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step was to de segregate the military. will nt that legislation not go through the us congress, which is dominated by segregationist. he pushed forward and harry

signed an executive order to abolish segregation. he got up with reality. very confident that democrats as harry truman to not do it, but he did it anyway. there are too many members of congress today to the west german had not segregated the military. we celebrate his courage today. there's one big difference between what truman did and what president obama is considering. president truman never asked but ess for legislation, president obama did ask

congress repeatedly to act. he has been judicious and his power to reduce executive action. ask this congress -- he did ask this congress to act working with both parties. he is year and a half waited patiently until executive action was his last resort. they never passed the bill. the senate icans in said gay people cannot be considered under any standards, democrats tried to get an agreement. when the house said it was not even considered a bill, we democrats said okay let's work

on a house bill. when you said immigrants can safe point for citizenship, the president never left the negotiating table. house he speaker of the called the president and said to allow is not going a vote, the president said he was going to do what he said he to going to do all along help this nation. the speaker says he wants a fight with republicans. i'll remind the speaker, that it is for the american people. fight he will have two millions of american citizens.

parents of dreamers who just came to this country. setting on his desk truman said i have the power. the president has the responsibility to act even when congress refuses to do so. like the 1950's after truman desegregated the military, it will be time to act for the congress. the gentleman from florida. >> thank you so much. away from the packed

with iran for the nuclear. we know iran is not serious about abandoning the nuclear weapons. threat to y iran is a the us security. they have been sponsoring terrorism since 1984. its prox hezbollah and hamas, iran has targeted america and our ally, the democratic jewish state of israel, with violent acts of terror. for over three decades, including the 1979 iranian hostage crisis, the 1983 beirut bombing, and the marine barracks bombing, and the 1992 israeli embassy bombing and the 1994 jewish community center bombing, both in benos aires, argentina.

they have been the chief supporter of the rocket attacks in israel like we saw in the year 2006 and 2012 and again just this past summer. in fact, since the iranian hostage crisis in 1979, the united states has been officially in a continued state of national emergency with respect to iran. a state of emergency that president obama just renewed last week. tehran continues to demand it has a right to enrich its own uranium. after operating a covert nuclear program for decades, iran forfeited any so-called right to enrichment. yet the centrifuges continue to spin and president obama has seemingly acquiesced to iran's illegitimate claim to enrichment. the regime in tehran also maintains an advanced lipids -- ballistic missile program, a program just this week is it used to threaten israel and u.s.

military bases in the middle east. and it is a program that continues to expand in violation of several u.n. security council resolutions. iran also remains one of the world's worst human rights violators. it is currently designated a tier 1 country of particular concern, a designation reserved for the world's worst most egregious violators of religious freedom by -- stated by our own state department and the u.s. commission on international religious freedom. and despite that selection, not a real election, of a so-called moderate last year, iran's human rights record has only gotten worse. as iran has executed a record number of people under president, so-called president row hani. despite all this clear and indisputable evidence that iran is led by a dangerous regime that cannot be trusted, these

misguided negotiations taking place right now focus solely on tehran's illicit nuclear program and none of it is based on its other illicit activities. so while the president continues to try to reach a deal on iran's nuclear program at seemingly any cost, he has turned a blind eye to the multitude of other threats that iran poses to us and to global security. mr. speaker, the president and the m--- p-5 plus one countries are operating as if iran's nuclear program exists in a vacuum. in doing so it jeopardizes the civility of the middle east and security of many of us in the west. there is every reason to believe that these negotiations are just one big ploy by the iranian regime and the obama administration has fallen for it. that is why it is up to us and congress to be the counter balance. tomorrow the subcommittee which

i chair will be convening a hearing on the iranian deal with former c.i.a. director general haden as one of our witnesses. the general has said that right now we are not getting the proper monitoring and verification provisions that we need. and he said were he still advising the president, general haden would tell him that this deal could not be adequately verified. that is why we must take action to ensure that the administration does not agree to a week, a bad nuclear deal and we must not waiver in our resolve. unless negotiations result in an agreement that ends iran's other illicit activities and ensures that iran will stop all enrichment and will dismantle its nuclear infrastructure, then we must act to impose and strengthen and expand sanctions against the regime and the administration must walk away

and abandon these foolish and dangerous talks. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. quigley, for five minutes. mr. quigley: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, the 113th congress will go down in history as the congress of abandoned authority. with little exception this congress has failed to address the issues the american people sent us here to take on. tax reform, immigration, transportation infrastructure, climate change. this congress has shown little progress. and in so doing we have ceded more and more of our power as a legislature to the executive. nowhere has our abandoned authority inflicted greater harm on congress as an institution than our abdication of leadership in the fight against isis. the constitution gives congress and congress alone the power to declare war. while unilateral executive action on every other issue has been met with partisan attacks,

this congress seemed content with allowing the president to call the shots on military engagement with isis. mr. speaker, this abandoned authority must end. before the end of the 113th congress we must restore our constitutional authority over the nation's war powers. we must commit to full open and honest debate on an authorization for use of military force in the fight against isis. our brave men and women are risking their lives and we are afraid to even risk a vote. it's time for congress to put some skin in the game. it's time for congress to outline in clear terms the legal authority under which the u.s. will wage this war and in so doing future conflicts. the fact of the matter is that right now the u.s. is at war from august 8 to november 12 we have spent an average of $8 million a day and $776 million in total on military operations to combat isis. as of october 23, the u.s. has

conducted 632 air strikes, involving 6600 sorties, dropping more than 1,700 bombs. we are at war with isis and we are waging that war without congressional authorization. no one should doubt the inhumanity of isis. they pose a threat to the region, our allies, and the innocent civilians of iraq and syria. left unchecked the threat and reach of isis will grow. isis has made no secret of its plans to broaden its reach in the region and to attack western nations, even threatening the homeland of the united states. the president was right to target and attack isis with our military assets and to begin to train local onthe ground forces, but this is just the start. as our commander in chief, i do believe the president has the legal authority to begin these military operations, but the authority to begin a military operation is not a substitute for the full legal authority

required to continue military operations that must be debated here in the united states congress. the president has said he welcomes a new aumf, and we have debated repeatedly the affordable care act more than five dozen times in this congress. on isis, though, on our wartime operations, on sending our brave men and women into harm's way, we continue to sit idly. we had a debate on the last-minute amendment to temporarily spending bill that authorized only one small piece of a larger overall strategy. that is not a true debate. that's certainly not a substitute for war authorization. americans did not send us here for piecemeal amendments to last-minute spending bills. you disagree with the president and think we shouldn't be arming syrian rebels, let's write an aumf. you think we should be working

towards a contingency plan which american ground forces get involved? let's write an aumf. if you think as i do our fight against isis should have clear, defining goals before we consider further authorization. let's write an aumf. mr. speaker, i call on congressional leadership to take up this task. your members are ready for debate. the american people are ready for a debate. we simply have no excuse to let this opportunity pass us by. let's step up to the plate. we should not end the 1 spth congress -- 113th congress without debating and passing an authorization for use of military force. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time of the the chair now recognizes the gentleman from nevada for five minutes. mr. amodei: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to pay tribute to retiring mayor of fernly, nevada, leroy goodman.

native of the sill vear state, born in virginia city, nevada, for the last 44 years, former educator and high school coach, also key member of the private sector after that, working for suntex from the silver state in nevada, for nevada cement. mayor goodman had and has a statewide network of friends which helped him serve his native city, his city that he's the mayor off, in an extraordinary manner. member of the association of counties, lion county commissioner for 12 years. he's one of those few folks that the phrase politician does not apply to. it's public servant. also applies to him is a word we see used less and less these days when we talk about people elected by those, that is a leader. the father of the effort to create nevada's newest continue core pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20ed city being fernly and the legislature, his leadership was effective, resulted in the creation of that city, the

people were very well served. i want to read to you what he said when he was elected to be the mayor after serving a short term as the appointed one. i am both privileged and proud to be voted in as mayor of fernly. i shall indid he ever to fulfill shallignity and purpose-i endeavor to fulfill with dignity and purpose to improve the overall functioning of the council, city operations, and doing the people's business. fernly is nigh home. i am committed to giving the residents my absolute best. well, mr. mayor, your absolute best does us all proud. i want to add a few more praises to this tribute and that is class act, true leader, i want to also thank the first lady of fernly, your wife, for her support of you and your endeavors. and say thank you very much on behalf of those folks not only those but throughout nevada. you are truly, truly a part of the fabric of not only your

community but our state. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. scott, for five minutes. mr. scott: thank you very much, mr. speaker. ladies and gentlemen of the congress, ladies and gentlemen of america, president barack obama, i rise this morning with a heavy, heavy heart. . at the passing of two great, magnificent americans from my home state of georgia. herman russell and governor carl sanders, who men, who giants whose lives intertwined at a most important time in the history of this it nation and especially the history of the south. for these two men, herman russell and governor carl sanders, ushered in and gave birth to the new south, the south away from segregation.

it was herman russell and governor carl sanders who broke down the barriers of segregation and paved a new way and a new day for this nation. that is why we are so proud of these two gentlemen. every school should look at ogbiography -- auto biographies. came up and didn't let the ravages of segregation stop him, didn't let his speech impediment to stop him and emerge as the world's largest, most profitable construction and real estate financial firm owned by an african-american but it wouldn't have happened

if they didn't have a governor that time named carl sanders who broke down those racial barriers, tell you about them. 19 as a quarterback at the university of georgia, he left the university of georgia and went and volunteered at 19 years old to fight for his country in the military. came back and ran for the state house of representatives against the segregationist party and this man, because of right place the and the right time, and hurman russell, being in the right -- herman russell, being in the right place at the right time, major league came and they said, build it, they will come. it was carl sanders who passed legislation setting up the fulton county recreation authority that made it happen. all of this happening while all around us in the south in

racial turmoil. building russell, his great company and being the first african-american to sit on the board and member of the atlanta chamber of commerce, oh, my friends, the world, these are two great trees who were planted by the rivers of waters and they brought forth their fruit and their season and none of their leaves withered. and let me tell you that every single thing they touched prospered. they touched me. i wouldn't be in congress this day if it weren't for herman russell, an african-american who dared to fight segregation and reached across. and carl sanders, a white governor who himself fought and integrated the schools in

eorgia when it was not popular . and who, when i got ready to run for the state house, it was herman russell who i asked, could you help me? he said, yes, i will. who you got with you? i said, i got andy young. i got main ard jackson. nard jackson. i got jackson. and he said, who you got for white folks? governor sanders gave me a contribution. didn't stop there. even signed two of his lawyers, norman underwood, and dale schwartz, to get out in the community and helped me. hat is what carl sanders and herman russell means. they built atlanta the right

way, and when pete rozelle wanted the nfl, all of this while the civil rights movement was turning, but in atlanta the nfl was coming. picked up the phone and called carl sanders. can you get me somebody there, governor, who's got $5 million or $6 million? we'll bring an nfl team to atlanta. carl sanders got on the phone and called his old buddy at the university of georgia. we thank god for herman russell and carl sanders. god bless herman russell and carl sanders, and god bless the united states of america. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, for five minutes. mr. speaker, on october 24, sacramento county

sheriff's deputy danny oliver and laster county detective michael david davis were wantonly gunned down in the most cold-blooded rampages in the history of either county. by all accounts these were exemplary law enforcement officers, fathers, husbands, sons and neighbors. deputy oliver spoke his last words as he approached a car in a parking lot for the simple purpose of asking if he could help a couple who appeared to be lost, how's it going, he said? the gunman and his accomplice nexted gunned over as the couple hijacked their car. miraculously, the bystander survived a gunshot wound to the head but vividly remembers the smile on the gunman's face as he pulled the trigger. the next victim was detective michael davis. you may have heard of him. on the very same date 26 years

earlier michael davis' father was killed in the line of duty as a riverside county sheriff's deputy. michael was 16 years old at the time. mr. speaker, i wish there were some words of consolation to offer these grieving families of danny oliver and michael davis. but there are limits to our language and words fail us when they're the most needed. but i know this. the esteem and gratitude that our communities hold for these two officers and the sympathy we feel for the terrible loss their families have sustained could be seen most vividly and eloquently in the solemn faces of literally thousands of ordinary citizens who lined the funeral route for these officers or who stood silent vigil outside the church where they were mourned. as i look at the law enforcement officers throughout the country who had come to honor these fallen peace

officers at their funerals, it occurred to me that deputy oliver and detective davis and their many brothers and sisters in law enforcement are the business end of all of the highest principles of this amazing republic of ours, a society that proudly proclaims itself a nation of laws. we often speak of the rule of law, but who among us is willing to lay down our lives for it? michael davis was. danny oliver was. because of their sacrifice, this rampage ended without a single civilian death. they protected us, but did we do everything we could to protect them? their assailant repeatedly entered this country illegally while here he had been apprehended for committing other crimes and repeatedly deported only to easily recross the border without even being challenged.

that's a subject for another day. on this day we should reflect on the agony of the oliver and davis families who lost devoted husbands and fathers. we should reflect on the extraordinary courage of our peace officers who beared growing and mortal risks every day to protect the peace that we too often take for granted. michael davis' brother, jason, eulogized his older brother. jason's also a laster county deputy who's on the scene only minutes after his brother had been shot. their third brother, christopher, had died in 1998 in an accident as he, too, had been preparing for a career in law enforcement. and jason, who had been present 26 years before when his mother was told of his father's death, who 16 years ago informed their mother of chris' death and who had days before had told her of michael's death looked at his

grieving mother and asked the question, if all of their pain justified their family's commitment to law enforcement, and without hesitation he answered yes. i don't know where we get men like danny oliver and michael davis, but i know what we owe them. the course we owe them -- of course, we owe them our gratitude and every honor we can bestow upon them. but most of all, we owe it to them, to their families and to their fellow officers to be just as devoted to the rule of law as they were. and if we the people will do jason hen we prove any davis right, that their extraordinary devotion to these principles is just as justified as it is noble. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from washington, mr. mcdermott, for five minutes. mr. mcdermott: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my

remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. mcdermott: mr. speaker, i rise this morning in what could be the eve of a nuclear deal with the islamic republic of iran, as u.s. and european and iranian negotiators are going back to vienna for a final round of talks. with so much of the region in turmoil right now, it seems hard to imagine that we could be on the verge of arguably the most important diplomatic achievement in the middle east in recent u.s. history. the leadership of president obama, the tenacity of u.s. negotiators and the determination of president rouhani and his team have set the stage for a landmark agreement that would turn the page on decades of distrust, dissension and cynicism. here's what the nuclear deal would mean. a profound reduction in the decades' long tension between iran, the u.s. and our allies that have set us on a path to

war. a contained uranium nuclear program with verifiable international accepted limits and meaningful sanction relief that bolster iran's flagging economy and allows u.s. businesses access to a potentially vibrant market. and finally, an opening for a broader understanding between the u.s. and iran as well as an opportunity to work with iran as an ally in the fight against isis. like all compromises, there may be parts of the deal that americans won't like. there may be parts of the deal that iranians won't like, but such is the definition of cooperation -- working together for something meaningful and building momentum toward a solution even when the easiest option is to get up and walk away. president obama deserves enormous credit for his steely reserve in pursuit of a nuclear deal, especially in the face of those hoping he would fail.

if we do not reach a nuclear accord next week, if a deal is delayed or heaven forbid the talks collapse, i believe president obama is still owed our thanks. it's become fashionable around these halls and certainly in the media these days to deride the 44th president to call him aloof when he acts methodical or when he promotes the best interest of the american people. the fact is he has the you a density to try with persistence and openness in the face of withering doubt from friends and allies is a mark of a true statesman. many in this chamber have already raised their strong objections as we recently heard to a potential deal and they make no secret of their thinking of president obama as being on a fool's errand. but i'm reminded of what teddy roosevelt said of leadership. credit, he said, belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by

dust and sweat and blood, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who seek neither victory or defeat. president obama deserves credit for what he's doing, and we wish him good speed -- god speed in the negotiations as they come to their near end. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, r. thompson, for five minutes. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to offer my deepest condolences to the parents of peter casey, former army ranger, iraq veteran and humanitarian aid worker who was murdered in cold

lood by cowards by isis. these bar barrack acts are those by cowards who have unleashed terror throughout the desert in western syria and northern iraq. they have mass cured entire villages, behead -- massacred entire villages, beheaded people. isis blows up history it does not agree with and sells artifacts to fund its ramage. i condemn this attack and all attacks against the innocent and call for neighboring countries to become more actively engage in defeated this threat. not only isis a threat to stability in the region, act like these show they're a threat to peace-loving people across the globe. . they have brainwashed thousands of individuals. last week isis even announce add partnership with al qaeda. to quote peter's parents, good

will prevail. fortunately some have stepped up to the fight. the to fight the spread of isis our brave men and women in the u.s. air force and navy have led an incredible and efficient bombing campaign against isis targets, halting their advance. kurdish forces have gained ground and been an effective fighting horse. iraqi forces have organized and began an offensive to retake lost territory. there has been progress, but more needs to be done to secure the region. despite clearly evil acts lie bycies, -- by isis, there are good people pushing back who have risked everything to help those most affected. aid works and volunteers have gone in to help provide assistance. these workers have provided food, water, first aid, and support. peter kassig did the right things, he helped the helpless. he aided the deprived.

he treated the wounded. and because he did these things, peter and others became targeted by isis. we should look at the example set by peter and not forget the selflessness he embodied. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from connecticut, mr. courtney, for five minutes. mr. courtney: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, tomorrow night in hartford, connecticut, at the state capital there will be a solemn event when 10 veterans are inducted into the connecticut veterans hall of fame. this is a ceremony which dates back to 2005 in which 10 veterans again are honored by the state of connecticut including of the 92 on the rolls, president gorge herbert walker busch who hails from connecticut. it honors not only their service where they wore the uniform of our nation, but also their work after they left the service to help the over 200,000 veterans that reside in the state of connecticut. for the second congressional district eastern connecticut is

a particularly proud night because six of the 10 hailed from the second district. i would argue that this is no coincidence. this is the home of the largest operating military i.n.s. at hat wlation in -- installation into new england with the grotten sub base. again because of the great patriotism and sense of duty that i think is part of the fabric of that great part of our state. i would like to briefly describe these six gentlemen and have them -- their names entered into the record. edward atkins, known as bud, served 40 years in the navy, a former submariner, he mentored students at the submarine school. he's a respected leader and command master chief petty officer retired. for the last four years has been on the selection panel to identify outstanding sailors who are the best of the best in the submarine force. e is now heading up the grotte sub vets chapter.

he'll be hard at work thanksgiving serving meals to make sure that those sailors, again, have some of the comforts of home while they are serving their nation. samuel bias of waterford, served as a navy chaplain in vietnam conducting a memorial service for the first marine casualties in the war. they are still memorialized on the first panel of the vietnam memorial here in washington. since he's retired he continues to counsel veterans around the world and serves as a counselor and parental sponsor to coast guard cadets who are attending the academy. edwin clark served our nation as a marine in vietnam and after learning his law degree he's provided legal assistance free of charge to help veterans receive the benefits they receive through their service. the v. ashes caps legal fees at $10 for any veterans who challenge the disability ruling. mr. clark has brushed aside that restriction and represented vet rants free of charge to make sure they get the benefits they

deserve. maurice collin, a marine corps veteran, vietnam, served as an officer in the office of advocacy and assistance in the connecticut department of veterans affairs. he was selected to serve as acting commissioner and since his retirement from state government, he's continued to contribute his time to veterans. he provides volunteer driving assistance to disabled veterans in eastern connecticut to their medical appointments. and supervises the clothing donation program at the newington v.a. hospital. robert of old lyme will be inducted posthumously today after his retirement in 1984 he went on to serve as the director of the veterans home in rocky hill. for 10 years he worked vigorously to rehabilitate, educate, and place veterans into clears. finally, verry wright of bolten, connecticut, served two tours in vietnam in the army and later as a member of the army national guard, served in operation desert storm. since retiring in 1999, jerry has been everywhere, helping veterans all across the

connecticut. he devotes his time various veteran service organizations, helping veterans in many ways, collecting care packages for service men overseas and he's faithly attended every sendoff and welcome home ceremony for the connecticut national guard over the last few years. the hard work of these men combined with their unfailing dedication to service even after leaving the military exemplifies the greatest attributes of the american spirit. because of their continued service, the few that stand out in particular are well deserving of being honored tomorrow. i want to thank them for their commitment to improving their communities anti-lives of our fell veterans at the time of an all volunteer service, it is critical we have folks like these out there making sure that this nation respects and honors and provides all the assistance of the people, the 1% who stand up to defend our nation. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. lipinski, for five minutes.

mr. speaker, i rise today to welcome blaze joseph suppage as the ninth archbishop of the archdiocese of cardinal. arch bishop is being installed today at a mass at the holy name cathedral in chicago. after many years of studying in the u.s. and in rome, including a doctorate at catholic university, in august of 1975 blaze was ordained to the priesthood. in his first assignment, he served as associate pastor at saint margaret marry church as an instructor at paul the 6th high school in omaha. from 1981 to 1987, he served as secretary of the nunciature of

the holy see of the united states here in washington, d.c. he was appointed bishop of rapid city, south dakota, by saint pope john paul ii on july 61998. bope pen dict the 16th appointed him bishop of spokane on june 30, 2010. he was installed as the sixth bishop on september 3, 2010. he's served as chair of the united states conference of catholic bishops tweet and protection for children and young people since 2008. he's remained a strong advocate for children. saying that a catholic church needs to put children first and foremost. in march, 2013, he began a three-year term as chairman of the national catholic education association. in addition to his dedication to catholic education, archbishop suppage is committed to catholic

social teaching, reaching out to help the poor and others at the margins of society. yesterday at the right of reception, he spoke of the challenges that await him, including immigration reform, violence in the streets, drug problems, and staying connected to the real lives of people. i look forward to working together with our new archbishop as he addresses these issues and other challenges that we face. archbishop superage is succeeding cardinal francis george who has been archbishop of chicago for 17 years. cardinal george was ordained to the priesthood in 1963 at his home parish in chicago, illinois. his older sister remembers a young cardinal george holding pretend mass in his bedroom as a child. after earning several degrees, including his masters in theology from the university of

iowa in 1971, george embarked on a journey croost the globe as a student and missionary. from 1974 to 1986 he served as vicar general of the oblates in rome. he led numerous priests and brothers as they journied across the world. george then went on to serve two doctorates in 1997 he was appointed by st. pope john paul ii as archbishop of chicago. in 1988, he was elevated to cardinal. despite being diagnosed with polio at age 13 and battling cancer currently, cardinal george has never slowed down. even illness can be a gift in some way he has said. his spirit and demeanor is well-known to catholics. bishop francis cane has said, he's involved on so many levels. he's involved nationally, in our whole archdiocese, then he loves to go out to individual

parishes. but cardinal george chose to outreach beyond the catholic community. he's known to convenient interreligious discussions and shows deep respect for other faith communities. he's deeply committed to social justice that reaches all corners of our society. on a personal level, the more i had the opportunity to get to know cardinal george, the more i have admired him. he's an intellectual powerhouse who has a special ability to communicate great truths in a simple manner. every time i hear him speak, i learn something that enriches both my mind and my faith. his intellect is not that of a philosopher in an abtract world, but a well-grounded and understanding of the everyday lives of people. and as someone who appreciates the forwardness, i have always liked his directness. maybe that's because cardinal george and i both come from chicago.

i'll never fort get the time he took my wife in rome on the eve of the installation of pope francis. he's a remarkable man and a great shepherd. mr. speaker, i ask my colleagues to join me today in welcoming archbishop suppage and honoring francis cardinal george. i offer both men my prayers as they enter the new phase of their calling by god in the catholic church to service of others. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair lays before the house an enrolled bill. the clerk: senate 1086, an act to re-authorize and improve the childcare and development block grant act of 1990, and for other urposes. if the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. green, for five minutes. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker.

r. speaker, i believe in the inner sanctum of my soul that we are the home of the free because we are the land of the brave. i salute those who are willing to serve their country, who are willing to go to distant places, and who don't always return home the way they left. i highly commend them and i believe that those who serve us in our military, the men and women who serve us, should always be appreciated for their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice. i also believe, mr. speaker, that we spend a huge amount of money, about $1 trillion in one circumstance, to put them in harm's way. i believe that if we can spend $1 trillion to put them in harm's way, we can spend whatever it takes when they return home to make sure they

have the best health care, they get the best housing, and that they get good jobs. i also believe that we have a responsibility and an obligation in the congress of the united states of america to make sure that their needs are met. this is why i have introduced certain pieces of legislation to deal with the issues that are confronted by our veterans. i'd like to mention a few pieces of this legislation today and i rarely use the personal pronoun i, but in my business if you don't use a personal pronoun, somebody else will. i'd like to talk about h.r. 384, homes for heroes. this piece of legislation would place a person in the department of veterans affairs who would have the responsibility of filing a report with congress annually on the status of veterans and who would be there to look ute for veterans. there is currently a person there, but the person is not there in a legal capacity such that it would continue beyond this president or ad inif i nigh tum.

i also have sponsored h.r. 2362, sprorgs for heroes. we have veterans who need to get to jobs, who need to get to the v.a., who cannot afford public transportation. i believe we need to make sure that they get the same opportunity to take a public transportation system to utilize it -- that persons who are senior citizens have and persons who are disabled have. we have to provide a means by which veterans can get to those place that is can be a benefit to them. we need to pass the burial with dig night for heroes -- dignity for heroes. those who died in poverty, who have family members who are in poverty, who cannot afford to send them to a tribal cemetery once they die in some place distant from a tribal cemetery or a state fali