macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-10-30
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

propriated. for the fiscal year ending September Mr. Speaker. due to a meeting within the De- 30. 2004. and for other purposes. namely: partment of Justice. I unfortunalely missed TITLE INATIONAL SECURITY three recorded votes on the House floor ear- CHAPTER 1 lier today. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE- MILITARY I ask unanimous consent that my statement MILITAR Y PERSONNEL appear in the RECORD that had I not been un- MILITARY PERSONNEL. ARMI" avoidably detained at this meeting. I would For an additional amount for "Military Perhave voted "yes" on rollcall vote No. 580 (On sonnel. Army". $12.858.870.000. Motion to Adjourn). "yes" on rollcall vote No. MI./TARY PERSONNEL. NAi| 581 (On Approving the Journal). and "yes" on For an additional amoint for "Military Perrolicall vote No. 582 (On Motion to Suspend sonnel. Navy". $816.100.000. the Rules and Agree on H. Con. Res. 291. ex- MILITARY PERSONNEL. MARINE CORIS pressing deep gratitude for the valor and cam- For an additional amount for "Military Permitment of the members of the United States sonnel. Marine Corps". $753.190.000. Armed Forces who were deployed In Oper- MIt.tTARY PERSONNEL. AIR FORCE ation Restore Hope to provide humanitarian For an additional amnount for "Military Perassistance to the people of Somalia In 1993. sonnel. Air Force". $3384.700.000.
Date: 2003-10-30
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. this is a sad day for out committee. I have been on this committee for 11 years. and my constituents always ask. how are things going in Washington? I say it is like swimming with the sharks. but today. it is a shark attack. This conference report is a shark attack on the people of this great country. Members travel at least twice a week. sometimes four times a week. We have put a lot of money in the aviation industry. In fact. over $18 billion. Mr. Speaker. there are a lot of good things in this bill. but this privatization of FAA Is a poison pill. It is a poison pill for the traveling public. I have one question to ask: I want to know which one of the Presidents campaign contributors wants to run the national air traffic controller towers. is Halllburton doing the control tower work now? The American people deserve a clean bill that does not compromise their safety and security. This bill does not do that. I want my colleagues to vote down this very dangerous bill.
Date: 2003-11-04
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. due to a death in the family. I was unavoidably absent and missed rollcall votes on October 30. Had I been present. I would have voted "aye" on rollcall vote Nos. 580585. "no" on rollcall votes 586 and 587. "aye" on rollcall votes 588591. Furthermore. I would have voted "no" on rollcall vote No. 592 because the FAA Reauthorization Act. H.R. 2115. still privatizes our air traffic control system. does not mandate terrorist training for flight attendants. and jeopardizes our air space when greater security is needed. Had I been present I would have voted "aye" on rollcall votes 593 and 594. "no" on rollcall vote 595. "aye" on rollcall vote 596. "no" on rollcall vote 597. and "aye" on rollcall vote Nos. 598600. I would have voted "no" on rollcall vote No. 601 because although I support our troops. the Iraq Supplemental Appropriations bill diverts billions of dollars to reconstructing Iraq. while working families in America are struggling to pay their bills. Finally. I would have voted "no" on the voice vote to H. Res. 424.
Date: 2003-11-05
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Chairman. I want to thank all of the members on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure who have worked to bring this bill to the floor. The Coast Guard has been protecting our shores for more than 200 years. and they have done an outstanding job. The Coast Guard was the first agency to react to the terrorist attack on September 11 and within minutes was guarding our ports and bridges and directing maritime traffic out of New York. This Nations ports and waterways are still very vulnerable to terrorist attacks. and the Coast Guard is the first line of defense against those wishing to harm us. This $7.1 billion authorization will go a long way in allowing the Coast Guard to continue its mission while expanding its authority to fight terrorists. This bill will increase the size of the Coast Guard. improve benefits for those serving. increase the authority to inspect foreign vessels. allow additional force against fleeing vessels. and give them the authority to revoke the credentials of individuals that pose a safety or security threat. I have major concerns when they moved the Coast Guard to the Department of Homeland Security because I fear that it would prevent them from doing their core mission of drug interdiction. search and rescue. enforcing maritime and fisheries laws. and protecting our marine environment. This bill will allow them to accomplish everything we ask of them. but we need to keep the Departments feet to the fire so they can follow the law and not reduce the Coast Guards traditional mission. I hope that Members of this body will do the right thing and fund the Coast Guard at $7.1 billion. It is the right thing to do for America.
Date: 2003-11-06
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to offer my congratulations to the St. Joseph Ballet Company from Santa Ana. California. which was honored last night for being one of 18 organizations across the United States and Mexico to receive the 2003 Coming Up Taller Award. This award recognizes outstanding community arts and humanities programs for their work with the underserved youth and for providing them with learning opportunities and a way to serve our communities. I am very proud that one of the recipients of this prestigious award comes from my district. because St. Joseph is more than Just a dance program. They have been teaching children about dance. selfdiscipline. and the importance of academic excellence for over 20 years. They give children a sense of accomplishment. They help motivate them in all aspects of life. and they seek to provide children with an education that goes beyond the standard core curriculum. I am very pleased that because of their hard work they have been nationally recognized with this wonderful award.
Date: 2003-11-06
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. 95 million investors have deposited $7 trillion in mutual funds. the largest deposit of retirement savings in this country. They have deposited that money there in hopes of a bright retirement. building a nest egg that can support their family and their standard of living when they cease to work. These are hardearned dollars of American workers in every industry at every level. They were told to invest for the long term. $7 trillion. Now every morning the American worker wakes up to a new headline. where the powerful. the insiders. the elite. the criminals are looting those mutual funds. are skimming profits off of those trust funds to the detriment of the average investor. the average worker. Mr. Strong. who runs the Strong Mutual Funds. who is worth $800 million. set up an account for his daughter. for his wife and for himself and secretly looted the savings of American workers. Mr. Strong should go to jail.
Date: 2003-11-06
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the gentleman from Texas for offering this motion to instruct and appreciate his remarks and the remarks of the gentleman from Virginia. the chairman of the committee. The reason this motion is offered is because there has been concern about the deterioration of the conference process between the House and the Senate. As the gentleman from Texas pointed out. the process that we are now witnessing with the energy bill and with the prescription drug bill is a disaster in terms of public participation. public understanding of what is taking place. and the protection of Members of this body as they represent their constituencies. I am delighted that the Committee on Agriculture has a long tradition of open conference committees. I believe that the Committee on Resources has that same long tradition of ironing these kinds of legislative conflicts out. I think it is also important that this motion to instruct have the date due to try to encourage the conference to get this done. We do this in the aftermath of the California fire disasters. but the California fire disasters did not happen in a vacuum. It is not that this Congress was not working on this problem. it was that this Congress could not reach agreement. Over 2 years ago. the gentleman from Colorado . the gentleman from Oregon . the gentleman from Arizona . the gentleman from New York . the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Dm.FAZIO). and others tried to work on a provision. We ended up reporting from the committee a bipartisan agreement. Unfortunately. at the end of the session. it was not taken up by the Congress of the United States. But it did. in fact. focus the resources on the thinning around communities where we know these catastrophic fires can occur in terms of the loss of life and the loss of property. It expedited the consideration by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to make sure that decisions could be made on a timely basis so we could treat this threat when it was necessary. and it provided for robust public participation and critical environmental protections. But that bill is in the past. That was not accepted. In our committee we had open debate. People offered amendments. The gentleman from Colorado
Date: 2003-11-06
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker. when I was talking about dragging the chains across the desert. I did not mean that to be derogatory. That is a practice that works. In California. we cannot criticize that. because then we take the mesquite and turn it into mesquite charcoal for those ovenroasted. freerange chickens.
Date: 2003-11-18
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I rise today to honor Gus Castellanos. creator. executive producer. and host of "This Week in Garden Grove." a TV news show that is in my district of Garden Grove. California. In 1985. Gus began working at Channel 3. a local TV station. when city officials decided to start a local cable show. When no one volunteered for the project. Gus happily stepped up to the task. Learning the ins and outs of running a cable news show. Gus quickly crafted a program that would highlight the achievements of the people and city of Garden Grove. In the 10 years the show has been running. Gus has en-. deared himself to thousands in our community as nearly half the city tunes in each week to his show. I want to congratulate everyone involved on the 10th anniversary of "This Week in Garden Grove." But I especially want to thank Gus. who has always been a friend and who has shown that one person can take the initiative to create something that makes an incredibly positive contribution to a community.
Date: 2003-11-18
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues to oppose this rule. As a Republican Member of the other body stated the other day. this bill should be called "Leave No Lobbyist Behind." This bill is an inappropriate vehicle for amending the Clean Air Act. It makes absolutely no sense to protect the MTBE manufacturers from civil liability while opposing a phase out of the dangerous carcinogenic chemical. This has been going on since the court order in 1996 getting one waiver after another. The provisions in this bill will mean more asthma attacks. hospital visits. and premature deaths for residents of ozone nonattainment areas such as Dallas/Fort Worth. Mr. Speaker. we have about 88.000 children with asthma in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area. The bill will force my constituents and everyone elses constituents in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to breathe dirty air. unhealthy air until 2012. In their desire to pass any comprehensive energy bill. some of my colleagues may be willing to overlook the massive damage this bill would do to existing clean air policies. but we must not pass a bill with great shortfalls simply .because we need to pass a bill. We need a fair bill that protects us all. We should not. and we must not. endanger ourselves or our children. I urge my colleagues that want clean air to oppose this rule and this porker of a bill. This bill is a waste of taxpayers dollars. It is a firstclass ticket to fossil fuel dependence. It is an Invitation to destroy the lungs of 127 million Americans who already breathe in air that violates Federal standards.
Date: 2003-11-19
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I am delighted to be able to make a statement on this group because the program of Seeds of Peace since 1993 has really made a difference in communication. most especially with young people. They have brought together people like Indians and Pakistanis and Israelis and Arabs. as well as teenagers from Cyprus. Afghanistan and the U.S. to understand that peace really is possible. They have helped young people from all conflict areas see each other as human beings. not as the enemy. They have helped them to break down the barriers of hatred and distrust. In March of 2003. two Seeds of Peace students joined me in a peace dialogue that I had here at the Capitol. The Israeli student said when she joined Seeds of Peace. she felt she was doing something significant. The change was not aimed to change the world right away. It started out small. giving her an opportunity to change her own personal world. It gave her the opportunity to talk about the other side in terms of friends instead- of saying "those Palestinians." The Palestinian student said she first participated in a Seeds of Peace camp in 1999. She said 4 years have passed since then and she cannot recognize the person she was before. She also said that at Seeds of Peace. you get to open up. actually listen to each other. listen to different views and points of view and not toward just rebutting their argument. but to understand and eventually find respect for the argument. We must voice our support for grassroots institutions that are mobilizing for peace. It might start small. but when young people in this number begin to speak about peace and trying to understand each other around the world. we will see the impact in the future. Institutions like Seeds of Peace can be instrumental in changing this world. They have helped the world to remember one thing. that peace begins with each of us.
Date: 2003-11-19
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. the gentleman is correct here. Assuming the $35 premium. in fact. out of the first $5.000 of benefit. they have to pay $4.020 out of pocket.
Date: 2003-11-19
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I guess maybe some people in America think that is a drug benefit. but that is not going to provide. Out of the first $5.000. they pay $4.020 out of their pocket and they get $1.000 in benefit.
Date: 2003-11-20
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. I had not planned to come to the floor this morning. but I was sitting in my office and I heard my colleague from Florida mention Claude Peppers name in relationship to his Medicare bill. Claude Pepper wouldbe turning over in his grave by this bill. It was an insult to all of the fine work that Claude Pepper did in this House. and he would be on this floor speaking against this horrible bill. This Republican Medicare bill is a slap in the face for every senior struggling to pay for needed medicine. The leadership of this House is not pushing this bill because they care about seniors. In fact. they would end the program altogether. In 1995 the majority leader called Medicare "a program I would have no part of." Another leader said "a program that I hope will wither on the vine." Now they want us to believe the spin that they really care about Medicare. A zebra oannot change its stripes. Mr. Speaker. and the American people are not buying this sham. Americas seniors are happy with the Medicare program. and we should provide for a prescription drug benefit the same way we provide for doctor visits through Medicare and not through a private program that even the insurance industry says will not work. This i- a lifeanddeath issue for many of our seniors. and this hollow bill does nothing for that. And I want to close quoting the only black Supreme Court Justice we ever had. Thurgood Marshall. He said: "A snake is a snake. It does not matter whether it is black or white. if it bites you. it is the same." And I can say that for the Republicans on this bill. and I can also say that for AARP. who has left the people.
Date: 2003-11-20
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. and while I support this stopgap. shortterm bill. I must say this legislation really does nothing to address the welldocumented. serious and worsening pension crisis that threatens the retirement security of millions of Americans. and I provide my support for this legislation acknowledging the promise of my chairman. the gentleman from Ohio
Date: 2003-11-21
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: S
State: California

Mr. Speaker. very often when we go out and hold town hall meetings. people stand up in the town hall and say: Congressman. why do you not run the government more like a business? The answer is when we try to run the government like a business. business wont let us. If one is a WalMart. they negotiate their pharmaceutical prices. They negotiate the prices of goods sold in their store. In one is a COSTCO. they negotiate pharmaceutical prices and people go to COSTCO to buy their pharmaceuticals. But if the government wants to negotiate the prices as the largest purchaser of pharmaceuticals in the world. we will not be allowed to because the Republican bill prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from negotiating a better price for Americas seniors and American families. We cannot run the Congress like a business when the businesses are all lobbying to keep a monopoly. to keep high prices. tokeep people from going to Canada and getting FDAapproved drugs. That is what suppliers do. People go where there are lower prices. They can search the world over in the globalized economy for lower prices. But American seniors who need lifesaving drugs cannot search the world over for lower prices like the businesses can. because business will not let government run the government like a business.
Date: 2003-11-21
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. the President stood in the well and said he wanted the senior citizens to have a drug benefit like Members of Congress have with this card. Under our prescription drug benefit. the government pays 80 percent. we pay 20 percent. Under this bill. of the first $5.000. the seniors pay 80 percent and the plan pays 20 percent. You guys have reversed the figures on the senior citizens. Out of the first $5.000. the seniors pay $4.200. Out of our first $5.000. the government pays 80 percent. Somewhere between the Presidents speech there and this bill. you lost 80 percent of the benefits for seniors.
Date: 2003-11-21
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. today the House of Representatives accepted the conference report for H.R. 1904. the Healthy Forests Restoration Act. I was appointed as a conferee. as was Representative INSLEE of Washington and Representative CONYERS of Michigan. Unfortunately. Instead of using the conference process to reconcile differences between the Hoyse and Senate versions of the legislation. certain members of the conference committee were included in bicameral meetings to craft a compromise acceptable to the group of negotiators. In short. the negotiating group picked people from the conference committee who would agree with them and did not invite others to participate. Official members of the conference committee were invited to a conference meeting to consider the product negotiated outside the conference process. The conference consideration did not provide for a real debate of amendments and the Chair moved to close the conference 30 minutes after it began. This does not contain the elements of a democracy but the elements of arrogance of power.
Date: 2003-11-21
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks about this sham Medicare proposal that I oppose.
Date: 2003-11-21
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks about the premium support provisions in this conference report that I believe will undermine the Medicare system on which elderly women rely. Mr. Speaker. I wish to express my concerns today over the Medicare bill and how it will leave millions of seniors without the adeguate care they deserve. Under this bill nearly 3 million seniors will loose their prescription drug coverage. while 6 million will likely see an increase In the price of their medications and nearly 10 million would see an increase their Medicare premiums if they refuse to join an HMO. This bill is not a plan for our seniors. rather it Is a plan that benefits drug companies and the Insurance industry. This legislation would even prohibit Medicare from negotiating better prices for prescription drugs. It would spend $7 billion. desperately needed for covering all retired Americans. on creating Individual health security accounts for only those who could afford them. I urge my colleagues to vote against this legislation. We need to work for our seniors and provide them with a Medicare bill that helps them and not the big pharmaceutical and insurance companies.
Date: 2003-11-21
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I rise against this sham Medicare proposal on behalf of Claude and Mildred Pepper. my grandmother. and all of the other seniors who will be increased outofpocket expenses for this sham Medicare bill.