decrease, you know, we had fewer than 10,000 people overall -- >> we are going to head live to the floor of the house about to gavel back in. you can continue watching this live online at c-span.org. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2018] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] by our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. loving and gracious god, we give you thanks for giving us another day. we ask today that you bress the members of the people's house to be the best and most faithful servants of the people they serve. may they be filled with gratitude at the opportunity they have to serve in this place. thank you for the abilities they have been given to do their work, to contribute to the common good. as this second session of the 115th congress draws near its end, and legislative business once again weighs heavily on

this hill, withhold not your spirit of wisdom and truth from this assembly. give each member clarity of thought and purity of motive so they may render their service as their best selves. may all that is done this day in the people's house be for your greater honor and glory, amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approve thsmed epledge of allegiance will be led by the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen. ms. ros-lehtinen: visitors will join us in the pledge. 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: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the

gentlelady from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker: without objection the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i'm pleased to karen honor of jurge anna, throughout her long an distinguished career as a judge he's sworked -- worked in the civil and criminal divisions of the mamedade county court and as acting circuit court judge in the sill, criminal, domestic violence, and family divisions of the circuit court. when karen isn't sitting on the bemple she volunteer her time and experience through many different charitable and educational organizations including mentoring law students and young attorneys. in fact, for the first 10 years of her career she taught high school students science and math and worked tirelessly to educate our nation's youth. our south florida community has benefited substantially from judge schwartz's leadership and

public service and for this i truly thank her. karen, it is my distinct honor to join your family, your friends, your peers as they honor the many accomplishments of your outstanding career. i wish you and the entire schwartz family all the west in this -- all the best in this new, exciting chapter of your life. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from illinois seek recognition? the gentleman from illinois. without objection. i apologize. the gentleman is recognized. >> we received more than 2,400 responses. their top issues, headaches gun safety and the environment. it's worth noting on each of these issues this congress has not only not made progress we have moved backwards. mr. schneider: on health care, this congress spent months

fighting a failed fight to repeal the affordable care act and now the administration continues to cynically sabotage the law to weaken protections for pre-existing conditions and increase premiums. on gun safety, this congress sits idly by as senseless gun violence and mass shootings claim lives across the country. in fact, the only gun legislation we passed this year concealed carry reciprocity actually weakened our gun laws. on climate, this congress has not only -- has not listened to the science that tells us to reduce emissions and president trump withdrew the united states from the paris climate accord. it's time congress puts the interest of the american people first. in the coming new congress we have a new opportunity for progress. let's listen and prioritize the issues that matter most to our constituents and our country, affordable health care -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. schneider: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend

my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the adirondack 46ers, an organization in my district whose 10,000-plus members climbed all 46 peaks in the adirondack mountains. since the founding, the 46ers have been central to promoting environmental stewardship, protecting our natural resources and encouraging younger generations to enjoy the great outdoors. ms. stefanik: the 46ers have done important work, giving back to the mountains they love, making the peaks more accessible. they've also prioritized community outreach and volunteerism. their trail maintenance program is critical to keeping trails available from hikers across the world, in turn protecting our environment. for the past century, young hikers have been mentored and trained by this dedicated group of environmental stewards, and i know that over the next 100 years many more will be inspired to experience the adirondack mountains. please join me in

congratulating the 46ers on this incredible mile stoin. thank you -- milestone. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute, please. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, this friday marks the sixth anniversary of the sandy hook elementary chool shooting in newtown, connecticut. mr. higgins: on december 14, a lone gunman armed with an assault weapon killed 27 people, including 20 kids between the ages of 6 and 7 years old. five minutes, one shooter, 27 people dead. many of the kids had several bullet wounds in their bodies when they were recovered. in the years since -- in the years since that tragedy, we have seen high-powered assault weapon attacks on schools, synagogues, nightclubs, churches, concerts and in our neighborhoods. with each horrific attack, congress responds with a moment of silence.

we've had 50 moments of silence since sandy hook. silence is not a response. we need rational voices, congressional hearings and a meaningful gun safety laws -- and meaningful gun safety laws now. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognize rigs? mr. wilson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my wrarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. wilson: an extraordinary tribute to george h.w. bush was published by one in "the atlantic," had george herbert walker bush never become the 41st president of the united states, he'd still be remembered as one of the great americans of the 20th century. but it was his one-term presidency from 1989 to 1993 that had a monumental impact on the world. ronald reagan, his predecessor, uttered the famous words, mr. gorbachev, tear down this wall. yet, it was bush who presided over the overly dismantling. he saw the collapse of the

soviet union, the end of the cold war, the birth of the post-soviet republics and the west outreach to former members of the warsaw pact. in my service in congress, i've seen firsthand the expansion of freedom and democracy. today, the largest number of nations in the world history are free and democratic from bulgaria to lithuania inspired by president george h.w. bush. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget slen and the global -- september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from pennsylvania eek recognition? without objection, so ordered. >> mr. speaker, with only four days until open enrollment closes for next year, i want to call on people in my community, across pennsylvania, and in every part of our country to sign up for coverage on health

care.gov, because pennsylvania chose to expand medicaid under the affordable care act, low-income individuals and families in every corner of our district and state can obtain coverage and nearly 700,000 pennsylvanians are now covered. thanks to the affordable care act, americans of every background can choose from a range of plans to find one that works for them and their family free from discrimination, over gender, sexual orientation, race, or pre-existing conditions. however, there is still work to be done. health care is a right, not a privilege. while the affordable care act has brought us closer to universal coverage, we must build on this progress. in the coming months, i look forward to working with my colleagues in the house to make clear we need to move away from our profit-driven health care system toward a society where affordable, high-quality care is worth of every single child, woman, and man in this country.

thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio 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, so ordered. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to account the mccomb high school team for winning the division 7 championship. they won ouferglouster tremble. mccomb showed great fortitude on their way to the title including freshman, they had -- and their success will be tied to their stout defense. these student athletes gave it tony blair all and had the backing of the entire school district. they exemplified the best of ohio smalltown football. mr. latta: i know my dad played for mccomb in the late 1930's. it's great to see the fans rally around these players.

once again, congratulations, to the coach and rest of the mccomb high school football team on a job well done. mr. speaker, thank you very much and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii seek recognition? without objection, so ordered. ms. gabbard: thank you, mr. speaker. today i'm rising to recognize special olympics hawaii who are celebrating 50 years of service to our community. since their founding in 1968, they have changed lives and served as an indispense pensible source of strength and empowerment for so many people. across our state they're supporting 4,700 participants with the support of nearly 12,000 coaches and volunteers, delivering 10 olympic style sports and more than 50 competitions throughout the year. they've taken on issues like inactivity, injustice, intolerance, and social isolation by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities. they've had an impact on our

entire community and our state. they're combating negative stereotypes bringing joy and a sense of achievement and creating a culture of respect and inclusion. mahalo to special olympics hawaii and congratulations on this 50th anniversary. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from alabama seek recognition? mr. byrne: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. byrne: i rise today to honor the legacy of longtime alabama resident and my cousin, g.m. scotty byrne jr. who passed away on november 18 at the age of 92. scotty was a veteran of world war ii, having served in the 351st infantry division under general mark clark and later went on to serve as sheriff of escambia county for 24 years. in college at the university of southern mississippi, scotty was a premiere two-sport athlete, excelling in both baseball and golf. he was the first athlete to be

inducted into the u.s.m. sports hall of fame for two sports. throughout his life he was one of the most able golfers in our part of the state. during his tenure as sheriff, he was a vocal supporter of the alabama sheriff's boys ranch, providing resources for children in need throughout our state. without a doubt, scotty was one of the most memorable citizens in escambia county's long history. so on behalf of alabama's first congressional district, i want to share our condolences with scotty's family. he will be sorely missed and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina eek recognition? the gentlelady is recognized. ms. adams: thank you, mr. speaker. after months of negotiation in conference i'm proud to come to the floor today to say the 2018 farm bill is now a strong bipartisan bill which works for families, farmers and communities. the bill now avoids disastrous

cuts to snap, a program which puts food on the table for 44,000 people in mecklenburg county alone. it provides funding for research and mandatory funding for programs that support local food systems. as co-founder and co-chair of the bipartisan hbcu caucus, i'm particularly proud to help secure key resources for land grant universities in the bill. it authorizes $50 million to create three centers of excellence at 1890's and ensures equity by land grants by removing provisions that strips away unspent funding for 1890's and mandates a report which outlines research for land grant schools. thanks to my colleagues on the conference committee. i urge all of my colleagues to support the bill when it comes to the floor. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: ithout objection, so ordered.

>> thank you, mr. speaker, today i rise to honor the life of uincy university soccer coach. he built quincy university into a college soccer dynasty guiding his program at all levels of llege soccer, from niaa to ncaa division ii and excelling at ncaa division ii. mr. lahood: he was a pioneer and legend, leading the team to nine national championships between 1970 and 1988 and amassed 516 victories putting him 10th on the all-time wins list across all ncaa division levels. upon retirement in 2012, hery mained involved in the quincy university community and still could be found in the stands at every home game that the hawks played. as the quincy university

community continues to mourn the less of coach jack mckenzie, may we never forget the positive impact he had on so many live the sport of soccer and his tireless spirit in pursuit of excellence. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise to honor the life of don kriesiak. he and his family are long-type members of the bayside community and don sadly pass aid way after a battle with pancreatic cancer. he's survived by his wife lois and their children, don, tommy, and melanie he founded a restaurant in 1979 with a handful of employees and grew it into the successful bay city business that it is today. in fact, when i first ran for congress, the very first event

after i announced was at the restaurant he welcomed me with open arms and made me feel welcome in the neighborhood. remember always buying blintzkis from him every fat tuesday and every year he donated the money from those sales to charity he helped people struggling to find employment and supported people coming out of jail trying to start a new life. everyone who knew him as a -- at the family restaurant described him as more than a boss but everybody's friend he feel loved his to the spend time with his family and in his neighborhood and loved to listen to polka music. before opening the restaurant he served in the u.s. army and his commitment to our country will always be remembered. michigan last a great friend and bright spirit this week. the entire constituent of michigan, the bay city community, and i personally will

miss him. thank you, don, for everything you've done and i ask that the house join me in a brief moment of silence in his memory. the speaker pro tempore: everybody please rise. mr. kildee: thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. the chair lays before the house the following enrolled bill. the clerk: h.r. 3946, an act to name the department of veterans' affairs community-based outpatient clinic and state -- in statesboro, georgia, the ray hendricks department of veterans affairs clinic. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone fourth proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or votes objected to under clause 6 of rule 20. the house will resume proceedings on postponed

questions at a later time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill s. 943 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 943, an act to direct the secretary of the interior to conduct an accurate, comprehensive student count for the purposes of calculating formula allocations for programs under the johnson-o'malley act and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. estes, and the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from kansas. mr. estes: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on s. 943. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. estes: i rise today in support of s. 8943, the

johnson-o'malley supplemental indian education modernization act and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. estes: thank you, mr. speaker. the johnson-o'malley promise was started in 1934 to support the unique educational needs of american indian students. throughout the program native students have access to tutor, native language classes, cultural activity, after school programs, books and supplies and other programs and items to support their educational pursuits. for american indian students this program can be a lifeline. the johnson-o'malley program has the ability to make the difference in a student's life and it's essential that we take strides to make this program as efficient and effective as possible. as it turns out, there's much work to be done. bureau of indian education contracts with tribes, tribal organizations and sometimes states and public school districts to distribute program funds. the johnson o'malley act

stipulates that the funds be distribute t.d. to contractors based on the count of american indian students and average per-pupil operating cost. the formula makes sense except for the fact that the most recent student counts are from 1995. after the 1995 freeze, the b.i.a. ceased collecting student data and all information regarding johnson-o'malley projects and program outcomes. this has allowed contractors to collect funds based on data from over 20 years old. this kind of program mismanagement deprives students of educational opportunities in schools where student populations have grun and wastes taxpayer dollars in schools where it has declined. since fiscal year 2012, congress directed the b.i.e. to count the actual number of students eligible for an participating in the johnson-o'malley program and recommend a method og to distribute funds in the future. yet to do -- yet to date, the

b.i.e. has not conducted an accurate student act. amends the act. the legislation strengthens public accountability and oversight by requiring program contractors to repyre the -- report the amounts of purposes for which funds are spent. this will provide sufficient information to conduct the necessary oversight of the program. the bill also directs program facilitators to submit an annual program assessment report to congress and establishes a consultation process between the secretary of interior and the tribal schools so the students may be better served. we owe it to native students to make this well intended program as effective as it can be and i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. the speaker pro tempore: thank you, mr. speaker.

-- mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i also rise in support of s. 943. the abysmal conditions and status of education attainment and achievement of american indian children and students continues. this educational gap for american indian students continues to lag behind all other students in this country. this bill would require the department of interior to annually update the account count of american indian and alaska native student so that departments can more accurately distribute johnson of o'malley funds which supplement indian education. the bill would also require grantees to report how funds are being used, helping to ensure federal dollars support native students' education. the federal government has a responsibility to provide parity and resource to native education. currently the department is prevented from updating the count because of an effort from over 20 years ago to cut

spending through the use of block grants. congress at the time determined one way to reduce funding for indian education was to freeze efforts to count the number of native students. as a result, the department of interior continues to use the 1994 number of 272,000 native students even though it is estimated based on census reports that there are now more than 750,000 native students. this policy is just another in a long list of second class treatment to american indians by our government. i want to thank my colleague, betty mccollum, for introducing this version of the legislation. my republican colleagues tom cole and don young for providing bipartisan support. my hope is that the passage of this bill is a first step, however small it may be, to righting a wrong to american indian students. i urge my colleagues to support s. 943 and yield the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: yield

or reserve? mr. grijalva: i yield. no more speakers, sir. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from kansas is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. estes: thank you, mr. speaker. the last official count of eligible students were conducted in 1995 which determined there were nearly 272,000 american indian students who were qualified for the johnson-o'malley program. however, in 2017, the congressional budget office estimated that there were an additional 80,000 students who would qualify. clearly this bill is needed and overdue. currently the program receives $14.9 million annually in funding. modernization act will cost an timented $14 million over the next four year. this an important investment in the future of our country and those students deserve our support. this legislation improves and strengthens the johnson-o'malley program and i urge my colleagues to support s. 943 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 943. those in favor say aye -- as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid pon the table. part of the upcoming request for the gentleman from kansas need to be presented to the chair.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass

the bill h.r. 6140 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6140, a bill to require the secretary of energy to establish, carly out a program to support the h.a.l.e.u. for domestic commercial use and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. flores, and the gentleman from texas, mr. green, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the first gentleman from texas, mr. flores. mr. flores: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the record on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman from texas, mr. flores, is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. flores: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. flores: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i thank you for the

time. nuclear power is a clean and efficient source of zero emissions energy. today it generates approximately 20% of our country's always-on base load electricity for our homes and businesses. most nuclear reactors currently under -- that are currently in use are similar in nature and operate on a fuel that is generally below 5%. the next generation of advanced reactors under development, however, vary in size and operation and they will require flexibility in efficiencies from an advanced fuel. assay l, known as high low-enriched uranium, halu, for short, is higher -- enriched at higher levels than currently available in the market. the advanced nuclear fuel availability act establishes a

public-private partnership to support the availability of halu for domestic and commercial use. a march survey of 18 advanced reactor developers in the united states found the lack of availability of advanced fuels is the foremost factor that would impede the development and deployment of advanced reactor technologies. simply put this bill would ensure that there's a supply of advanced fuel available for domestic commercial industry purr has for the advance red actors of tomorrow. global energy demand will continue to increase and emotions-free nuclear power is the ultimate green source to meet those needs for the generation of electricity. it's important that we pass this bill to give american innovators a competitive edge in designing and deploying the aye reactors of tomorrow. i want to thank again mr. mcnerney for working with me on this issue as well as our committee leadership and staff on bringing this legislation to the fore.

i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan measure. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from houston, texas, mr. green, seeks recognition. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 6140 and yield myself such time as i may consume. . the fuel needed for most nuclear designs, there is no existing commercial market for this fuel so in order to ensure the fuel is available for advanced reactors once they're licensed and ready to begin producing electricity, the federal government will need to coordinate efforts among agencies and with the commercial nuclear sector to energy can be safely transported. a wouldn't buy gas for awnmower if you can't runs it.

i want to thank my colleagues on the energy and commerce committee, both representative flores and representative mcnerney for developing this thoughtful proposal and i urge my colleagues to support the bill and i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas, mr. flores, is recognized. mr. flores: mr. speaker, i'm going to continue to reserve until my other colleagues arrive. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve. the gentleman from houston, texas, mr. green, is recognized. mr. reen: thank you, speaker. i yield for whatever time he consumes the co-sponsor of the bill, representative mcnerney. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. mcnerney: thank you, mr. speaker. i also want to thank mr. green. i had the pleasure of serving with mr. green for about 12 years now. he's been an incredible colleague and one thing i can say about mr. green, he's good

for his word. whenever he says he will provide something and do something he does it. i appreciate your friendship and colleague -- being a colleague. today i rise in support of h.r. 6140, the advanced nuclear fuels availability act. every day we are seeking -- seeing the devastating effects of climate change like the deadly wildfires we just had in california, severe flooding around the world, and our nation's persistent asthma rates which continues to threaten public health. the federal government has the responsibility to address climate change by investing in proactive plurs to combat this prevailing threat. we need a diverse -- and i repeat, a diverse energy mix, including nuclear power, which already generates 60% of our nation's zero emissions electricity. h.r. 6140 is the future of nuclear technology. it creates a pathway for

tomorrow's nuclear reactors so we will be able to confront the realities of climate change. this bill directs the department of energy to conduct studies, authorizes the department of energy to acquire materials and requires the d.o.e. to develop a schedule to recover these costs. e availability of high assay low enriched uranium is critical to these efforts. protocols regarding the transportation, fuel fabrication and enrichment to bringing this fuel to market are encouraging. this bill updates the nuclear regulate commission's policies and addresses the development regulatory regime the options for requiring this type of uranium and the preparation of the infrastructure required for this fuel. as we look to the future, small module reactors, or s.m.r.'s,

as they're referred to, will be seful in a variety of settings to rural areas and this type of fuel needs to be available by the type s.m.r.'s comes to the market. the consortium that's formed here is the type of partnership that will be useful in kick-starting this technology and then turning it over to let industry take the reins. i want to thank my partner on this bill, mr. flores, mr. upton, mr. walden, and mr. pallone for their leadership on this issue. i want to thank our staffs for their work on this critical legislation. finally, i want to thank my friend and colleague, mr. green, who's retiring this year. he's been a champion for bipartisanship and compromise and advocate for sound policy in this chamber. he will be missed. also miss the speaker that's sitting in the chair right now. with that i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 6140, and i

yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back to mr. green, is that correct? mr. green: i'll reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. flores. in flores: mr. speaker, i -- mr. flores: mr. speaker, i need to reserve while i wait for my colleague to arrive. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from houston, texas. mr. green: mr. speaker, we'll continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: we got both ji -- gentlemen reserving. mr. flores: mr. speaker, we'll reserve the right to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from houston will go first. mr. green: mr. speaker, we have no further speakers. i relinquish the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman relength wishing the -- relinquishes the balance of his time. mr. flores is recognized to

close debate. mr. flores: mr. speaker, i thank mr. green for allowing me reserve a couple extra times. it is simple. h.r. 6140 will set the stage for powering electricity in the future in a green manner by allowing for the development of those new generation reactors but we got to have the fuel to do it and this bill, by working with my good friend, mr. mcnerney from california, does that. this bill passed the subcommittee, energy and commerce, by voice vote, unanimous voice vote. it also passed the full committee by a voice vote. so it is a bipartisan solution to address a real need to generate electricity. always on base-level electricity in a zero emissions manner. with that i'd like to yield back the balance of my time and urge all my colleagues to vote for this important piece of legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the

question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the ill h.r. 6140, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. barton: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7217. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7217, a bill to amend title 19 of the social security act to provide states with the option of providing coordinated care for children with complex medical conditions through a health home, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. barton, and the gentleman from texas, mr. green, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. barton: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert

extraneous materials in the record on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. barton: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. barton: i thank the speaker. mr. speaker, we're here today, ulmination of a six-year journey. the improve act is a combination of three bills. one bill is a bill that allows medicare to follow the patient. other bill is a bill for spousal impoverishment, to prevent that. the third bill and the primary bill in this package is a bill that we call the ace kids act. mr. speaker, there are a number of -- luckily not a large number -- there are about two million children in this country that have multiple complex medical conditions that

are life threatening. these are the sickest of the sick of our young population. about 500,000 of these children are medicaid eligible. in other words, their families qualify for low-income health insurance called medicaid. mr. speaker, under current law, these children, their parents have to create the health care network on a case-by-case basis for their child. they also cannot seek health care across state lines as covered by medicaid, so they make it very -- current law makes it very difficult on these sickest of the sick children. the ace kids act changes that, mr. speaker. of a ows the creation medical home that can cross

state lines, that can coordinate nate care and it's optional. the states don't have to participate in this program. the parents don't have to participate in this program. but if they do wish to participate, you create a health home for the child that everything is coordinated and in the pilot programs that have been run using this model you get better quality health care at lower cost. the pilot programs show we think over time if we adopt this model and if the states adopt it and the families adopt it, we get a lot better health care at a lower cost. so this is a win-win, mr. speaker. and as i said, we worked on

this for six years. it's a bipartisan bill. in the last congress we had a majority of the congress that sponsored the bill. in this congress, we have over 130 co-sponsors on a bipartisan basis. we've had hearing in the committee of jurisdiction, energy and commerce. we had a markup in subcommittee. we had a markup in full committee, and now, mr. speaker, we're bringing it to the floor. so we hope the house later today will vote affirmatively to pass this on suspension, send it to the senate. we have preconferenced it with the senate, and we have every reason to believe that the house passes it today, the senate will take it up expeditiously and pass it and this is a bill that will become law. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. green: i rise today in support of h.r. 7117 the improve act. this legislation contains several important policies related to medicaid and

medicare. first, i'm a proud original co-sponsor of the aces kids act and happen haddy to see it included in h.r. 7217. the ace kids act aims to improve care, coordination for children with complex medical conditions served by medicaid. the legislation creates a medicaid health home, state option, specifically targeted for population of children. it also requires the secretary to issue best practices on coordinating out-of-state care for children with complex medical conditions. i'd like to thank the sponsors of the ace kids act, both representative castor, member of our committee, and also congressman barton, also a member of the energy and commerce committee, for championing this issue for so many years. the improve act also provides new funding for the money follows the person, the m.f.p. program. he m.f.p. program helps to give them care so they can live more independent lives.

it also supports community-based infrastructure. without this extension funding, we would start to see many of these m.f.p. programs end in short order. i urge support for the program, which provided thousands of americans with choice to receive services in their home or community rather than in an institution. the committee will continue to work on providing long-term funding for the m.f.p. program in the next congress. i'd like to also voice my support for the extension of spousal and impoverishment protections until april, 2019. these protections will help ensure that a person can maintain enough income and assets to meet their basic living expenses while still allowing their spouse receive long-term care in their home or community under medicaid. the expiration of this policy would lead to people losing their long-term care services and unnecessary institutionalization of people currently receiving services in their home or communities.

the committee will continue to work on the long-term solution in the next congress. i urge my colleagues to support passage of h.r. 7217, the improve act, and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves, the gentleman from texas, mr. barton. mr. barton: i'm pleased to recognize mr. greg walden for three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. walden: thank you, and thank you, mr. bar ton, on the ace kids act. this is something you've been dedicated toward for many years. i'm glad we can get this worked out and to the floor today. in fact, mr. speaker, these bills add to the 129 that your energy and commerce committee has passed across this house floor. 92% of those bills have been bipartisan. i don't think the american people know that because when we get along and do things it doesn't get much coverage. but most of our work, 92% of our bills, have been bipartisan, plus these today, 28 of those

measures have become law. i rise in strong support of this bipartisan h.r. 7217 which includes a numb of different policies to improve and bolster the medicaid and medicare programs for vulnerable patients across our country, mr. speaker. i want to recognize joe bar condition and our colleague, kathy castor from florida who i know will speak in a moment. they have just worked relentlessly on the ace kids act. it's an important bill and it's included in this package and one i'm proud the house will advance forward today, you should be commended for your work. you see, mr. speaker, the ace kids act is bipartisan, it is cost effective legislation. it provides children and their families the treatment and coordinated care they so desperately need and deserve. representative bar ton, former chairman of the -- barton, former chairman of the committee, has long been a champion of this issue. i want to thank him for his tireless efforts to improve care for sick children.

also the money follows the person program and the spousal benefits program -- i'm disappointed we weren't able to deadlines forterm them but i hope the bipartisan work on the bill will continue in a the new congress. today we're moving forward with a three-month extension to prevent them expiring. finally the package includes a small but critically important medicare fix to ensure seniors have access to mobility devices and that's fullyoff set and paid for. we have four other bills before us today. collectively they re-authorize several important programs, promote safe motherhood and improve patient care. lastly we'll consider h.r. 6140, that's the advanced nuclear fuel availability act. this bill as you already know, mr. speaker, directs the secretary of energy to establish a program to make high assay,

low-enriched uranium available for use in a first of its kind advanced nuclear reactor designs. this will enable development and deployment of innovative new nuclear technology. nuclear energy is the largest source of emissions-free energy in the united states. a strong nuclear energy policy can ensure a reliable, clean, energy sector for years to come and provide american families and businesses with affordable energy. in closing i want to thank ranking member pallone, mr. green and other members of the energy and commerce committee. i urge my colleagues to support passage of all of these bills and especially h.r. 17 -- 7217. on behalf of patients in oregon and across our country and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman in texas, mr. green. mr. green: mr. speaker, i'm proud to yield five minutes to co-sponsor of the ace act and a great member of our energy and commerce committee, congresswoman castor. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for

five minutes. ms. castor: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank you, congressman green, for being an outspoken advocate for your constituents but especially for affordable health care for all americans, especially children. it's been a privilege serving with you. mr. speaker, on behalf of the families of children with complex medical needs across america, i rise to urge approval of the improve act which includes a bill that i've been working on for a number of years with representative joe barton called the ace kids act. we drafted the advanced care for exceptional kids act a few years ago with the simple but important goal of putting families and children first. the bill authorizes the creation of cost-saving and time-saving health homes where specialized care is coordinated in a high quality setting. mr. speaker, the children with

complex medical conditions and their families are heroic. caroline west in tampa, florida, was -- has a rare genetic condition, also se remember ral palsy and a seizure disorder. she can't walk, very difficult for her to speak. but she's able to attend school part-time and enjoys a life of a typical teenager in many respects. person inda, the only the united states with early on respiratory distress. it's difficult for her to eat, she has to have a feeding tube a ventilator to breathe and nursing care 24 hours a day and yet she's a bright and social 6-year-old. jaden velazquez. has a congenital heart defect. he was born with it. the left side of his heart is

severely underdeveloped. he's undergone numerous surgeries. yet he's a loving and happy 10-year-old. loves swimming. is enjoying life. lakota lockhart another ngenital hyper ventilation syndrome central nervous systemties order. it causes him not to be able to breathe when he tries to sleep. i met these children at tampa, florida, at the st. joseph's children's hospital. they have a world-renowned chronic complex clinic. that was started 16 years ago by a passionate pediatric doctor placenzia. niel the ace kids bill is modeled after the work bling done at st. joe's. and other children's hospitals all across the country. the families shared with us how difficult it is to get quality health care. it's often times so fragmented

and uncoordinated they have to go from one office to another, maybe the specialist is in another state. that's why we put together the ace kids act to help coordinate care in a single setting to help give these kids a better quality of life. and the ace kids act will do just that. the bill provides an incentive to states to establish health homes to better coordinate care for kids with medical complexities. it also directs h.h.s. to provide fideance to states on best practices relating to providing care across state lines. as so many of these families no all too well, coordinating care across state lines can be burdensome so that's the aim of the ace kids act to lift that burden. in addition to congressman joe barton who has worked diligently for so many years to get this over the finish line, i want to thank all of the families with children with complex medical challenges. they deserve credit for moving

this bill forward. coming to congress and helping to explain the importance of coordinating care. i also want to thank chairman walden, ranking member pallone, varme burgess and ranking member green for your support and our stalwart partners, representative herrera butter, eshoo, and reichert. thank you to america's children hospitals, the american academy of pediatrics and march of dimes and thanks to the professional staff of the committee for your dedication to these families, especially rachel pryor, stephanie, josh, caleb on the republican side. additionally this bill would not be where it is without the stellar work of representative barton's staffers, krista, gabling, sophie, and my l.d. elizabeth brown. passage of this bill will be a gift to so many families during this holiday season beyond. i urge my colleagues here in the house and then over in the

senate to pass the ace kids act contained within the improve act and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. barton. mr. barton: before i recognize dr. burgess i want to echo what congresswoman castor said about the staffs that work sod hard. we couldn't have done this bill without all the individuals that she just named. i also want to thank her. she has -- when she said i've been tireless, she makes me look like a snail and she's the rabbit working every day to make this possible. with that, i want to yield to the distinguished subcommittee chairman of the health subcommittee, my good friend dr. michael burgess, three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. burgess: mr. speaker, i also rise in support of h.r. 7217, this is a bipartisan medicaid package that moves forward house priorities with responsible offsets. the energy and commerce committee has been working to draft and perfect the

legislation before us and it is encouraging to see this reach the house floor. not only does this package include a new program to include -- improve access to care, it ethordses important and effective programs from which americans benefit each and every day. title 1 of this package is based upon representative joe bar ton and representative kathy castor's ace kids act but i do want to assure family who was children with chronic illnesses that this legislation is intended to help them, if they want help, to obtain care coordination services. however, i also want to clarify that this legislation is not intended to limit families or their physicians from selecting the -- their provider of medical service. there's nothing in this legislation that restricts the child's family, their physician, from deciding who is the best provider amongst those accepting

medicaid and qualified to offer the medical services. the center for medicare and medicaid services has provided assurances that current freedom of choice rules will apply to new care coordination activity. as a doctor, i know that many children with chronic illnesses have a strong relationship with their doctors around with other members of the health care team. i want to make certain that this new law will help families coordinate their care without affecting the relationship that families have with their current medical care providers or with other providers in their communities from whom they may wish to receive their care. this package also extends funding for the money fol rows the person demonstration, an effort that was led by mr. energy and commerce subcommittee on health, vice chair brett guthrie and representative debbie begin dell -- begin gell

of michigan. this was established in 2005 for individuals. -- to receive care in their homes or other settings rather than nursing homes. this funding for this has expired and a funding extension is already overdue. while it would have been nice to extend for this longer it would have been -- it was essential to get this across the floor. a three-month extension for the protection of medicare recipients against spousal impoverishment was also included this was championed by representatives fred upton and debbie dingell. i ask for an additional minute. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. burgess: this legislation includes several offsets to make this package a net saver. while it's lrgely a medicaid package there's a small but important medicare provision. this provision -- provision wheelchairs ex from the program. currently they're not included but because the statute did not include the same clear extension that power wheelchairs receive there was fear it could lead to them being excluded. i yield back my time. i'll submit my statement for the record. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: i'm proud to yield three minutes to another member of the energy and commerce committee, deb bra dingell. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for three minutes. mrs. dingell: thank you, mr. speaker, for the recognition. i want to thank my colleague, ranking member gene green, for yielding me the time. i rise in support of h.r. 7217,

the improve act and i want to thank chairman walden, ranking member pallone and representatives upton and guthrie for their leadership in negotiating this important bill and for bringing it to the floor today. i also want to thank and acknowledge my dear friend joe barton for all his leadership on the ace kids act and to congratulate him on his retirement. joe has been a great friend to john and mine over the years and he'll be dearly missed in the next congress. getting the improve act signed into law by the end of the year will be a fitting end to his decades of service in the congress. ranking member green has also been critical to so many measures. texas has had two valuable ublic servants. improving long-term care has been a top priority of mine since coming to congress and our system is completely broken. we need a broader overhaul of long-term care financing.

we also need to build off existing programs to make sure we're doing everything we can to ensure that we're enhancing the opportunities for independent living and supporting aging with dignity. i'm proud to have authored two important provisions in the improve act that extend critical programs that are about to expire. first is a three-month extension of the money follows the person program. this very successful program provides grants to states to cover transitional services for individuals who voluntarily wish to leave a nursing home or other institution and transition to a community care setting. money follows the person is a win for both beneficiaries and taxpayers because the program has demonstrated significant savings over the years while bringing a real benefit to people's lives. i'm also pleased that legislation i authored with my good friend, representative

upton from michigan, the protected married seniors from impoverishment act is also included in this bill. extending spousal impoverishment protection force seniors in medicaid is just common sense. nobody should be forced to spend down all of their resources and have to go bankrupt just to get the care they need. but these are only partial victories. both programs are extended for only three months. this is enough to keep these important programs alive for now, but all of us have a lot of work to do when we come back early in the new year. let me be clear, i will continue to fight for long-term extensions of both programs in the next congress. and i'm confident that we can get that done with the democratic majority. these programs clearly have bipartisan support and they do so much good for so many people. once again congratulations to my

two dear friends from texas and for their leadership. i urge my colleagues to join me in support of this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. barton. mr. barton: i want to thank the dear lady from michigan for her kind words. i appreciate the nice gift i got yesterday from she and her husband, his new book, the dean. i look forward to reading it over christmas. with that i want to recognize the distinguished gentleman from kentucky, mr. guthrie, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. guthrie: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise in support of my legislation, empower care act, included in h.r. 7217, which will ensure that medicaid beneficiaries can can receive the best long-term care possible in their communities or in their own homes. the empower care act will extend the medicaid money follows the person program which allows certain made beneficiaries -- medicaid beneficiaries to transition from a health care

facility to receiving care in their own homes. it does not force patients to leave a facility if they don't want to. my home state of kentucky is currently working to transition 50 individuals from health care facilities back into their own communities. empowering these individuals who have chosen to receive care in their community. i want to thank my friend, congresswoman debi dingle, for working with me on this bipartisan bill. i look forward to working with her to make money follows the person program permanent in the future. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: mr. speaker, i'm happy to yield three minutes to another good member of our energy and commerce committee, congressman welch. mr. welch: i want to extend my congratulations as well to mr. barton. it's been a pleasure. thank you. also mr. green, thank you for your service. what an incredible career both of you have had. my colleagues have talked about the underlying bill and i'm in agreement with what everyone has

said. i wanted to focus attention on an aspect of the bill that was sponsored by my colleague, curt schroeder, and i. and that is a provision that addresses abusive practices of drug manufacturers who intentionally misrepresent their brand drugs as a generic in order to avoid providing a larger discount to the medicaid program. my colleagues, whatever our position on the best way to deliver health care, one thing we know is the case, it's too expensive. whether it's taxpayers footing the bill, consumers, or employer sponsored health care plans. it's too expensive. one of the reasons is rip-off phrma practices. this is a situation where oftentimes brand name drugs try to keep generics off the market, but this is a case where a brand name tried to pretend they were a generic in order to get a lower price. i'll give an example.

a 2016, myland misclassified generic drug instead of a brand drug. that allowed them to charge medicaid a higher price for the drug. they ended up paying $465 million in a settlement to health and human service, but the estimate malfeasance cost medicaid, which is to say taxpayers, over $1 billion. simultaneously mylan was raising its list price on epipen, which parents have to have for their kids, from $103 to $608 over seven years. a 500% increase. they are not alone. the -- this practice of unrelenting drug price hikes is tried and true for manufacturers. i'm very pleased we have included in this bill an end to this abusive practice.

we have got to make health care affordable. representative schroeder and i with this provision are taking a small step. with the help of our congress and passage of this very good bill, we'll be taking one more step to dealing with the cost crisis in our health care system. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. barton. mr. barton: i'm proud to recognize the former full committee chairman and the current subcommittee chairman of the energy subcommittee, mr. upton of michigan, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. upton: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. speaker, i want to say i stand in support of this legislation today. i want to thank my colleague, debbie ding el-- dingell. the two of us helped sponsor the spousal impoverishment bill. there was no objection to that. but i want to particularly take this time and just thank joe barton for his leadership on the ace kids act. all of us come to this house for

particular cause that is really grab our interest and attention. joe barton has been so good, some would say like a dog to a frisbee, in getting the ace kids act to the house floor. this bill is going to save lives. it was bipartisan. frankly i wanted to move it as part of 21st century cures, but we didn't have a c.b.o. score. we couldn't get it done. we had plenty of meetings over the last couple years on this, and here it is. we're going to get it done. hopefully the senate's going to get it up. we'll get it to the president's desk. this is probably the last time that joe barton is actually managing a bill on the house floor. it's appropriate that this is his bill. that it is his engine moving this train that really is going to make a difference for families across the country. i say, thank you joe barton. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: i'm proud to yield three minutes to our colleague from our committee, curt schroeder from oregon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. schroeder: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 7217, the improve act. i appreciate all the work that's been done on this bill over the years. from improving care for kids with complex medical conditions, to strengthening community based long-term care services for the disabled community. there is a lot to support in this bill. i want to highlight one portion of the bill that my colleague and good friend, beater pell much, alluded to -- peter welch alluded to a few minutes ago. families were shocked when a drug company raised that price on the epipen used to treat allergies in emergency situation bice more than 400%. while patients were facing the sticker shock for a drug necessary to keep them alive, investigators in the department of health and human services and own health and senate committees

were doing digging of our own. in the course of their investigation they found that not only was the manufacturer of epipen ripping off patients and their families, they are ripping off the american taxpayer, too. by misclassifying their drugs as generic when it was actually a brand drug, medicaid was being overcharged for years. further investigations by h.h.s. found that hundreds of other drugs were also misclassified. medicaid was overcharge bide more than $1 billion in the four -- overcharged by more than $1 billion in four years. under this bill if a drug company classifies their brand drug as a generic, they'll have the power to fine that drug company double the normal rebate it would have to pay the government. the bill strengthsens c.m.s. and congressional oversight of the program to prevent this from happening again. i want to thank mr. welch, senators widen and grassley,

grassley, and and mr. weldon. i urge all members to support the bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. barton. mr. barton: i'd like to recognize the gentleman from florida, mr. bilirakis, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. bilirakis: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in support of h.r. 7217, the improve act, which includes several important medicaid provisions, including the ace kids act. i have been a co-sponsored this act since the first introduction, mr. speaker. and the tampa area we have st. joseph's children's hospital. they run a chronic complex clinic for children. this medical home is a great model that ace kids is trying to build on. this integrated care model where the care is built around the needs of the patient, has made it a huge difference in the lives of so many children.

i'm excited that we have finally reached the finish line on ace kids. i want to thank former chairman -- former full committee chairman and -- and also the -- i guess -- he's the great guy and -- he's the vice chairman of the committee. for all of his hard work on the ace kids and the improvement act and also i want to thank my colleague, kathy castor, for being relentless. the two of them relentless on behalf of our children. i want to thank all the children that came up and advocated for this bill as well. in any case we're going to get this done. i appreciate -- we couldn't do it without these two. thank you very much. and i will yield back. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: how much time do i have left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. green, has 4 1/2 minutes remaining. the gentleman from texas, mr. barton, has 1/2 minutes

remaining. mr. green: i reserve myself the time i may consume. mr. speaker, members, i think this is how we need to work together. and this is a good example. not only from interstates but also interparty to be able to solve these three problems that this bill corrects. high pressure the next congress will continue that effort. republicans and democrats talking to each other. texans talking to oklahomans which is sometimes tough. the work together for the people we represent. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas, mr. barton. mr. barton: i want to recognize the distinguished gentleman from georgia, mr. carter, strong supporter for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. carter: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of the improve act. my colleagues on the energy and commerce committee and i have been working to address a number of the issues that have

culminated under this legislation. for instance, the ace kids act, an effort championed by representative barton, would make strides in addressing challenges of children with medically complex conditions. it sets standards for home health qualifications so as to ensure better coordinated care for children in need. it updates and streamlines the coordinated care provisions for health homes for children so that they will have the system and framework in place to properly respond and work with health systems and professionals. additionally, it overhauls the data collection requirements and updates the state reporting requirements to maintain a more competitive network of care for children with complex medical conditions. mr. speaker, this legislation is a mull kuhl mination of a lot of hard work by my colleagues, particularly representative barton, and the staff on the energy and commerce committee and represents a commonsense step forward in assisting needy children. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman from texas -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yielded back. the gentleman from texas, mr. barton. mr. barton: i want to recognize one of the tireless supporters of day one who herself has a medically complex special needs child who went through the nightmare of having to create her own network for her child who has been a co-sponsor since day one, the honorable herrera beutler for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from washington is recognized for two minutes. ms. herrera beutler: thank you so much, chairman barton, for your leadership on this. i'm so excited year here today to celebrate this. i have spent months of my life in a nicu for my own medically complex child and i've stood bedside to bedside with many a family as they faced the reality

of having a sick kid they hit hard economic times and i can put too many faces and names to the reality that little kiddos often can't get the care they need and today we're taking a step to fix it. i'm so excited about this. one in 25 children in the u.s. is medically complex. that means they have diagnoses like cancer or end stage renal disease or congenital heart disease or other diagnoses that require consistent critical, medical care. they need this eexpertise. one in three million medically complex children out of those three million medically complex kiddos, two million of them rely on medicaid. which means what we do with medicaid significantly impacts them. they're also less expensive than the other folks on medicaid so we can go a long way to make sure getting them care. so in order to enhance the critical care for these two million kiddos, the ace kids act creates networks anchored by children's hospitals to help coordinate care, allowing

families to seamlessly pursue the best doctors and facilities even if it takes them out of state. that's key right now under med medicaid you can get stuck in your zip code. so maybe there's a specialist for your child's rare disease in another state. if you're on medicaid, you're limited. we're breaking open that limitation today to allow those kiddos to cross state lines and pursue the best doctors regardless of where they're at. this just makes sense. here's the great thing. the efficiency and the better coordination will improve outcomes, number one, that's the best thing. but the next best thing, this is even going to save money. we're not going to build that expertise in every single community, we're going to get the kids where they need to go. it's really going to cut down on duplication and increase efficiency and it's going to be the right thing. this is a win-win proposition, i'm so excited about. this i urge my colleagues to vote yes. again i think -- i thank the chairman and ms. castor for their leadership here. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from texas, mr. barton. mr. barton: i want to yield one minute to the gentleman from new york, mr. zeldin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. zeldin: today i rise to speak in support of language that would protect access to critical equipment for individuals with disabilities. in november of 2014, this centers for medicare and medicaid services issued a rule saying that accessories used on complex rehabilitative wheelchairs would no longer be part of the fixed e schedule and would be subject to competitive bidding price, decreasing access to customized wheelchairs and accessories relied on by adults and children with disabilities. language in this legislation will include commonsense clarification to ensure those in the medicare program don't have to go through the difficulty of adjusting to new rules and pricing arbitrarily set by c.m.s. this will ensure they have reliable and consistent access to what they need. i urge my colleagues to protect those with disabilities and the

access to what they rely on. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. barton. mr. barton: may i inquire how much time ve maining? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has 2 1/2 minutes remaining. mr. barton: i recognize myself for the balance of me time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized mr. chairman barton: before i close i want to sent the record straight on one thing. there's been a report that this bill, the ace kids act, expands medicaid. that is factually incorrect. the children that qualify for the ace kids act are already covered by medicaid. there is no expansion. we do not create a new program. we do not expand an existing program. we do not change the definitions. we simply make it possible if this bill becomes law for parents of children that qualify, that are already covered under medicaid, they can

choose a health care home for their child and that health care home can cross state lines. but as dr. burgess pointed out, it is not coercive. the states don't have to participate in the program. the families don't have to participate in the program. it is all voluntary. but the pilot programs that have been done on this model, they save money and they give better care. 's been proven, c.b.o. has scored this over time that it saves money. but we put pay-fors in the bill. if it did cost extra money it would be paid for. last two quarter, six-month, increase f-map, federal matching that the froth gives to states that choose to participate. i think it's bt 15% extra money for six months.

that's the only cost. now, to close, i'm going to read a list and congresswoman castor read a lot of these, but these are the national groups that support our bill. the adult congenital heart association. america's central hospital. american academy of pediatrics. american board oaf pediatrics. american college of cardiology. american college of surgeons. american heart association. american psychological association. american society of echo cardiograph, the american thoracik society, association of american medical colleges, association of medical school pediatric department, autism society, autism speaks, child search. children's hospital association, the epilepsy foundation, family voices, foundation to eradicate duchene, international food yat rick, the march of dimes, little heart, moms rising, national association of children's

behavioral health -- and there's about seven or 10 more. i do ask that -- i want to thank the staffs, especially krista rosenthal, jeannine bender, committee staff, kayla, trent, josh trent, excuse me, ryan long and again, i thank kathy castor and gene greench. s that bipartisan effort. i ask for a strong yay vote and with that i yield back mr. chairman. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house sprowls and pass h.r. 7217. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair 2/3 with the in the affirmative -- mr. barton: mr. speaker. on that i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays with requested. those in favor of taking the vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, a recorded vote is ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed.

for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. barton: i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill s. 2465. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 2465, an act to amend a public health service act to re-authorize a sickle cell disease prevention and treatment demonstration program and to provide for sickle cell disease research, surveillance, purr prevks and treatment. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess, and the gentleman from texas, mr. green, each will criminal krol 20 minutes. this chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess. mr. burgess: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the record on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. burgess: i yield myself such

time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to speak in support of s. 2465, the sickle cell disease and other heartable blood disorders research, surveillance, prevks, and treatment act of 2018. the policy included in this legislation is something on which congress has been working toward for years as improvements for individuals with sickle cell have largely remained stagnant. this text is similar to h.r. 2410 which was introduced by representative dabny davis and myself. and passed this chamber unanimously in february. i would like to thank representative davis, in addition to senators tim scott and senator corey booker for working with me on this important policy. since the passage of the sickle cell anemia control act of 1972, the first law to address sickle

cell, individuals living with this disease have seen a substantial drop in mortality rates. however, there remains work to be done. according to the center for disease control and prevention, there are approximately 100,000 individuals in the united states with sickle cell. additionally, the disease occurs in one in 365 african-american births and in one of 13 african-american births the newborn has the sickle cell trait. in the 1990's, the food and drug administration approved hydroxi urea which stimulates the body to resume production of fetal hemoglobe in-- feele to hemoglobin to treat the ts. last year the food and drug administration approved the first new treatment in over 20 years. i met with doctors to learn more about why the approvals have taken such a long time.

this bill would further our commitment to helping those with sickle cell by both continuing the health resources and service administration's sickle cell disease prevention and treatment demonstration program and by allowing the centers for disease control and prevention to conduct surveillance of the disease and other heartable blood disorders. the c.d.c. surveillance activity will allow for identification of health disparities, analysis of utilization of existing therapies, and evaluation of genetic, environmental, behavioral and other risk factors. having worked with patients with sickle cell ds while at parkland hospital, i've seen firsthand the real consequences that this disease can have on people. this bill provides an important step forward in ensuring that we have the resources to better understand this illness and maintain access for services for those affected by the disease.

while sickle cell disease has been addressed in bills like the 21st century cures act among other rare diseases, it has been a long time since this illness was substantially addressed in legislation. the future of sickle cell disease treatment is bright if we pass this legislation and send toyota president trump. better understanding of the landscape of sickle cell disease across the nation and investing in new research for new treatments holds much promise for individuals and families who spend every day managing their disease. think of the children who have been unable to play or had to quit competing or had to struggle through school because they are frequently absent due to the complications or pain from their underlying sickle cell illness. the support this bill provides will enable public-private partnerships to take the reins to night this disease head on in communities across the country.

i urge members to support this legislation so we can send it promptly to the president's desk and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of s. 2465, the sickle cell disease and other heartable blood disorders -- and other heritable blood diseases treatment act. this re-authorizes disease treatment demonstration program. this program enhances the prevention and treatment of sickle cell through coordination of service delivery, yes netic counseling, test, training of health professionals and other related efforts. the program is particularly important since individuals with sickle cell disease need comprehensive treatment throughout their lives in order to manage their symptoms and prevent their disease from worsening. over 100,000 americans are living with sickle cell disease today. each will need access to robust

network providers with the knowledge and skills to treat this condition. this is especially important now for far too many individuals with sickle cell are unable to get the care they need. particularly those who present at emergency departments with intense pain associated with sickle cell prices. in addition to re-authorizing that program, this bill would expand the activities related to sickle cell and other heritablo blood disorders by strengthening surveillance and other public health efforts as well as encourage manager research into these health conditions. i'd like to thank representative danny davis, representative g.k. butterfield and others for their work on this issue. i support s. 2465 to allow h.h.s. to informs critical resources in public health initiatives around sickle cell disease and other heritabl blood disorders. this will help improve treatments of sickle cell

treatments of all ages and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess. mr. burgess: at this time i'd like to recognize the gentleman from georgia, mr. carter, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. carter: i rise today in support of s. 2465, the sickle cell disease and other heritable blood disorders research, surveillance and treatment act. this legislation which has been sponsored by senator scott makes important updates to statute to better help our medical professionals understand and treat sickle cell and other blood disorders. sickle cell is a terrible disease inflicting extremely difficult effects on those who have this condition. today's legislation will help us combat this to offer a better quality of life to those who suffer from them of the we're fortunate to have world class treatment options in my home state of georgia at health systems like emory university. they are doing incredible work

in treating and understanding this disease so that we kimm prove the lives of all who suffer from these forms of diseases. this legislation supports state health departments, establishes best practices, improves the data collection efforts, and develops strategies that will hopefully allow us to eventually fully address these diseases. i want to thank my for nir work on this -- for their work on this. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: gentleman from texas, mr. burgess. mr. burgess: i have no additional speakers on this. i'm prepared to close if the gentleman from texas is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: we have no other available speakers. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself the balance of our time. do i want to point out, mr. speaker, that this bill that we're passing today has already passed the senate. while we did work on a similar

bill well over a year ago, it has passed -- this bill has passed the senate and with our passage today this bill goes down the street to the white house for signature to become law. first major sickle cell bill to be enacted in quite some time. it is a banner day for this institution we're providing this help to citizens on this fundamentally -- fundamentally this very crucial problem that affects so many of our fellow citizens. i urge all members to vote in favor. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 2465. so many as are in favor say aye those opposed, no. the in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. burgess: mr. speaker, morph the house suspend the rules and pass the bill s. 3029. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 3029, an act to presize and extend the

prematurity research expansion and educational mothers who deliver infants early act, preemie act. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess, and the gentleman from texas, mr. green, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess. mr. burgess: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the record on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. burgess: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of s. 3029, the preemie re-authorization act of 2018. this bill passed the senate with robust bipartisan support and i expect it will do the same in this chamber. this bill re-authorizes a program that is vital to the health and well-being of premature babies and their mothers. it is fitting that we have called this legislation to the floor following prematurity awareness month which took place the month of november.

while we're taking up the senate bill, which was led by the health, education, labor, and pensions committee chairman lamar alexander and senator michael bennett, i would like to thank our house champions of this legislation, representatives anna eshoo and leonard lance. i'm pleased we were able to rally bicameral, bipartisan support around improving the health of premature infants. preterm and low birth weight combined make up the second leading cause of infant deaths following birth defects. this legislation will increase research related to preterm labor and delivery and the care, treatment, and outcomes of preterm and low birth weight infants. preemies and low birth weight infants are at risk for various health challenges and disabilities, and we still have much to learn about factors relating to prematurity. this bill allows for continued collection of maternal infant,

clinical, and biomedical information in conjunction with the centers for disease control and prevention and their pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system. such data collection and surveillance will allow the c.d.c., will allow national, state, and local health officials to have a better picture of what prematurity, including its causes and impacts, looks like in our country. this legislation also requires the advisory committee on maternal and infant health to publicly publish and submit to congress a report on its activities and recommendations. that advisory committee has been tasked with developing strategies to address gaps in federal research programs and education efforts related to the prevention of severe maternal morbidity, maternal mortality, infant mortality, and other adverse birth outcomes. this ties nicely into h.r. 1318, the preventing maternal deaths act, which will also be on the

floor of this house this afternoon. additionally, this legislation establishes an intraagency working group directing the secretary of the department of health and human services to collaborate with other departments to improve coordination of programs and activities to prevent preterm birth, infant mortality, and related adverse birth outcomes. the working group is required to submit a report to the house committee on energy and commerce and the senate health, education, labor, and pensions. i urge my colleagues to support s. 3029. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. green: i rise in support of s. 3029, the prematurity research expansion and education for mothers who deliver infants early, or preemies, re-authorization act of 2018. over the past three years the preterm birth rate in the united

states has worsened. placing more mothers and babies at risk. such preterm births are the largest contributors to infant death in the united states and for those infants who survive a major cause of long-term health problems throughout their lives. while this preterm rate in the u.s. is 9.93%, mothers and infants in texas are even greater risk. in fact, in 2017, the most recent year, which data is available, 10.6% of live births were born preterm. the percent is great for african-american mothers and infants at 13.6%. a rate that's 39% higher than the rate among all women in texas. this legislation would help combat those negative trends by continuing supports for federal supported activities that prevent premature births such as research and programs at the certainties for disease control and prevention, as well as activities that promote healthy pregnancies and preventing

preterm birth at the health resources and services administration. this re-authorization legislation also requires such efforts to address the determine nance that contribute to the health disparities in preterm birth. i'd like to o thank representative eshoo and representative lance for their leadership on this issue. i encourage my colleagues to support s. 6085 to extend and expand federal efforts to prevent and address preterm birth. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess. mr. burgess: mr. speaker, at this time i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, leonard lance, one of the authors of the legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. lance: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you, mr. chairman, for your leadership on this issue. i rise today in very strong support of the preemie re-authorization act. my partner this in -- in this effort over several years has been the distinguished congresswoman from california, anna eshoo. there will be no greater calling

than to help infants thrive in the early days of their lives. working together and getting this legislation signed into law is matter of essential importance. this is good and important work and the kind of positive difference federal efforts can make in the lives of many. we have a tremendous partner in the march of dimes. for many families the march of dimes and network of advocates across the country are beacons of light at dark moments. i thank the march of dimes and supporters for being the great defenders and fighters for mothers and for their infants. this legislation will keep up the momentum to help pregnant women. we need to re-authorize the centers for disease control and pretension research and data collection efforts and improve the health resources and services administration. doctors in the public need to have the best information and care options available. this bill does that. thank you very much, mr. speaker. i yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield as much time as she may

consume, the co-sponsor of this bill, representative eshoo. also a member of the energy and commerce committee and our health subcommittee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for such time she may consume. ms. eshoo: i thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my colleague and classmate, mr. green, for his distinguished service here in the house. he's retiring i want to salute him. i want to salute my partner this effort, mr. lance from new jersey. you are going to be missed at the committee. missed in the house. i think you have always been value added to the congress. we all wish you well. i rise in support of this bipartisan legislation. it's the shornte for it is the preemie act. -- short-hand for it is the preemie act. this is legislation i introduced with congressman lance to expand research, education, and the prevention of preterm births. preterm births, births before 37 weeks of pregnancy, is the

leading cause of new-born mortality and the second leading cause of infant mortality in our country. n 2016, over 388,000 infants were born too early. and every year over 20,000 babies in the united states will die before their first birthday. many of them from complications of preterm birth. in addition to being the leading cause of new-born deaths -- newborn death, premature can cause a lifetime of health challenges and intellectual disabilities for children who survive. so in addition to the emotional and physical toll of prematurity , there is significant health care costs to families, medical systems, and our overall economy. a report by the institute of medicine found the cost associated with preterm birth in the united states was $26.2

billion, with a b, dollars annually. that's a staggering amount of money. r 51,600 per infant born preterm. while employers, private insurers, and individuals hear about -- bear about half of the costs of health care for these infants, 40% of this amount is paid for by medicaid. moms and babies face higher risks than ever before after decreasing for over a decade, the statistics, which is exactly what we wanted them to do, for the third year in a row now the preterm birth rate in our country has worsened. so this passing of this legislation has come at the right time. i'm proud of the work that we have done on this re-authorization act and that it's going to head to the president for his signature. i'm proud to have authored the original preemie act with congressman fred upton in 2006.

this updated re-authorization builds on the important investments that have been made and we add to them. i think that's the most important thing to say. with the incidents of preterm birth increasing across the united states, we need to do everything that we can for the mothers and for the newborns so that we improve the outcomes for them because it is their lives. the preemie act did pass the senate unanimously on september 12. i have every confidence that the house is going to double the record. i thank the gentleman for yielding to me. again to pay tribute to him for his exceptional service here in the house. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. i have no additional speakers. if the gentleman from texas is prepared to close. mr. green: mr. speaker, i'd like

to yield -- as much time as she may consureges representative danny davis from illinois. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for such time he may consume. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank the gentleman from texas for yielding. i also want to commend the subcommittee on health and the committee on energy and commerce for its outstanding work under the leadership of dr. burgess. i want to speak about sickle cell, a bill that has been worked on and passed. sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder characterized by affected red blood cells that mutate into the shape of a crescent or sickle. and as such these cells are unable to pass-through small blood vessels. it is a recessive genetic

condition that occurs when a child inherits two sickle cell genes or traits from each parent. the consequences and complications of this disease are extreme. according to the sickle cell disease association of america with whom we have worked for many years on this legislation have studied and reported that common complications with this disease include early childhood deaths from infections, stroke in young children and adults, lung problems similar to pneumonia, chronic damage to organs including the kidneys, leading to kidney failure, and to the lungs causing pulmonary hypertension and severe painful episodes. in fact, pain episodes are a hallmark of sickle cell disease.

i'm pleased that we're at this youngture in passing senate 2465. a bill designed to help improve, treat, prevent, and conduct research on sickle cell disease and to include other blood diseases for surveillance and data collection. while this legislation includes other blood diseases, its original intent and its continuing focus is to put major emphasis on sickle cell disease and issues related to it. i want to thank my colleagues -- my colleagues representatives michael burgess and g.k. butterfield, senators tim scott and corey booker for their tireless support and efforts to bring this bipartisan and bicameral bill to fruition. there's been a great deal of back and forth on this deal. therefore i want to thank again

dr. burgess, the chief republican co-sponsor and advocate. i want to commend the leadership on the committee on energy and commerce, chairman greg walden and ranking member frank pallone, i want to highlight the work of my colleague and friend representative g.k. butterfield who carried the bill for this legislation in the committee on energy and commerce. our staffs did outstanding work and i commend all of them. especially my health staffers -- my health staffer, dr. caleb gilchrist. i want to acknowledge and thank our advocate organizations, the sickle cell disease association of america, the american society of hematology and other organizations, hospital providers, families, and those infected with the sickle cell disease. those who say that the congress

does not work, is not working, i tell you, when we pass legislation of this sort, it tells me that america is on the right track and we are indeed oving forward to help make our communities as safe and healthy as they can possibly be. i end by just thanking dr. burgess again for his outstanding leadership on this. and i yield back the balance of my time. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to take a second and thank representative davis for hi kind remarks and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: we have no further speakers on this bill and i'll be glad to yield back my time if the majority will do the same. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess. mr. burgess: i yield myself the balance of our time and i urge my colleagues to support s. 3029 and yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 3029. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the gentleman from texas. mr. burgess: i request the yeas and nays. sprose the yeas and nays are requested. those supporting a vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing null counted. a sufficient number having risen, a recorded vote is ordered. further proceedings on this measure will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman rise? mr. burgess: i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6615. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the -- report the bill. 6615, rk: h.r. 6615 -- draw bratic brain injury program the re-authorization act. mr. burgess: i ask that all

members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. burgess: i rise in support of h.r. 6615, the traumatic brain injury re-authorization re-authorization act and i would like to thank representatives bill pass cress and tom -- bill pascrell and thomas rooney for introducing. traumatic brain injuries affect many families every year. a report was released last month that found that young children have one of the highest rates of t.b.i. emergency related -- -- related emergency department visits. these injuries can harm the developing brain and have the potential to impact a child's cognitive abilities in the long term. whether the result of a hard hit during a football game as a teen, a car crash in middle age, or a fall as a senior, traumatic brain injuries pose various and serious risks to americans.

this legislation re-authorizes the centers for disease control and prevention traumatic brain injury initiatives at a level of $675 million per year for fiscal years 2019 through 2023. additionally this bill authorizes the national concussion surveillance system at a level of $5 million per year through fiscal year 2023. this is important in ensuring that we have adequate data regarding who is getting concussions, how they are treated, and if there are trends. this data will help identify where individuals are seeking health care treatment if they're seeking treatment at all. additionally, we do not currently have national timents of the nurble of individuals living with disabilities due to brain injury and this system will help to establish such estimates. the centers for disease control

plans to conduct its data collection via telephone surveys and a pilot test to ensure that we will get the best data and a wide range -- from a wide range of households. the bill also re-authorizes state grants for protection and advocacy services at the administration for community living. the services protect individuals with disabilities by providing them with legal support, especially when it comes to their ability to make certain lifestyle choices such as living independently. this is a particularly important given that individuals who suffer from traumatic brain injury such as concussions may experience disability. according to the c.d.c., more than 61% of children with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury experience a disability. we have yet to see what cost to these individuals and to vote

these disabilities convey in the long term. the culmination of the programs that will be re-authorized by this legislation provides hope to individuals and families that are affected by traumatic brain injury. we still have much to learn about the risks and the short and long-term effects of traumatic brain injury and this legislation will chip away at our goal of increasing knowledge, awareness, and treatment of traumatic brain injury. urge all my colleagues to support h.r. 6615 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. green: i rise in support of h.r. 6615, the traumatic brain injury re-authorization act of 2018 introduced by representative pascrell and representative rooney. this legislation would authorize funding, re-authorize funding, for administration of community living traumatic brain injury

policemans. tmplet b.i. through fiscal year 2024. the t.b.i. program provides grants to states to support activities such as improving screening to identify individuals with t.b.i., building a trained t.b.i. work force, providing resources to families and funding protection and advocacy systems for people with t.b.i. h.r. 6615 will also re-authorize programs at the center for disease control and frovepks reduce the incidents of traumatic brain injury and improve surveillance of t.b.i.'s. these programs are important improving our understanding of traumatic brain injury and our ability to prevent and treat such injuries. recently c.d.c. released new diagnostic guidelines focused on treating children with mild t.b.i. and cond -- and concussions largely based on research and surveillance efforts funded by c.d.c.'s traumatic brain injury program. finally, this legislation also re-authorizes a new national

concussion surveillance system to determine the prevlebs and the incident of concussions in the u.s. this is particularly important for improving our understanding and long-term consequences of concussions as well as efforts to prevent, diagnose, and treat concussions. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 6615 and i yield -- reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess. mr. burgess: i have no adegreesal speakers, i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: i'm glad to yield as much time as he can use to the co-sponsor of this bill, representative pascrell of new jersey. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for an indeterminate amount of time. mr. pascrell: thank you, and thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to support h.r. 6615, the traumatic brain injury program re-authorization act of 2018. i also would like to thank chairman walden, ranking member

pallone, for the work to move this important legislation forward and i'm grateful to house leadership for bringing this for a vote. i want to associate myself with the words of mr. burgess and mr. green. i commend congressman green and burgess for their steadfast work. to improve our nation's health landscape over the past several decades. especially during his tenure in the energy and commerce health subcommittee, mr. green. how time flies. i would also like to give a special thanks to my colleague, tom rooney. who sponsored this legislation with me, congressman rooney has been a great partner as my co-chair of the congressional traumatic brain injury task force. over 20 years ago, mr. speaker, we put that together on a

bipartisan basis and it's still going and it's still very, very active. i want to thank you for all you have done for america's live -- for americans living with brain injuries during this his time in congress. i'm glad to see this body come together in a bipartisan manner. to support the work being done in our federal agencies and to expand to expand

research and prevention and the treatment of traumatic brain injury. traumatic brain injury knows no bounds.

bullet ler testified before the

energy and commerce committee she and ee on health her staff have been working on this daily to get across the finish line. she and i shear a goal to get maternal outcomes. i would like to thank the committee staff who have been working through the language with the various stake holders over the course of the past ear. having spent nearly three decades as an ob-gyn, i believe it should be a national goal to eliminate all preventable maternal deaths, a single one is too many. the alarming trend in our country's rate of maternal mortality, first came to my attention in september, 2016. i was reading in my professional journal called the green

journal, journal of obstetrics and gynecology, the original research found that the maternal mortality rate increased in 48 states and washington, d.c., from 2000 to 2014. while the international trend was moving in the opposite direction. since reading that article, i have spoken with providers, hospital administrators, state task force, and public health experts. the more i domb into this troubling issue, the more i realized how we -- little we understand about how our data is lacking. the health subcommittee has held both a member briefing and a hearing on the issue of maternal mortality. our hearing this past september had a very -- varied panel of witnesses including charles johnson who lost his wife following the birth of their second child in 2016. mr. johnson's wife as a healthy and energetic woman and now he has to explain to his two sons

why their mother is never coming home. the johnson family is not alone in living through such tragedy. however, if we pass this bill today and send it to the president's desk, we will be taking a step in the right direction towards preventing uture maternal deaths. according to the centers for disease control and prevention, the united states maternal mortality rate was 7.2 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1999, and increased to 18 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2014. these are statistics that deserve our full attention. representative jamie harrah butler's bill will address the mortality by enabling states to form maternal mortality review committees to evaluate, improve, and standardize their maternal

death data. once we fully understand the problem, there will be an opportunity to use the data to implement best practices. texas is an excellent example of a state that has created and sustained a maternal mortality and morbidity task force. texas has put time, effort, and funding into reviewing maternal deaths in order to identify trends and causes. most of the pregnancy related and pregnancy associated deaths, or many, are preventable, but they are all tragic. we should not be losing women to such a fixable problem. believe their newborn babies and families wake up each day to face that unsolved mystery why the mother did not make it home from the hospital or died shortly thereafter. thank you, mr. speaker. i will reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i

may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. green: i rise today in strong support of h.r. 1318, the preventing maternal deaths act sponsored by representatives jamie herrera beutler and dianne degette. this is important first step to addressing the maternal mortality crisis that is claiming the lives of too many new mothers in our country. hundreds of women die each year from pregnancy related and pregnancy associated complications in the u.s. more than 60% of these deaths are preventable. the preventing maternal deaths act encourages states to implement maternal mortality review committees that track maternal deaths and identify their causes. today the data generated by these committees will help experts identify trends, paterns, and disparities that contribute to the preventable maternal deaths to save lives in the fuhr. it is shocking that the maternal mortality rate in the united states has increased while most of the rest of the developed

world has fallen. it also shocking that women of color, low-income women, and women in rural areas are disproportionately more likely to face pregnancy related complications. this must change. but in order to reverse this unconscionable trend, we must have the necessary data so providers can monitor their practices, improve their care deliverry. the maternal mortality rate is a critical indicator of of the quality of our health care system and how we prioritize women's health in this country. while much more work still must be done, including improving access to care, i'm proud to support this bill and believe it will set us on a path to understand why women are dying and how we can stop t i urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: gentleman from texas, mr. burgess. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time i would like to yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlelady from washington, the principal author of the bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from washington is recognized for such time she may

consume. ms. herrera beutler: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, chairman burgess, for your tireless commitment on this issue. it's not just your career, but it's been something that you have fought for here in congress as well. i'm very grateful to be standing here today. i also want to thank my co-conspirator, dianne degette, for her work on this bipartisan legislation that has over 180 co-sponsors. why is this bill important to you, mr. speaker, or those listening? well, you either are a mom or you have got a mom. this bill impacts you. i stand in strong support of the preventing maternal deaths act, a bill to save mothers' lives. and prevent more parents, husbands, grandparents, and children from the profound loss of their mother. today in the 21st century united states of america, the u.s. is ranked 47th globally for

maternal mortality. many are shocked to learn that the u.s. is not only the worst -- not only has the worst maternal mortality rate in the entire developed world but they are on the rise. seriously, folks, we're worse than iran. every year between 700 and 900 maternal deaths occur in the united states. i have seen tears brought to the eyes of many a colleague when they learn that over 60% of these deaths could have been prevented, according to the c.d.c. it's difficult to imagine the grief felt by these families when a life is cut short and they learn that it could have been prevented. as a mom and as an american and as a lawmaker, we must do better. combating maternal mortality must become a national priority which isy urge my colleagues to support this bill. the preventing maternal test act represents the biggest step taken by congress to date on this issue. it would enable states to establish and strengthen

maternal mortality review committees which bring together experts in mortality--public health, maternal health, and infant health to investigate each and every pregnancy related death to understand what went wrong and how to save future mother's lives. currently the available data is woefully inadequate which hinders our ability to understand why moms are dying and why certain women are more at risk. right now, african-american women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes and women living in rural areas are also facing higher risk. this bill not only improve data collection but empower states to participate in national information sharing, increased collaboration, and to develop best practices. in closing, mr. speaker, i would like to dedicate this bill to he mothers who we have lost. moms like kira who lost her life just hours after giving birth to

a healthy baby boy. i will never forget hearing from her husband, charles, who has been a tireless advocate on this issue. who is a single father of two boys now lives by the motto, wake-up, make mommy proud, repeat. stories like kira's have struck at the hearts of many of-i us and compelled us to action today. today we honor the lives of these moms and the loved ones who remember them. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on the preventing maternal mortality deaths act and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. green. mr. green: mr. speaker, we have no other speakers. i'd like to thank both congresswoman degette and congresswoman herrera beutler for bringing this issue to our committee but also to the house. and urge all -- a positive vote today. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess. mr. burgess: at this time i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia a. valuable member of the health subcommittee, buddy carter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. carter: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 1318, the preventing maternal deaths act. unfortunately we know all too well in georgia the need to address maternal mortality rates in the nation. my home state of georgia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. we learned about the challenges leading to this on september 27 in the energy and commerce committee, where we were able to hear from my colleague and sponsor of the bill, congresswoman herrera beutler. as my colleague noted in the hearing, we're seeing an estimated number of 700 to 900 maternal deaths per year. a number that is unacceptable in today's world. a 2015 world health organization report noted that nearly half of these deaths were preventable. from 1987 to 2009, the number of

pregnancy related deaths per 100,000 births nearly doubled. that's why this legislation is so important. whether it's updates to maternal mortality data collection, or mental treatment options, or the reforms and changes for the maternal mortality review committees, this legislation is necessary to helping us curb this trend and reduce the number of maternal mortality deaths. we can and we should do more and i hope that this will be one of many steps to help us save the lives of mothers across the country. i urge my colleagues to support this bill. i yield back. i yield. mr. burgess: be happy to yield two minutes. >> i thank the gentleman for yielding. ms. degette: i know that the ranking member already yielded back. so thank you, mr. burgess, for

yielding. i wanted to hurry down here to speak in favor of h.r. -- of this bill because i have been working on it for many years with my colleague and friend, jamie herrera beutler. according to the c.d.c., maternal mortality rates rose by 26% in the u.s. between 000 and 2014. these deaths are preventable and should not be happening in 2018. so to combat this alarming trend, 33 states have established maternal mortality review committees, made up of health care professionals who review individual maternal deaths and then recommend policy decisions. our bill provides federal support for these committees and supports efforts to standardize them. it has 190 co-sponsors. it's received support from 90 national public health organizations. it's really a great example of how the energy and commerce committee works in a bipartisan

way. so i want to thank everybody for being here and thank you, again, mr. chairman, for your comity, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess. mr. burgess: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. burgess: i want to acknowledge the work of my personal staff, mr. ed kim, and elizabeth allen, who worked so ard on this bill, as well as christopher on the energy and commerce committee who helped push this along and make sure we got here today in a successful manner. with that i urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1318, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on

the table. dth -

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. royce: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass house resolution 109 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of he resolution. mr. royce: 1091. 1091, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1091, resolution calling on the

government of burma to release burmese journalists wa lone and kyaw soe oo sentenced to seven years imprisonment after investigating attacks against civilians by burmas military .nd security forces and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. with this resolution, the house will take the important step of naming the atrocities committed against the rohingya people in burma, naming them for what they are, and the word for that is genocide. the rohingya people, predominantly of burma's rakhine's state, is known as the most persecuted minority.

they are a stateless people as the burmese government refuses to recognize them as citizens. despite the fact that the rohingya people have lived in burma for generations. further, institutional restrictions on the rohingya have impacted their rights to study, to work, to travel, to access health care, to practice religion, and even to marry. the most recent wave of persecution began in 1971, in august of that year, when burmese security forces and civilian mobs began a horrific wave of attacks. mass murder, rape, the destruction of villages throughout rakhine state has been really documented. we've talked to the survivors. these atrocity yous have driven 700,000 rohingya from their

homes, driven them to bangladesh, bringing the total rohingya refugee population there in that country to nearly a million. bangladesh has been very generous in accepting all these refugees in the face of such dire circumstances. one year and a half later, the evidence is overwhelming. as i said at our hearing on the subject this past september, it is time that we take the next step in declaring that these crimes amount to genocide. in september, the state department released a report on the stomach-turning systematic and widespread acts of violence against the rohingya in northern rakhine state but failed to label these atrocities genocide. the state department's investigation revealed countless hart wrenching pieces of -- heartwrenching pieces of evidence like the accounting of one woman who hid in bushes as she watched burmese soldiers

throw infants and toddlers into a river to drown and shot the mothers of these infants who tried to save them. the united states has a moral obligation to call these crimes genocide. failing to do so gives the perpetrators cover and hinders efforts to bring those accountable to justice. with this resolution, the house fulfills its part of that duty. the measure also accomplishes a number of other important goals. it provides a thorough accounting of the crisis. it calls out the complicit burmese government. it urges the secretary of state to join us in formally declaring genocide. and it promotes multilateral agreement on that declaration. importantly, the resolution also calls for the immediate pardon and release of two

journalists who were framed -- who were framed and jailed by burmese authorities for shining a light on some of the atrocities by government forces. congress has a proud legacy of declaring genocide when warranted, just as we did over two years ago when the house voted unanimously to declare isis' atrocities against religious minorities in iraq and syria genocide. it's time to take this sober step again. i urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure and fulfilling our responsibility to reinforce the universal values we hold dear, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: mr. speaker, i rise in support of this measure and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: first of all, i want to thank mr. chabot for authoring this resolution. i also want to thank

representative joe crowley for his extraordinary dedication to all the people of burma, including the rohingya people. chairman royce, thank you for bringing this bill forward and for your leadership on this crucial issue throughout the years. this resolution calls on the government of burma to release and se journalists wa lone kyaw soe oo who have been sentenced to seven years imprisonment following their investigation into the attacks on rohingya civilians by the burmese military and security forces. there's overwhelming evidence that these journalists were entrapped by the burmese government who targeted them because of their reporting of the military's horrific crimes. the jail sentences are part of a broader issue. despite elections in 2015 that brought a pro-democracy civilian government to power, the burmese government still

operates on antiquated laws that lead to locking up prisoners of consciousness when though their crimes are reporting information that is unflattering or inconvenient for the government or for the military. this resolution rightly calls on the civilian government in burma to repeal the laws that have been used to crack down on civil society and free expression and to pardon prisoners of conscience who have been imprisoned under these unjust laws. we must take a moment and reflect on the context of these arrests. the journalists were investigating what we now know were crimes against humanity and genocide of the rohingya people. they should not be sitting in a prison cell. they should be celebrated for faithfully carrying out their obligation to report the truth. this resolution does something else that is very important. it states that in the opinion of the house, the atrocities inflicted on the rohingya people by the burmese military

constitute genocide. now, it's important that we call it by name. it's a critical step towards justice for the victims, so we need to use the word genocide. i'm glad that this resolution urges the trump administration to call for this atrocity for what it is and pursue accountability for this heinous violence. with this resolution, congress continues to assert our leadership and show we stand with the rohingya people. we will not be silent if the burmese government allows or encourages attacks on the press and on civil society. we will call out injustice when we see it, so i support this measure and i urge all members to do the same and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from florida, eana you -- ileana

ros-lehtinen, chairman emeritus. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i rise in support of my friend, steve chabot's bill, house resolution 1091, which calls for the release of two burmese journalist us who were unjustly imprisoned for what crime? for courageously reporting on the genocide against the people known as the rohingya. in september, i joined jan schakowsky and steve chabot in sending a letter to our secretary of state pompeo expressing our grave concern for the seven-year sentence given to these brave journalists. unfortunately, the stories of these men are just two of the many, many sad examples of the erosion of press freedom and other basic rights in burma. at a time when these brave men should be rewarded for helping make the evidence available to the u.n. commission

investigating these crimes, instead, they get jail time. this bill sends a strong message that world is paying attention. in 2012, i was worried that it was too soon for the obama administration to ease sanctions on burma, and unfortunately it has proven to be too soon. in the aftermath of the massacre of the rohingya, we must hold all individuals responsible for these crimes against humanity accountable. i call on the burmese government to release these journalists, to reform the law so that freedom of the press is not obstructed. and mr. speaker, i want to thank once again our chairman, ed royce, eliot engel, for their continued commitment to bring forth bipartisan and important bills to the floor. i thank you for the time. i urge my colleagues to support mr. chabot's bill, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: mr. speaker, it's now my pleasure to yield four minutes to the gentleman from

michigan, who retires this year and leaves an extraordinary legacy in this chamber, mr. levin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for four minutes. mr. levin: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. levin: mr. speaker, i rise in support of this resolution, calling for the release of the two journalists imprisoned after investigating attacks against the rohingya ethnic minority in burma, also known as mynamar. as i said in the resolution i introduced in early september calling for their release, and i quote, the burmese police captain involved in their arrests reportedly admitted during the trial that his superior ordered him to entrap the journalists, end of quote. the atrocities committed against the rohingya, mass killings, rape perpetrated on a massive scale, whole villages burned to the ground with

people being burned alive in their homes, and over 700,000 fleeing the violence to neighboring bangladesh, has been so extreme that the united nations issued a report earlier this year calling for burma's military leaders to be investigated and prosecuted on the charges of genocide. there can be no doubt about the culpability of burma's military in the oppression and violence inflicted on the rohingya. i had the privilege of meeting aung san suu kyi a few years ago as part of a delegation led by nancy pelosi. joining admiration for her perseverance and triumph over oppression. there's been a hesitation by some to criticize suu kyi warning it could make it more likely the military will take over the civilian government she leads, but her words and actions in the face of what in reality has been genocide have

been deeply disturbing, contrary to her past example as a beacon of freedom. in late -- in 2017, the late john mccain and richard durbin introduced in the senate, and i introduced in the house a resolution that, i quote, encouraged aung san suu kyi to live up to her inspiring words upon receiving the 2012 nobel peace prize, with respect to reconciliation in burma and in particular to address the historic and brutal oppression of the rohingyas in rakhine state, end of quote. unfortunately, that resolution was not acted on. when aung san suu kyi later said, in quotes, we believe that for the sake of long-term stability and security, we have to be fair to all sides, end of quotes. it was a disturbing message of

minimalization. suu kyi said later, and i quote, in a way we can say we understand our country better than any other country does, and i'm sure you will say the same of yours, that you understand your country better than anybody else, end of quotes. . as bishop desmond tutu said in a letter to suu kyi, i quote, my dear sister if the political price of your assention to the highest office in myanmar is your silence, the price is surely too steep, end of quotes. this resolution speaks out against the genocide and crimes against humanity that occurred in a keen state -- rakhine state. all of humanity must speak out clearly and decisively. i urge unanimous support for this resolution. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. royce: two minutes to the

gentleman from ohio, mr. chabot, senior member of the foreign affairs committee, he's the author of this measure. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. chabot: i want to thank chairman royce and ranking member, mr. engel, for their leadership on this issue, h.res. 1091. which i introduced to commit the house to a determination that the burmese military's aprosities against the rohingya minority in a keen -- rakhine state were genocide and call for the release of the two reuters journalist who is have been unjustly imprisoned by the burmese government for their investigation into these atrocities. on august 25 last year, the burmese military began a barbaric campaign against rohingya people in r a akhine state. this premeditated operation resulted in 700,000 rohingya fleeing from burma into bangladesh. in september congressman crowley and i wrote to then secretary

tillerson to raise concerns about the violence. since then sufficient evidence has been brought to light to fill in many gruesome details in what exactly happened. many of this evidence is contained in two reports released in september. first of u.n. fact-finding mission on myanmar released the final report that argued that the burmese military had genocidal intent against rohingya. second, the state department released a report summarizing summarizing survey of rohingya survivors in bangladesh it had commissioned. the state department's report is particularly disturbing. it calls the violence extreme, large scale, widespread, and states that, quote, the scope and scale of the military's operations indicate they were well planned and coordinated, unquote. of the 1,000 rohingya interviewed, about 80% witnessed killings and the destruction of villages. total, 400 villages were

burned to the ground. about half of those surveyed witnessed a rape. i could were denside in crimes against humanity. an additional 30 seconds? mr. royce: an additional minute. mr. chabot: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i also urge the administration and the senate to make determinations similar to the one in this resolution so that send a clear message to the burmese government and to the world that these barbaric and vicious atrocities will not be tolerated. timely, mr. speaker, as co-chair of the house freedom of the press caucus, i also want to draw attention to the second

half of the resolution which condemns the burmese government's decision to jail two reuters journalists for trying to uncover the facts about the massacre in rakhine state. tomorrow marks the anniversary of their arrest. it's especially timely that we're considering this resolution and calling for their resolution. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: it's my pleasure to yield five minutes to the gentleman from california, a senior member of the house committee on foreign affairs, and the ranking member of the asian pacific subcommittee, mr. sherman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for five minutes. for reasons we'll explain by the preceding speakers, i'm pleased to join in supporting this resolution and to commend mr. chabot for

introducing it. i was pleased to introduce it along with him and the chair, the ranking member, and several other members of this house. this resolution deals with burma, which government chooses to call itself myanmar, but we officially take the position that the country retains its name of burma. the resolution calls out the burmese military for their acts of ethnic cleansing against the rohingya and highlights the cases of two journalists who were imprisoned for simply trying to shed light on these historic stories. within of my priorities as ranking member of the asia subcommittee has been to focus attention on the 700,000 rohingya who have been forced to flee burma and relocate to bangladesh, one of the world's poorest countries. they have not fled because they want to leave home, they have not fled because bangladesh is

some place where it's easy to make a living. they have fled to refugee camps because they have no choice. for the rohingya communities have faced widespread attacks, rapes, killings, burnings of village, all orchestrated by the burmese military. not only that, but the burmese state takes the position that rohingya are not citizens of the country because they can't prove that their great grandparents were born in the country. so if someone is born in burma, their parents were born in burma, they can even prove their grandparents were born in burma, they are denied a burmese passport. this resolution uses the term genocide. not a word we should throw around, but you in this case it's clearly a test that's been met. in reports by the public international law and policy group, and by our own holocaust

museum, the evidence is there that the united states definition of genocide has been met. the united states -- united nations convention on the punishment of the crime of genocide defines it as acts committed with the intent to destroy in whole or part a national oath nick, racialal or religious group. that's what they are doing. and denying citizenship is part of that effort. this resolution sends an important message to the burmese military and it also foe can cusses on two reuters journalists who exposed the mass murder in the village. those two journalists are wa loan and key yaw soe oo who were interviewing eyewitnesses 20 this -- to this crime, this part of the burmese genocide of the rohingya. instead of applauding their bravery, they were arrested.

accused them of vie lathe the official secrets act. of course we understand that a government that is committing genocide wants to declare that genocide to be a state secret. and so for that is their only crime. these two journalists have been sentenced to seven years of hard labor in prison. there is only one just outcome here. state counselor aung san suu kyi and president wynn must pardon these journalists. they must acknowledge that the burmese military is committing atrocities against the rohingya. they must provide the rohingya papers of citizenship. we need to pass this resolution, hopefully unanimously, to say that genocide must be stopped

and the two journalists must be released. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from florida, mr. ted yoho, chairman of the foreign affairs subcommittee on asia and the pacific. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. yoho: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in support of house resolution 1091. this resolution calls the atrocities committed genes against the rohingya what they are. genocide. and ask the government of burma to release two innocent journalists who were framed for helping to bring this -- these crimes to light. i want to thank my predecessor as chair of the subcommittee on asia and the pacific subcommittee, congressman chabot and ranking member engel, for introducing this resolution. since august, 2017, 700,000 rohingya have fled their homes in rakhine to the neighboring bangladesh to escape the violence perpetrated by the burmese military. almost a million rohingya

refugees have been driven out of their homes and are sheltering in bangladesh. they, the rohingya, didn't just decide to pick up their belongings one day to leave. they are fearing for their lives so left. the united nations released a report just months ago asserting that the burmese military systematically targeted civilians in a manner consistent with again sidal intent. this fact-finding -- genocidal intent. this fact-finding mission identified the vvens including torture, rape, killing unarmed civilians including women and children, and burning down rohingya villages. this is genocide. in a recent committee hearing on burma, i spoke about the borns of journalist documenting these atrocities. however, we're seeing journalists inside burma being punished and jailed for doing the basic requirements of their job. this resolution rightly calls r the release of wa loan and kyew >> who were framed wrongly and

sentenced by the burmese government to over seven years in jail after investigating the very violence we're calling a genocide here today. how many more times do we in the world allow this to happen again? we either stand together as civilized nations, call this what it is, genocide, or we look the other way again as nations of the world did in world war ii and nazi germany. or during the darfur genocide. we either are serious about this or not. i'm proud to join my fellow colleagues as an original co-sponsor on this resolution. and urge the rest of the house to join in support. when we say never again, we must mean never again. the house is today taking up an important first step speaking clearly on these atrocities. thank you, mr. chairman. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: i'm prepared to close. i will close, mr. speaker. i want to again thank my

colleagues for their hard work on this measure as always. chairman royce, this is an important resolution. it gives a name, the atrocities that occurred in rakhine state, calling them genocide, and urging the trump administration to take appropriate action to hold the burmese military accountable for these crimes. i agree with what everybody has mentioned. it also calls for the release of two journalists who were wrongly imprisoned in burma. by passing this resolution today we not only speak on behalf of these two journalists, but call for an open civil, transparent, and increasingly democratic society in burma. i hope all members will join me in supporting this measure. i therefore field back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: in closing i'd like to thank my colleagues on the committee for actually, again, speaking with one voice on this

issue. especially the author, representative chabot. but also representative engel and schiff. mr. yoho and sherman, comstock and crowley. for joining as original co-sponsors. mr. speaker, this past september our committee convened another hearing to examine the desperate living conditions of rohingya refugees in bangladesh. again we heard the story of survivors, all describing the same methodical, unthinkable acts of terror perpetrated by the burmese military and by the security forces. witnesses had no doubt that based on all the evidence genocide had occurred. it is time congress, the administration, and the rest of the world call these atrocities by their rightful name. and that is genocide. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the

balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1091, as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remaining until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause b of rule 20, further proceed thongs question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. royce: i move the house suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1149. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1149, resolution recognizing that the united states-republic of korea alliance serves as a linchpin of regional stability and bilateral security, and exemplifies the broad and deep military, diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties shared between the united states and republic of korea. the speaker pro tempore:

pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: mr. speaker, strengthening u.s.-korea ties has been one of my top priorities in congress. as a southern californian, i have seen firsthand how korean americans serve as pillars, not only for their communities in the u.s., but also for the friendship between the u.s. and south korea. it was an honor to see my former staff member, young kim, represent my orange county neighbors and myself, in the california state assembly. she served ably and energetically. her story is the same as so many south koreans who have

come to this country and thrived. the united states has no better partner in the asia pacific than the republic of korea. we signed the free trade agreement which went into effect in 2012. since enactment of the free trade agreement in 2012, trade has flourished, creating jobs in america and south korea. in fact, south korea is now our sixth largest trading partner, and today this partnership remains as important as ever as we look at the growing challenges across asia. we stood by seoul as it was wrongfully punished by china r installing the thaad ballistic missile defense system and we help address the grave and immediate threats north korea imposes to seoul, imposes to the united states and our neighboring partners. despite our recent diplomatic

efforts, it was recently reported that north korea has expanded a missile base along the chinese border. a nearby second facility was also uncovered while numerous undeclared missile bases have now been identified. last month, north korea's official news media reported that it successfully tested a new state-of-the-art weapon that has been long developed, significantly improving the combat power of our people's army. that is their quote. these provocations and developments should underscore the threat we face from north korea. that's why it is so important that we continue to press forward together with a campaign of maximum financial and diplomatic pressure. we must remain clear-eyed that the third generation of the kim regime poses just as

significant a threat to us and our partners and most accurately the north korean people has ever. again, the u.s. has no better friend in asia or anywhere else in the world than south korea. we must continue to strengthen this partnership, particularly in the face of the threats we continue to face and with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york. mr. speaker, i rise in support of this measure and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: let me again by start thanking chairman royce. he's the most absentive leader on policy related to the -- the leader on policy related to the korean peninsula. the measure before us affirms

that the united states-republic of korea alliance, continues to offend against outside aggressors, uphold the peace built by our two nations. the resolution is before us at a critical time. the american alliance with south korea is under intense strain. it's critical we coordinate with our partners in seoul when it comes to north korea. but we see the administration and our south korea partner are not on the same page when it comes to this important security issue. i'm deeply concerned about the potential consequences of this gap between our administrators and our ally and many of us in both parties share the concern. now, the question of how we handle american policy towards north korea is very important. this resolution rightly lays out that we should continue to apply economic pressure to the kim regime. but we need to remember sanctions are a tool, not a

complete strategy. we need to fully articulate a diplomatic strategy to accompany sanctions and enable them to properly work. i also think it's important that our sanctions policy provides specific humanitarian exemptions. lifesaving humanitarian aid has never been held hostage to the political whims of the kim family. we need to continue that tradition and not allow the impoverished, mistreated people of north korea pay the price of their dictators political match nations. i agree with the chairman that we need to put economic pressure on the north korean regime, but congress should continue to provide space for diplomacy and humanitarian assistance as we do now in our current sanctions policy. the resolution before us today would be a stronger piece of legislation if it contained mention of this principle. although i wish the resolution ade out -- laid out more

explicitly a wholeistic strategy to accompany sanctions, it's -- holistic strategy to accompany sanctions, it's something i support. this is important to our strategic interests. i'm glad this measure affirms that strong commitment to that partnership. i urge all members to join me in supporting this resolution, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from florida, mr. ted yoho, chairman of the foreign affairs subcommittee on asia and the pacific. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. yoho: with this resolution the united states recognizes its long standing and multifaceted relationship with the republic of korea. one that runs much deeper than the headlines the day's news y convey once one of the poorest countries, it's

difficult to know this story. i led a crow del to seoul -- codel to seoul. the u.s.-south korea partnership is so much more than a military alliance. our partnership cultivated the miracle on the han river and show how we can transition from aid to trade. they are our sixth largest importer of our agriculture products. they have managed to lift its people out of extreme poverty and become a leader in international foray, one of the greatest sources of investments in the united states and a shining example of many other countries in the region. as revisionist powers challenge the vision and values that underpin the south korean miracle, the united states needs partners more today than ever before. partners that embody and promote the open border from

which we have both deeply benefited. with this resolution the house recognizes the special bond with south korea and to promote peace and prosperity of both nations well into the future, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: i yield five minutes to the gentleman from california, one of our most senior and ranking members on the house committee on foreign affairs, he's the ranking member of the asia pacific subcommittee, mr. brat, chairman of california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for five minutes. mr. sherman: as ranking member of the asia subcommittee and the member of the congressional caucus on korea, i'm pleased to co-sponsor this resolution with several other members of

congress. the u.s. and south korea share common values, democracy, commitment to justice, but we also share a unique bond of history. the united states military and south korean troops fought side by side to defend the korean peninsula before the armistice agreement of 1953. today we continue to cooperate in order to defend the korean peninsula. in fact, south korea currently hosts 28,500 american active duty military personnel. 35 miles separates seoul from north korea, and when i was there with the chairman, we noticed that property values are considerably lower north -- on the north side of seoul than n the south side of seoul. while we have substantial conventional forces there, no number of soldiers can deal with the biggest threat from north korea, namely, its

nuclear arsenal. now, i know it's been tweeted that we no longer face a nuclear threat from nuclear korea. wouldn't that be so? secretary of state pompeo has recently stated that north korea continues to make more fissile material, no doubt using that to make more nuclear bombs, several every year. and satellite imagery shows that north korea is continuing to build and expand bases for intercontinental ballistic missiles. so we are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with south korea, but we face a real threat from north korea, and we will not be able to deal with that threat without the assistance of both south korea and japan. this resolution reaffirms the need for the united states and south korea to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in continuing to apply necessary

economic pressure on north korea. toward that end, i would say that we have scaled back in substance, if not in legal form, our sanctions against korea, perhaps a few words in singapore is reason to do so. recently we sent a letter to the administration, a bipartisan letter urging them to sanction major chinese banks, not just small ones, that have done business with north korea in violation of u.s. law and u.n. sanctions. now, it's important, also, to look at the korean american community, and i'm pleased that the resolution recognizes the importance of the bridges created by american korean community between the united states and the republic of korea. i recently led a letter urging

president trump and president moon to make a major priority between north korea, the united states, and south korea, allowing american citizens, some 100,000 of them, who have relatives in north korea, to at least be allowed to visit their relatives and even before that, at least be allowed to talk to them over the phone. we must recognize the potential for the korean american community to serve the cause of peace and to help establish a dialogue. again, i want to thank chairman royce for his leadership on this measure and urge its adoption and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back. the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i'll continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: i'll close and let me say, mr. speaker, i want to, again, thank chairman royce for his years of leadership on the foreign affairs committee and

his remarkable legacy on setting the agenda for american policy in the korean peninsula. the united states-south korea alliance is essential to our strategic posture in asia, our commitment to the republic of korea will persevere as a critical part of american foreign policy. it should be our utmost priority to deepen and strengthen our cooperation and this resolution continues and aids that strong partnership. so i urge my colleagues to support the passage of this resolution. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i, again, want to recognize, first of all, and thank eliot engel for his work on all of these measures. and i also want to recognize the importance of the u.s.-south korean partnership. i've discussed the importance of that defense relationship

and ws stood showeder-to-shoulder during the economic and how our relationship supports 400,000 american jobs. while we discussed the importance of this partnership, i want to recognize there is no greater bridge between our countries and the korean american community. since first arriving in the united states in 1903, they have worked tirelessly to form closer bonds between the united states and south korea and looking forward, the u.s. will remain committed to this important relationship. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1149. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. . in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the ayes have it, the rule is suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection

the motion is considered -- the motion is reconsidered and laid n the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. royce: i move the house suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1157. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1157, resolution reaffirming the strong commitment of the united states to the countries and territories of the pacific islands region. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i move the house suspend the rules -- i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and

extend and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material into the record, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. royce: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: i want to recognize representative bordallo for introducing this measure on an important but often overlooked part of the world and that is the south pacific. mr. speaker, the pacific islands are an essential part of the south pacific region. today we express our commitment to these countries and territories, security, and their prosperity. our country has a long history with the pacific islands and territory. today we have 300,000 united states citizens that reside in the territories of guam and the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands and in american samoa. the u.s. is engaged in this important region through a variety of programs which promote national security and

also regional cooperation. they address the conservation and public health threats. they distribute mue hew mantarian assistance and disaster relief. and they promote peace and prosperity. the united states has supported these endovers under the compacts of free association th pilaua, the federated states of microknee shah and the public of the marshall -- of micronesia, and the republic of the marshall islands. this allowed the u.s. to project a presence for 30 years but the compacts expire in 2023. the united states was continue to reassure the pacific island countries of our enduring commitment to having a continuing presence in the region and negotiate compact renewals before they expire. a relationship with this region is unfolding against the backdrop of a shifting strategic

environment where beijing and others seek to wield a greater influence in the south pacific. for these reasons, i urge my colleagues to join me in support of this measure which reaffirms the importance of continuing to engage and cooperate with the pacific island countries and territories. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: i rise in support of this measure and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. first of all, i want to acknowledge my colleague, ms. bordallo, of guam, for her long-standing engage in the pacific region, thank you for this resolution. this measure supports cooperation with the pacific islands and the areas where we both have critical interests including support for regional organizations and promotion of sustainable economic development. resolution rightly focuses on a

critical threat facing the pacific island and the united states which is climate change. in september of this year, pacific island leaders reaffirmed in a joint declaration that climate change, and i quote, remains the single greatest threat to the livelihood, security, and well being of the peoples of the pacific. i wish that the president and the administration would act on that threat but instead the united states refuses to acknowledge climate change at recent international conferences. the refusal to acknowledge established scientific fact is really wrong and dangerous. our country has a critical role to play in the effort to address climate change and when we abdicate that responsibility, we endanger future generations and the region's most -- and the regions most at risk like the pacific islands. this is a good resolution. affirming america's commitment to advance self-government,

economic development and self-sufficiency for all the people in this strategically important region. it's important to note that this resolution expresses our continued support for our compact agreements with the freely associated states. the pacific islands remain a region critical to our interests and the interests of our partners, including australia, new zealand and japan. it makes sense that we would continue to support investments that enhance our partnership with the pacific islands. i support this measure and i urge all members to do the same. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: it is now my pleasure once again to yield five minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. sherman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for five minutes. mr. sherman: as ranking member of the asian pacific

subcommittee, i rise to support h.res. 1157 which reaffirms the strong commitment of the united states to the countries and territories of the pacific islands region. i want to applaud representative bordallo for introducing this and proud to join with others as a co-sponsor. first, this resolution sends an important message to the 300,000 americans who call the region home. our fellow americans in guam, northern mariana islands and american samoa. for them, this measure recognizes that they are a critical part of our nation's fabric. indeed, when north korea threatened to launch missiles at u.s. territory, it said that it would hit guam. we cannot forget about these pacific territories and in congress we have an obligation to make sure that their voices are heard in these halls.

this resolution also specifically encourages continued support for the compacts of free association. which we currently have with the nesia, ed states of micro the republic of marshall islands, and palaua. this provides essential governmental functions including defense. while our compact with palaua was recently renewed, the compacts of free association with the federated states of micronesia and the marshall islands will expire in 2023. we in congress should not wait, we should ensure that the compaqs are expeditiously renewed. these arrangements not only help encourage the development of palaua, marshall islands and micronesia but serve our security interests. i know firsthand we can't take our pacific interests for

granted not just because the compact states across the rebut other states around the region are facing entreaties from the chinese government. the chinese government states that the pacific islands are a core component of their one belt, one road initiative which seeks to ensnare small nations into beijing's debt traps. we know that china is stepping up its military involvement in the region. recently placing acuster sensors in the mariana trench to track american submarine movements. as the resolution recognizes, a solution to this challenge is for the taos strengthen its engagement. we must encrease the frequency of high level bilateral and multilateral visits with leads of the pacific islands and find issues to work on in commonk. for example, many of the pacific island nations face an exiss ten rble threat from rising sea levels.

accordingly, the resolution calls for us to work with these countries, to address the negative impacts of climate change. many of the territories or islands of these countries actually face submersion as a result of rising sea levels. in doing so, we would work with our partners around the world while china employs bully tactics to unilaterally assert itself in the pacific, the united states sets an example by working closely with the island nations and with australia and new zealand to promote sustainable development across the region. i want to thank representative bordallo again for her leadership on this issue, this resolution is an overdue affirmation of a commitment to the prosperity of the ter toys in the pacific and the strength vening of the relations between the united states and nations of

the reand i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: i want to again thank congresswoman bordallo for introducing this resolution. american engagement in the pacific islands region is critical to our strategic posture in the western pacific. with its passage, we reaffirm our commitment to the islands and support this resolution and i encourage my colleagues to do the same. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yields. the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognize. mr. royce: with the shifting strategic environment of the south pacific, it's more important than ever that we engage pacific island nations and the pacific island forum to solve regional problems and to promote prosperity. we must maintain support for the

compacts of free association. which enhance the strategic posture of the u.s. and the western pacific which also reinforce our regional commitment and preempt potential adversaries from establishing positional advantage there. this resolution signals our resolve to maintain and deepen our collaboration with our freends and allies in the pacific islands and territories and i therefore urge my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1157. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the raes have it, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid n the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek reck fission? mr. royce: i move the house suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1165. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1165, resolution condemning the assad regime and its backers for their continued support of war crimes and crimes against humanity in syria. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their rashes and include extraneous material on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. royce: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: this resolution represents a broad bipartisan agreement that there will be no peace in syria as long as the assad regime remains in power.

and as long as russia and iran continue their entrenchment in that country. for seven years, the world has watched the brutal dictator, bazaar al-assad, inflict untold suffering on the syrian people. since the beginning of the conflict, half a million people have been killed and 13 million, largely women and children, remain in dire need of basic humanitarian assistance in syria. the brutal assad regime continues its onslaught on the civilian population in syria. aided by the iranian islamic revolutionary guard core on the ground and the russian air force in the sky. rather than working to eject iran from syria, russia has been directly coordinating with hezbollah. with the i.r.g.c.

and other iranian backed militias that have expanded significantly throughout syria. russia has even now reportedly ransferred the s-300 surface-to-air missile system to syria, giving these militias additional cover for their activities in syria. despite signing a de-escalation agreement with president trump last year, promising a cease fire in southern syria, russia directly assisted iranian backed militias in their takeover of southern syria. moving these militias right up to the border with israel. this resolution makes clear that it is unrealistic to believe that russia will ever be a reliable partner to counter the iranian presence in syria. as dan coates has stated so clearly, it's unlikely russia

has the will or the capability to fully implement and counter iranian decisions and influences in syria. this resolution also states that iranian-backed militias should be investigated for the war crime of sectarian cleansing for their forced deplacement of civilians in the damascus suburbs which included demolishing civilian areas, implementing brutal sieges and shelling housing developments and then turning them over once they have been occupied by these militias to iranian-backed militias, including hezbollah. finally, this resolution calls for the administration to act quickly to develop a strategy towards a political transition in syria where the assad regime leaves power and all russian and

iranian forces leave the country. the assad's atrocities which include chemical weapons, barrel bombs and brutal seizures helped create the conditions where isis emerged in the first place. the regime's continued survival along with the iranian influence in syria will only perpetrate the cycle of violence once again creating the conditions of the re-emergence of isis or al qaeda. after seven years of horror, u.s. policy in syria should be guided by this key reality. there is no solution to the conflict in syria as long as the brutal assad regime remains in power. efforts to legitimatize the regime through so-called negotiations or in allowing assad to run an election are unrealistic and are doomed to

fail. and lastly, i want to thank my colleague and friend, the ranking member of this committee for mr. engel's efforts over the years in order to try to focus our attention from the beginning on, when this process of people protesting in damascus began with people walking through the street saying peace, peaceful and we watched on cnn as the automatic weapons of assad's forces opened up on those peaceful protestors. from that day on, he worked to try to get engagement and head off some this crisis, the magnitude of which we deal with today as a result of the iranian militias. and so i reserve the balance of my time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from new york is

recognized. mr. engel: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i want to thank mr. mast of florida who offered this measure and extend my thanks to chairman royce for his very kind and generous words. we have worked for the last several years, so many years on the foreign affairs committee to try to bring peace to syria. we have been frustrated in watching the dictator kill hundreds of thousands of his own people, innocent men, women and children. and i think one of the most horrific days i ever spent in washington is when we had the photographer who was part of the regime but deeffected and escaped with his pictures of genocide and pictures of bearable and unthinkable atrocities scarred my brain forever.

we will never forget it. and we will keep trying to fight or the people of syria and try to bring the dictator and the people who allow him to do these horrific things to justice. it's very difficult because the russians have embraced assad. but it's absolutely disgraceful. and i want to thank mr. royce for his kind words. he has said a lot of things about what i did, but couldn't have possibly been done without him as the chairman working side-by-side, the two of us, pushing these important issues. d syria has certainly been a situation that needed our attention. and i just regret that we weren't able to do more to stop the slaughter in syria. but i want to thank chairman royce, who has been fantastic in

terms of having a moral compass. what's going on should not stand and calling attention to the atrocities. so thank you, mr. chairman. and thank you, mr. mast. mr. speaker, the crisis in syria has gone on for far too long, a civil war that has killed at least half a million people, and displaced 11 million syrians and stoked extremism well beyond syria's borders. iran and al qaeda are on israel's doorsteps and they have overwhelmed turkey, lebanon and jordan and the suffering inside syria is unimaginable. an american daughter was tortured and killed. she was one of thousands of cases of force disappearance.

the regime has had plenty of help. the syrian regime was on the ropes earlier in the conflict as iran sent thousands of fighters to defend its ally assad. nd hezbollah has been battled, displacing communities wholesale and making syrian society in their image. they came in to save the assad regime and the russians sent fighter jets and bombed hospitals, schools and markets. we have heard from doctors who were delivering babies as air strikes threatened them from above. as when the white helmets showed up to clear the rub will, russian bombs targeted the workers, too. it's just shameful. and it's not over. a city of two million people,

many of whom fled conflict zone s under threat of i nileation. to as assad seeks consolidate power and territory, millions of innocent people stand in the crosshairs and there is no military solution. assad may believe that he can bomb his way out of this, but the regime's presence will continue to be a magnet for extremists. iran's permanent presence in syria will lead to further instability and let me be very clear, we cannot and should not rely on russian assurances to remove iran from syria. fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. the only things that the russians can be trusted to do is foment further instability on behalf of the regime.

this resolution calls on the administration to work on a political solution to this conflict and seeks to build american leverage and negotiations by opposing international reconstruction funds that would support projects in assad-controlled territory. lastly, i want to thank the many syrian-american groups which i have worked closely with, who have been doing whatever they can possibly do to stop the carnage and the evilness of the assad regime. i will be continuing to work with the syrian-american groups. hopefully we can one day restore restoreand

freedom and democracy to that land. i'm pleased to support this resolution. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from florida. the speaker pro tempore: the the gentlewoman from from florida is recognized for two minutes. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you to chairman royce and to ranking member engel for their leadership in bringing this bipartisan measure to the floor today. and i also want to thank, especially thank, the author of this important resolution, my florida colleague, brian mast, for his efforts in calling attention to the bloody assad regime. what a highly valued member, mr. mast is to our committee. he is an american hero and american treasure. thank you, mr. mast. and there is no one more responsible for what is going on in syria as mr. mast pointed out in his resolution than assad. who is the one responsible for he massacre of his own people?

assad. he brutalized people who demanded change. aunleashed terrorists from the prisons into iraq in 2003, helping to create the precursor to isis and did so again during the syrian protests of 2011 leading to the founding and growth of isis. d assad, with his brutal tactics is responsible for the hundreds of thousands of murders, for war crimes, for crimes against humanity. he continues to be responsible for the daily terror occurring in syria to this day. assad is the one responsible. and this is not a man who can lead a country. we must use every tool at our disposal to put pressure on assad and his backers and pressure on iran and pressure on russia. they are the ones backing him. we've got to pass both of my

good friend mr. engel's bill, the civilian protection act and the bills that he puts forth with mr. royce. these are important bills and they are still pending in the senate, as all good bills go, ending in the senate. we must ensure assad is not allowed to participate in any election in syria. i thank mr. mast of florida for offering this important resolution. i urge all of my colleagues to give it their support. the speaker pro tempore: the the gentlewoman from florida yields back. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from florida, mr. mast, a member of the foreign affairs committee and author of this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for three minutes. mr. mast: thank you for yielding

me the time and your continued leadership on this critical issue. it has been an honor to serve and learn from you. i couldn't say that more seriously. mr. speaker, i rise in support of house resolution 1165, a resolution condemning the assad regime and backers including iran and russia for continued support of war crimes, crimes against humanity in syria. after seven years of war, the deaths of more than half a million people have occurred. let's do the math. that would be over 70,000 people each year. when you think of the march of killing each and every day, that's a government march by the assad regime of killing over 200 people every single day of the year. the atrocities are still ongoing with the help of russia and iran. and what do they look like? burning individuals to death. having them buried under rubble.

having an adult put a 7.62 round into a child. the use of chemical devices. the united states must push for an end to this and must push to hold these perpetrators accountable. iran estimated to have deployed over 3,000 islamic revolutionary guard corps soldiers into the area. iran is responsible for directing hezbollah and other militia fighters to battle on behalf of the regime. should iran be allowed to maintain a military presence in syria, it will pose a greater threat to israel, to jordan and to united states' interests in the region. this resolution calls upon the president and seeing of state to work on a sustainable strategy to stop a permanent iranian presence in the region. the resolution condemns the russian federation who deployed

68,000 russian personnel for their continued support of war crimes and crimes against humanity in syria. and house resolution 1165 reit ates congresses' position. the united states must continue to work with our partners to condemn the assad regime, the horrific abuses against the syrian people and counter iran and russia's maligned influence in the region. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: i yield three mins to the gentleman from michigan, mr. kildee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kildee: i rise today in support of house resolution 1165, condemning the assad regime and its backers for their continued support of war crimes

and crimes against humanity in syria. nearly half a million syrians killed. 14 million syrians displaced. countless acts of atrocities from the assad regime supported by its backers in iran and in russia. clearly it is right that congress takes this step. and acts. this resolution urges a political solution to this conflict to assure the assad regime cannot use the air to target its own civilians. this resolution brings much-needed attention to the atrocities of this regime which is responsible for horrific crimes against us own people. mr. speaker, i want to recognize and thank my colleagues for their hard work and advocacy for this resolution that seeks to hold this regime accountable.

i thank them for their hard work, i urge my colleagues to pass this resolution -- this legislation that shines a light, a bright light, on what's happening in syria and the crimes committed by the assad regime along with its packers -- backers in russia and iran. i urge passage of this resolution and thank my colleagues for those in favor say aye work on this effort. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, judge ted poe, chairman of the foreign affairs subcommitteen nonproliferation and trade. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. poe: i thank the gentleman. mr. speaker, for more than seven year the butcher of syria has been slaughtering his own people. this relentless mass murderer has left a half million dead and millions of others displaced. he has bombed, gassed, gunned down and executed the syrian people. he has -- he is obviously the

satan of syria. after the horrors of world war ii, we were supposed to have rid the world of such evil. but for years we have shamefully watched it unfold. mr. speaker, it has always been crystal clear who is responsible. the criminal butcher, the barbarian, bashar al-assad and his russian and iranian outlaws have turned the cradle of civilization into ashes. russian and syrian warplanes vlade waste to syrian town, hospitals, and aide convoys from the air. and on the ground, thousands of iranian-backed militiamen have waged a campaign of outright sectarian cleansing. these militias are the wicked arm of the irgc and ayatollah of iran. these militias are one of the most dangerous aspects of this chaotic war. they not only kill innocents today but they kill any hope for

a future syria by sowing deep divisions along sectarian lines. the time is well passed that they are all called to be accountable. that's why i introduced legislation over a year ago calling on the state department to designate some of these iranian-supported militias as terrorists. i'm pleased this resolution also calls for these groups to be designated as such. these killers must be -- must meet justice for the crimes they have committed against the people of the world. i want to congratulate mr. mast on bringing this to the house floor and also thank chairman royce and ranking member engel for their tenacious efforts in making sure the american people understand what is taking place throughout the world. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. and that's just the way it is, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. the gentleman from california reserves. this gentleman from new york is recognized.

mr. engel: in closing, mr. speaker, let me say that this resolution reminds us of the importance of building leverage as we push for an end to the crisis in syria. we can and we should do more to increase that leverage. congress, as chairman royce mentioned before, could do so this act, to ng pressure the assad regime to sit down and bring an end to this conflict. it breaks my heart that it's being held in the other body, we're hoping before the end of the year we can shake it loose. but it had support in this chamber, bipartisan support, support on both sides of the aisle. the house passed it twice. the administration strongly supports it. the syrian people desperately need it. and again, the clock is running out in the other body with one

single member opposing it. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and the resolution before us today and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yields. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: in closing i'd like to thank my colleagues, the ronking member of the foreign affairs committee, mr. engel, and major brian mast of florida, as well as the leadership on both sides of the aisle for their bipartisan work on this resolution. the syrian people deserve a government that respects basic human rights. and a government which is free of iranian-backed militias. as long as the assad regime remains in power this will not be the case. the administration needs to develop a strategy toward a sustainable political transition n syria and to prevent iranian

entrenchment. recognizing that russia has not been a reliable partner in either effort. i urge my colleagues to back this resolution to once again condemn the assad regime, russia, and iran for their unspeakable crimes. against the syrian people. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 11 5. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the ayes have it. the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. royce: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and

pass house resolution 1035 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1035, expressing opposition to the completion of nord stream ii and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to rhett rith their remarksened include extraneous material on the record. the speaker pro tempore: weather. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: mr. speaker, for many years, russia has conducted a campaign of armed aggression and intimidation against many neighboring countries buttest terribly ukraine and georgia. that threat now includes massive russian military exercises along the border of our nato allies

and repeated intrusions into the air and sea space of these and other countries in europe. but vladimir putin is also employeing more subtle weapons of influence. this includes leveraging energy exports, especially oil and natural gas. many european countries, including key nato allies, are dependent on russian energy and thus are vulnerable to moscow's pressure. but even as the united states, its nato allies and other partners are seeking to impose economic costs on russia to force it to end its aggression, a massive new pipeline known as nord stream ii is being built that will increase the flow of russian gas directly to germany and on to other countries in the heart of europe. moss tow's -- moscow's strategy is to undermine the energy

security of our nato allies because the more dependent they are on russian energy, the greater moscow's influence over them will be. nord stream ii has another purpose which is to strike at ukraine. it will end moscow's reliance on ukraine's natural gas pipelines, thereby cutting off an important source of revenue and eliminating one of ukraine's few means of leverage against russian aggression. h.r. 3364, the countering america's adversaries through sanctions act, which i introduced, and was passed overwhelmingly by congress, authorizes the president to impose sanctions on persons assisting the construction of this and other pipelines. this resolution recognizes the danger that nord stream ii

represents to the atlantic alliance and urges the president to use the authority congress has given him to prevent this pipeline from being constructed. if nord stream ii is completed, it will undermine u.s. interests in europe by rendering key nato allies more vulnerable to russian blackmail and convincing moscow that its policy of aggression is in fact succeeding. i reserve the balance of my time and i yield the balance to the gentlelady from florida and ask that she be able to control that time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida will control the time. without objection. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: mr. speaker, i rise in support of this measure and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: let me thank mr. conaway of texas for offering this resolution and my thanks to

chairman royce. mr. speaker, in europe's far eastern reaches, construction has begun on a new pipeline to move natural gas, the nord stream ii. if this project reaches completion it will represent much more than a way to move fuel from point a to point b. it will in fact be a new tool for russia to interfere in european politics. to pit ally against ally and neighbor against neighbor, to put down deeper roots in the heart of the european union, and to weaken efforts to confront russia for a range of aggressive behaviors. russia has already shown the way it uses its gas resources as a weapon, choking off supplies to ukraine and inflating prices. if the nord stream ii goes forward this dangerous pack triss could increase 100 fold. if we want to see europe with a range of resources, the last thing europe should do is become

more dependent on russia oil and gas. there are other options from the caspian basin or from here in the united states. this measure calls on the european governments to reject this clear threat to security and stability. it's an appeal to our allies not to allow russia another avenue to undermine european unity and involve itself in european politics. i'm glad to support this measure and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm proud to yield three minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. conaway, the chairman of the committee on agriculture and the author of this measure. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. mr. conaway: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the ranking member for bringing forth this resolution i co-sponsored. nord stream ii is an underwater gas pipeline that will if completed will transport gas from the russian federation to the baltic sea to germany. this project may seem innocent enough but does several

dangerous things. one, it circumstance um cents ukraine and the impact it has there. two, it further dominates the european energy supply. three, it will threaten european security and stability, and four, it attempts to drive a wedge between nato allies. this project is being sold to our european allies and partners a many things. they're being told, and we're being told, that the current route lacks capacity to meet the demand in western europe. mr. speaker, this is false. there's a $55 billion -- there's a 55 billion cubic meter surplus in transit lines existing currently through ukraine that nord stream ii plans to circumstance um cent which is exactly the capacity of the nord stream ii. in other words, russia is working to strangle ukraine's existing pipeline. once nord stream ii reaches terminus in germany, it is to move southward away from existing markets and into existing lines. the impact that will have on the

ukraine pipeline if it goes empty it will cease to exist and cease to operate. the argument that if russia tried to use nord stream ii as leverage they would revert back to gas going through ukraine lines is false and misleading. we're also being told the pipeline will reduce gs prices in europe. this also is false. nord stream ii circumvents market competitors and further reinforces russia's dominance in a market that creates zero incentive to lower energy prices. we're being told that nord stream ii is a commercial deal with zero geopolitical impact. compared to nord stream i, which is owned by a variety of stake holders in europe, nord stream ii is 100% russian owned and run but gazpron, run through the russian state and whose chairman is currently sanctioned by the united states. mr. speaker, the handwriting on the wall could not be clearer

and we can no longer kid ourselves that nord stream ii is and what it is not. it will provide greater latitude for the russians to continue defiance of global norms, sovereign borders and international law. it's another tool for vladimir putin to wield russia's ever-increasing aggressive and sub vest -- subversive activities in the west. nord stream ii is a danger to peace as we know it. ourierman and nato colleagues should see what it is, it allows vladimir putin to put his boot on the jugular of europe. i encourage support for this resolution and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. he yom from florida the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: russia is a problem for our european friends. putin's efforts to stoke instability are a constant threat to peace and unity.

in six months' time they could have another way to exert more leverage on europe in the massive development of north stream pipeline goes forward. that is a terrible idea. we hope our allies and partners in europe see it the same way. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yields back. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, judge ted poe. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. poe: nord stream ii is energy black mail. if completed it will make our european allies more dependent on russian gas. for three decades russia has used its energy supplies to coerce european neighbors into

doing its bidding. europe lacking natural gas reserves of its own had little choice allowing the kremlin to block the flow of gas if europe was opposing its interests. i was in the ukraine in 2009 when the russians turned off the gas in ukraine. and it was cold. people died. it's black mail. since they are a monopoly on european natural gas. this includes forcing europe's silence in the aggression in not only the ukraine but georgia and crimea as well. american natural gas is increasingly available on the global market thanks to the advances in technology. in 2019, the united states l.n.g. exports are expected to surge by almost 80%. in texas, mr. speaker, we have more natural gas than we ever

have and more than we need. we should sell the rest to the europeans. more l.n.g. terminals are coming online allowing natural gas to reach the european market. germany has pledged to build a new l.n.g. terminal as to the president's push in the transatlantic trade relationship. with the expanding availability of natural gas, europe can and should say no to nord stream ii. putin cannot be trusted to be a fair trading partner. his recent aggression in ukraine demonstrates that russia is a threat and not a friend. we must pass this resolution and send a message that nord stream ii is a bad idea. i want to thank the chairman of the agricultural committee for bringing this resolution and the support of the ranking member and the chairman of the european

-- of the foreign affairs committee. and that's just the way it is, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. speaker, russia's ongoing aggression has taken many forms from outright invasion and and exation of territory in ukraine to cyberattacks and other assaults against the u.s. and our nato allies. one of the most powerful weapons is the export of energy, especially oil and gas. the nord stream ii pipeline from russia to germany will hand moscow another source of influence to wield against our nato allies and ukraine. the result will be to undermine europe's energy security and perhaps the will to resist russian aggression. i ask my colleagues to vote for this resolution and urge the

president to use all of the means at his disposal to prevent this pipeline being constructed. only then can u.s. interests in europe, including the integrity of the nato alliance, be made secure. with that, i yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1035 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the ayes have it. the rules are suspended and the resolution is agreed to. and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1162 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of he bill.

the gentlewoman is advised that the text is not amended. ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1162. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: resolution expressing the sense of the house of representatives with respect to ukraine and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the the woman from florida. gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include

extraneous material on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i thank chairman royce and ranking member engel for their swift action inputting this important and timely resolution together in support of the people of ukraine. for far too long we witnessed putin's increased aggression against ukraine, directing and arming spritist forces on ukraine soil and forcibly occupying the ukranian territory of crimea. russian forces were firing upon, ram, inc. and seizing ukranian vessels and crews, attempting to pass through the strait in clear violation of international norms and agreements. the 2014 destruction of malaysian airlines flight 17 that killed close to 300 people also demonstrated the threat to civilians in this conflict. until this day, putin continues

to deny any responsibility for that heinous act. meanwhile, thousands of ukranians continue to be killed fighting for their basic freedoms that we as americans hold dear, while hundreds of thousands flee looking for a safe haven. mr. speaker, putin's actions are simply unacceptable and the united states and our allies must stand strong against russia. that is why this resolution is so important. we must make it clear that we truly support the people of ukraine and their aspirations for a free and democratic society. for that, it is crucial that the united states provides the kind of assistance, politically, militarily and economically that will allow ukraine to fight russia's increasing coercion and we must use all the tools at our disposal because these are not isolated issues to ensure that

putin and his regime pay a heavy price for russia's aggression. through this resolution and other measures, we can demonstrate to putin and the world that we are paying close attention, that we will continue to support the people of ukraine and do what is necessary to protect ukraine and other countries threatened by his imperial ambitions and to ensure they can live in peace and can live in security. so with that, i would urge my colleagues to support this measure to condemn putin's december potic rule. and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: mr. speaker, i rise in support of this measure and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: let me thank chairman royce for bringing this measure forward. he and i introduced this resolution a few weeks ago after the flair up of the russian

aggression in ukraine and i thank the the gentlewoman from florida who has been standing up with us for what's right and really showing a great moral compass. i'm glad as we wrap up this congress and as chairman royce wraps up his distinguished career as a member in the house that we are working across the aisle with a bipartisan commitment to american leadership and american values and that has been the hallmark of the foreign affairs committee in the six years that mr. royce has been chairman and i have been ranking member. and i'm grateful we are going out of this congress on the same positive, good note. mr. speaker, this measure is another opportunity for the house to go on record condemning the aggressive and destructive behavior of rush yeah and vladimir putin. and violent campaign in eastern ukraine and the downing of a

malaysian airline and russia shirking its agreements. all at the cost of thousands of lives. russia has blockaded the strait and militarized a sea. a few weeks ago, russian forces ired on ukranian vessels ultimately seizing the vessels and crews. what is remarkable is just how brazen it is. typically putin has always made sure that some vale of den niblet over his dirty work so he can cast blame somewhere else. but this time, russian forces are operating out in the open. it's almost as though he he thinks he can turn the international order on its head and won't be any consequences. i can't imagine where he got that idea. the measure we are now considering says that russia's

latest aggression cannot stand and calls on on calling to return the vessels and crews. it reaffirms our support for the ukranian independence, democracy and prosperity and calls on the trump administration to hold accountable to make sure there will be consequences for this sort of behavior. we hope the administration hears us and acts accordingly and we hope the people of ukraine and the thugs running russia hear us. congress won't stay silent in the face of moscow's outrageous behavior. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: we continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: i yield four minutes to the gentleman from michigan who has been a member of this house for many years,

congressman levin from michigan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. mr. levin: mr. speaker, if i might start first by applauding the leadership of this committee , mr. royce. has worked so hard. and the gentlelady from florida. we went to bosnia together some years ago and they worked so closely with mr. engel, and it demonstrates what can be done when people can work together. the congressional ukraine caucus co-chairs, marcy kaptur, andy harris, brian fitzpatrick and i rebuked the aggressive attack on ukraine. and i quote.

as co-chairs of the congressional ukraine caucus, we strongly condemn russia's dangerous naval assault on ukranian ships. this episode as well as russia's blockade of ukranian ports is a deeply disturbing sign of continued russian aggression in its efforts to tighten its bloody grip in its illegitimate occupation of the crimea peninsula. we join the international community and our nato allies in resolute affirmation that crimea and its surrounding waters belong to ukraine. we call on russia authorities in owe cord answer with international law to crease all interference with access to ukranian ports. russia must end this blood and unjust occupation of