mr. harper: mr. speaker, a little more than three months ago you tasked the committee on the house administration with a great responsibility to undertake a comprehensive review of the training, policies, and mechanisms to guard against sexual harassment in the congressional workplace. i believe that the legislation we're considering today, h.r. 4924, the congressional accountability act of 1995 reform act, and immediately following that the house resolution together respond to this great task. at the outset i'd like to thank the speaker of the house, paul ryan, for his leadership on this issue and the trust he placed on our committee to conduct this important review. i'd also like to thank and work done the on the committee on the committee on house administration, thrick the ranking member, mr. brady, he has been a great friend and colleague over o the last decade and i appreciate being able to work closely on this issue with him. . both the c.a.a. reform act reflect the dedication and commitment o

mr. brady: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. brady: mr. speaker, since we began this process several months ago i met with experts, my colleagues and most importantly the survivors of sexual harassment and assault. their insight has formed this legislation today. by passing this proposal, the congress will take the much-needed first step in changing how we do business. we eliminate counseling. we eliminate the cooling off period. we make mediation optional. we change the system so we protect the victim and not the perpetrate overplet we require more transparency with regular reporting that has meaningful information. we change the confidentiality rules so the victim decides what to talk about and when. and we hold members accountable for their behavior by referring every case to the ethics committee. this is long overdue. there is one person that has been championing her work this entire career. that the gentlelady from

mr. langevin: mr. chairman, i'm offering this amendment with my colleague and fellow bipartisan disabilities co-chair, representative greg harper. i want to mention it's the only bipartisan amendment being offered to h.r. 620. and i think it's important to stress this point. mr. speaker, two members of congress, from different political parties, who represent a caucus that exists solely to inform, educate, and highlight issues impacted with the disability community have come together to say there is something gravely wrong with this bill. we're offering an amendment that would make it palatable. so the amendment would strike r. 620's notice and cure requirement. so as presently written the notice and cure section mandates that someone who claims discrimination on the basis of a disability relating to an architectural barrier must provide a written notice for -- in 60 days order to acknowledge receipt of the complaint and 120 days to demonstrate substantial progress at removing the barrier before burt l

mr. biggs: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and tend their remarks and include extraneous materials on s. 772, currently under consideration . the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. biggs: mr. speaker, i'm honored to be the sponsor of the amber alert in indian country act in memory of the life of ashlynne mike. i want to thank the house leadership and chairman goodlatte for bringing this bill before the house for consideration. . 11-year-old ashlynn lived in navajo nation, the largest indian reservation in the united states, located in arizona, utah, colorado and new mexico. her favorite color was yellow and she enjoyed playing music for her friends and family. she was a kind hearted young girl who had enormous potential. after school on monday, may while ashlynn and her brother played near a bus stop, a man lured them into his car. he took them to a remote part of the reservation, used as 46rbings sk -- ashlynn, slallingtered he

mr. poe, for five minutes. thank you, mr. speaker. when anna first set foot on the campus of hobart and william smith college in 2014, she immediately fell in love with the school. nestled deep within the finger lakes, the small liberal arts college appeared serene and safe. on that beautiful campus, however, was hiding a much more dangerous reality. unfortunately, anna would discover the terrible truth just two weeks after she arrived. on the second saturday of the semester, anna was eager to go out and meet more of her fellow classmates. as the night went on, anna got separated from her friends. when they received a text from her telling them that she was cared of someone she met and didn't know what to do, they began frantically searching for her. it wasn't until the early morning hours they finally found her, bent over a pool table with a football player appearing to sexually assault her. her friends immediately took her back to the dormitory. na was very ill, pale, and disoriented. w

mr. poe: mr. speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule 1, i demand on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the journal stands approved. mr. poe: mr. speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from new york, mr. zeldin. mr. zeldin: 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 pro tempore: the chair will now entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: mr

mr. paulsen: mr. speaker, i want to recognize fairview south dale hospital for recently receiving the distinguished hospital award for clinical excellence from health grades. they were also named one of the country's top 100 best hospitals for cardiac care, coronary intervention, and pulmonary care. distinguished hospitals are determined to -- and measured if they achieve outstanding outcomes in at least 21 of 23 common conditions and procedures. patients who are treated in these hospitals on average face a lower risk of death than if they were treated in hospitals without this designation. and these hospitals also achieve better clinical results than 95% of hospitals across the country. so, mr. speaker, the doctors, the nurses, the staff at fairview do incredible work and i know they deserve this recognition. and we also know their patients are in good hands. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from ohio seek r

mr. berman: is congressman goodlatte here? he is coming in. it is an honor for me to be here and to introduce congressman goodlatte. as many of you know, he is retiring this year after a long run in virginia. he has always been a leader on internet policy. he worked tirelessly on encryption policy, surveillance policy geared we've dialogued over the years on these issues. but what was critical and he has been absolutely critical to the success of the internet education foundation, which runs because of bob goodlatte and tim morgan, and they both deserve a hand just for that. [applause] my last word before i turn it over to bob, back when we started this, the big issue wasthe internet was a am -- spam. we were a footnote in the telecom rewrite of 1996. was as therned internet group, there were going to be multiple policy issues that confronted it. but there was going to be no global government to govern it, and what we had to do is consider ourselves part of a community with a responsibili

mr. simons and mr. chopra, the american bar association antitrust law section issued a 60 -- page report in january of 2017 on the state of entrust enforcement. the antitrust section makes a number of religions recommendations for improving consumer protection issues, such as recommending that all consumer protection orders should sunset in five years absent extenuating circumstances such as fraud or insidivism. do you agree with this sunset? if so, will you seek to implement this reform should be you be confirmed? >> so, first let me say that the antitrust -- the aba antitrust section does a terrific job. they have a whole host of extremely thoughtful people. any time they make a recommendation, you want to think about it seriously, so that's what i would commit to do. i don't have a view -- conclusive view yet. i would want to talk to the staff at the agency before reaching any conclusions on that and, of course, i would like to talk to my fellow commissioners. >> senator thune, the report had a numbe

mr. cornyn: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i understand there is a bill at the desk that is due for a second reading. the presiding officer: the senator is correct. the clerk will read the title of the bill for a second time. the clerk: s. 2464, a bill to improve border security and so forth. mr. cornyn: in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14, i would object to further proceeding. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bill will be placed on the calendar. mr. cornyn: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, as my colleague from connecticut is -- was here in the room and mentioned the bill we have been working on together, the fix nics bill, i want to remind all of us what the motivation was, at least on my part, what was the reason and i thank my colleague and the majority leader and those who cosponsored this legislation. it was just a few short months ago when someone murdered 26 people wo

mr. secretary, there is your first appearance before the house after the tax cuts and jobs act has been signed into law. i want to let you know on behalf of the majority how grateful we are to you and to the president for your leadership and for helping make this act signed into law. it is truly, truly historic. after eight years of failed economic policies that led to the slowest, weakest recovery in the modern era, the economy is starting to take off. and wages are finally growing again. consumer optimism abounds. so, how ironic but totally predictable that equity markets would now swoon over the prospects of higher interest rates and possible inflation associated with a breakout of economic growth. artificially low interest rates may have benefitted some on wall street, but they haven't been particularly helpful to mainstream. we have always known that the fed would face significant challenges in unwinding its balance sheet when the economy took off. if you're listening, good luck, cha

mr. sessions: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sessions: i rise in support of the rule and underlying resolution. it provides for the 1529. ration of h.r. this will extend government funding until march 23, 2018, while simultaneously funding the department of defense for a full year this ill en-- this will ensure our nation's defense, pay for our proud service men an women who will no longer be in jeopardy for ongoing decisions of funding for long-term spending caps. mr. speaker, we just have come off of rules committee where we had a hearing for several hours where we detailed not only the parts of this bill but also the agreement and disagreement about -- as between the two parties. i want you to know i'm pleased to report today, rules committee favorably reported out this bill and we will be talking about the substance of that today. i reserve my time. the speaker pro

mr. steele gathered much of his information from russian government sources inside of russia. and, according to the law firm perkins coie, mr. steele's dossier efforts were funded through fusion gps by that law firm on behalf of the democratic national committee and clinton campaign. let's pause here. hillary clinton is paying steele to spread russian lies and russian propaganda. i will read it again because this is important. much of the information from russian government sources inside of russia. isn't that what the media has been investigating for the better part of a year here? oh, so, keep that in mind as we move forward. here's another key portion. it appears that either mr. steele lied to the fbi or to the british court that the classified documents were viewed by the committee contain materially false statements. and then the memo goes on to read in sphawns to the committee's inquiries, the chairman and ranking member received a briefing march 15th, 2017 from then director james

mr. phillips: i think it is important to extol the benefits of what happens or what the tax cuts and tax reform bill are doing for the country. and also, the positive impact of getting rid of so many of the obama-era and some bush-era regulations and red tape that stifled opportunity and growth. and frankly, they led to a decade in which we never had a year with plus 3% growth, which was devastating. ost: bill allison? bill: so at the donors summit, it was announced that charles and david koch, and the network they have put together will be spending $400 million in this cycle at all levels, and they have spent some money and your group has been out promoting things like the republican tax plan and some of the issues in washington. how much of that total has already been spent and how much are you going to be targeting house races in the midterms in terms of the dollar figure? mr. phillips: you make a great point. that number includes both 2017 and 2018. you are exactly right. and it also

mr. romney: i will let the states make that decision for what is best with their own state. i think that's the best way to deal with this. >> what about utah? mr. romney: i think each state including our state ought to consider the widest array of options. find out where there is common ground. do what they need to to protect their students. i have grandkids the go to school here in utah. i want to make sure schools are safe. i will not tell people what actions would be the most effective. i have not seen proposed legislation with regard to guns that would have prevented the attacks that have occurred. passing legislation that might make you feel better but does not do anything is not something i favor. i am not in favor of new federal legislation on the gun front. but let us have states look at protective measures, securing building signs, potentially police patrols or volunteer patrols or intervention teams to step in where there has been a setting where a student may have said or done

mr. kehinde wiley, portrait artist. [cheers and applause] mrs. michelle obama. [cheers and applause] president barack obama. [cheers and applause] ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the podium kim sajet, the director of the smithsonian national portrait gallery. >> good morning. kim sajet. it is my pleasure as director to welcome you to the national portrait gallery at the smithsonian institution. every commissioned portrait involves four people. the first person is the sitter, a person with a larger-than-life persona, who may be curious to see how his are her likeness will be captured in perpetuity. in a spirit of building anticipation, i bid a warm welcome to president barack obama and his wife, former first lady, michelle obama, who we honor today. [applause] the second person is the artist who tries in the face of public scrutiny to stay true to his or her own artistic style and still transmit a sense of the internal spirit to external audiences. in many ways, as much a reflectio

mr. shirley about the legacy of president reagan. be sure to watch c-span's washington journal live at some :00 eastern under morning. ♪ portrait, the national gallery unveiled the official ortraits of former president and former first lady, michelle obama. this is one hour. [applause] david skorton, the secretary of the smithsonian institution. [applause] ms. amy sherald, portrait artist. [cheers and applause] mr. kehinde wiley, portrait artist. [cheers and applause] mrs. michelle obama. [cheers and applause] president barack obama. [cheers and applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the podium kim sajet, the director of the smithsonian national portrait gallery. >> good morning. mu name is kim sajet and it is my pleasure as director to welcome you to the national portrait gallery at the smithsonian institution. every commissioned portrait involves four people. the first person is the sitter, a person with a larger-than-life persona, who may be curious to see how his are h

mr. cornyn: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we, we are. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i'd ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i have 11 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they've been approved by both the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. cornyn: mr. president, today a group led by chairman of the senate judiciary committee, chairman grassley, formally introduced a bill to address the daca issue, the deferred action on childhood arrivals issue that we've heard so much about as well as border security. i think it's a good starting point. i'm proud to be a cosponsor of the legislation which is called the secure and succeed act. perhaps the most important thing about this bill is that it actually has a good chance of becoming law. that's be

mr. menendez: mr. president, i come to the floor today out of great concern for america's dreamers whose futures hinge on the ability of this body to keep its word and get something done. i want to be clear who we are talking about when we talk about dreamers. we aren't talking about criminals. we aren't talking about terrorists. we aren't talking about, quote-unquote, bad hombres. we are talking about kids as american as apple pie. as i often say, the only country they call home is the united states. the only flag they pledge allegiance to is that of the american flag. the only national anthem they know how to sing is the star-spangled banner. we're talking about 800,000 young people who were brought to this country as children and who were able to obtain legal protection under the deferred action for childhood arrivals program known as daca. these kids put enormous faith in our government. they came out of the shadows. they passed background checks. they registered with our government, all to get a t

i do agree, mr. chairman. ok. mr. secretary, i'd like to thank you and your staff for the hard work you put into ensuring that we deliver tax relief to middle-class americans throughout the country. and that will benefit workers and make american businesses more competitive and productive. of course as we move forward, it will be important that the tax law is properly implemented and that implementation is consistent with congressional intent. i appreciate how your department has worked productively with members of congress and their staffs. will you commit to continuing to work with congress to ensure that our intent in writing the tax law is realized as the law is implemented? secretary mnuchin: yes, i will. we've already started those conversations on certain areas, as you've pointed out in your opening remarks, and we look forward to working with you. sen. hatch: ok. from what i understand, in coming months, the european commission and oecd may advance suggestions about how to tax a so-called digital economy. desp

mr. heinrich: mr. president, as the senate takes to the floor to debate a long overdue bipartisan solution for dreamers, young immigrants who came to our country as children, i would like to tell you a story about one dreamer in my home state of new mexico to illustrate just what is at stake here this week. immigrants have long helped to right the economic and the social and the cultural story of my home state of new mexico. and for that matter, our entire nation. we are, after all, a nation of immigrants. and over the last centuries, our nation's foundation and the enduring american spirit were built by the hard work and the dreams of so many striving young immigrants. when president trump made the outrageous decision last fall to end the deferred action for childhood arrivals, or daca program, he threw hundreds of thousands of dreamers dupe into fear and -- dreamers deep into fear and uncertainty. two weeks ago i was proud to w-l yvonne ocosta, one of the estimated 7,000 dreams from new mexico as my

mr. phillips: off year elections, especially the first one for the party in power, are always tough. you know the numbers historically. obama lost 63 seats in 2010, clinton lost 54 house seats in 1994, even reagan lost 26 seats, and he started from a minority position. so they are challenging, but yeah. a good economy, which we are starting to see, it alleviates the dangers. but it is still a challenging environment for republicans. there is no doubt about that. >> and you now have more than 40 house republicans who are either seeking another office or stepping down this year? mr. phillips: right. those are high numbers. you saw another one in from new jersey just this past week. it is a challenging environment. in some ways, having folks not tied to washington and the anti-d.c. sentiment that is out there right now could be a good thing in some of these districts, actually, because they are not tied to what is happening in washington and they can run as their own person. host: what race

mr. director. your insight will be very help of in our understanding. we see that the president's budget each year marks the beginning of the federal budgeting process or budget season as we like to call it, and the white house officially kicked it off on monday. while congress ultimately controls the purse strings, the president's budget request is still an important document for lawmakers to consider along the way. each fiscal year the administration's budget documents documents the president's policy and spending priority. these are important for both changes to consider as work crafting the budget resolution begins in earnest. without question there are plenty of worth while ideas included in the president's budget this year. first, i'm encouraged that the administration prioritizes and boosts the investment in our national defense. with mounting threats to our security both at home and abroad, it is critical that we provide for a strong and capable military. we must ensure our war fi

mr. nadler: mr. speaker, i now yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. lewis. the chair: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for two minutes. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i want to thank my good friend, the ranking member, mr. nadler, for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise in strong opposition to this bill. many of my colleagues may not remember when the civil rights act became the law of the land in 1964, but i remember. i was there. as a matter of fact, i gave a little blood during the sit-ins, during the freedom rides. i remember the struggle, the fight, and the sacrifice of so any to protect the dignity and words of every human being. i was here serving in this very chamber when the americans with disabilities act became the law of the land. 26 years later. . yet today it is unbelievable, it is unreal we're considering a bill that turns the clock backwards and strikes a devastating blow in the fight for civil rights. mr. speaker, i want it make it chris cal clear for the record, there is

mr. nelson: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, i ask consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. nelson: mr. president, i ask for a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting in florida. the presiding officer: without objection. the senate will observe a moment of silence for the victims of the florida school shooting. mr. nelson: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. mr. nelson: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: mr. president, those were all our children. thoalings of us who -- those of us who are parents, you can imagine the parents of those children wondering what else can be done. because yesterday a former student at marjory stoneman douglas high school in northern broward county, parkland, florida, walked on to the campus with a gas mask, smoke grenades, and carrying an ar-15 assault rifle. he pulled the fire alarm. he

mr. pruitt: this was an agency before the president arrived saying, we will use our authority to act outside the statute. you know this. the past administration did not. it is fifth grade civics that our job is to enforce the law, not make the law. the congress does not give epa the authority to do something, we cannot. that is exactly what happened with the plea -- clean power plan. they said at the agency, what can we do to reimagine authority others the statute does under the statute to regulate an area that we are unsure we can, but we will do it anyway. they acted outside the scope of authority given to them by u.s. congress. that is something we are getting right. that is why the president issued a very strong message. he issued an executive order saying we want energy dominance. we have been blessed with substantial national resources -- natural resources, and let's recognize that the agency of the federal government should not be used in a punitive way to address that. the clean p

director james comey he was later sacked by mr trump fueling speculation the president was trying to interfere with the inquiry robert muller was then appointed a special counsel to find out if anyone from the trump campaign team colluded with the russians it was reported trump would also be investigated for possible obstruction of justice members of the president's inner circle have been questioned former campaign manager paul mann afford has been charged with conspiring to defraud the united states in his dealings with ukraine two former advisors were also involved george papadopoulos confessed he lied to the f.b.i. and michael flynn admitted making false statements about a meeting he had with the russian ambassador. ok let's bring in our guests today joining us from washington d.c. bruce fein a former us associate deputy attorney general in moscow yes love to solve a former russian diplomat and also in washington on skype sean michael cox director of the office of international academic affairs there in the states a warm welcome to all of you bruce fein in washington first is this

mr. shuster. >> thank you very much -- [indiscernible] >> thank you, very much. you ranking member cap one over holding this meeting today and thanks to the members showing interest of the tragedy that occurred in your states and other places across the country. safety is the number one priority of this committee and the most important task of the department of transportation. this committee and the department of transportation have remained focused on efforts to increase -- increase rail safety. as 2012, -- were reporting railroads would not make 2010 deadlines. 2015 congress pass the partisan service transportation extension act. in 2015, which extended the deadline to december 31 of 2018. industry,rt from government, and labor. --were hopeful this would today i look forward to getting -- an update on the status of ptc implement -- implementation and learn what the other challenges are. when congress extended the deadline, we were informed on issues the railroads faced and throughout th

mr. ross' bill will also allow nonbank financial companies the opportunity to reduce any risky opportunities before they are designated as systemically important. this will help financial regulators to achieve their intended purpose, rather than simply being a gotcha game on regulated companies. all of these bills we are considering today received overwhelming bipartisan support in the financial services committee and urge all of my colleagues to support this legislative package and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentlelady from california voids. - is recognized. ms. waters: may i inquire as to whether or not the chairman has more speakers? mr. hensarling: madam speaker, i would tell the ranking member, potentially two if they make it. they're on their way from a hearing. but they're not here now. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized. ms. waters: i have no fur

mr. lapierre: can we answer that question honestly? any of us, can we answer that question honestly, knowing that we surround and protect so much with armed security while we drop our kids off at school, that are so-called gun free zones, that are wide open targets for any crazy madman bent on evil to come there first? in every community in america, school districts, pta's, teachers unions, local law enforcement, moms and dads -- they all must come together to implement the very best strategy to harden their schools, including effective trained, armed security that will absolutely protect every innocent child in this country. [applause] mr. lapierre: and that has to happen now. evil walks among us. and god help us if we do not harden our schools and protect our kids. the whole idea from some of our opponents that armed security makes us less safe is completely ridiculous. if that is true -- just think about this -- if that is true, armed security makes us less safe, let's remove it from e

mr. fayed was really upset with his wife, mrs. fayed. >> so that marriage would bear much more scrutiny. investigators set about talking to friends and family to solve the mystery of pam's death. they needed to start with the story of her life. >> pamela had a spirit that was infectious. >> carol neve was pam's best friend. >> she was always happy. she had a personality that just sucked you in and kept you there. >> carol met pam 22 years ago. >> we were neighbors and we did become best friends, to the tune of every day we talked. every single day. >> that was long before jim came into the picture, of course. >> good morning, baby desiree. first christmas. >> pam was a single mom. she and carol babysat for each other's kids, walked their babies together, went shopping, shared recipes and hung out during the holidays. >> pamela was very much family to me. >> pam was the most caring, loving, giving person you would ever meet. life was about other people. >> tina holland is another friend. she and pam met when their youngest children

mr. mulvaney is wearing. >> those are my captain america socks. my daughter wanted to see them on television, so thank you, caroline. deneen borelli: thank you so much for being here today. today, we will focus on three core areas, regulation, the budget and tax cuts. mr. mulvaney: in 15 minutes. deneen borelli: i understand that reducing regulations is one of the president's top parties -- priorities for his administration. it is something that we do not hear enough about. we have heard a lot about the tax cuts, which we will hear about in a moment. but when it comes to regulations, it is like it goes hand-in-hand with the rollback in regulations can you give us a progress report? mr. mulvaney: sure. i think the reason he did not hear about it is because it is going very well. the press does not like to cover stuff that is going well for the administration. [applause] we try to talk about it every chance we get. the last time we tallied it up, we have repealed about 1500 obama-era regula

mr. mulvaney: we are not out to get you anymore. go. [applause] go out, do what you do. do your job, do something, take a chance, be american. prove to people capitalism, this capitalistic system works. we have been the envy of the world in the past. we can do so in the future. take a chance, do what you want to do, be successful and the government will not be in your way if you want to do that. deneen: thank you, sir. thank you, folks. mr. mulvaney: thank you. ♪ [applause] >> this is dick heller, for those of you who have heard of the supreme court. this is him. [applause] >> he is a real man. dick: a real dude. >> he is a real dude. he is a dude. we are great friends, and he has changed my life in the sense that i have the right and have a gun at home legally in the district of columbia solely because of this man's fight. [applause] >> thank you. >> so dick, take me back because people tell me about the heller decision and do not realize it was one man that fought for so many years. t

mr. president, my guest at the state of the union was a woman named stephanie keenan from putnam county. she was a brave mother of a veteran, the veteran got hooked on opioids in the depths of ptsd. he waited 16 months for his first appointment at the v.a. died of an overdose two weeks before he could get treatment. stephanie keenan has been fighting for this. she's a brave -- mr. shah: good afternoon, everyone. i want to start with a statement, then we'll take your questions. our normal policy, consistent with the policies of past administrations, is to not comment on background checks and security clearances. given the unusual nature of these circumstances, when a number of false reports floating around, we wanted to try to explain as best we can within our security limitations how the background investigation process works and then talk a little bit about rob porter and how the -- how his situation fits within that process. background investigation process is a process for evaluating a

mr. burgess: mr. speaker, we are here today considering a continuing resolution that will provide dollars for the federal government and our national defense. and it also finally accomplishes re-authorization of funding for several important health care programs. these extensions are long overdue and i urge members to support this legislation so that our nation's doctors, other health care providers will have stability to continue their normal operations. the house passed many of these provisions last november. that's when we passed the championing healthy kids act. however, since house passage, the legislation has been stalled without action in the senate. now fortunately, the children's health insurance program was re-authorized in the last continuing resolution. seems like a long time ago, but was three weeks ago. however, we did not complete the public health or medicare extenders. the continuing resolution we are debating today includes funding for other important health care programs such as com

mr. chairman. i want to thank you for finally getting this hearing on the books. oversight is a critical part of our committee's work, and regardless of which party is in power, i'm glad that we finally have a chance to hear from mr. pruitt today. welcome. mr. pruitt, it's been a while since you've been with us. thank you for postponing your planned trips to israel and japan. for the first time in more than a year, i have a friend who, when asked how he's doing, he says, compared to what? sometimes he says compared to whom? and what i'd like to do is say, how about compared to your immediate predecessor. gene mccarthy appeared before this committee six times in two years, while her predecessor appeared before us 14 times in 6 years. you can do better on this front. and it's important that you do. today, we're not only going to hear from you, about how things are going at epa, but we'll also hear tonight from president trump about the current state of our union, so it seems like an appropr

mr. quigley: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to talk about a legendary chicagoians, eddie olchek, former star player and current voice of the blackhawks. a native of chicago, eddie exemplifies the heart, grit and character of the city we both call home. eddie first made his way in chicago's collective heart as a remember of the 1984 u.s. olympic hockey team at the young age of 17. from there he went on to play 16 seasons in the nhl and later coached the pittsburgh penguins. in 2012, he was inducted into the u.s. hockey hall of fame. eddie currently works as a broadcaster for both the blackhawks and nationally as color commentator for nbc sports. he is the best in the business. and those outside of chicago may know eddie from his time covering horseracing for nbc. but today eddie is facing another battle. this one is off the ice. last year he was diagnosed with colon cancer. as he describes it, sometime last summer he began feeling pain in his lower abdomen. initially the pain was intermittent and he thought

so i'd say, mr. hansen, maybe mr. mill and duvall, the producers you represent, do they have the ability to spend this kind of time trying to comply with these laws? >> mr. chairman, the major problem -- no, we don't have the time, but we don't have the tools. there is no way to do it on a range livestock operation. it's impossible. >> mr. duvall? >> yes, sir. you know, when we start thinking about reporting, and i expected this question would probably come up because it is a big question across farmland. there is an individual farmer concern that we have, but i'd like for the committee to think about two other concerns. one being public safety concerns. you know, if we asked 200,000 farmers to report to the national response center, which is where they have to respond to, it will overwhelm them and draw resources away from actual emergencies. the second issue i'd like for you to think about is the national security issue. because as our farmers start reporting their animals and what's being emitted there, then we're

mrs. roby: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks for what purpose does the and ie extraneous material to h.r. 1865. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. pursuant to house resolution 748, rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of 1865, the chair appoints the gentleman from california, mr. denham, to preside over the 1865, the chair appoints the gentleman from california, r. the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 1865, which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bill to meand the communications act of 1934 to clarify section 230 of such act does not prohibit the enforcement against providers and users of interactive computer services of federal and state criminal and civil law relating to sexual exploitation of children or sex trafficking, an

mr. monje being here representatives of their companies. with now, i'll recognize the ranking senator nelson. >> mr. chairman, within a few hours of the pulse nightclub shooting i was there in orlando. and i just want to comment that when a great tragedy occurs such as that, it's encouraging that the community comes together like orlando never had. the same you can say for boston. and so many other places where these tragedies occur. and yet we need to get at the root of the problem, which the chairman has outlined. it's the first time that the commerce committee has had three of the largest social media companies before us. these social media platforms and those of many other smaller companies have revolutionized the way that americans communicate, connect, and share information. and, by the way, a comment that the chairman made about artificial intelligence screening out most of the bad guys stuff. i wish one of you would explain that. that is encouraging, but it's not quite enough, as

mr. durbin: mr. president, i don't know if you want to announce the business for the day or if you've already done that. the presiding officer: the senate is in a period of morning business and the assistant democratic leader is recognized. mr. durbin: thanks, mr. president. i come to the floor today to speak of an issue which really defines america. with the exception of native americans who preceded us, with the exception of many african americans who were brought here in bondage, virtually all of the rest of us are the sons and daughters of immigrants to america, immigrants from literally all over the world, who have come to this nation and made us different, different in a positive way. they have given life to this democracy. they have given hope when it comes to our future. they have inspired us. i'll be the first to admit that i do not come to this debate without strong personal feelings. like millions of americans, i am the son of an immigrant. in 1911, 107 years ago, my grandmother came to th

mr. pierce, who is handling her case, will talk to her after this today, to get more information about those five individuals, so we can follow up with them. names, contact information; anything else would be helpful. >> is there any indication that you received any records that are now able to be found or available to you? >> no. every physical record -- >> no, i'm sorry. i'm just asking -- >> okay. >> those conversations happened in a closed door meeting with another investigator who's no longer with the commission, so the only witness would be miss zhou. so if she says there were reports that were nhanded over and recordings that have been made, i would assume they're in the file. >> so does she know about what happened with regards to that former employee, and any difficulty in talking to that former employee or getting information from that former employee? >> yes. >> can i ask, what -- >> i think what you want to do is mr. pierce is over there, and if you like -- >> i understand tha

mr. secretary this is your first appearance before the house after the tax cut and jobs act has been signed into law. on behalf of the majority we are grateful to you and the president for your leadership and to help make this act signed into law that is historic. after eight years of failed policy that led to the slowest and weakest recovery the economy is starting to take off and wages are growing. consumer optimism abounds. it's ironic but predictable that equity markets would swoon over the prospects of highest interest rates and inflation associated with economic growth. low interest rates may have benefited some on wall street but not helpful to main street. we knew the fed would face challenges when the economy took off. if you're listening, good luck chairman, you volunteer for the job. today the economy is getting stronger due to policies of the trump administration. averaging 3% growth unemployment is a 17 year low. wages grew at the fastest in a decade. all of this and presiden

mr. nadler: mr. speaker, i now yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. lewis. the chair: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for two minutes. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i want to thank my good friend, the ranking member, mr. nadler, for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise in strong opposition to this bill. many of my colleagues may not remember when the civil rights act became the law of the land in 1964, but i remember. i was there. as a matter of fact, i gave a little blood during the sit-ins, during the freedom rides. i remember the struggle, the fight, and the sacrifice of so any to protect the dignity and words of every human being. i was here serving in this very chamber when the americans with disabilities act became the law of the land. 26 years later. . yet today it is unbelievable, it is unreal we're considering a bill that turns the clock backwards and strikes a devastating blow in the fight for civil rights. mr. speaker, i want it make it chris cal clear for the record, there is

mr. hultgren: thank you and i yield to mr. smith. mr. smith: i thank you for this opportunity to reflect on billy graham what a tremendous legacy he leaves in so many forms. i think of how his humility has had such an impact to so many. i was one of the thousands in the stadium at a crusade in california back, i believe, in 1985. and to personally witness that -- the impact that that meeting had was a great opportunity, but to also realize how one person an impact the world. his work led to humanitarian efforts, whether it's his family members or others really stepping out and ministering to others all around the world. so i'm very grate to feel honor re-rend billy graham for certainly his stewardship of religious freedom and i hope that we can all reflect on our country and religious freedom and how important it is and to hopefully follow in the footsteps of someone who i think as the list of most admired americans would reflect with reverend graham being on that list for 60 years. that someone like that can have such a great impact. so

the chair access to clear two more members mr. kihuen and mr. mr. cutoff. thank you mr. secretary for being here this afternoon. as you might know i represent the fourth congressional district of nevada which is north las vegas which is the epicenter of the closure crisis during the recession where over 60,000 people around the country lost their home to foreclosure including 3200 in the state of nevada. i know that you ran one west when the bank was aggressively for closing on homeowners including thousands of seniors in the state of nevada. now as secretary of treasury you are a key voice in the administrations position on housing finance reform. how can we trust you to support responsible reforms that will hold lenders accountable when you yourself are responsible for the system when you lead one west. >> i think that talked about this in. those loans were inherited and when you say we aggressively foreclose with were required to follow fdic agreements and modifications. i think i have a great understanding of the issues that all those homeowners went through and we a

mr. newhouse: mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the life and service of grant county fire district battalion chief dan deshawn. dan passed away on january 8, 2018. dan was a husband, a father, a friend, and a highly respected fire service member. his love of firefighting and his dedication to his community was evident in his 15 years of volunteer service at both the grant county fire district 13 as well as district five where he eventually secured his dream job of shift captain. local firefighters, members of his team, and the community will remember him for his leadership, humility and commitment to keeping the citizens of grant county safe. my prayers and sincere condolences go out to his family and his friends and all those affected by his passing during this difficult time. i urge all my colleagues to join me in thanking dan deshawn for his inspirational life of service to washington state and the fourth district. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the chair

mr. arrington from texas. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and i look forward to serving under your leadership and congratulations on your appointment. dr. hall, thank you for your service to this committee and to our country. the topic, as i understood it, was organizational and operational in nature. so i'm going to be a little boring in my series of operational questions. just because they may be boring doesn't mean they're not extremely important. so let me start with the peter drucker sort of philosophical question. and let me ask you if you subscribe to this. if you can't measure it, you can't manage it? do you subscribe to that? >> yes, actually. developing metrics about how we're doing is very important. >> how do you measure success in your organization for the work that you do and for the people you manage? just succinctly, if you could, please. >> sure. a part of it is judging the quality of the end product. everything that comes out of cbo has my signature on it. we have a strong review process. we want to be comfortable

mr. chair, i have a question. earlier in the day i think someone said there was an offer to have a joint meeting between the board of supervisors -- >> yes, we'll take that up. i think that's out of order -- the question has been called for for a vote, and we've had public comment, so we now have to vote, we have to vote, all right? so let's vote. >> are you going to take public comment on the motion? >> well, we'll take public comment on the motion. >> has it been seconded? >> i don't know. has it been seconded? there has been a motion. is there no second to put this on the ballot? who moved it? >> i did. >> commissioner renne moved it. do we have a second to put it on the ballot? i'll second, yeah. >> commissioners, on the motion before you to put this on the june 5th, 2018 ballot, i will reiterate some of the comments that i made at the outset of this hearing on behalf of supervisor peskin. i think generally on behalf of the board of supervisors, though i hesitate to speak for other su