mr. richard fuller. >> question number one, mr. speaker,. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i'm sure the whole house will wish to join me in paying tribute to -- he died at the queen elizabeth hospital of burlington last thursday as result of wounds he sustained in afghanistan. he was a dedicated and highly professional soldier. at this tragic time we should send our condolences to his loved ones from his friends and his colleagues. >> this morning i'd meet with minister colleagues and others. in addition to my duties in this house i shall of further such meetings later today. >> richard fuller. >> trying to -- mr. speaker, the people of my consensual be disappointed this week's report isn't the financial crisis of the royal bank of scotland contained no provision for the criminal prosecution of the executive directors regulators and ministers for their failure. can the prime minister assured me that unlike the last government, his ministers will reinforce financial regulations and that undermine them by the shadow chancellor when he was in office? [shouting] >> my honorable

mr. ruppersberger: yes, mr. speaker. i yield three minutes to my distinguished colleague from the state of california, mr. thompson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. thompson: thank you for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 1892, the intelligence authorization act for f.y. 2012. as the ranking member of the subcommittee on terrorism, human intelligence, analysis, and counterintelligence, i'm pleased that we are able to work together to bring a bipartisan, bicameral intelligence authorization bill to the house floor for the third year in a row. this is a testament to the hard work and leadership of our chairman, mr. rogers, and ranking member, mr. ruppersberger. this bill will increase information sharing throughout the intelligence community. it includes the provision that is important to my home state of california requiring the director of national intelligence to compile a threat assessment of foreign drug traffickers, they are destroying our public land

mr. honda: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a co-sponsor of h.r. 3589. i was added to the wrong version of that bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition 1234 -- recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to honor the 150th anniversary of boulder county, colorado. boulder county is one of 17 colorado counties officially created in 1861 by the territory assembly. in the mid 1800's settlers began flocking there because of the profitable mining sector. local businesses were created to support the growing number of new miners to the area. the original founders had more aspirations than just be a simple colorado mining town, residents pushed strongly to have the state university located there. mr. gardner: in 1877, one year after co

mr. camp: mr. speaker, i rise to ask of the chair -- mr. dreier: mr. speaker, i ask of the chair that he get regular order in the house. the speaker pro tempore: members, please take your conversations from the floor. the house will be in order. members are reminded to take their conversations off the floor. the house will be in order. the gentleman from california is recognized for one hour. mr. dreier: mr. speaker, there still is not order in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. members are reminded to please take their private conversations off the floor. the gentleman from california is recognized for one hour. mr. dreier: for the purpose of debate only i yield to my friend from worsty, mr. mcgovern. and mr. speaker, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is correct. the house will be in order. the gentleman deserves to be heard. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. dreier: and, mr. speaker, during consideration of this resolution all time will be yielded for debate purposes only. an

[laughter] >> ed miliband. >> mr. speaker, mr. speaker, -- [shouting] i think, i think our sympathy is with the deputy prime minister. his partner goes on a business trip. he is left waiting by the phone and he hears nothing until a rousing phone call at 4 a.m. confessing for the terrible mistakes. now, now let me ask you. how is he going to pick up the pieces? how will he pick up the pieces of the pat hickey delivered for britain? the council came to conclusion on friday morning that the treaty will not be signed into march. in the cold light of day with other countries, with other countries -- spent some very, very foolish persons shouted out stop. the person who did that will stop because people in this place must be heard. is there a member here who doesn't think so, i invite that member to leave the chamber. mr. ed miliband. >> in the cold light of day, in the weeks and months ahead trying to see if they can get a better deal for themselves, isn't that sensible thing for him to do, to reenter the negotiation and try and get a

speaker. mr. speaker, before we adjourn for the year, there are a number of important items we must address. the most pressing is the expiration of unemployment benefits at the end of december. should congress fail to act, millions of americans who rely on emergency unemployment compensation will begin to see their payments disappear starting in january. 2.1 million of our fellow americans will have lost their benefits by the middle of february, and over six million by the end of 2012. however, we have the power to prevent that from happening by extending those benefits. these emergency benefits were put in place the start of the recession, in december of 2007, and with so many americans still out of work, now is certainly not the time to let them come to an end. the number one challenge we must address in the congress remains job creation. americans out of work have been doing their part to find jobs. congress must do its part as well. some republicans have unfairly and incorrectly blame those th

mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i'm reminded of a commercial that's been in heavy rotation lately. it's a christmas commercial, santa claus with a back ache and a pain remedy being offered to him after he climbs down the chimney. y'all are probably familiar with that. santa is -- first shot is santa kind of trying to work in his headquarters up in the north pole, putting gifts together and he's just got a bad back ache. probably got a headache, too. and his ills are kind of -- elves are kind of looking at him concerns as he works dutifully on a job that only he can do and then they show him as he trudges across a roof, about to go down the chimney and he's holding his back and then when he gets down the chimney they show him standing over by the christmas tree and he's distribute homeowner is kind of watching from a different room and he cease santa struggling with this back ache and so he then goes to get some pain medicine and while santa is presumably unpacking the gifts and putting them under the tree a

mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to pay tribute to a great friend and a remarkable kentuckyian, ms. phyllis causey. in january, after 39 years of honorable and selfless public service she will retire. her high school yearbook in 1968 contained a prophecy saying, phyllis will be in president nixon's cabinet in 10 years. although president nixon resigned while she was in basic training for the army verve nf 1974 and she never did make it to the white house, lucky for us she still decided to follow her passion for politics and public service. phyllis graduated from hopkinsville community college in 1970 and received a bachelors degree from western kentucky university in 1972. she worked for w.k.u. for the following 23 years. in 1995 she was hired as a field representative for congressman ron lewis. when i was elected to replace congressman lewis upon his retirement, phyllis was kind enough to continue to work for me. while traveling as a candidate for congress i met so many individuals whose first

mr. hoyer: mr. speaker. mr. speaker. mr. speaker. mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order -- the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the house will be in order. mr. hoyer: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute for the purposes of inquiring of what the schedule will be as we go forward. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hoyer: thank you. >> mr. speaker, i'd like to reserve the right to object. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the right to object. the gentlewoman from west virginia is recognized on her reservation. mrs. capito: i just want to get a chance to react. the gentleman may proceed. i withdraw my reservation. the speaker pro tempore: the reservation is withdrawn. the gentleman from maryland. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentlelady for withdrawing her reservation. i have just been handed -- it may have been sent out earlier but a member's adv

hanabusa: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank -- mr. boustany: thank you, mr. speaker. before coming to congress i was a cardiovascular surgeon. just like doctors all over this country, we're there 24/7 to deal with problems. now, i remember distinctly one night christmas eve, in fact, i was getting ready to sit down with my family for dinner and an 86-year-old man had a ruptured an rism who went into shock. we saved his life, long story short. we had a duty, an obligation to our patients. by god, to put physicians in a position of seeing a 27%, 28% cut in reimbursement is just untenable. why? it's not because of the positions. it's because of patients who are going to lose access. medicare beneficiaries, seniors, those with disabilities who will lose access to care in a situation where we're already seeing that eroding access. we have an obligation to act because the consequences are not good. with regard to all these provisions that we're trying to extend. this house passed a bill last week. it was a very responsible bill with good reforms, and it gives two years' sta

andrew roslindale. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, and in addition to my duties in this house i shall further such meetings later today. >> mr. speaker, the british people want to see two things from this week's european summit. firstly, a resolute and uncompromising defense of britain's national interest, and secondly and into the disastrous bureau crisis currently depart -- party opposite still wants to join. will the prime minister to britain proud on friday and show some spirit in brussels? >> i can guarantee -- [inaudible conversations] >> we have a problem with our live coverage. we're working on an plan to return to the event shortly. >> we have fixed the problem and never turn your life life program. >> the opportunity of treaty change would mean in the future the repatriation of power. that was six weeks ago. today he writes an article in the times about it, not one mention of the phrase repatriation of the power. why does the punisher think it's in the natio

mr. berman: thank you, mr. speaker. and i'm pleased to yield two minutes to someone who has provided a major contribution to this legislation that is now before the house, the gentleman from florida, mr. deutch. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. deutch: thank you to the ranking member and my friend mr. berman for the legislation before us today will give the united states the tools to impose the most stringent, the most crippling sanctions aimed at cracking down on what is the greatest threat to international security, a nuclear-armed iran. it builds on the significant steps this congress took along with our partners in the e.u. and united nations last year to dramatically ratchet up pressure on the iranian regime to thwart its quest for nuclear weapons. the bill comes on the heels of the iaea report that confirms what we know, the iranian regime is pursuing nuclear weapons and comes on the heels of the foiled iranian assassination plot and the attack on the british embassy and co

mr. hastings: mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. hastings: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2719. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 219, h.r. 2719, a bill to ensure public access to the summit of rattlesnake mountain in the hanford reach national monument for educational, recreational, historical, scientific, cultural and other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from washington, mr. hastings, and the gentleman from the northern marianas islands, mr. sablan, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i ask u

mr. richard fuller. >> question number one, mr. speaker,. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i'm sure the whole house will wish to join me in paying tribute to -- he died at the queen elizabeth hospital of burlington last thursday as result of wounds he sustained in afghanistan. he was a dedicated and highly professional soldier. at this tragic time we should send ourondolences to his loved ones from his friends and his colleagues. >> this morning i'd meet with minister colleagues and others. in addition to my duties in this house i shall of further such meetings later today. >> richard fuller. >> trying to -- mr. speaker, the people of my consensual be disappointed this week's report isn't the financial crisis of the royal bank of scotland contained no provision for the criminal prosecution of the executive directors regulators and ministers for their failure. can the prime minister assured me that unlike the last government, his ministers will reinforce financial regulations and that undermine them by the shadow chancellor when he was in office? [shouting] >> my honoble fri

mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i would yield to myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased to rise in support of h.r. 2455, the pandemic and all-hazards preparedness re-authorization act of 2011. this bill is an opportunity to rebuild a public health infrastructure. we all know very well our nation continues to face threats that require an ongoing commitment to public health and emergency preparedness. and that's why over the past 10 years this congress has placed a high priority on biodefense. in 2004 we passed the project bioshield act which with tremendous bipartisan support, democrats and republicans worked together to establish a process that would help our nation respond to bioterrorism threats and attacks. we then identified some shortfalls and in 2006 worked to amend the program by passing the pandemic and all-hazardous preparedness act, also known as papa. it provided the health and human services with the resour

mr. nunnelee: to address the house, mr. speaker. the speaker: without objection, so ordered. mr. nunnelee: thank you, mr. speaker. mississippi experienced a great loss this week with the death of governor bill waller. he served as our governor from 1972 to 1976, and he provided steady leadership during tumultuous times in our state. he believed that mississippi should be a place of liberty and justice for all. under his leadership, we had the largest pay raise for teachers in our state's history up to that point, the most significant investment in infrastructure and roadways up until that point and leaving the state with the largest surplus. mississippi is a better place because of governor waller's leadership, and this week we mourn his passing. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from maine seek recognition? ms. pingree: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. pingree: mr. speaker, this week i voted against h.r. 3094, the so-called workplace, democracy and fairness act. or as it ha

wolf: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i was appalled and outraged to learn yesterday that the genocidal government of khartoum has hired a lobbyist to represent his interest here in washington. a publication called african intelligence reported that the sued niece lobby -- sudanese lobbyist was on retainer. the article further said that the law office of bart fischer would be paid $20 million a month to represent this genocidal government, a government which literally has blood on its hands. i submit the article for the record. i don't know how mr. fischer sleeps at night. consider the following -- sudan's president, bashir, is an internationally indicted war criminal. he's accused by the international criminal court of five counts including murder, rape, torture and extermination and two counts of war crimes. but khartoum's crimes are not a thing of the past. in a recent hearing before the tom lantos human rights commission, a witness with the n.g.o.'s human rights brought testimony about the situation on the gr

mr. hanna: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 527, the regulatory flexibility improvements act. the small businesses i meet on a regular basis tell me that regulation has become an overwhelming problem. small business owners are the backbone of the american economy. i know this because i'm a small business owner, like so many my life was built by a belief in hard work, free enterprise and entrepreneurial spirit and to get out of the bed in the morning and do what i love to do, as you know yourself, mr. speaker. the pro pod rans of -- preponderance of regulation is stifling that experience. this country can't do well unless small businesses do well. they provide the jobs, the growth, the opportunity for the rest of society. small businesses are drowned be in regulation -- drowneding in regulation. federal agencies should periodically review their rules to ensure that regulations are not undulyy burdensome. as with the 1099 reporting provision and the 3% withholding rule, the law of unintended conseq

mr. camp: mr. speaker. this motion to recommit is a further illustration of the glaring differences in priorities between republicans and democrats. republicans have brought a plan to the floor today that is about protecting taxpayers and creating american jobs. and instead of joining us on that important task, my democratic friends are offering yet another politically motivated motion. in fact, one senior democratic aide recently said to the press, and i quote, m.t.r.'s are all political. you can read it right here. my colleagues nth and the american people should not be fooled. they should not be distracted by these political gains. make no mistake, our bill extends the payroll tax cut for every employee in this country. and if my friends on the other side of the aisle choose to vote against it, they're supporting a tax increase on every american who collects a paycheck. this motion contains a massive 10-year tax increase. it increases taxes on employers, on small businesses, on investors. the very people

now, next claim, mr. speaker. he claims he didn't want to sign p to the fiscal rules being imposed on euro-area countries, but can he confirm that no one even proposed that these would have applied to britain? next claim. he claims in a statement to have done what he did because this treaty posed a grave threat to our financial services industry. i have to say over the whole course of the weekend he's been unable to point to a single proposal in the proposed treaty which would entail the alleged destruction of the city of london. can he now tell us when he comes back, what was the threat? in any case, there is nothing worse for protecting our interests in financial services than the outcome the prime minister ended up with. can he confirm there is not one extra protection that he has secured for technology financial services? the veto, the veto on financial services regulation, he didn't get it. the guarantees on the location of the european banking authority, he didn't get them. far from protecting our interests,

it is an outrage, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from ohio is recognized. >> it's amacing, mr. speaker, those that now claim we are opposed to increasing the sales tax holiday for one year, i actually voted against it a few weeks ago. mr. johnson: we are here today to make sure that taxes over 160 million americans don't go up on january 1. we are here to stop politics as usual in the washington. president obama called for one-year extension of the payroll tax holiday, and we are here to do that. job creators need economic certainty to create jobs and to do that we must extend the payroll tax holiday for one year. kicking the can down the road only introduces more uncertainty into our economy. payroll experts say that this is going to hurt small businesses. enough of these washington gimmicks. the house a

>> thank you, mr. speaker. i'm sure the house wishes to join me in paying tribute to riflemen sheldon steal from fifth battalion the rifle. he with a highly respected soldier who achieved a great deal and showed much potential during his time with the army. at this sad time arafat should be with his family, friends and colleagues. his courage and dedication will never be forgotten by our nation. this morning i had meetings in addition to my duties with this house meetings later today. >> can i join the prime minister paying tribute to our brave servicemen who gave his life for his country? arafat's go to his family in a very difficult time. >> my constituency has high unemployment but great potential and promise two hundred million -- investment in motor's ford. can i ask him to provide support for enterprise zones as well as in england? >> i thank the hon. gentleman but congratulate him for growing facial hair in november. very good way of raising the profile. we are committed to providing enhanced capital. ou

[shouting] >> mr. speaker. i am not going to demonize -- [shouting] >> people who earn in a week for a chance to -- [shouting] >> now. mr. speaker, mr. speaker -- >> members on both sides of the aisle need to calm down. if there are senior members of the house you think is a laughing matter let me tell them that it isn't. the public would like to see some decent behavior and a bit of leadership on these matters and so what i. the leader of the opposition. >> he is the one who went around saying he is privately delighted because they walked into his trap and that is the reality. and the truth is, mr. speaker, it is not just public sector workers who are paying for the failure of his plan but private sector workers as well. and can he confirm as a result of the constant attack announced yesterday's family on minimum wage taking home 200 pounds a week will lose a week and half wages? >> let me be absolutely clear. i will answer his question. >> the prime minister's answer however long it takes will be heard. that

hanabusa: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank -- mr. boustany: thank you, mr. speaker. before coming to congress i was a cardiovascular surgeon. just like doctors all over this country, we're there 24/7 to deal with problems. now, i remember distinctly one night christmas eve, in fact, i was getting ready to sit down with my family for dinner and an 86-year-old man had a ruptured an rism who went into shock. we saved his life, long story short. we had a duty, an obligation to our patients. by god, to put physicians in a position of seeing a 27%, 28% cut in reimbursement is just untenable. why? it's not because of the positions. it's because of patients who are going to lose access. medicare beneficiaries, seniors, those with disabilities who will lose access to care in a situation where we're already seeing that eroding access. we have an obligation to act because the consequences are not good. with regard to all these provisions that we're trying to extend. this house passed a bill last week. it was a very responsible bill with good reforms, and it gives two years' sta

mr. jackson: mr. speaker. until the house addresses unemployment insurance, i recommend that we vote on that adjournment. the speaker pro tempore: do you seek a recorded vote? mr. jackson: i request a recorded vote, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote -- the gentleman is not recognized for debate. mr. jackson: mr. speaker, i request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is 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, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be 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: the yeas are zero, the

mr. whitfield: thank you, mr. speaker. american farmers, ranchers, and other rural businesses like many other sectors of this economy have faced an onslaught of e.p.a. regulation. regulations that are costly and make it more difficult to create jobs in america at a time when america needs jobs. the congressional research service recently reported that agriculture alone has been facing new clean air act greenhouse gas standards, engine emission standards, national ambient air quality standards for ozone and particulates, clean water act permitting and other requirements. superfund reporting requirements. regulations for permitting and other regulatory requirements relating to the use of pesticides. . there are 2.2 million farms in american and 1.8 million people employed in those farms. those provide 5.8% of the exports from america and provide $154 billion to our economy. this legislation that we have on the floor today has the support of 120 democrats and republicans. we have over 197 organizations representing rural amer

mr. palazzo: thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas rise? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. and fiscal year 2011, the united states postal service brought in 65.dshes -- $65.7 billion in revenue but spent $70.6 billion, and to fund retiree benefits, the postal service ran a deficit of $10.6 billion. in an attempt to cut costs, the postal service has announced its considering closing over 3,600 post offices, the large majority of which are rural, by the postal service's own numbers they would only save $200 million annually if they were to close each of these post offices. this is kind of like asking a family of four that makes $65,700 a year and adds $10,600 in credit card debt. mr. crawford: and then only cuts $200 from their annual budget to get their finances under control. last month i visited the grubs and sedgwick post offices, two of the 100 post offices that are being considered for closure in my ru

mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. the reins act simply says that congress must work -- vote on these regulations, these major rules, before they can be forced on the american people. essentially, this motion to recommit repeats part of an exclusion already attempted in the mccarthy amendment that the house just voted down. it's purely a political motion. the reins act has been the subject of two hearings and a markup in the judiciary committee and was subject to an additional markup in the rules committee. today we had a robust debate and seven amendments, five of which were offered from the minority, on the floor. congress has a bad habit, writing legislation that sounds nice but leaves the dirty work to administrative agencies. this practice has allowed congress to claim aspects of laws and blame regulatory agencies for increased cost, the otherwise negative effects of the legislations. agencies are starting to bypass congress by writing regulations that stretch the bounds of their authority. they have pushed items

hanabusa: -- mr. -- mr. boustany: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, u.s. attorney general eric holder must resign immediately. after months of evading tough questions and giving unclear answers about operation fast and furious, it now appears justice department's top official has contradicted his own testimony given before congress. under operation fast and furious, the bureau of tobacco, alcohol and firearms allowed straw purchasers to buy at least 1,400 weapons despite the fact it knew that these weapons would likely end up in the hands of violent mexican drug cartels. the a.t.f. lost track of the guns after they were sold to criminals. since then many have been used in crimes across both sides of the border, including a border patrol agent in arizona and an embassy officer in mexico city. why did the attorney general allow for a transfer of guns across the border without working in conjunction with mexican authorities? when he knew the a.t.f. was unable to trace them? that's a very important question that must be answered. this botched program should ne

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. andrews: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, the members of the house who listen to the voices have been raised about the jobs crisis in our country. these voices are speaking loud and clear. we should also listen to the quiet voices of desperation of so many americans who will sit down this friday night to try to pay their bills and find they have 70 cents' worth of income for every $1 of blills. or the americans who retired a few years ago and thought they were set for the rest of their lives but are now looking at the want ads every day because they think they have to get a job to continue to pay their bills and retirement. or the quiet anxious voices of small business owners that are thinking that maybe this friday will be the last friday they keep their business open and they shut for good. these are the voices that should be heard in this country and they are not being heard by this majority. 89 days ago the president of the united states came to this chamber and proposed four good ideas to put americans back to w

mr. issa: mr. speaker. i object to the votes on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceed option the question will be postponed. mr. issa: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. issa: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass house resolution 3220. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman call up h.r. 3220. mr. issa: that's correct. i call up h.r. 3220. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3220, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 170 evergreen square southwest in pine city, minnesota, as the master sergeant daniel l. feder post office. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. sy issa, and the gentleman from missouri, mr. clay, each will control 20 minutes. mr. issa:

mr. neugebauer: mr. speaker -- mr. nugent: madam speaker, i rise to say we have troops in harm's way. as the iraqi wrar comes to a close, we prepare to drawdown in afghanistan, we cannot forget -- we cannot forget those that serve us, the men and women. we cannot forget those that are still being held captive in those foreign lands, and these are our volunteers. these are young men and women that went to the fight and volunteered to go there willingly because america called. you know, several weeks ago i sent a letter to the president asking him for his continued commitment about those that jeff left behind, those that -- have been left behind, those that have been held against their will in iraq and afghanistan. unfortunately, i never got a response, never received a response. you know, most recently, if you read the british tap lloyds, one of the british -- tabloids, one of the british papers talked about one who escaped from his taliban captures in afghanistan and was on the run for three days. unfortunately he was

the speaker: without objection. mr. andrews: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, for many american families they will only be able to celebrate this holiday if they forget about the burdens of their daily lives. some are about to lose their jobs, others are about to close their businesses for the last time. some are worried they can't pay for their health care. others are worried they are next in the layoff line. this congress has an opportunity on this day to address those problems. yesterday the house took action on a bill that, frankly, isn't going to go anywhere to address these problems. and today's the day we ought to enact a bill that will. on january 1 everyone who earns wages in this country is facing a tax increase if this congress doesn't act. $1,000 a year tax increase on the middle class. we should suspend that tax increase today. many people will lose their unemployment benefits, they'll have no income, no check, and to those who say, well, they should go find a job, you should walk in the shoes of those who are in that predicament because h

mr. cravaack: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cravaack: thank you, sir. mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. today, i rise in support of senate amendment to h.r. 1801. h.r. 1801 represents a bipartisan, bicameral effort in honor of our armed forces by going to a screening process for all u.s. soldiers at our nation's airports. shortly after the house passed h.r. 1801 by a vote of 404-0, the senate, with support of kay bailey richardson and senator rook feller amended it. i have had time to review the amendment. it establishes the expedited screening process and clarifies that the t.s.a. at manufacture retains the authority to require additional screening for a member of the armed forces should intelligence or law enforcement information raise any concerns. in addition, the senate am

. >> thank you, mr. speaker. with permission, mr. speaker, i would like to make a statement on last week's european council. [inaudible conversations] >> order. the house must calm itself. taking whatever medication required for the purpose and the prime minister's statement must and will be heard. the prime minister. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i went to brussels with one objective; to protect britain's national interests, and that is what i did. let me, let me refer back, let me refer back to what i said to this house last wednesday. i made it clear that if euro zone countries wanted a treaty involving all 27 members of the european union, we would incest on some safe -- insist on some safeguards for britain to protect our own national interests. some thought that the safeguards i was asking for were relatively modest. nevertheless, satisfactory safeguards were not forthcoming, and so i did not agree to the treaty. mr. speaker, let me be clear about exactly what happened, what it means for britain, and what i see happening next. >>

. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others and in addition to my duties in this house, i shall have further such meetings later today. >> andrew rosendale. >> the british people want to see two things from this week's european summit. firstly a resolute and uncompromising defense of britain's national interest. . >> we must seek safeguards for britain. i guarantee that as long as i am here, there is no prospect of joining the euro. >> mr. speaker, 66, the prime minister said, the idea that some treaty change in the future might give us an opportunity to repatriate power back to britain. what powers will he be are doing to repatriate? -- arguing to repatriate? >> but he explained. -- let me explain. we are all interested to hear the answer. we will have a key aim of helping to resolve the eurozone crisis and we believe that means, european eurozone countries coming together and doing more things together. if they choose to do that through a treaty that we are in

mr. crawford: thank you, mr. speaker. my amendment is very straightforward and i believe it will help provide the proper amount of interagency communication with the e.p.a. when they go to write air quality standards for particulate matter. the legislation being considered today excludes nuisance dust from the e.p.a. regulatory net but the bill provides an exemption if the e.p.a. determines that the economic benefits of regulating dust outweigh the cost. my amendment would simply direct the e.p.a. to consult with the department of agriculture in making its determination. as a member of the ag committee i've heard testimony from both the secretary of agriculture and the e.p.a. administrator on how their respective agencies propose and write regulations. a problem became apparent to me that the two agencies don't seem to communicate. neither agency could give me a sufficient explanation of the protocol for interagency communication between the e.p.a. and the usda. their responses were bureaucratic and vague. i find this tro

speaker. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i'm sure the whole house pays tribute to 35 engineer who died last thursday as a result of wounds that he sustained in afghanistan. he was a dedicated and highly professional soldier, and at this tragic time, send our prayers to his loved ones, friends, and colleagues. [here here] we had addition to the duties in the house, further such meetings later today. >> richard fuller. >> mr. speaker, i'm sure all members of the house with the prime minister's words about elijah bond. mr. speaker, the people will be disappointed that this week's report in the royal bank of scotland has no penalties for their failure. can the prime minister assure me unlike the last government, his ministers will reenforce financial regulation and not undermind them when he was in office? [here here] >> my honorable friend is right, and he will know we're looking at specific extra measures in sanctions in terms of what people of the board did, but it was not just a damning report about the board, but also damni

mr. speaker, i urge my . [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> i'm with the second school of thought. in other words, whether there is clear and conclusive evidence whether congress or staff members have benefited from insider information and whether or not the s.e.c. believes it can act against members of congress for insider trading under its existing authority, there ought to be a law that explicitly deters such unethical, illegal behavior by members of congress and punishes it when it happens. our goal today is to sort out the facts and determine precisely what legal reforms are needed to ensure that regulators and law enforcement officials have the tools they need to bring to justice members of congress and our staff that defy the public trust by using insider information for personal gain. our first witnesses we will call on in a short while will be kristin gildebrand and scott brown. the point we are focused on today is narrow, but it touches on much broader views in reality. the

. >> thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what reason does the gentleman from maryland rise? mr. hoyer: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute. schedule for the week to come. i yield to my friend, mr. cantor. >> thank you -- however know votes are expected in the house. on tuesday and wednesday, house meets at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour noon. 9:00 a.m. for legislative business. last votes for the week no later than 3:00 p.m. on thursday, members advised to keep plans flexible as we continue to work towards a journey for the first session. members informed yesterday that we expect to be in session and voting the week of december 12th. the exact voting schedule is not yet known and will depend on the progress of our legislative business. a number of bills under suspension of the rules monday and tuesday. complete list will be announced by the close of business today. for

mr. lungren: mr. speaker, i yield four minutes to mr. harper, distinguished chairman of the subcommittee on elections for the committee on house administration. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi for four minutes. mr. harper: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise today in support of h.res. 4 7, providing for -- 497, providing for the placement of a statue or bust of sir winston churchill in the united states capitol. mr. speaker, much has been said and writ been winston churchill -- writ been winston churchill -- written about winston churchill. he served as prime minister of the united kingdom and again from 1951 through 1955. but he was so much more. during the 20th century's darkest hour, winston churchill warned of the approaching evil, stood tall when it arrived and inspired his citizens and ours and liberty-loving people around the world to fight, to persevere and to never surrender before victory was assured. he knew that the long road of our humanity-affirming progress would not end and could not end and

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pitts: mr. speaker, h.r.

mr. terry: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time we are going to discuss energy, security, american jobs, and keystone x.l. pipeline. i'd like to yield at this time for as much time as he may consume the chairman emeritus of the energy and commerce committee, mr. joe barton of texas. mr. barton: i thank the distinguished gentleman from nebraska, would ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. barton: thank you. mr. speaker, we are here today to discuss a project that's of utmost importance to the american people. as the gentleman from nebraska just mentioned it's called the keystone x.l. pipeline. it is a proposal to extend an existing pipeline that starts in canada, comes down through the midwestern parts of the united states into oklahoma. the proposal is to extend that pipeline to the gulf coast, to texas and louisiana. why is this important to every american? simply because we use lots of energy in america and we do not produce as much as we use. so we hav

mr. speaker, whether i am -- the reins act. mr. speaker, whether i am talking to dallas business owners they tell me the same thing, the number one impediment today is the federal regulatory burden. i hear from them each and every day. i hard from the grash family in texas. quote, i have to bring in an digsal -- an additional $,000 a month to break even. -- $1,000 a month to break even. i will not invest in any further expansion and therefore not hiring number smarter policies are being conveyed from washington. i hear from the ross family, also in the fifth district, who talks about the regulatory burden from the president's health care plan. quote, my company has laid off all staff and i myself will file for unemployment on monday. that's about 23 people added to the unemployment rolls next week. again, due to federal regulation. i heard from the nixon family in the fifth district of texas. federal regulation, again, we are giving up this part of our business. one person's losing their job. quote, this is a small example of how e

aderholt: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding and i ask for unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of the conference report, and i want to thank chairman rogers as ll as ranking member norman dicks for their leadership and their commitment as we went back to regular order, as we produce this agreement. we had a challenging negotiations with our lleagues from the other body, but i believe we aforged a disciplined agreement that puts the priority on limited spending and on true priorities like border security, immigration enforcement, disaster relief, while at the same time instilling robust fiscal discipline and oversight. this conference report provides a total of $39.6 billion in discretionary spendi for the department of homeland security. that is $4 billion below the president's request. 9.1%. it's $3 billion below the f.y. 2010, and it is $ billion belo last year. -- $2 billion below last year. these are genuine reductions, not just budget gi

. >> mr. speaker, mr. speaker. we regret, mr. speaker, that you have walked off the platform, without addressing the issue of critical importance to this country -- and that is the continuation of the middle class tax cut. >> i love that clip. we didn't actually -- i don't know that you could see it. but there's, either actually removing the flag from the floor as stenny hoyer is trying to bring up the senate bill. joining us now is luke russert who covers capitol hill for nbc news. give us a little bit of background on this is a fluid situation as we know. what is going on? >> well -- it's now a game of optics alex. whichever side feels they're going to win the pr war is going to end up winning this fight. but the house gop is in a very precarious situation this morning. for a few reasons. number one, the article in the "wall street journal," it was almost the authority of kind of sophisticated republican politics, really slamming them for this fight. that will resonate with a lot of rank-and-file members who don't want to be on

questions to the prime minister and to rosendale mr. speaker. >> thank you mr. speaker. this meeting i had meetings with colleagues and others and in addition i shall have meetings later today. >> mr. speaker the british people want to do two things from this week's european summit. firstly a resolute and uncompromising defense of britain's national interest and secondly an end to the disastrous euro crisis, currency the party opposite still wants to join. will the prime minister to britain proud on friday and show some spirit in brussels? >> i can guarantee to my honorable friend that is exactly what i will do. the british national interest absolutely means that we need to help resolve this crisis in the eurozone. it is freezing the british economy just as it is freezing economies across europe. resulting in this crisis is about jobs and growth in business and investment right here in the u.k.. at the same time we must seek safeguards for britain. that is the right thing to do and that can absolutely -- there's no prospect of joining the euro something they right honora

mr. lujan: mr. speaker. i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. hastings: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass s. 535. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 535, an act to authorize the secretary of the interior to lease certain lands within fort pulaski national monument, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from washington, mr. hastings, and the gentleman from new mexico, mr. lujan, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and