macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-12-16
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to have worked with Congressman POMEROY and Chairman LEVIN and others on the amendment that were going to be voting on later tonight. While this House recently passed. and Democrats have been fighting. to ensure that tax rates do not go up on 98 percent of the American people. Senate Republicans made it clear that they will raise. that they will raise taxes on every American if they dont get a special bonus tax break for the very top 2 percent. In order to break that stalemate. President Obama concluded he needed to cut a deal. What this amendment we will be voting on later tonight does is give the American people a better deal. Specifically. it asks all of us to consider this question: In an era of $1 trillion deficits. with our national debt approaching $14 trillion. barely 2 weeks after the bipartisan fiscal commissions "Moment of Truth" report. should we really be borrowing $23 billion from China to give the wealthiest 6.600 estates an average tax break of $1.7 million a year? Think about it: $23 billion for the wealthiest 6.600 estates a year. at a time of fiscal challenge. in a Nation of over 300 million people. without any benefit for job creation or economic growth. Mr. Chairman. much of the deal negotiated by the White House is defensible. But I would say to my colleagues. if we cant agree now that now is not the time to be giving the top threetenths of 1 percent a multimillion dollar tax break. were clearly not serious about bringing down the deficit. Theres another way. and thats in the amendment we will be voting on later today. We can adopt the amendment. It will provide a $3.5 million exemption and 45 percent maximum rate. Thats identical. identical to the rates and exemptions that were in effect in 2009 and significantly better than the rates that will take place if we take no action on January 1 when the exemption would go to 1 million and the rate would go to 55 percent. In fact. if enacted. this amendment would represent the lowest estate tax in 77 years up through 2009. Mr. Chairman. we have to level with the American people. Weve got to start somewhere bringing down the deficits. And if we cant settle on the estate tax exemptions and rates that were in place in 2009. which. as I say. were the lowest. the lowest in 77 years. if we cant do that and. instead. were going to say to the very wealthiest estates. heck. were going to give you $23 billion over the next 2 years to benefit just 6.600 estates. how can we look the American people in the eye and say were serious? Mr. Chairman. I hope when this amendment comes up later today we can make this deal one that truly benefits all the interests of all the people in this great country.
Date: 2010-12-16
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I thank the chair of the committee for allowing me to speak. I support maintaining the estate tax at the exemption of $3.5 million. Thats not what is in this legislation. And I believe in the value of hard work and rewarding those who are able to succeed. but I know some perceive the estate tax as undermining these values. However. we know that Americans with multimilliondollar estates are not the only hard workers in our Nation. We have millions of Social Security recipients who have worked their entire lives but have seen their benefits decline due to no cost of living adjustment for 2 straight years now. What message do we send our Social Security recipients that we are giving 6.600 families a tax break on the average of $1.5 million each. but we cant find it appropriate to give our seniors on a fixed income a little bit more breathing room by sending them a $250 check to allow them to pay their bills and afford their medicine? The governments calculation tells us that the cost of living has not increased over the last 2 years. but seniors in my district and most of our own districts have done their own calculations. The cost of electricity. gas. and health care have risen dramatically. I hope to support a bill that will benefit most of my constituents. but this bill does not. Hopefully. we will see amendments that will make it better.
Date: 2010-12-16
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Chair. I rise today in opposition to the irresponsible and immoral tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans included in this bill. On this very night. senior citizens. disabled people. and poor families in public housing in Sanford. Florida are going without heat during one of the coldest spells in Floridas history. Yet. Congress is about to give billions to billionaires. There is a disconnect between tax cuts for the wealthy and the pain of everyday Americans that is shocking beyond belief. If we cannot take care of our poorest citizens. why are we giving handouts to the richest? The elections told us that Americans are tired of giveaways to Wall Street and CEOs. But here we go again. Why are we holding the middle class hostage to extending tax cuts for the top 2% of incomes? We can give away $700 Billion in income tax cuts. but we cant fix the heat in Sanford public housing. On Christmas Eve. why are we giving a 25 Billion Dollar gift to forty thousand families. but giving nothing to millions of people who have been unemployed for more than 99 weeks? The Bible teaches in Proverbs 21:13. "if a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor. he too will cry out and not be answered." I have never shut my ears to the cries of Americans who need help. but I will not vote for a bill that ties the fate of many to the wealth of a few.
Date: 2010-12-16
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chair. I rise today to express my concerns regarding the Tax Relief. Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010. The American economy is slowly recovering from the worst recession weve seen since the Great Depression. While there has been some improvement. the economy is still fragile. and we need to ensure that our tax policy for the near future supports job growth if we are to continue on this path of recovery. Unfortunately. the tax package that the Senate has sent us today does not support the creation of new jobs. The United States is quickly being surpassed by other countries in infrastructure and clean energy investments. Rather than supporting tax policies to reverse this trend. the Senates tax package focuses on tax cuts for the wealthiest in our population and old energy sources that do not present great possibilities for our future. While the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) made important strides in closing that gap. this legislation is a step backwards. The Senates tax package includes a one year extension of the Treasury Grant Program enacted in section 1603 of ARRA that allows renewable energy companies to receive a cash grant in lieu of either the production or investment tax credit. The Program was designed to allow renewable energy projects to continue while investor demands for tax credits lagged in a sluggish economy. Unfortunately. a one year extension is insufficient to ensure a steady stream of investment in renewable energy projects and may stall the momentum weve built in creating a strong. green economy. Further. the tax package fails to include the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit from ARRA. a program that was immensely useful. The tax credit was created to expand domestic clean energy manufacturing. America needs to rebuild its manufacturing base to compete in the global marketplace. The Manufacturing Tax Credit is crucial to laying a foundation for the United States to be a leader in the clean energy manufacturing industry. The failure to extend these critical programs will have negative economic impact across the country and in my district in San Jose. As a Member from Silicon Valley. I represent many renewable energy and energy efficiency companies that are currently utilizing these credits to create jobs and stimulate the economy. By not including robust renewable energy programs as part of our tax policy. we are failing to invest in our economic future. and for that reason. I am unable to vote for the Tax Relief. Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010.
Date: 2010-12-17
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I thank the chairmal. For our portion of the legislation. the Terrorism. Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee focused on several of the Defense Departments most important challenges: The fight to interrupt the flow of violent extremists and the ideological underpinning of radicalization. the development and the deployment of innovative and critical technologies. and defending our homeland from attacks and managing the consequences of catastrophic incidents. including natural disasters. and. of course. trying to get our arms around cybersecurity of this Nation. It has been an honor to serve as the chairwoman of the subcommittee. And. more importantly. Mr. Chairman. to IKE SKELTON. it has been an honor to serve with you these 14 years on this committee. I urge my colleagues to pass this bill. For our portion of the legislation. the Terrorism. Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee. focused on several of the Defense Departments most important challenges: The fight to interrupt the flow of violent extremists and the ideological underpinnings of radicalization. The development and deployment of innovative and critical technologies. and Defending our homeland from attacks and managing the consequences of catastrophic incidents including natural disasters. It has been an honor serving as the chairwoman of this subcommittee and I would like to thank Chairman SKELTON for the opportunity and we will truly miss you. The subcommittee fully funds U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) with more than $9.8 billion dollars to improve the readiness and capabilities of our Special Operations Forces. The subcommittee also provides an additional $301.5 million to support unfunded requirements articulated by U.S. Special Operations Command. bringing the total authorized amount for SOCOM to more than $10 billion dollars. Support for our Special Operations Forces demonstrates the subcommittees commitment to SOCOMs critical mission areas. including counterterrorism. counterinsurgency. unconventional warfare and counterproliferation activities across the world. Our subcommittee mark also includes provisions that will require the Secretary of Defense to develop new strategies to counter irregular warfare challenges. It is important that we keep in mind the fact that we cannot kill our way out of this struggle against violent extremists. Therefore. the subcommittee provides language and funding to improve the Departments use of science and technology. and support emerging areas of research that enhance our ability to deal with challenges from radicalization and irregular warfare. The subcommittee mark also funds initiatives designed to strengthen our cybersecurity activities. and other efforts that will help us better understand how to better counter adversarial and extremists use of the internet.
Date: 2010-12-17
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. today I was unavoidably detained and missed the votes on: Adjournment Resolution (H. Con. Res. 336Sine Die Adjournment) Although H. Con. Res. 336 passed by a vote of 196153. I respectfully request the opportunity to record my position. Had I been present I would have voted "yea" on rollcall 652. H. Res. 1776Rule providing for consideration of H.J. Res. 105Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2011. Although H. Res. 1776 passed by a vote of 184159. I respectfully request the opportunity to record my position. Had I been present I would have voted "yea" on rollcall 653. H.R. 2142Government Efficiency. Effectiveness. and Performance Improvement Act of 2009 to require the review of Government programs at least once every 5 years for purposes of assessing their performance and improv-
Date: 2010-12-17
Speaker: HERSETH SANDLIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I regret that I was unable to participate in one vote on the floor of the House of Representatives today. The vote was H.R. 5510Aiding Those Facing Foreclosure Act of 2010. Had I been present. I would have voted "yea" on that question.
Date: 2010-12-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the distinguished gentleman. Madam Speaker. I join my colleagues by admitting that competition is good. and I rise in support of competition. Yet I also recognize as a member of the Manufacturing Caucus that Americans are ready and clamoring to build. and they want to produce and create. As they do that with their sophisticated technology. they create jobs. So I believe it is unfair that when there is a competition that our companies. in fact in our own country at the Pentagon. are competing against those companies that are subsidized. So I rise in support of this legislation. H.R. 6540. which does not in any way hamper the ability of the Pentagon to do its work. but indicates that we can build the KCX Aerial Refueling Aircraft Program by a company that we have. in this instance Boeing. of which I am very familiar. having worked extensively with it in the NASA Human Space Exploration Program. Let us build again. Let us manufacture again. Yes. we will create jobs. but we will create and reinforce the genius of our young people who are being trained and of those scientists who have created topnotch technology. To be on the front lines. men and women who are in the United States military need the best equipment to be able to create jobs and bring manufacturing back in this country. We need to have the competitiveness and an even playing field. No subsidies. Boeing can do it. We need to have the Pentagon recognize that America is back in the saddle again. We are building quality products. and we need to be able to build the KCX Aerial Refueling Aircraft.
Date: 2010-12-21
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require criminal background checks for school employees.
Date: 2010-12-21
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H.R. 6547 into the RECORD.
Date: 2010-12-21
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I would quickly say that I would like to thank the gentlelady from Illinois for her cooperation on this. I know this isnt the best process. but at the end of the session. having the Government Accountability Office report land on our desk on our watch. I felt it was important that we pass this legislation today to clearly send a very strong message to school districts across the country that they have to meet their responsibility to keep our children safe during school hours. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Date: 2010-12-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I want to thank my good friend from Massachusetts for his leadership and his comanager on the floor for her insightfulness on this legislation and. as well. to Senator KOHL. I rise in support of S. 118 because so many of us have these very questions being raised in our district. particularly with populations of seniors increasing. My district happens to have one of the highest percentages of senior constituents. and all of them seem to be looking for housing. I support the underlying initiative. section 202 housing. I have a number of those units in my congressional district. But one of the points that I wanted to highlight is the fact that many of these facilities are falling in disrepair. Even though there are some new facilitiesand by my rising to the floor of the House. I would like to encourage my constituents and all those who are listening about how important it is to institute section 202 proposals or projects. They are enormously important. and I think it is important that the provision that encourages the utilization of State and local housing financing agencies is an asset. One of the most important parts of this legislation is for the nonprofits who engage in 202 to be engaged or share more in the refinancing of these projects. The Heights House in my district. for example. is one that has a very vibrant population of residents who are there. but I know that all who are involved would like to see that property improved and those resources used to ensure that upkeep is continued. In many instances. the owners or nonprofits will say that the return on the property is not enough to keep it at its highest level. Although we appreciate these properties and we appreciate the idea of these seniors having a place to live. I think that this particular legislation will reinforce section 202 and add to the 320.000 units already there. Our senior population is growing. Many of them have resources. but many do not. And I think the 202 project under HUD is an important concept to provide more housing for our seniors. They deserve. after working and contributing to this great country. the opportunity to live a very good quality of life. With that. I ask my colleagues to support this legislation. and I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Date: 2010-12-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill to require U.S. Customs and Border Protection to administer polygraph examinations to all applicants for law enforcement positions with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. to require U.S. Customs and Border Protection to complete all periodic background reinvestigations of certain law enforcement personnel. and for other purposes.
Date: 2010-12-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
Date: 2010-12-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to join the gentlelady from Michigan to offer my deepest sympathy for the fallen Customs and Border Patrol agent who lost his life in the line of duty. in the line of battle. if you will. and to express this countrys gratefulness again for his service. So in tribute to those who we recognize every day put their lives on the front line. we want to ensure that we have the kind of force of men and women that will uphold the highest standards of integrity that even under pressure in this very hostile climate of drug cartels. human trafficking and smuggling and massiveness of criminal activity and intent to do harm to the United States. that we provide the atmosphere for these men and women to do their job. Madam Speaker. as you have heard. the enactment of S. 3243 will force a greater integrity through CBP. Passage of S. 3243 by the House of Representatives today will allow this important measure to be presented to the President for his signature in recognition of the sacrifice of all of these men and women at our borders. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting S. 3243 and. as we do this. look forward to comprehensively addressing this immigration concern in this Nation and really move this Nation forward in a nonpartisan and bipartisan manner.
Date: 2010-12-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.
Date: 2010-12-21
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I do rise in support of H.R. 5116. the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act. And I am proud to say that I have worked with Dr. EHLERS. with our incoming chairman.
Date: 2010-12-21
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the chairman for yielding. and I thank him for all of his work on this legislation. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act. This legislation makes strategic and smart investments in students pursuing degrees in the science. technology. engineering or math fields. It continues the Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. which encourages students studying in STEM fields to earn a teaching credential and enter the classroom. It makes changes to encourage more colleges and universities to participate in these programs. This will ensure we have prepared teachers in our nations science and mathematics classrooms to educate and inspire the next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs.
Date: 2010-12-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. let me personally thank you for your leadership and continued focus on important issues here in this Congress. I rise today to celebrate and to thank the chairman of the Science Committee. Chairman GORDON. for his years of commitment and intensity as it relates to the importance of this work. I also add my appreciation to Chairmanelect HALL. whom I have worked with. as I did Congressman GORDON. for some 12 years on the Science Committee. And once on the Science Committee. one can never leave its values and its importance. As I sat on the Science Committee in the end of the 20th century. I always said that science was the work of the 21st century. And although bills are not perfect. and this bill that has come over from the other body is not. it is where we need to go. And I would simply remind my colleagues of the history of the Model T. When Henry Ford developed the Model T. that technology generated into an enormous industry in the United States that created new technology and millions of jobs. I might say. And so here we are today with a great need to reignite. restart our manufacturing journey. And I am delighted that this bill has seen the vision of getting elementary. middle school. high school students involved in the sciences. Thats where our Achilles heels are. Thats where the vision comes to invent things. to make things to develop the next generation of jobs. And so it establishes an interagency with a STEM education coordination committee. It provides an interagency committee for coordination of manufacturing R&D. And to listen to my colleagues talk about subsidiesdo they realize that every country around the world is subsidizing their manufacturing to make them more competitive. to have a greater competitive edge? There is nothing wrong with creating jobs for America.