Allocated between the parties and in no event shall debate continue beyond 11 50 a. M. Each member other than the majority and minority leaders and minority whip shall be limited to five minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Thompson, for five minutes. Mr. Thompson thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday i had the privilege of touring pennsylvanias only stateowned twoyear Technical College, Thaddeus Stevens college of technology, named after an individual, former member of congress that served in the era of Abraham Lincoln in this chamber. I was pleased to be in lancaster with my colleague, representative smucker. Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Provides a bridge out of poverty for some of the poorest citizens of pennsylvania through a highscale, Technical Education. Graduates are filling the skills gap in america as there is a 99 placement of graduates of its highdemand programs. Founded in 1905, Thaddeus Stevens college of technology educates pennsylvanias economically and socially disadvantaged students as well as other qualified students for skilled employment in a diverse and everchanging work force. It offers 22 innovative technicalbased majors that educates students for numerous job students, from architecture to automotive studies and from sonry, there are many things students can pursue. It allows students exposure to the experience, problem solving ability and skills that will be used throughout their careers. Many students enter the work force after their studies while others may choose pursue higher level degrees at Fouryear Colleges and universities. That had russ Stevens College is also aware Thaddeus Stevens college is also aware that it places financial strain on them and their family. Grant programs are offered to assist students who are financially disadvantaged to serve a rich diversity of students. Last month i was proud this house unanimously approved my bill, the strengthening career and Technical Education for the 21st century act. The legislation aims to restore wrungs in the ladder of opportunity because all americans deserve a goodpaying familysustaining jobs. C. T. E. Has established itself as a path that many highachieving students choose in pursuit of industry certification and hands on skills they can use right out of high school. In skillsbased Education Programs or in colleges like Thaddeus Stevens college of technology. By modernizing the federal investment in c. T. E. Programs, we will be able to connect more educators and close the skills gap thats in this country. There are good jobs out there, but people need to be qualified to get them. I have proudly championed that bill because it puts emphasis on advancing policies that promotes goodpaying jobs and it works to see that everyone from all walks of life can have the opportunity to succeed. Mr. Speaker, i witnessed this firsthand at Thaddeus Stevens college. This school is an outstanding example of the transformative power of education. The college is a National Leader in Technical Work force development and it breaks the breaks poverty. For the fourth consecutive time, the Aspen Institute has named Thaddeus Stevens as a top twoyear Technical College in pennsylvania, and i congratulate the school and all of its students. It is truly a shining example of strong career and Technical Education programs at work. As graduates enter the work force with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed and pursue the american dream. They are learning to earn. Thank you, mr. Speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore thank you. The chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. Gutierrez, for five minutes. Mr. Speaker, i think the president has a lot to learn about families. In my opinion, families should remain intact wherever possible but its clear the president has other notions. In the president s world, families should be cut off from health care coverage, so hes working with republicans to take coverage away from 20 million to 30 million americans so they can say they made good on a Campaign Promise regardless of the consequences in real peoples lives. In the president s world, children, especially his children, oh, they dont have to be honest when they provide for security clearances or disclose all the meetings they had with the russians. In the president s world, children and grandchildren can be convenient political props like when a 6yearold granddaughter is sent into the olve office to interrupt an interview with the New York Times especially when an interview is not going well for him. But children and grandchildren dont have a bona fide Family Connection when it comes to being refugee. In the latest incarnation in his muslim and refugee ban, they excluded grandparents from those close family members, only in the republicans mind. Well, let me tell you something. If the president can be interrupted by his grandchild to shake up an interview that isnt going so well, i can ask my grandson to help me make a oint here in congress. Heres luis andreas. Hes my grandson. You sigh, in the gutierrez family, grandchildren are pretty close family members and have a bona fide Family Connection. In fact, luis lives downstairs from me with his mom and dad on the ground floor unit in chicago. And living with grandma and grandpa upstairs has distinct advantages. Theres always someone to feed you, watch you, help you study or just joke around. Throughout much of the world and throughout the American History until fairly recently, the idea that families do not include grandparents is laughable. Multiple generations live together or very nearby and grandparents, even great andparents are an integral part of child rearing. So when you are in syria or yemen or Central Africa or expended erica, Multigenerational Families not only live together and support each other, occasionally they have to flee to Safety Together but not if donald trump has his way, they dont, or at least not when it comes to coming here to america. Thankfully, the American Court system disagrees with our president on this. The Supreme Court, which would ultimately determine the fate of americas commitment to refugees and religious tolerance will determine the case later this year. But in the meantime, over the objections of the president , grandparents are officially part of the family and have a bona fide relationship that allows them under the law to bypass the president s attempt to keep them out. Thank you, courts, for recognizing and defending families and giving our president a lesson in the obvious. On sunday, i learned about a tragedy in san antonio where a truck packed with immigrants was discovered and at least 10 people were killed. The truck had no ventilation or air conditioning. There was no water for those inside who had paid a lot of money to risk their lives to live in america. 10 dead, another 20 near death, some of them children under the hot texas sun in an apparent smuggling operation. You see, if you cut off Legal Immigration channels and make people wait decades for a visa, if theyre eligible to apply at all, it strengthens the hands of smugglers. If you turn Asylum Seekers around, in violation of our own laws and international law, theyll be driven into the arms of smugglers. If by going through our legal system and requesting asylum, your entire family becomes vulnerable to deportation, being sent back to a place because there was uncertainty, then people will pay smugglers to go around our system because there are no ways to go through it. A border wall, like the one republicans will slip into the military spending bill this week in the house, will not help matters but only make them worse. Forcing people to enter the black market because there is no way to go through our visa system will undoubtedly increase the number of times we hear about tragedies like the one in texas and the number of parents, grandparents and children will lose everything because we have failed to create and maintain a functioning immigration system. When luis turns 18 and is able to vote just like a million young latinos like him every year are eligible, i know hell remember which party stood for and stood by families and which one did not. Grandparents, theyre part of the american family, even if the republicans dont seem to think so. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida, mr. Curbelo, for five minutes. Mr. Curbelo mr. Speaker, i rise today to share and honor the story of an Israeli Defense soldier who was killed by Hamas Terrorists and whose remains have yet to be returned to his family. I met his parents in south florida earlier this year and they told me about their son, his love of freedom that inspired his service to israel and their just cause. On august 1, 2014, the 23yearold was killed by Hamas Terrorists. His body was then dragged away from his home and into an underground tunnel. Hamas terrorists then stripped him and left his clothing and took his body with them. For nearly three years they held his remains from his parties who merely want to give his son a proper burial. Mr. Speaker, israel is one of our strongest ally, our greatest ally and our support sends a clear message to all terrorists, including hamas, that the United States will continue to firmly stand with israel and its people. No parent should ever face the heartbreak of outliving a child, but those who do should expect a proper burial. His parents have been denied that basic decency by the Hamas Terrorists that murdered their son. So today im urging those holding hidar to let him come home so that his parents can say goodbye. Mr. Speaker, venezuela, once a beacon of Economic Prosperity in south america, has descend understood chaos and turmoil. An oilrich nation that now struggles as maduros policies have led venezuela of having the hemispheres highest inflation rate, resulting in critical shortages of food and medicine as well as the collapse of the venezuelan currency and rampant crime. The maduro regimes incompetence in managing venezuelas finances and systemic corruption has led to a crackdown on human rights and violence against democratic demonstrators. The country is lurching towards single party totalitarian rule. Rather than working with the opposition to serve the interests of the venezuelan people, maduro is using his influence to grasp onto power. First, by having his hench man on the Supreme Court to strip the National Assembly of its powers and now calling for an unelected constituent assembly to rewrite venezuelas constitution. This is just another attempt to usurp and replace venezuelas National Democratic assembly with a Puppet Parliament loyal only to him. This idea was recently rejected by 98 of the 7. 2 million venezuelans that participated in a nonbinding referendum last week. Fortunately, the United States has been quick to show solidarity with these freedomloving people. Im grateful for the president s show of support on his direct warning to maduro of the strong and swift economic sanctions the United States will take if he proceeds with a constituent assembly. The United States will no longer stand by and watch maduro and his thugs ignore human rights and the rule of law. Theres a bipartisan consensus that maduros undemocratic and tyrannical rule is unacceptable. All options are on the table, and i look forward to continuing to work with this administration and my colleagues here in congress to stand in solidarity with the democratic opposition and the people of venezuela. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. Blumenauer, for five minutes. Thank you, mr. Speaker. We begin an unusual week here on capitol hill, although unusual is sort of the new usual in washington, d. C. The Senate Begins deliberations on an eightyear republican mission to repeal the Affordable Care act, and they dont fully know what it is exactly theyre voting on. Theres uncertainty in the house over both budget and appropriations, but you know, theres an opportunity for congress to take a step back, to do something that will make a huge difference for everybody from coast to coast, something that can bring together a Wide Coalition of support and meet unmet needs. Im talking about addressing the unmet infrastructure needs for a country that is falling apart as we fall behind. You know, we havent raised the gas tax in 24 years, and in the course of that 24 years, weve watched the value of the federal gas tax actually erode 40 due to inflation and increased fuel efficiency while our needs continue to go up each and every year. Congress has put together a series of stopgap measures, gimmicks here and there, which have not adequately met those needs, and they have actually ncreased the budget deficit. I think back to Ronald Reagan making his thanksgiving day speech in november of 1982 when he called on congress to come back from the recess and more than double the gas tax, because he pointed out it would put people to work and improve Road Conditions that were actually damaging peoples cars more than what modest increase they would pay. Congress did it. And we were better off as a result. I think each of us would do well to look back at that speech that Ronald Reagan gave calling on congress to step up and do its part. The states are not sitting back. Since over the last five years more than half the individual states have gone ahead and raised their transportation funding. So far in 2017 alone, california, indiana, montana, oregon, tennessee, west virginia, and South Carolina raised the gas tax. In fact, South Carolina raised the gas tax over by overriding a republican governors veto. There are opportunities here for us us to be able to step forward and build on this fast coalition. It really isnt a profile in courage to support legislation that is endorsed by the u. S. Chamber, the aflcio, contractors, a variety of labor unions, road builders, engineers, trucking companies, triplea. The widest coalition of people supporting any measure issue before us major issue before us deals with increasing the fuel tax. Its interesting for those who are worried that maybe there is some political down turn, despite the fact that the states have been able to summon the courage. The american rolled and Transportation Builders Association did an Extensive Survey about who were those inprep tid legislators that voted to raise the gas tax since 012. Intrepid legislators that voted to raise the gas tax since 2012. They found that those who voted for the tax were reelected by over 90 for state. This shouldnt be about elections. It should be about whats right for the American People. Stepping up meeting our obligations so that the federal government is a full partner working with state and local governments, working with the private sector, to be able to eet the over 1. 1 trillion 1. 1 trillion of critical Transportation Needs between now and 2025 ought to be the first order of business. I would hope that my friends in Republican Leadership would allow us to have just one week of hearings on this issue. So that we can hear from the president of the u. S. Chamber of commerce, the president of the aflcio, the truckers, triplea, republican legislators aaa, republican legislators, people across the country who talk about the need to rebuild america. Make our communities more livable. Our families safer, healthier, and more economically secure. Sharyl jat yields back. The chair recognizes the jafment minnesota, mr. Paulson, for five minutes mr. Paulsen spreek, we continue to hear about the challenges for ol College Students who borrow more and tuition ratesgher and saddled with huge dead lotes they will have great difficulty paying back. The average debt for a Fouryear College student today is nearly 37,000. We need to explore new ways to ensure every student has the opportunity to go to school, develop their schools, and pursue their dreams without feeling deterred by the price tag. I think we need to look at a new approach. An approach that would help students pay for college. Its a concept known as an income share agreement. Its tuition rates and a concept that would allow students providing them the funding that they agree to pay back as small, affordable portions of their income over the years following graduation. Income