macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-04-02
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me acknowledge the leadership of our CBC chair. BARBARA LEE. and Congressman SCOTT and Congresswoman MOORE for spending the time to develop this alternative budget. And this is not because we dont support the Presidents budget. This is because we wanted to see some progressive and visionary funding that is motivated by principle and compassion. We are not socialists. We do not. however. want to forget that we do have poor and vulnerable people that do not have homes. that do not have health care and do not have enough food. We are here not because we know we are going to win this vote. We are here because we feel the responsibility to put it before the people. There are a lot of people in this country with problems. and we as a Congressional Black Caucus do not intend to allow it to be forgotten. We are not talking about African Americans. We are talking about all of the poor. the children and the homeless -families. They need attention. And we must not forget it. And we must not remain in denial. Madam Chair. I want to thank Chairwoman BARBARA LEE. the Congressional Black Caucus and my colleague. Congressman SCOTT from Virginia. for their leadership and unwavering support for the development of this alternative budget. The CBC alternative budget is filled with progressive and visionary funding that is motivated by principle and compassion. It is a budget that voices the concerns and needs of the poor. the children. and the elderly. I support and agree with President Obamas Budget. I also support CBC budget to increase American priorities such as our transportation system. The CBC budget would add an additional 8 billion dollars to support our transportation needs. The CBC alternative budget understands that our Nations transportation system is the backbone of our economy and our way of life. neither of which we can afford to shortchange. Our Nations future depends more and more on the quality of our innovative ideas. The fruits of these investments meet vital national needs and improve the quality of life for all Americans. Like the Presidents budget. CBC alternative budget also provides funding for programs and services crucial to the American people. rather than continuing to provide tax breaks for the wealthy. As lawmakers. we do have the responsibility to ensure that all Americans. including minorities. are able to move ahead to achieve the American Dream. Life. liberty. and the pursuit of happiness meant all people.
Date: 2009-04-02
Speaker: SHEILA JACKSON-LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Chair. I rise today in support of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Budget Substitute for the Fiscal Year Budget for 2010. introduced by my distinguished colleague from California. REPRESENTATIVE BARBARA LEE and my colleague from Virginia. Representative ROBERT C.
Date: 2009-04-21
Speaker: JAY P. LEFKOWITZ (democrat)
Chamber: S

P.C.. Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Citigroup Center. New York. NY. DEAR JAY: Christopher Hill testified today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In response to a question by Senator Lugar. he failed to specifically address whether he invited you to participate in the Six Party Talks to address North Korean human rights. As you recall. in his testimony before the Senate Armed Service Coimittee on July 31. 2008. he promised to invite you to participate in all future negotiation sessions. without qualifying the nature of those sessions. Based on my knowledge of the situation. I believe he violated his commitment. Can you please respond to me as to whether or not Christopher Hill. or anyone acting on his behalf invited you to the Six Party Talks subsequent to July 31. 2008? I look forward toyour swift reply. and appreciate your cooperation in this matter. Sincerely.
Date: 2009-04-21
Speaker: CHRISTOPHER R. HILL (democrat)
Chamber: H

Assistant Secretary. Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Washington DC. DEAR MR. HILL: I write in light of your nomination to serve in the critical position of U.S. ambassador to Iraq. While I do not question your qualifications as a diplomat. I must be frank in telling you that I was often disappointed in your approach to diplomacy with North Koreaspecifically your marginalization and often times seemingly utter neglect of human rights. In a Washington Post piece. Michael Gerson described your shaping of Americas North Korea policy in this way. "Hill has been a tireless advocate of preemptive diplomatic concessions and the exclusion of human rights issues from reports and negotiations." It is difficult to know how much the policy you pursued simply reflected the president and the secretarys aims or whether you were in fact the chief architect and advocate of this approach. Regardless. while Iraq and North Korea areobviously two very different countries. it gives me pause as I consider the human rights challenges confronting Iraqs ethnoreligious minorities who are increasingly under siege. More than 500.000 Christians. or roughly 50 percent. have fled Iraq since 2003. Even though Christians make up only 3 percent of the countrys population. according to the UN High Commission for Refugees. they comprise nearly half of all refugees leaving Iraq. As Iraq has continued to stabilize. these minority populations.. including the ancient Christian communitysome of whom still speak Aramaic. the language of Jesusis dwindling and increasingly vulnerable to marginalization and targeted attacks. of the sort we witnessed in Mosul this past fall. I have already requested that Secretary Clinton facilitate the development of a comprehensive policy to address the plight of these struggling minority communities. and. consistent with the recommendations of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. that she appoint a special envoy for human rights in* Iraq to our Embassy in Baghdad. reporting directly to her. Sirnilarly. should you be confirmed. I urge that these communities. which are foundational to a modern pluralistic Iraq. not be neglected on your watch. Before departing for Baghdad. it is critical that you meet with a coalition of NGOs. consisting in part of members of the Iraqi diaspora. so that they might brief you on the unique challenges confronting these ancient faith communities and make additional concrete policy recommendations for their protection. Best wishes. Sincerely.
Date: 2009-04-21
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: That

the Senate agreed to S. Con. Res. 13. Texas led the Pledge of Allegiance as With best wishes. I am. follows: S . LORRAINE C. MILLER. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the Clerk of the House. United States of America. and to the Republic for which it stands. one nation under God. indivisible. with liberty and justice for all. ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER
Date: 2009-04-21
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I simply want to report that I held two economic recovery workshops in Dallas yesterday with almost a thousand people attending. And its because the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is an unprecedented effort to dig ourselves out of the recession and move toward economic recovery and then longterm sustained prosperity. Communities in my district have already received tens of thousands of dollars in recovery money. The Los Barrios Unidos Community Clinic was able to open a satellite clinic. DFW Airport will be able to start the $2 million runway rehabilitation project immediately. The Dallas Independent School District has received more than $78 million to support lowincome students. We inherited quite a mess with the last administration. There is plenty of work left to do. and we want to be a part of it. I am proud to have voted for the Recovery Act.
Date: 2009-04-21
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I join my colleagues in support of H. Res. 320. a resolution recognizing the life and achievements of one of our countrys most preeminent historian. scholar and humanitarian: Dr. John Hope Franklin. Dr. John Hope Franklin. the grandson of a slave and the son of one of the first black lawyers in the Oklahoma Indian territory. graduated from Harvard with a Ph.D. in history and later became the Chairman of the Department of History at Brooklyn College making him the first African American to run a department at a predominately white institution. He was also the first African American professor to hold an endowed chair at Duke University. as well as the first African American to serve as President of the American Historical Association. Franklins many contributions include writing numerous publications. among them is his seminal work. From Slavery to Freedom: A History of Negro Americans. which is considered by many to be an unsurpassed history of the African American experience in the United States. In addition to his writings. Franklin was also a prominent figure in the arena of politics and social activism. He provided important historical research to NAACP Legal Defense Fund lawyer Thurgood Marshall in the historic Brown v. Board of Education case.that outlawed school segregation. -Over the course of his career. Franklin served on the National Council on the Humanities. and the Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. as well as being the chair of President Clintons Race Initiative Advisory Board. He has also been the recipient of many prestigious awards. including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. the inaugural W.E.B. DuBois Award from Fisk University Alumni Association. and the Organization of American Historians Award for Outstanding Achievement Society. During his life. Franklin saw his challenge as being "to weave into the fabric of American history enough of the presence of blacks so that the story of the United States could be told adequately and fairly." Franklins life. achievements and contributions has had a profound influence on the field of history. in particular. African American history. With this resolution. Franklins legacy and spirit will endure for years to come. I commend Representative MELVIN WATT for introducing H. Res. 320. a resolutionthat honors the life and achievements of Dr. John Hope Franklin. and urge my colleagues to support it.
Date: 2009-04-21
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. on rollcall No. 193 I did not realize that my voting card did not work. Had it been recorded. I would have voted "yea."
Date: 2009-04-21
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise to commemorate one of the most important events in Texas hist6ry. frankly. the history of the United States. San Jacinto Day. Today. in -1836. roughly 900 Texan and Tejano volunteers overpowered a larger. professional Mexican army of conscript soldiers after defeats at Goliad and the Alamo. These outnumbered volunteers succeeded because they were fighting against tyranny and they were fighting for their families. In the words of the Texas Declaration of Independence. the peoples government had been "forcibly changed. without their consent. from a restricted federative republic composed of sovereign states to a consolidated central military despotism." The Texas Revolution proved the bonds of freedom are stronger than ethnicity. as many Tejanos sacrificed their lives for Texas freedom at the Battles of Gonzalez. Bexar. Goliad. the Alamo. and San Jacinto. The war was not between Anglos and Hispanics. it was a struggle between all Texans and military dictatorship in Mexico City. Texans and Tejanos knew then what we know nowfreedom requires sacrifice. And our young men and women going to or coming back from fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq are very aware of this. Texans are renowned around the world for responding to the call of duty. We hold our heroes willing to sacrifice their lives for the betterment of their fellow man in the highest regard. I am proud to represent the site of the Battle of San Jacinto commemorated by the San Jacinto Monument. Thanks to the San Jacinto Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Their hard work allowed for the preservation of the San Jacinto Battleground by petitioning the Texas Legislature to purchase the acreage and by donating their treasury to complete the sale in 1900. This San Jacinto Chapter of Daughters of the Republic of Texas and the Texas Veterans Association did tremendous work to ensure that the legacy lives on. and the importance of the park has only expanded since then. The park not only has the San Jacinto Monument to recognize the brave men and women. but it also includes the Battleship Texas. which is a symbol of sacrifices in World War I and World War II. With the understanding of.. where they came from. Texans and Americans will continue to respond to the calls of service. thereby continuing their legacy of respect and admiration throughout the world. God bless Texas and the United States.
Date: 2009-04-22
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

of C fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in port of House Resolution 334. whic introduced yesterday. This resolut calls for the release of 118 Vietnam citizens who have been arrested. tained or harassed for signing Manifesto on Freedom and Democr in Vietnam. The manifesto is a peaceful. r violent . declaration demanding pc ical freedom and respect for Vietna citizens. House Resolution 334 also directs Secretary of State to establislh "Countries of Particular Concern" to condemn the government of V nam. and other countries for engag in particularly harsh human rights lations. Vietnams ongoing denial o1 citizens fundamental human rig and political liberties is unacceptab I introduced H.R. 334 to mark th year anniversary of the original si ing of the manifesto and to r awareness of the Vietnamese C munist governments failure to prove its human rights record. In May we will honor the 15th ai versary of Vietnam Human Rights I I urge my colleagues to stand up human rights and to join me in resolution.
Date: 2009-04-23
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. today I rise in support of H.R. 1145. the National Water Research and Development Initiative Act. This bill is of great interest to me. as I serve as Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and -Environment within the Transportation Committee. My city of Dallas is a beautiful area with the Trinity River running through it. Protecting Dallas from flooding and ensuking the quality of the Trinity and surrounding environments are important to me and to my constituents. Federally funded research on water is important to ensure an adequate supply of clean drinking water for our Nation. H.R. 1145 will ensure coordination among research programs at the different Federal agencies that support water research. Whether the issue is storm water and flood mitigation. clean water. or water-. shed quality. investments in this area are critical. The type of research involves scientists who work in interdisciplinary teams. blending their individual talents in chemistry. microbial ecology. invertebrate biology. watershed ecology. and ecosystem modeling. I want to thank Chairman GORDON for his leadership and Ranking Member HALL. I want to also thank him for incorporating amendments suggested by members of the committee. one including me. I strongly support this legislation. and I urge my colleagues to support it.
Date: 2009-04-23
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. I am pleased that today the House of Representatives is considering H.R. 1145. the National Water Research and Development Initiative Act of 2009. As a supporter of this legislation. I would like to especially thank the committee chairman. Mr. GORDON from Tennessee. for his leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor. This bill is an appropriate response to the concerning state of our national water supply. As. our Nations population continues to increase. so must our ability to conserve and to reuse our water resources. We simply cannot afford to continue to take our scarce water resources for granted. And we must also educate our constituents and. quite frankly. ourselves on how to best protect a natural resource that we depend on for our survival. The National Water Research and Development Initiative Act of 2009 will establish an interagency committee to develop a research and assessment plan to protect and to expand our water resources. H.R. 1145 will make the Federal Government a leader. a leader. in effectively addressing our water resource challenges through intense research. collection of essential data. and the development of new technology. Mr. Chairman. in my district. Im proud. as you know. that Orange County Water District has successfully developed and implemented a cuttingedge water reuse technology. The Groundwater Replenishment System in Orange County. California. purifies 70 million gallons of treated sewer water every day through an advanced purification process -involving microfiltration. reverse osmosis. and ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide treatment. The result is that we get 100.000 Orange County families more drinking water every day. The system is- a premier groundwater replenishment project. the premier one in the world. and so many States and local governments and foreign governments have come to Orange County to take a look at the system. I believe that H.R. 1145 will encourage communities throughout the country to embrace this type of innovation. and I would encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this important initiative. Once again. I thank the chairman for his leadership on this. Its so important for us to make sure that in the future we have water for our constituents.
Date: 2009-04-23
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentleman for yielding. and I agree with his decision to accept this amendment. I just want to say that its not aseasy as my colleague from California has suggested. This is a long. statewide water system that serves many different interests. You can turn on the pumps as he says. The pumps are on. You can send more water to the central valley and move the unemployment to the farmers in the delta region. to the farmworkers in the delta region. Weve already unemployed thousands of fishermen. thousands of shoreside businesses. Weve spent hundreds of millions of dollars in disaster relief because this system does not have enough water in it. In fact. what has happened over the last several years is more water was taken illegally from the northern areas. He says that the Secretary announced nothing to help the people in the central valley. Finally. after years of discussion. we were able to fund the indelta barriers that we think will release additional water. protect the fish. and allow us to use the delta more efficiently. Finally. after years of discussion. we put the money into the removal of the dam in Mr. HERGERS district that will benefit downstream users. Finally. after many. many years of asking for water recycling. water reuse. $126 million was put in for the cities in Southern California so they can start the process of recycling. reusing water and taking the pressure off the central valley farmers. taking the pressure off of the delta areas. Thats the kind of coordinated activity that has finally begun under the Obama administration. It simply didnt happen under the previous administration. There were no new water recycling projects of any significance. There was a fooling around with the *science. Weve lost months during this* drought of going back and trying to redo the science. We saw what happened when Klamath decided he knew more about the science than the people on the Klamath River and the fish and wildlife agencies. We had the largest salmon kill in the history of the West Coast. and you ended up spending hundreds of millions of dollars to help out farmers. to help out fishermen. to help out small businesses all over Northern California. Oregon and Washington. We will accept this amendment. but we wont accept the recitation of history.
Date: 2009-04-28
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor and raise awareness of the 2009 North Korean Freedom Week.. Currently. approximately 13 million people in North Korea suffer from malnutrition. and over 2 million North Koreans have died of starvation since 1995. In addition. over 200.000 men. women. and children are imprisoned in political prison camps in North Korea. North Korea is controlled by a dictatorial regime where human rights and personal freedoms are nonexistent. The region suffers from an extremely weak economy and is dependent on the international community even for its food. Unfortunately. about 30 percent of all the international aid that is provided to North Korea goes to the countrys military and its elite. and very little of that ever gets to the real people of North Korea. Under the current regime. universal human rights do not apply to the people of North Korea. and freedom remains a foreign idea for the men and the women of this repressive country. I call on my colleagues in Congress and the Obama administration to take action to improve the deteriorating human rights crisis in North Korea. 0l 1215 ENERGY
Date: 2009-04-28
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Califomia

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of House Resolution 342 and the designation of May 2. 2009 as "Vietnamese Refugees Day." Millions of Boat People and other Vietnamese refugees endured harrowing voyages to escape the tyranny and depravation of communist Vietnam. Hundreds of thousands of those refugees reached the United States. and we are all better for it. Like so many immigrants before and since. they came seeking freedom. and in turn became valuable members of their new communities. I have the privilege of representing many VietnameseAmericans in San Jose. California. and can attest to this firsthand. Unfortunately. I cannot speak with the same warmth about the situation inside Vietnam. To this day. the Vietnamese government refuses to respect the basic human rights of its own citizens. Reports by the State Department. the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. and nongovemmental and Vietnamese American organizations document egregious abuses of free speech and expression. religious liberty. and many other fundamental freedoms. So today I rise to honor the experiences of Vietnamese refugees. and to commend the Vietnamese Americans who have successfully rebuilt their lives in the United States while fighting for the rights of those left in Vietnam.