mr. sessions: mr. speaker, i would ask for the yeas and nays. mrs. torres: mr. speaker. does eaker pro tempore: the gentleman ask for the yeas and nays? mr. sessions: did i. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on the uestion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition? mr. cole: mr. speaker, by the direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 1181 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 198, house resolution 1181, resolved, that the requirement clause 6-5 of rule 13 for a 2/3 vote to consider a report from the committee on rules on the same day it is presented to the house is waived with respect to any resolution reported through the legislative day of december 24, 2018. section 2. it shall be in order at any time through the calendar day of december 23, 2018, for the speaker t

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize decber 15 as t ll of rights da the bill of rights which is the first 10 amendments to the constitution was first ratified i 1791. it protects the rights and liberties oall americans. the bill of rihts guarantees our freedoms of religion, eech, press, to peaceably assemble, andetion our government, a protect our right to bear arms, o private pperty rights, right to a fair trial, and right against unreasonable search and seizures. it establishes that we as nation promote the power of the individua libertieand limit the scopef the fer government. mr. speaker, bill of rights day came into existence in 1941 on the50th anniversary. congress passed a joint resolution authorizing president franklin d. roosevelt to make it a national whody. roosevelt referred to the document as quote, the great american chart of personal liberty and human dignity, enquotes. . speaker, it is important we use this day to educate younge generations oamerins on our bill of rights

mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a vote -- a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. members are advised that this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the peaker o tempore: on thnays are. e resolutionsdopted. withoutbjection, the motion toeconsideisd on t table. rsuanto clause 8 of rule ,the fished biness is the questin agreeing to the eakes approval th jourl whi the chair w t novo. e estn is on ageing to thepe proval of e journa thosn favor y ay tho oppos, n opin of the chair, the ayes havit. the gentleman from texas. >> -- mr. b

mr. poe: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. speaker. it is the final showdown scene and while there's no swinging doors, clicking of spurs, eerie signs and sounds of silence or dust swirling behind me, i stand here today in the people's house to speak probably for the last time. if they would led me cue the soundtrack the king of country, george strait, would sing oh, the last goodbyes, the hardest ones to say, this is where the cowboy rides away. i gave my very first speech as a member of congress from texas on february 1, 2005, after i had come back from iraq to see their first free elections ever. went to iraq along with chris shays, a congressman from connecticut. and since that first speech, some might say i haven't shut up, and well, they're probably right, mr. speaker. i spoke and i understand, according to the congressional record, over 2,000 times in my 14 years serving the good people of the second congressional district of the state of texas. some very well received, i might add. might staff might say, however, some not so mu

mr. mast: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mast: h.res. 1063 designates the room h-226 of the u.s. capitol as the lincoln room. i appreciate my colleagues' work on this and find it appropriate to honor for such a distinguished leader of our country. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from nevada. ms. titus: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. titus: thank you. i also support house resolution 1063. this bipartisan bill designates room h-226 in the u.s. capitol as the lincoln room. as we all know, president abraham lincoln is commonly considered one of the greatest presidents in the history of the united states. but what you might not know is that president lincoln at one point in his career was a member o

mr. he it's: mr. speaker -- mr. correa: the risks posed to our innocent bistandards from vehicular terrorism continues to grow. a vote today to concur with the senate amendments to h.r. 4227 is a vote to foalster preparedness in response to these emerging threats. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from kansas. mr. estes: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. estes: i once again urge my colleagues to support this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendments to h.r. 4 27. so many as are in favor say aye. -- 4232 -- 4227. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair -- the gentleman from kentucky. mr. massey: mr. speaker, i request the ye

mr. shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials on the record on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, this bill is a targeted exemption for remote villages in alaska, from e.p.a.'s most recent emission rules. e.p.a. state officials have found that diesel generators compliant with the most recent standards do not work reliably in harsh, cold winter conditions. to preserve the health and safety of the people relying on diesel generators, less strict but actually workable standards, our colleagues in the senate passed this bill with unanimous consent. it is reasonable legislation that deserves our support. i see senator whitehouse and carper were supportive of this bill. it comes out of the e.p.w. committee. i ask our colleagues to support it. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentl

mr. cole: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield two minutes to my very good friend from the great state of michigan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for two minutes. >> thank you, mr. speaker. you know, we all took an oath. i know we remember that oath. it's my first oath of office. to keep our citizens safe, to protect them, protect our borders, protect in the case of disasters and, in fact, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle in the past have upported a border wall, border protection. mr. mitchell: now since the name president trump is on it, it's evil, it's bad. how politically convenient. i remind you of the oath we took to protect the citizens in this nation that apparently we are so readily to toss aside when it's politically expedient. you talk about a deal that was made. there was no deal. the senate may have made whatever deal they wish to make. i am not aware we work for the united states senate, mr. speaker. i represent people from the 10th congressional dist

in a word, mr. speaker, values. they lovingly led by example, which is what my wife and i attempt to do today with our two children. we now have over so many different years of history showing it is our families that can best perpetuate our values, raise our children, and care for our elderly. let me turn to free enterprise. 1776 wasn't just a revolutionary year for america. it was a revolutionary year for free enterprise. for american capitalism, free it was in that year that cottish moral philosopher adam smith penned its intellectual foundation in his opus magnum, of nations, prosperity would never, never be same. we now have over 200 years of history in this country proving market capitalism produces the greatest wealth for people.test number of yes, free enterprise is about wealth creation. to be confused with materialism. es, free enterprise does produce porsches, jacuzzis and to paris. more importantly, it empowers a actor worker in my district in mesquite, texas, to start her own business. it helps a family

the speaker pro tempore: thank you, mr. speaker. -- mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i also rise in support of s. 943. the abysmal conditions and status of education attainment and achievement of american indian children and students continues. this educational gap for american indian students continues to lag behind all other students in this country. this bill would require the department of interior to annually update the account count of american indian and alaska native student so that departments can more accurately distribute johnson of o'malley funds which supplement indian education. the bill would also require grantees to report how funds are being used, helping to ensure federal dollars support native students' education. the federal government has a responsibility to provide parity and resource to native education. currently the department is prevented from updating the count because of an effort from over 20 years ago to cut spending through the use of block grants. congress at the time determined one way to reduce funding for indian education was to free

mr. neal: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i have no further speakers. i would like to inquire if the gentleman from texas has any further speakers and if not i am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. neal: thank you, mr. speaker. so the holy grail of the tax cut was the constant references to the stock market. that's what we heard for the last year. i wonder about some of our members if they want to compare their foik to what it was like -- 401-k to what it was like in october, 2008 rges or as we continue to witness that constant reference to the stock market, the stock market. at the end of 2017, the stock market, the dow jones was 24,719. his afternoon at 22,859. i call attention to that because of the chaotic nature in which this legislative body has functioned. hearings, no witnesses, legislation crafted, we don't know where, brought to the floor, and then referenced as the achievement of a rising stock market. so here we are again without one single h

mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize mr. parker green of valdosta, georgia, who passed away on december 18, 2018. mr. green was a stalwart at moody air force base. in 2007 he was honored with the exceptional public service award for work on the base. his colleagues said they don't know if anyone else could compare with his dedication and contribution to moody. mr. green had been working with the base since the early 1970's when he served as first chairman of military affairs for the valdosta chamber of commerce. among a number of other contributions, he's also worked with the department of transportation on roads leading in and out of the base and even has a building named after him. mr. green has truly been involved in every aspect with both moody air force base and the surrounding area, touching the lives of countless people who have been stationed there. his family, friends, and everyone at moody will be in my thoughts and prayers during this most difficult time. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro t

thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise to recognize the amazing accomplishments of ms. casey cafold, a 14-year-old freshman at connecessary toga valley high school in -- conestoga valley high school in lancaster, pennsylvania. she's a winner and world record holder. last month she competed with olympic class archers from round the world at the world archer indoor series open in luxembourg. she earned 58 out of 600 possible points -- 589 out of 600 possible points to win a gold medal and set a world record for height hest score earned by an archer under the age of 17 during competition. we're incredibly proud of casey's achievements and looking forward to all that's in store for her in the future, which i believe will be as a future olympian. if she does so, she will represent our nation well. we wish her continued success in all of her endeavors. thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise to recognize a man synonymous with railroading in lancaster county, mr. lynn modinger. after 51 years, 51 years working

in a word, mr. speaker, values. they lovingly led by example, which is what my wife and i attempt to do today with our two children. over so many different years of history showing that it is our families that can best perpetuate our values, raise our children and care for our elderly. now, let me turn to free enterprise. 1776 wasn't just a revolutionary year for america. it was a revolutionary year for free enterprise. for american capitalism. free market capitalism as well. because it was in that year that scottish moral philosopher adam smith penned its intellectual foundation. opus magnum, prosperity would never, ever be the same. we now have over 200 years of history in this country proving that free market capitalism produces the greatest wealth for the greatest number of people. yes, free enterprise is about wealth creation. but this is not to be confused with materialism. yes, free enterprise does produce hot tubbs and vacations to paris. but more importantly -- tubs and vacations to paris. but more importan

mrs. lowey: mr. speaker, as i yield to mr. bishop of georgia, i want to make it clear that most of the opioids, the drugs are coming through the ports of entry. and i'm very happy to yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia, the ranking member of the agriculture subcommittee, mr. -- subcommittee. mr. bishop: i thank the gentlelady for yielding. mr. speaker, as a legislative body, one of congress' core responsibilities is to keep the government open and working for the people. another core responsibility is to help communities that are struck by disaster, to recover and rebuild. the continuing resolution before us is not a sufficient response to these vital needs. it includes only token disaster relief for rural communities and farmers in middle and southwest georgia that were devastated by hurricane michael and other disasters that occurred in 2018. it does not include a number of provisions that were being negotiated. it includes only $8 million for impacted rural communities, instead of $150 million. it does not chang

speaker. mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise, a sufficient number having risen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 399, the nays are zero. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the senate amendments are agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the house will be in order. the house will be in order. members will take their c

mr. walden: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and xtend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the record on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. walden: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. walden: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 1222, the congenital heart futures re-authorization act. i'd like to thank representative gus bilirakis of florida, who is a valued member of our energy and commerce committee, for bringing this bill forward, and for his passion on this very important issue. as one of the original authors of this legislation, you drove this re-authorization forward and i'm proud to stand in front of it with you, mr. bilirakis. as a parent of a child who died from a congenital heart defect, i know how much today's vote gives hope to the parents, infants, and adults across the country who live with the effects

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. collins: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. this bill is in part a response to the work of the overcriminalization task force. the committee created the task force to look at the growing problems of overcriminalization and federalization of criminal law. it adheres to these principles by eliminating several sections of the criminal code that have never been charged, criminal liesed conduct that should not land someone in criminal prison such as unauthorized use of the woodsy owl image or enclosingian or both. this is a good measure and i urge my colleagues to support t i would also like to thank the gentleman from ohio, mr. chabot, for his work on this bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves his time. the gentlelady from texas. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, i ask to speak for such time i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. jackson lee: i thank you. i join with the manager o

mr. faso: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to give my thanks to the people of the 19th congressional district for giving me the honor of serving them in the house over these past two years. i ran for congress focused on how i could make a difference for people of my district. it is no secret that upstate new york has been in a long protracted period of economic decline with many families and businesses choosing to leave due to high taxes and few employment opportunities. as such, my focus upon taking office was how we can can make upstate more economically competitive while at the same time making sure that our citizens, businesses, and local governments have an active voice representing their interests before the federal government. i listened to the people across the district. firefighters and emergency responders, law enforcement, educators, business owners, and average working families who told me of the issues that we face, the opioid crisis, the highest property taxes in the nation, the exodus of people and

mr. xx: thank you, speaker. mr. speaker, i rise to honor mr. charlie lovett of wilkes county in north carolina's fifth district. recently mr. lovett was posthumously inducted in the wilkes county agriculture hall of fame and three miles of highway nc-16 north were officially renamed in his honor. in addition to being a pioneer of the u.s. powell tree industry, mr. lovett -- poultry industry, mr. lovett was part of the c.l. lovett highway. although he passed away in 1978, mr. lovett's legacy is fondly remembered and livelihoods continue to thrive along trails he blazed. charlie lovett's life is a shining example of the american dream, that north carolinaians remain proud of and hopeful for. at the young age of 14, lovett left home to drive trucks for his uncle, distributing farm products in the foothills of mountains of wilkes. in the summers he put his farming skills to use. at age 19 he returned to public school to improve his skills to be able to turn his work experiences into a business of his own. starting with horse-drawn wagon to sell app

mr. speaker, mr. speaker, when we have the boat, when we have the boat, members will need to reflect carefully what is in the best interest of our country. i i know that there are a rangef very strongly held personal views on this issue across the house, and i respect all of them. but expressing our personal views is not what we are here to do. we asked the british people to take this decision. 472 current members of this house voted for the referendum in june 2015, with just 32 voting against. british people responded by instructing as to leave the european union. similarly, similarly, 438 current members of this house voted to trigger article 50 to set the process of our departure in motion with only 85 of today's members voting against. now, we must honor our duty to finish the job. [shouting] i know, i know that it is not everyone's perfect deal. it is a compromise, but if we let the perfect be the enemy of the good, then we risk leaving the eu with no deal. of course -- of course we have prepared

mr. hoyer: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute for the purpose of inquiring of the majority leader the schedule for the week to come. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hoyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield to my friend. i want to say as i yield to him, maybe i better say it at the end and see how pleasant we're. i yield to the majority leader. mr. mccarthy: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hoyer: mr. speaker, the house is still not in order. members want to hear the information that the leader gives about the schedule. the speaker pro tempore: members will please carry their onversation off the floor. the gentleman may pr seed. mr. mccarthy: i first want to begin by thanking my friend. today could be our last schedule colloquy together. over the years we have had many spirited debates on this floor. we have celebrated moments of cooperation

mr. roe: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time i'd like to yield two minutes to my good friend and chairman of the u.n. is committee on yofe sight -- on the subcommittee of oversight and investigation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bergman: thank you, chairman roe, and thanks to you and chairman isaacson for your leadership throughout the 115th congress. in a bipartisan, bicameral way, for putting together one last package of veterans priorities bills. to be able to sponsor any bill is a privilege. but to be able to sponsor a veteran-related bill is both an honor and a privilege. you know, to talk just very quickly about a couple of bills that i was proud to sponsor, the been title of the bill use purchase cards for up to $10,000 using government cards. this act basically allows them to continue to do that, but also allows the secretary of the v.a. to revoke purchase card approval authority for many employees who have found to have been misusing that card. as chairman of the subcommittee, t

speaker. mr. speaker, i'm not sure members of the public coming into -- would necessary appreciate our role as the high court of parliament but that is what we are. and by virtue of history we have been given a whole range of powers enjoyed normally only by others of her majesties courts, by which we both regulate her affairs can maintain our own privilege which also means by virtue of the bill of rights, 1689, and we can't be impugned in the other court, and have course of powers but even with those who transgress in front of us. that can include government ministers. the difficulty we have, i had to say from having served on the standards and privilege committee and also get a law officer, is powers are entirely archaic, almost completely unusable, and in many cases are so old-fashioned and antiquated that any attempt to using them would probably run file of most modern vegetables of justice. and i'm afraid that this situation has been allowed to prevail for decade after decade by a mixture of t

mr. speaker, i thank you. i thank the men and women across the world who stand up for the basic idea that all people are endowed by their creators with certain inalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman yield. mr. gare wet sp -- mr. garrett: i yield and entertain a motion -- or make a motion. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess subject to the call of through february 8. report this evening have said some senators have objected to the vote because we authorize in the land and conservation fund was left out of that package. worked onshould be tonight in the senate and could come to the floor of the house as early as tomorrow. >> when the new congress takes office in january, it will have the youngest, most diverse freshman class in recent history. new congress, new leaders. watch it live on c-span, starting january 3. >> the federal reserve announced short-termaise

thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. mrs. lowey: mr. speaker, i am pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york, the ranking member of the commerce, justice, science committee, mr. serrano. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for two minutes. mr. serrano: i thank the gentlewoman. you know, for me, this is a very simple thought. it's the same thought i've had all along. this country, of all countries, should not be building a wall. this country, the land of opportunity, the land of freedom, the land where people come to build a new life, should not be building a wall. so what do we do? there isn't the support necessary for building the wall. for funding it. so at the last moment we sneak it into a so-called must-pass bill or otherwise you shut the overnment down. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant back live to the house floor now for votes. tes will be taken following order. , use resolution 10

oliver hudson thank you, mr. speaker -- mr. hudson: thank you, mr. speaker. it's a pleasure to be here today and recognize my good friend, parker. as she leaves patrick mchenry's leadership office, to take over as executive director of the national republican congressional committee. parker's been a friend and a mentor and a counselor to me in count -- and countless others over the years, none more significantly than patrick mchenry. it's been a real pleasure to watch him evolve and develop as a legislator under her very good tutelage. we met when we were both chiefs of staff. me coming to washington out of north carolina and parker starting out as chief of staff for one of my best friends, patrick mchenry. parker is intelligent, she's poised, she's wise beyond her years, and a heck of a great person. just a pleasure to spend time with. and she's helped me more times than i can count over the years, including when i decided to run for congress myself. she's as well respected as anyone on capitol hill and i couldn't be more proud of her as she moves on to her

mr. mr. conaway: thank you, mr. speaker. before i finish i would like to also add my thanks to the staff, the majority staff, the minority staff in the house as well as the minority and majority staff in the senate. untold hours were spent getting us to this place by these hard working men and women who labor in relative anonymity. colin and i get all the hugs and patsed on the back but they do all the hard work. art fisher, patricia strachan, josh maxwell, jennifer tiller, trevor white, callie mcadams, ayla crosswhite, molly, mindy, yasmin, emy, ashton, darryl, abigail, margaret, john, brian martin hayes, brandon reeves, nicole bane for all the hard work, all the time spent away if families for the last year plus getting to this point. mr. speaker, in a few minutes, there will be red and green lights go up behind your head. pressure facing america's farmers and ranchers are just unimaginable to those of us not directly in the business. pressures of five years reduced income, five years burning thru savings and capital, five

thank you, mr speaker. i willjust make my apologies before i start but i have do leave to chair the finance bill and so i have to do absent the chamber quickly. i want to begin my point, which i will make, by referring to the honourable member and comments that he made on the radio this morning when he discussed the iraq war debate and the legal advice that was issued and what is happening now and actually conflated the two. because of course the advice that was issued wrongly by the previous administration, which actually resulted in members in this house going into the lobbies misinformed and without the required information, was about a legal... the legality of the —— of the iraq war. this as was made clear yesterday is a political decision, not a legal one. i am not going to give way. i have not got time. sorry. i thank you for giving way. the only point i was making with the comparison above the risk of cherry picking and i don't think anyone would argue that the iraq war and the position that was

mr. garrett: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, over thanksgiving i had the amazing opportunity to accompany some impressive individuals and thought leaders from the freedom research foundation, on my own dime, my own time, into iraq and northeastern syria. there was a debate that ran between myself and one of these individuals over what was more dangerous, ignorance or evil. ultimately i suggested that perhaps ignorance is dangerous and evil is dangerous but the most dangerous thing might be the ignorance of evil itself. in order to vanquish evil we must first vanquish ignorance and we must recognize the evil that exists in order to correct it. so tonight, to that end, i'll speak to the realities on the ground not only in the middle east but in so many parts of the world, but specifically in iraq and syria, right now, as i speak if we don't get this right not only will innumerable lives vanish, but entire cultures will vanish. to my left, your right, is an image of individuals restrained and then set on fire, one of many

mr. brady: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill that's currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. brady: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. brady: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of this important tax and oversight legislation. this bill has key timely components, each of us -- each of which will help our economy continue moving in the right direction. and provide help to families and communities damaged by disaster. first, i think it is simply irresponsible to wait until next year to deliver crucial tax relief for families in 14 states and territories who are struggling today to recover from this year's devastating wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes and other severe storms. california alone, 17,000 structures destroyed, nearly 90 lives lost throughout th

indeed, you very much mr. speaker. the prime minister challenged others to be out front about what they want. but she needs to be up front, too. it was her red lines that created the problem. that led to the backstop that has brought us to the house of commons today in such a weak position. in the answer she gave a moment ago, can she tell the house whether a single of the eu leader she spoke to over the weekend indicated they were prepared to renegotiate article 20 of the backstop protocol? because in the absence of any such commitment, isn't canceling tomorrow's vote merely postponing the inevitable? >> hear, hear. prime minister may: can i say to the right honorable gentleman, the issue that we were very clear on with the european union was there could not be a border down the irish y. persuaded themad to have a u.k.-why customs territory, rather than northern ireland-wide. that was the key issue in relation to the border. we negotiated that out of the proposal. >> thank you, mr. speaker. share my right honorable fr

mr. speaker. mr. speaker. when we have the votes when we have the vote members will need to reflect carefully on what is in the best interest of our country. i know there are a range of variation we had personal views on this issue across the house. i respect all of them. expressing our personal views is not what we are here to do. we asked the british people to take this decision. 400 and 72 current members of this house voted for the referendum in june 2015. with just 32 voting against and the british people responded by instructing us to be the european union. similarly, 438 current members of this house voted to trigger article 502 set the process of our departure in motion with only 85 of today's members voted against. now, we must honor our duty to finish the job. i know, i know it is not everyone's perfect deal and a compromise. if we net the perfect be the enemy of the good then we risk leaving the eu. of course, we have prepared for no deal tomorrow the cabinet will be discussing the next phase in ens

mr. hensarling: thank you, mr. speaker. tonight is a privilege that i have to yield time to somebody who has become a good friend and an excellent colleague, who has served with me at my side at the house financial services committee, who will be leaving us at the end of this congress. her voice of common sense and her voice to really promote economic growth among all americans will be missed, but in her short tenure, she has made her mark on our committee and made her mark in congress and i am pleased to yield three minutes to the gentlelady from new york, ms. tenney. ms. tenney: thank you, mr. speaker. it was certainly an honor and a privilege to serve in the prestigious financial services committee, as a member of the 115th congress. it was a distinct privilege to be selected to serve on the committee by our chairman, jeb hensarling, who recognized the urgent need to reignite our economy and to give small businesses like ours and millions like our family business around the nation a chance to thrive again, against the op

mr. speaker cap -- mr. speaker, can you tell us how do we move on? i do not need the honorable gentlemen continually ranting. order call the points of -- i will call them when i am ready. what i say to the honorable lady is that the best way wish to proceed is to move to the statements. i will treat further points of order. in the circumstances as significant i was not aware of and itleged circumstance has been brought to light by the points of order. the sooner that the points of order can come to an end, the sooner we can proceed. >> point of order, simon hall. -- evidence on a number of occasions. variety -- which anybody who had a basic -- what the labor leader had to say about the prime minister. when you undertake to take into evidence things which people have tweet4eed out to show that? the point. >> -- in terms of television? >> i do not think that added much. i think the commitment was clear that i'm happy to provide the honorable gentlemen the assurance he seeks. >> -- utmost respect for your position and the chair. if you look at what has

mr. hoyer: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute for the purpose of inquiring of the majority leader the schedule for the week to come. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hoyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield to my friend. i want to say as i yield to him, maybe i better say it at the end and see how pleasant we're. i yield to the majority leader. mr. mccarthy: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hoyer: mr. speaker, the house is still not in order. members want to hear the information that the leader gives about the schedule. the speaker pro tempore: members will please carry their onversation off the floor. the gentleman may pr seed. mr. mccarthy: i first want to begin by thanking my friend. today could be our last schedule colloquy together. over the years we have had many spirited debates on this floor. we have celebrated moments of cooperation

. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i join yourself and the prime minister in welcoming sami woodhouse to parliament today. it's a typical act of your generosity to refer to her in the gallery today so others may be emboldened to deal with the horrors of the rape crisis that we face. mr. speaker, i would also like to express our sympathies to the family of luke griffin, who was killed in kabul last week alongside five fellow workers who were afghan nationals. luke had previously served in the 16th regiment of the royal artillery. mr. speaker, while we debate the critical issue of brexit, we must not neglect the crisis facing millions of people across our country. last week, i wrote to the prime minister about the scathing report of the u.n. special reporter on this government's brutal policies towards the poorest in britain. as of now, i received no reply from the prime minister. but when the prime minister read the report, what shocked her more? was it the words the u.n. used, or was it the shocking reality of rising p

deal and this is >> thank you. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the prime minister for her statement but i have to ask, leadership? the threes which is often used, we thought the prime minister but eached rock bottom she's still digging. four eaker, we have sitting days left in this place recess.the christmas we return in january -- it cannot be done, after two years negotiation, the prime minister has designed a deal cannot knows that she deliver. it doesn't have the support of this house. time to call t is time on this government. it is a laughing stock. companies and their workers do to be w if we're going crashing out of the european months time.e just over 100 days. riskays to prepare for the of an ordeal that more sensible olk would reject as being unacceptable. the prime minister is playing a brinks manship. it was clear when he said i have no mandate to organize any further negotiations. what more does the prime to know need to hear, that her deal is dead? embarrassing. the prime minister might be prepared to be embarrassed, but re

thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, the ongoing malicious and provocative construction by hezbollah of attack tunnels along the israeli northern border have intensified. this puts innocent lives and-n critical danger, requiring israel to destroy the tunlts located on israeli territory. the world should condemn hezbollah, a murderous terrorist organization, for infiltration designed to can kidnap israeli citizens. the message of national security advisor john bolton is clear, to call on hezbollah to stop its tunneling into israel. this major aggression by the identify rainian terrorists has also moved the trump administration to impose greater sanctions on the terrorist group and encourage all nations to stand up against iranian m

mr. speaker, she has not made any progress at all. the prime minister said so herself while still in brussels, and i quote, "the eu is clear, as am i, that this is the deal." the european commission has been categorical it will not be renegotiated. the eu council has given the clarification that were possible at this stage, so no further meetings of the u.k. are for seen. unchanged, and not going to change. the house must get on with the vote and move on to consider the realistic alternatives. no logical reason for this delay, except that in government to a new level, the prime minister no longer has the backing of her cabinet. the international trade secretary suggested that the prime minister's government dear has the backing of the cabinet. it is worth quoting his words. "i think it is very difficult to support the deal if we don't get changes to the backstop. i don't think it will get through. i'm not even sure if the cabinet will agree for it to be put to the house of commons." so we had the spectacle of the last few days with nu

. >> thank you, mr. speaker. toh permission, i would like make a statement on exiting the european union. we have now had three days of debate. setting out the terms of our departure from the eu. very carefully to what has been said in this chamber. and out of it. [indiscernible] p.m. may: what has been set in this chamber and out of it from members of all sides. it is clear that while there's support on key aspect of the issue, the remains widespread concerns. other results, the deal would be rejected. results, the deal woue rejected. we will therefore differ is andt scheduled for tomorrow not proceed to divide the house at this time. i sit in my speech opening debate last week the reasons why it is a necessary guarantee to the people of northern ireland and why with every future relationship you want there is no deal available that is not included the backstop. behind all those arguments are some inescapable facts. northern ireland shares a border with another sovereign state, the fact that they hard won peace

mr. speaker. can i first of all join you and the whole house in commending sammy woodhouse. it is, as we recognize across this house, that for too long it has been difficult for rape victims to speak out. i hope that now following her example others will recognize that they will be heard and that proper action will be taken. mr. speaker, this morning i have meetings with colleagues and others in addition to my duty in this house i will have meetings further today. >> speaker dunn. >> could i echo your comments in respect of sammy woodhouse from the back benches. >> here-here. >> does my honorable friend believe today's announcement of the u.k. significant investment to work alongside the nhs using genomics and a.i. to diagnose diseases serves that companies such as add yul em will continue to invest to improve patient outcomes post-brexit. >> here, here. >> can i say to my old friend, that this investment is indeed a significant one. 1 billion pounds investment and will deliver a state-of-the-art

simply can't secure further assurances if i may conclude mr speaker on a personal note on the morning after the referendum two and a half years ago i knew that we had witnessed a defining moment for our democracy places that didn't get a lot of attention at elections and which did not get much coverage on the news were making their voices heard and saying that they wanted things to change i knew in that moment that parliament had to deliver for them but of course that doesn't just mean delivering bricks it it means working across all areas building a stronger economy improving public services. tackling tackling tackling social injustices to make this a country that truly works for everyone. and the prime minister must be heard the prime minister. tackling social injustices to make this a country that truly works for everyone a country where no where and nobody is left behind and these matters are too important to be after thoughts in our politics they deserve to be at the center of our thinking but that can only happen if we get bricks it done and get it done right and even though i v

mr speaker, as i conclude, i've been very generous mr speaker and giving way, particularly to that side. as i conclude, mr speaker, as i conclude, i want to pay tribute to my honourable friend the memberfor pay tribute to my honourable friend the member for holborn, but his shadow brexit secretary, and his tea m shadow brexit secretary, and his team of shadow ministers, he's now facing his third brexit secretary, he stayed the course, holding the government to account. and i thank him and his wonderful team and their supporters for what they've done and isa supporters for what they've done and is a test today and forcing the government to release the legal advice that they were trying to it —— withhold from us. this is not the deal the country was promised. i'm parliament cannot and i believe will not accept it. the false choice between this bad deal and no deal will also be rejected. people around the country... the opposition is not currently giving way, he's developing his points. he's developing his points. he's developing its point, members don't need to set themselves up as th