macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-01-14
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. somewhere in America a young child will not be able to see their immigrant parents come home this evening. In every State in the Union. there are individuals that are undocumented that simply want an opportunity to work and dream here in America. I am in the midst of a 1day fast to encourage the passage of reasonable. sensible. comprehensive immigration reform. Yesterday. 119 Houstonians stood with me to commit to fasting until this bill of comprehensive immigration reform is passed: border security. earned access to citizenship. elements of paying fines. elements of doing charitable work. ensuring that the arts and businesses come together and have the resources and talent that they need. and creating jobs. In Texas. there are 400.000 immigrants with some billionplus dollars. Removing that would have a terrible impact on the economy. Passing comprehensive immigration reform is not only economically sound. but it is the humane. dignified thing to do. This Congress must come together. Republicans and Democrats. and give dignity to those soldiers and others who simply want an opportunity to serve and be part of the American Dream.
Date: 2014-01-15
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to lend a voice to the 1.5 million workers who have lost their Federal unemployment benefits. Imagine a choice before you where you had to either put food on the table or have a roof over your head. This is the decision that millions of workers. including 53.000 people in L.A. County alone. will face. all because my colleagues on the other side of the aisle refused to extend unemployment insurance benefits. Last week. I had an opportunity to talk personally with constituents who are affected by the loss of these benefits. Their message for me to send to my colleagues was clear: We are not lazy or unmotivated. We want to work. But as we continue to navigate a tough labor market. we need these benefits in order to provide for our families and to pay for the gas and phone bills that help us talk to potential employers and get ourselves to interviews. Mr. Speaker. unemployment benefits are not handouts. These are benefits workers have earned. They paid into the system to help them precisely during times like this. It is time to stop disrespecting these people who are continuing to try to find work by mischaracterizing them as lazy or somehow fat and happy living on unemployment benefits. One of my constituents. in particular. Anthony. wanted me to make crystal clear the fact that he resents those who say that is he not trying hard enough to find a job. He has a bachelors degree in finance from Cal State Long Beach and has worked as an accountant in the private sector. In his 47 years on Earth. he has never once been unemployed until now. and he has been trying everything he can to find work. but hasnt found anything yet. He told me that every morning he gets up and goes to a work center to search the online listings. and that the 20 computers at this particular work center are always full. and every single person at one of those computers is actively looking for work. Mr. Speaker. unemployment insurance benefits are a lifeline to families who are struggling. Please dont cut off this critical lifeline. Give unemployment insurance the vote that it deserves.
Date: 2014-01-15
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise in support of tens of thousands of my fellow Texans. the working poor and the unemployed. whom our economic recovery is leaving behind. Blessed with ample resources. many of our Nations leading companies and universities. and a "can do" attitude. Texas has been Americas leader in job creation and economic growth for the past decade. Unfortunately. this economic success has not reached all Texans. Last year. the Labor Department announced that over 450.000 Texans earn at or below the Federal minimum wage. more than any other State in the country. Nationwide. 3.6 million Americans earn at or below minimum wage at $7.25 an hour. This is just over $15.000 for someone working 40 hours a week for a full year. or more than $4.400 below the poverty line for a family of three. These arent just kids in high school or college earning minimum wage. Less than a quarter of the minimum wage workers are teenagers and nearly 40 percent are over the age of 30. This is simply not right. Nobody. no matter the city or State. can survive. let alone raise a family. on $15.000. Madam Speaker. it is time for the economic recovery to benefit all Americans. not just the fortunate. Too many of our friends and neighbors are being left behind. and I call on this Chamber to bring up legislation that would increase the minimum wage and renew critical emergency unemployment benefits.
Date: 2014-01-15
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Madam Speaker. extending Federal unemployment insurance will create between 200.000 and 250.000 jobs this year alone and boost GDP by 0.2 percentage points. according to a new report just issued by the Joint Economic Committee Democrats. For every dollar we invest in unemployment insurance. we get back almost $2 in economic activity. That is a great return everyone from Main Street to Wall Street should be able to agree on. The JEC Democrats report also found that unemployment insurance is one of the most effective tools that we have to keep families out of poverty. Last year alone. the program kept nearly 2.5 million people. including 600.000 children. out of poverty. Allowing Federal unemployment insurance to expire is not only wrong on a moral level because it pulls the rug out from under some of our neediest people. it is also an absolutely terrible investment decision for our countrys economy. I urge my fellow Democrats and Republicans to extend unemployment insurance.
Date: 2014-01-15
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3824 to end the Republicans refusal to extend unemployment benefits that protect 238.855 workers in my home State of California.
Date: 2014-01-15
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Madam Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3824 to end the majoritys refusal to extend unemployment benefits to some of our Nations neediest families. including 137.315 workers in the great State of New York.
Date: 2014-01-15
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Madam Speaker. I commend Chairman ROGERS and Ranking Member LOWEY for their tremendous leadership in putting together this compromise budget. The bill is a step forward. It increases funding for many important priorities like housing authority operations and section 8. We have got an affordablehousing crisis in New York City. and these additional resources will help. The bill also makes important infrastructure investments. It fully funds the Presidents request of $14.6 million for the Second Avenue Subway in the district I represent and $215 million for the East Side access that will help create thousands of jobs in our Nations largest city and is in the district of Mr. KING and my district. I am also pleased to see that there isnt a single antiwoman rider that would threaten womens access to comprehensive health care. This bill isnt perfect. but it is a step forward. I had hoped it would include an extension of unemployment insurance and refund the cuts for the National Institutes of Health. but it is a vast improvement over the current budget. and I will be supporting it.
Date: 2014-01-15
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3824 to end the Republicans refusal to extend unemployment benefits that protect over 72.000 workers in Texas.
Date: 2014-01-15
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I rise in support of this legislation which funds our government and its many important programs for the remainder of fiscal year 2014. I want to especially congratulate my ranking member. NITA LOWEY. and Chairman HAL ROGERS for working so hard to achieve both balance and compromise. This legislation begins to reverse some of the devastating cuts caused by sequestration. it ensures that we avoid the nightmare scenario of another government shutdown. and. most importantly. it invests in strengthening our middle class by funding programs in areas such as education. scientific research. and infrastructure. These investments will help create jobs and boost our economy. which remains the number one priority of most Americans. As ranking member of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee. I am thrilled that this bill sets the stage for regular order. which I know my fellow appropriators so look forward to. and makes sure that we can begin to work together again in the appropriations process. It has been a privilege to work with my good friend TOM COLE. chair of the legislative branch subcommittee. I am especially pleased that this bill includes two critically important initiatives which work to combat the threat and dangers of one of the deadliest diseases. cancer. The bill includes nearly $5 million in continued funding for the Breast Cancer Awareness for Young Women. or EARLY Act programming. at the Centers for Disease Control. As a young breast cancer survivor diagnosed at 41. I know all too well how important it is for women to know the risks early on and get the health care they need. The bill also includes report language calling on the Defense Department to establish a researchoriented task force to study metastasized cancer of all types. With better understanding of the causes. mechanisms. and treatments of metastatic cancer. we can save or extend the lives of thousands of people. and I acknowledge the leadership of Ranking Member LOWEY who established the original program that sits in the Defense appropriations bill today. This is not a perfect bill but one that provides us key investments while setting us on the right track in 2014. I hope my colleagues can support it. I commend it to them.
Date: 2014-01-15
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I rise to speak on the bill. H.R. 3547. the bipartisan "Omnibus Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2014." I want to thank Chairman RODGERS and Ranking Member LOWEY for their constructive work in fashioning this bipartisan and bicameral legislation to fund the government for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2014. The bill before us is not perfectfar from itbut it is a modest and positive step toward preventing Republicans from shutting down the government again and manufacturing crises that only harm our economy. destroy jobs. and weaken our middle class. As with any compromise there are some things in the agreement that I support and some things that I do not. The bill abides by all the terms set by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 (the "RyanMurray Agreement"). providing a total of $1.012 trillion for the operation of the federal government. a substantial and necessary increase over the inadequate $968 billion spending limit contained in the House budget resolution which led to the shutdown of the federal government last October. The bill contains all 12 regular appropriations bills for fiscal year 2014. with no area of the government functioning under a Continuing Resolution. thus allowing every program to be considered on its own merits and prioritized. rather than be subject to arbitrary across the board cuts. The bill also provides increases funding for several programs that I strongly support. Let me list just a few of the more important ones.
Date: 2014-01-15
Speaker: DANNY K. DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. you know. the Good Book says that man does not live by bread alone. but I can tell you. if you dont have any. and if you dont have any milk. and you dont have any baby food. and you dont have all of those essentials that provide good nutrition. then you dont live healthy. I urge my colleagues. lets not cut SNAP. Lets not take food out of the mouths of those who are hungry. Lets make sure that they can not only have bread. but milk and cheese and everything else that goes with it.
Date: 2014-01-15
Speaker: MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Speaker. in Western States like New Mexico. where we continue to endure severe drought. it has become clear that water is a resource that can no longer be taken for granted. Instead. we must recognize just how essential it is for households. for businesses. for the environment. for jobs. for life. and we must rise to the challenge because New Mexico can and should be the next innovation hub for water management technology. New Mexico is reported to have approximately 15.4 billion acre feet of brackish water. That is enough to sustain 3 million people for 300 years. Our communities could greatly benefit from investments in desalination technology. which would create a new water supply for our municipalities. businesses and industry. while also leading to more jobs and more economic development. Mr. Speaker. we must continue investing in water technology initiatives. not only to better manage existing water resources but to unlock alternative water resources. I eagerly anticipate the input from my constituents and colleagues as we set a dynamic course that will demonstrate to the region. to the country. and the world that New Mexico can respond to adversity and become a leader in water resources management.
Date: 2014-01-16
Speaker: SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Speaker. I have learned a lot in my first year in Congress. but I could serve here a lifetime and never understand how some Members could be so callous and so shortsighted that they are ready to cut off a lifeline for millions of Americans. including 137.000 New Yorkers. These New Yorkers are hardworking people. like Stephen from Sugar Loaf. who wrote to me because he needs unemployment insurance to stay in his house. like Brenda in Fishkill. where she and her husband are both enrolled in retraining courses right now trying to get work and need this insurance just to make ends meet. like Johnine in Warwick. who lost her job to outsourcing. but still has to take care of her daughter. like Carol in Dutchess County. who may not be able to take care of her disabled husband without this assistance. like Ingrid from Highland Falls. who fought for her country in war and now has to worry about putting food on the table for her children. We must renew unemployment insurance for people like these now because every week that goes by. there are 5.000 more people like Stephen and Brenda and Johnine and Carol and Ingrid. These arent statistics. They are hardworking Americans. and they need this Congress to act. and act now.
Date: 2014-01-16
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise to say that we are. in fact. our brothers and sisters keeper. and I want to debunk the terrible definition and description of some 1.3now 1.9million unemployed Americans. I reject the theory that they only sit around for unemployment and will not look for a job unless they are not getting unemployment insurance when everybody knows that the requirements of emergency unemployment insurance require individuals to look for work. For everyone I have spoken to. including learning the story of a woman in New York who is 58 years old and who has looked for work over and over and. likewise. is desperate and devastated because she is not able to provide the bare minimum. I have introduced H.R. I ask my colleagues to join me in legislation that will target and train the chronically unemployed. that will provide their unemployment insurance and that will give them a stipend for emerging industry training. I say to my Republican colleagues: if you are interested in jobs. jobs. jobs. join this legislation. but right now. today. lets stay here and vote on unemployment insurance for the millions of Americans who have contributed and shed their bloodmany of them veterans. many of them willing to sacrifice. All they need is a helping hand. Pass unemployment insurance. Where is our heart?
Date: 2014-01-27
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. in a few minutes. I will join my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss a very important topic that has long been one of our crucial issues proliferating now across America and around the worldincome inequalitybut I wanted to rise as I understand the farm bill is now prepared to go to the Rules Committee. and now will be on the floor of the House this week. In an Associated Press article on "The New Face of Food StampsWorkingAge Americans." now. in 20132014. 50 percent of those receiving food stamps are working Americans. such as the young lady pictured here. who is 25 years old. with a 3yearold son. who. yes. was in the United States Army. When are we going to realize that even though the economy is churning and that the jobs being created are lowwage jobs that the working and middle class need our help? It is not a handout. It is not a way to be able to close the deficit and the debt. which is closing by breaking the backs of hardworking Americans. What a shame that a farm bill would come forward as it has never come forward before. and it takes away a lifeline for hardworking Americans.
Date: 2014-01-27
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in opposition to income inequality in the United States. As millions of Americans remain without work. while others are underpaid or underemployed. it is imperative that we address the growing threat to our country that is income inequality. Since the 1970s. we have witnessed a dangerous trend develop where wage growth for middle and lower income households has become stagnant while incomes at the very top continue to rise sharply. From 1973 to 2005. real hourly wages for the top 10 percent rose by 30 percent or more. whereas the bottom 50 percent of all Americans experienced only marginal real wage increases of a little more than 5 percent. The income gap is further amplified when comparing races. Overall. Caucasian males earn a median income of more than $40.000 per year while African American males average roughly $30.000 during the same period. Hispanic Americans average just over $26.000 in the same category. These discrepancies among demographics is alarming. considering those figures are even lower for women. The percentage of wealth controlled by the richest Americans is another disturbing fact that is often overlooked. The top 1 percent of Americans own 40 percent of our entire nations wealth. while the bottom 80 percent of Americans share only 7 percent of the nations wealth. In historical terms. the last time our nation faced such a wide income gap was during the 1920s leading up to the Great Depression. Mr. Speaker. while Congress struggles with raising the minimum wage. millions of working individuals and families across the country continue to struggle with stagnant pay and rising inflation. Unless we take a serious approach that transcends simply raising the minimum wage in order to curb income inequality. the consequences could prove catastrophic for our economy.
Date: 2014-01-28
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor the life of Mrs. Adelfa Callejo. a wellrespected civil rights leader and attorney in Texas. Mrs. Callejo was 90 years old when she passed last week. She developed into her role as an advocate for justice at an early age. As the oldest daughter of a father who did not speak English. Mrs. Callejo often had to serve as an intermediary in the defense of her family against intimidation from Federal immigration agents or unfair treatment in schools targeted at Mexican American immigrants. As the first Hispanic woman to graduate from law school at Southern Methodist University. her background and education have not gone unnoticed. Mrs. Callejo emerged as a prominent civil rights attorney in Texas. battling questionable city council redistricting in the late 1980s. and staunchly opposing illegal immigration policies in Farmers Branch. among other prominent legal battles. that have helped to shape our State. Mrs. Callejo was known best for her forceful advocacy and fiery personality. She overcame tremendous adversity as a female and as a Hispanic. although nothing would deter her from becoming a powerful financial and social force in Texas. She once said: Only through education will we make the world a better place than we found it. She lived true to these words and worked with the Dallas Independent School District to ensure a better education was offered to a more diverse range of students. and for that. she was honored by a school being named for her in the Dallas Independent School District. Mr. Speaker. Mrs. Callejo was an inspirational character who offered her talent and her resources to those who were less fortunate. While she had an incredible presence in Dallas. her reputation as "the Godmother" extended far beyond the city limits. While her passing comes as a great loss to many. we may continue to look to her life for an inspiration. I am proud to call her my friend and supporter. Mr. Speaker. we have lost a warrior.
Date: 2014-01-28
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. the President is going to address this House and this country with great enthusiasm about the work that he has done with his Cabinet. Democratic Members of Congress. and others who have worked with him to make America better. He will able to report that 3 million Americans have enrolled in the Affordable Care Act. giving suffering Americans with preexisting conditions the opportunity for good health care. He will able to acknowledge that people like Mrs. Aguilar would be better off if States like Texas would have expanded the Medicare coverage. Her children are covered. but she is not. We are committed to working to make sure that that happens. He will be able to say that he stands on the side of extending the unemployment for working Americansthose who have worked and now are unemployed. and yes. he will be able to say that it is important that we invest in the infrastructure. It is important to note that America is great. as we watch our soldiers in foreign lands wearing the uniform with pride. We must invest in the American people. Food stamps. which are now given mostly to working Americans. are an investment. and the President can be optimistic and work for all of America.
Date: 2014-01-28
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Madam Speaker. for years. the other side of the aisle has been trying to get between a woman and her doctor. Now they are trying to come between a woman and her health insurance company. They want to open a new front in the war on women. and this one cruelly focuses on poor women. The law of the land is already clear: no Federal funding for abortions. But with H.R. 7. which will be on the floor today. even private insurance plans could be restricted from covering abortion if you get a government subsidy. So if you are a lowincome woman who needs help affording health care insurance. this bill is aimed squarely at you. Rather than tackling the real the problems of economic growth and job creation. the other side of the aisle seems obsessed with curbing a womans reproductive rights. They may not want to call this a war on women. but I would point out to my colleagues that womenand only womenare the casualties of this multifaceted assault on a womans right to choose and reproductive rights.
Date: 2014-01-28
Speaker: MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Madam Speaker. I also seek unanimous consent to insert my statement into the RECORD in support of extending unemployment insurance for 1.6 million Americans. including nearly 7.500 New Mexico job seekers. instead of this radical Republican assault on womens health care rights.