mr. mcconnell: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from kentucky. mr. mcconnell: this has been a very disappointing moment. senator collins is asking to pass an amendment that would not seem to be terribly controversial. as we've heard my colleagues state this afternoon be, the alexander-collins-nelson proposal would lower health insurance premiums dramatically in some cases for american individuals and families. this assistance would be especially helpful to the middle-income -- middle-class families whom obamacare has hit the hardest. so why do i would colleagues -- so how do my colleagues propose accomplishing this worthy goal? through another top-down, one-size-fits-all scheme cooked up here in washington? nope. their legislation is designed to encourage new thinking and creative policymaking at the state level through the expansion of section 1332 state innovation waivers and high-risk pools. it would e

mr. hoyer: mr. speaker, i thank the majority leader for that information. mr. speaker, the house is not in order. i won't proceed until it is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is correct. members in the rear of the chamber, we'd ask you take your conversations off the floor. members on the side of the chamber, we ask you take your conversations off the floor. the house will be brought to order. he house will be in order. the house will be in order. those who are engaged in conversation, we'd ask you leave the house floor, please. the gentleman may proceed. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman and i thank the majority leader, mr. speaker, for the information he's given us. mr. speaker, throughout the st year, we have continually run up against deadlines on how we were going to keep the government of the united states . erating properly e omnibus is currently being discussed. caps were made significant number of democrats voted for it and a significant number of republicans voted against it. it was

mr. johnson: mr. smith, as you say, it is exactly right that we should begin with that subject. i am grateful to the committee for having me along today. what the prime minister said a week ago was very clear. we gave the russians two alternatives: either they could explain how stocks of novichok had mysteriously escaped their possession and come to be used in salisbury, or else we would be forced to draw the conclusion that the attempted murders that took place there, the reckless endangering of public life in this country and the first use of a nerve agent on european soil for 75 years was the direct responsibility of the russian state. to go to your point, mr. smith, as we saw in the case of the murder of alexander litvinenko, the trail of responsibility for such assassinations and assassination attempts does lead inexorably back to the kremlin. mr. smith: on "newsnight" recently, mikhail khodorkovsky-excuse my pronunciation-said that the attack could have been carried out by people empowered by pr

mr. franklin. mr. franklin: thank you, mr. chief justice, and may it please the court, this court's cases uniformly recognize that the state has a much freer hand when it manages its personnel as an employer than when it regulates its citizens as a sovereign, and this has come up already today, that freer hand includes broad authority to put conditions on the speech in question. that has never been the law. the government is still acting as an employer when it treats with its employees as a group or as a whole. that's why this court has repeatedly used the pickering framework and other deferential public employee tests to uphold generally applicable workplace policies. you see that in the letter carriers case, upholding the hatch act. you see that in san diego versus roe, the rule in garcetti applies to millions of public employees around the country. justice kennedy: garcetti involved government speech. what we're talking about here is compelled justification and compelled subsidization of a private party, a private party tha

mr. lamb. courtesy of wtae in pittsburgh, this is just under one hour. a local race on the national stage. >> drawn national attention. announcer: a special election for the 18th congressional district. >> i want to help the people of the 18th district. announcer: republican representative rick saccone. democrat conor lamb. >> i hope the voters will look at my record and look at my family, my background. >> i am running a campaign used on values. -- based on values. announcer: they go head-to-head in the wtae studio. shannon: hello everyone. on behalf of the league of women voters, welcome to our debate in the special election for pennsylvania 18th congressional seat. , forandidates tonight terms state representative from the 39th district, republican rick saccone. and out of the attorney's office, democrat conor lamb. representative kathleen -- numbers to you do figure out who would answer the first question. mr.'s a you will have the closing word. saccone, you will have the closing word

mr. diaz-balart: mr. price. mr. price: i'd like to turn to public housing and particularly the budget proposal for the public housing capital fund. last year you proposed slashing that fund by 68%. that's the principal source of federal funds to preserve affordable housing for more than two million citizens. you proposed that in the face of a backlog now approaching $50 billion in public housing maintenance, deferred maintenance. now, of the 1.1 million households who depend on federal public housing due to the failures of the private housing market, more than half include fixed income seniors, people with disabilities as heads of households. we oppose those proposed cuts, as you know, last year. but instead of taking this lesson to heart you are now proposing to totally eliminate the public housing capital fund. now, i listened carefully to your testimony this morning as to how you propose to deal with that. it seems like you are merging the capital fund into the operating fund. you just said that. secretary carson

mr. shah: our job is to give you the best information we have available to us and the most accurate information in a timely fashion. sometimes the dynamics are fluent in any given situation. mattersioned personnel and facts and circumstances change and we continue to give you the best information we can as quickly as possible. can you state categorically if the president is campaigning and trump organization to not violate election law regarding that payment? mr. shah: i can only speak for the white house. the white house did not engage in any wrongdoing. -- they can or mr.: address anything with respect to their actions. with respect to the interview, i would say president strongly and clearly and consistently has denied underlying claims and the only person was been inconsistent is the one making the claims. >> regarding the russian sanctions -- the president has not personally said anything about the expulsion of these diplomats. in his phone call last week with president putin he deci

mr. dunn: mr. speaker, i rise today to honor a life that was lost too soon, staff sergeant carl ennis of tallahassee was tragically killed in the blackhawk helicopter crash that claimed the lives of seven members of the united states air force in western iraq last week. sergeant ennis graduate interested florida state university in 2004 and went on to get his m.b.a. in 2017. chose to selflessly serve our country and join the air force after college, serving as a pararescue man where he performed combat rescue missions as a member of the elite 308th rescue squadron. he loved the outdoors and even had a blog about hunting, fishing, and hiking. he was loved and respected by all who met him. mr. speaker, please join me in honoring staff sergeant carl ennis and all our fallen heroes who gave their last measure of full devotion to this country at home ericans safe and abroad. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from texa

mr. messenger. mr. messenger: mr. chief justice, and may it please the court, abood should be overruled because it failed to apply heightened first amendment scrutiny to a compulsory fee for speech to influence governmental policies. abood's failure places it at odds with harris, with knox, and a slew of other speech and association precedents. now respondents attempt to justify abood's results with rationales found nowhere in that decision, which undercuts any stare decisis value in retaining abood. justice ginsburg: may i ask, mr. messenger, if you are right about agency fees, what about three things: one is student activities fees. are they different and, if so, why? another is mandatory bar association payments. and the third is you have a public sector case. what about the private sector, agency fees compelled by state law in the private sector? mr. messenger: yes, your honor. with respect to the first two instances, the student association or student fees and the bar association fees, those cases are distinguish

mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i ise in opposition to the bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: and you are recognized as you wish to use. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i rise today to voice my strong opposition to h.r. 5247, or the federal right to try act of 2018. this legislation, introduced only last week, is an egregious attempt, in my opinion, by the goldwater institute to undermine the drug standard drug approval process at the food and drug administration. the supporters of this bill claim to be helping desperate patients who are looking for hope. if this is such a patient-centered bill, then why does every major patient organization overwhelmingly oppose it? more than 100 patient organizations, including the national organization for rare disorders, the friends of cancer research, the american cancer society, they've all written in opposition to this legislation. in a letter t

mr. green: mr. chairman, i ask unanimous consent to place into the record a letter and also a statement by congressman jeffries on h.r. 449. mr. burgess: without objection, so ordered. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. bilirakis: thank you, mr. chairman. i appreciate it. doctor, the c.d.c. released new prescribing guidelines for opioids back in march, 2016. it recently released a report by the agency indicates that despite this change, e.r. admissions due to opioid overdoses has since increased by 30%. nationwide. the midwest by 70%. and by 54% in large cities in 16 states. what is c.d.c. durntly doing to address this issue -- currently doing to address this issue? dr. schuchat: we're funding 45 states and the district of columbia to strengthen their community-based prevention work. we're particularly focused on the prescription drug monitoring program so that we can improve prescribing and not have people start down the path toward addiction to begin with. but we're also doing wo

and, mr. speaker, and, mr., mr. speaker, we must do more to address the dangers posed by the states relationship with unofficial groups and corrupt oligarchs. we must also, we must also expose the flows of ill-gotten cash between the russian state and billionaires who have become stupendously rich by looting the country and subsequently use london to protect their wealth. we welcome that prime ministers statement today clearly committing to support the magnitsky amendment and of the many of them as soon as possible, as we on this side have long pushed for. mr. speaker, yesterday nikolai pushcart, a russian exxon was close friends with the late oligarch boris was found dead in his london home. what reassurance can't you give to citizens of russian origin living in britain that they are safe here? mr. speaker, the events in salisbury earlier this month are abominable and have been rightly condemned right across the house. britain has to build, britain has to build a consensus with our allies, and we support the prime

mr. simon hall. [shouting] thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to begin by a dating house on the government's response to the incidents that occurred on sunday and pay tribute to the work of all the emergency services who responded at the scene as those who are now caring for the two critically ill individuals and hospitals. as my right honorable friend the foreign secretary delete investigation is ongoing. i chaired a meeting of the national security council where we're updated on the investigation which is now being led by counterterrorism please and my right honorable friend the home secretary with cobra evidence has to keep an update later today. mr. speaker, this morning i have meetings in addition to my duties in this house i shall have further such meetings later today. thank you, mr. speaker. representing a constituency, can i align my remarks to my right honorable friend was concerned across the southwest country. we share the commitment to delivering the 1800 new homes proposed

mr. perdue: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. perdue: mr. president, it's not often i get to come to the floor of the united states senate with an uplifted heart, but today i do. yesterday, this body, two-thirds of us, mr. president, got together on an issue that's so important to main street america and agreed after weeks of negotiation and going back and forth, we passed a bipartisan banking bill, mr. president, and i believe historians will look back on this week and this bill as being a watershed event. it was a measured bill, mr. president. it didn't blow up dodd-frank. it didn't do away with it. it didn't go as far as some people wanted. it did more than others wanted. but two-thirds of us put the national interests above our own self-interests and passed a bill that will change the face of lending for small community banks and regional banks across our country, mr. president. last year, when president trump became preside

the kremlin or the russian i would like to bring mr banta men because mr bennett was talking about you know a more nuanced way of all of dealing with russia which is what you were saying that the u.s. administration that the president donald trump has been you know more than dealing with this than he has been in the possible what will the u.s. administration do now do you think beyond these expulsions is there any way to to move forward here i think many of us in the united states were surprised that president trump has a more subtle approach to these issues than we originally thought of him because these his public statements are often a conflict for his actions but i think what's important is president putin is the leader of russia countries deal with country countries and therefore we have to deal with president putin and the russian government we're not we're not going to deal with the people we prefer to leave with it within russia russia is an important player on many many issues that are important to the western countries and to the united states pacifically for example in the m

mr. shelby: mr. president, i, too, would like to start here by thanking my good friend senator thad cochran for the tireless dedication and public service that he has brought forth here throughout some 40 something years, 45 years. over 45 years ago, as has been said here, he was elected to the united states house of representatives and elected to the u.s. senate in 1978. thad was a practicing attorney in jackson, mississippi, a graduate of the university of mississippi, law school, undergraduate. and also studied abroad at trinity college in dublin, ireland, where we visited one time. we've served together here in the u.s. senate for over 30 years. he's been an excellent colleague and i've been honored to work with him. we represent neighboring states, mississippi and alabama. we both worked on some of the same priorities. but mainly he served mississippi with the utmost dignity and respect. he has an excellent staff. mr. shelby: we're all grateful for the hard work and help and coordination with al

the additions of mr. kaplan and mr. manuel last year helped restore balance into our nation's workplaces. first, the board overturned its microunions decision, which disrupted workplaces and made it harder for employers to manage their workplaces and do business. for example, a local department store could splinter into dozens of factions that the employer would negotiate with. the men's clothing department, the bedding department, the freddie gr fragrance department. all fighting over who gets better wages and break rooms. requested comments on whether it should keep or modify the ambush elections rule. another rule that previous decisions upended stability in labor law. the rule means the union election can be forced in as little as 11 days before an employer and many employees even have a chance to figure out what's going on. it also forces employers to hand over a lot of employees' personal information to unions. i hope confirming you, mr. ring, will continue this trend of returning balance to the administration of

mr. at this clor: -- mr. taylor: thank you. mr. dent: mr. bishop. mr. bishop: thank you very much, mr. chairman. i would like to return for a moment to the issue of construction. i think it was touched upon earlier. one of the priorities you laid out is to focus resources more effectively. you allocate nearly $2 billion for major and minor construction. can you discuss with me what the v.a. is doing to ensure that construction is done in the most efficient and cost-effective manner? i ask this because i long awaited construction on the columbus, georgia community based health clinic to begin. and also waiting word from the v.a. on the recipient of the award for the contract. moreover, there have been issues that have been brought to my attention that have arisen with the v.a.'s construction process. one specific project is the emergency room expansion at the v.a. north health care septre in dallas, texas. i'm told that this particular project experienced numerous concerns such as extraordinarily slow implementation of contracts which resulted in extensi

mr. reed: mr. president, i rise today to express my concern about the continued deterioration of the situation in yemen and to share my views on the resolution that is currently before us. the military conflict in yemen has gone on for too long and has affected tens of millions of civilians who face displacement, famine, and a widespread cholera outbreak. according to the united nations, more than 15,000 yemenis have been killed or injured since the war began in march of 2015. the humanitarian situation there has been described as the worst in the world, with more than two-thirds of yemen's approximately 29 million people facing severe food shortages. an outbreak of cholera has already infected at least one million people, marking the worst such outbreak in decades. continued instability in yemen also benefits our adversaries. while we have sought to maintain pressure on al qaeda and the ararian peninsula or aqap and isis, the lack of a functioning government or state security apparatus inhibits ou

mr. speaker. >> prime minister. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i'm sure members across the house will wish to join me in offering our heartfelt condolences to family and friends of professor stephen hawking who died earlier today. professor hawkins exceptional contributions to science and the larger universe speak for themselves. as children said his courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world. mr. speaker, members would've also imports of a number of suspicious packages targeting muslim members. sure the whole house will join me in condemning this unacceptable behavior. which is no place in our society. society. i can tell the house an investigation is underway in steps are being taken to bring the perpetrators to justice. mr. speaker, i will be making a statement following pmqs updating the house. this morning i had meetings witd uties in this house, i shall have further such meetings later today. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank the prim

mr. jones: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. jones: mr. president, first let me begin by expressing how honored and humbled i am to be a member of this body and to represent the great state of alabama. i began my career right here fresh out of law school in 1979, working as staff counsel to senator howell heflin on the judiciary committee. there are only three members of the senate where i served as a staffer that continue to serve today -- senator leahy, senator hatch, and senator cochran. two of those three, senators hatch and cochran, will be retiring this year. senator cochran in just over a week. and a grateful nation things them for their service. -- thanks them for their service. for me personally i am honored to have come full circle with them and i wish them well in their life after the senate. i want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for welcoming me to this body. many of whom are here with me today braving the wintery weather outside. than

mr. sessions: mr. speaker, last night at a late hour the rules committee met where we had expert testimony that was offered on behalf of the chairman and the ranking member of the committee on appropriations, the gentleman from new jersey and the gentlewoman from new york. i would like to, if i could, express to my friend, mr. mcgovern, the professional nature, not only that he but judge hastings and other members of the committee represented the democratic side at a time that is very difficult for them with the pass and loss of a tremendous leader in the house of representatives, the gentlewoman from new york, chairwoman louise slaughter. mr. mcgovern not only -- and mr. hastings, conducted themselves in my opinion in a professional and straightforward manner but represented their party quite well in a time of distress and a time of need and i want to express my complete confidence not only in mr. mcgovern but also thank judge hastings for his professional lastism last night as we worked through diffi

mr. burgess: so mr. speaker, earlier this year, members of congress heard the president during his state of the union address make a specific promise to the american people that the passage of the right to try legislation would occur. this afternoon, i am proud to stand with the president and the thousands of americans with terminal illnesses and their families and their frnds in passing this important -- friends in passing this important bill in the house. since 2014, nearly three out of four states, including our home state of texas, have passed their version of right to try laws. i am pleased that the house is , in considering h.r. 5247 the trickett wendler, frank mongiello, jordan mclinn, and matthew bellina right to try , so that terminally ill patients have a chance or maybe a second chance at life. these patients are our constituents. they could be someone we know. let us take this opportunity to improve access to experimental treatments for them. over the course of the past decade, our nation has

mr. durbin: mr. president, i thank the senator from north carolina, and i believe he does have a genuine interest in this issue. i attended several our meetings to discuss a bipartisan compromise and i -- compromise and i hope we can continue to do that. in the meantime what he's offered is the grassley approach, which was president trump's immigration approach, which limited legal migration to the united states so members of families that wanted to be reunified, some of whom have waited 10 or 20 years to rejoin their families in the united states, unfortunately it also included the $25 billion wall, which may be the price that has to be paid to spare these young daca dreamers. but i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. is there objection to the original request? mr. tillis: i or, mr. president. i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. ms. collins: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: mr. president, i ask consent that when the senate pro

mr. capuano: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i too, am here to recognize international women's day. we all know that women have made some progress over the years. family medical leave act, lily ledbetter equal pay act. we have made progress, but we all know there is more to do. this congress, this president, has to improve the family medical leave act. we have to make sure that the laws that we have are enforced. equal pay is made and equal action happens in the workplace and we're not doing that. we all know that. the truth is, when i'm home, i tell people when you look to congress to lead, it's always a mistake. most of the progress from could this country comes from the bottom up. we almost always last. i give you an example, years ago when george bush vetoed the family medical leave act four times. i was the mayor of my city. we did it on our own. the federal government didn't make us do it. the state didn't make us do it. so i'm here today to simply ask all americans, every level, to do what you can to equalize opp

mr. clay: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of h.r. 1209, a bill to designate the facility of the united states ostal service located at 901 north francisco avenue, mission, texas, as the mission veterans post office building. and at this time i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from texas, mr. cuellar, so that he may tell us more about the honorable veterans from mission, texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. cuellar: thank you, mr. speaker. i certainly want to thank mr. clay from missouri for his leadership and for his work on this committee and also my friend, mr. palmer from alabama, also for the work that he does in this committee. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 1209, which will rename a post office facility in my district at 901 north francisco avenue, mission -- in mission, texas, as the mission veterans post office. across my district, fine men and women of all walks of life have honorably ser

mrs. lowey: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from ohio, the ranking member of the energy and water subcommittee, ms. kaptur. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from ohio is recognized for two minutes. ms. kaptur: i thank the ranking member for yielding me time and for her incredible work on this bill. and also the chairman of the full committee, congressman frelinghuysen. i rise in support of this bipartisan agreement before us and want to thank, again, chairman frelinghuysen and ranking member lowey, and our able committee staff on both sides for their tireless effort to slog this across the finish line after five false starts. it is utterly ridiculous that nearly halfway into the fiscal year that began last october, 2017, we finally arrived at the brink of completion of our top priority, funding the operations of the government of the united states from the defense department to children's health. republicans control both chambers of congress, as well as the wh

for thank you mr speaker. mr speaker i'd like to thank the prime minister in advance for advance copy of her statements on this d.p. alarming attack that raises very serious questions the whole house condemns the suspected poisoning of surrogates cripple and distorted in salzburg and of course we wish them a return to good health and i'm sure mr speaker the whole house will join me in wishing detective sergeant nick bailey a speedy recovery as well no member of our police force and nobody on the streets of britain should ever face such an attack let alone with chemical weapons i thank the prime minister for updating the house the investigation into the shocking events in seoul's brain must reach its conclusions we need to see both the evidence and a full account from the russian authorities in light of emerging evidence that the prime minister has just referred to for now any was deemed necessary for him and his daughter mr speaker this morning the conservative chair of the foreign affairs committee said i'd b

mr. barr: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield six minutes to the sponsor of the legislation, the gentleman from illinois, the bill's sponsor and vice chairman of the in that direction. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 4725. i reserve the balance of my time. subcommittee on capital markets, securities, and investment, mr. hultgren. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for six minutes. mr. hultgren: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to speak in support of the community bank reporting relief act. i would like to begin by thanking leader mccarthy and chairman hensarling for their support in getting this legislation to the floor. i also want to thank and express my appreciation to my colleague, andy barr and terri sewell, for serving as original co-sponsors on this legislation. i would also like to oint out this identical language has been included in the bipartisan regulatory relief bill that the senate expected to take up some time this week. by way of background, the federal fina

mr. thompson: mr. speaker. the speaker: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition. mr. thompson: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order a quorum is not present. the speaker: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from michigan, mr. trot. --mr. trott. mr. trott: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: without objection, the gentlewoman from tennessee, mrs. black, is recognized for one minute. mrs. black: thank you, mr. speaker. it is my honor to welcome minister jeremiah tatum from cookesville, tennessee to our nation's capital. in congress we begin each day thanking the lord for his provision and asking for continued guidance, protection, and wisdom. it is a great privilege to have a feder

mrs. lowey: mr. speaker, i'm very pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. cuellar. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. mr. cuellar: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentlewoman for yielding. and i want to thank the ranking member, ms. lowy, for her leadership, along with -- mrs. lowey, for her leadership, along with chairman frelinghuysen, for many months of working together in a bipartisan way. i certainly want to thank both of them for their hard work that they've done. he want to thank the appropriators, the democrats and republicans, working together. and certainly i want to thank the committee staff on both sides that have worked so hard to make sure we get this bill together. i know this is not a perfect bill. but, again, we got together, we negotiated, and this is the bill that we got under the system, working together. this bill, first of all, funds our military and our veterans' needs. this bill provides over $21.2 bil

mr. rothfus: the manufacturer of the year award recognizes the outstanding contributions a manufacturer has made in a region such as innovation, stewardship, community leadership, health and safety. i'm proud of etc's achievements. manufacturing is a key to our nation's prosperity and drives the american economy. as america competes on a global scale it's critical this industry continues to grow, creating a wealth of job opportunities for all americans. over 500,000 people in pennsylvania rely on the strength of the manufacturing sector. before the tax cuts and jobs act, the united states had the highest piss tax rate in the industrialized world. now this -- now they're moving this economic choke hold, putting foreign bidses an a more economically favorable tax rate and allowing companies to write write off the cost of new equipment when it's purchased. south america gaining a competitive edge. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. f

including mr. crist, mr. delaney, mr. foster, mr. gone zalezz, mr. gottheimer, democrat, mr. heck of washington, democrat. mr. himes of connecticut, democrat. d i think my 30 seconds is winding down. and now, mr. speaker, i'm very pleased to yield five minutes to the gentleman from colorado, mr. tipton, who is back with us again today. he is the vice chairman of the financial services subcommittee on oversight and investigation and is the author of h.r. 4545. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. tipton: thank you, mr. speaker and chairman hensarling. i appreciate the opportunity to advance this important bipartisan piece of legislation. the the act seeks to bring fairness to federal financial regulators appeals process by instituting a uniform framework free from examination and retaliation. our community banks and credit unions currently have no independent recourse in the appeals process in the examination decisions. these institutions often lack the experience, capacity and resources needed to resolve challenges to financial regulators

mr. cantu: i first thought about writing about my experiences as -- patrol agent six months or year after leaving. i think i was really trying to grapple with that experience and come to terms with what i participated in. so that's when i really first started thinking, ok i have to write to make sense of this. it seems like the only option. to kind of get everything down on paper, put all of those experiences in one place. i didn't know it would be a book at the time. but i think that's how all tell-all books sort of's start. brian: when were you in the border patrol and where did you live? mr. cantu: 2008-2012, i spent the first two years of my career in a field station in arizona. and i spent another year at intelligence sector headquarters in tucson. and then i spent about a half a year in el paso. brian: let me go to the basics. where were you born? mr. cantu: i was born in santa rosa, california, left shortly after my birth. my mother was a park ranger so we lived in a couple places

mr. cantu: i first thought about writing about my experiences as a border control -- border patrol agent 6 months -- a year after leaving, i think. i was really trying to grapple that experience and come to terms with what i had participated in. so that's when i really first started thinking i have to write in order to make sense of this. it seems like the only option. to kind of get everything down on paper, put all of those experiences in one place. i didn't know it would be a book at the time. i think that is how all books sort of start. brian when were you in the : border patrol and where did you live during that time? mr. cantu: i was in border patrol from 2008 to 2012. i spent the first two years of my career in a field station in arizona. and i spent another year at intelligence sector headquarters in tucson. and then i spent about a half a year in el paso. brian: let me go to the basics. where were you born? mr. cantu: i was born in santa rosa, california, left shortly after my bi

mr. speaker, this is a time for revising and when will but i don't believe the leader of the opposition has turned into an anticorruption warrior. this is the great defender. weeks of and weeks and public pressure and outrage they let him out into the wild blue yonder. he is standing up for the integrity of parliament. he is standing up for the right of u.k. citizens to sit and house of representatives are in i was they finally did the right thing and resign. it took them a long time. he did the right thing, he mr. speaker, it took months to get them to resign. they are still hanging in there, mr. speaker. they will always be in england but there always be a section before as well. mr. speaker, in terms of heruption, more generally has blocked integrity measures at every turn. and every single turn. he fought to end now to oppose the reintroduction of desperately building up instruction. an agency whose job it is to restore the rule of law for the construction sector and stop this, includ

mr. smith: mr. 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. . activist judges have blocked president trump's policies. federal trial judges have abused their authority by issuing two dozen injunctions to block the administration's actions. according to attorney general sessions these injunction have far exceeded their use. it surpasses all those approved in the past 200 years. they encourage forum shopping lawsuits. are files they do a real disservice to the justice system. it's time to reign in these activist judges, the people's respect for the law is at stake. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from puerto rico seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. miss gonzalez-colon: i recognize d honor the life puerto rico

mr. speaker. >> the prime minister. >> thank you, mr. speaker. tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the westminster terrorist attack. it was a second depraved attack on the streets of our capital but what i remember the most is the brightness of our security departments, who risk their lives to keep us safe. c anniversary. mr. speaker, i'm sure the whole house will also wish to join me in expressing our sincere condolences to the film and friends of the red arrows engineer who tragically died in the aircraft incident yesterday. i know members across the house also will wish to join me in congratulating andrea who recently won the global teacher prize. it is a fitting tribute for everything she has done and i look forward to meeting her shortly to congratulate her in person. 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. >> gerald howarth. >> i'm sure, , trip

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize boy scout troop 14 of williamsport, pennsylvania, on its centennial celebration. troop 14 is the oldest consecutively chartered troup in the susquehanna council boy scouts of america. st. john's newbury has been the sponsor the whole time. they have providing scouting to boys and the troop has proyed 127 eagle scouts during that time. it has been through the efforts of many that the troop has been and continues to be an active and strong unit. for 100 years troop 14 has helped scores of boy scouts build a more consciencious, responsible, and productive society. the boy scouts of america is one of the nation's largest and most prominent value spaced youth development organizations. providing programs for young people that build character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develops personal fitness. mr. speaker, along with my colleague, tom marino, i commend troop 14 on its centennial celebration for building so many

mr. nixon: i assessed my ability to win and cope with the issues and the fire of the primaries, and not just smoke-filled rooms in miami. reporter: the next and scheduled for the next three days would include a reception, a dinner speech and conversations with people about issues, and public and on television. mr. and them: in 1968, i look at the future of this country to the 20th century. in 1968, i had to think of the past, also the future but to think of the past and the present. and in 1968, as you men will hear in my speeches, i am going to be talking about america's future, my vision of america, and what i think i can do with the years of experience i have behind link -- i have behind me. >> what does this campaign have the previous campaigns don't? >> i think it is preeminently going to have a view of the future, which has been lacking, woefully lacking for the past two years. it is going to have a long look to the year 2000. i think this is important that he thinks this is importa

mr. hensarling: mr. speaker, i am very, very happy to yield three minutes to the gentleman from michigan, mr. huizenga, who is the chairman of the capital markets subcommittee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for three minutes. mr. huizenga: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to commend my friend from new jersey and the work he has put into this and i rise today in support of this much-needed legislation that would increase the limit that small companies looking for additional investments and investors can solicit under reg a+. these deals would increase from $50 million to $75 million. and this will enhance capital formation for growing small companies that are exploring crowdfunding as a method to raise capital. you know, the jobs act has proven to be wildly successful, and this program has proven itself successful as well. yet, it can be even more so with this modest increase. so specifically, the legislation further strengthens e ability for small, mid-sized companies t

mr. zeldin: mr. speaker, i am very excited to be here because i know just how many disabled veterans in our country are on wait lists for adult day health care and now will be getting a service that is just so important and overdue. i certainly want to thank chairman roe and his great staff at the house veterans' affairs committee, the ranking member and his team as well. everybody coming together, working hard on behalf of our disabled veterans who need it most. i rise in support of senate bill 324. it's the senate companion to my bill, h.r. 105 by is -- 10 to 05, which is a bill to provide adult day health care for veterans who are 70% or more service-connected disabled. this bill is an extension to the veterans' benefits, health care and information technology act of 2006, which currently provides no cost to nursing home care at any state veterans' home to veterans who are 70% or more service-connected disables. medical model adult day health care provides comprehensive medical, nursing and person

mr. schumer: thank you. we're ready for your questions on this subject first. reporter: in the context of the tariff proposal, do you see this as an opportunity -- mr. schumer: good try. reporter: for the u.s., if the president moves ahead with these tariffs, to make the types of steel and aluminum that are needed in infrastructure projects or that this could adversely effect -- mr. schumer: our proposal has very strong buy america provisions. when the federal government is paying for highways, roads, bridges, power grids, the stuff ought to be made in america. that's federal tax dollars. and tammy baldwin has been a leader in this and her proposal is in our bill. reporter: democrats have spent the last few months talking about the republican tax plan as being a trillion and a half dollars of deficit spending. your plan is basically proposing to take fwirds of that deficit spending and -- 2/3 of that deficit spending and spend it on infrastructure instead of tax cuts. what does -- mr. sch

mr. frelinghuysen: mr. chairman, i rise today to present house amendment to senate amendment to h.r. 1625, the final appropriations package for fiscal year 2018. this legislation contains full funding for all the 12 annual appropriations bills. it it represents thousands of hours of work and input by members of congress and our great staff. starting one year ago with 12 appropriations bills moving through the committee process last spring. these bills were then considered and passed under the house floor under a transparent and inclusive process. this represents the first time the house has passed all 12 bills before the end of the fiscal year since 2010. after the bipartisan budget deal was enacted last month, appropriations committee leadership, house and senate leadership, both sides of the aisle, and the white house quickly went to work. negotiating in good faith and best interests of the american people. the bill we're considering today is a product of that hard fought agreement. in total, legislation

mr. shah: yes, he did. mr. shah: i am not going to get into that, there were clips late in the morning news shows, and i will say he has denied accusations that she made last night and has been consistent in doing so there it -- doing so. she has not. >> on the expulsion, three weeks passed since the attack, what took so long? mr. shah: actions like this take time and we coordinated with over a dozen allies who wanted this to be a joint effort. the u.s. is joining both the european union and nato allies. >> the spokesperson for the russian foreign minister has now announced retaliation with other countries involved in the expulsion, your response to that? mr. shah: this action cannot be tolerated. the u.s. is responding to russia's action, as i called it, brazen and reckless. this is a u.s. response. we want to work with russia, and the ball is in their court with respect to how they want to respond. >> if you listen to national security experts, diplomatic experts on what will happen with russia, they will say

mr. peterson: thank you, mr. chairman -- mr. peters: thank you, mr. chairman. thank you both for being here today and for your service. general waldhauser, i'd like to talk about nigeria. and add to some of the questions that my colleague asked you about. i had the opportunity to travel to nigeria as part of my work on this committee last year. and i was very concerned about isis, west africa, which you've mentioned is basically a splinter group from boko haram. and at that time it looked as if the situation was deteriorating. my question to you is, what is the status? where are we in relate to isis west africa? is the situation getting better? mr. waldhauser: isis west africa is -- of those two groups, if you divide them in half, boko haram and isis west africa. isis west africa is the group that is of more concern to us. the they have ties to isis core. they have some funding from isis core. they have indicated in the past their desire to go outside the region, to conduct activities, attacks, if you will, on u.s. interests in the area. they certainly are more