congress has the power to declare war. the president has no authority to enter the united states into another and this conflict in the middle east. the idea the president erotic position making his lack of strategy and inability to control its publicist, they bundle us on the left even if he doesn't contend that. with this bipartisan resolution, the senate will assert its constitutional authority to send a clear bipartisan message that the president or any president cannot step congress when it comes to matters of peace. it's important to do this now the president's actions the middle east escalated the confrontation, the state of then union, the president himself said work with iran was closer than you thought, his words. let me be clear. nobody in this chamber will shed a single tear over the death of soleimani. that doesn't mean we disregard the potential consequences of the strike or any comparable action. it's more than appropriate for congress to affirm that it has authority over any major long-term hostilities with

i want to make remarks about the role of congress. in my view we're at a critical inflection point in our nation -- to be clear i do not seek a war between the united states and iran. i think our best path forward is a multilateral, several nations coming together initiative to deescalate rising conflict between the united states and iran with so many-- with tens of millions of people displaced from their homes around the world from conflicts ranging from syria and yemen, to the democratic republic of the congo, the central african republic. there's conflict in many places in our world and our country has seen what happens in the absence of effective diplomacy. but i came to the floor today really in no small part because in the group briefings that happened after the strike that killed general soleimani. a number of points were made that i think deserve to be addressed. one, a suggestion was made by one participant that simply debating whether or not the authorization for the use of military force that was adopted by congress back in

that their weapons could put us on course with the responsibility of congress. in the senate should not allow the country to be led into another middle eastern war without the constitution required consent of the american people through congress. and with those efforts to send the troops to war. and that americans will die. and many members of congress. and then sarah just blame the president if it turns out badly. for then to make it as a reality. and not only this responsibility but to acknowledge our authority. but as the powers to congress we should never send our sons and daughters to war without the consent of the american people. and when a red democrat or republican to reaffirm this body's constitutional authority and responsibility. with senator lee and senator durbin for the resolution. much needed and long overdue as my colleagues have said it reasserts the constitutional role to recognize to give the president the authority to declare war unilaterally. over the past decade regrettably congress has too often abdicated its constitutional responsibility

productive congress in american history. when the members of the first congress met in new york in 1789 the new nation was still fragile , torn by differences hobbled by competing currencies, crushed by debt and just-together only tentatively by the constitution. the constitution provided a set of principles that offered few instructions about how the system should best operate. leaving it to congress and the president to create the machinery of government. had congress failed the united states as we know it may not exist. abraham lincoln was a nation that congress directed the civil war, defined history written by an amazing storyteller offers a riveting history and the book argues convincingly that congress in the end got it right. fergus bordewich is the author of seven nonfiction books. he has also published an illustrated a children's book peach blossom spring and wrote a script for pbs documentary about thomas jefferson and edited an illustrated book of a -- 1989 tiananmen massacre. he's a frequent look reviewer for "t

congress created the g.i. bill comparison tool to provide veterans with more information when they consider where they will pursue a post-secondary education. while the g.i. bill comparison tool provides data on tuition an cost, accreditation an cautionary information, there are gaps in the information regarding campus culture. for example, the g.i. bill comparison tool does not inform a catholic veteran who may be interested in attending a catholic institution if an institution is affiliated with the roman catholic church. madam speaker, small pieces of information like that are critical to helping veterans ssimilate to life on campus. data on campus culture are collected by the department of registration not currently displayed on the g.i. bill comparison tool website. if enacted, the give act will require v.a. to provide perfect -- prospective student veterans on whether an substitution is minority-serve, gender specific, or has a real jus affiliation. madam speaker, this bill will simply require the g.i. b

it's a resolution about congress. i want a president that will fully inhabit the article due powers of commander in chief, but as a member of the article 1 branch, i want an article 1 branch that will fully inhabit the article 1 powers including the power to declare war. this is not an effort to restrain president trump or some other president. this is not an effort by a democrat to point a finger or restrain republicans. no. in the history of this country. even in recent history, i believe we've gotten it wrong with the initiation of war whether the president was a democrat or republican or whether the majority in congress was democrat or republican. the legislative branch article 1 has too much power to devolve to the president of the fundamental question of whether the nation should be at war. this is not directed toward president trump. it would apply equally to any president. it's fundamentally about congress owning up to and taking responsibility for the most significant decisions that we should ever have to mak

and i don't fault the members of congress for wanting to make sure that the shared powers of congress and the president have under the constitution to wage w war, i don't question their motives in trying to find the appropriate balance, but here, i think we've stepped across the line, literally, to try to tie the president's hand as a punishment for conducting a fully authorized operation against one of the world's worst terrorists, something we should applaud, rather than conde condemn. >> i'm pleased to join my colleagues, many of whom have spoken already in support of the joint resolution 68, which i am proud to co-sponsor. it prohibits an unauthorized, unconstitutional war with iran. it seeks to prevent the trump administration from stumbling into a real and reckless military conflict. i want to thank bipartisan colleagues who have provided leadership in this effort and it has been truly bipartisan as an effort. i appreciate their efforts and many other colleagues to reassert our constitutional war power and represents the will of the american people. americans do not want a new w

congress and congress alone would have this power because it is the branch of government accountable with the regular intervals. when the american people are called upon to put their sons and daughters on the line in the name of safety, security and freedom, nothing else can suffice but a vote in congress. .. >> have taken to the streets to protest their own government knowing that such action could lead to injury or imprisonment or death even the new york times has admitted the iranian regime that confronts the united states there could be a pathway to peace and prosperity through sanctions and relief and trade their willing to see support for militant organizations and abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons of icbm. until then, the united states under president trump's leadership will maintain maximum pressure through sanctions and defend the us from any further attacks progressed in firmly behind president trump in this faction and then to avoid war if we can after nearly two decades of military entanglement by the department of defense bureaucrats to mislead the american people a

it requires first consultation with both congress, by congress by the president with congress in every possible instance before committing troops to war. that's the exact language in the war powers. there's consultation requirements. then there has to be reporting within 48 hours of american troops sent into hostilities or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances. and then third, the war powers act requires an end to foreign military action after 60 days unless congress provides a declaration of war or an authorization for the operation to continue, an authorization for use of military force in aumf. why do we need senate joint resolution 68 if we have the war powers act? like vietnam, now in iran, the president is usurping the constitutional powers of congress billing saying he has certain -- congress by saying he has certain authorities that go beyond what was intended in the constitution or the war powers act. now let me get to general soleimani for one moment. he was killed on january 2, 2020, in baghdad. there is no sorrow

reporter: you said the attorney general lied to congress. ms. pelosi: he did. reporter: why should the house not move forward on impeachment proceedings against the attorney general? ms. pelosi: we -- our priority was to protect and defend the constitution of the united states. the president gave us no choice in his actions in violating the separation of power that is contained in the constitution. and that is our goal. so, again, there's so much malfeasance on the part of people in the executive branch right now. but the fact is, our responsibility is to honor our oath of office to protect and defend. but we can point out the disrespect that the attorney general has for the rule of law, for lying to congress, and that s really very bad. it's not a good thing. lying to the american people. it is lying to the american people. under oath. but our priorities are to do our job for the american people, to lower health care costs by lowering the cost of prescription drugs. we passed that bill. we hope that we worked with the administration to put it together, we hope

now i call on congress to give 1 million american children, the same opportunity. janai has just received. past the education freedom scholarships and opportunities act. because no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing government schools. every young person should have a safe and secure environment in which to learn and to grow. for this reason magnificent first lady is launched to be best initiative to advance a safe healthy supportive and drug-free life for the next generations online in school. and in our communities. thank you melania fear extraordinary love and profound care for america's children, thank you very much. my administration is determined to give our citizens the opportunities, they need regardless of age or background through our pledge to american workers over 400 companies will also provide new jobs and education opportunities to almost 15 million americans. my budget also contains an exciting vision for our nation's high schools. i asked congress to support our students and back my plan to offer vocational and technical educa

last fall, congress missed the opportunity to change that. this year, with 53 million children in our schools, congress must not miss that opportunity again. i ask you to help our communities build or modernize 5,000 schools. [applause] pres. clinton: if we do these things end social promotion, turn around failing schools, build modern ones, support qualified teachers, promote innovation, competition and discipline then we will begin to meet our generation's historic responsibility to create 21st century schools. [applause] pres. clinton: now, we also have to do more to support the millions of parents who give their all every day at home and at work. the most basic tool of all is a decent income. so let's raise the minimum wage by a dollar an hour over the next two years. [applause] pres. clinton: and let's make sure that women and men get equal pay for equal work by strengthening enforcement of equal pay laws. [applause] pres. clinton: that was encouraging, you know. [laughter] pres. clinton: there was more balance on the seesaw. i like that

congress created congress to act as a co-equal part of government and representatives of the american people. these rules and regulations as envisioned by the founders are not as they exist today. the american people's first branch is no longer truly equal. we will hear more about this from witnesses today and the growing buer of the executive branch and staffing issues with ourselves we have a lot of work to do. a diminished branch means diminished government for the people we serve. that's not the goal of this committee, it is to return it back to this body. we're looking ways to strengthen our congress so we can better serve the american people and all we represent. i'm excited about today's hearing and witnesses joining us, mr. chairman, i yield back. >> thank you. today we welcome the testimony of our four witnesses. our first witness is rachel augustine potter, assistant professor of politics at the institute of virginia and including regulations, public policy and separation of powers on bureaucratic decision-making. before becoming a political scientist she worked for several

you testified before our congress, and were asked how congress could stem the flow to afghanistan. your answer, hold more hearings but the defense department and usaid, will we ask them to justify their outcome, and i quote, congress has to weigh in and say, hold it, and we want to know the truth as glory as it is. and you continue to stand by that. >> if i can, and there's one thing that i could mention there. maybe incentivize honesty. and one of the proposals i gave because i was asked to come up with proposals, put the same requirement on the government that we impose on publicly reported situations. otherwise they will indict the people involved. they have the report when there is a significant event. so put that onus, but the truth of government act that you are duty bound by statute to alert congress to significant event that could negatively impact a program or process. so incentivize honesty. >> we've got trying to get the defense department and the state department, but they have been no shows. what kind of signal to sets and representatives when they don't respond to con

bash congress. if you had the airlines talking about how dangerous they are and all of the problems with them, people wouldn't want to fly. and you wouldn't be able to get the investments that you need for safe aviation. so part of the problem is with congress itself to say that we actually do an important function here. oversight i think is part of it. waste, fraud, and abuse, in my subcommittee, we actually kept track for a while of how much money we saved and it was well over a billion dollars. and we were like if we could only have 1% of the money that we've saved, it would be worth it. but right now, congress does not value itself enough to make the investments needed to make it effective. and when you have ratings as low as they are with the public, what's going on now isn't working. we need to do something else. we need to talk about congress in a respectful way. it it's constitutional obligations. and make the investments that we need for congress to operate in a better way. >> thank you. i

that congress should not debate the issues of hostilities with iran. they claim that one is not an opponent of the iranian regime. i wholeheartedly disagree. before being sent to war, our troops deserve to know that the objectives are valid and worthy of potential sacrifice. our military men and women deserve to know that they have a clear mission and full backing of not only the congress but also the american people that we represent. the administration not only owes the american people a transparent explanation but also a credible strategy to conclude hostility to ensure an enduring peace. as we have painfully experienced in iraq and afghanistan over much of the last two decades, securing the peace is no easy task. i'm also deeply troubled by the evolving and at times contradictory justifications offered by the administration for the killing of soleimani. even in a highly classified meeting to senators following the strike on soleimani, the administration failed to provide relevant details. there is simply no justification for refusing to share intel

first congress means what it says. this position does not mention solicitation, doesn't mention aiding and abetting. congress knows they can use as when they went to the words they use are much broader encourage and induce news together cover every form of influence and persuasion as was said in the electrical workers cases. falsity is not an element nor is truth a defense. even accurate advice, encouraging someone to stay as band. and as a result this law makes a felon of the teacher who said to an undocumented student that she should stay and pursue her education. that makes a felon of a pastor who says undocumented worker that they could stay and freely exercise their religion. it's a doctor talk to an undocumented patient to stay for medical treatment ended the government has still denied and makes a felon of a lawyer who advises an undocumented client that her best route to lawful status is to remain physically present in the nine states. so the statute is read as written, which we think it should be, it is substa

congress and congress alone would have this power. why? well, because it's the branch of government most accountable to the people at the most regular intervals. when the american people are called upon to put their own blood and treasure, their own sons and daughters on the line in the name of safety, security, freedom, nothing else can suffice but a vote in congress. congress washington understood that. donald trump understands that today. and to his greatest credit, president trump has followed this standard and has countered recent iranian aggression primarily through economic sanctions. they're working, and it appears that iran is standing down. tehran has already had to cut back support for international terrorist organizations and its nuclear program and its oil exports are plummeting. iran's economy has been crippled, contracting by almost 10%. and the iranian people know it is the fault of their own government, their own government officials. tens of thousands of iranian protesters have taken to the streets to protest their own go

congress much -- must do its job. when i was recovering at walter reed, there were protesters outside of the gate. especially on friday. they were flown in and they were right up at the gates and they would have to go through protesters. i was proud that they were there because they were exercising their right to free speech. i have fought for the right to free speech. are downrange in our families are praying for their safety, they need to know that they have the backing of the country and the backing of the full congress of the united states so they can do their jobs and not have to where we about whether or not what they are doing is in keeping with what our government wants. this is why it is so important to have this debate and to clarify congress's role. it has been five weeks since president trump stopped on the constitution and launched a strike that killed qassim suleimani. while i am glad the man is dead, i will tell you that decision put everyday americans at greater risk because he did not have a good plan

it's not just about him lying to congress. the more important point here is that he threatened a witness. that is what she's going over now. it does sound like she's going to give him a couple years or so, we don't know, obviously, but she's going over everything that would seem to indicate that she is, perhaps, we don't know this yet, but is not going to go as light on him as he hoped. >> on the president's twitter feed, he said he'll eventually pardon roger stone. shanna, i know the answer is no. how do you handle a case where your other prosecution or the defense or you're the federal judge who has been attacked repeatedly by the president of the united states, how do you wall that out and say, this is about the facts of the case, this is about the law, that is about comparative sentencing, this is not about the fact that the president of the united states is in my face almost every day now. >> she is very calm under pressure when ages ago under the gates case she handled that publicity very well. she's going to focus on th

so congress has to be much more self-conscious about the way i that it structures its work. members are very dissatisfied the quality of life is pretty low and they could do something about it so younger members in particular both parties don't even know what they're not doing they did not see congress functioned the big bipartisan bill happened in the early bush years which is a long time agoow now and congress hasn't felt itself functioning because that makes its own rulesnd and could change them and if it understood the problem in these terms it bould have incentives to do that. but to surface these problems in these terms it actually points in the opposite direction but rather than tear them down the establishment is to strong, we need to build them up and right now we don't have them. >> i have two questions thank you fornd your presentation to this discussion and the issues. the first part is what i gather you are asking for a new attitude and a change of mindset so what would it take for us culturally to get launched more than you are writing this great book and getti

in the last congress, some have been reintroduced this congress. we petition ed fmcsa that they'e not given a public decision on yet. it's been out for comment. we introduced it 18 months ago. 12 months ago they introduced it to comment. we've not heard back from that yet. that increased drives service time and flexibility a little bit. you talked about not the safest place to pull over or drive fatigue. cr-39.1, ag commodity exemption. as they get close to where they're going, if the road is dark and they're on narrow, tough roads, they can pull over and have that flexibility to get to the part of their destination very safe. >> it also appears that there is some ambiguity as to what serves as on-duty versus off-duty time. rest stops and rest breaks can be considered to count against the 14-hour clock. how might congress provide better clarity to those definitions? do you think that's something we should clarify? >> it's something that needs to be clarified, especially in our industry. there are various times when we ask our specialized haulers to

when you're forced to consult with congress and when congress has the power to declare war, quick and sloppy thinking evaporates because people have to at least examine the issues in some detail. the american public has some say. that's why senator kaine's war powers resolution is a matter of necessity. i commend senator kaine and his colleagues on the job he has done, including my colleague from illinois sitting right here, and urge mile colleagues to vote in -- urge my colleagues to vote in favor of it. now on department of justice, in the short week since the conclusion of the president's impeachment trial, the president has reminded us of all the reasons why congress must serve as a check on the executive. the president has dismissed members of his administration who testified in the house impeachment inquiry, including for no reason the twin brother of one of the witnesses. the administration has reportedly withdrawn the nomination of a senior pentagon official who merely advised her colleagues about the legal implications of delaying assistance to ukraine. truth, when the presid

congress has advocated its response ability for so long that this vote shows congress and the senate getting back into it but it's only a start because we've had to grapple with this question overran and i have a bill with senator young who in many bipartisan cosponsors that repealed the 91 and there's our need to rewrite the 20:01 a.m. uf and the way senator duckworth was describing and we need to probably go back to the war powers act of the 1970s and updated to that cyber attacks and drones and there's a whole series that are vague, important and challenging that congress wants to hide under the desk rather than dealing with them but today's step is a good step to have a bipartisan strong majority in the senate saying we are taking this seriously. [inaudible question] >> sure, that would be a great example. only twice in our history have we use this motion and we passed that last year and [inaudible] president trump change the behavior and we were attacking and we were asserting where the u.s. should not engage in fueling saudi jets and president trump vetoed the resolution but th

actually at the recommendation of members of congress. also general allen and ambassador crocker and others, who, when we issued these reports, that identified airplanes that didn't fly, and buildings that melted, they wanted to know what does this mean? you know does this all mean, mr. sopko? you keep finding failure after failure. so we decided to embark upon trying to learn some lessons from those 18 years. and what happened is, in the course of that, we got a lot of information, reviewed a lot of cables, interviewed a lot of people, some of the people we interviewed were reflective of what happened ten years ago. and they basically were saying, like i think general lu, and others, that we didn't know what was going on, but that was sort of after the fact, they were reflecting, it was very useful information in some areas, but a lot of the information was also talking about the war fighting. and none of our reports deal with the far fighting. we deal with reconstruction, and the training. we don't look at whether we should be in afghan

it requires first consultation with both congress, by congress by the president with congress in every possible instance before committing troops to war. that's the exact language in the war powers. there's consultation requirements. then there has to be reporting within 48 hours of american troops sent into hostilities or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances. and then third, the war powers act requires an end to foreign military action after 60 days unless congress provides a declaration of war or an authorization for the operation to continue, an authorization for use of military force in aumf. why do we need senate joint resolution 68 if we have the war powers act? like vietnam, now in iran, the president is usurping the constitutional powers of congress billing saying he has certain -- congress by saying he has certain authorities that go beyond what was intended in the constitution or the war powers act. now let me get to general soleimani for one moment. he was killed on january 2, 2020, in baghdad. there is no sorrow

he didn't like congress telling him what to do but when congress stand up and acts and put something on his desk even if he chooses to veto it and we can't override the will of both parties, the public they represent, could be a factor in the decision-making and i hope that is the case. >> two things. having been one of the 23 senators who voted against the invasion of iraq, i certainly believe that was the right decision then but look at the situation we face today with almost 5000 american deaths in the war in iraq, we found no weapons of mass distraction, we enhanced unfortunately the image and efforts of iran, many regulators would like to see us leave after 18 years of this conduct. look at afghanistan. i voted for that. we are still in it 18 years later. i had conversations yesterday the president trying to remove our forces from afghanistan. i support the concept of bringing troops home. we are looking for stability in the process. on iran too going to your point. nothing i am about to relate is classified, the justification for the salon targeting, there is suggestion of immi

and even the power of the purse, which a supined congress ceded to the president last year, enabling him to rewrite our duly passed appropriations bill to substitute his priorities for ours. and now this. the structure of our constitution is based upon the bedrock principle that the concentration of power is dangerous, that power divided and shared is the best long-term assurance of liberty. to the extent we compromise that principle, give up powers the framers bestowed upon us and acquiesce to the growth of an imperial presidency, we are failing. we are failing our oaths, we are failing our most fundamental responsibility, we are failing the american people. history may record this week as a turning point in the american experiment. the day that we stepped away from the framers' vision, enabled a new and unbounded presidency, and made ourselves observers rather than full participants in the shaping of our country's future. madam president, i sincerely hope i am wrong in all of this, but i deeply fear that i am right. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. mr. mcconnell: mada

they didn't see congress function. the last real bipartisan, big bipartisan bills, i mean, i would say they happened in the early bush years, which is a long time ago now. and congress hasn't really felt itself functioning in quite a while. i use that as an example because that's an institution that really makes its own rules and could change them. and if it understood the problem in these terms, i think it would have some incentives to do that. part of the reason to write a book like that is to try to surface these problems in these terms because it's not how we tend to see them. and it actually points in the opposite direction than we how we tend to see them. the establishment's too strong, we can understand that actually we need to build these things up. we need functional institutions, and right now we just don't have them. >> hi. i have sort of two questions, but i want to start by saying thank you for your presentation. i think you're making a wonderful contribution to the discussion and the issues. the first par

congress has at abdicated his responsibility for so long that this vote shows congress and the senate getting back into it that it's only a start. we have to grapple with this question of iran. i have a bill with senator young and many co-sponsors to the repeal good to aumf's. we probably need to go back to the war powers powers act of the 1970s and updated to the current realities of cyber attack syndrome. it's big important and challenging but congress would rather hide it under the desk rather than dealing with it. today was a big step saying we are taking this seriously. >> i spoke to senator sanders and senator lee and they thought that was the beginning of the end. that's the same type of issue. >> that would be a issue. we passed out last year out of the prosecution by the saudis. president trump vetoed it and we could override by president trump change behavior. we were attacking -- asserting the u.s. shouldn't be engaged in fueling jets in order to bomb iran. he vetoed the resolution but stop the u.s. and doing what we want them to stop. having that dialogue with the presiden

except, there are many members of congress that i promise, their paycheck from congress is a rounding error compared to their investment portfolio. they are not worried about their congressional paycheck. some, are many or not. that is not an equal motivator. and equal motivator is the time. all of us see time as precious. if you remove time from 535 people, and say you get your time back when the first responsibility that you have is done, there will be lots of motivation unto leadership and committee heads, and others to say let's finish the negotiations be able to get this done. >> and i will add that organizationally the committees responsible for the federal budget thinks that this is a very thoughtfully developmental, you've gone through all of the details, and makes sense, >> there are a lot of other details in terms of how the mechanics. work >> so, what feedback are you getting, how are you in the process, what are you thinking of the movement? >> it's been very. strong very bipartisan in the. process we have done this no was arc style. to buy. to the way we have signed on th

congress has been able to assert the authority. we need to have this discussion and relearn our own history. we need to see where we can update it. on my side of the aisle, members are excited that the opportunity to participate in this kind of day -- i want to applaud the chairman for this. we have some other committees that are trying to do this. we have a bipartisan committee which was one of my friends ideas. the modernization of congress. it's an appropriate place to have this discussion as well. we need to have this discussion a lot of different places is we will protect the legislative power. this is most likely the power of the people. a lot more directly than it is for a president who is elected on an electoral college basis or united states senate where everybody is the same regardless of the size of the state. we each represent districts that are roughly the same size. the popular will exercises itself most clearly in the house of representatives. it's our responsibility of custodians of that power to make sure that it's

in effect, it would make the presidency itself subservient to congress. the father of our constitution james madison warned against allowing the impeachment power to create a presidential tenure at the pleasure of the senate. even more concerning, at every turn throughout this process, the house democrats violated president trump's right to due process of law. all american law is built on a constitutional foundation securing basic rights and rules of fairness for a citizen accused of wrongdoing. it's undisputed that the house excluded if the president's legal team from both the closed door testimony and almost the entirety of the house's 78-day inquiry. they channeled personal policy and political grievances and attempted to use the most solemn responsibility of congress to bring down a political rival in a partisan process. it's no secret that democrats' crusade to remove the president began more than three years ago on the very day that he was inaugurated. on january 20, 2017, "the washington post" ran a story with the headline the campaign to impeach p

in the institutions that are broken and congress is a great example, congress is the broken institution in our politics. whatever you think of donald trump and i could spend an hour tell you i think of donald trump but i think the failure of congress is much bigger problem. the various complaints we have about the other branches of government are largely functions of various failures of the legislator to take its response ability seriously and reforms of the congress that would encourage its members to think of themselves as insiders, not outsiders, and to think of themselves as legislators not performers would have to look like changes to the budget process and the committee system in ways that invest people more in the actual work of the institution and i think we've gotten to a place now where most members take one big vote a year on a big budget bill they had nothing to do with creating and it was created in the leadership office in the nights before the government shuts down and the structure of the work of congress had a lot to do that, they are institutional reforms that could ch

they deserve better from the president, they deserve better from the congress. we must find a way to come differences and focus on what we have in common as american. while so much is going on in our favor these days, we still face great challenges both domestically and internationally. but it remains myy firm belief thatte united we can conquer thm and remain the greatest hope for the people around the world. i ask unanimous consent that my full statement be printed into record. >> without objection.ou >> thank you mr. president. i yield the floor. >> the constitution is that the foundation of success, and we should strive not to lose sight of our promise to defend it. the constitution established the vehicle of impeachment that has occupied both houses of our congress these many days. we have labored faithfully execute our responsibility is to it. we have arrived at the strength judgments, but i hope that we respect each other's good faith. the allegations made in the articles are very serious. as a senator juror, i swore an oath before god to exercise

if congress wants that, if congress things that is important, if congress needs to pass a law to require apple and these other companies to do that, congress has not done so so far. in part, i think, because members of congress are reasonably hesitant to do something that will expose everybody to major cybersecurity risk. >> why are you here at the state of the net? >> i'm here to continue to talk publicly about these issues because i have invested a substantial amount of my career in them. i think they are critically important to the security and constitutional rights of americans and making sure that there is a robust, informed public debate about them is critically important to me personally, and -- >> we leave this debate to take you live to minneapolis where 2020 presidential candidate amy klobuchar will speak with reporters following nevada's democratic caucuses. live coverage on c-span. governor, whoant we adore. she has been campaigning for me all over the country, as you know, the highest ranking american indian elected to statewide office in

congress has the power to declaread war this isn't a decision made by the president but by congress. our founders were very concerned about having the appropriate e balance between the executive branch of the legislative branch called checks and balances we do not run a monarchy we wanted to make sure that there was sufficient support before war was declared international security interest the congress and president and american people are altogether in the effort with that war against another country the use of military should always be last resort always exhaust other means before america initiates more with the use. of military force. this priority that rests in congress was tested in the vietnam war the result of the tonkin resolution was passed by congress during the vietnam conflict in the early stages to give the president the authority to use force to defend our military against attackss coming from vietnam. it was never intended to lead us into an act of prolonged war but it was used by successive administrations for the war in vietnam. i think historians would agree that wa

wells, and this diverse congress. i have to tell you i am filled with joy today because i'm looking forward going home and telling my granddaughters that we are one step closer to a more perfect union. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. nadler: madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentlelady from new york, representative maloney. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york is recognized for one minute. mrs. maloney: thank you, chairman nadler and jackie speier for your historic leadership on the e.r.a. madam speaker, first introduced in 1923 the equal rights amendment is still as relevant and necessary as ever. because we know that equality for women will always elude us when it isn't etched into our constitution. we have seen it when the supreme court gutted the violence against women act. we have seen it when judges don't enforce equal pay for equal work. or when a federal judge ruled that congress di

the constitution is clear, congress has the power to declare war. the president has no authority to enter the united states into thanother in this conflict in middle east. i fear the presidentsrr erratic decision-making, lactose tragedy and inability control his impulses may bubble us into a war nonetheless, even if he does not intend it. with this bipartisan resolution the senate will assert its constitutional authority and send a clear bipartisan message that the president, this president or any presidents,nd cannot sidestep congress when it comes to matters of war and peace. it's important to do this now and the president's actions in the middle east have escalated the confrontation before the state of the union h, the president himself said war with iran was closer than you thoug thought, his words. to me be clear, nobody in this chamber will shed a single tear over the death of iranian general but that does not mean that we disregard the potential consequences of the strike or any comparable action. it is more than appropriate for congress to a

it is a resolution about congress. i want a president that will fully inhabit the article of the duke power commander-in-chief. .. >> of the fundamental question should be at war it is not directed toward president trump it would apply equally to any president. congress owning up to and taking responsibility for the most significant decisions we should ever have to make. the second argument i have it would send a message of weakness to iran or other adversaries. i'm more interested in the message to our troops and families that is the message of the most interested in. and i think as father of a marine and senator from the state that is chock-full of active duty contractor, military families , that this bill sends a strong and powerful message to troops and our families that before we get into a war there will be a deliberation whether it is necessary that is a message of comfort and that give our troops confidence. and to consider the message this would send to iran and adversaries come i do not think america sends a

congress and congress alone would have this power. why? well, because it's the branch of government most accountable to the people at the most regular intervals. when the american people are called upon to put their own blood and treasure, their own sons and daughters on the line in the name of safety, security, freedom, nothing else can suffice but a vote in congress. congress washington understood that. donald trump understands that today. and to his greatest credit, president trump has followed this standard and has countered recent iranian aggression primarily through economic sanctions. they're working, and it appears that iran is standing down. tehran has already had to cut back support for international terrorist organizations and its nuclear program and its oil exports are plummeting. iran's economy has been crippled, contracting by almost 10%. and the iranian people know it is the fault of their own government, their own government officials. tens of thousands of iranian protesters have taken to the streets to protest their own go

vice president, members of congress, the first lady of the united states. [cheers and applause] pres. trump: and my fellow citizens, three years ago, we launched the great american come back. tonight i stand before you to share the incredible results. jobs are booming. incomes are soaring. poverty is plummeting. crime is falling. confidence is surging. and our country is thriving and highly respected again. [cheers and applause] pres. trump: america's enemies are on the run. america's fortunes are on the rise. and america's future is blazing bright. the years of economic decay are over. [applause] pres. trump: the days of our country being used, taken advantage of, and even scorned by other nations are long behind us. [applause] pres. trump: gone too are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired platitudes, and constant excuses for the depletion of american wealth, power, and prestige. in just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of american decline and we have rejected the downsizing of america's destiny. we have totally rejected the dow

and the priorities of the congress. so i'll start with an overview of our analysis of the budget and the economy. we project economic growth and job creation will continue over the coming decade, but also a worrysome trajectory for the federal budget. not since world war ii has the country seen deficits during times of low unemployment as large as we project. nor in the past century has the united states experienced deficits for as long as we project. we project real gdp will expand at 2.2% this year driving continued job creation and historically low unemployment rate. we anticipate consumer spending spurred by rising wages will remain strong, and we expect business investment to rebound as several of the factors that weighed on businesses last year abate. in our projections for the later years of the coming decade, gdp growth moderates and settles back to its maximum sustainable growth rate that we see as 1.7%. that growth rate is lower than the historical average, because of long-term demographic trends. the united s

can congress become creative? so the next one i want to go through, and this is sort of fun for me, this is actually one of my older displays, it's from a year or so ago, because i have this fascination with what is something they call carbon capture. a couple years ago there was some -- they finally built an electric facility outside texas. la port, texas, wherever that is, i'm sure it's a lovell place. but imagine -- lovely place. but imagine there's a -- and there's two of them. there's a natural gas and a coal--fired power plant and he had don't have smoke stacks. on the natural gas one, they came up with a crazy idea, i think it's called the allen cycle, of you blow up the natural gas and you actually use the carbon, the burnt, and slam that through the turbines and at the other side you cool it and capture it. you go, oh, god, you mean we haven't been doing that? we actually last year in the ways and means committee perfected -- now we're going to try to do it more, something they call 45-q, which is the inc

congress requires them to enforce service requirements. to be sure drivers don't drive when fatigued and delegated significant authority to f m csa for these requirements. a notice of proposed rulemaking for service requirements. to update regulations, interested stakeholders made their comments known to the agency. one has faced the challenges of hours of service regulations, they have a critical responsibility, moving lives, cashable products, and livestock callers found themselves in a regulatory bind between the hours of service requirement and animal where a -- welfare lives. the regulations received significant attention several regulatory changes are worth discussing today. the entry level driver training rule has drug and alcohol clearinghouse both of which will improve safety. in both cases after am csa had to delay these rules. more about the intended impact of these rules on safety. it required f m csa to take down the safety measure system from public view. after study by national academy of sciences am csa is considering how t

what we write about are everything from the majority party in congress and leadership in congress to the democratic primaries, we write about the power of the president. there are also contributions about parties in other countries like south america. how do other parties work in other countries? we'll come to the subject from a different perspective. we are writing about political parties went large in contemporary politics. professor green: what is the name come from? susan: what is the name come from? professor green: i believe it comes from the federalist papers. it was alexander hamilton. i'm pretty sure that is it. susan: we will send people in that direction. there have been 54 people who have served as speaker of the house over time. how many of them are history making percentage wise? professor green: i would say depending on how you count it, maybe 10% to 15%. susan: what makes for a successful or powerful speaker? professor green: i think several things make for a powerful or important speaker. one is it could be any , combination of these things. one is exercising signifi