Success in our battles and let our prosperity be tempered with generosity. We pray that you keep the United States in your holy protection and that you incline your heart toward us to cultivate a spirit of peace and obedience to both you and your government. Humbly in uld walk that love that was characteristic of your son, the author of our blessed faith. Grant us this prayer through jesus christ, our lord. Amen. The speaker the chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. Pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. The pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentleman from illinois, mr. Quigley. Mr. Quigley 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 the chair will receive a message. The messenger mr. Speaker, a message from the senate. The secretary mr. Speaker. The speaker madam secretary. The secretary i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed s. 893, cited as the veterans compensation costofliving adjustment act of 2013, in which the concurrence of the house is requested. The speaker without objection. The gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Its my honor to have my good friend and my pastor, jack, with us today to do the opening prayer. Hes a Senior Pastor with Calvary Chapel chino hills. He has an Incredible Mission going on in california, plus, he has a Global Ministry on the radio going and he does an amazing job preaching gods word and i am glad to have him with us today. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the chair will entertain 15 further requests for oneminute speeches on each side of the aisle. 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 and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from South Carolina is recognized for one minute. Mr. Wilson mr. Speaker, constituents living across South Carolinas second Congressional District have communicated very sincere concerns about the implementation of obamacare. Sarah from nauert augusta writes, quote, people should not from North Augusta writes, quote, people should not be punished when we grow old. What services can be provided should not be done. Justin from columbia said, quote, the full implementation of obamacare will be a disaster for america and the American People. Not only is it a direct assault on our freedom, it also puts the government in the middle of our health care decision. Increases cost and will inevitably end to a single payer system, end of quote. As the rollout of obamacare continues to fail, Congress Must act to address this problem now before its too late and every American Family falls victim to this unworkable law which destroys jobs. In conclusion, god bless our jobs and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentleman from South Carolina has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. Mr. Quigley thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to commemorate the 80th anniversary of ukraines manmade famine and genocide. The great manmade famine was executed under Joseph Stalins communist rule to eradicate culture, social institutions. Under stalins regime, the ukrainian people were stripped f their land and grain and left to starve. Which was once the breadbasket of europe, it was forced famine that ultimately took the lives of over six million innocent men, women and children. But stalins attempt to schedule much the spirit of the squelch the spirit of the ukrainian people failed. We will remember those whose lives were taken by the manmade genocide. The museum will celebrate the strong and vibrant people of the nation of ukraine that strives today. Thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I was stunned to see russian president Vladimir Putin disparage american exceptionalism a few weeks ago. Mr. Putins human rights records have a right to be desired. A statement severely persecuted by top russian authorities in putins government solely for ethnicity and religion. During his first term, there was a group of special humanitarian concern. Since then 12,000 turks have resettled in america, including many in illinois and in my district. However, 80,000 turks remain in russia and undergo persecution in areas of our lives that we often take for granted. Unable to he return, there have been refugees in russia and asia. This is the reality of putins russia. People are discriminated against, tore turd and even killed and are economically and financially repressed. When given freedom to chase the american dream, these same hispanica turks fulfill their potential in less than a decade. I let my colleagues to make their own determination about which nation is exceptional. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut seek recognition . Mr. Courtney i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from connecticut is recognized for one minute. Mr. Courtney the government announced yesterday good news for seniors. Their Medicare Part b premiums for 2014 will go up zero dollars and zero cents. It will stay at 104 per month. This is now the third year in a row that c. M. S. Medicare part b premiums have defied the trustees prediction to come in lower than projected and also defies the Relentless Campaign of misinformation that seniors have been subjected to that their Medicare Part b premiums were going to go up. Just on friday i was at senior fair where a woman showed me a chain email that Medicare Part b premiums for 2014 were going up to 227 a month. Just a viral infection that has been out there that have been confronted with Senior Centers over and over again. Well, the facts are they are going up zero. Medicare part b premiums have stabilized. Prescription drug costs have gone down because of closing the doughnut hole. In every respect, the Affordable Care act, since it passed in 2010, has been a winner for seniors and have helped strengthen the solvency of the program. Again, Medicare Part b premiums are going up zero for 2014. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from tennessee is recognized for one minute. Mr. Desjarlais mr. Speaker, i rise today to commend an exceptional young leader in tennessees Fourth District. Elizabeth etheridge recently received the legion of valor bronze cross, a testament to her strong work ethic to her junior rotc battalion. She is exceptionally wellrounded. Shes ranked in the top 10 of class and in her addition to her service, she is one of six bronze cross recipients competing against cadets for more than 200 schools. Last month, she was presented the award at the board of education meeting. She hopes to attend Vanderbilt University to study medicine and one day join doctors without borders. I wish her luck in her future endeavors and i know she will make our Fourth District proud. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from michigan is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. This week unfortunately food stamps will be cut by 5 billion. We expected that. Mr. Kildee whats worse is even more deeper cuts could follow. Conferees start negotiating a farm bill this week, and billions of dollars in fact, 40 billion have been in cuts have been proposed by republicans in the house. 10 times the amount of cuts passed in the bipartisan bill in the senate. Ive talked to dozens of people in my district who since ive been here in congress have come up to me and said, you know, thank you for fighting to preserve the food stamp program. Ive never told anybody, they say, but i received food stamps at one point in my life. So thank you for fighting. Im afraid that many members of congress dont know what its like to be poor in america. These are real people, real human beings, and the cuts that we contemplate here are not numbers on a piece of paper, but its cuts that would literally take food out of the mouths of people who are hungry. This is wrong. It cannot stand, and i urge my colleagues to fight to preserve this important program. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from maryland is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, another day goes by and the obamacare train wreck continues. In 2009, president obama promised that if you like your Health Care Plan you can keep it. Mr. Harris on the healthcare. Gov website if and when you can get on that website, it promises. When are the false promises going to end . What do i say to gail in maryland who wrote me the quote, ive been informed of Blue Cross Blue Shield of maryland that i cannot keep my current coverage and will have to change my policy . I have to pay 53 more in premiums for coverage that is not as good. My husband and i will now have to pay at least 330 more per month for less coverage. Mr. Speaker, gail and her family will lose the plan they like and will have to pay almost 4,000 more per year for a plan that delivers less. Mr. Speaker, American Families deserve better than false promises. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from maryland yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. Mr. Veasey mr. Speaker, i want to talk to you today about the importance of responsible budget and in our government. Budgets are moral documents that reflect our priorities as a nation. For the sake of our economy, this Congress Must turn back from the current brinksmanship and obstruction and return to the practice of negotiation and compromise. The proposed budget and acrosstheboard spending cuts to domestic programs are continuing to splam families, children, slam families, children, seniors and impact to texas that include 9 billion to cuts in snap benefits over 10 years. Almost 32 billion in cuts for texas seniors and the loss of over 5,000 jobs for our texas educators. We should focus on improving our education, strengthening old infrastructure, investing in advanced domestic manufacturing and paving the way for the future. Lets show the American People that compromise and negotiation are not a thing of the past and washington can Work Together on their behalf. As elected leaders, we owe it to the American People to do the jobs we were sent here to do. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition . Thank you, mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from indiana is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. If you like your health plan, you will be able to keep your health plan, thats what the president said in 2009. Reporting news is that this administration knew for at least three years that wasnt true. Now, hardworking americans in the individual market will not be able to keep their plans, even if they like them. People across the nation are experiencing sticker shock as they receive cancellation letters from their insurers. Mr. Messer and see their monthly premiums rise up to 400 . More people have received cancellation letters and have been rolled so far through all of the Affordable Care act exchanges. The Affordable Care act has proven to be anything but. Its time for the president and my democratic colleagues to work with us to suspend this flawed law and work to fix it. We have to find a better way to deliver the reforms people really need because this law isnt working. Thank you, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition . I seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from new york is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, the house will consider a number of bills to honor and support our veterans. Mr. Higgins these are good bills but they are not enough. A good and generous nation would also make sure that a strong commitment is made to helping our veterans find work when they return home. Mr. Speaker, the current Unemployment Rate for post9 11 veterans is 10 , and among yurning veterans between the ages of 18 and young veterans between the ages of 18 and 24 is 20 . E not for profit helmettohardhats help returning veterans prepare for work in the construction trades. We must also be sure that veterans have the ability to get the educational benefits they deserve. The veterans educational flexibility act would do. Including nation building right here at home, we can create Good American jobs that cant be outsourced and give back to those who served our nation. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from North Carolina seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from North Carolina is recognized for one minute. Mr. Holding without a limit on spending until mid february, the federal government continues to borrow more than it takes in and spend at an outrageous rate. The fact is, mr. Speaker, at a spending rate of 375 billion a week, u. S. Debt would be over 22 trillion by the next debt ceiling deadline. This is unacceptable and unsustainable. Mr. Speaker, the reason we have found ourselves in fiscal rut is because of outrageous, frivolous Government Spending. We have to come to the table and do more to cut spending in the next debt deal. This includes comprehensive tax reform to make our tax code less burdensome and changes to our entitlement programs to ensure that they are working as they should for future generations. American families know that they cannot spend limitlessly and never pay their bills. Our federal government should not be any different and its time to break our bad spending habits. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlelady from california is recognized for one minute. Ms. Hahn thank you, mr. Speaker. The Affordable Care act is more than a website, its Affordable Quality Health insurance made available to everyone. And what my friend on the other side of the aisle like to keep talking about bad stories, theres some good stories about the Affordable Care act and i have one of them. Its sara and joe, parents of two small children from los angeles who have been working very hard every day to provide for their families while they were paying a High Health Care premium every month. Just last month they were paying 1,259 a month for cobra. Last week they got on the exchange and they enrolled in a blue cross silver 70 plan and are now paying more than 400 less a month. Less a month. Sara shared with us, we are a family of four with two young kids and regular access to doctors is a must for us. This plan does that. The recent problems people have encountered on the website are unacceptable and they are being fixed, but lets not allow these temporary glitches to overshadow the life changing benefits that the Affordable Care act is bringing to millions of A