macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-25
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. this week. the Chicago Tribune published an editorial that stated what many of us have known for months: the administration is playing political games by attempting to make the sequestration as painful as possible on Americans. especially traveling Americans. The FAA furloughs announced this week. theyre not just wrong. theyre irresponsible. The bottom line is the FAA has the flexibility to find money and minimize the impact to the traveling public. Even more concerning is that the FAA has chosen not to implement the furloughs in a way that could protect the most critical air traffic control operations and facilities. They are indiscriminately furloughing everyone in the FAA. Air traffic controllers are being furloughed at the same rate as noncontrollers. and furloughs are being applied at the same rate regardless of the airport size. Waterloo in Iowa is not Chicago OHare. The FAA needs to manage better. and they need to do it now. There is still time for the administration and the FAA to reverse course on these decisions and start making the right decision instead of trying to simply score political points by playing the political game of chicken.
Date: 2013-04-26
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the gentleman from Georgia for allowing me a few minutes to speak on this issue. I rise today in support of the CollinsScott amendment. which requires that any funds received from the sale of helium will be used to pay down our countrys debt. Im sure many of my colleagues would agree when I say our countrys deficit is one of the top problems that we face. In fact. if we continue on this path. by the time my 13yearold son is a freshman in college. this country will be paying more interest on the debt than we spend on national defense. I understand this problem cannot be solved with one swift move. however. if we are not able to make reasonable changes to policies and allow additional revenue to reduce our debt. our children and grandchildren will not be given the chance to continue this countrys greatness. Due to the importance of protecting our children and grandchildren. we should support this amendment. It puts us one step closer to addressing our countrys biggest problem. For this reason. I ask my colleagues to support this amendment.
Date: 2013-04-26
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Thank you to the gentleman from Iowa. Id like to first thank the Senate for sending this piece of legislation over to us to provide a fix. a fix that isnt necessary to provide. but the administration through a lack of leadership is proving that we have to do this now. We are here today because this administration has decided to put politics over passengers. From the very beginning of sequestration. this administration and its departments have claimed that they did not have the flexibility to avoid cuts that would affect Americans the most. The proposed tower closings and the FAA furloughs that were announced this week. theyre not just wrongthey are irresponsible and indefensible. The bottom line is the FAA already has the flexibility that we are granting them today. yet they are unwilling to take advantage of that. So. today. we are here because it is time to put an end to the excuses and political gimmicks. and we owe it to the American people to govern like statesmen by passing this bill in order to get the FAA to implement spending cuts responsibly in order to protect the traveling public. Mr. President. I urge you: tell your administration to grow up.
Date: 2013-05-06
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I rise today without prepared remarks but to join my colleague. ANN WAGNER. in honoring a great friend. Chip Gerdes. Chip. a 41yearold who leaves behind a beautiful wife and a beautiful daughter and is someone who was larger than life in Illinois and in Illinois politics. died this morning way too young. With Chip Gerdes. you never knew what that phone call was going to bring when his name popped through on your caller ID. and its a phone call that I sadly stand here today to say I will never be able to take again. But it was my friendship with Chip and friendship that he had with others like ANN. and many throughout Illinois and Missouri. that made us stand here today and honor him and honor his legacy. Chip Gerdes. you were a friend to many and a foe to none. Chip Gerdes. rest in peace. my friend. and I will say this on the floor today in your honor: "Roll Tide."
Date: 2013-05-07
Speaker: BRAD WENSTRUP (republican)
Chamber: H

from Ohio. near Cincinnati. Dr. WENSTRUP also has served in Iraq in our military. I now yield to Dr. WENSTRUP.
Date: 2013-05-08
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of this piece of legislation. This Sunday is Mothers Day. Its a very bittersweet day for me. As a father of three children. I am constantly reminding my wife how important this day is and how important her job as a mother is. But its 14 years ago this month that I lost my mother. my inspiration. my teacher. someone that I think about every single Mothers Day. I ask myself what would my mom. Sally Davis. say when we give the option to provide more flexibility to working mothers. In Illinois alone. my home State. there are over 1 million single parents that need this flexibility to be able to make the decisions they need to raise their families. As a father of three schoolaged children. Ive coached baseball games. Ive watched my daughter cheer. and Ive shuttled my kids to doctor appointments. Its part of raising kids and being a parent. However. more than 60 percent of employees feel they do not have enough time to spend with their families. Why not give these families the same flexibility that those in the public sectormany of my constituents in Springfield. Illinois. and throughout have the same opportunity to use? Why not to give them that flexibility? Just last year. employees at the IRS took more than 246.000 hours of comp time instead of additional government pay. No legislation is perfect. Mr. Speaker. but this legislation gives families. gives mothers. gives fathers the opportunity to choose and work with their employers to do so. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. and I urge my colleagues to think of their mother and ask them what would they do.
Date: 2013-05-08
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in recognition of National Nurses Week and to support one of the most important nurses I know. my wife. Shannon. Shannon is the mother to our three children and has been a nurse for 18 years. She now teaches our next generation of nurses in Springfield. Illinois. at St. Johns College. Its important for us to recognize the more than 3.1 million nurses across this great country. They are truly the backbone of our Nations hospitals. clinics. and doctors offices. I know firsthand that nurses work every day to ensure that their patients are receiving the quality care they need and deserve. In fact. most of the time. they are the first and last contact patients and their families receive. This is not always an easy task. but one that has greatly contributed to making our health care system one of the greatest in the world. This week we celebrate all of our nurses who work long. hard hours and go the extra mile to provide safe. highquality care to their patients and pave the way for a more innovative and efficient health care system. Thank you. Shannon. and thank you to all the nurses who care for our families each and every day.
Date: 2013-05-09
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. as I meet with my constituents back home. they tell me loud and clear their concerns about our record debt and deficits. We are nearly $17 trillion in debt. That comes out to about $53.000 per person. My constituents back home get it. Theyve had to make tough choices to live within their means and they expect Washington to do the same. My Republican colleagues and I have been committed to getting our fiscal house in order. growing our economy. and getting America back to work. In fact. we passed a budget that balances in 10 years. On the other hand. the Presidents and the Senate Democrats budgets never balanceever. Hardworking taxpayers and their children and grandchildren deserve better. We need to leave them a stronger and more secure America. not a mountain of debt. Madam Speaker. the bill we are considering today. the Full Faith and Credit Act. would require Treasury to make good on debt payments. The bill also enables Treasury to pay Social Security benefits to seniors. survivors. and those with disabilities and their families. Madam Speaker. let me say that again. Under this bill. seniors will get their checks. and those on disability will get their checks. Back in 1996. we passed similar legislation to H.R. 807. Then Social Security was getting more in revenues than it was paying out in benefits. so full Social Security benefits could be paid without hitting the debt limit. Today. there arent enough revenues to pay Social Security benefits. To make up the difference. Treasury has to redeem the debt it owes Social Security by borrowing from the public. This may cause a small increase in the debt. because when Treasury redeems Social Security IOUs. it must pay any interest accrued on that debt. Our bill exempts this interest from counting against the debt limit. Madam Speaker. according to CBO. Social Securitys cash shortfall is projected to reach $77 billion this year. Over 10 years. Social Securitys shortfall will total $1.3 trillion. These cash shortfalls are permanent and are growing each and every year. Madam Speaker. in closing. we owe it to the American people. In fact. we must come together to preserve and protect Social Security.
Date: 2013-05-14
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. it is humbling for me every single day to walk onto this House floor knowing that I represent the former district held by Abraham Lincoln in central Illinois. In 1863. during his Gettysburg Address. President Lincoln spoke of our democracy by saying that it is "a government of the people. by the people. for the people." Yet what we have seen over the last 48 hours is nothing close to a government for the people. Does a government of the people target specific groups of individuals. especially groups that oppose the Presidents viewpoints? Does a government by the people obtain the phone records of reporters in what appears to be a violation of First Amendment rights? And does a government for the people refuse to accept responsibility and instead place blame wherever they can? The answer. of course. is no. Public trust in government is at an alltime low. and partisan actions by this administration will continue the deterioration of that trust. We have been called to Washington by our constituents to work together in a bipartisan fashion for the best interests of our country. So I ask that we put politics aside. Mr. Speaker. lead by example. and work together to keep the trust of the American public.
Date: 2013-05-15
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. you know. during a commencement address in 2009 President Obama "joked" about the IRS auditing university officials for failing to award him an honorary degree. Now fastforward to last Friday. when we learned that the IRS has been targeting conservative groups. Madam Speaker. the misuse of the IRS power is no laughing matter. As Chief Justice John Marshall once said. "The power to tax is the power to destroy." Folks and groups back home seeking to express their support for our hardfought freedoms and liberties. for limited government. and for a better America should never be subjected to intimidation because of their political beliefsnever. The use of the IRS as a political weapon is unacceptable. Whats worse. this is the same agency that will be enforcing ObamaCare. We must hold those responsible accountable. Thats why the Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing this Friday. The American people deserve the truth. the whole truth. and nothing but the truth. And if youre as outraged as I am. call the White House at this number thats right there in front of you. We must make sure it never happens again.
Date: 2013-05-16
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. the President made a pledge to Americans: If you elect me and you like your current health care. youll be able to keep it. The reality today is that nearly 7 million people are set to lose their employersponsored health insurance when the Presidents health care law goes into full effect. On January 1. many Americans will be forced into an exchange program that has not even been set up. NANCY PELOSI promised the American people Congress must pass the bill so you can find out whats in it. The Democraticcontrolled House passed the bill almost 4 years ago. They didnt know what was in the bill then. and they dont know what to do now. Were less than 7 months away from many Americans being forced into exchanges. Yet they dont know what options are available to them. What we do know is that consumers are already looking at sharp premium increases. The very people who were promised the most. those young people under the age of 29. are expected to get increases somewhere in the range of 200 percent. This is unacceptable. Mr. Speaker. Most Americans operate under a budget. Americans need to know what the increases in their health care costs will be and what plan options are available. Americans need to know the effects that this legislation will have on their lives. and they need to know now. The administration has had 4 years to figure this out. and the only thing theyve figured out is that they dont know what to do.
Date: 2013-05-22
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Thank you to the gentleman from California for yielding. Many of my colleagues are correct. We do need a permitting process. but this bill is what needs to happen when the permit process breaks down. Keystone is going to create the tens of thousands of jobs that many of us in this Chamber go back to our home districts and talk about being created. but a piece of paper. with the lack of signature. is holding this up. Just this past week. our President stood and said he wanted to make sure that we shortened the time that permits like this take. that we shorten the process so that America can begin to put our trades and labor folks back to work again. This. Mr. President. is your time in history in which you can sign this permit. create tens of thousands of jobs. and really prove to us that youre serious about reining in this regulatory process.
Date: 2013-05-22
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

I inadvertently voted "aye" when I intended to oppose the amendment. The Acting CHAIR . The question is on the amendment in the nature of a substitute. as amended.
Date: 2013-05-22
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. it is an honor to follow the gentleman from Indiana. the subcommittee chairman of K12. because Im going to recognize a leader in our K12 community in Illinois. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize Matthew Maddox for being named the VFW National Citizenship Education Elementary Teacher of the Year. Matthew is a fifthgrade teacher at Columbus Elementary School in Edwardsville. Illinois. and he was selected as the Teacher of the Year from among 60.000 other teachers for his dedication to education. innovative teaching style. and resource development. In the classroom. Matthew has made it a commitment to recognize the sacrifices made by our Nations veterans by regularly inviting veterans to visit and share their stories to help make history much more relevant to his students. In addition to being an educator. Matthew has proudly served our country in the Illinois National Guards 445th Chemical Company since July 2011. and has enrolled in officer training school at Camp Lincoln in Springfield. Illinois. Far too often. our Nations educators do not deserve the credit and recognition they deserve. So I am proud to stand here today to congratulate Matthew Maddox for the work he does in the classroom. and also to thank him for his service to our country.
Date: 2013-05-23
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor the heroic efforts of Deputy Chris Jones of the Jersey County. Illinois. Sheriffs Department. On April 23. Deputy Jones pulled a 67yearold woman from a car that was being swallowed by floodwater. At 8:42 in the evening. Deputy Jones received a call to alert him of a driver in distress on State Highway 100. When he arrived on the scene. he tried to make verbal contact with her. but her car was submerged in water that covered the hood and part of the trunk. and she was unable to respond. He proceeded to enter the water. where he found the driver still conscious and he assisted her from the vehicle. He later learned that the woman had been trapped for around 40 minutes. Because of his valiant efforts and service to Jersey County. I am proud to honor the actions that Deputy Chris Jones took on April 23 of this year.
Date: 2013-06-05
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Madam Chair. on rollcall No. 196 I was unavoidably detained during this five minute vote. Had I been present. I would have voted "no."
Date: 2013-06-05
Speaker: JASON T. SMITH (republican)
Chamber: H

appeared at the bar of the House and took the oath of office. as follows: Do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies. foreign and domestic. that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. that you take this obligation freely. without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter. so help you God.
Date: 2013-06-12
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

I thank the chairman. Madam Speaker. I rise today in support of H.R. 634. the Business Risk Mitigation and Price Stabilization Act of 2013. And I. too. would like to thank many of the Members on the other side of the aisle. as well as mine. specifically. Mr. MCINTYRE from North Carolina for his work on the Ag Committee on this piece of legislation. This bill clarifies congressional intent by providing a clear exemption for nonfinancial end users that qualify for the clearing exception under Title VII of the DoddFrank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Across the country. consumers and businesses alike are confronted with risks that are associated with their daytoday operations. To manage these risks. businesses use overthecounter derivatives to provide price certainty. Consumers. in turn. benefit from these riskmanagement practices through lower volatility in the daytoday prices of the goods and services that they purchase. By passing this legislation. Congress is providing a specific exemption from clearing and margin requirements for businesses and individuals who are not financial institutions. This accounts for less than 10 percent of the capital of the derivatives markets. It relieves the burdensome regulations and keeps the U.S. economy moving. This balance protects the consumer while providing a progrowth environment for business. To further the initial goal. H.R. 634 clarifies Congress intent of keeping muchneeded capital in the U.S. markets. which plays an important role in our countrys continued economic growth. I would also like to reiterate the fact that last year Congress passed this same piece of legislation 37024. For this reason. I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 634. so that businesses and individuals may benefit from the daytoday riskmanagement prices that this will provide.
Date: 2013-06-13
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to congratulate an extraordinary group of 21 students who have been chosen as future leaders of our Armed Forces. These students have received appointments from the prestigious United States service academies. Eight received appointments from the Air Forcemy personal favorite. four from the Naval Academy. another eight from the Military Academy. and one from the Merchant Marines. I am proud of this group. They will get one of the finest educations available and really learn the meaning of duty. honor. commitment. and sacrifice to this great Nation. America has the finest fighting men and women in the world. and these students who are the best and the brightest are needed now more than ever. Im confident theyll represent the Third District of Texas well. I salute each one for the endeavor they are about to undertake. God bless them and God bless the United States of America.
Date: 2013-06-13
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman formerly from the great State of Illinois. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of the rule. and I appreciate the time to talk about a very critical issue that the underlying bill addresses. As the father of a 16yearold daughter. I dont know how comfortable I would be if she came to me and said she would like to join the military. especially given the current culture regarding sexual assault. This year alone. 26.000 men and women in the military have been impacted by sexual assault. The National Defense Authorization Act is a step in the right direction in ending this culture and establishing an intolerance. as it includes mandatory sentencing requirements and strips commanders of their authority to dismiss a conviction by courtmartial. The Department of Defense estimates there were 19.000 victims of sexual assault in FY 2011 alone. but only 2.700 victims actually filed a report. In early May. I was pleased to cosponsor H.R. 1864. a military whistleblower bill which extends whistleblower protections to those who report instances of sexual misconduct. This valuable provision has been added to the National Defense Authorization Act. I am pleased to see Congress respond to the issues of sexual assault within the military. I look forward to the day when all fathers will be comfortable sending daughters like mine into the military to fight for our freedoms. and without second thoughts about their safety.
Date: 2013-06-14
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak in opposition to the decision on Monday by the FDA to allow Plan B to be offered over the counter to girls at any age. Ive been vocal about this issue and will continue to be. On May 20 this year. I coauthored a letter to the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asking the FDA to reverse its decision. At one point. the President agreed that Plan B should not be used over the counter by girls without a prescription. Now it seems he has changed his mind. As a result of this FDA ruling. it will be easier for young girls to get Plan B than it will to get a tattoo. Mr. Speaker. this change is an insult to parents and the role they play in their childrens lives. I am very disappointed with the FDAs decision to allow Plan B to be offered over the counter without age restriction.