macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1995-03-23
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I would like to point out for starters that Ann Richards is the exGovernor of Texas. I believe Mr. George Bush is the Governor down there now by acclamation. I might add that the Deal bill. which my colleagues have been talking about at length all day. is really the Clinton deal. phony deal. bill. Let me just say that it does not talk to. any of the issues that we have been discussing. Our bill is totally more substantive than that. It talks to fugitives that are in food stamps. It talks to the food stamps. It talks to the kids. Mr. Chairman. with the amendments we have we have a far stronger bill than the Deal bill. the Clinton deal. phony deal. bill ever thought of being. As a matter of fact. the Clinton deal is an unfunded mandate on the States. Medicaid transitional assistance is increased from 1 year to 2 years. States must provide additional Medicaid benefits which. according to CBO. the Deal bill. the Clinton deal. phony deal. bill wil4 cost the States an additional $1.5 billion between now and the year 2000. Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 1995-03-23
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida . our distinguished chairman of the committee that designed such a wonderful welfare bill.
Date: 1995-03-24
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. for 40 years the Democrats controlled the Congress. They did nothing but protect and expand to the tune of S5 trillion a cruel welfare bureaucracy. For 2 years the Democrats controlled the House. the Senate. and the White House and still promoted this destructive governmentrun. onesizefitsall program that perpetuates a cycle of dependency. For 2 years the President talked and talked and talked about ending welfare as we know it but did nothing. and this year. guess what? He is still silent. But since January 4. the Republican Congress has replaced talk with action. replaced rhetoric with real change. The Republican welfare bill does not lack compassion. It is born out of compassion. The real lack of compassion was shown by those who stood by and did nothing while more and more Americans were pushed further and further away from the American dream. Today we will pass real welfare reform and give America back that dream.
Date: 1995-03-29
Speaker: BOB INGLIS (republican)
Chamber: H

who is going to be gone in 3 years. But that is up to the people to decide. not for us to say who should be changed or who should not be changed. Let the American people decide that. They decided that in 1994 when they overwhelmingly rejected Democrats and elected Republicans. We are our own best argument against term limits.
Date: 1995-03-30
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I am shocked at the arrogance of some Members. who stand before this body and continually bellyache--that when the Republican tax relief passes. the Federal Government will lose revenue. I cannot believe that we have to stand up and remind Membersthe money we spend is not ours. the Government did not work one day to earn that money. And yet Members continue to gripe. Lower taxes put money back into the pockets of the people who get up every morning. send their kids off to school and put in 8 hours earning a decent living. By standing up and saying the Government will lose money is saying to Americans. work hard. but remember. at the end of the day send all your money to Washington because we want to spend it. because we know better than you how to do that. Wake up. Congress. it is not our money. let us remember why we were elected. Give the American taxpayers a needed break. Cut taxes.
Date: 1995-03-30
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. the gentlewoman from Houston said health care is important. Let us fix it. That is what this bill does. We do not want to pick on an issue that does not have any relevance to this particular issue which is fixing health care. � Mr. Speaker. I would like to commend the chairman of the committee for his leadership and commitment in bringing the bill to the floor in an expedited fashion. because things are about to expire. By doing so the committee ensured that the selfemployed will be able to enjoy a permanent deduction of 30 percent to pay for their health insurance costs in the years to come. and 25 percent this year. We must help small business survive in America and I guess the Democrats just want to help the wealthy because they want big corporations to have 100percent deductions. and small guys to have nothing. It was unfortunate that this deduction was allowed to expire in the past. and equally unfortunate that we are not able to allow a full 100percent deduction for our small guys. too. We know the selfemployed need the same benefits as big business. I believe. Past legislation has been unfriendly toward business and the passage of this bill is one step in a new and better direction. We need to recognize the barriers to success that are placed in the paths of selfemployed and do what we can to eliminate them. We need a level playing field for both small business and big business. Again. I thank the Chairman and urge all my colleagues to support the passage of this important bill.
Date: 1995-03-30
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the conference report just agreed to.
Date: 1995-03-31
Speaker: KEN NEDY (republican)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I un- record at this particular time when vie derstand the request is to vitiate -the- are. debating rescissions. As soon - as Veas and nays. Am I correct? - -this issue is resolved. we will be talk-
Date: 1995-04-03
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. this week Republicans will complete the historic 100day contract by passing a landmark tax relief bill. Democrats will rise and denounce Re.publicans as friends of the rich and enemies of the poor. They will replay again and" again the same old tired argument of class warfare. trying to pit Americans against Americans. Just last week Mr. GEPHARDT said. "Republicans believe in giving money to the people that are the most privileged in our society. And they believe that. ultimately it will trickle down to the rest of society." I ask this question: Is repealing the Clinton tax on Social Security benefits for senior citizens giving money to the most privileged? No. Is increasing the earning limitation for seniors from $11.000 to $30.000. giving money to the most privileged? No. Is providing a savings account that allows any individual or family the opportunity to save and invest in a first home. send their children to college. or help pay high medical bills giving money to the most privileged? No. Is increasing the amount small businesses may expense from $17.500 to $35.000 giving money to the most privileged? No again. This will free up needed capital to invest in new equipment and create more jobs. Is providing families with a $500 per child tax credit. giving money to the most privileged? Definitely no again. especially when 74 percent of the benefits go to families earning less than the $75.000. Actually there should be no cap at all. I guess the liberals have to engage in class warfare because liberal Democrats are the party of failed promises and broken dreams. This is the only defense they have. since. for over 30 years they have done nothing to slow spending. just raise taxes. Look at the facts. President Clinton promised middle class tax cuts in 1992 and failed to deliver. But he did pass the largest middleclass tax increase in history. And after the last election. the President and the minority leader proposed tax cuts. only now to withdraw them. The President promised deficit reduction but his current budget continues $200 billion deficits from now to eternity. Mr. Speaker. Republicans have kept their promises. and the liberal Democrats have kept their tired rhetoric. It is the. Republicans that will lower taxes. balance the budget. and downsize Government. Republicans are showing the Nation they have the courage and integrity to create a stronger America.
Date: 1995-04-03
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. let us review the Democrats reign in power. In 1948 the average family with children paid only 3 cents of every dollar to the Government. Last year that same family lost 24h cents in taxes. American families now spend more in taxes than on food. clothing. and housing -combined. The average family losses $10.060 per year of income due to taxes. Now let us review the Republican plan. Clintons tax on Social Security benefits for seniors will be repealed. families with incomes of $25.000 will have their entire Federal income tax liability eliminated. 35 million families will have their taxes decreased. Which looks better to you. Republican tax relief or the Democrats 40yearold failure of high taxes and runaway spending?. Let us stop feeding the Federal beast. Let us go for tax relief.
Date: 1995-04-04
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. the passage of the Republican tax bill is a necessity. a necessity because for too long the Federal Government has penalized Americans for working hard. That is what a tax does. It penalizes people for working hard and earning money. A tax says go out and find a job. start a business. work hard. but do not succeed. Because. if you do. the Federal Government will come and take your money to Washington to feed the growth of yet another massive. wasteful bureaucratic agency. This is the philosophical difference between Republicans and liberal Democrats. Democrats fear tax cuts because they reduce the amount of money they can spend on Government projects. Republicans embrace tax cuts because we believe if you work hard. you persevere and you succeed. you deserve. without question. to keep the money you worked hard to earn. This is what the American dream is all about. Republicans also know you can create jobs and stimulate the economy if the money is in the citizens pocket. not in the Government troughs. The only thing the Government knows how to do is spend more and rack up the debt. The 40year Democrat experiment of increased taxes. increased spending. and big Government has failed. The only thing Congress has to show for it today after 40 years is a $4.5 trillion debt and a $200 billion deficit each year forever. as far as you can see. and an inefficient. ineffective Federal Government. This. again. is why the Republican tax relief bill is a necessity now. Now is the time once again to create capital. not suppress it. to reward success. not punish it. to promote business. not destroy it. and to restrain Government. not enlarge it. The Republican tax relief bill is good for families. -good for businesses. good for workers. and good for America.
Date: 1995-04-04
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. in 1993. President Clinton and the liberal Democrats passed the largest tai. increase in American history$240 billion. The 1993 tax bill included a provision that increasedfrom 50 to 85 percentthe tax on Social Security benefits received by senior citizens. Why the President chose to increase taxes on people who have worked hard and paid taxes all their lives is beyond belief. Ironically. this is the same President who used Social Security as his excuse to oppose the balanced budget amendment. Liberal Democrats chose to raise taxes on our senior citizens instead of cutting their own spending. Republicans plan. to repeal this onerous tax on seniors and at the same time balance the budget. We do not have to tax seniors to reduce the deficitwe can and will cut -our own spending. We must repeal the Clinton penalty tax on senior citizens. If you support seniors. then support the Republican tax relief bill.
Date: 1995-04-05
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. in 1993. President Clinton and the liberal Democrats passed the largest tax increase in history. claiming it was for deficit reduction. But. the forecast is $200 billion in deficits as far as the eye can see. The problem is not that the Government does not have enough money. it just spends too much. We have the proof: For every dollar they have raised in taxes. they have spent a dollar fiftynine. We must pass the Republican tax relief bill. It reduces the Clinton Tax on workers. helps businesses expand. creates jobs. and gives money back to the people who earned it. This tax cut is vital. We must eliminate the deficit. These cuts take money away from the beast. big government. and put dollars back in the hands of the creators of economic growth. the American people.
Date: 1995-04-05
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I rise in support of Americas families. who are all struggling to make ends meet. For too long Washington has increased taxes and slowly eroded the ability of families to afford the basic necessities of life. It is absurd that the American families now pay more in taxes for food. clothing. and houses combined. High taxes are for what? Politicians can spend more. that is. for big government. It is time to end this selfish Washington knows best attitude. This money does not belong to government. It belongs to you. the people. This bill would provide tax relief to 35 million American families. Congress must realize that the people of America can handle their own money better than any Washington bureaucrat. Republicans know better that lower taxes mean more money in the hands of people who make the economy grow. This means families have more money to spend. to invest. or save for the future. Democrats have been raising taxes for so long. they truly do not know any other way to run the government. Some of our Democrat speakers even believe that the taxandspend policy has succeeded. But we all know what a failure it was. Taxes are destructive to families. to businesses. and to the economy. Contrary to liberal belief. taxes do not discriminate by income. They hurt every family in America. It is unbelievable that Democrats still believe that people are not taxed enough. But then again. these are the same Democrats that passed the largest tax increase in history. They want to raise taxes again. Listen to their rhetoric. It supports big government. It supports big spending. It supports more taxes. and they want your family to pay for their over spending. Let us take a giant step forward today for our families. our children. and our Nation and vote for this bill and vote for tax relief.
Date: 1995-05-16
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of this bill to require the Medicare Board of Trustees to make recommendations on resolving the financial crisis in Medicare. They reported on April 3 that the Medicare trust fund is going to be bankrupt at the latest by the year 2002. If nothing is done. this trust fund is going to go bankrupt and there will be no Medicare. Clearly. this is not something that we can choose to address. It is something we must address. Medicare is not simply a budget issue and should not be used merely to score political points. Our Nations seniors deserve better than that. Everyone. the Congress. the President. and his Cabinet must fulfill the duties of their offices by acknowledging the problem and offering solutions. So far the White House and Democrat congressional leadership have chosen to ignore the crisis in Medicare. and that is why this bill is necessary. I hope the administration is listening. By refusing to address Medicare. they jeopardize the entire system. Americans say help us save Medicare. Vote "yes" on this bill.
Date: 1995-05-17
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. the Democrats. scarethepeople campaign about draconian cuts by Republicans is just ridiculous. The Republican budget actually increases spending by 3 percent every year for the next 7 years. spending nearly $12 trillion more in the next 7 years than in the past. When I was back in Dallas. my constituents put together three notebooks full of comments about ideas for reductions in Government spending. Do you know what they say? Balance the budget. So do not try to fool the American people into thinking that balancing the budget will hurt them. They know better. They know Government spends too much. and. most importantly. they know the consequences if we continue down the path that we are going on now. They will also know. after tomorrow. that it is the Republicans who have taken the first major step toward balancing our budget.
Date: 1995-05-18
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairrmian. I cant believe that the other side of the aisle can. in good conscience. vote today against balancing our Nations budget. I cant believe that they are able to look their families in the eye after so carelessly playing partisan politics with their futures. The other side sees more importance in pitting Americans against Americans in class warfare than they do in securing the fiscal future of the Nation and its people. And they can stand down here all day long and talk about what the Republican budget will do. But. I have said it before and I will say it again. dont try to fool the American people into believing that balancing the budget and cutting taxes will hurt themthey know better. They know that the Government spends too much money. And they know that the only way to stop the Government from spending too much is to not give them too much money in the first place. And I want to remind you that this is not our money. This money belongs to the taxpayers that get up every day and work hard for a living. So I have to ask how you can justify voting today to take more of that persons money to support your outofcontrol spending habitswhich will drive the debt out of control and leave our children with nothing? I cant imagine what reasonable thinking person would vote that way. We need to remember what this vote is about. It is about the American peopleit is their future that is on the line here. I challenge everyone in this body to make the most important vote in historyvote to balance the budget and restore security and prosperity to Americavote against this substitute and for the Republican balanced budget plan.
Date: 1995-05-18
Speaker: BOB STUMP (republican)
Chamber: H

who served on the ships watching the young wounded come aboard. He was barely18. He had fudged his age to join a couple of years before. trained at Pearl Harbor and was off the coast of Okinawa. Madam Speaker. I include the following article for the RECORD: [From the Hill. Apr. 5. 1995]
Date: 1995-05-25
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to this motion to instruct. It frankly puts the cart before the horse. This is an amendment to the current Medicare Program and wholly inappropriate to require the conferees to resolve differences in the context of contemplated changes to Medicare. We all know the Housepassed budget calls for reduction in the rate of growth of the Medicare Program. What we do not know. however. is how it will be achieved. It is interesting to me that the gentleman from Texas showed us a blank chart. You know what? The blank is in the White House. not in the House of Representatives. The blank chart has been filled up with Republican ideas and I will tell you what. before we are through. we are going to have Medicare fixed. it is going to be a super program for all our seniors. and we are not trying to take away from the seniors. We are trying to help the seniors protect the program and make it something that will be viable in the future. It is interesting also to note that the gentleman from California and the gentleman from Texas both voted for this Medicare Select when it was passed on the floor by overwhelming vote. It is interesting to note that the gentleman from Texas has now changed his mind. It makes one wonder how can you have convictions on anything and vote on the floor in a different manner. Medicare is going broke. I think the gentleman from Florida has said that. all our speakers have said it. it is going broke in the year 2002. and there is no way that this Government can pay anyone over 65 once that trust fund is to zero. The bills will not be paid. That is why Medicare needs to be fixed and fixed in a hurry and that is our goal. our aim. and it has been transferred to a scare tactic for the seniors of this Nation. We are not trying to scare anybody. we are just telling you the facts. The Presidents own people reported that Medicare is broke. going broke. and we are going to fix it and we are going to make it a system that is viable for all Americans. forever I hope. I would just like to add that as of October 1994. approximately 450.000 beneficiaries were enrolled in Medicare Select. While a majority are covered through Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans. approximately 50 companies offer Medicare Select products. Medicare beneficiaries are old and these policies save 10 to 37 percent in premiums over traditional feeforservice MediGap policies. And in August 1994. Consumer Reports rated the top MediGap insurance nationwide. 8 out of the top rated 15 MediGap plans were Medicare Select. Failure to pass this legislation will lead to higher premiums for enrollees and the potential withdrawal of insurers from the market. meaning our seniors in that case would not have a choice of plans.
Date: 1995-06-13
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I rise in strong opposition to the Dellums amendment. First. the funding for the B2 falls well within the spending cap imposed by the Committee on the Budget. It does not break the budget. Second. the B2 is a necessity. I have experienced firsthand the dangers of flying into a helpfully defended area. being tracked by radar and shot down. As a matter of fact. I was shot down in Vietnam because our Government. this body. refused to supply us with the right airplanes or munitions. -In fact. we did not have munitions most of the time. I flew an airplane that the gun sight was really just a piece of chewing gum that did not move. the gun did not fire. a product of the McNamara era which he has admitted to. The B2 gives us an ability to fly a strategic bomber into a defended area -undetected by radar without fighter escort. This is a stateoftheart technology that no other country can match. Third. those who oppose the B2 have said we can use oldB52s and BI bombers instead of B2s. As my colleagues know. the cost of flying those old airplanes is $6.4 billion more. More importantly. relying on the older airplanes through the year 2030. as opponents have planned. is risky. By that time the B52 will be nearly 70 years old. and. if we apply that same 70year timeframe. a 1918 World War I biplane would have been a front line plane in Desert Storm. 0 1945. Support our Nations Armed Forces. Vote against the Dellums amendment.