Reverend dean curie Life Center Church, at that comba, washington. The chaplain let us pray. Father, what an honor it is to be in your presence here today. We celebrate this morning what you have done to the United States of america. We acknowledge the hand of providence in our history and the force of inspiration in our future. Be with us here now most significantly in our present, that we can see what others do not see, that we can do what others fear to do, so that we can change what others are afraid to change. We are reminded that we are so small and urso big. Our problems are you are so big. Our problems are daunlting and our responsibilities are many. But we look to you today, to your principles and to your goodness, that we could be everything you designed for us to be. That we could do everything you planned for us to do. That others may be free. Today may every decision made, every plan contemplated be sprinkled with your grace and inspired from heaven. Change us change our minds and our hearts, that we may change our destiny and the destiny of others both here and around the world. I pray this with respect to all faiths, in the name of jesus of nazareth, amen. The speaker the chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces to the house his approval theo pursua tclse of ru 1 the jonal stands approved. The pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentlelady from indiana, mrs. Walorski. Mrs. Walorski 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 washington, mr. Kilmer, is recognized for one minute. Mr. Kilmer thank you mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor todays guest chaplain, reverend dean curry from tacoma, washington. We are blessed to have such a remarkable pastor with us today whos a leading figure in the region that i represent. Reverend currys Life Center Church in tacoma is a vibrant place where folks young and old can come for worship. He knows what it means to give back to your community. Each month he brings together civic and elected leaders in tacoma for a faith breakfast, and volunteers from his church are always helping out those going through hard times. The model of his church sums it up pretty remarkably, its all about the people. Like the United States house of representatives, his mission is to serve the people. Reverend curry is an example of how we should do more to listen respect and understand one another better so we can leave a place for future generations where opportunities are available for everyone. Reverend curry has also led humanitarian missions to troubled regions like iraq and afghanistan to offer assistance and hope to those suffering through tragedies. Hes someone who walks the walk, when it comes to fighting equality religious freedom and social justice both in his own community and around the world. Whether hes listening to stories in refugees settlements or at the prayer breakfast, his honor shines through and its nice to welcome him today. Thank you, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the chair lays before the house a communication. The clerk the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2h of rule 2 of the rules of the u. S. House of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on february 4 2015, at 9 22 a. M. Appointment, commission on security and corporation on Europe HelsinkiUnited States caucus on International Narcotic control. Signed sincerely, karen l. Haas. The speaker pro tempore 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 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 obctn. Mr. Wso mr. Speaker congratulations to Safe Federal Credit Union which on january 14 celebrated its 60th anniversary of a federal charter. In january, 1955, 15 civilian employees at the air force base organized the Safe Federal Credit Union. The membership has expanded to 500 additional groups and eight underserved communities. Headquartered in sumpter, South Carolina, is now the largest credit union with 108,000 members and 903 million in assets. Im grateful for the work of safe employees who have developed a reputation of exemplary service, knowledge and trust under the leadership of safe c. E. O. And president beverly gagney. They have also been on the cutting edge of fraud prevention, which is critical as we address new cybercases of crime. With their professionalism in lending practices, members have created many opportunities and prompted thousands of new jobs. I know firsthand as a real Estate Attorney closing loans for safe. In conclusion, god bless our troops and may the president , by his actions, never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. Our prayers for the people of jordan as the latest victims of terrorism. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from illinois 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. Mr. Quigley , mr. Speaker, Infrastructure Investment is key to growing our economy and creating jobs, which is why president obama committed to a 40 increase in infrastructure funding in his budget release this week. Despite the fact that every billion dollars invested in infrastructure creates 30,000 jobs over the past 50 years our investment in infrastructure has shrunk by half. Meanwhile, china is investing four times as much as we do in transportation. We need these investments in chicago where we got a centuryold Transit System that needs updates to keep up with increased capacity. And by the way the Chicago Transit Authority carries more people in a month than amtrak does in a year. We also need 1,000 miles of roads to be repaired 675 bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Our crumbling infrastructure is slowing Economic Growth, and without serious longterm investments, we simply will not be able to compete in todays global economy. The president outlined his 21st century infrastructure plan this week. Now its time for democrats and republicans in congress to Work Together on the longterm transportation bill the American People are asking for. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from indiana seek recognition . Mrs. Walorski 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. Mrs. Walorski thank you mr. Speaker. I rise today after listening to the stories of veterans and their families. Its very apparent, the v. A. Is not doing enough to help victims overcome the physical and psychological pain of military sexual trauma. This week i introduced h. R. 642, a bill that would make victims of military sexual trauma eligible for v. A. Travel benefits. Those who fight for our freedom have faced enough challenges along the way, expecting them to pay for their own travel, to receive care or treatment for the military for the sexual trauma they endured while serving their country is unfair. Im grateful today to work with representative kuster, representative coffman and representative ruiz on the support of this legislation and im hopeful its a step in the right direction by helping veterans access muchneeded care. I encourage support for h. R. 642 and yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio seek recognition . Without objection. Mrs. Beatty mr. Speaker, i rise today in support of go red for women. More than 600,000 womens lives have been saved from Heart Disease since go red for women was created in 2004. But Heart Disease still remains the number one killer for women and men and women and men and causes more deaths than all the four cancers. As a National HeartAssociation Board member, one of columbus, ohios first go red chairs and a member of the congressional heart caucus, i rise today to recognize the survivors, those battling with Heart Disease and those who are fighting in working to find cures and improved treatment. Today, members of congress will stand together, democrats and republicans, in red to send a message to the nation that as colleagues we can stand and celebrate the american Heart Association and its go red for women campaign. Mr. Speaker, working together we will make a second and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition . Without. Mr. Stewart mr. Speaker, i stand here today to recognize a true american hero. Utah veteran billy kirkbridge, who was just aword warded the congressional gold awarded the congressional gold medal. He was chosen to be part of the unique program called the First Special service force, which was the forerunner to todays special forces. It was here he became a member of the very elite devils brigade. The congressional gold medal is awarded to those who have performed amazing feats, leaving permanent impacts upon American Culture and history. As a former air force pilot, i know the sacrifice and the dedication that it takes to become one of americas elite warriors. And its an honor to stand here today not just before the American People but before his lovely wife and daughters. To pay tribute to the sacrifice and dedication that billy showed through his service to this great nation. He just doesnt represent the strength of the armed forces, he represents American Values that continue to make our nation great and millions of us are grateful for his service and with that mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition . Wowed. Ms. Kelly mr. Speaker, today i rise on behalf of the millions of Illinois Veterans that i represent and their families to draw attention to the high rate of veteran unemployment in america. After fighting for our nation, far too many military heroes are being forced to fight for a job here at home. Despite many veterans having the leadership skills and work ethic that businesses are looking for, the Unemployment Rate for post9 11 veterans is 6. 9 far higher than the National Average of 5. 6 . I am committed to reducing veteran unemployment and helping our heroes find quality work. Last week i released an updated edition of my veterans resource guide book to help our veterans get the benefits theyve earned and employment resources to get them and their families back in the work force, but we need to do more. I urge my colleagues to work with me to pass the veterans job bill, to put the half million unemployed veterans back to work. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition . Mr. Coffman i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Lamborn coffman mr. Speaker, i join my colleagues as we address one of the challenges within the veterans administration. Our goal ensuring our veterans are provided the best possible care, to heal from the wounds associated with being a victim of military sexual trauma. As has been noted by the Veterans Affairs inspector general, obtaining travel authorization to the most appropriate clinics to address this specialized care required of military sexual trauma victims has been an obstacle. This bill, House Resolution 642 will take care of that. Bottom line is that victims of military Sexual Assault trauma should be able to obtain the specific care necessary to address their individual needs and not be trapped by a bureaucracy that fails to give them access to treatment because it cannot reconcile how to pay for travel to get to and from a treatment facility. Please join me and my colleagues as we stand up for veterans who are victims of military sexual trauma and enable them to obtain the treatment that they need. Thank you, mr. Speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition . Mr. Pallone to address the house for one minute mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Pallone thank you mr. Speaker. President obamas Budget Proposal for fiscal year 2016 lays out a fiscally responsible plan to invest in our future and makes sure that hardworking americans are able to benefit from an economy that is finally improving. And im particularly pleased that the president is committed to make strategic investments. The budget invests 146 billion for r d across the federal government which is a 6 increase. The budget provides for 7 billion in Clean Energy Funding throughout the federal government, and 2. 4 billion to further advance manufacturing technologies. This funding improves our scientific knowledge, creates technologies with widespread benefits and strengthens u. S. Global competitiveness. The budget also makes investments in Public Health, including 31 billion for the National Institutes of health, a 1 billion i crease over the 2015 level. And 1. 2 billion across several agencies to combat antiy buy ottic re antibiotic resistance and targeted therapies for patients. I mention all these mr. Speaker, because i do believe and every evidence shows that Research Investment creates jobs, promotes innovation and increases economic development. And that means more jobs. I hope that our republicans will support the president s budget. 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 seek recognition . Without objection. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to honor her oled lehman of matthews, North Carolina, a 99yearyoung brave patriot who volunteered for the airborne in world war ii because he wanted a tough assignment. Hes one of the few paratroopers to make all four world war ii jumps. In sicily, italy, holland and normandy. For his bravery and helping to liberate france from nazi brutality, the french government on tuesday awarded him their honor of legion medal. Mr. Pittenger his dedication extends beyond the battlefield. Following his discharge after world war ii, he volunteered for another years active duty to help escort the bodies of Fallen Soldiers as they were returned home. Please join me in thanking harold for his bravery and sacrifice in fighting for freedom, an exemplary example of the great estrogen ration. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . Without objection. Mr. Veasey mr. Speaker, i rise today to honor the life of a true trail blazer, ms. Walter barber, the first black woman to serve on the Fort Worth City Council. Just like many of the constituents i serve, ms. Barber was a product of the segregated high school in fort worth. She graduated from the school in 1937 and went on to earn her bachelors degree from prairie view a m and her masters degree from Atlanta University in georgia. Ms. Barber served on the Fort Worth City Council from 1977 to 1979. During her tenure on the council, she advocated for a Health Clinic that now sits in the stop Six Community where she lived. Summer food programs for low income children. Recreation alpha silts for the Community Recreation alpha silts for the recreational facilities for the community and a fire station. Ms. Barber is survived by her daughter, holly, her son, walter her son Robert Barber jr. , as well as two grandchildren. I ask my colleagues to join me today in honoring a true legend, ms. Walter barber, who broke so many barriers at a time when women faced so many obstacles, as well as africanamericans. But she still worked hard to live the american dream. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. 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. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, while im very proud to represent punxsutawney, pennsylvania, we woke up on ground hog day to a Budget Proposal that feels like the infinite loop loade