Day. Signed, john a. Boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the order of the house of january 3, 2013, 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 with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to five minutes each, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11 50 a. M. The chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. Blumenauer, for five minutes. Mr. Blumenauer thank you, mr. Speaker. Since i was a High School Student ive watched the escalation of the war on drugs, especially marijuana. I slowly became aware of its widespread use. As a freshman legislator in oregon 40 years ago, my opinion was set by a hog farmer from Eastern Oregon who was a state representative named stafford. Stafford held the oregon house and the people crowded in the galleries spellbound with his tutorial on marijuana and its comparison to other addictive substances, both legal and illegal. This older gentlemen who didnt smoke, didnt drink alcohol, let alone use marijuana, made his case. He pointed out how tobacco was highly addictive and killed hundreds of thousands of americans per year. He discussed alcohol whose damaging properties had once led the country into a foolish, costly and ultimately selfdefeated experiment with prohibition. Alcohol use was damaging for some, led to dependency for many while contributing to tens of thousands of highway deaths every year. By the time the representative got to marijuana, he convinced the bill he was advocating to have legalization, something i should advocate, something oregonians should be allowed this choice, less addicting than tobacco. We didnt legalize marijuana in 1973, though i was assured the 22 that voted for the bill had been supported bit people who used it by voted no, the measure would have passed easily. We did make oregon the first state to decriminalize the use of marijuana, possession of a small amount was made a minor infraction, treated like a traffic ticket. Today, 40 years later, the case is even more compelling. 14 states have now decriminalized policies like oregon passed in 1973. In 1996, california pioneered the legal use of medical marijuana whose therapeutic qualities have long been known and employed. Since then, 18 states and the District Of Columbia have approved medical marijuana initiatives, allowing its use to relieve chronic pain, ann arboria and other conditions. Nearly 2 3 of these approvals were the result of voter initiatives. Last fall, voters in colorado and washington approved adult Recreational Use with 55 approval margins. Studies show that a majority of americans now agree that marijuana should be legalized. It is time that the federal government revisit its policies. Drugs with less serious classifications like methamphetamine and cocaine have more serious Law Enforcement, health and behavioral impacts, yet marijuana retains its schedule one classification. In 2011, 2 3 of a Million People were arrested for using a substance that millions use, many more have tried, and a majority of americans feel should be legal. Because there are stark racial differences and incarceration, there are wide disparities in the legal treatment for communities of color versus their white counterpart. Medical marijuana is widely accepted but subject to inherent conflict with federal law that is unfair, confusing and costly. A Bipartisan Group of legislators is developing a comprehensive package of legislation to clarify and reform outdated, ineffective and unwise federal policies. At a time of great fiscal stress and a sea change in opinion of voters, this is a unique opportunity to save money on enforcement and incarceration, avoid unnecessary conflict and harsh treatment of users, provide a framework for medical marijuana and even reduce the deficit. All by honoring the wish of 2 3 of americans to respect states rights for marijuana just like we do for alcohol. I would invite my colleagues to join this effort in developing a Marijuana Policy that makes sense for america today. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. Coble, for five minutes. Mr. Coble i thank the speaker. Mr. Speaker, january is the traditional month in which new years resolutions are developed. Im suggesting that president obama and mrs. Boim adopt a resolution mrs. Obama adopt a resolution. It appears to me, mr. Speaker, regard air force one very casually and i believe on some occasions two planes, at least two planes go to the same destination. Air force one, mr. Speaker, belongs to president and mrs. Obama. But air force one also belongs to the american taxpayer. And i would welcome a new years resolution that would provide generous lace of all future air force one dispatches with prudence, discipline and last but certainly not least fiscal austerity. Americas taxpayers will be appreciative. Incidentally, mr. Speaker, air force one, designated by the air force as dc25, incurs an operational cost per hour of 179,750, and on some occasions, additional aircraft accompany air force one by naturally adding to the cost. Im going to now, mr. Speaker, insert my that involve the former secretary of state, mrs. Clinton, during a recent senate hearing. A senator who was examining secretary clinton suggested or implied that the Administration May have misstated the nature of the benghazi attack which mrs. Clinton responded, what difference at this point does it make . I submit, mr. Speaker, that the survivors of the four americans who were murdered at that attack would welcome any information, any and all information surrounding that infamous invasion. The survivors are grieving, and any information that could illuminate in any way this tragic the tragedy that occurred in benghazi would welcome any and all information, it seems to me. Yes, secretary clinton, at this pount it may well make a difference point it make well make a difference. I yield back, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. Mcgovern, for five minutes. Mr. Mcgovern i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Mcgovern mr. Speaker, i rise today to talk about the problem of hunger in america. We are the richest, most prosperous nature in the world, yet, the sad fact is that in 2013 more than 50 Million People in this country are considered food insecure by the United States department of agriculture. Food insecurity, mr. Speaker, is a technical term for the hung hery. Thats right. There are more than 50 people hung hery people in this country hungery people in this country. Its time we end hunger right now. Millions of people either lost their jobs or saw their wages fall. Food and Energy Prices went up for many middle and lowincome people. Everyday costs like rent, utility and food became more difficult and in many cases families were forced to choose between food and electricity. Even before the recession started, tens of millions of americans went hungry at some point during the year. That, too, is unconscionable. When we turn this economy around, and it will rebound, we need to end hunger now. We may not be able to wipe out all disease, we probably cant eliminate war, but we have the resources, we know what it takes. We need to muster the will to end hunger once and for all. Hunger is a political condition. Its important to point out that even though 50 Million People were food insecure, the vast majority had a safety net that prevented them from actually starving. That safety ned is called the supplement that safety net is called snap. Snap is a program that provides lowincome families with food they otherwise could not afford to buy. More than 75 million families relied on snap to provide food for their families. It is a lifeline for these 47 Million People who struggle to make ends meet. I dont deny this is a big number, but its a big number because its a big problem. Mr. Speaker, americas hunger problem will be dramatically worse without snap. Just imagine what this country would look like if we didnt have the safety net that snap provides for lowincome families in this country. Our churches, our synagogues and mosques do their best to feed families who need help, but they cannot do it on their home. There are nonprofits and food banks that do as much as they can, but they cannot do it on their own. The private sector simply cannot meet the need. And with the economy not expected to fully recover for sometime, we know that there will continue to be those who struggle to afford food. These are the people we need to worry about. The people we must help, the people who need their neighbors to lend a helping hand. Snap, mr. Speaker, is a helping hand. We lying on snap is no walk in the park. It is not champagne and caviar. No, mr. Speaker. The truth is the average snap benefit is less than 1. 50 per meal. There is a common misconception. People say its a mischaracterization, that snap provides a culture of dependency. Some talk about snap like its a golden ticket, that getting on snap is like winning the lottery. Everything is taken care of forever. Give me a break. People dont want a handout. They dont want to rely on government assistance. No, mr. Speaker, people want to provide for themselves and their families. Thats why half of all new snap participants receive benefits for 10 months or less and 70 left the program entirely within two years. I dont know why there is such opposition by some in congress. Nor do i understand why people should balance the budget by cutting programs that would help the most vulnerable. People would go hungry because they are poor. 83 of families on snap make less than 20,000 a year for a family of four. Less than 24,000 a year. I challenge anyone in this body to live off that income for a year. Our budgetary problems are clear. We need to tackle the debt and the deficit, but we need to do so smartly and with reason. There is a reason why not a single deficit proposed from simpsonbowles to sequester cuts snap. Thats because its the most effective antihunger program that we have. Thats because cutting snap will literally take the food away from families in this country. Thats because the authors of these plans, were liberal democrats to conservative republicans all recognize the importance of this program. Yet, there are those that would undermine this and other programs that provide protection for those in need. Its time for a nationwide effort to end the scurnl of hunger. I call on the president of the United States to coordinate a white house conference on food and nutrition so we can devise a plan. I call on the leaders of congress to support such an initiative. We need to do more. End hunger now. End hunger now. End hunger now. Mr. Speaker, we can do this. We must do this. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. Jones, for five minutes. Mr. Jones mr. Speaker, thank you very much. I want to thank president obama for his nomination of chuck hagel to be secretary of defense. While we were home last week, i had the opportunity to watch the Senate Confirmation hearing, and i was dismayed by the way many of the republicans on that hearing chastised mr. Hagel. Mr. Hagel is a man of integrity. I the question from one of the senators about, do you think the surge worked, and senator hagel was such he didnt want to give him a direct answer. I would have said no, it didnt work. 1,200 americans killed. I dont know how many iraqis. Look at the country today. It is totally falling apart. That was a question towards senator hagel. The iraq war was very unnecessary. It was manufactured by the previous administration, and there was a marine general, greg newbold, who actually wrote an article in time after the war started and one of the points he made that im going to share with you, mr. Speaker, is some of the missteps included the distortion of intelligence in the buildup to the war. The distortion of intelligence in the buildup to the war. In the history of washington, if ever our government needed integrity, its now. Chuck hagel is a man of integrity. No one can question his integrity. I have had the privilege of knowing senator hagel since 2005 when i came out against the unnecessary war in iraq. Senator hagel reached out to me and supported my position and encouraged me in my journey to find out the truth if it was necessary or not. His record speaks for itself. As a noncommissioned officer, he served honorably served this nation in vietnam earning two purple hearts, served on the Senate Committee on intelligence and committee on foreign relations, swels the president s intelligence agency. And the secretary of defense policy board. No one can argue chuck hagels experienced. I know that chuck hagel is the right man to lead the department of defense through this very difficult economic time. Hes a man that will uphold the constitution and do what is right for this country. Our military and the American People need chuck hagel to be the secretary of defense. Mr. Speaker, before closing i must say that in my many years here in washington of 18 years, i have never known a person with more integrity than senator hagel. And i hope that the senatelogical pass on the confirmation of chuck hagel to be the secretary of defense because America Needs him, our military needs him, and its time for people of integrity to step up and help us fix the problem facing our nation. And he will speak freely and honestly about what is needed to keep a strong military. I yield back the balance of my time. Sara the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. Lipinski, for five minutes. Mr. Lipinski thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i rise today in honor of National Catholic schools week. And to recognize the outstanding contributions that Catholic Schools have made to our nation. Catholic schools week was celebrated last week in schools all across the country. As a proud graduate of a Catholic Grammar School and College Prep School and strong supporter of catholic education, i once again this year introduced a resolution honoring Catholic Schools. H. Res. 46 expresses support for the vital contributions of the thousands of calt lick elementary and secondary schools catholic elementary and secondary schools in the United States and the key role they play in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for our nation. Id like to thank the 28 members who cosponsored this bipartisan resolution with me. Since 1974 the National CatholicEducation Association, the United States conference of catholic bishops have organized and planned National Catholic schools week. This years theme, Catholic Schools raise the standards highlights recent initiatives undertaken by Catholic Schools across the country to strengthen the already exemplary standards. Americas Catholic Schools produce graduates with the schools and integrity needed by our businesses, governments, and communities emphasizing a wellrounded educational experience in instilling the values of giving back to community and helping others. Nearly every Catholic School has a Community Service program. Every year their students volunteers half a million hours to their communities. My own decision to pursue a career in Public Service was in part brought by dedicated teachers throughout my formative years in Catholic Schools. Today over two million elementary and secondary students are enrolled nearly 7,000 Catholic Schools. These students typically surpass their peers in math, science, reading, history, and geography in any a. P. Test. The Graduation Rate for catholic High School Students is 99 . 85 of graduates enroll in fouryear colleges. Rates well above the national average. As we continually hear the reports of our National Test scores, these statistics are truly remarkable and should be commended. Notably, the success of Catholic Schools does not depend on selectivity. Catholic schools accept nine out of every 10 students who apply, and are highly effective in providing a quality education for students from every socioeconomic category. Especially disadvantaged youth and underserved urban communities. Over the past 30 years the percentage of minority students enrolled in Catholic Schools has more than doubled. And today they constitute almost 1 3 of all Catholic School students. In times of economic hardship, Catholic Schools provide an affordable alternative to other forms of private education. Now, in addition to producing wellrounded students, it is estimated that Catholic Schools save taxpayers over 18 billion annually. The importance of these savings is undeniable as we in congress and lawmakers across the country struggle with budget deficits. I was born and raised in the chicago archdiocese where more than 87,000 students attend 250 schools. In the jolie