>> and the house of representatives was expected back a few minutes ago. still gaveled out here. working on a package of spending bills covering justice department, commerce and veteran affairs. and when they do gavel back, expect 28 votes in their round of votes today. this weekend, we'll have more "road to the white house" coverage from south carolina. tomorrow we'll see jim clyburn, several a fish fry with democratic presidential candidates, live tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. eastern.

pursuant to house resolution 445 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the further onsideration of h.r. 3055. will the gentlewoman from the district of columbia kindly take the chair. the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for further consideration of h.r. 3055 which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bill making appropriations for the departments of commerce and

justice, science and related agencies for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2020, and for other purposes. the chair: when the committee of the whole rose earlier today, en were - amendments en bloc offered by the gentlewoman from minnesota, ms. mccollum, have ow been disposed of. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, proceedings will resume on those amendments printed in part b of house report 116-119 on which further proceedings were postponed in the following order. amendment 3 by mr. rutherford of florida. amendment 9 by mr. king of iowa. amendment 17 by mr. blumenauer of oregon. amendment 36 by mr. banks of

indiana. amendment 70 by mr. golden of maine. amendment number 9 by ms.-under wood of illinois. amendment 99 by mr. banks of indiana. amendment 105 by mr. pence of indiana. amendment 104 by ms. spanberger of virginia. amendment 128. amendment 132 and 133. amendment 135 by mr. duncan of south carolina. amendment 136 by mr. blumenauer of oregon. amendment 139 by mr. gosar of arizona. amendment 143 by mr. duncan of south carolina. amendment 147 by mr. mullin of oklahoma. amendment 158 by mr. graves of louisiana. amendment 161 by mr. hice of georgia. amendment 163, amendment 165, amendment 167 by mr. cunningham of south carolina. amendment 168 by mr. cunningham

of south carolina. amendment 176 by mr. carbajal of california. amendment 187 by ms. hill of california. amendment 190 by mr. schrier of washington. the chair -- ms. schrier of washington. the chair will reduce to two minutes the time for any electronic vote after the first vote in this series. the chair: the unfinished business is request of recorded vote printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. rutherford on which further proceedings were postponed and the noes prevailed. the clerk: amendment number 3 printed in part b of house report 116-19. choirment a recorded vote has been requested. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. 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 chair: on this vote the yeas are 186. the nays are 245. one voting present.

he amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is a request for a recorded vote on amendment number 9 print the in pardon b of house report 116-119 -- part b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from iowa, mr. king, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 9 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. king of iowa. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. his is a two-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 chair: on this vote the yeas are 192, the nays are 240. he amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 17 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer, on which further proceedings were postponed and the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 17 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. blumenauer of oregon. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a two-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 chair: on this vote the yeas are 267, the nays are 165. the amendment is adopted.

the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 36 printed in rt b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from indiana, mr. banks, on which further proceedings were postponed and the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 36 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. banks of indiana. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a two-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 chair: on this vote the yeas are 135, the nays are 296. he amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 70 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from maine, mr. golden, on which further proceedings were postponed and the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 70 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. golden of maine. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a two-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 chair: on this vote the yeas are 84, the nays are 345. he amendment is not adopted.

the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 85 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentlewoman from michigan, ms. stevens, on which further proceedings were postponed and the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 85 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by ms. stevens of michigan. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a two-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 chair: on this vote the yeas are 381. the nays are 50. he amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is a request for a recorded vote on amendment number 89 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. underwood, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes

prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 89 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by ms. underwood of illinois. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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 chair: on this vote the yeas are 238. the nays are 194. he amendment is adopted.

the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 99 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from indiana, mr. banks, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 99 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. banks of indiana. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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 chair: on this vote the yeas are 113.

the chair: on this vote the -- the nays are 318. the amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 105 printed in rt b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from on which . pence,

further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 105 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. pence of indiana. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-minute vote.. -- this will be a two-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 chair: on this vote, the yeas are 425, the nays 6. he amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 114 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentlewoman from betelberger, on which the ayes prevail vid voice vote. .he clerk: amendment number 114 the chair: those in support of the request for a railroaded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number viz reason,

a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a two-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 chair: the ayes have 408, the nays are 22, the amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 128 printed in part b of house reabort 116-119 offered by the gentlewoman from florida, ms. wasserman schultz. on which further proceedings were postponed on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the

amendment. the clerk: amendment number 128, printed in part b of house report 116-119, offered by ms. wasserman schultz of florida. the chair: a recorded vote is requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having risen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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 chair: on this vote --

the chair: on this vote, the yeas are 252, the nays are 179. he amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is a request for a recorded vote on earment number 132 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, on which further proceedings were postponed, on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 132, printed in part b of house report 116-119, offered by mr. pallone of new jersey. the chair: a recorded vote has

been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having risen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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 chair: on this vote, the yeas are 2-, the nays are 185.

the chair: on this vote, the yeas are 247, the nays are 185. he amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is a request for a recorded vote on amendment number 133 printed in rt b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from florida, mr. buchanan, on which further proceedings were postponed, on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 133 printed in part b of house

report 116-119, offered by mr. buchanan of florida. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having risen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a two-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.]

he chair: the yeas are 238 --

the chair: on this vote, the yeas are 239 and the nays are 192. he amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment 135 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from california , mr. duncan, on which further proceedings were postponed and the yeas prevailed. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 135 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. duncan of south carolina. the chair: a recorded vote has een requested.

the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on a recorded vote is ordered. this is a two-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 chair: on this vote, the yeas are 192 and the nays are 240. he amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment 136 printed in part b offered report 116-119 by mr. blumenauer on which further proceedings were postponed and the yeas prevailed. the clerk will rezregget the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 136 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. blumenauer of oregon. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise

and remain standing until .ounted. number members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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 chair: the yeas are 243 and the nays are 188 the amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment 139 printed in house report 116-119 offered by mr. goss ar on which further proceedings were postponed. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 139

printed in part b of house report 116-119. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and remain standing until counted. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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 chair: on this vote, the yeas are 178, the nays are 254. ed. amendment is not adopt the the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment 14 of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from south carolina on which

further proceedings were postponed and the noes prevailed. the clerk wile rear designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. dunk and of south carolina. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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 chair: on this vote, the yeas are 198, the nays are 233, he amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is a request for recorded vote on amendment number 147 printed in part b of house report 116-119, offered by the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. mullin, on which further proceedings were postponed, on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 147 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. mullin of oklahoma. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having risen, the members will record their votes by electronic vote. recorded vote is ordered. this will be a two-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 epresentatives.]

the chair: on this vote, the yeas are 191, the nays will 241, the amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is a request for a recorded vote on amendment number 148 printed in

part b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. mullin, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 148 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. mullin of oklahoma. the chair: recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will a two-minute vote. -- this will be a two-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 chair: on this vote the yeas are 189, the nays are 243. he amendment is not adopted.

the unfinished business is the request for recorded vote on amendment number 15 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from louisiana, mr. graves, on which further proceedings were postponed, on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 158 printed in part b of house report 116-119, offered by mr. graves of louisiana. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having risen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a two-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 chair: on this vote, the yeas are 193, the nays are 239. he amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is a request for recorded vote on amendment number 161, printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from

georgia, mr. heist, on which further -- mr. hice, on which further proceedings were postponed, on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 161, printed in part b hoff house report 116-119, offered by mr. hice of georgia. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having risen, a recorded vote is now ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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 chair: on this vote, the yeas are 128, the nays are 304. he amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment 163 printed in part bmp of house report 116-119 offered by mr. banks on which further proceedings were postponed. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. banks of indiana. the chair: those in support of a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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 chair: on this vote, the yeas are 132, the nays are 299. he amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 165 printed in rt b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. biggs on which further proceedings were postponed. he clerk will redirect the

amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by r. biggs of arizona. the chair: those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and remain standing until counted. a number. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. house of epresentatives

the chair: the yeas on this vote are 157, the nays are 275, the

mendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 167 printed in rt b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from south carolina on which further proceedings were posted. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. cunningham of south choorl. the chair: those in support of he request of a recorded vote. snord. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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 chair: on this vote, the yeas are 245, the nays are 187. he amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 1 8 offered by the gentleman from south carolina, mr. cunningham, on which further proceedings were postponed and the yeas. the clerk will redesignate the

amendment. the clerk: printed in part brn of house report 116-119 offered by mr. cunningham of south carolina. the chair: those in support of a request of a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is now ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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 chair: on this vote, the yeas are 325, the nays are 107, the amendment is adopted.

the unfinished business is a request for recorded vote on amendment number 176 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentleman from california, on which further proceedings were postponed, on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk: amendment number 176 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by mr. carbajal of california. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those many support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having risen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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 epresentatives.]

the chair: on this vote, the yeas are 238, the nays are 192, he amendment is adopted.

the request is for a record -- the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on the amendment offered by the jerusalem from california, ms. hill, on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 187 printed in part b of house report 116-119, offered by ms. hill of california. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of a request for recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having risen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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 chair: on this vote, the yeas are 377, the nays are 55. he amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 190 printed in part b of house report 116-119 offered by the gentlewoman from washington, ms. strire, on which further proceedings were postponed, on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 190 print in -- printed in part b of house report 116-119, offered by ms. slifere of washington. -- schleyer of washington.

-- schrier of washington. the chair: a recorded vote has been request. a sufficient number having risen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a two-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 chair: on this volt the yeas are 253, the nays are 177. he amendment is adopted.

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from minnesota seek recognition? >> madam chair, i ask that the committee do rise. the chair: the question is on the motion that the committee rise. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, the committee now rises.

the speaker pro tempore: madam chair. the chair: madam speaker this ecommittee of the whole house on the state of the union having had under consideration h.r. 3055 directs me to report that it has come no resolution thereon. the chair: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union -- the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration h.r. 3055 and has come no no esolution thereon. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from connecticut seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to remove my name as co-sponsor for h.r. 2407. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute peeches. 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. kaptur: madam speaker, i rise today in recognition of national pollinator week. i'm honored to be the representative of three cities, each named a monarch city, u.s.a., oak harbor,port clinton and sandusky, ohio. they are bestowed this title for their efforts to sport monarch

butterfly, a noble and substantial pollinator, by planting milkweed and neck tar plants. with bee keepers having lost 40% of their bee colonies last year, it is imperative that congress follow my constituents' lead to protect and support pollinator populations. the 2018 farm bill and the f.y. 2020 agriculture appropriation bill prioritizes the commitment to the welfare of pollinators for the sake of human life. the farm bill authorized the honey bill and pollinator research coordinator and the appropriations committee funded the position to strengthen our research and protect pollinators from extinction. in the spirit of national pollinator week and as an honored co-sponsor of the saving america's pollinators act of 2019, please join me in celebrating the duty and utility -- beauty and utility and essential presence in our environment of one of nature's finest construct, pollinators. thank you. and yield back. the chair: for what purpose does

the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: madam speaker, request 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. mr. thompson: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, during the month of june, we raise awareness for those suffering with posttraumatic stress disorder. after trauma or life-threatening event, it is common to have reactions such as upsetting memories, increased jumpiness or trouble sleeping. ptsd was not always properly understood by the medical professionals in society, but oday there are great organizations and resources that can help both individuals and professionals discover ways to identify and manage ptsd symptoms and explore effective treatments. ptsd is especially prevalent for those who have served in the military, affecting nearly 30% of vietnam veterans, up to 20% of veterans who served during the global war on terror. a nonservice member may be exposed to a single traumatic event that can also cause ptsd.

madam speaker, as a former rehabilitation therapist, i've seen the incredible strides that people with injuries can make with access to appropriate rehabilitation. i applaud all the organizations that raise awareness about this important issue during the month of june. there is help and support for those who have ptsd. thank you, madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> recently the callings lake fire department held a parade celebrating 55 years of service and dedicated a new firetruck in honor of the late deputy chief, edwin r. jones jr. ed took on many roles throughout his life. most of them involving him

giving of himself and of his time. without expecting anything but to see someone smile. mr. van drew: he began his career as a volunteer firefighter and when he moved to callings lake in atlanta county, he joined the fire department to serve as an engineer. throughout his 40-year career with the fire department, ed served in many, many roles. including treasurer, vice president, fire commissioner, and was serving as the deputy chief when he passed away in 2017. ed is remembered, he is remembered by his family, his co-workers, and his friends for being a selfless, caring presence in our community and his loss is felt by many. he was a true american hero. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition?

i'm sorry. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to express my disappointment in the missed opportunity this house had this week to protect individuals with pre-existing conditions. since the democrats took the majority in january, they stoked fear with the american public that the administration will remove these protections. however, maintaining the current coverage requirements for those with pre-existing conditions is an issue that republicans and democrats in this body agree on. mr. spano: that's why i co-sponsored congressman rodney davis' amendment to h.r. 2740, that would have prevented -- prohibited any funds at the department of health and human services from being used to weaken the existing safeguards.

however, every single democrat on the rules committee voted to prevent this amendment from even being debated by the full house. instead, they would rather continue to politicize the issue and stoke fear that these critical protections are an eminent danger of being taken away -- in imminent danger of being taken away. i implore this body to stop sewing discord and to work on bipartisan solutions that benefit the people we serve. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from michigan seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker. it is a great honor to recognize wayne metropolitan community action agency's after-school 21st century learning center's program participants. the young people who have participated in this program have shown initiative and

growth. wayne metro community action agency has been a resource for the people of wayne county, the wrap-around programming demonstrates an understanding that investing in our children is investing in a better future and better quality of life for all the residents in the 13th congressional district. ms. tlaib: the young people who have participated in this program have shown determination to achieve their highest potential. it is an honor to recognize our young people in this program and hopefully be able to show that they can be an investment for the future and i acknowledge their outstanding accomplishments. thank you so much, madam speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. carter: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. carter: madam speaker, i rise today to recognize lieutenant colonel kenneth desire. for nearly 20 years of exceptional service to our country. lieutenant colonel dwyer started

his career in the military as a special services officer where he was deployed to afghanistan on three separate occasions. in 2006 during his third deployment he was critically injured by a grenade, losing both his left hand and his left eye. this incident only fueled his desire to fight for his nation. through this -- his ongoing perseverance, he rose through the ranks to become commander of hunter army air field in the first congressional district of georgia. lieutenant colonel dwyer is head, the installation won the army community of excellence award for 2019 which recognizes bases for truth and morale, soldier readiness, innovation, community involvement and more. lieutenant colonel dwyer passed the baton to lieutenant colonel escobar on june 13. thank you, lieutenant colonel dwyer for all of your hard work at hunter and for making this an

installation that everyone in the first congressional district of georgia can be proud of. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: i ask to address the house, ask unanimous consent. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, for a very long time the entire community, including his neighborhood, the near north side, mourned the loss of a wonderful little boy by the name of jose flores. we mourn with his family members and his neighborhood. a loving neighborhood. we stood by the tree in the area in which he was murdered, stabbed many, many times. there were investigations and arrests and then there were no arrests and the community still mourned. i want to applaud the near north

side for continuing to remember jose flores and as well the safe walk coalition, to ensure that no child would ever walk home to be victimized in that neighborhood again. many law enforcement officers and civil rights groups and others worked together, civic neighborhood groups, near north side, superneighborhood, now there's finally an arrest. we hope that justice is rendered for that family and justice is rendered for this whole act that we hope never happens again. we mourn him, we want it to be fair and just, but we want jose flores to rest in peace and that this proceeding will move forward so that this family can have peace and this neighborhood can be assured that their children can be safe again. i will work with them, continuously as we did to ensure that law enforcement is there for them and the community is there for them.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i seek 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. >> madam speaker, it is with great sadness that i rise today to recognize the life and memory of a law enforcement professional who served the people of bucks county, pennsylvania, for over two decades. steven hillous, chief of police, passed away on sunday at the age of 49. mr. fitzpatrick: born in allentown, he was a graduate of allentown central catholic high school and went on to receive a degree in management from pentagon state. he later attended -- penn state. he later attended the f.b.i. national academy and received a master's degree in criminal justice. he joined the police department in 1997 and was elevated to chief of police in 2014. well respected in the law enforcement community, chief

hillious was a member of the police chiefs association of bucks county and the fraternal order of police. chief hillious was known as an approachable community-oriented chief who cared deeply about the community. he worked tirelessly and with empathy to combat the opioid epidemic and advocated for young offenders in diversionary programs. ests a manned a mired for his fairness -- he was a man admired for his fairness and compassion. i send my deepest condolences to his wife, tracy, and his children, michael and lauren. we thank them for sharing him with our community. may he enjoy his eternal reward for a life he spent serving others. madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker. today i rise to congratulate the prosper high school men's lacrosse team for bringing home their first state championship.

title debidefeating the smithson valley rangers 11-5. the team prosked their ability to stay composed while overcoming obstacles under pressure. winning is not just about talent, skill or the type of cleats you wear. winning is about character on and off the field. alongside hard work and dedication to one's team. the prosper eagles showed their commitment to these values from the very beginning. i know i speak on behalf of the entire community when i say the city of prosper is beaming with pride. mr. taylor: i ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the prosper high school men's lacrosse team on their successful season. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman s recognized for one minute. mr. lamalfa: thank you, madam

speaker. i rise to join my friends and colleagues in celebrating juneteenth, 150 yeeg ago on june 19 -- 150 years ago on june 19, 1865 texas became the last state in the u.s. to abolish slavery. this represents both the checkered past of our nation, as well as our progress in rise above it. abraham lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation and it took effect on january 1, 1863, throughout all the formerly confederate states two years later texas was the last stop on the road to the abe ligs of slavery in america -- abolition of slavery on america on june 19, known as juneteenth. on a day like juneteenth we encourage everyone to come together and celebrate this occasion to recognize not what makes us different from one another, but what we all have in common. all that we share. the love of freedom and individual rights that we are one people. there's still more to be done. a lot of progress has been made the last 150 years and we'll

continue to make that together as a society. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leave of absence requested for mrs. kirkpatrick of arizona for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the request is granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2019, the gentleman from texas, mr. green, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority eader. mr. green: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, still i rise, it is a preeminent privilege to stand here and address this

august body, to address those who are within the sound of my voice would probably be more appropriate, and those who are onlookers by way of various means of telecommunications. it is an honor and a privilege to do so and i'm grateful to the leadership of this house for extending and allowing the privilege. i believe that it is one of the great honors of being a congressperson, to be able to stand and address the nation, you will. so tonight, as a member of this body, it's my honor to speak on a topic very near and dear to my heart and the hearts of a good many americans. i'd like to talk about some of the current factors that are impeding impeachment. i have my mnemonic notes i will

refer to from time to time so as to address seven different -- seven different topics that are factors currently impeding impeachment. the first that i shall address the belief by many that not enough bipartisanship exists as it relates to impeachment. not enough persons from both sides of the aisle. more specifically, not enough persons who are representative of the republican party. there is this belief that impeachment must be an effort that is bipartisan and it must be to some significant amount of bipartisanship. that amount has not been announced. so it's hard to say what a significant amount of

bipartisanship is that is being sought. but, i think that at this point, so as to address the question of bipartisanship, which i believe in, would hope for, thing bipartisanship is a wonderful thing. but to address it, i believe we'll have to go to federalist 65. for those who are interested, the federalist papers consist of some 85 articles. that were published between 1787 and 1788. published by the first chief justice of the supreme court, john jay. e was also assisted by the first secretary of the treasury, alexander hamilton. and of course the third part of this group of persons was madison, the fourth president of

the united states. these persons, the three of you the trio, were to, will, present reasons to the country why the constitution should be ratified. and in presenting reasons for ratification, they published federalist 65. ederalist 65 explains what impeachment is all about. it does a little bit more than just explain what it's about. it explains what one might expect, what we might expect, if impeachment is sought. and i must say at this point that these three framers of the constitution, they were profeltic. -- prophetic. absolutely persons who could see into the future, one might think, because they

prognosticated what we are having to concern ourselves with currently in terms of what will happen among the people and in society should we move forward impeachment. prophetic, they had their flaws. they were not perfect. but on this issue, they seem to have been prophetic. because they prognosticated that at a time such as this, there would be division -- divisions that you would have. parties separated in their own corners if you will. that the people among us in society, that they would have very hard opinions. that people would sometimes base their opinions upon the circumstances and others just based upon the knowledge that they might have of the person who was being impeached. theying prothat's kated that this would not be a time of great unity.

-- prognosticated that this would not be a time of great unity. that it would more likely be a time of division. they knew, however, that the constitution could survive this. the constitution survived the impeachment of andrew johnson in 186 . it was rancorous, there was a lot of divisiveness, but the constitution survive. the constitution is capable of surviving it and the people, more importantly, are capable of surviving and society is capable of surviving, which means that the country can survive impeachment. but it's there for a reason. it's there because there is a belief that from time to time you may have one holding public trust in the highest office of the land, the chief executive officer, known as the president, he chief executive officer may engage in conduct that would cause the trust in the chief

xecutive officer to be assumed less than what it should be. the chief executive officer might breach his trust that the hit.c has been the chief executive officer would do harm to society. in doing harm to society, the framers of the constitution concluded there should be a means by which the chief executive officer could be removed and this would of course be impeachment. impeachment is not something that anyone relishes. we don't seek impeachment. it is sometimes forced upon us. something that you have to do if you truly believe that no one is above the law. let's look at some of the historic impeachment cases. there are but two, johnson in 1868 and clinton in 1998. in both of these, the parties were separated.

there was not a moment when the republicans and democrats decided yes, this is what we must do and we will unite and get it done. andrew johnson was not impeached , impeachment failed by one vote. president clinton was not impeached but there was not this rush of democrats to support republicans to impeach president clinton. just didn't happen. o an expectation of national unity is probably setting the standard so high that we may not ever impeach. the framers understood that there might not be this unity, probably wouldn't be, and prognosticated that such unity would not exist in federalist 65. but we're setting the bar pretty high when we decide this must be done. by the way no one can impose that standard -- that standard upon us.

that's a standard we cannot expect. but it doesn't have to be a standard for the members who would vote for impeachment. that is absolutely not the case. there is no one person who can impeach such a standard on this body. each person has the opportunity to make up his or her mind based upon the evidence presented using the standards that he or she believes to be appropriate. imposing a standard of national unity is probably setting the bar a bit too high. next, there is this notion that we should defeat, not impeach. defeat, not impeach. well, we say that no one is above the law. and i've heard a good many members of this body say so. it's been published. no one is above the law. and usually these words will follow, there would be the

following words thereafter. no one is above the law and this includes the president of the -- this includes the president of the united states. if no one is above the law and you believe that the president has committed impeachable acts, then you probably wouldn't want to say that we should defeat at the next election as opposed to impeach now. if no one is above the law. because in essence you're saying, no one is above the law, however, i won't enforce the law. i won't honor article 2, section 4 of the constitution, no one is above the law. but i'm not going to impose the law upon one who has committed impeachable acts. i don't see the consistency in doing this. but it's a prerogative of people to do what they may. i merely ex--- i'm merely explaining some of the impediments to impeachment, this is one. defeat, not impeach. if no one is above the law, as

i've indicated, and i believe this, and this includes the president, then i believe we have a duty and responsibility and an obligation to move forward with impeachment. i don't think you wait until the next election to avoid your duty, responsability, and obligation. one salient point that can be made is some ugly things can happen when you have no guardrails. when you send a signal to the chief executive officer that there is no one to hold you accountable, that the congress is not going to fulfill its responsibilities under the constitution. no guardrails. well, the chief executive officer who is already -- who has already committed impeachable action will proceed probably to do what he may and will simply because he knows that he does not have the deterrent that the congress is supposed to impose by virtue of having this awesome amount of authority to remove from office, assuming that the president is impeached and the senate convicts.

but, you don't have guardrail you don't have a chief executive officer who is being deterred from doing things that we might find totally inappropriate. for example, going to war. chief executive officer could decide, i need not go to congress to go to war. congress has a duty and responsibility to declare war but since congress isn't going to do anything, why bother? congress is but another entity, not a co-equal partner in the government with the executive. i think you can't hold a position that you will defeat, not impeach, especially when you have said if you have, that the president has committed these impeachable actions. now there are a good many people who are walking back comments and everybody has a right to walk back comments. happens quite regularly here. but you might take note of this.

can't walk back history. you can walk back comments, but you can't walk back history. so if you've already said that the president has committed these impeachable actions and you've already said the president should be impeached, you won't be able to walk that back from history. time tells and history judges, the truth is known. the truth will be published at some point about what we have said and how we have behaved. impeachment cannot be put but a talking point to be used for political expediency. you can't one day say, oh, yes, he ought to be impeach and the next day say something that contradict this is in an effort to walk that back. you can do it, but history will record both of your comments and history will judge you and at some point, that judgment will be codified such that the world will know what was said on all

occasions, not just on the latest rendition of the commentary that is made. time tells, history judges, the truth will be known. defeat, not impeach, is not an option if you believe that the president has committed impeachable actions. then there's, of course, the notion that the senate won't convict. there is no requirement that the senate convict. this is something that a person or some persons can require of themselves, a belief that since the senate won't convict there's no need to impeach. but that's not what impeachment is all about. it's about the house of representatives doing its job. the house does its job, quite routinely here, sending bills of great importance to the senate that the senate doesn't act on. did so last week. and will do so again and again

and again. h.r. 1, not acted on. a good many others. need not go through all of themmle but the point is you annot conclude, because it's impeachment, that you'll have a different standard, in my opinion. you have to have one standard. weert -- either we decide we're going to not send things to the senate and cease and desist, i suppose, being the house of representatives, which i would not abide with, but that's, that, i suppose, could be a decision you might make wurning might make but not one for me to make. i think that we have a responsibility to do our job and then we give the senate the opportunity to do its job. if if we do our job, we do more than simply impeach, which is important. we act as a deterrent that impeachment is to deter the next president, to let the next president know that the house of representatives will not shy away from its responsibility. that it will do what it is supposed to do when a president commits impeachable actions.

so this notion that the senate won't act is a reason for us not to act would mean then that the senate controls impeachment which is the responsibility of the house of representatives. do we want to give the senate the authority to do its will and not have the house do its will? do we want the senate's will to become the will of the house? what we're saying is, until we can get a senate that will follow our lead, we will not take the lead and do as we should. do what we, according to article ii, section 4, and in my opinion must. we cannot allow the senate to control the house of representatives. no more than we can allow another party, if i'm on one side of the aisle and we have a party on the other side, we can't allow another party to dictate what we would do on this side of the aisle. if you have an overwhelming majority, you cannot blame the other side for your failure to act. that's my opinion.

if we have an overwhelming majority, then at some point it will be noted in history that we didn't act. and it won't be said in history that we didn't act because the minority prohibited us from acting here in the house. and it won't be said that we failed to act because the senate had the authority to prevent us from acting. the senate does not trump the house of representatives. we cannot decide that only the senate can determine whether the house should move forward. this is not what the framers intended. but this is in effect what we will be doing if we predicate our actions upon the actions of the senate. i don't think that's appropriate. and i take issue with the notion that we must wait until the senate is ready to act before we can act. by the way, no one knows what the senate will do until the senate has an opportunity to do it.

once the senate is confronted with having to vote, we may find that the senate will take a different course of conduct than that which we have presupposed the senate will do or take. he senate could very well have an epiphanous moment. probably not, but it could. and act. but whether it does or doesn't, we have a duty to do our job. and then let the senate take a vote, go on record and we'll let the chips fall where they may in history. i think all of us, we should all be on record. we know what the circumstances are. we know the harm that's being caused in society. we know that the trust has been breached. and we but only have to do now what the framers have given us the way to do, assuming that we can have the will to do it. they gave us the way, but they could not give us the will. we have to have the will to act ourselves.

impeachment in the senate where the trial is to take place is not to be predicated upon the house following the will of the senate. now there's another reason that i'd like to call your attention, another impediment, and it is the notion that impeachment will divide our nation. i've covered this to a limited extent. but i'll go back. because some things bear repeating. in federalist 65, the framers of the constitution made it very will very clear that you not have, as they saw it at that time, this national unity. it doesn't work that way. people are going to take sides. and when they do, you're lickly to have things develop along party lines -- likely to have things develop along party lines. but we still have to do our jobs. we cannot set standards that may be impossible. we can't have the standard of the senate must decide it will

go along with us before we will act. that's not a reasonable standard for us to have as members of the house. we are independent, we can't have the standard that we can only do this if we have the consent of the opposing party. what you're doing is putting the fate of the country in the hands of the minority. you're putting the fate of the country in the hands of the senate when the house has a duty to act. i conclude with this, on this point. the notion that it will divide the nation is something that was prognosticated. i would love to have the country in unity. i believe in unity. and i think you can have unity without uniformity. we don't all have to do the same thing all the time to have unity on certain issues. but there is no constitutional requirement that we have the minority support what the majority can do. and that the senate be aligned

with the house before the house can act. no constitutional requirement for such a thing. next we have the notion that impeachment can benefit the chief executive officer. impeachment will benefit the chief executive officer. it is hard to imagine a chief executive officer wanting to be impeached. i have seen and heard statements from the chief executive officer that would give me reason to believe that the chief executive officer really does not want to be impeached. there is something called very verse -- reverse psychology that we're all familiar with. say that you want the thing that you don't want to the extent that you convince the people that can have the impact to do the thing that you don't -- that you do want them to do. which is the thing that they think you don't want them to do. my point is simply this.

we cannot assume that we are pitard into some sort of by virtue of us taking up our constitutional responsibility. this is not a trap. this is our responsibility. and we should not allow a chief executive officer to convince us that we shouldn't do this because the chief executive officer i think thinks it would benefit him -- officer thinks it would benefit him, when in fact the history of impeachment seems to indicate evidence, provide evidence to the contrary. history convinces us that andrew johnson did not get re-elected after he was impeached. for those who have been in this debate about what happened with president clinton, i assure you, his vice president did not get elected and one would assume that the mantle would be passed

on to the vice president. such was not the case. he was not elected. and there are those who would say, well, but the house of representatives, new york the house didn't change hands. the party, the republicans maintained control of the house of representatives. they lost some seats. well, they did, but they still had 218 and they controlled the house. the point is, you cannot assume that impeachment is going to be a benefit. as a matter of fact, it is an indelible stain on the record of the chief executive officer. it would be forever known whether he is removed from office or not that this chief executive officer was impeached. it will have an impact on the chief executive officer's brand. this person will forever have the brand of an impeached chief executive officer. and i'm not saying do you it just to brand a person. i'm talking about the

impeachment because we would fulfill the responsibility it's -- responsibilities under article 2, section 4 which indicate that the president can be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanor, bribery, treason, we would fulfill those responsibilities pursuant to article 2, section 4. and in so doing, we would indellably place the brand of -- indellably place the brand of itch people on chief executive officer. still suffers eternally throughout all of time the fact that impeachment was imposed upon him. which i think is an appropriate remedy, even if we don't get a conviction, i think we should let the world know that the house took up its responsibility , the house of representatives did its job. of course there is this notion now, another standard, that you have to have what i'm calling a

rock solid case. a rock solid case. i hear commentary that would lead me to believe that this has to be done only when you have evidence beyond all doubt. not a reasonable doubt, which is what we might have in court. not by clear and convincing evidence. not by -- clearly not by the preponderance of the evidence, which is a very low standard. but beyond all doubt. i'm hearing persons speak such that one could conclude that if you didn't see it yourself, whatever the impeachable act is, that we need more evidence. we have the mueller report. we were told, let's wait for the mueller report. we waited for the mueller report. and then, well, we need to hear from mr. mueller. mr. mueller has spoken and has

pretty much said what you see is what you'll get. he may ratify what's there, but it doesn't appear, based upon what i heard him say, that he will be giving nuance testimony above and beyond what is contained in the report. those who want to hear from mr. mueller, i wouldn't get in the way of that. let's have mr. mueller come and testify. but the truth is, the report in and of itself is evidence because all of the statements contained in the mueller report were taken from persons who were giving their testimony at the expense of committing perjury if they didn't give a truthful statement. so perjury was a consequence of ving an untruthful statement to the f.b.i. agents who were asking these questions. and the mueller report is pretty good evidence. we could use that to impeach if

we chose to do so. i believe that the mueller report contains some 10 opportunities for this congress to engage in impeachment, bring impeachment to the floor of this house for a vote. and fordfication purposes, the -- and for edification purposes, the president doesn't have to commit a crime to be impeached. we won that battle. that's one of the first things that was said when impeachment was called to the attention of this body some more than two years ago. what crime has he committed? well, we know now that you don't have to commit a crime. we knew then that you don't have to commit a crime. but it seems that there was an effort almost among some to distort what the law is for purposes that i have -- i cannot announce. but there seems to have been a desire to convince the public that the president must commit a crime to be impeached.

not true. not true. what is the evidence of it not being true? the fact that andrew johnson was impeached, in article 10 of the articles of impeachment against him in 1868 for speaking ill of congress, which wasn't a crime then, isn't a crime now. speaking of ill congress is not a crime. he was impeached for speaking ill of congress. article 10 of the articles of impeachment against andrew johnson. that is the best evidence. what has happened, what we know to be the case. so those who would like to change the standard, you got history to deal with, my dear friends, if you want to change this standard. to change the standard you would have to literally erase what happens with andrew johnson. there is no requirement that the president commit a crime to be impeached. he has to do harm to society. he has to breach the public trust. breach the public trust, cause harm to society, and you can be

inpeached if you're the chief executive officer. no requirement that you commit a crime. no requirement that the senate has to agree with the house before the house can act. no requirement that there must be a national unity government before you can have impeachment. these are standards that are being set, that are, quite frankly, beyond the rationale that the framers of the constitution provided for us. read the federalist papers and you'll get a better understanding, those who desire to. federalist 65 would be a good read. it's a short read. you'll get a better understanding. so these standards, these unreasonable standards in in pie opinion, unreasonable standard -- in my opinion, unreasonable standards are such that we will probably end up engaging in expediency, saying that we want to impeach for the purposes of expediency, but not making impeachment an action item.

it's one thing to have political expediency, but another thing to turn that into an action item. and the action item would have to be impeachment. you cannot just talk about this with certainty and not act. the final thing that must be done pursuant to the moral imper toive act is to impeach -- imperative is to impeach and i find that we are talking about this to the extent that we will do eventually, if we're not very careful, what doctor doctor king called engage -- dr. king called engage in the analysis of paralysis. standards keep changing from time to time, but remember this. no one can set the standard for any one of us in the house of representatives. all 435 of us has been given, we have been given the standard of being a member of the house and making a decision. i say based upon what your

conscious dick -- conscience dictates and based upon a believe that article 2, section 4 of the constitution has been violated. it is important to note this, high crimes and misdemeanor, by the way, you could be impeached for a high misdemeanor. doesn't have to be a high crime and misdemeanor. this is what people are saying, no true. how do you know you could be impeached. andrew johnson was impeached. it doesn't have to be a high crime and misdemeanor. and misdemeanor, my dear friend can be a minor criminal offense or a misdeed. the words misdemeanor were at the time the framers wrote the constitution as a misdeed, a

misdeed. and drew johnson was impeached for a high misdeed in article 10. make note, write that down. read it. check. is ill find the truth there. a high misdied and high misdemeanor.s a my the notion that you have to have a rock solid case, there is no such case or maybe. no such thing. no requirement and the notion that impeachment is not political. founders t what the found. we in the federal lift 65, there no and they use that very

word. political word. in federal lift 6 . the notion that impeachment can't be political are contrary o the people who wrote the constitution. nd what is interesting we have good many people who believe in the intent of the law. what was the intent. i'm starting to think this for vens some of the time. either you are for intent or the not. the intent is that it would be political. you are not going to escape the political stance. this is political. he notion you have to have a rock-solid case. that is expected and i'm not sure you are going to continue

to investigate. every possible thing before you move forward. and nobody can set that standard for 43 members of this house. next, we have the question of bigotry and policy. there are some who believe that is ok to have bigotry intentionally placed in policy. bigotry in policy. bigotry in policy, to decide at you are going to do something that is bigger and you put that into policy and decide you are going to ban certain people from the country, to decide that you are going to change the rules because people country, an f-hole

change the rules from that fmp-hole country and give some announcing byd by people who would have said, jews will not replace us, protesting out in the street, calling thimses, members of groups that ve been known infamously for nhideous the discrimination. bigotry andyou that policy is impeachable. i believe in the deepest corners of my soul that if a previous president said and did the

things that the chief executive officer has said and done, he would be impeached. he would be removed from office. and i would be one of the persons to support it. we cannot have double standards. you cannot have a standard that exists because you have a beneficial bigot, a bigot that seves a useful purpose, a bigot that benefits your agenda. all of your adult life, you have been preesk against certain things and you got a beneficial big on the and apoint persons to the court that you would like to have and the standards change. and you accept against what i ould call the least.

you are accepted. against these babies. you would accept, accept, accept having a four month old baby fourated from his parents, months old, take out of the arms of the arms of his father. when the father is trying to gain custody of his child, say to the father, we will have to deport you, but when you take your seat on the plane, we'll bring your child to you, we'll

give you your child back. this is the united states of america i'm talking about. i love my country, but i don't love that behavior. i have disdain. tell this man he is going to get his child and then have him deported without his baby. deported from two, three days ago and represent tabble news source. we know babies are being separated. this is supposed. the four month old to court. four month old baby. you have a hearing, the baby is with some persons who are taking care of the baby and then you finally decide that the baby is

now six months of age or therebs and return the baby to its parents. can you imagine someone takeing your four-month-old baby? can you imagine the pain and the leepless nights, the crying? can you imagine how your life will be torn apart and your baby has been removed? you timely get your baby back. one would assume this would be a oyous occasion, but the baby oesn't recognize the parent? imagine the pain reckniesing to our baby and the baby turns to

someone else. because a government had a from of detering people ming by separating babies as young as four months old, from parents. i just don't abide with this. i cannot accept this. those who can, you are a better person than i am. you are. it really doesn't matter what happens to me. the person who said, if i cross off and help this heroin, the store is the person who said if i don't help this perp, who is going to happen to him. use that quite a bit in the

country. the story of the person who is the brother's keeper is a story of a person who said am i my brother's keeper? you can't be your brother's keeper, brothers and sisters, these are our relatives. zapt as though they may be, they are ours, we belong to them and they belong to us. this kind of behavior is unacceptable and i have said before and i will say again and again, if they are were coming across the northern border we would have a different mind-set, we would have not the mind-set they have now. i went to the border. i wanted to see for myself and i

withabies lying on a floor some sort of foil blanket over spsain conditions that the would not allow animals. if it doesn't touch your heart, you are a better person, because it touched my heart. i just -- when i saw it, it hurt. this is about huent. this is about persons fleeing way. this is about a law that allows them to approach one of our agents, make a proper announcement and get a fair hearing. it's not about circumventing the law and keep people out that are following the law.

not above that. it's about people. it's about humanity and the greatest country of the world and what people around the world think of us now. that asure you, the image we had is being tarnished. but t say irrepublicbly, it is being tarnished. e lady with the golden lamp, torched, give me your poor, you know the rest of the story, your tired. you know the rest of it. we have honored that. we took 11 million people from europe. being separated from base and mothers.

welcomed them. something has changed. something has changed. >> we are witnessing before our very eyes a change in the culture and change in our country and because we witness before our very eyes, we seem to or that it's s ok not something we ought to address. the president does president have to commit a crime to be impeached. we would have to have the will to do what we must in our opinion. by the way, my opinion is this. my opinion is we are more likely to impeach than not. this is my opinion. i really do believe that in this house there will be people who

re going to conclude that they will not tolerate the level of injustice being perpetrated. i believe it. i believe there will be a majority to do it. i think more than not that i believe that it can happen and will. i really do. . i think we should be deliberative but i don't think we should allow the paralysis of analysis to prevent from us doing our job. i believe there will be enough people who will come forward and say, either we will hold the chief executive officer accountable for this behavior and other behavior, the whole notion that you can tell members of the police that when you arrest people and you have them within your care, custody and control, you don't have to be nice to them.

the whole notion that you can ban people, that you can send out a tweet and kick people out of the military who have been serving honorably and prevent people from coming in because of who they are. i just believe that there are enough people who will find this offensive. and that they will take the action that the framers of the constitution fully intended we take. so i close with this. we ose with a belief that have been given an awesome responsibility. we were elected to the people's house. we were elected to do the work of the people. but we were also elected to do

the morally righteous thing. there are some times when you have to step beyond where the people may be at a given time because you know what's right and you're going to do the righteous thing. sometimes you have to do this. you just have to step out and you don't take a poll by the way. this whole notion that until the country's with us, we can't do that which the law requires us to do, in my opinion, the whole notion that you can't do it until the country's with us. well, you're taking a poll. a poll is a snapshot in time. that's all it is. just a snapshot in time. so are you going to allow as thing as necessary impeachment to be governed by a poll?

i thank god dr. king and those who crossed the edmund pettus bridge, excuse me, did not do so based upon a poll. if they had huddled and said, well, dr. king, what do the polls say? if it's a righteous cause, the polls don't matter. got to do that which is right. be led by what a friend said to me, the spirit, sometimes to do the right thing. polls. what if rosa parks had taken a poll? let's take a poll before you take that seat on the bus. risking everything. she had no idea as to what her fate would be. take a poll, rosa. would she have taken the seat if she had relied on polls?

hat if lincoln had said, let's take a poll before we attempt to .ass the 13th amendment polls can prevent you from doing that which is bold. bold actions are not predicated upon a poll. they're predicated upon the righteousness of the cause. and if the cause is righteous, you ought to do the right thing. dr. king said the time is always right to do what is right. so i believe that we need not take polls. we have enough evidence. we shouldn't have unreasonable standards. and that this house can and will do its job. i say more likely than not simply because anything is possible, i suppose. but i just believe that there are enough people here of

goodwill who are going to decide that what we have seen is enough before we end up seeing something that we cannot reverse . something that could be beyond what we would want to see happen to only to this country, but all countries by way of what happens to one directly happens to all indirectly according to dr. king. because life is an innes capable network of mutuality of the i don't want to see something happen, but i do want to say this. given that we know we can impeach right now, we can. if we fail to impeach and some dastardly thing occurs, there

will be members of this house who will regret not having taken the appropriate action. it's bigger than any one of us. this is about humanity. nd we ought to respect the means by which we can preserve integrity, the means by which we we reserve the lives that have been charged with the responsibility of caring for as members of this body. let us move forward. i greatly appreciate the leadership for giving me this opportunity to be heard. and, my dear friends, unless leadership changes the rules, i will be heard again because i plan to come back again and again and again and i assure you that if no one else does, there

will be another vote on impeachment on the floor of the house of representatives. not because i want to do it, but because i believe i am forced to do it and i have little choice if i want to protect the integrity of the constitution, preserve the notion of no person being above the law, i believe i have a responsibility to do it. i don't like using the personal pronoun i as it relates to. this but i have no choice -- relates to this. but i have no choice it. will be done. we will all go on -- choice. it will be done. we will all go on record and i assure you, i will not approach any individual person and try to convince a person that he or she should do a given thing. i will talk from this podium as i have and i will answer those who may ask me questions. but i do believe we have to take this duty seriously and we have to have a vote in the house of

representatives. i thank you for the time, madam eaker, and i greatly appreciate the opportunity to be a member of this august body. while i'm here, i plan to do all that i can to make sure that the people i have been elected to serve, that i do what's in their best interest, even if they may not think it's in their best interest. there are some things that are bigger than individuals. it's about a country. it's about humanity. i thank you for the time and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the president of the united states. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition?

>> madam speaker, 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. mr. bilirakis: thank you, madam speaker. i appreciate it. i rise today in honor of his imminence, archbishop who was recently elected the new greek orthodox archbishop of america. the archbishop was born in constant nopele, istanbul, turkey, in 1967. since august of 2011, he has served as the abbott of the patriarch almon stare of holy trinity where i had the opportunity to meet him this past april. what a wonderful, wonderful person. madam speaker, our beloved seminary is also located there as well. he is an expert theologian. i was so blessed to have a conversation with him.

he is kind and honorable. we could hope for no better qualities in our new archbishop. he replaces archbishop dimitrios who has retired after 20 years as his -- at his post. the archbishop lead as church of more than 1 1/2 million greek orthodox christians in the united states, promoting the values of orthodoxy at every opportunity. i wish the archbishop the best in all his endeavors and congratulate him on this great achievement. may god's grace be upon him and his new role. i yield back, madam speaker. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. does the gentleman from florida have a motion? does the gentleman from florida have a motion?

mr. bilirakis: i move we adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, the house stands adjourned until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. announcer: the u.s. house is debating and 83 billion dollars spending bill covering the justice, commerce, and veteran affairs departments. the house is considering hundreds of amendments to the bill expecting house members to continue working on the bill tomorrow and a vote on final passage on the ending bill on monday. -- the spending bill on monday. announcer: the complete guide to

congress is now available. it has lots of details about the house and senate for the current session of congress. contact and bio information about every senator and representative. plus, information about congressional committee, state governors, and the cabinet. the 2019 congressional directory is a handy spiral-bound guide. from the c-span online store for $18 95. $18.95. c-span's washington journal live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. coming up friday morning, we will talk with a member of the house judiciary and intelligence committee, florida democratic floridawoman, -- a democratic cover some of. then, buddy carter discusses the epa's