the house will be an order the prayer will be offered by our chaplain father claflin lord god of the universe an eternal creator this morning long before dawn the space shuttle endeavor lifted from the surface of the earth to find orbit in space this exploratory journey beyond into the beyond to the international space station is designed to be the longest shuttle mission in history lord guide and protect the seven astronauts as they work to expand building in space and prepare for future scientific discoveries help the united states to remain a leader in encouraging the development of technology space medicine architecture and understanding that w better human life on earth and life in this universe may this global mission with its japanese component of the keeper laboratory and the canadian robotic device called dexter become splendid additions to the international space station and inspire young people to study science and to build global harmony the chair is examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces to the house her approval thereof pursuant to clause one of rule one the journal stance approved the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentlewoman from new mexico mrs  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 for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota writes without objection thank you madam speaker this congress has finally understood it is realizing what the american people have known for so long that after six years of mismanagement of our economy by the bush administration that our economy has failed america's working class this congress is working to change that having already a passed bipartisan economic stimulus package that will help jumpstart the economy and create up to half a million new american jobs later in the spring recovery rebate checks of hundreds of dollars will be in the hands of one hundred thirty million americans most will use it to pay bills but hopefully some will help to spend it on the economy later last month we passed an energy bill upgrade hundreds of thousands of piping green collar jobs lower energy prices and reduce our dependence on foreign oil and to address the housing crisis we expanded affordable mortgage loan opportunities strengthen consumer protection against risky loans and raise loan limits to increase liquidity in the mortgage market madam speaker this democratic congress is working to create more jobs jumpstart our economy that is clearly stalled we are committed to addressing those issues that affect america's working class not just the top one percent and i success we've seen on the ground in iraq and dedicate ourselves to support these efforts in achieving victory i have visited our troops in iraq nine times i have seen first hand the success of the surge while meeting with general david petraeus last week in baghdad he reported over sixty percent reduction in violence with al qaida on the defense and anbar province the success of our military men and women and people of iraq have achieved is real the best way to protect american families is to stop terrorist overseas the best way to end the war is through victory we as representatives of the american people must put aside politics and recognize what is its stake in iraq as my resolution states congress must support the idea that the war in iraq is not lost and that it will do all it can to ensure a coalition victory in conclusion god bless our troops and will never forget september the eleventh for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky wri without objection madam speaker house republicans are fully committed to ensuring that that the pfizer law is focused on giving the intelligence community the tools it needs to protect our national security at the same time protecting our constitutional rights of innocent americans we've already passed the restore act which modernizes pfizer to address these two critical needs today congressional leaders continue to negotiate differences between our bill and a bill passed by the senate earlier this year if congressional republicans were really concerned about our nation's national security you would think they would be sitting at the new goshi ating table ensuring that their concerns are addressed they've been asked to join the talks but to date they've refused and national intelligence director mike mcconn says that the president is holding up the legislation in order to get blanket immunity immunity for the telecommunications industry madam speaker congressional democrats are committed to strengthening our intelligence community to keep our country safe and we  republicans to put aside partisan politics and work with us on this important piece of legislation i yield back for what purpose does the gentleman from new mexico ride without  my colleague from kentucky is just brazen important point which is that we need to revise the foreign intelligence surveillance act but i think he's a little misinformed he says that there's bipartisan negotiations going on the speaker hasn't even appointed con erees you can't even have negotiations with the senate the negotiations are going on between the democrat leadership and the conservative democrats that want to pass a bipartisan senate bill and have written a letter to your leadership about it we are now on day twenty five when we have had the protect america act expire all we need to do is to be able to listen to foreigners in foreign countries without a warrant the senate bill has unprecedented protections for american civil liberties more than are in the one nine hundred seventy eight law that all of us in this house support but instead the liberal democratic leadership is blocking the will of the majority of this house and it is time for democrats to stand up to your own leadership and demand that the protection of this country is more important than special interest groups that have a hold on the democratic leadership security must come first for what purpose does a gentleman from new jersey right that objection thank you madam speaker but the speaker do in these uncertain economic times american families are struggling to make ends meet consider that oil and gas prices are at an all time high health care costs continues to skyrocket out of control even more america see the uninsured or underinsured food prices which only experience the biggest price increase in more than three years if all that is not better enough the u s economy lost sixty three thousand jobs last month the february jobs numbers are the latest sign that economic growth has virtually stalled president bush has  tied with his father as the two presidents with the worst jobs record since the great depression but as speaker congressional democrats are working hard to strengthen american to conduct the american economy and create jobs we worked in a bipartisan fashion the economic stimulus package that would not only help hardworking americans pay their bills but will also jumpstart our economy and create fifty thousand new jobs in america this was the only the beginning strengthening our economy remains a top priority for these  protect america act expired leaving our intelligence community without the full range of resources necessary to monitor foreign targets and leaving our country in danger it's truly disappointing that the strong bipartisan senate bill might not be considered by the house before we go into a two week easter recess period our intelligence community needs a long term fix for the gaps in our intelligence laws not short term band aids are political hold ups senator john rockefeller chairman of the senate intelligence committee said this after the bill passed asked the senate a few weeks ago he said this is the right way to go in terms of security of our nation in the house twenty one democrats speaker to support the senate passed bill and the house republican conference support the senate bill the support for the bipartisan senate bill is strong and continuing to grow now is the time to act provide our intelligence community all the tools necessary and provide important retroactive liability protection that i tell a commune accompany telecommunications companies deserve when we ask for their help arge the house to pass the senate five a bill before we leave this week anything mr speaker this week the house will consider democratic budget that will strengthen our economy and make america safer after years of devastating cuts by the bush administration our budget is fiscally responsible while also ensuring that we invest in the american people's priorities at a time of economic uncertainty the democratic budget rejects president bush's cuts to medicare and medicaid while also adding four point nine billion dollars with veterans health care despite the president's repeated vetoes of our legislation to ensure that ten million children have access to health care our budget accommodates the fifty billion dollars that would be needed over the next five years to make this goal a reality we are still hopeful that enough republicans will join us in overriding the president's ill advised and not compassionate veto mr speaker the democratic budget is able to address all of the health care needs while balancing the budget by two thousand and twelve without gold and mccain as well as chairman waxman and leader boehner i'm told that senators clinton and obama are considering supporting this effort the constitution put the spending power in the house and i use this to support my district but like other powers this congressional power could be abused and increasingly we approve low or no quality spending to win approval for our own community you get yours i get mine and the kids get the bill no more for this appropriator we should ask should the taxpayers pay for a three hundred twenty million dollar bridge to connect the town of eight thousand to an island population fifty no should the taxpayers spend three hundred or two hundred forty three thousand dollars on shape a nice to create a gourmet organic school lunch program featuring comped cheese souffle with mush a salad or lemon clare's with huckleberry  speaker it is clear that no one is buying into the scare tactics created by the president and as some republicans we guarding the expiration of the president's book tech to america act newspapers around the country are rightfully asking republicans then if this law was so crucial to national security why did they oppose an extension of it last month at the st louis post called this intimidation and fear mongering at its most craven the argonne ian was in food by the president's political actions writing it's the protect america act is as crucial if he says it is then he is taking a terrible gamble with the safety of his country citizens the palm post recognize that political distraction is more important to this administration than the law they wrote the law that mr bush and some republicans say is vital could have been extended for three weeks instead they let it die mr speaker house democrats are serious about passing a strong fice a law that provides our intelligence community with the tools necessary to protect our national security and we support of the feis and then in its act a bipartisan piece of legislation to modernize the foreign intelligence surveillance act of one nine hundred seventy eight it's imperative that we provide our intelligence community with the tools it needs to conduct surveillance on foreign terrorists without getting tied up in the courts and this bill would do just that the senate passed this bipartisan legislation almost a month ago but the house leadership has irresponsibly refused to bring up this bill which is critical to our nation's security i've chosen to co sponsor the measure because i believe that in today's world we cannot shortchange our ability to confront emerging and ongoing threats therefore i urge the majority to bring this crucial legislation to speaker if you ask mr or mrs america who are in the rule hamlets the urban cities across america they will tell you whether there is a recession or not if you have the automobile dealers the home builders if you ask the individuals who are attempting to put their children through college or even to make ends meet they will tell you bad news is already here sixty three thousand jobs lost last month i am glad the democrats are taking the opportunity to strengthen our economy and create jobs democratic leaders last week held a second economic forum the forum convene national experts and talked about how we can create jobs the new direction congress has already passed a bipartisan economic stimulus of which thousands of americans will be receiving a payment because of the leadership of our democratic majority we're helping to create five hundred thousand jobs but it is well to recognize that this administration just last month lost sixty three thousand jobs what we need to do is bring our troops home lower health care costs and increase health care quality we need to vote in the chips bill and stop the president's veto we need to ensure that we lower energy prices through alternative fuels by creating of thousands or hundreds of thousands of new green jobs we've got to make college more affordable and k through twelve classrooms more successful we can empower america with our own initiative our own genius but we cannot do it if we have an administration that doesn't listen sixty three thousand jobs lost tells the story and mr mrs america says wake up and provide an opportunity for americans they want the democrats to lead and to be able to create the opportunity for economic was for speaker this week march tenth through seventeenth is national multiple sclerosis awareness week the goal of this annual event is to raise awareness of this disease for those of in individuals and their families who are impacted by it every hour the united states someone new is diagnosed with m s it's a chronic often often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system many americans know a person living with multiple sclerosis a mother a father a son or daughter another family member a friend or or even a colleague for me it was a member of my staff this brave and strong woman inspired me to get more involved in the battle to live in a world fleet free of multiple sclerosis as a medical doctor prior to coming to congress i'm working here to find sensible solutions for health care challenges that americans face as the co chair of the newly formed congressional multiple sclerosis caucus i intend to bring the needs of those individuals into the larger discussion of quality health care  we must work together to reprove access to quality health services to break down barriers and to make him a therapies more affordable i ask other members of the house to join me in this noble cause we must always remember that behind every statistic is the face of a family member or friend madam speaker during the first six years of the bush administration the president and congressional republicans squandered away large budget surpluses that were left of them by the clinton administration yet they failed to properly key national priorities once again this year the bush administration proposes a budget that ignores the real needs of american people particularly at a time of such economic uncertainty this week the democrats will bring a budget to the house floor that fully funds medicare and medicaid the health care programs for the nation's most vulnerable people including arch algerian and our seniors unlike the president's budget our budget also fully invest in environmental protection and low income heating programs such as lie he cited low income families including those in my district in new jersey who are facing skyrocketing home heating bills this winter will receive some much needed assistance we also fully invest in a cops program so that we can better protect our streets against crime madam speaker we do all of this without raising taxes by one single penny with gas prices soaring and the how all time how records families and he's been saying all across america are struggling to make koreans meet the democrat budget resolution fails to meet the test of his responsibility miserably instead of exercising  restraint lowering taxes the democrat budget raises taxes by over six hundred eighty three thousand six hundred eighty three billion dollars over the course of five years you heard me correctly six hundred ninety three billion dollars over the next five years this is the largest tax increase in american history and it blows away the previous tax increase record not seen ninety three by four hundred forty three billion dollars families in east tennessee will be forced to pay over two hundred two thousand six hundred eleven  because of the democrat budget i'm supporting the republican budget which addresses the bloated government in washington lowers taxes on struggling citizens and families addresses the unfunded liabilities of social security and medicare and reigns on the out control spending here in washington i asked my colleagues to join me in supporting the physically responsible republican budget and with that i yield back the first agenda from virginia rice one assistant remarked injection baker i'd like to say a word about the president's veto of the congressional ban on torture by vetoing this measure he is essentially instructing america's torturers to act in a way that is illegal according to international law to act in a way that is wholly inconsistent with the military's code of conduct who are required to abide by the army field manual to act in a way that does not consistently provide reliable information because people being tortured tell their torture what they know they want to hear so as to stop the torture they know that it is not the most effective means of acquiring information he also must know that this puts our own soldiers and civilians in much greater jeopardy because our enemy will considerate license to do at least as much as we do to them but most importantly it undermines our moral authority how far we have strayed from the vision of our founding fathers that this nation would serve as a moral guide post to the rest of congratulate village health partners of plano texas for receiving the two thousand and seven davies award of excellence by the health care information and management system society since one thousand nine hundred before the davies  warders nationally recognized excellence in the use of health information technology dr christopher crowe and his partners decided to use technology to revolutionize how they practice medicine it took their office three short months to go from paper charge to completely paper free using this technology has given these doctors a tool to to track the quality of care they provide their patients and in just one year these physicians have seen the dramatic impact these technologies have had on the lives of their patients as all of my colleagues know our health care system is in need of some serious reform and i believe bringing every doctor's office hospital and medical record into the twenty first century is a great start just look at the successes that we have had in plano as congress continues to debate health care reform i look forward to working with my colleagues on proposals that will encourage more of the health care industry to join the technology revolution the time is now you bet what purposes jones morgan rush well we're hearing the how old from the republican side their fat cat supporters might be forced to pay a fair share of taxes in the future millionaires and billionaires who today are paying taxes at a rate less than that of your average schoolteacher or an army captain they say that that the secret for a strong economy those hedge fund managers on wall street are doing such a great job the people who brought us the financial meltdown the united states of america that's hurting average people while these people are still cruising in their yachts and building their seventh and eighth homes in exotic places around the world they need those tax cuts that's the nostrum for a failing economy tax cuts tax cuts tax cuts for rich people not about tax fairness and how about dealing with a sea of red ink in this country you can't do it without asking the wealthiest among us to pay their fair share and re storing some programs that are important to the middle class yeah that's right the rich people don't need roads you know that are you know up to standard because they they're in the back seat of a chauffeur driven limousine they don't care if they sit in traffic for a long time they're on the phone they're in their private jet they're in their walled community what do they need for public safety their kids go to private schools what do they care about public education and hey they don't have to worry about the cost of health care that's the republican world we're going to change that with this democratic budget thank you a person jumps in texas wri mr speaker nearly four weeks have passed since the protect america act expired and for four weeks our intelligence community has gone dark around the world for four weeks are missing critical intelligence from foreign terrorist to better protect this nation mr speaker this is a dereliction of duty most solemn obligation we have in the house is to protect the american people and yet we are we have a this act to expire a bipartisan bill is passed in the senate yet we in the house are denied democracy and the opportunity to have the people vote for this important legislation that will protect americans i w applied for feisal warrants in the justice department this statute was never intended to apply to foreign terrorists and foreign countries in fact what we're doing is extending constitutional protections to foreign terrorists like osama bin laden this turns a statute on its head and that we have a majority leader's says there's no urgency the chairman of intelligence says will be just fine it reminds me an f b i agent who warned before nine eleven frustrated about  someday will die the public will not understand why we were not more effective at throwing every resource we had at certain problems especially since the biggest threat to us now is osama bin laden and he is getting the most protection i urge this this congress this house and democratic leadership to pass the senate bipartisan bill and make the protect america act permanent now you'll back  saw from within i say dangers of doing that here i know that my colleagues across the aisle the one hundred seventy or so who did not support fice of being passed into law last august are very compassionate people i've seen the hurt in your eyes i've seen how it troubles your so when you see people hurting and killed and maimed what we're asking here is to do the intelligence and allow the intelligence community to protect us so we don't have to experience the horror of seeing americans killed and maimed we're losing valuable intelligence every day that we do not pass this important value bill bill a proposal was made let's just keep extending awake at a time you cannot do extensive intelligence on a week to week basis we cannot put our country at risk this this house has other things planned today other than this critical if you're just tuning in live coverage of the u s house their first recorded vote of the day the underlying business today includes twelve suspension bills and a veto override bill on the intelligence authorization bill which president bush vetoed over the weekend a republican leadership issued a statement earlier saying that quote we will be doing everything we can to shut the house down until democrats bring up the senate finance a bill that's it from a were spokesman for republican leader john boehner quote since february thirteenth the day the house democrats allowed the protect america act to expire democratic leaders in the house at one rename ten post offices to made technical corrections to the federal insecticide fungus sided roadside act and the statement here list number of other issues which the house has taken out taken up but at the end of the statement does say quote democratic leaders should allow the house to have an up or down vote on the senate fice a bill and republicans will stand and fight them at every turn until they do so that's that's what we're seeing here fifteen min to vote on a motion to adjourn but again the the business on the agenda today includes the veto override vote and also dealing with the work on an independent house ethics panel over in the senate today a second day of debate on the fiscal year two thousand and nine budget resolution senate's in a break for their weekly party lunches now back at two fifteen eastern also today we're covering at a hearing this afternoon with the transportation secretary mary peters she'll testify on the government's cross border truck program that's live at two thirty eastern on c span three they house in a procedural vote here a motion to adjourn raised by representative louie gohmert of texas as republicans look to bring up the issue of foreign intelligence surveillance and moving forward with that legislation on the schedule today some do suspension bills also overriding the president's veto of the intelligence authorization veiled and a independent house ethics panel the m and a penthouse house ethics panel to oversee the house and their staff members of the house and their staff meanwhile continues with work on the fiscal year two thousand and nine budget resolution they'll be back at two fifteen after their a weekly party lunches new congressmen coming to the floor today the speaker's office is saying today she knows speaker pelosi will hold a mock swearing in ceremony for congressman elect bill foster he won the seat on saturday and that and that special election to fill the fourteenth district seat of the former speaker denny hastert so the new congressman democrat bill foster sworn in today she would ask all members to please take the conversation from the floor so that we may proceed with business mr speaker i rise in support of h r fifty four ninety two which is a bill to authorize appropriations for the smithsonian for construction of replacement greenhouses mr speaker the smithsonian's wiley renowned as a more than a keeper of artifacts it has nine reacher research facilities and as a leader in scientific research the horticulture services division provides a wide variety of services internally  and more generally to the public to smithsonian's public gardens this missoni has at least a fifty five thousand square foot greenhouse complex for its horticultural operation since one nine hundred seventy four it is currently located on the property of the armed forces retirement home in northwest washington d c the complex includes twelve greenhouses and office for administrative and logistical functions and a shade house these greenhouses produce don't want from california these greenhouses produce institutions world class orchid collection they also provide space to grow a wide variety of plant materials for exhibits gardens especially bands who should be costly or impossible to obtain commercially the greenhouses allow the smithsonian resources equal to if not surpassing any other botanical institute in the world the greenhouse employed i do this work with limited human resources as true to most the green house staff is assisted in large part by a group of dedicated volunteer staff members during fiscal year two thousand and seven over forty five hundred hours of time were donated by these individuals their commitment to the greenhouse facilities programs is evident from their dedication some of whom have donated over twenty five years of service to the organization the current greenhouse site will be released commercially and a smithsonian must begin work on replacement greenhouses at a sony museum support facility and sue in maryland moving the facility is a most cost effective way to preserve the greenhouses this is sony and has also created the zine that will help save money during construction mr speaker the important work being done every day by the smithsonian horticulturalist in the current facility is vital to the mission of the smithsonian to increase and diffusion of knowledge i appreciate chairman of a star chairwoman norton and ranking members michael graves recognizing the significance of this relocation h r fifty four ninety two would ensure that the collections thrive and important work that is done at these facilities continues i urge my colleagues to support the bill and  construct greenhouses that is facility in certain maryland bill authorizes twelve million to construct the green house the transportation committee is research the proposed cost of in the need for this greenhouse facility we don't our due diligence on this project this greenhouse facility will produce the plants for the entire smithsonian institution complex what is that which is the world's largest museum complex in addition to so we will house the orchid collection held in trust by the smithsonian smithsonian currently conducts these activities at an aging facility located at the armed forces retirement home here in the district of columbia because a retirement home is redeveloping the site the smithsonian will no longer be able to use the green house solely located there these new greenhouses will enable the smithsonian to continue producing its own plants after it loses access to the armed forces retirement home satisfying the smithsonian's requirements for plants on the open market doesn't make sense economically given the wide variety of plants required for the national zoo in museums is more cost effective for the smithsonian to grow its own plants rather than to purchase them the cost of this project is appropriate given the need for the greenhouse facility as well as the work necessary to construct this particular type of greenhouse i support the resolution i heard my colleagues to do the same and reserve the balance of my time resolution honoring the two hundredth anniversary as a gala to report on rose in can now celebrating the national unity they can report engender and recognizing that vast contributions that national planning afferent have provided to the united states our national commitment to our national transportation infrastructure two hundred years ago farsighted president thomas jefferson commissioned secretary gallatin to provide a report  and a vision for transportation in america to knit together then young nation and to better facilitate the movement of its people its goods its commerce and to better compete in the international economy for two hundred years or nearly two hundred years that vision has maintained and has been the prevailing view here in washington d c unfortunately we now have an occupant of the white house and a secretary of transportation who do not share that vision a recent report detailing the extraordinary state of disrepair into which our transportation infrastructure has fallen from a commission created by this congress in the safety lew legislation pointed to the need for him massive increase in investment all levels federal state and local because in order just to maintain the existing infrastructure we would have to spend more than we're spending today we aren't even treading water we aren't even maintaining a deteriorated infrastructure we are deteriorating toward third world status while our competitors around the world are leaping ahead with major investments in transit major investments in roads bridges and highways major investments in their ports and their waterways we're falling behind in response to that unfortunately the secretary of transportation joined with a minority in dissenting from the report and essentially proposed that we phase out any federal role or investment in our national transportation infrastructure i can think of nothing more wrong headed short sighted and more destructive for the future of our country than to pull back from these extraordinary need so that's why i think it's so important that we look back we look back over two hundred years of history we look back to the gallatin report we look back to the successes that have followed upon that vision that we've been building upon for two hundred years and we set a course for the next two hundred years so that we can again boast of having the state of the art most efficient most energy efficient transportation network in the world which is far from the condition in which we find ourselves today with that i would reserve the balance of my time jonathan tennessee champion on these issues for a long time and in terms of building infrastructure of america mr loman our has through his relentless advocacy for building america's infrastructure  environmentally sound way has given us also added to the vision of how we want to do this i learned about the gallatin project that you talked about mr de fazio from mr bloom an hour or two hundred years ago imagine that around the time of the lewis and clark expedition and the louisiana purchase falling in louisiana purchase a great president realize that for america for commerce to flow and people to move and our congress our congress country to flourish we needed to build the infrastructure of our country and mr de fazio described the immensity of that project albert gala ten the secretary of of the treasury the at said at the time his vision of roads and canals to unite our young nation could not be left to individual exertion contrary to the popular popular thinking at the time gallatin had the great foresight to see that the long see the long term benefits of infrastructure investments far outweighed the cost and because of that public capital not just private resources were necessary from the beginning of our country our founders in the leaders of our country were entrepreneurs they were risk takers they believed in public private partnerships and that's what this was at the beginning of the nineteenth century it's important i think to know there were barely a thousand miles of canals in america sixty years later in part because of the vision of albert gallop ten more than a said a thousand miles later forty two hundred miles of canals ranging west to illinois north to michigan and south to texas which the filleted trade by mobility across our country the erie canal the transcontinental railway accomplishments it is what is in the tradition of albert gallatin that one hundred years later again are our teacher and mentor on the history of this vision for america mr bloom in our informs me that theater roosevelt launched a similar commitment by convening a white house conference on conservation to preserve america's natural beauty that led to the creation of the national park service and helped a growing america remain a great america and continue to be even greater america in two thousand and eight one hundred years later two hundred  thomas jefferson and secretary gallatin one hundred years after theodore roosevelt in keeping with the tradition a visionary leaders like them we are prepared to invest in america strength we again must invest in our infrastructure to do so today that means green solutions such as mass transit and modern solutions such as expanding broadband across america well there we're talking about roads our bridges our mass transit whether we're talking about canals and waterways through which facilities and water and sewage and water facilities whether we're talking about broadband brand or we're talking about the grid to transmit electricity whether it be talking about schools and investment in infrastructure that serve the needs of our children and their education all of this infrastructure needs a major major infusion of capital and we would we want to do that in a fiscally sound way just as they did two hundred years ago these infrastructure investments offer our nation job creating opportunities to invigorated to reinvigorate america's economy is anything we're talking about in terms in the infrastructure means good paying jobs right here at home and america it's not only about creating those jobs it's about growing our economy today because of the leadership of mr oberstar distinguished chair of the committee mr defies e o who open the debate here mr duncan thank you as well and leadership of congressman earl blumenauer congress has the opportunity to honor the genius of the gallatin plan as a resolution says establishing a more perfect union a speaker i rise in recognition of secretary albert ranking member and representative peter i want to honor the two hundredth anniversary of the galton report on roads and canals a first of its kind assessment for federal interest and investment in our nation's transportation infrastructure eighty when he presented the report secretary of the treasury albert gallatin urged the federal government to focus on three basic concepts the first concept was that it is appropriate for the federal government to finance transportation projects that trance local knees second only projects that yield a return on investment should be constructed third a nationwide system of transportation is essential in the interests of national defense all of these concepts that galston for post two hundred years ago are relevant to the challenges that our nation faces today and in the future i also appreciate the that the resolution has incorporated the need for a new national transportation planed ranking member micah has for some time advocate supported this type of vision for the future of our transportation system and i certainly hope that my colleagues will as well and i've said many times mr speaker that the people in tennessee use the roads in ohio or in california and people in new york and michigan use the roads in tennessee there is very much a significant and legitimate national interest in our transportation system in this country say the speaker's remarks about the need to invest and in and improve our nation's infrastructure i heard someone say about the last a militia package that what we were really doing was borrowing money from china so th to go out and buy chinese products if we spend money on our infrastructure we will be spending that money here and what the money will be going to american workers to do these projects and many of them are very very necessary mr speaker i think this resolution is very appropriate and i urge my colleagues to support this and i reserve the balance of my time friend and colleague from tennessee wood who might served on the transportation infrastructure committee so many years they have adequately i think framed what we have here this is not merely the commemoration of some obscure historical event as was mentioned by the speaker this is the framework upon which america was built for over two hundred years the vision of president jefferson albert gallatin the work of president roosevelt having a framework for taking a ragtag group of thirteen colonies and making it into a transcontinental powerhouse this far sighted leadership and federal action helped make america what it is today but right now on capitol hill today there are literally thousands of people who are here so urging that we deal with the infrastructure crisis in this country people dealing with mass transit fire fighters engineers there are thousands of people who are concerned right now that it is time for us to take this  resolution as a clarion call for a wake up the american society of civil engineers has rated our infrastructure at d c minus we're being out competed internationally by the european union and the chinese this is history that is worth reviewing how we built the the partnerships that created the infrastructure how we were able to tie communities together to be able to enhance new technologies when it was time for the transcontinental railroad the framework was in place it is time for us to have a clear eyed assessment of what the infrastructure needs are of today my colleague mr de fazio talked a little bit about this in his statement because frankly we've got the evidence at hand of what the condition is we know that there is time for us to move forward with a new plan for this century it is time to build the constituency and the public awareness going from the sierra club to the garden club chamber of commerce the bicyclists and the truckers in three hundred fourteen days we start a new era here on capitol hill there are people out and about who are starting work on this the america twenty fifty program nonpartisan assessment under the leadership of the r t a headquartered in new york two other assembly of professional and academic and business i hope this resolution helps focus the attention of people on this chamber for what we all need to do help our colleagues on the transportation and infrastructure committee to move forward with an assessment of our needs now a plan for this century so that all of our communities can be more livable and our family safer healthier and more economically secure thank you and i yield back you have any other speakers janet jones tennessee mr speaker i have infrastructure in this country we attempted in the last time way bill to put in some environmental streamlining these projects are taking about three times as long and costing about three times as much because of environmental rules and regulations and red tape we've got to speed up these infrastructure projects the other developed nations are doing these projects in a third or half the time that we are and that's going to really harm this country in the future if we don't speed these projects up also if we don't have more domestic energy production we're going to make our sounds much more vulnerable to foreign energy producers but we're not going to be able to afford the infrastructure projects that we really need to do in this that one thing we could do for the ailing american economy to put people back to work quite quickly this year this construction year would be investment in our infrastructure is to be american jobs with american products they can't be exploited the benefits are here at home to make our country more competitive in the international marketplace they help businesses with just in time delivery you're now seeing trucks detoured by one hundred two hundred miles because of failing and weight limited bridges there's a tremendous amount of work that needs to be done it would also make us more energy efficient by helping to obviate some of the congestion that we're currently suffering from the detours that i already mentioned if we set a goal for instance of looking at our largest cities having ten percent of people take transit to work we could save forty  percent from the oil that we currently import from the middle east that be tremendous for national security our balance of trade and great for the american people and good for the environment now some might say that's too ambitious well i just came back i took the committee to a trip to europe in london more than eighty five percent of the people ride transit to work and in barcelona they're investing more money in one addition to their subway system which is that capacity right now then we're investing in all transit in the entire continent of the united states of america we are not pushing the margins here in terms of our investment we can do better and we can learn from the and at the same time look to a more transportation efficient future with the by observing this commemoration of gallon and beginning to construct our own version of a gallon  following name members and are here by elected to the following standing committees of the house of representatives committee on armed services mr whitman average in your committee on homeland security mrs miller at michigan the chair lays before those the phone communication  the honorable the speaker house of representatives matter with my attending appointment to the house patient in infrastructure committee i am writing to deny resignation from the house many a financial services it has been an honor and committee on transportation and infrastructure regolith house resolution eight fifty four resolution expressing gratitude to all of the member states of the international commission of the international tracing service i p s ratified in may two thousand and six agreement to him in a nine hundred fifty five measure before us today on january twenty seventh designated by the united nations as the international holocaust remembrance day the world paused to on of the victims of this terrible crime and of them never again to allow such atrocities to happen for many victims the relatives of the holocaust two thousand and eight may provide the first opportunity to obtain access to information about their own treatment as well as the fate of their loved ones in nazi death camps hundred fifty five eleven member countries signed the bond accords to establish an international commission responsible for overseeing the administration by the international tracing service of holocaust archives the service is based in the speaker the archives hold over eighty five thousand feet of records listing victims names transport details medical records and in some cases the only history of those who died at the hands of the nazis the records contain a fifty million reference over seventeen point five million people for over sixty years i t s is limited access to its records to survivors is limited access to to its wreckage to see to survivors of nazi crimes and their descendants aging holocaust survivors a criticize i t s for the laid responses or a complete fade to provide them with any information by two thousand and six i t s have recorded a backlog of a four hundred thousand requests follow we used to lay the eleven parties to the bottom courts treaty signed amendments in may two thousand and six to ensure the records were fully open to survivors as well as researchers this process was to be enhanced by the distribution of digitized records to member countries while the united states issue a poll in another ones were the first signatories to ratify the amendments holocaust survivors were forced to wait still longer until the remaining countries completed their ratification procedures in april two thousand and the opportune to find peace in the material contained in these archives the resolution highlights the key roles played by the united states holocaust museum but the there's a pub in the state the international committee of the red cross in achieving this outcome and it calls on the holocaust museum in the like to thank the author of this resolution congressman hastings as well as ranking member ross layton congressman wexler and congressman kirk who fought for open access to the holocaust archives and bought our house in germany the archives there had been the largest closed holocaust era collection of documents in the world containing millions of records about the fates of over seventeen million victims of nazi germany archives became open to the public in november of last year after eleven countries of its governing body ratified the agreement that allowed the collection to become open and for those documents to be transferred to the united states holocaust memorial sham in israel but what access to these records will provide many holocaust survivors and their families with the information about their loved ones additionally it will present researchers  scholars with materials necessary to enhance the public knowledge about the holocaust now that the archive is open and the u s holocaust museum is able to answer requests it is very important that the survivors and their family members are aware of these services and are able to immediately submit requests for information about their loved ones and in conclusion i urge both members or members from both sides of the aisle to support h rose eight speaker i thank my very good friend and a co sponsor of this rep the resolution representative crowley for the time this resolution on the flaw is the culmination of long standing efforts i have meet with to open the largest closed holocaust era archive in the world and release critical holocaust records as i stand today in support of a resolution making this significant event in holocaust history i cannot help but reflect on the longstanding life and career of a true champion of human rights and holocaust issues the former chairman of the house foreign affairs committee and the first and only holocaust survivor member of congress representative tom lantos these are cards will forever contribute to the world's collective memory of the holocaust atrocities experience than the immense bravery exhibited by representative landfills and his wife and other survivors of the war no longer with us today the opening of the bottles and archives will enable holocaust survivors their descendants and future generations of researches and the public acts that are to some fifty million records on the fates of seventeen and a half million individual victims of nazi brutality in our world today filled with growing international intolerance including and to some of tism hate racial bigotry xenophobia and religious discrimination it could not be more critical for ra to ensure unfettered access to these holocaust archives the ultimate release of these documents serves to further of world leaders and other extremist factions who spew anticipated propaganda and downplay or deny the significance of the holocaust i'm thankful for the collaborative efforts and leaders a ship shown by the holocaust memorial museum new leadership of the international committee of the red cross at the international tracing service the state department safaga groups and this body of congress to the forefront of our collective and individual memories the ultimate release of these archives proves that the world recognizes the moral him for importance of combat ing the scourge of modern day anti semitism may we never forget the atrocities of the holocaust made this is stark event serves as a constant reminder to the world of what happen is recognized for two minutes thank you madam speaker and i want to return the compliment to the gentleman from new york this is an issue that has been in the forefront of his mind and action since he came to congress and thank the sponsor of the legislation mr hastings for bringing it to us today madam speaker i rise today in support of this resolution and in the hope that this archive will help the world remember the crimes committed in the holocaust and ease the pain of those families who lost loved ones in the holocaust but to this day have no idea what happened to their families and their family members we had fortunately find ourselves in an age when the absurdity of the holocaust denial is on the rise when the leader of iran seeks to recreate hitler's acts and when anti semitic conspiracy theories are finding fertile ground all over the internet at the meeting of the transatlantic dialogue last october in las vegas abraham foxman national director of the anti defamation league lee laid out for us the troubling resurgence of global anti semitism not only in europe and in the middle east but even here at home conspiracy theories flourish claiming jews control the media and the banking industry and jewish lobbies have too much power the same old  for all too long mr foxman reminded us that these words and series often serious anti semitism disguises and dies i and as them are too often used by terrorists and hate groups to justify their actions i'm sorry to say in a newspaper article in the rebel yell at my alma mater the university of nevada las vegas just this week there was a horrible anti semitic screed in and israel's greed written by misinformed students that has created a wave shock waves across the las vegas community as chairman of the transatlantic dialogue i believe that i speak for all to you all the members when i say how grateful we are to our friends across the atlantic love worked so hard to open these archives may i have but thirty seconds just one second i thirty additional seconds thank you madam speaker it is my hope as this resolution states opening the historic record will be a vital contribution to the world's collective memory and understanding of the holocaust we must do everything we can to ensure that nothing like the holocaust ever happens again not in europe not in nonproliferation and trade telephone i thank the gentleman i thank the gentleman madam speaker for one californians recognize for two minutes i appreciate appreciate that opportunity you know opening these historical records on the holocaust at this time i think is absolutely vital for the debate that is going on in the world today when ironically you had of a a head of state like president obama did a job in iran who simultaneously manages to say that the holocaust never occurred and that we should have another holocaust and that the jewish people should be erased the jerusalem and israel should be a race from the map when you have the kinds of assertions that we that we read about it is vital that those records be discussed by scholars be surveyed by the families of those who lost loved ones and that the reengage and the reason i say this is this weekend at chapman university they had a program with two hundred eighty holocaust survivors who had been interviewed by students and we heard the students words about what they had learned about the holocaust my father was present at that at that program and he was also present and took photographs at dhaka when that camp was liberated and has since that time had to repeatedly engage those who deny the evidence of those eyewitnesses to history who recorded what had happened there the words that he has written about this and the speeches that he's given in debate record the four ovens with the bodies stacked like cordwood next to the ovens and in the ovens and the thousands of human beings packed into rail cars where they were left to starve to death the fact that people today still engages in this argument is why these record these archives must and those who deny what happened in history will have a chance to try to repeat history one other point the evidence uncovered here the evidence exposed here will help us better defend the jewish people and to explain to some of our colleagues and to the world why it is the united states understands leadership on this and so many issues that affect the jewish community and that affect justice i rise in strong support of h r eight fifty four to congratulate the member states of the international commission of the international tracing service for opening of the holocaust archives located in bad are also in germany for sixty two years after the end of the second world war the holocaust archives located in bought our house and remains the largest closed world war two era archives in the world while holocaust survivors and their families could request access to individual records many reported facing significant delays and these important archives remained inaccessible to researchers fortunately that has all changed each of the eleven member countries of the international commission of the international tracing services has ratified the may twenty the may two thousand and six amendments to the ban accords opening these treasured archives to researchers including those at the united states holocaust memorial museum opening the historic record is a vital contribution to the world's collective memory and understanding of the holocaust a greater understanding of the materials contained  will help ensure that unchecked anti semitism is not allowed to take hold in the world again each year the congress recognizes holocaust remembrance day and i am pleased that today we are continuing our efforts to never forget my district the ninth congressional district of illinois is home to the largest concentration of survivors in the state of illinois and perhaps in the country and the opening of the bottle also an archive holds deep meaning for the those individuals and the entire community perhaps the back our time gentleman from illinois elsbeth balance of the time the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution eighty five for those in favor say aye those pows now mckinney of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules suspended the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion reconsider is laid upon the table commemorating the one hundred seventy fifth anniversary of the special relationship between the united states and the kingdom of thailand pursuant to the rule the general of new york mr crowley and the gentleman from illinois mr manzullo each will control twenty minutes the chair the battle of the alamo united states in the kingdom of thailand signed the treaty of amity and commerce making the kingdom of thailand the united states first treaty ally in the asia pacific region now one hundred seventy five years later thailand remains our oldest asia specific ally during this time the relationship between our two countries have strengthened as it has changed with the times and the friendship between our two peoples has grown deep and enduring a military partnership which began when king monk cut offered combat elephants to president lincoln during the civil war is now one of the closest the closest in asia titan soldiers fought along u s military personnel in world war one the korean war and the vietnam war today thailand is one of only a handful of our major nato allies and is a crucial partner in our efforts to combat exercise economic relationship is simply robust with bilateral trade topping thirty billion dollars annually on the political front traditionally thailand has been an anchor of stability and democracy in the volatile region of southeast asia while it has been tested repeat really by its own political upheavals the thai people have consistently responded by renewing their dedication to democracy the country has had eighteen could times since world war two and thailand's december elections only recently ended the rule of the latest coup government which has come which had come to power in two thousand and six we all hope and believe the thailand can move beyond the differences which led to the coup and kim king continued long life this resolution commemorates the hundred thirty fifth anniversary of a special relationship between the united states in thailand and congratulates tylenol maintaining its commitment to democracy by holding national elections and returning to a civilian led arise today to recognize the one hundred seventy fifth anniversary of the strong and enduring relationship between the people the united states and the people of thailand the united states has no older l i in the asia pacific region than the as friend of the united states ever since remarkably during the dark days of our civil war the king of thailand offered to send president lincoln a herd of elephants to keep to help lead the union to victory while lincoln did not take up the all for the gesture was greatly appreciated and more recently thailand provided support for military forces during the vietnam war it was also sir for more than a quarter century as  host for a pacific command's annual multinational military training exercise known as cobra gold our two nations have worked closely together on humanitarian issues as well thailand was of great assistance as the host nation for many of the refugees who came out of indochina after the war there more recently tightened is provided a safe haven for burmese and north korean refugees titan also came together with the united states and launching joint relief operations following the tragic tsunami which caused its devastation in two thousand and four thailand as america's twentieth largest trading partner a half million americans are tied to sense of dissent including the remarkable tiger woods these are indeed the ties that bind it is my strong hope that the government of thailand will build on last year successful parliamentary elections by ensuring that all parties in thailand are brought into the political process titan's rebirth of democracy is something which all americans welcome i therefore urge  anniversary of the special relationship that we have with the kingdom of thailand i'm a original co sponsor of this resolution but i think this resolution rightly points out the improving security relationship between our two countries what i'd like to share with my colleagues here today is the is the growing cooperation law enforcement that we're having with thailand madam speaker last week victor boot the most notorious of international arms dealers was brought into custody by thai authorities a criminal complaint was unsealed in new york detailing viktor boots efforts to sell mass amounts of weapons to the fark a foreign terrorist organization that operates in colombia he was arrested in the final stages of a arranging a sale of millions of dollars of high powered weapons includes including one hundred he's been retired from the role he's played in the killings and maimings around the world and this is good news to anyone who cares about checking strife in africa anyone who cares about stopping those who are armed child soldiers anyone who cares about checking support for transnational terrorists because while many were attempting to stop conflicts across africa this is the individual who is pouring fuel on the fire in the u n report after u n report victor boot was cited as the sea is the chief sanctions buster supplying arms to anyone who could pay and i saw this up close when i chaired the africa subcommittee and when i traveled across the continent it's a bloody trail from liberia but across sub saharan africa that he left but simultaneously by the way also managed to arm the taliban while he was arming the northern alliance as i said he's had dealings with a fork in colombia and he's been connected with hizbollah he's an international menace who needs to face justice and we look forward to his thirds being in the affirmative the real just spend it the concurrent resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table for what purposes the gentleman from new york right now to seek i move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution a spread as ten twenty four as amid the clerk will report the title of the resolution house resolution ten twenty four resolution recognizing representative roy slaven for her leadership in ensuring that the house mark this important day the world owes the greeks a debt of gratitude for having developed the concept of democracy which has enabled so much of the world to live in deeply indebted to the greek nation for its immense contribution contributions in the fields of science medicine philosophy and art just to name a few in two thousand and four the world celebrated this rich history  heritage as a summer olympics came home to greece this beautiful mediterranean country showcased the best of its culture and its hospitality in modern times greece has remained one of the united states most important and enduring allies greece is one of a relatively few nations that stood shoulder to shoulder with the united states in every major war of the twentieth century the closely between our countries increased after world war two as the truman doctrine to help to safeguard freedom and to becoming a member of the european union in one thousand eighty one greece further to deepen its relations with its european neighbor it also on the way to notable economic transformation with the and stability in the balkans the january twenty fifth january two thousand a visit by greece prime minister costas karamanlis to turkey the first such official visit in forty nine years  a welcome development in these countries efforts to resolve their differences says the tragic attacks on the united states on nine eleven greases remained a steadfast ally in the fight against violent extremism played for many years by the message acts of knows only too well the financial mental and physical toll that terrorism can wreck on a nation in closing it is also important to highlight the rich contributions that greek immigrants and their descendants have made to the united states i know this firsthand representing a great number in the county of queens new york for over a century they have traveled across the ocean bringing that success to our shores and in doing so serving as a bridge between our two nations today some five million americans claim greek ancestry we are grateful for the wisdom energy in town they continue to push though upon our great nation the madam speaker i congratulate the greek people on the one  hundred eighty seventh anniversary of their independence from other men rule i asked my colleagues to join me congratulating them on their tremendous contributions to world civilisation and in celebrating enduring the enduring greek american friendship republic of greece is an important friend and ally of the united states the links between greece and united states involve political philosophy that has a concrete alliance and important actions greece is the birthplace of western civilization and modern democracy and it is from greece that our founding fathers drew so many important principles of government lawn freedom today our two nations continue to share the values that we hold dear liberty freedom democracy greece and the united states have also stood together resolutely throat difficult times during the last century particularly during the second world war greece in fact as one of the few nations that supported america and every major conflict over the past century after the end of world war two greece joined a formal alliance with the united states through nato and went on to broaden its commitment to democracy freedom and human rights through its notable contributions to international peacekeeping and stability missions today as america faces a complex array of threats posed by extremism around the world greece indeed remains a variable strategic most notably greece provided access to its airspace for american military aircraft and route to iraq and allowed our u s navy ships to refuel in its forts through a substantial economic investment and aid in the balkans greece is also sought to play an important role as an agent of stability in that important region supplementing the efforts by the united states and the european union to end the conflicts in that region recent efforts on the part of the government agrees to deal constructively with this neighbor turkey an outstanding issues where they have differences show hope for ensuring future stability throughout the aegean sea region an outcome the united states s as well madam speaker this resolution notes that this year marks the hundred eighty so at the anniversary of the beginning of the revolution that led to the independence of greece there proximately one point three million americans of greek descent living united states a large number of greek of americans live in northern illinois particularly in the chicago area greek americans contribute significantly as community leaders entrepreneurs and mentors for young children the greek orthodox church the united states and other important greek community organizations are positive forces and should be recognized also so i welcome the opportunity afforded by our consideration of this resolution to point out the friendship and shared interests of our two countries i congratulate the country and people of greece for the progress they have made over the past one hundred eighty seven years and i urge the adoption of this resolution i thank the gentleman from new york as a journalist and ivana is recognized for how much time and at the general love and would like to be recognized for two minutes gentleman is recognized two minutes had thank you madam speaker and i thank the gentleman for yielding and for giving me the opportunity to control the time on this issue i rise today not only as a friend of grace but also as a daughter of grace my mother's family immigrated from salonica greece and i am very proud of my greek jewish heritage agrees has been a strong ally of the united states standing by us in our struggles that day it's not c ism and now in the struggle against islamic extremism greece paid an extraordinarily high price for their opposition to the nazis and we are forever grateful to them before world war two half of the population of salonica greece around eighty thousand people were jewish after the nazis finished with greece there were only a thousand jews left in salonica the reason the thousand jews survived is because their greek neighbors protected them saved them hid them and for that i am grateful as well greece continues to be a top contributor to nato and a leader in the balkan region the resolution before the house today extends our best wishes and congratulations to the people of greece whom we look to as our forebears and democracy i am proud to co sponsor this resolution but i hope it is our first word on our friendship with grace and certainly not our last i urge this house in this administration to strengthen our relationship with greece by including them in the visa waiver program by designating greece as  such we will send not only a message of friendship but a message of thanks to the greek community which is so deserving of our friendship and our gratitude they have met the criteria to become agree a visa waiver country and only await our approval on their application on this anniversary let us take concrete action to strengthen our bond with them and send a message of thanks to our friends in greece i thank the gentleman for yielding and i reserve the balance of my recognizing the hundred seventh one hundred eighty seventh anniversary of greek independence and celebrating greek and american democracy like the american revolutionaries who fought for independence and established this great republic we call the land of the free and the home of the brave greek freedom fighters began and our jewish struggle to win independence for greece and its people one hundred eighty seven years ago when the greeks began this glorious revolution after four centuries of ottoman impression they faced what appeared to be an insurmountable insurmountable odds it was david versus goliath on march twenty fifth eighteen twenty to the greeks of eight hundred twenty one fell to talk of us was their champion their savior their protector the revolution of eighteen twenty one brought independence to greece and emboldened those who still sought freedom across the world it was proved to the world that a united people through sheer will and perseverance can prevail against tyranny the lessons of greeks the greeks taught us then continued to provide strength to victims of persecution throughout the world today by honoring the greek struggle for independence really we reaffirm the values and ideas that make our nation great we also remember why freedom is so important and the history of the greek war for independence there were many apps of heroism from fellow the roast call of what the rawness the leader of the class who refused to submit to autumn domination to the fiercely patriotic women of surely who left alone learned that turkish troops were fast approaching their village they began to dance to see if dos a patriotic greek dance one by one they committed suicide by throwing themselves and their children off a mountain top if they chose to die rather surrender and face slavery that was lost so i  priest a patriot a soldier and full knowledge of their fatal fate he led five hundred men and five hundred of his men in a notable stand against a thousand ottoman soldiers as men were wiped out and he fill in to the enemy's hands where he was tortured before his death he is the image of a greek they gave all for love of face and homeland long live his absolute commitment to independence as we all know the price of liberty can be very high hundreds or thousands of lives socrates plato para cleese and many other great minds throughout history warn that we maintain democracy only at a great cost our greek brothers are in their liberty with blood as did our american forefathers the freedom we enjoy today is due to the sacrifices made by men and women in the past i take great pride in both as i said my greek and american heritage each time i perform my constitutional duties i am doing so in the legacy of the ancient greeks and our american forefathers as thomas jeffersons once said and i quote to the ancient greeks we are all indebted for the light which lie lead ourselves american colonists out of gothic darkness we celebrate greek independence to reaffirm the common democratic heritage we share and as americans we must continue to pursue this spirit of freedom and liberty that characterizes both of these great maloney chairwoman of the subcommittee on financial institutions the gentleman from new york is recognized for three minutes i thank my colleague and friend for yielding and for her leadership and as an original co sponsor of this legislation and co chair and founder of the congressional caucus on hellenic issues i rise to celebrate the hundred eighty seventh anniversary of greece's declaration of independence from the ottoman empire against incredibly difficult odds the greeks defeated one of the most powerful rise up against the ottoman army bishop germana says message to his people was clear a new spirit was about to be born in greece the following year at the treaty of constantinople established full independence of greece new york city is home to the largest hello nic population outside of greece and cyprus western queens which i have the honor of representing is often called little athens because of the larger linnik population and in that neighborhood new yorkers celebrate greek independence day with a parade down fifth avenue along with many cultural events these events hosted by the federation of atlantic societies and other  reminds us of us of the strong and the nic american communities many strong contributions to our nation's history and culture relations between the u s and greece remain strong with a shared commitment to  ensuring stability in southeastern europe i hope permanent solutions can be found for ending the division of cyprus and finding a mutually agreeable name for the former yugoslav republic of macedonia we have over one hundred ten co sponsors of my legislation and with the upcoming nato summit the time is more important than ever to find a solution to the name dispute additionally i strongly support the inclusion of greece in the visa waiver program and i have legislation before this body on this issue greece is the only member of the your original fifteen european union nations not to belong to the visa waiver program and i was pleased that the administration formally nominated greece for the we these a waiver program this september and we will continue to monitor greece's progress i asked the nation to join me in celebrating greece's independence additionally it is my sincere pleasure to pay tribute to new york american community for its many many contributions to our city and our nation is the to life area long live freedom may we join in celebrating greece's independence and its many contributions to eighty seventh anniversary of the independence of greece march twenty fifth watch today the greek people were freed from the ottoman empire and asserted their right to govern themselves the citizens of greece and the united states share a long history of democratic ideals the philosophical and political ideas of the ancient greeks were an inspiration to the founders of our democracy showing our support for greek independence reminds us how important is to continue defending freedom around the world we must also remember dulce of the vigils that have fought and beheaded on behalf of the freedom we share greece is a friend and ally and when it comes to helping promote freedom and stability in their region and the gentleman from massachusetts and thank you nice one minute thank you panel speaker i rise today in strong support of this resolution extending warm congratulations and best wishes to the people of greece as they celebrate the one hundred eighty seventh anniversary of their independence in january i joined a congressional delegation trip to greece turkey kuwait iraq and afghanistan i had not been in greece in over twenty five years and it was wonderful to see how far this most beautiful country has come in the last quarter century as host to the two thousand and four simpler summer olympics in athens greece made a tremendous investment in their infrastructure and cultivated new developments which have greatly enhanced their prosperity my husband paul family emigrated from greece to lowell massachusetts when paul's father was three years old his family is emblematic of a vibrant greek american community in massachusetts and across the country who contributions have helped our nation survive and thrive the united states the united states and greece have longstanding ties based on our common heritage shared values and a mutual commitment to freedom and democracy this measure rightly expresses the house of representatives support for the important role that greece has played in the wider region and in the community of nations since gaining its independence one hundred eighty seven years ago i urge my colleagues support to support this resolution from maryland and mr sarbanes so much for maryland is recognized for one minute thank you madam speaker it is my honor to raj today in recognition of the hundred eighty seventh anniversary of greece independence the greek people have proven to be the greatest of allies to the united states over many decades today we have new opportunities to demonstrate our support of greece on key issues most immediate is  dispute over the name of the former yugoslav republic of macedonia i urge the administration to help us celebrate greek independence day by supporting greece's position on this important issue greece's position makes sense for nato it makes sense for the united states and it makes sense for peaceful international relations thank you i yield back my time gentleman yield back the time gentleman from illinois of the day here on the house floor they've been working their way through a dozen suspension bills or so also on the agenda today several bills one dealing with an independent panel overseeing ethics violations and also an override vote on the a president's veto of the senate intel the senate of the intelligence authorization bill i should say there's a fifteen minute vote this motion to adjourn and this because of some issues that republicans are trying to raise regarding foreign intelligence surveillance in fact earlier today a spokesman for republican leader john boehner issued a statement about what it is republicans were seeking to do part of that statement reads what house democratic leaders have not done is allow a vote on the bipartisan fison modernization legislation approved by the senate more than a month ago that would combat terrorism keep the american people safe beginning today republicans will use every means to shut down the house until congress does its duty to protect the american people trial lawyers gave millions of dollars the democratic party in two thousand and six and that investment is paying off the statement also says democratic leaders should allow the house to have an up or down vote on the senate fires a bill and republicans will stand and fight them at every turn until they do again a statement from earlier today from the office the spokesman for minority leader john boehner so this is the third vote we're seeing along those lines a third adjournment vote of the day but there is some indication that there's movement on foreign intelligence surveillance majority leader study hoyer had his weekly briefing today talked to reporters and indicated that that legislation is coming up to the house for on thursday here's out c q congressional quarterly is reporting it it says house cars a new path on phase a house democrats plan to take up surveillance legislation this week that would reject white house insistence on rector active legal immunity for telecommunications companies that have cooperated with the government in warrantless wiretapping story continues the draft legislation would also establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the president's warrantless surveillance initiative of course according to a house democratic official again we understand that the phase the legislation will come to the house floor on thursday today however made it may not in the agenda of the veto override vote and also ethics legislation and if you're just tuning in our house coverage today this is the third vote we've seen on a motion to adjourn a procedural vote called as a protest by republicans over the issue of foreign intelligence surveillance but again we're understanding now that issue may come to the house floor a of thursday we also know today the house will finish up work on a dozen suspension bills in the attempted over ride on the president's veto of the intelligence