Agenda this afternoon. House rules meeting this afternoon on the federal Government Spending measure. Wil in order. The prayer will be offered by our guest chaplain reverend aron mcenrees, Unitarian Universalist church of arlington, arlington, virginia. The chaplain creator god, spirit of light, we come here today with our spirits open to the sun of your loving gaze. We come, humbled by the work entrusted to us, to tend to your children, for we know that we are, all of us, your children, bearers of your divine spark. May we remember this, no matter how thick the stacks of paper on our desks. When we are weary, may we be filled with your generosity of spirit. We will pass it on with interest. When we dont know which way to turn, may we find stillness and listen for the soft voice of wisdom. Help us today to do justice, to serve mercy, and to walk humbly with you and the better angels of our nature. And most of all, beloved god, may we practice the arts of kindness in all that we do and all that we are. Nd to this we say, 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 approve. For what purpose does the gentleman from South Carolina rise . Mr. Wilson pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, i demand a vote on agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal. The speaker the question is on the speakers approval of the journal. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it, the journal stands approve. Mr. Ill wn mr. Wilson i demand the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. Those in support of the request for the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postpone the pledge will be led by the gentleman, mr. Perlmutter. Mr. Perlmutter 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 virginia, mr. Moran is recognized for one minute. Mr. Moran thank you, mr. Speaker. It is my honor to introduce and welcome reverend aaron mcenress, from the Unitarian Universalist church of arlington which is in the heart of my Congressional District. The reverend is an accomplished religious leader who thrives on collaboration and draws his energy from working with people. He has led a life of service and generosity, caring for his neighbors and working to protect his flock. Im proud to share his views as a passionate supporter of marriage equality, of addressing the disparity in wealth and income throughout the country, of workers rights, and addressing the growing problems caused by Global Climate change. He has spent years trying to improve the daily lives of the neediest among us. He holds a masters of beginity from this immediateville theological seminary, and a bachelor of science in labor studies. He is well able to lead a wellinformed and politically active congregation. Im proud to call him a valued constituent and thank him for opening our day with such a meaningful prayer. Thank you, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair will entertain up to 15 further oneminute requests or each side of the aisle. For what purpose does the gentlelady rise . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. I rise with representative jolly to recognize an organization in my district, hannas house. Many football fans know the name charlie weise, coach of the university of notre dame and the new york jets. Mrs. Walorski he and his wife maura are passionate about helping people. They founded hannas house in hon november their daughter in honor of their daughter hannah. They help children with special needs realize their potential, plan for their future and achieve their own personal best. Thank you very much and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition . I ask unanimous con sonet a drink thess i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Israel they provide those the mr. Higgins my community of western new york considers its procks imto proximity to lake erie as one of its greatest assets. We must strife to guard the great lakes against imminent and future threats and today we did just that we introduced the guarding of the great lakes act to continue to help protect the great lakes from asian carp and other invasive species. It will take necessary steps to find Permanent Solutions for flood mitigation. Yesterday we passed the Great Lakes Initiative act prorkviding 300 million in federal funding annually to support projects relating to the restoration of the great lakes for each of the next five years. These are two excellent steps forward as we continue to protect these great bodies of water. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from South Carolina seek recognition . Mr. Wilson i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Wilson im grate to feel express my appreciation of karen kurami, our schedule manager. She joined the wilson team in 2010. Though a nate f of though a native of great falls, virginia, shes come to adopt South Carolina as her second home. The scheduling position is most challenge bug shes excelled. Her ability to connect with constituents, coordinate with my wife, red sox ann, and eagerness my wife, roxann, and eagerness to assist has made her invaluable. Shell join congressmanelect frank guintas office. I know her parents are proud of her accomplishments. I wish her best wishes and look forward to seing her future successes. In conclusion, god bless our troops and the president should take action to never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. The president s pardoning of guantanamo terrorists endangers american families. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek reck snigs recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Perlmutter thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize the remarkable achievement of the orion spacecrafts first pest flight. It represents the next frontier for nasas deep space program. Last friday, december 5, orion lifted off from Cape Canaveral and by all accounts it was a flawless mission. This test flight sent orion 3600 iles above earth, traveling at thousands of miles an hour. It is aimed to take astronauts to mars and beyond. This exploration will inspire our nation and capture the hearts and minds of young americans. More importantly, im proud to say colorado played an enormous role in make og ryon a reality. In make og ryon a reality. Making orion a reality. Lockheed martin and others contributed to the success. Orion supports thousands of jobs around the country and is an engine for Space Exploration in our state and the nation. This is something we all can be proud of as a nation and look forward to further Space Exploration. With that, i yield back, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore 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 revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from North Carolina is recognized. I rise to honor my good friend and colleague congressman mcintyre. We are blessed to represent the southeastern region of North Carolina and some of the most genuine and thoughtful people youll ever meet. Mr. H. U. D. Spon mike has mr. Hudson mike has his priorities in order, focusing on his families and and representing his stirts. Hes been a voice for commonsense and never been afraid to reach across the aisle to get things done for our communities. During his years, mike has time and again stood up for issues folks care about back in North Carolina. Im honored that i inherited robinson county from mike, a place my family has called home for generations. Im thrilled to call mike and his amazing wife, dee, my constituents. I can tell you hes respected across North Carolina because he has sincere passion for the people he represents and serves. I thank Mike Mcintyre for his leadership to North Carolina over the years. Its been a privilege to get to know mike, to call him a friend, to work with him to make life better for the folks in North Carolina. I hope the folks in North Carolina will help me wish mike and dee well. Were going to miss them. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Hahn thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise to renew the call for congress to act on comprehensive Immigration Reform. The job of congress is to legislate, and Immigration Reform needs a legislative solution. It is therefore disappointing that we will be finishing this congress in a few days without the house having passed or even voted on comprehensive Immigration Reform. But i hope that starting immediately in the new congress, we can Work Together to pass comprehensive, commonsense, and compassionate legislation that will provide opportunities to those who want to come here and opportunities for the 12 million undocumented residents who are already here. This legislation can grow our economy, decrease our deficits, secure our borders, protect our workers, unite families and provide an earned pathway to citizenship. A majority of americans support this framework and it has the support of both labor and business as well as religious and civic organizations. Let us come back in january, ready to get the job done and pass comprehensive Immigration Reform. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Gohmert thank you, mr. Speaker. There are a lot of my republican friends who have been upset with the comments of jonathan gruber, like hes quoted accurately as saying about obamacare, a lack of transparency is a political advantage. Call it the stupid i have to the American Voter or whatever he also said they, president obama and the democrats, proposed it and it passed because the American People are too stupid to understand the difference. Now, i say to my republican colleagues, chill out. Dont worry. Not a single republican voted for that bill. Not a single republican in the senate voted for that bill. He wasnt talking about republicans. He wasnt talking about the democrats, independents, or republicans that voted for republicans to come to the house or the senate. He was talking about the people he was paid millions by to work on obamacare. Thats right he, called the democrats stupid. He wasnt talking about republicans. He knew we were smarter than that. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Speaker, i rise to recognize the life of coach osciles. The beloved coach, father, grandfather and friend passed away on december 3 after a long battle with cancer. Mr. Sires his career spanned 50 years, taking over the north bergen Football Program in 1973 for nearly 40 years. He retire theafed 2011 season as new jerseys third winningest coach. As a member of the Hudson County hall of fame and the new jersey football coach hall of fame he guided them to 11 dosh 12 Hudson County crowns. He was Hudson County coach of the year 14 times and in 1997 he was named toyota coach of the year for the eastern united tates. Coach will be remembered for his Lasting Impact on and off the field and his ability to inspire players and the community. My thoughts are with his family, former players and the north bergen community. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition . The gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Roslehtinen thank you, mr. Speaker. Id like to congratulate my friend, journalist and television anchorman, jose diazbalart. For over 30 years he has been reporting on momentous events from International Crises to breaking news in order to properly inform his diverse audience. As the first u. S. Journalist to broadcast in two languages, english and spanish, simultaneously on two networks, jose has proven to be a valuable voice to the hispanic american community. Throughout his career, he has been the recipient of many accolades, including three emmys, the George Foster peabody award. His role in our society should not be taken for granted. There are hundreds of journalists in cuba and around the world who are being persecuted and imprisoned for showcasing the realities within their own countries. Jose speaks for them. I congratulate jose for 30 years within the industry and thank him for his commitment to the principles of independent journalism and freedom of the press. Thank you, mr. Speaker, for the time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back her time. For what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition . Mr. Cicilline i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Cicilline mr. Speaker, last night the House Rules Committee filed a 2015 government funding bill. My top priority is keeping the government opened and this bill will prevent the kind of widespread economic damage that would be caused by a government shutdown. Funding the government is more than just about dollars and cents. Its a statement about our national values. We must make difficult choices with limited resources and fight for what we stand for. Funds called cronnibus the government through 2015. It provides funding to combat isil and support our troops, and invest in Critical Science and research programs. Im deeply disappointed it responds to the president s executive action on immigration by providing only shortterm funding for the department of Homeland Security. I strongly oppose several controversial policy riders that impact Womens Health and the environment. As we begin a meaningful debate on this bill and as the new congress approaches, we must ensure our actions and decisions will reflect our values and our ideals. To ensure that we protect our country, grow the economy, and provide every american a fair shot at success. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition . Permission to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Its the most wonderful time of year. A time when millions of americans gather together to celebrate christmas. For many of us christmas is a time to remember the humble birth of our savior on a holly night tshholy night ,000 years ago. We give thanks for jee cuss for jesus message of love and peace. Mr. Lamborn according to a recent pole, nine out of 10 americans celebrate christmas. Sadly, however, there is a troubling effort in america led by a vocal minority to remove the symbols and traditions of christmas from the public arena. There have been many examples of atheist groups working to remove public nativity displays and other deck lations. Just last year my home state of colorado, an antireligious organization filed a lawsuit against School Officials for their support of student led involvement with Operation Christmas child. These petty efforts by groups offended by the religious significance of christmas violates the freedom of religion our Founding Fathers provided for us in the constitution. This congress and in congresses past i have introduced a resolution to protect the symbols and traditionings of christmas for those who celebrate the holiday. The resolution also disapproves of efforts to ban references to christmas. We must not allow those who choose to take offense to shut down the religious celebration of every other american. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Lowenthal i rise in support of my newly introduced resolution which recognizes today as the 6