The speaker the house will be in order. The prayer will be offered by the guest chaplain. Reverend kyle wright ii, Holy Cross Lutheran church and school, collinsville, illinois. The chaplain let us pray. In the name of the father, son, and holy ghost, amen. I thank and praise you heavenly father for moving each and every one of these men and women to serve this country which you sustain in your mercy. Watch over them this day that your will be done in their discussions, decisions, and most of all their actions. You are the god of all power and might who out of love for your creation established order from chaos, peace from discord, and life from death. For the sake of christ jesus our lord, forgive us of our pride, our disobedience, and poor stewardship of what you have placed into our care. According to your mercy, open the eyes and hearts of your people so they may know the depth of your love found only in christ jesus. Dear lord, i commend to your care our congress, our government, and our nation as you judge and keep us according to your just mercy. N jesus christ our lord, amen. The speaker the chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces to the house his pproval thereof. Pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. The pledge of allegiance will be a led by the gentleman from minnesota, mr. Stauber. Mr. Stauber i pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The speaker without objection, the gentleman from illinois, mr. Shimkus, is recognized for one minute. Mr. Shimkus thank you, madam speaker. Madam speaker, i rise to thank and welcome pastor wright. Pastor wright serves as pastor of my home congregation, Holy Cross Lutheran church and school in collinsville, illinois. He received his undergraduate degree from Concordia University in austin, texas, and masters divinity from the seminary in fort wayne, indiana. Hes currently pursuing a master of sacred theology in concordia seminaryry. He has served as pastor since 2006. During that time hes also served as a resource hospital chaplain, hospice chaplain, and multiple boards. His wife is the help, support, and love of his wife. They have four beautiful daughters, katie is 12. Gwen, 10. Lili, 10. And maggie also 10. Yes, you heard it right, triplets. Thank you, madam speaker. The speaker thank you, mr. Shame cuss. The chair will entertain up to five further requests for oneminutes on each side of the aisle. Hat purpose does the for what purpose does the gentlewoman from massachusetts seek recognition . Madam speaker, i rise in recognition of a tragic anniversary that the residents of the merry mack valley will never forget. Tomorrow marks one year since the damage of over 130 homes and businesses burning several to the ground. At least 20 people were sent to the hospital. A Lawrence Police officer lost his home while aiding his community. Shakira was injured and a young man lost his life. An ntsb investigation revealed the series of mail yours by a gas company as it replaced pipelines in the area. Oversights allowed the full flow of High Pressure gas to enter a low pressure distribution system. In april, i introduced the rendon Pipeline Safety act to prehavent this type of disaster from ever happening again. We owe it to the sotos, figueroas, and rendons and others who suffered on september 15 to pass Pipeline Safety this year. Thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Stauber mr. Speaker, i rise today to express my gratitude for the st. Louis county volunteer rescue squad located in northern, minnesota, and their Quick Response to an emergency that took place in my district a little over a month ago. At the end of july, a group of girl scouts traveling to northern minnesota to experience the beauty and mavs of the Boundary Waters canoe area. Their trip unexpectedly hit a rough patch when severe thunderstorms rolled in and lightning struck close to their campsite. A few of the girls reported feeling something from the ground, potentially a ground current, and needed precautionary medical attention. The boundary catters canoe area is very remote making any rescue attempt more complex and rigorous. Nevertheless, the volunteer st. Louis county rescue squad members immediately sprang into action, navigating five portages by motor boat and then canoe escorting the girls back to safety. Mr. Speaker, i am thankful that we have such a capable and well Trained Group of individuals of our to the safety neighbors and visitors. Due to their hard work lives have been saved. Thank you, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i seek unanimous consent to address the body for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one inute. This past weekend we lost my dear friend, marko bristol, an eninspiring civil rights activist from chicago. She had a diving accident when she was young that left her paralyzed from the chest down. Mr. Garcia she never aloud her disability to define her. Instead, her disability became her super power. She dedicated her life to changing laws and bringing attention to the disparities faced by people with disabilities in the most basic services. She was instrumental in bringing wheelchair ramps to Chicago Public buses. She didnt do this by just writing letters or holding meetings. She went as far as chaining herself to a bus to force the Chicago Transit Authority to make mass transit more accessible. She worked with the broader Civil Rights Community to pass key legislation like the americans with disabilities act. The organization she founded living in metropolitan chicago will carry on with her legacy. I send heartfelt thoughts to her son and daughter, rest in power. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition . To address the house for one minute. Revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to recognize the Simpson CountyHistorical Society and its long reaching influence on Simpson County and the surrounding communities. Since its founding in 1959, Simpson CountyHistorical Society has been a valuable asset to the First District of kentucky. Through the collection and preservation of historical property and ginological records, the society has been able to maintain an extensive archive for the benefit of future generations. I applaud the work of the society that it has done over the last 60 years and im pleased to say that as of thursday, september 12, they will have expanded to a newer, larger facility, enabling them to increase the Research Capabilities and broaden their effect on local education and cultural development. I join with the residents of Simpson County and the local community as well as those who have been fitted from the work of the Simpson CountyHistorical Society in honoring their incredible dedication to the preservation and promotion of history. I wish the Historical Society the best as they begin a new phase of their own history and express my gratitude for their service to the First District of kentucky. Thank you, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman rom oregon seek recognition . Permission to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Blumenauer thank you, mr. Speaker. We have a crisis in housing, and homelessness, growing wealth inequality, and its all not an accident. Its the result of deliberate discrimination and policy failure. The federal government for years intervened in housing for white veterans, for middle class homeowners, for developers and property owners, but shut out poor and people especially especially people of color, africanamericans, most notably. Trump is making it worse. Tonight 550,000 people will go to sleep homeless. We have a gap of 7 million affordable rental units. And income inequality grows. We need a reset. Last week i released this report locked out, reversing federal housing failures and unlocking opportunities, which details solutions for our most vexing housing and policy challenges. Its available on blumenauer. Gov website. We must be bold, transformative, and ambitious in solving these challenges. We cant afford another generation of small scale thinking and large scale failure. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Thomson thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Jefferson County courthouse in pennsylvanias 15th congressional district. Since its opening in 1869, the Jefferson County courthouse has undergone serious renovations and changes, but its impact on the Community Remains steadfast. The county commissioner said, quote, you really cant be a resident of Jefferson County and not have the courthouse affect your daily lives, end quote. Today the Jefferson County community will come together to celebrate this milestone on the courthouse grounds. The programming will include tours of the courthouse, performance by the Punxsutawney Area High School marching band, reenactment of the trial of abolitionist elijah heath, and dedication of a world war ii monument. The evening will conclude with the lighting of the bell tower and a special rig designed by students at the Jefferson County dubois Area Vocational technical school. The commissioner said it best when he said, quote, its not our building, its everybodys building that lives in Jefferson County, end quote. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor my longtime friend and Monroe County board of elections commissioner tomorrow ferassi as he begins his retirement. For more than two decades tom has served our community with distinctions at the board of elections working tirelessly to expand access to voters, safeguard our elections, and uphold the democratic process. Hes been a passionate and Political Community activist working diligently to advance the ideals of the Democratic Party not just through his work at the board but extensive volunteer an Community Advocacy on behalf of lgbtq individuals. Mr. Morelle its been a true privilege to work alongside tom and our community is grateful for his many years of service. I wish him nothing but well deserved rest, relaxation, and wes wishes in retirement. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition . I seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to recognize our newest combatant command u. S. Space command which was stood up monday in colorado springs. President trumps decision to stand up space com could not be more timely. In recent years russia and china have reorganized their militaries and pursued capabilities to threaten our space assets. Fortunately our nation has no shortage of innovative and brilliant men and women in uniform. Our newest combatant command will harness the dine know of these space war fighters. Congress will give them the authorities and funding they need to triumph in this newest contest of arms. Mr. Lamborn with the infrastructure and Industrial Base and personnel already located at peterson and shrever air force bases in colorado springs, space com can seamlessly transition into a fully functioning combatant command immediately. This is a great and exciting milestone for our nation. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to extraneous material on h. R. 1146. The speaker pro tempore without objection. The speaker pro tempore resolution 548se and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of for consideration of h. R. 1146. Appoints the gentleman from illinois, mr. Kasten, to preside over the committee of the whole. The hair the house is in committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the 1146 whichion of h. R. The clerk will report by title. The clerk a bill to amend 11597, commonly nown as the tax cuts and jobs arctic repeal the National Wildlife refuge oil and gas program, for other purposes. The chair pursuant to the rule, he bill is considered as read the first time. Amendments specified in section 2 of House Resolution 548, shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on resources. The gentleman from california, mr. Huffman, and the gentleman alaska, mr. Young, will each control 30 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. Huffman. Mr. Huffman thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i consume. Today the chair the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Huffman the house of representatives will rollback provision of the republican tax law that was rammed through he last congress on a party line vote. In addition to the tax breaks to illionaires, billionaires, and multinational corporations, there was a provision that oil and Gas Development in the arctic National Wildlife refuge. Take up Bipartisan Legislation to repeal this drilling mandate, protecting not just the Arctic Refuge, but the wildlife and the indigenous who depend on this sacred, natural landscape. 1146 earlier. R. This year with my republican colleague, brian fitzpatrick, believe, as do 182 other cosponsors of this bill, that are are some places that simply too important, too sacred to be spoiled by oil and Gas Development. His is the same basic proposition that we were presented with yesterday when bipartisan ssed legislation to protect our coasts from offshore drilling, of use the north coast california is too special to have its fisheries and coastal conomy put at risk for the profit of big oil because places like the low country of south too special to be spoiled by oil spills. And today, were here to show the arctic National Wildlife refuge, the largest wildlife refuge in the united too special. So than fuge is home to more 200 different wildlife species pine,at includes the pork caribou herd. He refuge is a special place where veterans, recovering from begin. Find themselves we heard themselves again. We heard these stories during deliberations on this bill, a hearing earlier this year, and i thank all of those spoken ified and have out to help us bring this bill today. Floor the question before us is, will the federal government protect this special place and the depend on it, t or will our federal government e responsible for its destruction by auctioning it off to big oil . During this debate, my side of s on the other the aisle are going to ask us and ask the American People to this administration to do the right thing. Theyre going to say that can be done responsibly. Theyll ask us to trust a interior, who the. A. O. Has determined violated during the trump shutdown, a secretary that met with his former clients gas e u. S. Oil and association, as they were pushing for more drilling in American Public lands, and a continues to shill for his former lobbying clients at every turn. Theyll ask us to trust this administration where the leading interior Department Official for drilling in the Arctic Refuge just left public start a new ago to job at an oil and gas company ith interests, believe it or not, in arctic Isle Development oil and Gas Development in alaska. Stuff up. Make this a president , armed with a sharpie, overrules scientists the jobs of