E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 113 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 160 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2014 No. 94 House of Representatives The House met at noon and was As a lifelong Portland Trail Blazers a celebrity vying for the spotlight. In- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- fan and one who remembers the excite- deed, you could barely see him in the pore (Ms. FOXX). ment of being a long-suffering season postgame victory television interviews. f ticketholder who had the joy of being It was focused on the team. in our coliseum when we won the NBA Today, Americans are facing chal- DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO championship more years ago than I TEMPORE lenges that they sometimes feel are be- care to remember, I appreciate the dy- yond our capacity. They are certainly The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- namic that is involved with these five beyond our capacity as individuals to fore the House the following commu- NBA championships over the last 17 deal with. We are facing a challenge nication from the Speaker: years. that is similar to the rigors of a long, WASHINGTON, DC, I confess, I have also become a fan of 82-game basketball season and a seem- June 17, 2014. the Spurs, their organization, their ingly interminable playoff schedule. I hereby appoint the Honorable VIRGINIA coach—Greg Popovich—but also their FOXX to act as Speaker pro tempore on this approach to the way they do business. Our challenges of reducing gun vio- day. They have some important lessons for lence, of saving the planet from even JOHN A. BOEHNER, America. greater carbon pollution and disruption Speaker of the House of Representatives. I feel very strongly that we on Cap- from global warming, empowering our f itol Hill and, indeed, most Americans kids to protect them from the scourge of illegal drugs, rebuilding and renew- MORNING-HOUR DEBATE could learn a great deal by paying at- tention not just to the victories, but ing a country that is falling apart, The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- how the Spurs became the most suc- these are challenges today that actu- ant to the order of the House of Janu- cessful sports franchise in any sport ally we know how to fix. They are all ary 7, 2014, the Chair will now recog- over the last 2 decades. areas where progress is vital. nize Members from lists submitted by My son was privileged to play for They seem to be intractable, but all the majority and minority leaders for Coach Popovich when he was head could unite Americans to deal as a morning-hour debate. coach of the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens, country on things that, individually, The Chair will alternate recognition a Division III small basketball pro- we could not make progress on. These between the parties, with each party gram. In fact, they had to put two col- all have characteristics in common limited to 1 hour and each Member leges together, Pomona and Pitzer, to with the success of Coach Popovich and other than the majority and minority form one team. His values forged a the Spurs. These are long-term issues. leaders and the minority whip limited small but excellent college athletic They require careful thought. They re- to 5 minutes, but in no event shall de- program that is very much in evidence quire hard work and investment, and bate continue beyond 1:50 p.m. in the Spurs today. most of all, they require working to- f First, they look for talent wherever gether with an eye on our ultimate they find it around the globe. It meant goals. USING WINNING FORMULA OF SAN players not just from the United ANTONIO SPURS ON AMERICA’S States, but I think there are eight dif- I would hope that, in the midst of the PROBLEMS ferent countries represented on that partisan rancor here in Washington, The SPEAKER pro tempore. The roster. D.C., and the deep divisions among our Chair recognizes the gentleman from There is a respect for each of them citizens who yearn for simple answers Oregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER) for 5 min- having a role as a team member, their to complex problems—which politi- utes. commitment to the larger concept of cians are all too eager to provide—that Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, winning for the greater good. Isn’t it we can think about the Spurs’ success, like many Americans, I was transfixed interesting that their postgame inter- a visionary and patient coach bringing by the magnificent victory not just in views are in six or seven different lan- people together to work with max- game five of the NBA finals, but by guages and that these players have imum effort, dealing with the fun- every one of these amazing games, a been able to come together and meld damentals, and not quitting. That is superb effort against a very good into a unit? what America needs today. Miami Heat team, dominated by a per- The leadership of the coach is very Congratulations to the world cham- son widely acknowledged to be the best much in evidence when you watch pion Spurs. Let’s try your winning for- player in the NBA. them in action. Coach Popovich is not mula on America’s problems. b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H5369 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 05:31 Jun 18, 2014 Jkt 039060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A17JN7.000 H17JNPT1 tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE H5370 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE June 17, 2014 IRAN NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS on trumped-up charges. Obviously, we key Members of Congress when making The SPEAKER pro tempore. The couldn’t leave our troops in Iraq under a difficult decision. Chair recognizes the gentleman from those circumstances. We are told that we don’t negotiate It is Maliki that is the source of the North Carolina (Mr. HOLDING) for 5 with terrorists. Nothing could be fur- minutes. problem, and it is President Bush that ther from the truth. President Bush ne- Mr. HOLDING. Madam Speaker, the is the source of Maliki. To say that gotiated with each and every terrorist Foreign Affairs Committee heard last President Obama should be able to ne- regime, each and every identified state week about the tremendous challenges gotiate a long-term agreement with sponsor of terrorism—Cuba, Iran, that remain in order to verify Iran’s Maliki when President Bush was un- Sudan, Syria, North Korea. compliance with any possible final nu- able to do so is utterly absurd. The Bush administration paid a ran- clear agreement. As to Sergeant Bergdahl, it is impor- som to an al Qaeda affiliate for the re- Should a deal be reached, the most tant for us to note that, while we have lease of Martin and Gracia Burnham. stringent compliance, verification, and just released five prisoners from Guan- Secretary Colin Powell designated the notification standards must be in tanamo, President Bush released over Afghan Taliban as an organization au- place, including regular reporting to 500 from Guantanamo, and virtually all thorized for legal negotiations. Congress. As I have said many times on of them were dangerous. Now, it is also said that a prisoner Over 100 of them are on the battle- this floor, I firmly believe Iran has no exchange alerts our enemies to the fact field—and we know where on the bat- inherent right to enrich any nuclear that we value our prisoners, that we tlefield they are—waging war against material and that any deal should com- will not want to leave anyone on the the United States and its allies. Most pletely dismantle their nuclear infra- battlefield, as if this is news disclosed of the other 500 are also waging war structure. to the world in June of 2014. The fact is against us; it is just that our intel- A potential agreement would likely we have always valued those detained ligence isn’t good enough to say ex- be hailed by this administration—an by the enemy, and the enemy has al- actly where on the battlefield they are administration that puts politics be- ways known that. located. fore policy—as a foreign policy victory, f What did President Bush get for the which leads to an important question: release, not of five, but 500 dangerous SAN ANTONIO SPURS SET GREAT Can this administration be trusted to prisoners from Guantanamo? Nothing, EXAMPLE uphold any compliance regime and except a thank you from their native The SPEAKER pro tempore. The fully inform Congress and the Amer- governments. Chair recognizes the gentleman from ican people of even the smallest infrac- Now, on legal issues, we are told that Texas (Mr. GALLEGO) for 5 minutes. tion by the regime in Tehran? section 1035 of the National Defense Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, I If Iran commits even the smallest in- Authorization Act required President rise today to take note not only of a fraction, such as installing one cen- Obama not to release the five prisoners wonderful victory, but of a great exam- trifuge above the deal’s limits, will this until 30 days after he notified Congress. ple. The most popular NBA team in the administration blow the whistle and Even if he had followed those exact 23rd District and one of the most pop- jeopardize a deal in which they have in- words, instead of releasing the five a ular NBA teams in the entire country, vested so much political capital? few hours after Sergeant Bergdahl was the San Antonio Spurs, are now the This administration has shown, most in our hands, we would have released NBA champions, for the fifth time—the recently with their Taliban prisoner them a few weeks after Sergeant drive for five.