macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-11-03
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chair. on the evening of November 3. 2015. I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote 586. Had I been present. I would have voted "yea."
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: JUDY CHU (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. we depend on immigrant workers to take some of the toughest jobs. They pick our food. clean our houses. and wash our cars. As U.S. workers. they deserve to freely exercise their labor rights. yet when immigrants want to organize for fair pay or decent working conditions. they are often silenced by unscrupulous employers who retaliate through harassment. abuse. and threats of immigration enforcement. This is unacceptable. When I hear about it. I think of Asuncion Valdivia. who died after 10 hours of grape picking in 105 degree heat. Asuncion did not have the opportunity to report a violation. We cannot allow any voice to be stifled. especially when that voice is speaking out against dangerous or unfair practices. That is why I am introducing the POWER Act this week. This bill expands U visa eligibility for victims of retaliation. strengthens labor agencies investigative powers. and allows a stay of removal for workers who filed a workplace claim. We must protect our workers. no matter who they are.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. as we prepare to honor the service of our men and women in uniform this Veterans Day. we must come together to stop one of the most egregious practices that is preying upon them: predator payday loan companies are targeting our veterans at an alarming rate. In North Texas alone. a fast cash payday advance of $500 that is rolled over five or more times could wind up costing $1.200 or more. As a result. many borrowers are trapped in a cycle of debt when these shortterm loans are not repaid on time. usually within a required 2 to 4 weeks. Mr. Speaker. these companies have targeted our vulnerable veterans with limited financial options. digging them deeper and deeper into debt. We in Congress must work to cap these interest rates and require all lenders to follow the same standards as our local banks. mortgage companies. and other forprofit lenders. As a Nation. we have a long way to go to make sure that those who have protected and defended our homeland are. themselves. protected and defended when they return home to rebuild their lives.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. I rise in opposition to this amendment. and I will be opposing all amendments to this portion of the highway bill. Without a doubt. these amendments reflect the latest in a string of tactics by opponents of the ExportImport Bank to delay and block any reauthorization of the Bank from moving forward. This amendment and other antiExIm amendments we will soon consider cannot reasonably be viewed as a constructive effort. As we know well. small businesses unquestionably are central to the health of our economy. Fortunately. before extremists. ones on the opposite side of the aisle. shut down the ExIm Bank. Many small businesses were already directly supported by the programs offered by the ExportImport Bank. In fact. in fiscal year 2014. out of over 3.700 authorizations. more than 3.300. or nearly 90 percent. directly served U.S. small businesses. Of the remaining 10 percent. many of these authorizations served companies that support vast U.S. supply chains. including in my district. The effort to use small businesses as a pawn in the fight to kill the ExIm Bank should be rejected. This amendment must be rejected. Madam Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Washington who serves on the Financial Services Committee and who has worked tirelessly for this reauthorization.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee . who has been an absolute leader on this issue.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chairman. I would simply say to the gentleman from Pennsylvania you figure it out. Evidently. you dont know anything about what ExIm does and the jobs that it provides. Madam Chairman. I yield 15 seconds to the gentleman from Oklahoma . a leader with courage.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chair. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania .
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chair. I yield myself 1 minute. This amendment. offered by one of the leading opponents of the ExIm Bank. would effectively chop the ExIm Banks mission in half by eliminating the Banks role in providing finance to fill market gaps that the private sector is unable to meet. This would overwhelmingly harm the small businesses that use the Bank and that often have the hardest time securing the financing they need through the private sector alone. For example. when U.S. small businesses are seeking to export. commercial banks often refuse to accept foreign receivables as collateral for a loan without an ExIm guarantee. Without ExIm. these small businesses would be unable to extend terms to foreign buyers and would have to ask for cash in advance. In these cases. sales would almost always go to a firm from another country that can count on the backing of its own official export credit agency. I urge all Members to oppose this amendment. which would undermine the Banks important role. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself 1 minute. This amendment offered by the gentleman from South Carolina is yet another attempt to undermine the reauthorization of the ExIm Bank by requiring multiple denials of assistance from the private sector be provided as a precondition of obtaining financing. The ExIm Bank would not exist if they had to go before someone and require that they look at their application 10 times. 15 times. This would be burdensome. It would be time consuming and. more likely. unworkable for the potential uses of the ExIm Bank. The fact is that private sector banks dont generally issue letters of rejection. likely making compliance with the amendment impossible. I also take issue with the provisions included in the amendment that are designed to intimidate potential users of the Bank who would be liable if they were found to have not adequately determined whether private sector financing may have been available to them. I urge Members to oppose this amendment. which would impose new restrictions on U.S. businesses alone. putting them at a unique disadvantage. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from South Carolina
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I demand a recorded vote. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII. further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from South Carolina will be postponed.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chair. I claim time in opposition to the amendment. The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chair. I yield myself 1 minute. Mr. Chair. I rise in opposition to yet another poison pill amendment offered by the gentleman from South Carolina. The amendment seeks to create an odd linkage between the worlds sovereign wealth funds and the provision of export credit financing. Given the fact that. even if these funds involve themselves a great deal in the provision of export financing. which I understand they do not. I would assume they would be more interested in financing their own countrys exports and not the exports of American goods and services. In any event. I want to be very clear about one thing. The purpose of the U.S. ExportImport Bank is to support American jobs by boosting U.S. exports. The Bank exists to serve American interests. So when we withhold financing from the potential foreign purchaser of a U.S. product or service. we are only hurting ourselves. This is not a serious amendment. I urge Members to oppose it. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman and Members. this desperate attempt by my friends on the opposite side of the aisle. this lastminute attempt to try and kill ExIm. is laughable. I am asking all of the Members of this House to simply see it for what it is and vote against it. Vote "no" on these amendments and this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from South Carolina
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. may I inquire how much time I have remaining? The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman has 21/2 minutes remaining.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself the balance of my time. I have listened carefully to the arguments that are being made on the opposite side of the aisle. and I listened carefully to Mr. DUFFY. Evidently. he does not know or does not understand that those big corporations that he talked about are hiring small businesses in his district. He does not understand that these are the suppliers to these big companies. These are the families who are benefiting from the jobs and the contracts that they have been able to get. Evidently. listening to my friends on the opposite side of the aisle. they really dont understand the ExIm Bank. They really dont understand its support for our ability to export. thus creating jobs. While on the one hand they talk about how great our country is and how competitive we are. how competitive we need to be. they dont understand that. just as Mr. FINCHER said. other countries such as China are just hoping that we cannot reopen this Bank. They are just hoping that we will not support our exporters. because they are going to support their exporters 100 percent. If you care about jobs. if you care about contracts. if you care about small businesses. you would not be opposing this Bank. As a matter of fact. there are those who would say: I am surprised that MAXINE WATERS is such an advocate for the ExIm Bank. we did not expect her to be. But I want you to know. I have worked with the Chamber of Commerce. I have held meetings in my district. The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I claim time in opposition to the amendment. The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I yield myself 1 minute. Yet again the gentleman from South Carolina is offering an amendment designed to kill the ExIm Bank and compromise its reauthorization in the highway bill conference. By imposing arbitrary caps on the Banks ability to meet the needs of American exporters. regardless of the sector they represent. the amendment would starve certain sectors of the financing they need. resulting in a needless loss of U.S. jobs. I am concerned the amendment would also create incentives for businesses to be the first in line to get the limited amount of financing that is available for that particular sector or industry and would also undermine its mandates to serve subSaharan Africa. small businesses. and renewable energy exports. Given the Banks extremely low default rate. it is hard to envision how this amendment would help the Bank better manage its portfolio. I urge Members to reject this poison pill amendment so that we can reauthorize the ExIm Bank without delay. Mr. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I claim the time in opposition to the amendment. The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. this amendment has been offered in an attempt to delay and derail the Banks reauthorization. Despite the implication made by the gentlemans amendment that ExIm is undertaking and mismanaging excessive risk. it is important to be clear on the fact that the Bank has a portfolio that is well diversified regionally and by sector. spread across over 170 countries and dozens of industries. The Banks portfolio is also well collateralized. especially in its larger product sector. and it maintains the loss rate of less than onequarter of 1 percent. Moreover. ExIm Banks strong portfolio has withstood the test of numerous market disruptions in the past. Finally. the Bank is also selffunded largely through user fees collected from foreign customers and has generated a surplus of close to $7 billion. money that has been sent to the U.S. Treasury to help lower our deficit. So I urge all Members to reject this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself 1 minute. Mr. Chairman and Members. this amendment. more than any other. is the one most clearly aimed at fracturing the majority coalition that has overwhelmingly backed the reauthorization of the ExportImport Bank. For Members who might feel pressure to vote for this amendment. I urge you to keep in mind that you would also be voting to send the ExIm provision in this bill to conference and directly into the hands of Chairman HENSARLING and Chairman SHELBY. which will prove fatal to the ExportImport Bank. Moreover. the Foreign Assistance Act as well as the omnibus spending bill the House adopted last December both prohibit ExIm support to state sponsors of terrorism. and there is no reason to believe that will change. Mr. Chairman. I strongly urge Members to appreciate the extraordinary efforts it has taken Members on both sides of the aisle to get us to this point. and I call on my colleagues to reject this poison pill amendment that is designed to upend the reauthorization of the Bank. Mr. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chair. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from California .
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I demand a recorded vote. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII. further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from California will be postponed.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I rise in opposition to the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona . which would do little to strengthen or improve the ExportImport Bank. Rather. the amendment is a cynical attempt to inaccurately and artificially inflate the cost of the programs offered by the Bank. All this would achieve is confusion regarding the realworld state of the Banks fiscal health. The fact of the matter is the ExportImport Bank has been extraordinarily careful in its risk management. which has resulted in a dividend to taxpayers of close to $7 billion. This is real money. and to pretend it isnt real for accounting purposes just isnt credible. Overwhelmingly. majorities in the House and Senate have passed identical reauthorization measures that deliberately excluded this provision. and adding it back now would only serve to undermine the Banks reauthorization. Mr. Chairman. I urge Members to oppose this amendment. Mr. Chairman. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California . who serves on the Financial Services Committee.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee . a real champion and a leader to reauthorize the Bank.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. this is what our accountant friend. Mr. SHERMAN. called fairytale value accounting. But further than that. President George W. Bush calls this fuzzy math. We have heard everything this evening. We have had every attempt to try to kill the ExportImport Bank. and now we are into this fuzzy. fairytale math that is being presented by my friend. I urge my friends to vote "no" on this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I rise in strong opposition to the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia . which. with all due respect. is a solution in search of a problem that. if adopted. will only serve to undermine the competitiveness of U.S. businesses. The fact is the ExIm Bank already has a process in place for providing public notice and comment under which any member of the public. including companies who believe they may have been harmed. may submit comments which the board reviews prior to approving any transaction. Lengthening this approval process by an additional 4 months. as the gentlemans amendment would do. would only serve to hurt our exporters by preventing them from competing in timesensitive deals. Our U.S. exporters need and deserve every competitive edge they can get. I urge my Members to reject this unnecessary and burdensome amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. what the gentleman doesnt realize is we are all trying to get a fair chance for our constituents. the small businesses and the jobs. I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin .
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining? The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman has 2 minutes remaining.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oklahoma . one of our champions on the reauthorization of the ExIm Bank.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia .
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chair. I claim the time in opposition to the amendment. The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chairwoman. I rise in opposition to this amendment. The Neugebauer amendment represents a poorly designed attempt to cover the cost of the highway bill. My colleague from Texas is concerned that the Senates underlying provisions would cut the largest banks guaranteed 6 percent dividend payments from the Federal Reserve as well as extend a 10 basis point fee on new mortgages. although not until 2021. In place of those provisions. my colleague would eliminate the Federal Reserve surplus account without even considering whether it could harm monetary policy or our economic security in the decades ahead. I previously expressed concern about using Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as a piggy bank to pay for unrelated government spending. Instead. Republicans should finally take up housing finance reform. Despite controlling this House for almost 5 years and the Senate for nearly 2. Republicans have entirely failed to reform the housing markets. despite claiming that the mortgage giants caused the crisis. Regarding the other Senate provision. I am not sure why the largest banks should be entitled to a permanent dividend payment of 6 percent a year. How many of my colleagues or their constituents have a safe investment that pays this well? In fact. most of my constituents are lucky to earn a penny a month on their bank account. Yet. when the Senate first proposed to cut these bank dividends. House Republicans urged that Congress first study what would be the effect before changing the law. The Federal Reserve surplus account. which Mr. NEUGEBAUER proposes to eliminate permanently to protect the bank dividends. has promoted global confidence in U.S. monetary policy for more than 100 years. Federal Reserve officials explained to the GAO that maintaining capital. including the surplus account. provides an assurance of a central banks strength and stability to investors and foreign holders of U.S. currency. That is why central banks around the worldincluding the Bank of England. the European Central Bank. and the German Central Bankall make use of surplus accounts. Nevertheless. my Republican colleagues are willing to cut this monetary policy tool without knowing what the longterm effect would be. During the 2008 financial crisis. the Federal Reserve took unprecedented action to prevent economic collapse by purchasing trillions of dollars of assets. During the countless hearings with Federal Reserve chairs Bernanke and Yellen. my colleagues suggested that the Federal Reserve is leveraged more than Lehman Brothers. pointing out that the Fed surplus is inadequate to protect losses to the taxpayer. But with this amendment. they would eliminate for all time all Fed surplus which. based on Republican logic. would be infinite leverage. Madam Chair. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-11-04
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chair. I would like to draw to your attention that Mr. NEUGEBAUERS original amendment would have paused for 1 year and studied it. He changed it to strip the surplus forever and keep the dividend. My Republican colleagues had every opportunity to ask Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen about this amendment or. for that matter. her thoughts on what cutting the big bank dividend payments would be but did not. Instead. they peppered her for 3 hours with sundry other questions. failing to ask about one proposal. then considered late in the day to eliminate a 100yearold monetary policy tool. Madam Chair. yesterday my Republican colleagues sought to hamstring the Federal Reserve. I ask for a "no" vote on this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-11-05
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to encourage Saturday Night Live to disinvite Donald Trump from hosting their show this weekend. Many may believe that Mr. Trump is just causing controversy so that he can get media attention. but his divisive and racist rhetoric has very troubling and realworld consequences. Many businesses and individuals have severed ties with Mr. Trump. Even SNLs owner. NBC Universal. stated that. "At NBC. respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values." and they ended their relationship with Mr. Trump. Perhaps this blunder happened because currently there is no Latino cast member on SNL. and there have only been two in the entire history of SNL. I hope Saturday Night Lives producers. writers. and cast members will consider how Donald Trump hosting SNL will compromise the integrity of their show. Having Mr. Trump degrades the quality of SNLs humor because racism isnt funny. It is lazy. and it is cheap. Comedy has the power to highlight hypocrisy in society and reveal important social truths and political commentary. SNL has achieved that in the past. and I hope it returns.