macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-06-13
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Appropriations for brownfields assessment cleanup peaked at $97.7 million in fiscal year 2002 and is only $89 million in this years interior and environment appropriations bill. Last week before the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. where I serve as ranking member. an EPA assistant administrator testified that for fiscal year 2006 EPA received nearly 700 proposals for Brownfield Grants. Unfortunately. EPA funded less than 45 percent of these. Mr. Chairman. our communities are very deserving of these strong HUDadministered brownfields programs. If you watch the game tonight. look at the American Center. Oh. you wont see that one. It will be in Miami tonight. But that was a brownfield in Dallas. .
Date: 2006-06-13
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman. I would like to make a final plea for this program. Even if there might be a few people less in these Departments. it does not compare with what a small investment does to get rid of brownfields anywhere they are. because once this property is put back on the tax rolls. it generates more than ever than what is put into it. And I want to express my appreciation to Mr. KNOLLENBERG because he has been helpful. But I would make a plea that this is a lot larger than what was requested. and that is the reason why we chose to take it from there. We all have to tighten our belts. We all have to give up a little more than what we had. But I can assure you that allowing property to not be on a tax roll will go a lot longer way when you put the money there. just a small amount of money. than doing without. two or three staff people. I just imagine that any Department in this Nation can function with just a few less staff than what they have now and do the same job. If we cannot. then we are not doing as well as the private industry because they have cut half of their staff and are still doing the same job. That is called higher productivity. and maybe that is what we need in some of these Departments .is higher productivity. while half of the people at home and the other half are doing the full job. But this will offer jobs. It puts property back onto the tax rolls by allowing it to be redeveloped. and I do not know a single city or rural area that could not use a little brownfield encouragement through their funds.
Date: 2006-06-13
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H

of California): H.R. 5591. .A bill to name the national cemetery being constructed in Dixon. California. as the "Solano National Cemetery". to the Committee on Veterans Affairs. By Mr. WELLER:
Date: 2006-06-14
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Chairman. it has been over 2 years since the train bombing in Madrid and almost a year since the rail bombing in London and we still have our heads in the sand in this country. We are waiting until another country tries to take over our ports before we get serious about port security. I pray that it doesnt take a disaster for us to care about rail security. We spend billions and billions of dollars on aviation and highways. but our rail system repeatedly gets shortchanged by this Bush administration and this Congress. even though five times as many people take trains as planes every day and while freight demand is expected to double by 2020. I was recently in several European countries meeting with their transportation officials about rail security. and I can assure my colleagues that the United States is way behind all other countries in rail infrastructure and investment. Every industrialized country in the world is investing heavily in rail infrastructure because they realize that this is the future of transportation. But. sadly. as this system gets bigger and better. our system gets less and less money. This amendment. which provides just $30 million in the Rail Line Allocation and Improvement program. is a good start in providing the money .that our rail system must have to meet the needs of an ever expanding freight and passenger rail system. It is time that we start investing in improving our rail system in this country. and I encourage all of my colleagues to supportthe freight and passenger rail by supporting this amendment.
Date: 2006-06-14
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I rise in strong support of Mr. OBERSTARS amendment. It appears to me that we should see that we are in a huge deficit with the guarantees being foreign governments. We have lost jobs. We are selling companies and property to persons from out of this country. Now we are going to sell our airlines. I think that is one of the worst decisions we could make for homeland security. And I rise in strong support of this amendment. Mr. Chairman. I rise today in strong support of the OberstarLoBiondo Amendment to H.R. The Bush Administrations most recent proposal to alter policy regarding the role of foreign ownership of U.S. airlines is an issue that. without question. warrants the full attention and oversight of this body. Yet. despite the expressed consent of Congress in 2003 regarding the "actual control" of U.S. carriers by U.S. citizens. the Administration seems intent on circumventing the will of this body in an effort to fast track an international air service agreement. While I wholeheartedly support the notion of our aviation industry being afforded every opportunity to excel in the global economy. I do not support the Administrations utter disregard of this bodyparticularly the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The Congress should be afforded the opportunity to perform the necessary due diligence. conduct hearings. and debate any proposed changes to foreign ownership laws. Any modification to laws governing foreign control of domestic carriers will have enormous implications for industry stakeholders and jobs here at home.. As a result. such changes should. not be hastily promulgated through a proposed rulemaking introduced in the dead of night. To characterize DOTs current rulemaking proposal as an artful maneuver would be an understatement. DOT asserts that in order for the U.S. air transportation industry to remain a leader in the global economy. a reinterpretation of "actual control" is needed to ensure access to capital afforded by global financial markets. Under DOTs proposed rule. foreign investors would be allowed to exercise decisions over all commercial aspects of domestic carrier operations. U.S. citiZens would be required to control only decisions related to safety. security. organizational documents. and the Civil Reserve Air Fleet. To think that commercial aspects have no *implication on security. safety. and the CRAF program underscores the shortsightedness of this proposal. I support the halting of DOT from issuing any final rule on "actual control" and urge my colleagues to vote yes on this commonsense amendment.
Date: 2006-06-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I thank the ranking member for yielding to me. I rise in support of the bipartisan LoBiondoPoeOberstar amendment on foreign ownership. The bottom line on this issue is that the DOTs rulemaking runs very close to violating the law that Congress set down for the airline industry. The statue says that U.S. airlines must be controlled by U.S. citizens. The DOT rule would allow foreign investors to own 49 percent. but the foreign investors would be allowed to effectively control the operations. Unfortunately. I do not see how it is possible to separate safety and military airlifts. If foreign owners can control scheduling. staffing. and maintenance. then U.S. owners are not in control of the safety or the military obligations. The proposed rule does not make sense and the DOT should not give foreign control over U.S. airlines just because the European Community is asking for it. Airlines are not just another business. They are an essential form of transportation with many impacts on public policy. Foreign investment in airlines is a major decision for Congress. not the Department of Transportation. Therefore. we should support the LoBiondoPoeOberstar amendment and reject the DOT rule.
Date: 2006-06-15
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. we can say what we want on the floor of this House. We can debate and vote on nonbinding resolutions like this. But what is most important to the American people is not what we say here but what we do here. This resolution does not commit this House to do anything. It does not require this Congress to take any measures to hold the Bush Administration or ourselves accountable for what is happening in Iraq. The Bush administration was totally wrong about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. No one has been held accountable. The Bush Administration totally miscalculated the number of troops that would be required to provide greater stability on the ground in postinvasion Iraq. No one was held accountable. The Bush Administration got the costs of the war totally wrong. Again. no one was held accountable. It is a simple principle. If you reward and ignore failure today. you are going to get more failure tomorrow. This House has ignored those failures. While our men and women have been fighting bravely in Iraq. this House has been AWOL when it comes to providing oversight. Instead of providing a system of checks and balances. this Congress has been a blank check and a rubber stamp. If we were a board of directors. we would be sued by shareholders for gross negligence. I proposed a simple amendment to this resolution. It would have required this Congress to actually do somethingto conduct adequate oversight and to implement the 911 Commissions recommendations. including those requiring this body to reform its own intelligence oversight process. The Republican leadership refused to allow us to debate or vote on my amendment. It apparently wants this House to remain an accountability free zone. Ten hours of debate does not excuse years of giving the administration a blank check on Iraq. A nonbinding resolution is not a substitute for an action plan. Lets start doing our job. We owe it to our troops and the American people. Shame on this House for abdicating its constitutional responsibility.
Date: 2006-06-15
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. as a member of the Armed Services Committee. I rise today to give voice to a few of those outside views about Iraq. those of several former general officers who have the courage to speak out about how this war has been mishandled by the President and this Republican Congress. Take. for example. General Anthony Zinni. former commander of the U..S. Central Command. He says. "We are paying the price for the lack of credible planning. or the lack of a plan. Ten years worth of planning were thrown away. troop levels dismissed out of hand . . . these were strategic mistakes. mistake of policy." Or how about Major General Paul Eaton. who led the initial effort to create the Iraqi Army. He says that the "failure to build coalitions with our allies . . . has imposed far greater demands and risks on our soldiers in Iraq. than necessary." -The list goes on and on. These generals have served our coufitry with honor and distinction. and we would be foolish not to heed their counsel. But this administration and this majority refuse to listen to any views other than their own. I agree with many of my colleagues who say that the failure in Iraq is not an option. But unless we take a long. honest look at how we got where we are right now and demand some kind of accountability for the mistakes that were made and learn from those mistakes. there can be no success.
Date: 2006-06-15
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I would like to begin by saying that I support the troops. Yet the debate about the Iraqi war is not about supporting the troops. I knew from the very beginning that there were no weapons of mass destruction. Well. how did I know that? Well. I am from Florida. And I knew back in 2000 that the Bush administration that we were dealing with would say anything and do anything. They were full of lies. Lets look at the evidence. Since the beginning. the Republican leadership in Congress has outright refused to investigate Vice President CHENEY involving the billions of dollars awarded to Iraq for reconstruction contracts to Halliburton. $9 billion in reconstruction funds have been unaccounted for. I repeat. $9 billibn in reconstruction funds have been unaccounted for. The amount of taxpayers money spent by Halliburton and the defense contractors audit agents have deemed either excessive or insufficient documentation is $1.7 billion. Halliburton has received more than $17 billion in nobid costplus contracts for Iraq reconstruction. Folks. I am talking about billions with a B. That is billions and billions of dollars. It amazes me now that these figures contrast with the attention that the media has given to the Katrina mismanagement. while the billions and billions of dollars in unaccounted funds to Halliburton are still largely ignored by the media. You know. we need checks and balances. The House. the Senate and the administration are all Republicans. There are no checks and balances. No checks. no balances. No checks. zero balance.
Date: 2006-06-16
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. although I am in opposition to the resolution. I strongly support our men and women in uniform who are fighting to protect our freedom. These brave men and women have made. and continue to make. the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our great country. Approximately 2.500 soldiers have given their lives for our country in this war. Approximately 2.500 families across America have been left devastated by the loss of a loved one. Mothers and fathers have lost their cherished sons and daughters. men and women have lost their spouses. children have lost parents. Their sacrifices will forever be remembered. Our Government has spent more than $250 billion on the war in Iraq. and that number is increasing at the rate of $177 million per day. However. just as we cannot put a dollar figure on the cost of lives and limbs our brave soldiers have lost. we also cannot put a dollar figure on the amount of pride that we as citizens have for them. While our soldiers fight and persevere because they. more than anyone. realize what is at stake in Iraq. it is my sincere hope that we can bring them home soon and reunite them with their loved ones. Mr. Speaker. although I am in opposition to this resolution. today. tomorrow. and as long as our precious Republic shall- exist. we should continue to honor our men and women for their sacrifice. devotion. and continued defense of our country. God bless America and thank God for the sacrifices made by our brave men and women in uniform.
Date: 2006-06-16
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I join my colleagues in honoring those serving in our Armed Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. and all the civilians serving here at home and abroad to protect America from terrorism. With the support of their families. the brave men and women of our Armed Forces have performed their duties with professionalism and distinction. They and their families deserve the gratitude of this nation. We especially honor. and will never forget. the more than 2.500 Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice in our nations service. And their families have our enduring sympathies for their loss. To honor all who have taken an active part in the war in Iraq and the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and around the world. it Is the duty of Congress to aggressively pursue the most effective strategy for winning the Iraq War by demanding accountability for poor planning. mismanagement. and lack of oversight. in addition to developing a new direction that includes a responsible redeployment of U.S. Forces. While I agree with most of the content of H. Res. 861.. I cannot vote in favor of it because it does not acknowledge the need for a new direction in Iraq. This resolution was offered without any opportunity for amendment. preventing the House of Representatives from holding a full and fair debate on the most importantmatter facing our nation today. Our troops. and all Americans. deserve a better and more responsible debate. While I will not support this resolution. I will always continue to stand by our troops and their families.
Date: 2006-06-16
Speaker: STENY HOYER (democrat)
Chamber: H

who is our whip. Mr. JAMES CLYBURN. our chairman. and also Mr. LARSON. who is our vice chairman. And I think that it is very appropriate at this particular time. Mr. Speaker. to talk about the great comeback by the Miami Heat in the series of the NBA finals. And I can say on behalf of MS. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ and those of us from the south Florida delegation and from the Florida delegation that we are very. very pleased of the outstanding play by the Heat. We want to continue to support them in every way possible. We know that they will be victorious. We have been wrestling with our friends in the back in the Speakers lobby from Dallas and the surrounding area. letting them know that the final outcome will be a great parade in downtown Miami with the new NBA champions. As you know. as we look at it from a religious standpoint. you have to claim it. And we are excited. There are some extraordinary things that are happening now. Dwyane Wade. If Shaquille ONeal falls on a Chevy truck. he would hurt it. But Dwyane Wade has been ableto overcome the injury. and also several of the Heat players and the Heat fans have persevered. So we look forward to FathersDay. I know that Shaquille -ONeal and Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade are all fathers. and we know on Fathers Day they will deliver agift to themselves and to me and to other folks. So I just want to say since we have the hour. Mr. Speaker. there are Members. I am pretty sure. from Texas. from Dallas who would love to come to the floor. whom we will not yield to at this time. to give their side of the story. We are happy we have this hour. We honor the Heat and we are glad that there is a great series going on. And while we are at it. before I yield to Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ to make comments on this. I want to thank the NBA for all the work that they have done not only in Dallas but in Miami. in their charities. and giving to the Heat center. At Little River Middle School. they have actually put some computers in. and they have been there over the years. but they have made a new commitment to that center and they have named it after the late wife of the Heat trainer. So we want to en-. courage the NBA to keep doing what they are doing. I yield to Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ.
Date: 2006-06-16
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you. Mr. MEEK. It is a pleasure again to be here with you and spend some time talking about the priorities of the Democratic Caucus. Mr. Speaker. I know when you were in the Chamber this afternoon you talked about what you would like the American people and the Republican Caucus. our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. would like the American people to believe. And I know it sounds good to continue to say that the Democrats do not have an agenda. Well. sadly for you. Mr. Speaker and our Republican colleagues. that is not true. Fortunately. for the American people we do have an agenda. We have had one for quite a long time. It is right here. Many times it is easier to graphically depict things as opposed to just using words. and we can take you through. as
Date: 2006-06-16
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

You are absolutely right. No apology necessary. It is really important that we have this time on the floor. and that is why we appreciate Leader PELOSI giving us this opportunity to make some substantive arguments that actually demonstrate how we are going in the wrong direction and also to lay out the Democrats plan for taking us in a new one. What has really boggled my mind since I arrived in the Congress. at the beginning of last year. is that our friends on the other side of the aisle seem to have no qualms about just ceding their decisionmaking authority here to the executive branch. Why show up for work? Why run for Congress? This is not an easy job. This is a job that requires a lot of responsibility. it requires thoughtful decisionmaking. it requires time away from our family and all of which. at least each of us on our side. and I know many of our Republican colleagues feel this.way. that this is an awesome responsibility that we are given when we are elected to the United States Congress. The Founding Fathers did not separate the United States Government into three branches in order for the Congress to just be a rubber stamp of the executive. They feared tyranny. They feared an executive that was t6o strong. and they wanted to make sure that there was a system of checks and balances. so that when questions that come from the executive come before the Congress. that we arent just a rubber stamp. that we arent here just- to say. yes. Mr. President. absolutely. can I get your hat. can I hold your coat. Mr. President. Our role here is to ask questions. to exercise oversight. to put forth initiatives and to actually represent our constituents. like you said. in the peoples House. That is why I was very surprised. but pleasantly. to see the former leader of this Chamber under the Republican revolution. Mr. Gingrich. the former House Speaker. when he cited in the Knight Ridder newspapers. thirdparty validator that we like to bting out on this House floor. so that that way people understand it is not just what KENDRICK MEEK says or
Date: 2006-06-16
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I appreciate your leadership so much and really the opportunity to be here with you almost every night. I am going to have to catch back up to the two of you guys. and I have some family in town this week. I look forward to continuing to talk about the new direction that the Democratic Caucus will take this country when we are given the opportunity in November. I look forward to continuing this debate and this discussion on our commitment to making sure that we do not privatize Social Security and that we enact responsible legislation that truly shores it and does not use scare tactics against our seniors. implying that there is some sort of crisis that does not exist when Social Security will remain solvent for at least the next 47 years. that we make sure we enact a truly effective energy policy. invest in alternative energy resources and make sure that we actually generate the ability to become insulated from foreign oil. instead of giving away the store to the big oil company. that we make sure that we really expand access to health care. that we reduce the number of uninsured Americans and that when a child is sick. when an American is sick. that they can afford to go to the doctor and that cost is not the obstacle to basic health care. Those are the things that we remain committed to. That is an agenda that we have put forward and that we look forward to talking about as the months progress through to the November election. I look forward to sharing the podium with you and talking about that for the next several months.
Date: 2006-06-19
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I am going to wait on that little celebration until our good friend from Florida joins us and we can do the happy dance together on the Heats amazing victory last night. and I am sure the Speaker enjoyed that fantastic victory last night as well. So we will regale you with the success of the Heat when the gentleman from Florida joins us.