Speaker of the house of representatives. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the order of the house of january 6, 2015, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. The chair will alternate recognition between the parties, each party limited to one hour, and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and minority whip limited to five minutes but in no event shall the debate continue past 1 50 p. M. The chair recognizes the gentleman from connecticut, mr. Courtney, for five minutes. Mr. Courtney madam speaker, today i rise to remember one of eastern connecticuts most generous caring, and devoted citizens, stanley israeliite. He patched away this past december at age 89 and leaves behind an enduring legacy in his native nor witch and throughout connecticut. I asked the u. S. House to join me in expressing condoences to his wife and children, michael, wendy, and john. After his passing a Memorial Service was held at the synagogue which was the seen of a lot of people. Lieutenant governor nancy wyman, Small Business owners, labor union leaders, and neighbors and friends from the city he loved were all in attendance. Senator dodd delivered a stirring eulogy describing his amazing life of service. As senator dodd related, stanley dedicated his life to helping others. After starting his career in his Family Owned Jewelry store, he uncovered his true passion assisting members of his community with any problem any time after intervening in a family with a family in crisis. He left the business and after holding a variety of Human Service and business advocacy positions in norwich and earning citizen of the year and citizen of the decade award in the 1960s went on to work for chris dodd. He ran his constituent Service Programs beginning in 1974 with dodds election as Second District congressman, the seat i have the honor to hold, and later as state director to senator dodd after his election to the senate in 1980. Stanley remained a fixture in connecticut politics known for his consummate dedication to helping constituents get the help they needed. He spent decades ensuring that connecticut citizens received help from the v. A. , medicare, and social security, immigration problems, helped Small Business owners get their feet under them, and then doggedly pushed forward projects to improve local communities. Today one of the projects he spearheaded, an Industrial Park in norwich that never would have been realized without his efforts now bears his name. Renamed in his honor in 2005. In 1995 stanley was recognized as u. S. News and reports 12 indispensable americans. For all the awards and honors that his community rightly bestowed on him throughout his career, stanley himself valued the thank you notes he received from grateful constituents above everything. In 1995, he explained to a reporter from the new london day that the highest honor in the dodd office was to post a constituent thank you letter on the office refrigerator. Thats our glory he said. If youre on the refrigerator you have done a good jofpblet stanleys personal mantra, which he instilled in his colleagues and friends and family was, dont forget the people. After a lifetime of service to his community, the people he helped and everyone who had the privilege to know him will certainly never forget him. Madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from alabama, mr. Byrne for five minutes. Mr. Byrne thank you, madam speaker. Just last month we made a promise to the American People we promised our constituents that we would fight the Obama Administrations decision to give executive amnesty to many of those in this country illegally. I am pleased to announce that this week the house will fulfill that promise and act to defund the illegal executive action. Alt last year we strongly urged the president not to act alone and the American People spoke clearly in last novembers election. But the president forged ahead anyway. And now in order to preserve our nations longstanding system of checks and balances to preserve the very order of our constitution, the house will act to rein in proms plans for executive am necessary tifment well vote on legislation which i was proud to cosponsor written by my alabama colleague, congressman robert aderholt, which would prevent the president from carrying out his plans for executive amnesty. Let me be clear, this is tough legislation. Which completely eliminates all funds for implementation of the president s illegal actions. The bill has the support of many leading voices in the immigration debate, including my home state senator, jeff sessions. Just as important, the legislation makes clear that no federal benefits can be granted to any alien as a result of the policies defunded and also eliminates funds to consider new renewal, or previously denied applications for executive amnesty. And the legislation doesnt just defund the president s executive action. The legislation paves the way for stronger Border Security by increasing funds for border agents, detention beds, and enforcement activities. In order to halt illegal immigration in this country, we must stop encouraging illegal immigration by offering amnesty and instead put more attention on actually securing our borders. I wish this legislation wasnt necessary. I wish president obama had listened to the American People and enforced our current laws instead of continuing his my way or the highway style of governing. Instead, he moved ahead with action that clearly violates our constitution and has poisoned the well for serious conversation on immigration reform. So madam speaker, i must ask a simple question that has very serious consequences. When will it stop . When will president obama stop issuing shortsighted executive action and instead Work Together with this congress to find longterm solutions to the real issues plaguing our country. I fear that the answer to that question is not promising. Given that while we were on this floor taking our oath of office, the white house was busy issuing veto threats. I understand that the legislative process may not be convenient for the president , but the process exists for a reason. The Congress Makes the laws and the president should enforce them. This president just doesnt get that. So this week the house will act to rein in the president ones again. We will once again. We will attempt to right the scales of power and restore our constitutional system of checks and balances. We cannot and we will not sit back idly and allow the president to act alone. We promised the American People we would respond, and this week we will hold true to our word. Thank you madam speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. Doggett, for five minutes. Mr. Doggett thank you, madam speaker. Well, today is a special day for san antonio because our San Antonio Spurs are being recognized at the white house for their victorious season. We of course already had many celebration in san antonio, but its good to see this celebration reaching now 1600 pennsylvania avenue. Congratulations to the San Antonio Spurs on this fifth amazing championship ring. Serving here in congress as a representative for much of san antonio including the very place in the alamo city where the spurs have scored so many of these victories, i know that nothing defines the spurs or san antonio like the teamwork, the determination, and the positive attitude that was displayed in this trail to the 2014 championship victory. These values are shown through the spurs silver and black give back, a community and Outreach Program which has benefited over 250,000 children and coaches in the past couple of decades. All this in a city that is literally overflowing with spurs enthusiasm and spurs fans. I would have to say that all of san antonio knows that the spurs are certainly no mavericks at basketball. They are well Seasoned Team players. They were able to literally rain down thunder on all of their 2014 opponents with a regular season record of 62 wins out of 82 games. And thats not all that set the spurs apart. They are the true trail blazers hiring the first female assistant coach in the nba, becky ham mon. Overall, when it came down to that fifth ring, the spurs, a team that lives in our texas temperatures were able to beat the heat with a cool 41 season blowout. Like san antonio itself, the spurs have attracted literally the best and brightest from all over the world. There never has been and there never will be a team quite like the spoin spurs San Antonio Spurs in a city like no other place congratulations to a dine estimate like so many of dynasty. Like so many of my constituents im ready for the race. Thank you, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from texas mr. Poe, for five minutes. Mr. Poe madam speaker, around 11 00 a. M. On january 7, on a cold winter day in paris france, two men armed with ak47s forced a woman entering the offices of a french newspaper to let them in. After murdering the Security Guard in the lobby, they ran up to the second floor shouted, wheres shash . Thats the nickname for the newspapers editor. Over the next five minutes the two men would seek out and execute mr. Sharbonet and 10 other people in the newspaper. They left the building shouting islamic phase, god is greatest. They then murdered a policeman, ran back to their car shouting we have revenged the profit prophet muhammad. You see madam speaker, the killers murdered because the paper exercised the human right of free speech and free press. The brothers were on the run for two days, on january 9, the police cornered them at a standoff near the paris airport. The police rescued a hostage and the brothers were killed. Going out just like they wanted to in a massive firefight as martyrs. On the same day, another gunman but an accomplice of the two brothers took hostages at a Kosher Grocery store on the east side of paris. Police stormed the Grocery Store and killed the terrorist, but not before he had murdered jewish hostages. You see madam speaker, these three killed because people disagreed with them. They killed the jews because they were jews. He they killed the people at the newspaper because they the audacity to print things that these folks, these terrorists did not approve of. The french authorities did a superb job hunting down and killing these terrorists. The two brothers responsible for the nish attack have a history of terrorist activity. One brother said he even dreamed of killing jews in france. Hours before one of them met his maker, they called a french tv station saying, we are telling you that we are defenders of the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. And that i was sent al qaeda in yemen and i went there and ask the iman that financed me. Yes madam speaker, we have heard this before. Young people traveling overseas where they meet radical islamic jihadists who preach hate and murder in the name of religion. They are indoctrinated and infected with the canter of radical islam and sent back to the home country to inflict terror and kill men, women, and children. They kill in the name of the radical religious beliefs. We are even seeing this in the United States. Groups like isis are encouraging americans to join their reign of terror. Americans who travel overseas to fight with isis are not coming back home to america to open coffee shops. The they are coming back to do mischief and kill us. Thats why i have introduced and reintroduced the passport ref vation act that would authorize the revocation or denial of passports to individuals affiliated with foreign terrorist organizations. The Benedict Arnold traitors who turn against america and join the ranks of radical terrorist organizations should lose their rights. This bill will help Law Enforcement locate these individuals by preventing them from traveling internationally so they can be captured and brought to justice. Most importantly, this legislation will prevent traitor americans from entering the United States undetected. Madam speaker, the french people held a solidarity rally in honor of the murdered. It was also a statement of freedom. Some estimated over two million attended the rally in paris. Marching arm in arm with french president holland were 40 World Leaders including cherman chancellor merkel, palestinian president abbas. Unfortunately the United States president , the Vice President , and the secretary of state did not choose to show up. And support this solidarity meeting. That is unfortunate. The french are our closest ally, oldest ally. We have a poffer trait of the great frenchman lafayette in this very chamber across the way from george washington. Freedom sunned attack by these terrorist. They are a threat to civilization, order, and liberty. United states should be more spout spoken in our support of the french people. We should support our allies like the french and mourn when they mourn and be resolved to track terrorists down anywhere in the world where they are. They are at war with us, they are war with us madam speaker. The french president said were fighting a war, not against religion, civilizations but to defend our values which are universal. Its a war against terrorism and radical islam against everything that aims to shatter solidarity liberty and brotherhood. And thats just the way it is. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. Lamalfa, for five minutes. Mr. Lamalfa thank you, madam speaker. Today i once again will speak about californias high speed rail system. Now, just this last week they had a symbolic groundbreaking for the system in the context of getting started. California has been, since 2008 anticipating the start of high speed rail. What do we have . Instead empty promises, a lot of waste, a lot of money going down the tubes. What we see is that when the plan was first put in place, the voters of california approved a 33 billion link from los angeles to San Francisco. What theyre now being given is something thats tripled in price. What theyre now being given at this groundbreaking was a symbolic what you saw was a mound of dirt with about an eightfoot section of ties and rails on that. Thats very symbolic for those doing the groundbreaking also those that were paying for it, what the high speed system will turn into is several links of rail between north and south california that arent linked up, that have no way to power them and no trains will be running on them for several years. So instead of the 33 billion plan that they saw on the ballot in 2008, which by the way it was on the 2006 ballot and before that on the 2004 ballot, but those involved knew they would have politically hard time selling that to the people of california, that has ballooned to 100 billion plan until they revised it unagain downwards by taking part of the high speed rail system in San Francisco and l. A. Where theyll use local transit to run through the central section. Thats not legal under prop 1a. What prop 1a spells out, it has to be a high speed system that will make it from San Francisco to l. A. Or reverse in 2 1 2 hours at speeds at 220 miles per hour. This promise will not be upheld. Now, why is this important to a national audience, to members of congress, to people in other states . Its because after the stimulus package was passed in 20092010, that some of that federal money is going to go for the high speed rail system in california. Indeed several other states were recipients of those initial grants. After they looked at their own ideas for high speed rail and saw the costs involved, the infeasibility, they turned that money back into that pot of money. California of course, stepped forward and said, hey, give us all of that money so they received at this point about 3. 5 billion that they can spend dollar for dollar for the bond money they spend for themselves, the state money. So what does that mean for americans is that we know californians will be back at the federal well once again trying to get more money for their high speed plan. What we see is that their downsized plan will still cost 68 billion. They only have identified 13 billion for the whole system. No private sector money, which is what we were told when the ballot measure passed, has stepped forward to be part of this. The plan is 55 billion short. The federal government so far has offered by about 3. 5 billion. Do they think theyll get the other 52 billion since no private sector money has been given . Will they get it out of the taxpayers . Nobody knows. They said, dont worry about the money, well get it. Well, part of their measure has been impose a cap and trade program upon the people of california, which so far has generated about 250 million per year which is how many centuries theyll catch up and pay for high speed rail which cap and trade wasnt intended for anyway. Folks, we have a giant problem here. High speed rail in california should not be the federal taxpayers burden. It shouldnt be the people of californias burden. They barely passed it 52 to 48 on the 2008 ballot after two delays. Delay after delay is what you see with this system. So what really needs to happen is the people of california need to step forward and put this back on the ballot and have a vote once again on this and the federal government doesnt need to be giving signals that theyre going to send even more money for this boondoggle which has been failed flawed and deceptive since day one. Madam speaker its a massively flawed project. At least taxpayers at all levels on the hook for many, many years to come for something that may not even run in our l