ourselves off of fossil fuels, it is a debate picture. we will have people using electricity for transportation. we'll have energy generated from windmills, all of these technologies that are there today that are cost effective. wind and solar are more competitive with fossil fuels. you can produce more with wind and solar than you can with oil, coal and natural gas. they say natural gas is a great transition fuel. if you only lose 2% of natural gas emissions, then you are

already undoing the advantage of natural gas because natural gas methane is so effective as a climate change gas. i think we have a lot to look forward if we determine and decide we are going to move forward with this transition. one last thing. a challenge to the president. mr. president, we know that climate change is happening. if you want to going down as a great president that someone that changed history and changed history for the better, embrace it and make a difference. thank you. mr. garamendi: i brought this up before you leave because i know these windmills are a part of your life. you spent 25, 26 years building these systems. and i believe you were doing it in the pass in california, which is now a part of your district

and adjacent to mine. it was 1978, 1979 that california passed the very first laws in the nation to provide a state tax credit for wind, solar and conservation. i was the author of that law. we go back a long, long way of this issue, mr. mcnerney and we aren't going to give up. because, as you said, it's about the next generation. i have got on my phone which i can't use it on the floor, but i have a picture of my 13th grandchild that was born yesterday, and it is those children, that young boy and his generation that will either curse us or thank us, thank us because we had the courage or the wisdom to attack this

problem. i believe that we have the wisdom. we have people like you, mr. mcnerney, that spent your life working on this both in the private sector and now in congress. we thank you so much for addressing this critical issue. is ticed the east-west show back in town. mr. tonko. we started doing this seven years ago. climate change and energy issues. this was some of your work when you were working in the state government in new york. that not that you always talked about it on the floor but you would talk about trying to create new technologies that would address this problem and thank you for joining us. mr. tonko: thank you for leading urgency. eaks to an people are recognizing it is

within our responsibility to provide for the stewardship of our earth, of the environment and pass it on to generations that are coming. you acknowledged the birth of a grandson to you and patty. it is incumbent upon us to do it. when we see the denial, the denial for science and climate change for the concept, the disregard for the earth, the environment and for public health, it is troublesome. here, we have, in recent weeks, heard about the -- and presented he u.n. report through the ipcc. the international committee that looks at climate change. and they are indicating there is precious little time if any, by which to act. a time frame that is becoming more and more urgent and so it is so important for us to

address the science of this issue to look at the stats, look at the data that are compelling that speak to everything from public health, to job creation to a greening up of our thinking that our policy and our resource advocacy will go to a crisis situation. and just very, very recent, we have witnessed the report from on the climate that is under the auspices of the trump administration where they have responded to the united states global charge or global change research program of presidential initiative started by president reagan that incorporates 13 agencies and their thinking about climate change. and here, you know, members of your own cabinet are recommending and advising and you are rejecting.

i simply don't understand how we an ask people to utilize their expertise, invest their time and energy into forecasting where we are going to be and where we are, acknowledging where we are and the work that is needed and to walk away from that presentation based on facts and science and data. so, you know, you have witnessed at your end of the country what has happened with wildfires. i have seen 500-year storms five times over in a decade. it is off target. we are witnessing tremendous damage, loss of lives, property damage, farming impacts with, rich soil being washed away. what more do we need to have as evidence. the department of defense, the

farming community, states like california, new york, my home state get it. they are moving forward. we pull out of the paris accord? the only industrial nation to pull out? it is revolting that we will not respond to this issue. and as you indicated, we have been talking about this, we have been pushing this leadership since 2010 to take over the house. we began our efforts in 2008 and 2009 and we needed to continue to move forward. and i find it unacceptable. and as we look upon the next few weeks before we take over with the majority in the house, we need to set a very ambitious tone that will move us forward with a number of issues being addressed under the umbrellas of

climate change. we have witnessed what has happened out there with the economy. we have calculated the hundreds of billions of dollars that are impacted because of public health costs, damage to property and the like. we need to move forward and we need to do this based on science and factual evidence that is available at our fingertips. time for denial is over. the time for disregard is over. the time for action is now and we need to move forward. and even as ranking member on the energy and commerce standing committee asking for hearings, just hearings so we can take testimony and advance the cause of the action that is required, those requests have been falling on deaf ears. we need to do better and move forward with a sound plan and

across the country, people are expressing their concerns on climate change. these wildfires have been greater in number, in severity. i believe this is probably the worst in history. so we need to do a lot more. mr. garamendi: mr. tonko, you said something a moment ago that i know will happen. you are presently the ranking member of the environmental subcommittee of energy and commerce. in about one month, i believe you are going to be the chairman of that committee. and the hearings on this issue, the fourth annual climate assessment, will finally be finallyd the issue will be before the congress. it has been eight long years of

denial by this republican-led congress and two years by the current president. i know that in your role -- and i believe you will be the chairperson of that committee, you will make sure that are america and the congress know and understand this critical issue. i look forward to those hearings and i look forward to your leadership and once again to be on the floor with you of what we finally call the east coast-west coast program. mr. tonko: and coast-to-coast, this is an issue. and we know where there are innovative concepts and agenda in california and new york, there are ways to advance green energy, clean energy. you know, to make certain those greenhouse gas emissions are addressed. and it is within our control.

the human activity. the human element. yes, it is driving some. there are those who say i believe in climate change but not human-inspired. whether or not you believe it or not to be true, we need to make it safer. these are important factors that can grow jobs. so let's move forward. the evidence is compelling. the temperatures have risen from 1.7 degrees since 1901. that is a major change. and the warming in large part is due to human activity. the continuation of burning fossil fuels. that is unacceptable, 16 of the last 17 years are the warmest years on record. there are those who are saying

it is just a cycle. that is a long stretch of time. and there is no sign out there that it's going to stop, that there is no pause there as a warning. and basically, the science that we have today, technology continues to advance in a way that enables us to have shelf-ready opportunities. the cleverness, the intellect that we harvest, the intellect that allows us to design and understand concepts like capturing waste heat so we get more energy out of traditional design is a way to advance this cause. the greenpower that you just talked about with our fellow colleague from california, representative mcnerney, these are real. they are not pie in the sky. they are happening as we speak. we have to show the will and

break the pattern that has been just too comfortable for us to go forward and say, it is greenhouse gas emission and there is a lot of damage out there, but that should be telling us we are already paying for climate change and we need to change that saga. depargar we are paying for it. the fires, the floods, the sea level rise that is already occurring, the storm surge that recently affected the panhandle of florida, all of these things are the reality of today and it's not going to go away. you cited several facts. fromis one of our programs eight years ago. this slide eight years ago, we used this eight years ago in make it in america. that is an electric bus that was

made by a bus manufacturer. and they are using that -- and these electric buses are part of the future as of our electric cars. these are the new technologies and this is where people will be going to work. i-l-ig. g- california is way out in front. competing with new york who can be the best to decarbonize. and unfortunately the administration is going the wrong direction. get rid ent wants to of the fuel mileage standards and re-introduce coal which is the worst of all energy sources

and we don't need to do that. we can do that. we have proven it can be done. we cannot go backwards. we owe it to the future generations. . mr. tonko: it reminds me that as you solve this crisis, as you speak to carbon pollution, you're going across so many policy areas. economic development. transportation. health. job training. certainly science and technology. energy. commerce. all of these disciplines. it just travels across all these areas of activity. because it's multifaceted in the solution. and we need to do that. you know, i talk to folks who will say, gee, my newborn or of our family is struggling with asthma. i hear that asthma is up.

i said, you have related it to carbon pollution? you know, the public health costs, the public health impact here is tremendous. as we work on this, we're allowing for policy in so many different areas to take hold so that we can go forward with an inclues ivity that allows for a lot of work to be done, which generates jobs, and oftentimes with research. and research equals jobs, sound-paying jobs. mr. garamendi: exactly. you mentioned asthma. we campaigned, we democrats campaign on a better deal for the people. which i just happen to put up here. a better deal for the people. we talked about health care. asthma is a pre-existing condition. we have a challenge to deal with the affordable care act, to make sure that the republican attempt to

re-institute insurance companies being able to discriminate based upon pre-existing conditions, all of these things will tie back, job creation, new technologies, research, health care, all of this in one way or another comes back to this question of climate change. so we need to address it. we have about four minutes. i'd like to end the last two minutes. so if you'll take two of the last four minutes. mr. tonko: let me address some of those that aren't as clearly connected. you talk about the need to address public health and to address that bending of the cost curve for health care. wellness is an important part. if we can reduce the number of asthma cases, we're doing a big share of the activity that's required. and also one would never expect perhaps that the department of defense would be out there, out front on this issue.

why? because they see a population boom around the world, and they see eroding land. and crop failure because of drought. well, they see that as civil unrest. they see it as a situation that can be damaging to the world's community. that civil unrest is of a great concern to the department of defense. so there are these dynamics that seem so disconnected from this overall topic of carbon pollution. and, yes, when people are faced with that direct response, that direct question, where are you on carbon pollution? of course, it's the logical thing, reduce it. reduce it. and it doesn't take that much of an effort. it takes the will to go forward and relate to energy efficiency, relate to greening up our policy, relate to renewable energy. battery development is a lynch

pain in can provide more certainty and predict county. we have it within -- predictability. we have it within our capacity and i'm convinced whether he move forward as a house come january, addressing this issue - that we will move forward as a house come january, addressing this issues that languished for too long. thank you for this special order this evening. mr. garamendi: thank you very much for joining us. this issue is about those of us that are here today. but it's far more important about those who will be in the future. i want to dedicate this hour to a very special person. our new grandson. grady christopher bardette, who was born yesterday in the afternoon. mr. tonko: congratulations. mr. garamendi: and who will live in the future. either a very good future that we build for them, or one that is not. to faith and eric ba drembings -- bardette, we love.

thank you for this beautiful -- love you. thank you for this beautiful gift. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. does the gentleman from california have a motion? for adjournment. can you put a motion for adjournment? thank you. mr. garamendi: apparently the speaker has run out of patience and we've run out of time. and it is time for the house to adjourn. so, mr. speaker, i move for adjournment. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it the. the motion is adopted -- have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, the house stands adjourned until noon tomorrow. >> members debated and voted on

several bills today, including one that reauthorizes coast guard programs for 2019. the senate also passed that measure. it now goes to the president for his signature. susan wilde was sworn in. she won a special election in pennsylvania's 15th district. watch lot gavel to gavel coverage when they return new dniester tomorrow here on c-span. >> when the new congress starts in january, there will be more than 100 new congress house members. leaders.ess, new watch the process unfold on c-span. meet tomorrow for a closed-door vote to elect the next house speaker and other leadership positions. we will have live coverage of the results here on c-span. dave leader nancy pelosi is

approved by democrats tomorrow, the whole house will hold a rollcall vote on generate third. watch gavel to gavel coverage of the house here on c-span. voters in mississippi went to the polls today in the u.s. senate runoff election between yde smithn cindy h and mike espy. c-span's "washington journal" library day with news and policy issues that impact you. wednesday morning, jim banks will be with us to talk about his recent trip to afghanistan. and then a discussion about the u.s. asylum program. john sarbanes will discuss legislation to strengthen democracy. be sure to watch "washington

journal" wednesday morning. discussion. >> president trump is optimistic that a trade deal is possible when he meets with chinese president choosing paying this weekend. that from national economic adviser larry kudlow at the white house briefing. mr. kudlow and john bolton gave a preview of the g20 summit in buenos aires, argentina. also, sarah sanders took questions on the migrant caravan at the southern border. -- border, gm auto plant closures, and the president's view of the climate change report. [captioning performed by the national con