macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1993-01-26
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. the Dallas Cowboys. Americas team. is here again headed to another SuperbowL Led by Jerry Jones. Jimmy Johnson. Troy Aikman. Emmit Smith. and Jim Jeffcoat. the Cowboys turned a 1 and 15 season just 4 years ago. into an NFC championship and a Superbowl bid this year. This is the beginning of a new Cowboy dynastyhistory is in the making. Loyal fans all over the world and the city of Dallas are behind them 110 percent. Next Sunday. the Cowboys will take to the gridiron in Pasadena. I wish them good luck and Godspeed In their impending Superbowl victory over the Buffalo Bills. And one more thing. How bout them Cowboys Mr. Speaker.
Date: 1993-02-02
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. in my home State we have a saying. Dont Mess With Texas. Here in Congress we need a similar sloganDont Mess with Social Security. President Clinton says he wants to balance the Federal budget on the backs of Americas senior citizens. He is just plain wrong. Older Americans built this country. They worked hard and raised families. They fought and won World War II and then sent their children to Vietnam. They built an economy second to none and made America great. We owe them their full Social Security benefits. Social Security is one of the only solvent accounts our Government has. If its not broke. dont fix it. We should not rob the Social Security trust fund and push some of our seniors into poverty to pay for deficit spending. Mr. Speaker. I urge President Clinton and my colleagues to keep the word "trust" in the Social Security trust fund and dont mess with Social Security.
Date: 1993-02-16
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. last night President Clinton called for bold. persistent. experimentation. President Clinton should not experiment with middleclass tax hikes. And the American taxpayers do not deserve to be guinea pigs. Tax hikes will not solve the deficit problem. We must hold the line on spending and reduce or eliminate Federal programs. I recently received a graphic reminder from Barbara Bowling of Dallas. TX. She offers a sign similar to the one we saw at the Clinton campaign. When it comes to the economy. "Its the spending. stupidt" The administration should reduce spending before they even talk about tax increases. They have got the cart before the horse. . President Clinton may try to convince us that tax hikes are patriotic. but without going after spending. President Clintons tax hikes become Just a patriotic pickpocket.
Date: 1993-03-10
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr.. taat and necessary study if we are. Chairman. this amendment. simply going to stem the tide of the AIDS epidemic. Mr. JOHNSONS. amendment cornpitely ignores the severity of this situation and attempts to pass judgment without having all the facta. Last year. this body voted to kill a major survey of adolescent sexual practices that may have provided critical information that would give us a fighting chance to save the lives of our childrenfrom this deadly disease. The arrogance of this body in killing that study. and the arrogance and ignorance displayed on this floor today. is galling. The Congress should not be telling medical researchers what is- appropriate to research based on our own narrow minds. This is not a moralityplay. this is life and death. I urge my colleagues to avoid dictating to the medical research community based on politics. Vote "no" on the Johnson amendment to deny funding to this important project.
Date: 1993-03-10
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I yield myself such time. as I may consume. Mr. Chairman. I would question what was Just said. There are hundreds. hundreds of programs that offer HIV and AIDS counseling across this Nation. Did you know that there are 36 such programs in Seattle alone where this one is located. and they are not funded with Federal taxpayer dollars? There are 83 located in. Washington. DC. right here. There is even a 24hour tollfree AIDS counseling program in my hometown of Dallas. which surprised the heck out of me. You know. we are waging a fight that we all want to win. and we want modern science to win it. but I do not believe that this kind of a program that talks to Vancouver. Canada. uses United States dollars without asking the nation of Canada for one penny. and If you ask them. the bulk of their calls are from Vancouver. then I think we need to do away with the program as duplicative and overexpensive.
Date: 1993-03-10
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman. you know. Project ARIES is not 24 hours a day. It only accepts homosexual and bisexual males. No others are allowed including lesbians. bisexual females. or women with AIDS. I think that the American taxpayers are tired of their hardearned tax dollars being used unwisely. and that is what my colleagues and constituents in Dallas have written me about. I think that we need to do away with this extra $2 million on a project that duplicates existing programs. I urge you to vote for this amendment.
Date: 1993-03-11
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. it was reported during the Presidential campaign that President Clinton is an admirer of Elvis Presley. Let us talk about Clintonomics in terms Elvis would understand: Dont be cruel to the middle class. They cant pay more taxes. Increased taxes will check small businesses right into Heartbreak Hotel. And now the President is asking for military cuts of $127 billion. Whats next. Mr. President? Why do you want to weaken U.S. military strength and kill small business with more taxes? The Presidents unfolding tax increase plan is economically destructive The President must come clean with the American people. We need all the details. And. finally. if Mr. Clinton sends us a budget without specifics. as Elvis would say. return to sender.
Date: 1993-03-23
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. the situation in Russia is in turmoil. and it ought to remind us that maybe the cold war is not really over. The Presidents plan is to cut an additional $112 billion from the defense budget over the next 5 years. That is way above the cuts that the last administration proposed. These are the facts. Russian missiles are still aimed at the United States. Reductions in Russian troop strength have been minimal. Chemical and biological weapons still exist. There are hot spots all over this world today. With these facts in mind. Mr. Speaker. I urge the President of the United States to lower his draconian defense cuts. We have got to keep this Nation strong. to preserve freedom. to protect our ideals and to keep our ability to deter aggression second to none.
Date: 1993-04-27
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. President Clinton has almost reached the 100day threshold of his new Presidency. and the day of reckoning is here. We have heard of the New Deal. we have heard of the Fair Deal. these are not the right labels. President Clintons first 100 days can only be characterized as the raw deal. The one thing the American people can hear coming from the President Is new taxes. Raise income taxes. raise business taxes. raise energy taxes. raise excise taxes. tax banks. and try a new value added tax. Madam Speaker. there is no deal like a raw deal. read President Clintons lips: More new taxes.
Date: 1993-04-28
Speaker: LION COHAN (republican)
Chamber: S

Detroit Edison. Detroit. MI. DRAR LEON: I am truly sorry I cannot join you on May Bl as you are honored upon your retirement from Detroit Edison. There are ew people I know who have -devoted more energy to their commuty Itan you. We -go back to the ime when you were Frank Kelleys chief uistant and I was on Freaks staL Yeur lnteilectnah honesty -and Judgment and oommunity Involvement have manifested themselves In innumerable ways in the three decades since. I know you will continue your Involvement In ur community as you leave Edison and take ona new challenge. You and Heidi have also been good personal friends to Barb and me. We both send our very best to you and to all of those who are serenading you on the 3rd. Sincerely. CARL LEv ..
Date: 1993-04-28
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. we already talked about taxes. I said. read President Clintons lips. More new taxes. But it is 100 days. so we would expect that. I have to tell my colleagues. though. his domestic policy is in chaos. His domestic priorities are shortsighted. and the Democrat President and the leadership are in question. We have seen lots of trial balloons. I see them as lead balloons. And now the Clinton bombing trial balloon for Bosnia is about to blow us apart. We must ask the President these questions: What is our policy? Is there a real goal? And more importantly. where is the threat to the United States? Mr. Speaker. these important questions must be addressed to the American people. Mr. President. why do you not tell us. the American people. what you really mean?
Date: 1993-05-05
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. this morning. we saw President Clinton welcome American troops home from Somalia. their mission accomplished. Now. President Clinton is on the verge of committing United States troops to intervene in the Bosnia conflict as peacekeepers. In fact. news reports are saying forces are already involvedbut the White House denies it. What is the truth? Many Americans are concerned that U.S. troops cannot play the role of peacekeeper in Bosnia when in fact there is no peace to keep. We dont know which -side we are onwho is the enemy? Mr. Speaker. with U.S. Troops returning from one conflict. and about to be committed to another. this appears to be nothing more .than turnstyle intervention in which America can only lose.
Date: 1993-05-05
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. we should all oppose the National Competitiveness Act of 1993. I choked on it because it is that bad. Do not be mistaken. I. more than anyone else. would like to see a bill come before this body that would help put American business back In the drivers seat. But H.P_ 20 creates all the things that businesses have stated they do not need. More government regulation. new and duplicative buresucracies. increased national deficit or. to be clear. business as usual. The type of bill business wants is one that provides tax incentives. eliminates government regulations. reforms laws that are anticompetitive and. at the same time. reduces the deficit. H. 20 also Increases the Department of Commerce funding by over $700 million. That Is an increase of over 15 percent. I thought the American people had been very clear. Congress must reduce spending. not increase It. Included In this 1 8percent increase are six programs that axe not even requested by the Presidente budget. Amendments were offered to strike these unauthorized funds. but were soundly defeated along party lines. The President does not want these programs. but for some reason. the Democrats believe they are Important enough to bust the Presidents budget for fiscal 1994. Even the Commerce Department Is opposed to several provisions in this bill. General counsel for the Commerce Department is quoted as saying. "We have grave concerns about a number of provisions in this bill" and "these provisions will be counterproductive to the achievement of the objectives of H.R. S20. They may even have unintended and serious consequenoes." Vote for American business and for the future of America. Vote against this bill.
Date: 1993-05-12
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce. aboard the sinking S:S. Clintonomic. finally jumped ship. The chambers opposition to the Clinton economic plan should send a message to the White Housethis plan wont float. You know. the administration and the Democrats in Congress still think the Clinton plan will work. They just dont get it. Theyll tax and spendand regulate without endand tell American businesses to just sink or swim. Mr. Speaker. I applaud the U.S. Chamber for realizing what some of us have known all alongAmericans still dont want. dont need. and dont deserve new taxes.
Date: 1993-05-13
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. the Clinton administration thinks big Is better. We have got big Government. big spending. big regulations. and soon. we will have really big taxes. In this big bureaucracy. what Is small business going to do? Each year. Government regulations cost this country over $400 billion big ones. Small. businesses alone spend 1 billion hours and $100 billion Just completing Government paperwork. You know. on the campaign trail. the Democrat in the White House pledged to help small businesses. But since January. the only relief that he has offered is more than 27.000 pages of new regulations. The administration and the Democrate in Congress need to get the big picture. If we do not reduce Government. reduce spending. and reduce regulations. small businesses and the whole Nation will be in big trouble. Americans still do not want. do not need. and do not deserve more taxes and bigger Government.
Date: 1993-05-27
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. when the American people got up this morning. they turned on the news to hear that the President had finally made a "deal" with the Congress on his middleclass tax increase. The American people need to know that this deal was struck at 4 a.m. this morning behind closed doors. and the only deal made was how big the tax Increase is going to be on working Americans. This is not a good deal for American taxpayers. It is a raw deal. It is still $322 billion of tax increases over 5 years with no real deficit reduction. It contains 20 times tax increases as spending cuts in the first year. and six times tax increases over spending cuts over the next 5 years. Where is the fiscal responsibility that Mr. Clinton claimed to have during his campaign? Mr. Speaker. I hope the people across this Nation watching right now will call their Representatives in Washington and tell them to vote no on this middleofthenight thievery.
Date: 1993-05-28
Speaker: JOHN W. BEACH (republican)
Chamber: S

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for *Fnanclal Management. Department of the Air Force. Pentagon. Washington. DC. DEAR MR. BEACH: I am writing In response to your letter of May 13. 1993. regarding the current disposition of my letters of April 29. 1993. to Mr. E. Ray Smith and Colonel Claude M. Bolton. Jr. The two abovementioned letters were directed to Mr. Smith and Colonel Bolton and not to your office. I expect a written. signed response from both officials. Anything short of that Is unacceptable. At the same time. I would like to urge you to proceed with a vigorous and thorough investigation of the Antideflciency Act violation by the Advanced Cruise Missile (ACM) program and fix responsibility as required by law. Since directing my letter to Mr. Smith. I have come to the realization that his organization falls under the purview of your office. That being the case. I would like to inquire about your knowledge and awareness of a violation of the Antideficiency Act by the ACM program in November 1991 or at any other time. I have two questions I would like you to answer: At or about the time Mr. Smith signed the attached memoranda. were you aware of any discussion about the need to report a violation of the Antideficiency Act by the ACM program? If so. please provide the names of the persons involved in those discussions or the violation Itself. and what direction. if any. was given as a result of those discussions? A written. signed response to my questions Is requested by May 21. 1993. I would like to remind you that certain fi-. nancial officers remain pecuniarily liable under the law (31 U.S.C. 3528) for illegal or improper payments from accounts entrusted to their care. I would also like to inform you that during my meeting with Mr. Donley yesterday. he indicated that Colonel Bolton is not solely responsible for the decisions taken to resolve the ACM funding deficiencies In 199192. Mr. Donley indicated that there were a number of more senior officials further up the chain of command who bear responsibility for those actions. I asked him to provide that and any other information that might help me reach a final decision in this matter. He agreed to do that. Your cooperation would be appreciated. Sincerely.
Date: 1993-06-14
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Chairman. today I rise in support of this bill and its rule. I thank the chairman for what I consider a job well done. As everyone knows. on June 9. the Committee on Science. Space. and Technology reported out and passed H.R. 2200. the NASA authorization bill. with bipartisan support. It was not just Democrats. In fact. 13 Republican committee members. including myself. cosponsored the bill. The most important part of this bill is the $1.9 billion authorized each year for the next 6 years to complete the space station. The bill funds the only real and viable option to come out of the space station redesign process. option B. Option B is a smaller version of space station Freedom. and the only one which keeps the original intent of our goal to develop a longterm workable space station. To choose another option would be throwing away over $9 billion worth of research. Do we want to scrap 9 years of hard work and progress? Do we want to put Americas relationship with our international partners in serious jeopardy? I say no. The resounding answer is no. We must fully support this effort. This bill authorizes $226 million less than the Presidents request and cuts $3 billion off the overall cost over 5 years. This is a real cut in spending. The committee also overwhelmingly voted again to kill the advanced solid rocket motor project to save an additional $1.5 billion. It is a responsible bill and gives NASA the guidance. direction. and dollars to complete space station Freedom. Most importantly. this bill is fiscally responsible. Do not let the space station and 75.000 jobs be part of political sabotage. A vote for this bill represents a vote for the future of America.
Date: 1993-06-15
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I want to thank my colleague andifriend. the gentleman from California . -for the opportunity to voice my opposition to this bill. and. as my colleagues know. this bill Just does not cut enough *spending period. Last month the liberal Members of Congress passed the largest tax incrase in the countrys history. They did this on the premise that they would include massive cuts in all areas of excessive Government spending. However. in this bill. out of $7.4 billion reoquested for the State Department in fiscal year 1994. only 1.5 percent was cut. And. out of almost $10 billion requested for foreign assistance. not even 1 percent was cut. Not one dollar was cut out of salaries and operating expenses for these agencies. In fact. out of the 38 areas targeted for authorization funding. only 5 were cut. The most obscene provision Is that which- gives the President the authority to ignore the U.N. arms embargo on Bosnia and send over $200 million in military equipment. This provision Is out of place and wrong. As my colleagues know. the purpose of the embargo is to prevent the escalation of fighting by prohibiting the infusion of arms. In fact. President Clinton just recently backed away from advocating this very position.. because he. as well as our allies. know that to arm the Bosnians will only escalate the violence. not end it. And: finally. I am not sure how we can possibly authorize money for foreign assistance programs- except those that have been well defined in the past when the President does not even have a foreign policy defined. The President has consistently waffled on his foreign policy decisions. and we cannot possibly fund objectives that are still unclear.
Date: 1993-06-22
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. the word "sham" is defined by Websters dictionary as "a trick that deludes." "an imitation or counterfeit purporting to be genuine." and. "a hoax or cheap falsehood." Any of these definitions could describe the Presidents economic plan. It is a sham that contains $3 in tax increases for every $1 in spending cuts. It is a sham that does nothing to reduce the national debt. we keep talking deficit while we keep getting the Nation deeper in debt. It is a sham involving a new "deficit reduction trust fund." A P.R. gimmick thats called a sham even by the Presidents own OMB staff. It is a sham in which over 80 percent of the proposed spending cuts do not occur until 1996 or later. when the interest on debt will be out of control. Mr. Speaker. this economic plan has turned into a national Joke. Let us just call it what it is: The biggest tax increase in U.S. history. bar none.
Date: 1993-06-23
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

If I may interrupt for a moment. I think we ought to stop talking about 36 or 37 million uninsured. because that number. as the gentleman has just proven from statistics. is not correct. We are talking about the wrong number. The people are insured. It i Just that at one point In time some 36 or 37 million may not have insurance. But it is of their own choosing. for the most part. is it not?
Date: 1993-06-23
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Therefore. if they do not want to buy insurance. but would prefer to risk their health in an emergency room where they know they can get health care without buying insurance today. then that is their choice. I do not believe and I do not think you gentlemen do either that It is the Governments responsibility to force them to buy insurance if they do not want to. Nor is it our responsibility to take care of them. I think that is what the gentleman is pointing at with regard to this monster tax increase that is going to come on everybody. And I think one of the things that has not been told about that Is that the tax increase. which. by the way. is 24 times the amount of taxes on the $100.000 group as applied to over S200.000. 48 times the amount on the $75.000 group compared to the $200.000 group. means we are really punishing that guy that is out there able to provide the Job for the guy that does not have one and able to give health insurance and benefits to the guy that does not have them. Now. I think that we have to be very careful about how we structure this health program. But we have to talk in truth and not fiction. The truth of the matter. is there are not 37 million uninsured. I think that if we make this clear to America. then it is going to be our responsibility to point out again that with this monster tax increase that is staring us in the face. we are not even talking about funding a health program such as the administration wants to have. We are talking about another little tax creeping up on us and getting burned again.
Date: 1993-06-23
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I talked to a Canadian the other day and I said. "Why dont you go back to Canada?" He said. "Im not going to. They dont have any health care." That is a national program up there. and I think everyone fails to realize that everyone is insured. no doubt about it. but you have got to wait in line to find a doctor. You do not get to pick your own hospital. You do not get to pick your own doctor. Many times you probably do not even know what. kind of.medication you are going to get.
Date: 1993-06-23
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

What we are talking about is if we are doing something like that. we immediately eliminate about 60 percent of the uninsured.