-- ground zero of the emerging >> we'll leave this here to go live to the u.s. house for member speeches. live coverage on c-span. [captioning made possible by th, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. use proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's rooms, washington, d.c. march 5, 2024. i hereby appointhe honorable claudia tenney to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, mike johnson, speaker of the house of representatives.po: pursuant to the order of the house of january 9, 2024, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority lea the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with time equally allocated between the parties and each member other t majority

and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to five minutes, but in no event shall debate continue beyd 1:50 p.m. the chair recognizes the the gentleman from pennsylvania, mrm speaker. madam speaker, i rise today to honor and thank and express my sincere gratitude for an incredible group of students at penn state university. this group of students has spent the last year dedicating countless hours to support the fantastic cause benefiting pediatric cancer patients. it's a year-long fundraising effort that culminates in an annual 46-hour dance marathon to support more than 4,500 families financially and emotionally with children who are battling cancer. on february 16, penn state students, staff, family, friends, volunteers and spectators filled the center for the 52nd annual to raise money

for the four diamonds foundation. it was founded in 1973 by penn state fraternities and sororities. wh small fundraiser bringing in $2,000 in its inaugural year has flourished into a campus-wide effort with more than 16,000 student volunteers across the commonwealth of pennsylvania. in 1977, they partnered with the four diamonds foundation and sinc a single four diamonds family has received a medical bill thanks to the tireless work and dedication of penn state students.th founded by charles and irma mallard in 1972 after their son, christopher, lost his battle with cancer at 11 years old. before christopher passed away, he wrote a story about a great knight who sought out four diamonds of courage, honesty and strength to be saved from an evil sources remain. his parents realized these four qualities were all necessary to

cancer. and they created the four diamonds foundation in his memory. over the past 50 years, it has grown into the largest world. students stood from 6:00 p.m. on friday, february 16, until 4:00 p.m. on sunday, february 18. and it was an impressive feat to hold. what is even more incredible is the drive,er to the feud and flexibility -- drive, fortitude and flexibility these students showed in support of their cause. they raised a record breaking this surpassed their 2023 record-breaking total by nearly $2 million. to date, students have shattered records and raised■p more than $200 million. of course, their dedication is to be applauded, but ask any penn state student and they'll agree, it isn't about them.

it's about the children and the families fighting cancer. it's for the kids and it's for families to focus on celebrating more birthdays, piano reciteles, science fairs, graduations and every other milestone a child should celebrate without fear. it exists so one day parents never have to hear the words, your child has cancer. madam speaker, i'm proud of these■vd children and the families who have the currently to fight back against pediatric cancer. congratulations once again to everyone involved in this year's fundraiser. thank you, madam speaker. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the chair recognizes the gentleman from connecticut, mr. larson, for five minutes. mr. larson: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i rise today to speakut the nation's number one insurance program, social security. it has beenha since

franklin delano roosevelt first introduced it and continues to be the number onerty program for the elderly and, frankly, madam speaker, the number one anti-poverty program for children. and congress, congress has been derelict in its duty. there has not been a vote to enhance social security since 1971. richard nix the united states. as we speak today, there are close to 70 who rely on social security. of those 70 million, it's important to understand that 10,000 baby boomers a day become eligible for social security.

more than five million of thorough fellow americans have worked and paid intoystem and get below poverty level checks from their government, the wealthiest in the world with the nation's number one anti-poverty program that this body has not acted on in more than 50 years. it's long that we take the initiative and have a vote in the united states congress that will help the american people. social security is bedrock and whether you're a democrat, republican or independent, you understand this. now, our colleagues on the other side have put forward sey call .

we don't need to study social security. we know what needs to be done. but to haves behind closed doors, has an up or down vote that's unamendable, with this body is absurd and anti-democratic and anti-elderly and anti-children from the standpoint of the havoc that it would wreak on this system. the ideha to save social security is a fallacy. they're doing it so they can go behind closed doors and cut the very program that sustains so many americans. more than 40% of all americans who are on social security, this is the only pension benefit that they wille. and, madam speaker, you know as

well as i that it's not only a pension benefit, it's a disability benefit, as well spod children. and imagine, for our viewers in the audience, congress hasn't taken a vote in more than 50 years for the nation's number one anti-poverty program. it's long overdue that we not study this. how about we do what we're elected to do by the public and actually vote? and if you got a better idea, put it out there. but we believe this as well. i commend president bidenor saying, look, the way that we're going to pay for this is to lift the cap or what's called scrap the cap on people m $400,000. this past month marked that millionaires have already stopped paying into the social security program. bill gates stopped paying back

in january. that is wrong, it's not right. but to lift that cap will allow us not only to extend the solvency of social security, but increase benefits across the board for its members. to make sure that whip and g.p.o. which have hurt teachers and municipal employees over the years is finally in there a taxr more than 23 million americans who continue to pay taxes on their social security. and to make sure that everyone's benefits are enhanced. and where does that money go, madam speaker? the money from social security goes right back into every single congressional district. and it allows those individuals in that district to sustain themselves. nobody's going out and buying stock options with social security 2100.

with that, madam speaker, i yield back my time and thank you. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. the gentleman yields. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from iowa, mrs. miller-meeks. for five minutes. mrs. miller-meeks: thank you, madam speaker. today i'm proud -- excuse me. today i'm proud to recognize the passing of secretary of agriculture, bill northy. secretary northy's tenure as iowa's secretary of agriculture iowa's agricultural heritage. and iowa's agricultural landscape. under his leadership, iowa saw significant advancements in er practices, soil health initiatives and water

quality improvement efforts. beyond his policy achievements, secretary northy was known for , approachability and dedication to serving the people of iowa. secretary northy's legacy will inspire future generatio to continue to work and uphold his vision for a vibrant and prosperous iowa. bill's love for iowa and iowa agriculture was known to all his dedication to our farmers and the environment will be sorely missed. thank you, madam speaker. today i'm thrilled to share exciting details about the upcoming 2024 registers annual great bike ride across iowa, also known as ragbrai. this will cross southern iowa towns in iowa for the first time in five years. the route will extend 424 miles from glenwood to burlington,

iowa, and at end of the ride cyclists can take on the challenge and power their way up snake alley. the ride will take place this■m@ summer from july 21 to july 27. and i look forward to cheering on everyone who will participate in this upcoming adventure. madam speaker, i would like to wish my nephew, andrew mortino, a blessed confirmation. congratulations, andrew, on this milestone. madam speaker, i have introduced this resolution with the entire iowa delegation. this resolution congratulates iowa native caitlin clark on becoming the national collegiate athletic association's division i basketball leading scorer. whereas on march 3, 2024, during a basketball game between the university of iowa hawkeyes and the ohio state university buckeyes, caitlin clark, became the national

collegiate athletic association ncaa division i basketball all-time leading scorer. whereas because of clark and the university of iowa hawkeyes women's basketball team, referred to inhis the hawkeyes, women's sports are being covered and talked about at the natl■ihe united states with the same fervor as men's sports. where's the hawkeyes have sold out games at home and on the road in arenas across the united states. where's every -- whereas every soldout game is full of young girls watching clark and the hawkeyes demonstrate the excitement, competition and fun that is possible because of women's sports. whereas women's sports serve as an important way for young girls to develop discipline, teamwork, confidence and leadership skills and the achievements of female athletes should be celebrated. whereas clark serves as a role

model, demonstrating that dreams are achievable with hard work and dedication and whereas iowans are proud of clark and thankful for the opportunity to watch clark, one of the greatest athletes to ever play basketball, comte hawkeyes. now, therefore be it resolved that the house of representatives congratulate caitlin clark on becoming the national collegiate athletic association division i basketball all-time leading score and respectfully request that the clerk of the house of representatives transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to caitlin clark, the athletic director of the university of iowa, beth gates, and head coach of the university of iowa hawkeyes women's basketball t team. and go hawks. with that, madam speaker, i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from virginia, mr. beyer, for five minutes.

mr. beyer: madam speaker, i rise this afternoon to honor theme ce ridder to virginia and our nation. marie, a distinguished journalist and one of the consei have ever known, celebrated her 99th birthday a few weeks ago. i believe they are children finally got her to agree to stop driving herself to her engagements. she began her career as a journalist. covering reconstruction of the post-world war ii europe. over the years she wrote for "the washington post" and the "boston globe." not just a writer, she also e edited vogue, glamour, and mademoiselle. i became close with marie when she hosted my first political event more than 36 years ago when everyone else was skeptical, including my own family, she believed in me. her fashion about saving our landscapes and our environment. she's been the champion of the

piedmont environmental council for decades. she served on the boards of the league of conservation and the trust for public land. she's a master gardner. working in the garden high above the potomac r copper head and rushed to the hospital for anti-venom. when she was struck again a few years later, the emergency room doctor noted they only treated two snake bites in his life, both were marie. it would come as no surprise he was yet again the attending physician on her third. her history is remarkable and intrigue. she was the national director of head start. she served as the direct liaison to first lady lady bird johnson for four years. late she led the bruce house, a compassionate home for lost children in our capital city. the abused, abandoned, neglected, and she's won many awards in her fight for democracy. in 2019 i was privileged to

award her the mortenson-buyer women and children first award for her outstanding accomplishments and contributions to empowering women. on a we were regaled with the most recent bow and arrow in her garden. it was in season, of course. we are fortunate to count marie as our we loved friend and america's long beneficiary of her creativity, energy, and tireles. when you earn her trust, she will even tell you about her date with john f. kennedy. madam chair, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from tennessee, mr. rose, for five minutes. mr. rose: madam speaker, in the final week of the 1980 presidential campaign, formeran, are you better off today than

you were four years ago? we don't have to wait until november to answer that same question today. the answer lies right outside this building. if you're not sure whether you are off than you were four years ago, consider that last year washington, d.c. saw 274 homicides. that's the highest number in almost 30 years. homicides are up 23% from 2019 in chicago. in new york city, homicides are up 23% from 2019. felony assault is up 35%.■ car thefts have almost tripled. and a record 5,363nypd officers were injured on the job last year. in major cities across this country, organized retail theft has claimed mo billion in property, up from just $94 billion in 2021.

there are two reasons for madam speaker. bad policy and bad messaging. house republicans are committed to restoring law and order and d the police and cracking down on rogue prosecutors who refuse to hold we passed into law a bill to stop the d.c. council's dangerous plan to change the criminal code. it would have ended mandatory minimums for many offenses, and reduced maximum penalties for burglary, carjacking, and robbery. according to a recent article from "the washington post," the d.c. council is finally starting to reverse its position on these ca criminal reforms that it has been considering. it turns out that advocating for criminals isn't the best approach to stopping crime. d.c. lawmakers are also starting to see the damage caused

by-catch and release. if things keep moving in this direction, we might even begin to see those accused of violent personal crimes remain behind bars while they await trial. last year, this city also experienced the worst officer shortage it has seen i 50 years. this is a direct result of the defund the police movement. it was more than a ridiculous slogan, it was a dangerous slogan that, unfortunately, garnered some traction around the country. it's become a cynical rallying the reason law enforcement agencies across the country are having difficulty filling open positions. a more dangerous job today than it was a few short years ago. last year,78 officers were shot. 46 of them lost their lives.

that's up 20% f so, no, we are not better off than we were four years ago, madam speaker. in fact, those who live and visit our nation's capital are not better off than they were two years ago. house republicans are proud to stand with the men and women who keep our communities safe. we are also committed to taking on the extreme policies of the biden admtr, including bail reform and our wide open southern border. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields.■) pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess

>> weep the poll opened leading up to the president's address. biden prepares for his state of the union address, c-span encourages you to engage and express your opinions. we want to know which issue i ye president's state of the union address approaches. >> i'm from new jersey, one of the most important issues for me like to hear president biden such upon is fentanyl

crisis. and mental health crisis going on. and what he's going to do to address those problems. i am do research and intellectual history and social theory. and i think the most important issue that i'd love to see the president address at the state of the union is the danger tt artificial intelligence poses to our civilization. particularly in the way in which i think might undermine our ability to■ have a fully employd economy, and might threaten our culture. >> my name is joy, from st. louis, missouri. and i'd like the president to take care and close the borders because we are yet getting too many peo]ple, illegals in here. and a lot of crime. >> hi. i'm from