Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives 11142017 20171114

You have not given us the spirit of fear, but given us the spirit of love, the spirit of Compassionate Authority and the spirit of godly judgment. Holy spirit, touch the hearts of our elected officials. Let everything done in this chamber be for your glory and for your praise. We pleas you in advance for the mercy and truth that will come from this house on this day and reach all areas of these United States and indeed the utter most part of the world. In jesus name we pray. Amen. The speaker the chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces his approval. For what purpose does the gentleman from South Carolina seek recognition . Mr. Wilson pursuant to clause 1, rule 1, i demand a vote on agreeing to the speakers ajournal. The speaker those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The journal stands approved. Mr. Wilson mr. Speaker, i demand the yeas and nays. The speaker yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8, rule 20, further proceedings on this question is postponed. The pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from oregon, mr. Schrader. Mr. Schrader 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 ustice for all. The speaker without objection, the gentleman from indiana, mr. Carton, is recognized for one minute. You, mr. Thank speaker, mr. Speaker, im pleased to welcome my constituent as our guest chaplain today. You, mr. Speaker, mr. Speaker, im pleased to welcome my constituent as our guest chaplain today. Reverend dr. Anthony gibson. Hes a lifelong hoosier and bright young leader from indianas faith community. Reverend gibson is the presiding elder of the indian conference of the african methodist edispossibly zion hurch and former pastor of the st. Mark temple a. M. E. Zion church in indianapolis, yen. Its a 221year denomination founded in new york city in 1796 and spread across the country, including the Indiana Church that was established in 1907. Dr. Gibson was born in gary, indiana. Later attended Indiana University in bloomington where he completed a double major in journalism and africanamerican studies. He furthered his education at the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in louisville, kentucky, with a masters of divinity degreen and earned his doctorate of theology from Trinity Bible College and seminary. Graduated from Strayer University in human management with specialation in organizal development. I would like to thank him for his willingness to travel to d. C. Graduated. I pray, mr. Speaker, that his words warm to share his spiritu love and guidance with the house today the hearts of my colleagues as we Work Together to carry out the peoples business with compassion and courage. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair will entertain up to 15 further requests for oneminute speeches on each side of the aisle. For what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to congratulate mr. Brian lacefield, recently confirmed by President Trump as kentuckys new Farm Service Agency director. I am thrilled to recognize such a prolific member of the Agricultural Community as kentuckys new f. S. A. Director. Brian lacefield was a successful area agricultural banker and business leader. Most recently serving as market president of f. N. B. Bank. Hopkinsville, native, he previously served as director of commonwealth agri finance and currently serves on the connecticut corn growers board of directors, and the kentucky ag leadership program. Mr. Comb comer i comment mr. Comer i commend him to serve in such an important capacity. Just last year the agency was responsible for more than 330 million of payments and loans to kentucky farmers. I am grateful our new director brings with him a wealth of experience in agriculture and im confident he will serve kentuckys farlers well. I look forward to working with him in the years to come and continuing to serve kentuckys agriculture community. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Higgins mr. Speaker, the whout economic advicers issued a report that asserting cutting 35 to 20 , e from every American Household will see their income increase by 4,000 to 9,000 next year in those years after. The u. S. Treasury secretary also said that these tax cuts would pay for themselves and produce 2 trillion in growth over the next decade. In fact, mr. Speaker, tax cuts have never paid for themselves. Not once or ever in human history. The white house has a problem in that nobody believes them. Not the congressional budget office, not the tax policy certainty, not the university of pittsburgh wharton business school, and not even Goldman Sachs from where both the treasury secretary and the National Security National Economic advisor came to the white house from. In fact, each of these nonpartisan institutions did studies and reports on tax and Economic Policy have stated explicitly that these Corporate Tax cuts will have near zero impact on future economic growth. And add at least 1. 5 trillion in new deficit over the next decade. Once again, mr. Speaker, this is fraud being perpetrated against middle america. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from South Carolina seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Wilson mr. Speaker, last week in a column by Heritage Foundation president and Washington Times it sadly identified november 7, 1917, as a day of infamy. This day marks the overthrow of the russian government by the bolsheviks led by lenin and the establishment of the murderous communist dictatorship 100 years ago. This revolution led to horrific deaths. Ed notes historians estimate hat according to Richard Pipes nine million were deceased. Richard says at least 20 million and likely as many as 30 million died in the great terror. Ed fuller in continued its nine million were deceased. Legacy is is one of grinding poverty. Most of the 88 countries that scored repressed or mostly unfree on the Heritage Foundation index of Economic Freedom are either communist, former communist, or some type of socialist economy. They are also the worlds poorest nations. Americans still hope for democratic reform in russia, extraordinary culture and limitless resource, should be one of the wealthiest nations on earth. In conclusion, god bless our troops extraordinary and we wil september 11 and the global war on terrorism. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from oregon seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized. A 1. 5 trillion. Its actually closer to 2. 3 trillion with interest. Thats the amount this partisan tax reform plan plans to add to our debt and deficit. Mr. Schrader i have had a few folks say we have had 10 trillion added to the debt over the last eight years. With all due respect, republicans controlled congress during six of those eight years. Where are my conservative republican friends who railed for eight years on the deficits . Was that just while a democrat was in the white house . Are we such shallow political hypocritical people we ignore the greatest threat to our country, our National Debt and deficit just a republicans in the oval office . Furthermore, the idea well grow our way out of that 2 hole is fantacy. Look at the growth rate after the last big tax cut at the end of 2015. Since we passed that tax cut, the growth rate remains steady at 1 1 2 to 2 . No change. That huge tax cut financed with 650 billion in debt to our kids. The Wharton School of business, not exactly a liberal bastion of theology, looks at it to be less than 1 . Vote against this package. Tax reform thats deficit neutral at least for our kids sake. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Tax reform thats deficit neutral at least for our mr. Fitzpatrick mr. Speaker, i rise today to recognize mcloughlin, the middle atlantic great lakes organized crime Law Enforcement network and the reachal information sharing systems program. Last month i had the opportunity to tour the site in my district in new town, bucks county, pennsylvania. As one of six regional centers, they serve delaware, indiana, maryland, michigan, new jersey, new york, ohio, the district of columbia, and pennsylvania. As well as england and parts of canada their work is integral in keeping local, state, and federal Law Enforcement agencies informed and equipped with the tools they need to do their jobs and keep us safe. The regional information sharing systems have supported agencies for a combined agencies for a combined 40 years. In 2016 alone, in pennsylvania, mclock lynn saw 2,099 requests for criminal investigative he research assistance. Their holisic approach embodies the best of what a system can offer to our local, state, and federal Law Enforcement agencies. Mr. Speaker, were proud of the work they do operating on behalf of the Regional Information Sharing Systems Program in my district. Were here to support them and their mission to support our Law Enforcement community. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from North Carolina eek recognition . Wroid, the gentleman is recognized for one without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Pittenger on saturday i had the privilege of honoring six world war ii heroes v. F. W. Boast 2423 in indian trail, North Carolina. Each hero was awarded the french legion honor. They were Charles Richardson who flew 35 combat missions aboard a b17 over france, netherlands, and germany. Andrew, received a purple heart while trying to liberate france. Wilmer, help liberate rome. James landed at omaha beach on dday and received two bronze stars and three purple hearts. As tore landed on omaha beach on dday. He was one of only a handful of soldiers to survive. Harold landed on utah beach on dday helped saved lives bice disarming land mines. I ask all my colleagues in join me in thanking these brave patriots for their service to the United States and the cause of liberty. Thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlewoman from North Carolina seek recognition . Without objection, the gentlewoman from is recognized for one minute. Today i rise for the people of North Carolinas 12th congressional district. Ms. Adams stand up for the opportunities our Community Needs and reject the billionaires first republican tax plan. This tax plan fails to hear the American People t gives tax cuts to corgses on the back of the middle class. Last week i sent a letter to the ways and means chair and to speaker ryan outlining the 12 district tax priorities and urging the inclusion of education related deductions. Republicans refuse to hear the calls so this week i announce tax package. This series of amendments includes reinstating the tax exempt status of private use bonds. Used to build infrastructure and affordable housing. Reinstating the state and local Tax Deduction and protect the funds used to pay for schools, community development, and public safety. Reinstate the student Loan Interest tax redee ducks. Repealing the tax on tuition waivers, incentivizing investments and stem education. Communities across the nation need the increased access to upward mobility. And education the great equalizer is the place to start. I urge my colleagues to support my amendments to make education accessible for all students. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Rnd. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i rise today thomp recognize tracy becker on being awarded the 2017 keystone award which is the highest honor bestowed by the Pennsylvania Association of chamber professionals. Tracy is executive director of the Clarion Area Chamber of business and industry. The keystone award was established in 1963 to recognize Outstanding Service in and contributions to the profession of Chamber Management in pennsylvania. The award is not presented annually. But only when an individual has merited such recognition. Tracy is just the 24th person to receive this award since its inception 54 years ago. She was dominate neathed by her staff, the board members, and fell members of the fellow members of the association. She began her chamber career in 1987. She has dedicated her life to the betterment of the community. She has been with the Clarion Area Chamber business and industry for more than 30 years. 13 of those as executive director. Mr. Speaker, i wholeheartedly congratulate tracy on this prestigious honor and thank her for making her community a better place to live and work. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition . Permission to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection. I congratulate the college of law legal clinic. The u. T. Legal clinic is a National Leader in clinical education. It has been ranked one of the top 10 programs among public universities and 19th among all u. S. Law schools. The u. T. Legal clinic was founded in 1947 by professor Charles Miller and longest legal clinic in the country. Students learn by doing. This prepares students for the practice of law and providing Legal Services to the underprivileged. The work that the clinic has further advanced the cause of justice by serving clients that cannot afford legal representation. Nor and con late the congratulate the u. T. Legal clinic and thank for its service to the people of the state of tennessee and the entire nation. I wish only the best in training and educating law students. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . Ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Smith a recent Washington Post university of maryland poll asked americans whom they blame for causing disfunction in the u. S. Political system. Its no surprise that 88 of respondents said the news media caused some or a lot of the disfunction. The liberal media blames President Trump of all the problems, they bear the burden of this disfunction. Months of reporting have shredded the credibility. The media should report the facts objectively and that is fair coverage of the president and his administration. The media has been anything but fair. According to a new harvard study, Media Coverage of the president s first 100 days was 80 record, a new record. Until the media becomes less slanted they will continue to be a source of disfunction in our political system. The speaker pro tempore the chair lays before the house a communication. The clerk the honorable, pursuant to the permission granted in the rules of the u. S. House of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on november 14, 2017 at 9 39 a. M. , that the Senate Passed without amendment h. R. 1679. With best wishes, i am signed sincerely, karen l. Haas. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from alabama seek recognition . Mr. Byrne i call up House Resolution 616 and ask for its immediate consideration. The clerk house calendar number 101, House Resolution 616 resolved, that upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill, h. R. 287 4, to achieve reforms to improve the Financial Stability of the National Flood Insurance Program, to enhance the development of more accurate estimates of flood risk through new technology and better maps, to increase the role of private markets in the management of Flood Insurance risks, and to provide for alternative methods to insure against flood peril, and for other purposes. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. In lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on Financial Services now printed in the bill, the amendment printed in part a of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution, modified by the amendment printed in part b of that report, shall be considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except 1 one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on Financial Services; and 2 one motion to recommit with or without instructions. Section 2. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider the conference report to accompany the bill, h. R. 2810, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for military activities of the department of defense, for military construction, and for Defense Activities of the department of energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes. All points of order against the conference report and against its consideration are waived. The conference report shall be considered as read. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the conference report to its adoption without intervening motion except 1 one hour of debate; and 2 one motion to recommit if applicable. Section 3. The clerk shall not transmit to the senate a message that the house has adopted the conference report to accompany h. R. 2810 until notified by the speaker or by message from the senate that the senate has passed h. R. 437 4 without amendment. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from alabama is recognized. Mr. Byrne during consideration of this resolution all time is yielded for purpose of debate only. I yield 30 minutes to the the gentlewoman from new york, mrs. Slaughter, pending which i may consume. I ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. This provides for consideration century 74, the 21st flood reform act and conference report on the National Defense authorize age act for 2018. H. R. 2874, the 21st century flood reform act reauthorizes the National Flood Insurance Program for five years and introduces great private Market Competition and provides additional reforms to benefit policy holders and taxpayers. The office of management and budget said the National Flood Insurance Program is not sustainable in its current form. The 21st century flood reform act helps sustain it. The bill will foster a private market for Flood Insurance which allows private insurers to compete and in turn diving down the pies of policies. This is a win for policy holders and taxpayers alike. Representing alabamas gulf coast, it is important to me and my constituents that they have access to affordable Flood Insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer. I appreciate the inclusion of provisions in the act to protect current policy holders while making the program sustainable. I appreciate the chairman to work with members whose constituents such as mind remine on the nfip to raise concerns about the initial bill that passed out of committee. This bill is a positive step toward reauthorizing our nations Flood Insurance program which is set to expire on december 8. We must take action to ensure owners in floodprone areas have access to affordable insurance. I look forward to working with the senate to get a longterm reauthorization and signed into law by President Trump. House resolution 616 allows for consideration of the final version of the National Defense authorization act that was conferenced between the house and the senate reconciling the differences between two different versions. Mr. Speaker, before i go into the substance of the bill i commend the open ap regular order process that has taken place from start to finish. As a member of the Armed Services committee and the rules committee, i have followed this bill throughout the legislative process and think we should be proud of the regular order and the fact that a wide range of members played a role in crafting the final product. I applaud chairman thornberry and Ranking Member smith and the staff for their dedication to an open process. And i appreciate the countless areas they poured into the conference report. Just as a reminder, we considered 275 amendments during the house Armed Services committee back in june and 210 amendments when it was considered by the full house in july. 485 amendments were considered in the house and just as important, there was a clear bipartisan split between the number of majority and minority amendments. The Conference Committee continued this bipartisan and collaborative process under the men and ip of four chair Ranking Members. This is a bill that provides the best for our National Security. Ndaa follows is through on our promise to our men and women to provide for the common defense of the United States america. Y. 2018 ndaa authorizes a 10 increase in total military spending, and the bill authorizes 626 billion for base requirements and 66 billion for oversees contingency operations. That adds up to a total National Defense top line of 700 billion. I am incredibly proud to support a topline number high enough to begin reversing the readiness crisis that has endangered the lives of our Service Members and made it hard to defend our country. Under the past eight years, our military has suffered. We have planes that cant fly, ships that cant sail and soldiers who cant deploy all while the number of threats around the world keep rising. I want to acknowledge this topline number is significantly higher than the budget control act on defense. I look forward to continue dialogue to raise this cap that has crippled defense spending in recent years. Every day we operate under a continuing resolution is another day we are failing our men and women in uniform. F. Y. 2018 ndaa fulfills that side of the equation. The f. Y. 2018 increases the size of the navy, army, air force, and air guard to repair and restore readiness and authorizes construction of 13 new navy ships and Littoral Combat ships as we go to a 355 ship fleet. It provides for 2. 4 pay increase for Service Members which is the amount our troops are entitled to. Another small but important provision is it eliminate eighths the widos tax and forfeit the pension anewt. This is something our military families should not bear. The bill continues to advance chairman thornberrys priority of reforming and strengthening the ack which situation process. And importantly, the legislation takes into account the Trumps Administration Budget Amendment to authorize more funding for Missile Defense threats against north korea, navy ship preparers and more troops in afghanistan. Our men and women in uniform all over the world are on a mission to protect and defend the freedoms we hold dear. Our mission in congress is to give the brave men and women the resources to succeed. This does exactly that and another step in a multi year process of restoring our military strength to further protect our National Security. This bill is about keeping the American People safe and secure. Mr. Speaker, i urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 616 and vote for the underlying bills and i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Ms. Slaughter good afternoon, mr. Speaker and i thank the gentleman from alabama for yielding me the customary 30 minutes and i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Slaughter fiscal 2018 National Defense authorization act takes important steps towards strengthening our National Security and supporting our troops. The conference report authorizes in al of 692 billion discretionary authority. And im pleased it raises military pay by 2. 4 , an increase of the president s request of 2. 1 . To undermine our democracy by fully funding cybersecurity at 8 billion and drops harmful restrictions on funding the new strategic arms treaty extension between the United States and russia. This treaty continues the bipartisan tradition that began under president reagan of verifybly reducing both Countries Nuclear arsenal. There is one glaring problem with this measure and that is the budget control act imposes a 549 billion cap on defense spending for f. Y. 2018. 143 bill goes past that by billion. Unless the house, senate and the president come to an agreement on modifying the budget caps, there is no way these spending levels can become law. I it is past time for a bipartisan compromise on realistic spending levels for defense and nondefense spending alike. While aim glad to see this pay increase for our troops, legislation does not exist in a vacuum. Later this week the republicans plan to bring to the floor a disastrous tax bill that would force military families and veterans to finance tax cuts for corporations and super wealthy. Their bill repeals tax credits that help veterans find employment. It makes education more expensive for veterans and undermines the g. I. Bill. It makes it more expensive for military families to sell their homes. And makes tax relief for veterans suffering from chronic illnesses. Veterans day was just a few days ago, mr. Speaker, its no way for the majority to thank them for their service. And also before us today is h. R. 2874, which is known as the 21st century flood reform act. Everybody in this chamber recognizes the National Flood Insurance Program is badly in debt to the tune of 25 billion. The hurricanes this year with the flooding across louisiana last year have stretched the Program Beyond its breaking point. Unfortunately, this package will cause more harm than good for the communities already struggling to rebuild. It will make Flood Insurance more expensive for families by increasing premiums. It also is against businesses requirement to purchase Flood Insurance even though the vast majority of policyholders with this insurance only purchase it because they are required to by law. Requirement to purchase this change would take effect beginning january, 2019. The independent Community Bankers and a number of other groups oppose this provision. As businesses pull out of the insurance market, and the number participating dwindles, responsible businesses that stay in the market will be forced to bear the burden of greatly increased premiums. I think these are shortsighted changes that will be felt all across the insurance market. Additionally, the legislation doesnt do enough to update the often outofdate Flood Insurance rate maps being used in communities across the country and in my district. Accurate Flood Insurance maps the most recent mapping technologies, would help constituents in all of our districts better prepare and protect themselves against flooding. Some current maps are so outdated that the maps dont reflect changing landscapes and critical flood mitigation improvements. This bill simply falls short in helping homeowners who want to do the right thing based off the best available information. We are in the wake of some of the worst hurricanes our nation has ever experienced. And more of them. Were seeing how vital, affordable, and readily available Flood Insurance is to so many communities. Is unconscionable the joritys moving forward with this partisan package of bills unlikely to ever pass the senate. Because this will only further delay the extension of the program with one month left before it expires. As the majority lurches this partisan package of bills unlikely to ever pass the senate. From crisis to crisis and forfeiters away precious legislative time, and with this partisan approach, we will likely find ourselves right back here doing this over again in december. I reserve the balance of my ime. The speaker pro tempore the the gentlewoman from new york reserves. The gentleman from alabama is recognized. Mr. Byrne mr. Speaker, i now yield three minutes to the sponsor of this bill, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. Duffy. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. Mr. Duffy thank from crisis to you, mr. Speaker. I want to the gentleman from alabama for yielding. First want to make a comment about how this process has gone and in coming up with this compromise with the amendment on the Flood Insurance package. We have worked, Financial Services, with outside groups, whether it was the Home Builders or realtors, the insurance industry, we have worked with members of congress from the gulf states and from the east coast and west coast. We worked with democrats. A number meetings with the Ranking Member of the committee. All taking in their consideration which has brought us to a compromise that i dont know that anybody loves but everyone says is a pretty darn good bill. That strives to make needed reforms in a program that hasnt been working well. When we have programs that dont work well, lets try to fix them. We have a program that will just mentioned 25 billion in debt, but that doesnt include the 16 billion we just gave the program and forgave. So really its 41 billion in debt. So when do we think through the policies of a program that continues to run deficits, number one. But number two, continues to incentivize people to live in harms way . I was down in houston. I got to see a family who was talking about their next door neighbor. The next door neighbors house was burned down. He was telling the story about the neighbor as the house was on fire, he sent the kids outside, like you would, because your house is burning as the floodwaters are rising. And he went, the dad went to put out the fire. And as he put out the fire he looked out the window and saw his kids were being swept away by a flood. The current was too strong. He ran outside the house to save his kids. Let his house burn. What are we going to do in that neighborhood that has been flooded three times in the last 10 years . Were going to rebuild houses in the same flood plain. This doesnt make sense. Lets think about reform thats going to improve the program to help people get out of dangerous areas and get into better areas that dont flood. Flooding is not having a house flooded isnt a Pleasant Place to live. Not only that, First Responders risked their lives to go save people. And they die. They die. And were incentivizing through this policy to allow people to live in these dangerous areas. And so i dont have a lot of time left, but the reforms are going to, yes, gently increase some of the premiums for the most highly subsidized properties, we offer over 1 billion in mitigation to help families flood proof their home or get out of their home and get to a bert place to live. Because better place toly. Because this improves the solvency of Flood Insurance. Were helping with mitigation. Were helping with mapping. Allowing communities that havent been mapped to actually map themselves to pay for it. To take control of their own future and destiny instead of waiting for the federal government. We allow for a private market come in and offer you a premium that might be lower than the federal government. God forbid we offer a family choice to let the private sector compete with a public offering. My god, if you get a lower price, thats great. If you dont, you can stay. You can stay in the federal plan. But my goodness, im going to have some people come up in second but you could cherry pick. That could jeopardize the solvency of the program. Is insolvent. Its 25 billion in debt. Actually 41 if you include that 16 billion. Its not a solvent program. Just think, in houston and florida, we had people who had bought insurance in the private market, is insolvent. We would be saving taxpayers money. This is a commonsense bill. That makes the program better. Families. That empowers communities. Lets stand together and go a little bit of reform might go a long way in making government actually work. I would encourage all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote yes for common sense. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from alabama reserves. The gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Ms. Slaughter mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, will i offer an amendment to the rule to bring up h. R. 3440, the dream act. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would help thousands of young people who are americans in every way except on paper. Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the record along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Ms. Slaughter thank you. To discuss our proposal, im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york, mr. Espaillat. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Espaillat i thank the gentlewoman from new york for yielding. Mr. Speaker, there are 2,400 district, ents in my 2,400 of them. Most juveniles. There are 30,000 Daca Recipients in my home state of new york. And there are 800,000 Daca Recipients in the country. And as of this year, there were more than 10,000 noncitizens serving in the u. S. Military. And an additional 12,000 noncitizens on the reserve stay tufments were status. Were millions. Dreamers are veterans, teachers, nurses, college tudents, and dreamers are also macarthur genius fellow. A powerhouse champion for immigrant youth. Like me, shes also a cuny alum and grew up undocumented. That is why i urge my colleagues to bring a clean dream act to the house floor. H. R. 3440, the dream act, would not provide automatic amnesty. As i have heard some of my colleagues incorrectly say. The dream act has an eightyear conditional basis for permanent residency status. You have to either work for three years, serve in the armed forces, or study. You have to keep a clean record. Get a background check. And a medical exam. Then, and then and only after then for a few more years you can apply for citizenship. I ask my colleagues to vote against the previous question so that we can immediately bring the dream act to the floor and provide certainty, hope, and opportunity for 800,000 talented young people. Our country needs them. And we cannot afford to wait another day. I yield back, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentlewoman from new york reserves. The gentleman from alabama is recognized. Mr. Byrne i now yield two minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina, mr. Norman. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from South Carolina is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Norman thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak in favor of h. R. 2874, the 21st century flood reform act. This act is near and dear to my heart. Thats how i make my livelihood. Im a real estate developer. We build houses. We build commercial projects. All that stops unless reform is made in the Flood Insurance program. This bill proposes major reforms to one of the federal governments most broken programs. The National Flood Insurance Program. The Government Accountability office has labeled the nfip a high risk program, mainly because policyholders often pay premiums well below the actual risk of flooding on their properties. H. R. 2874 requires fema to conduct an annual actuarial review of the status of the nfip. Allow fema to adjust rates appropriately and help maintain the programs Financial Stability. Currently there are 4. 92 million nfip policies providing 1. 323 trillion in coverage to americans. Many of these properties are what this bill defines as multiple loss properties where nfip claims have been filed repeatedly. This bill requires fema to raise premiums on multiple loss properties by 15 annually if the premiums do not reflect the full risk. This is just another step toward fema improving the Financial Stability of the nfip. Often with the federal government there are changes and agreements made behind closed doors with little or no public comment. H. R. 2874 requires fema to publish and explain and hold public hearings in regards to any changes to premiums on policies. This is an excellent example of making the government more transparent and helping hold policyholders more accountable. Last year the 21st century flood act requires the g. A. O. For a study how we can simplify the nfipw our country being battered by hurricanes and heavy rainfall, we need to insure that the nfip is play placed in sound financial footings for future generations. For these reasons i urge my colleagues to support this all important legislation. The eaker pro tempore gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from alabama reserves. The gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Ms. Slaughter mr. Speaker, im pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. New jersey, the distinguished Ranking Member of the committee on energy and commerce, mr. Pallone. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Pallone thank you, mr. Speaker. I want to also thank my colleague from new york, the chairwoman the Ranking Member of the rules committee. I rise today in opposition to the bill and also to the rule. Just a few weeks ago we observed the fifth anniversary of super storm sandy and new jerseys recovery from that event has been prolonged in part by issues facing the National Flood Insurance Program. To many of my constituents still dealing with high premiums, inaccurate flood maps, or still waiting for their sandy claims appeals to be decided, and we need a longterm nfip reauthorization that focuses on increasing affordability, investing in mitigation, capping the profits of the Flood Insurance companies, and competitively restructuring the claims process and this bill fails these tests. H. R. 3823 would undermine the nfip by allowing the development of a private Flood Insurance market, opening the door to allowing Insurance Companies to cherry piccolorisk properties while leaving highrisk ones in the nfip. This bill also does not do enough to address affordability issues and increases rates for some policyholders. It will allow commercial properties to opt out of mandatory Coverage Even if they are in a highrisk zone, which will further decrease the pool and weaken the program. Finally, this bill simply does not do enough to improve transparency and reform the claims process. Enactment of this legislation would make Flood Insurance more expensive and less available while not actually address the programs many problems. Introduced legislation to tackle the issues. It would reauthorize the program, cap premium rate increases and authorize more money and cap the compensation of Flood Insurance companies. And i also offered amendments to the rules committee that would have improved this bill, including 10 cap on premium increases and capping the profits of Flood Insurance companies and other propolicy holder provisions but none of these amendments were accepted by the rules committee. I hear my republican colleagues talk about transparency. This is the 50th closed rule of the year, alltime record for closed rules. They blocked republican and democratic amendments. They say in their report that this is a closed rule. If its a closed rule how can you talk about transparency and process . And some of my republican colleagues that offered amendments that were denied, mr. Donovan of new york, mr. Graves, myself and mr. Pascrell who went through the sandy superstorm. It is incredible to me we had a number of democrats and republicans that wanted to reform the Flood Insurance program in an effective way based on their experiences, not some ideology but based on their experiences on the storms that impacted our districts and the rules Committee Denied every one of those amendments. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from alabama is recognized. Mr. Byrne i would point out to the gentleman the democrats have highlighted a number of amendments made during the firings first session of the 115th congress. They blocked 3,000 amendments with 2,400 occurring in the first session. So far be it from the case that republicans are blocked a number of amendments. We block far less amendments than our democratic colleagues did when they were in control of the house. I yield three minutes to a member of the rules committee, the gentlewoman from wyoming, ms. Cheney. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Cheney i thank my colleague, mr. Byrne for his hard work on the Armed Services committee and rules committee. I rise in strong support of the rule that will allow for consideration of fiscal year 2018 National Defense authorization act. Mr. Speaker, as legitimated members of this body, we have no higher obligation or responsibility than to provide for the support of our nation. The support of the defense of our nation. No matter what else we do in this body and we debate very big and important issues. We debate tax cuts, health care, these are crucial issues but none of those matter if we fail to get the resources necessary to defend this nation from our adversaries. For far too long we have failed to did that. Over the last eight years we have seen policies that have failed to provide the resources our Defense Department needs and we have seen legislation from this body, particularly the budget control act which has caused significant damage to the military. We have heard on the Armed Services Committee Week after week briefings from every layer of the military, from the secretary of defense, from the combatant commanders, briefings about the extent to which there is a gap that is growing between our abilities and the abilities of our adversaries. This is a gap that people want to ignore, mr. Speaker, but we do so at our own peril. We need to think very carefully about what we are going to say to our children and grandchildren one day if they say to us why didnt you do all you could to ensure tore the defense of this nation . Why couldnt you do all you could when you were in the position to provide the resources . One of the reasons we dont do is because we enable the senate rules. We have gotten into a situation the way we do budgeting in the house where we enable the dysfunction of the United States senate and let them to be in a position where they prevent us in doing what is right. Im very proud of this piece of legislation because what this does in a bipartisan fashion is begin to fix that and remedy the situation. It begins to allow our military to get out from the hole they were in the last eight years. Funds authorized in this will ensure that we are able to modernize our Strategic Forces and ensure, mr. Speaker, that we are able to begin to provide funding for the kind of missile efense that we know that our adversaries have gained tremendous ground. When we have the chairman of the joint chiefs and tell us in Public Session that if we continue on the path were on within five years, we will not be able to project our power. Every member of this body needs to stop Everything Else they are doing and listen to that warning. If we cannot project our power, we cannot defend this nation. There are many members on both sides who like to quote a former chairman of the joint chiefs could i ask for 30 more seconds that the debt is the biggest National Security we face. That is only half of his quote. The second half of his quote, it prevents us from being able to resource our military. Im proud to be here today to stand in support of this rule and the National Defense authorization act and the important progress that it allows us to begin to make to undo the damage of the last eight years. With that, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. The gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Ms. Slaughter i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york, mr. Engel. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Engel i thank the Ranking Member for yielding. I rise in opposition to this recordbreaking comblosed rule, 50th closed rule in a year which is more than any time in a yearly period previously. I think our rules should be open. I think closed rules are not good for this institution regardless of who does it. And i would urge the Majority Party to think about open rules so the legislature can work its way. The legislation itself includes handful of measures i offered to require russias report on the balkans and serbias relationship with russia, congressional oversight to policies that govern security operations, a strategy to impositive transparency and civilian protection in nigeria and requirement for a Defense Department official to protect cultural heritage, trafficking which is a source of funding for terrorism. We voted on that here in the floor and im pleased we included support for israels Missile Defense. And it is critical to its security considering the threats they face from iran and hezbollah. Im Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs committee, im glad to see these measures in this bill because they are related to our National Security and indeed, i strongly support the measures in this bill that provide authorities and resources necessary for our military to carry out its mission. As we have seen again and again in recent years, this Defense Authorization continues an unsettling trend toward involving the Defense Department in activities outside its core competencies. In my view, we need to strengthen the important roles of the state department and usaid. We wouldnt ask our diplomats to do the jobs of our men and women in uniform so we shouldnt be asking our Service Members to do the work in our Foreign Policy agencies. I want to caution about continuing down this road, we need to support our Development Efforts in the same way we support our National Defense. After all, americas security depends ms. Slaughter may i yield an additional minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for an additional minute. Mr. Engel i thank the gentlewoman for yielding for me. In the years ahead, i hope to work with our Development Efforts in the same way we support our National Defense. Americas security depends on all of these efforts working together and its important to remember that. I again thank the Ranking Member and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from new york reserves and the gentleman from alabama is recognized. Mr. Byrne i yield three minutes to the gentleman from louisiana, mr. Graves. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from louisiana is recognize dollars for three minutes. Recognized for three minutes. Mr. Graves i thank the gentleman from alabama for yielding. There are fundamental problems with Flood Insurance. The program by some estimates has a debt recently up to 24 billion and going to compounded by hurricanes maria, nate and the other disasters we have had this year. And harvey. And we had extraordinary damages this year. What is being missed, this legislation doesnt fix the problem. You can look back over the last 37 years since 1980, we have had 218 disasters that exceeded 1 billion and spent 1. 3 trillion responding to these disasters, this bill is perhaps to save 18 million. We spent 1. 3 trillion since 1980. There are fundamental problems that need to be addressed. Mr. Speaker, 40 of this nations population lives on 10 of the land area adjacent to the coast. And we have to get good at resilient living. Let me show you something and this is what is happening in louisiana. Louisiana drains literally from montana to new york from the canadian provinces. As we get additional development, what happens to that water . It comes down to us. Somebody builds a home, a dream home or someone starts a Small Business and they fully comply with the regulations that are in place at the time, but they build their home or business exactly where it is supposed to be. They get additional water from the coast or this watershed because the army corps of engineers has allowed the coast of this nation to erode. We are getting more water coming down. Why should our citizens be responsible for that . They have no control over whats happening. They complied with the regulations and complied with the guidelines at the time of construction. Mr. Speaker, i view this as a tax. If our citizens are being burdened with additional fees or expense as a result of the governments inability to do its job to properly manage resources and water, thats not a premium increase, thats a tax, mr. Speaker. This bill, while i commend people for working on this and trying to address this, the fundamental premise of the bill is flawed. It is funnelly flawed. You cant charge people over things they have no control over. When they built their home or businesses, they did what they were supposed to do. You cant pick up a home and say im going to move it or a business. But thats what this bill does, it increases the premiums and even in some cases kicks them out of their dream homes and investments. I urge opposition to the underlying bill. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Ms. Slaughter let me yield myself 30 seconds because i was impressed with mr. Graves and the thoughtful work he had done and im sorry his amendments were not made in order, but i appreciate his homework on this bill. And agree with him. And now im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from oregon, mr. Blumenauer. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Blumenauer i appreciate the gentleladys courtesy. I was listening to our friend from louisiana and i sympathesize with much of what he has been saying. I have been working on Flood Insurance reform for 20 years. And we are caught in a dynamic here where its never really good enough and there are challenges for people who play by the rules at the time, the problem is that we are not doing a good job of moving forward of making the changes. It is true that some of this has Eastern Impact on louisiana. Im sensitive to that. But at the same time, there are policies that have been resisted by some of those same people. Weve got to swallow hard and understand that we are on a path here that impacts people all across the country. We do not have accurate flood maps and people resist updating them. We have many people paying far ess than the actuarial cost of Flood Insurance. They are paying unfair premiums. We do not invest in predisaster mitigation. We will save 4 in Disaster Relief for each dollar we invest upfront to protect property, to protect lives. Now, i am prepared to support the underlying bill. Its not perfect. There are changes that i would make, and i understand some of the challenges that people are going to suggest in terms of the impact on some lowerincome citizens. I sympathize with that, but this answer is not to continue to keep people in harms way. The answer is not to rebuild people right back where theyre going to be putting their property and their families at risk. Its not to continue to resist reform because its hard because ultimately that adds to the price tag. It adds to the dislocation, and the federal government is going to the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Ms. Slaughter i yield to the gentleman another minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Ms. Slaughter or two. All right. Mr. Blumenauer youre busy and you have things to do. But it is important that we dont lose an opportunity to start changing this. When the floods came in houston, i got calls from some reporters because ive been dealing with problems in houston going back 20 years. As an example of where we failed to deal with repetitive flood loss, where we have watched unchecked sprawl put millions of people at risk for greater harm. This bill isnt perfect, but i hope that it starts a process where we can come together as it goes through the legislative process, that we can make adjustments to start us along that path, that we start swallowing hard, making sure everybody gives up a little. The federal government needs to invest more. People need to stop building in harms way. We need to do a better job of flood recovery, predisaster mitigation. I think this bill represents a goodfaith start along that path, and i hope we can use it as a foundation for further progress. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentlelady from new york reserves. The gentleman from alabama is recognized. Mr. Byrne mr. Speaker, i now yield three minutes to a very happy auburn tiger fan, the gentleman from florida, mr. Ross. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from florida is recognized. Mr. Ross thank you, mr. Speaker. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, im proud to rise in support of the rule and the underlying bill dealing with Flood Insurance. Homeowners deserve choice. They deserve competition and above all they deserve to know the true risk their homes face from floods, the most costly of all natural disasters. I believe the underlying bill allows the freedom to ensure against obvious danger. I am particularly enthusiastic of the inclusion of my Bipartisan Legislation to facilitate the development of a robust private Flood Insurance marketplace. After months and even years of negotiations, we produced the legislation that appropriately balances the need for affordable Flood Insurance as our responsibility to act as faithful stewards of the taxpayers dollars. We need to act accordingly. We need to fix it. Before we do that we must agree to proceed. Less than a month ago many of us voted to bail out this program. We knew it would be irresponsible to merely kick the can down the road. This is the opportunity to make things right. I believe we need to proceed with the debate because we need to have a reasonable and responsible conversation about fixing this problem before it gets worse. Americans deserve better than a Big Government insurance monopoly thats unable to pay for the risk it insures. This bill will have affordability by empowering policyholders to purchase their Insurance Products that best meets their needs. We are getting rid of the topdown single payer approach. Giving consumers choices in a competitive marketplace will not only drive down costs but help us reduce the unacceptable number of homes that are not protected by Flood Insurance. The nfip can be an important tool for mitigating flood risk and helping families recover from disasters after it strikes. But it cannot be the only tool. A federal program that has artificially low rates is neither compassionate nor responsible. People need to know how and when they are in danger. We cannot expect to have uneducated to have an educated, thoughtful consumers if we deprive them of the Market Information that is needed to make smart decisions. By putting policyholders on a sound path to premium rates, we are on a path threats are confronted before they are real eyesed. I think we realized. I think we can take the first steps by eliminating the false security that inoculates our society with the dangers of flooding. Lets gradually walk back the subsidies that conceals the homeowners risk. We need to have a clear eye and vision for the future. This bill is the right step in the right direction. I want to thank mr. Hensarling and mr. Duffy for their tenacity for paving the way for managing flood risk to this country. Flood insurance is one of those rare issues that transcends political boundaries. It is a complex i once again urge my colleagues to vote yes on the rule and also the underlying bill. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from florida yields back. The gentleman from alabama reserves. The gentlelady from new york. Ms. Slaughter mr. Speaker, may i inquire of my colleague if he has further speakers because i am prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from alabama. Mr. Byrne i am ready to close. Ms. Slaughter all right. Let me the speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from new york is recognized. Ms. Slaughter mr. Speaker, the National Defense authorization act isnt perfect. Most notably it blows past the caps implemented under the budget control act. But there are areas of Common Ground in this bill, including a pay raise for our military and investments to fill genuine readiness gaps in our armed forces. And i want to point out they are the result of something thats all too often nonexistent under the majority and that is regular order. I agree with what my colleagues said, to see a bill under regular order is a downright joy. I hope we do nor of it. A hearing and a markup for this bill and colleagues on both sides of the aisle were consulted. Thats how the chamber was designed to function, but today it hardly functions like that at all. Its a shame we dont also see the majority put this model to use for other major legislation Like Health Care and tax reform, which we will be rushing through to get to tomorrow. Now, this is a process that we didnt see for the other measure before us today. Thats h. R. 2874. No hearing was ever held on the package in its entirety. It was changed right up until it was considered by the rules Committee Earlier this week in an effort not to get democrat support but to get a motion from the majority so it can pass on a party line vote. Thats what we see under this leadership, no hearings and rarely any markups. Legislation to repeal the Affordable Care act which would impact 1 6 of our economy was passed without so much of a score from the nonpartisan congressional budget office, outlining its impacts and its costs. This congress has broken the record for the use of closed rules which prevents any amendments from being offered by either side on the house floor. It is now the most closed congress ever. In fact, one of the rules before us right now is closed. We are even likely to consider the majoritys bipartisan tax plan this week actually tomorrow, which would increase he deficit by 1. 5 trillion. Yet, under another closed rule. And yet, again, without scoring. The United States congress has been called the greatest deliberative body in the world, and i think its time the majority change course and actually allow the great debates about the issues that we face. The legislation we consider would certainly be better for it, and so i urge a no vote on the previous question, the rule and the bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from new york yields back her time. The gentleman from alabama. Mr. Byrne mr. Speaker, thank you, sir. I represent a coastal area of alabama, and Flood Insurance is extremely important to many of my constituents. Its very important to me to fulfill my job on their behalf to make sure that we have a Flood Insurance program thats there for many years to come, but we know its actuarially insolvent. So we have to make changes in the program. As the gentleman from oregon said, change is hard, reforms are hard, but the gentleman from florida and before him the gentleman from wisconsin, the sponsor of the bill, made very good points. Reforms were making in this bill for the Flood Insurance program will allow it to be successful for years to come and also protect the taxpayers of america. I think we have a responsibility to do that. The other bill under this rule, the conference report on the National Defense authorization act, represents a very important inflexion point. We are now moving to repair the damage weve done to the military these last several years. This is a 10 increase for our military so that we can help them rebuild their ready, the equipment they need to defend us with this everincreasing matrix of threats. Not the least of which is north korea. We put even more money in this authorization to defend against a missile attack from north korea. So were at the beginning of something historic here with this bill, and that is rebuilding the United States military, much like what was done 30plus years ago when president reagan was in office. So i urge all of my colleagues to support House Resolution 616 and the underlying bills. I yield back the balance of my time and i move the previous question on the resolution. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from alabama yields back his time. All time has expired. The question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The gentlelady from new york. Ms. Slaughter mr. Speaker, i request the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. Pursuant to clause 8 and clause 9 of rule 20, this 15minute vote on ordering the previous question will be followed by fiveminute votes on adopting the resolution, if ordered, and agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal. This is a 15minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned 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 his vote the yeas are the speaker pro tempore the previous question is ordered. The question is on adoption of the resolution. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The gentlelady from new york. Ms. Slaughter mr. Speaker, i request the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This is a fiveminute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore the yeas are 233, the nays are 187. The resolution is adopted. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the Unfinished Business is the question on agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal on which the yeas and nays are ordered. The question is on geeg to the speakers approval of the journal. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This is a fiveminute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of epresentatives. ] the speaker pro tempore the nays are 190. Ne voting present. The journal stands approved. The speaker pro tempore the house will be in order. The house will come to order. Members, take your conversations off the floor. Members, take your conversations off the floor. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committees on transportation and infrastructure, Foreign Affairs and House Administration be discharged from further consideration of h. Res. 615 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. The clerk House Resolution 615, resolution designating the democratic cloakroom and the hall of the house of representatives of representatives as the gabrielle o. Leo cloakroom. Is there any objection . Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . Mr. Thornberry mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 616, i call up the conference report on the bill h. R. 2810 and ask for its immediate consideration. The speaker pro tempore pursuant the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 2810 an act to appropriate for military activities of the department of defense, for military construction and for Defense Activities for the department of energy, to presubscribe and for otherngth purposes. The speaker pro tempore the house will be in order. Members in the back, please take your conversations off the floor. The speaker pro tempore the conference report is considered read. The gentleman from texas, mr. Thornberry, and the gentleman from washington, mr. Smith will each control 30 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. Thornberry. Mr. Thornberry i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks n the conference report h. R. 2810. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Thornberry i yield myself three minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is ecognized for three minutes. Mr. Thornberry for the speaker pro tempore the gentleman will suspend. Members will take their conversations off the floor. He house will be in order. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Thornberry for 55 straight years under both parties, congress has come together to pass a Defense Authorization bill to support our troops and our countrys security. Along with my partner on the Armed Services committee, mr. Smith, im pleased to bring a conference report that will do so again. I want to acknowledge and thank all the members on both sides of the aisle who contributed to this product and especially the members and staff of the house Armed Services committee. I also want to thank the conferees from the 14 other committees of the house who were appointed to the conference and appreciate their contributions. And finally, i want to express my appreciation for the opportunity to work with mr. Smith and with our colleagues in the senate, senator mccain and senator reed. Look, we do not always agree among the four of us. In fact we disagree sometimes ener getically. But i have no doubt each of them is committed to doing the right thing for our troops and the right thing for our country. Each of them is a patriot whom i admire and i know i speak for all members when we wish senator mccain the best in dealing with his Current Health challenges. Members and the public were given a summary of this conference report last week, so i will simply say that i believe the priorities in this billr number one, our people, number two, our the readiness, number three, Missile Defense. And number four, reform. To see that we are more capable of meeting the security challenges our country faces in the future and today. In that regard, i especially want to commend the work of mr. Rogers and mr. Cooper and the Strategic Forces subcommittee on space. They initiated deep farreaching reforms based on a real sense of urgency and they are in this bill. Their work exemplifies the work of our committee, bipartisan, really nonpartisan on the National Security challenges the u. S. Faces today. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately as the world grew more dangerous we cut our Defense Budget and we added to the burden borne by the men and women who serve us. Now, we will not rebuild and fix our problems in one year or one bill. Even when its matched by an appropriation bill, which this will need to be. But we can head in the right direction. Thats what this conference report does and i hope members will support it. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from washington. Mr. Smith i yield myself five minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Smith i want to concur with the remarks of mr. Thornberry. We have had a great many people Work Together to produce a very important product and the staff, the members, house and senate, have all done an outstanding job and we are very proud of the fact that we produce a legislative product every year. We actually do legislation the way its supposed to be done. We work it through committee. Chairman outlines the number of different positions that were asked tore at the committee reached ate level, compromise where we could and produced a product that is truly a legislative product and that is testimony of the great work of our staff and the house and senate. Do an outstanding job with hundreds of complex issues. And also a testimony to the members, both house and senate to their commitment to make sure we pass the National Defense authorizing act understanding how important it is to support our troops in meeting our National Security needs. And i want to thank our colleagues in the senate, mr. Thornberry and i have our contentious debates between us and the senate but they are handled with great dignity and intelligence. And i enjoy working with senator mccain and senator reed. They are great partners in this final product. I am proud of this final product. There is a lot of good policy in