macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Chair. H.R. 1173 exemplifies the GOP agenda in the 112th Congress: to reject constructive Democratic ideas. and fail to introduce any practical solutions to our nations problems. I think we are all in agreement that the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports. CLASS. Programin its current formneeds work. However. simply repealing it conveniently ignores that we have a longterm care crisis in this country. Private longterm care insurance is too costly for most Americans and the alternative. spending down their assets in order to qualify for Medicaid. is financially devastating. Medicaid now accounts for nearly half of all longterm care spending. and as the nations baby boomers age. federal and state budgets will face further strain. The CLASS program is intended to lessen the burden. providing working families a national. voluntary. and premiumfinanced insurance program that enables them to responsibly plan for longterm care. Secretary Sebelius made the right decision to delay implementation of program because. under existing parameters. it could not be done in a financially solvent way. The Congressional Budget Office. CBO. estimated that the program would run surpluses through approximately 2029 but would begin adding to the budget deficit after that. We need to fix that. But lets try to mend it. not end it. Lets exhaust all of our options. confer with experts and beneficiaries. and see if we can find a viable path forward for the CLASS program. We must make every effort to make it solvent before we leave seniors and disabled individuals to the status quo for the foreseeable future.
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Chair. I rise today in opposition of H.R. 1173. legislation to repeal the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports program. America has a longterm care crisis. and it is only getting worse. Currently. there are over 10 million Americans who require longterm care. and this number is expected to grow to 15 million by 2020. Longterm care places a huge burden on family budgets. CLASS makes longterm care more affordable and accessible by providing a national. voluntary. selfsustaining insurance program for the purchase of longterm care services and supports. While CLASS may need to be tweaked. it should not be repealed without the existence of a viable alternative. Rather than repeal this bill today. Republicans and Democrats need to work together to identify ways to strengthen CLASS so that it becomes a sustainable longterm care program. Our nations seniors are counting on us. and we must not let them down. As our population ages. the need for longterm care services will only grow. Repealing the CLASS Act. without providing a viable alternative. will result in millions of seniors exhausting their retirement savings and personal assets. I cannot support H.R. 1173. as it undermines the personal dignity of our seniors.
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 5. after line 19. add the following:
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Chair. first of all. let me say that I was on the floor yesterday regarding the CLASS Act and my approach to the CLASS Act. And I recognize that we have had some difficulty with putting together the right balance. the right financial structure for a very large program. But it does not mean that it does not have purpose.
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me just say. Madam Chair. to my disappointment. I wanted to reserve to engage with my friend. But let me just say this: that care involves home residential care. skillednursing facilities. and it will likely double from the 10 million services in 2000 to. as I said earlier. 26 million people. So it makes sense to accept my amendment that would allow this macroeconomic study to look closely at the benefit and the burden of not having longterm care. I can assure you that we will be better informed to be able to have those instructions. and I would ask my colleagues to support this amendment. Madam Chair. I rise today in support of my amendment #2. to H.R. 1173. "The Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011 ." My amendment would delay the repeal of the CLASS PROGRAM until the completion of a macroeconomic study. We must determine the costs of not having longterm care insurance on the federal. state. and local governments before we repeal programs. like CLASS. that are self sustaining. CLASS is not tax payer funded! The lack of affordable care is a very serious problem which. if not addressed. will only add to our growing national debt. H.R. 1173 would repeal Title VIII of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Supports (CLASS) Programa national. voluntary longterm care insurance program for purchasing community living assistance services and supports. Title VIII also authorized and appropriated funding through 2015 for the National Clearinghouse for LongTerm Care Information (clearing house). H.R. 1173 would rescind any unobligated balances appropriated to the National Clearinghouse for LongTerm Care Information. I ask my colleagues to ensure that the 26 million Americans. who will need long term care services in the near future. will be able to purchase this care at reasonable prices.
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentleman. Madam Chair. first of all. I want to make sure that my amendment is amendment No. 2 to H.R. 1173. and I have another amendment which is amendment No. 1. But I do want to respond to the gentleman and just indicate that best practices have not been assessed. The point of my amendment is to get us focusing on what the numbers need to be to increase the viability of life and care for those needing longterm care. juxtaposed against the enormous debt and deficit that will occur if no one has longterm care or we continue to have to utilize Medicaid. which is at $101 billion. private insurance is only at $14.5 billion. and then the burden on family members. aging family members. their care. They have put in their pound of support at $450 billion. We can at least pay attention to new numbers by asking for best practices to be assessed. I believe if we do that. we will have the opportunity to do the right thing by the American people. and we will be. in essence. being productive. No one can deny the fact that having insurance that has people being eliminated from insurance for preexisting conditions is not good. No one can say that having children on your insurance to 26 is not good. No one can say that not being kicked out of a hospital bed because you have flatlined on your insurance is not good. It is good. We recognize that coming together in a bipartisan manner. we can. in fact. make this right. and we can find a way to help those families right now. Alzheimers. where families are taking care of that loved one. they need support. and they need it in a structure that can help provide them with resources for longterm care. I ask my colleagues to support a thoughtful amendment that deals with providing additional information. I thank the gentleman for his time. I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee No. 2 amendment on a macroeconomic study on the benefits and burdens of repealing the CLASS Act. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Texas .
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I demand a recorded vote. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII. further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Texas will be postponed.
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I have an amendment. No. 1 I believe. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: H.R. 1173 At the end of the bill. add the following:
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. when it comes to health care and those who need it and cant afford it. I constantly remind myself that but for the grace of God. there go I. You dont believe in God? But for the grace of chance and circumstance. but for the goodness of luck. there go I. The question we have to ask ourselves is what kind of country are we going to be? Are we going to be a country wherein health care becomes wealth care? Where only the wealthy can afford what is available? The technologys available. The pharmaceuticals are available. But only the wealthy can afford that which is available in the richest country in the world. Are we going to be a country wherein pregnancy is a preexisting condition. if you are pregnant and you dont have insurance. you cannot get it? Is that the kind of country we are going to be? Are we going to be a country wherein senior citizens who are in need of pharmaceuticals cannot get them because they cant afford them. but if youre wealthy. you can. But for the grace of God. there go I. No one deserves the status in life to which he or she is born. Born wealthy? You didnt earn it. Born poor? You dont deserve it. The question is whether we will understand that it can happen to any one of us and that we are a country that can afford to make a difference in the lives of those who are sick and cannot take care of themselves. So the issue today has not been whether we can afford it or whether we can do it. The question is. do we have the will? We can find the way. I would yield to my colleague from Georgia. whom I have great respect for and for whom I hold no animus. I just would like to ask you. is it not true. my dear friend. that we can work this out and find a way to get it done? Is it not true? Can we not find a way to get this done?
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

If I may reclaim my time. I do welcome comments about the past. my dear friend. But Im asking you. given that you do have some degree of influence given that youre in the majority. why can we not do now what was not done? Im not privy to all of what wasnt done and should have been done. But why can we not do now what wasnt done? Why can we not now work to mend. rather then end. something that can benefit persons who cannot help themselves? Why can we not do it now? What prevents us? I yield to the gentleman.
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I ask that I be extended the courtesy that the gentleman from Georgia received when he received an additional 5 minutes. I dont need an additional 5 minutes. I would just like to continue this dialogue that we have had. and he did receive an additional 5 minutes earlier. The Acting CHAIR. Is the gentleman requesting unanimous consent for an additional 5 minutes?
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I would ask the Chair for a ruling first as to whether the Chair has the authority to do it. Then. if I am incorrect. let the record always reflect that I will extend an apology when I have made a mistake. So if I have made a mistake. I will do so. but I do ask that the Chair give a ruling as to whether or not we can have the unanimous consent request granted.
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Before I leave the podium. if I may. I would like to prevail upon my friend whom I am having a colloquy with to show some sense of desire to continue this and reach some sort ofThe Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Texas will suspend. The time of the gentleman from Texas has expired.
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

May I ask for the unanimous consent now. Mr. Chairman? The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman has requested unanimous consent to extend his time. There has been an objection to that request. Does the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia seek recognition?
Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I would like to thank the gentleman from Maine for providing an opportunity for civility and dialogue on the true grit of the American constituency. I am amazed. Im shocked. that we would be here on floor of the House denigrating an institution that has been accepted as a rainy day umbrella. I have said it often. for individuals whove toiled in the hot sun and skyscrapers on building infrastructure. on driving buses and trains. or however they may have provided for their families. and they have now lost their jobs. They dutifully paid into the insurance pool called unemployment insurance. They followed the laws of their State. Some of them may be veterans who are now in the civilian workforce. and they are chagrined that they find themselves unemployed. Now we have those who would say idle hands are the devils workshop and who want to insist that these are drug addicts. that theyre uneducated. that they need a GED. and that they have all kinds of baggage that will not allow them to be gainfully employed. Mr. Speaker. Im very sorry to say that is not true. I know in my own community we are more fortunate than others regarding the amount of unemployed individuals. But I know in the devastated communities people want to work. I have had individuals come to my office over and over again. I have seen people line up in the hot sun across this Nation this past summer attempting to get jobs. So I simply want to join with the gentlemans motion to instruct. I want this to be the motion to instruct for dignity. I want to thank you for insisting that workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own are not. in essence. drug addicts. That means conspicuous drug addicts because sometimes people need counseling. Rather than stigmatizing. why dont we have a component that says you have job skill training. if you need counseling. you get counseling. Lets not denigrate the unemployed. Pass the unemployment insurance. Lets call for dignity.
Date: 2012-02-02
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank my colleague. Mr. HASTINGS. Before I say a word about the legislation which Members of Congress would have an opportunity to vote on if we defeat the previous question. I just want to say a word about the bills that are the subject of the rule here today.
Date: 2012-02-02
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank Mr. HOYER. Reclaiming my time. with respect to the two bills that are the subject of this rule. we are going to have more time to debate them later. I would just say to my friend from Georgia that the American people would love to be able to wish away inflation. I just came from a hearing in the Budget Committee. Im sure the Chairman of the Federal Reserve would love to be able to wish away inflation. What the gentleman is proposing is that we put together a budget that. unfortunately. would get more and more misleading over time. a baseline for our budget. because it would simply wish away inflation. With respect to the other bill. as some of my colleagues. including the gentleman from Florida . have pointed out. what it does is create this mirage that somehow by providing tax breaks for folks at the very top. youre going to get the economy moving when in fact the most recent Congressional Budget Office analysis shows that at the end of the 10year period. if you do that. because you add more to the deficit. you actually slow down economic growth. Unfortunately. the way theyve got this framed. we dont get that analysis. Now. Mr. Speaker. theres one thing that we can do to show families across the country that we get it. that we realize that theyre struggling. and that is. every Member of Congress should set an example by voting for legislation that says in these tough times. we are not going to take for ourselves a costofliving increase. If Members vote to defeat the previous question. theyll have an opportunity to vote up or down on it. Now. as Mr. HOYER said. yesterday there was a piece of legislation on the floor that said were only going to limit the COLA for Members of Congress if we also punish other Federal employees who have been serving this country. employees who have already contributed in the last 2 years $60 billion to reducing the deficit. folks like people in the intelligence community who helped track down Osama bin Laden and folks who were helping protect the safety of the food supply.
Date: 2012-02-02
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman. I think we should be willing to stand up in front of the American people and just have a clean upordown vote. just have a clean upordown vote on making the statement that we Members of Congress understand how people are struggling and were not going to take a costofliving increase this year. We havent taken it for the last couple of years. The country is still struggling and people are still struggling. My friend mentioned American families talking around the kitchen table looking at the budget. Lets show that we understand the reality that many of them are facing. Members of Congress can afford to lead by example. and I hope we will. It will be an important statement. I think. of where this Congress stands. So. again. I thank Mr. HASTINGS for his leadership. I know at the appropriate time hes going to call for the previous question. If you want to vote to make sure that we pass legislation to not provide costofliving increase raises to Members of Congress. then you should vote to defeat the previous question. Vote "no" on the previous question.
Date: 2012-02-02
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

The last point I would make is that its very possible the Senate will not take up the piece of legislation that the House passed yesterday because many of them may not want to punish Federal employees. At the same time. this provision that were offering. being a clean upordown vote. the Senate would have to make a judgment as to whether or not to vote up or down on the question of congressional pay. So I hope all of our colleagues will vote to defeat the previous question so we can send this important message and make this statement.
Date: 2012-02-02
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia changed her vote from "nay" to "yea." So the motion to instruct was rejected. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. Stated for:
Date: 2012-02-02
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. At the outset of his remarks. Mr. PRICE referenced the economy and the Presidents plan. I think it is important to remember that when the President came before this body for the first State of the Union address. the economy was in absolute free fall. In fact. we now know it was even worse than people realized at the time. We were losing GDP at a rate of more than 7 percent. We were losing over 800.000 jobs in this country every month. And as a result of the passage of the recovery bill. the Congressional Budget Office. the same nonpartisan. independent office that this bill is asking for a report from. has told Congress that because of the recovery bill. we saved or created up to 3 million jobs in 2010. Those are the facts reported by the Congressional Budget Office. that we helped reduce unemployment in this country in 2011 by over 1.4 percent. When youre headed down fast. youve got to stop the slide. pick yourself up and begin to climb back up. And thats what the President and the earlier Congress did together. Now. are we where we want to be? Of course not. Thats why its important that we begin to move forward on the jobs plan the President asked this Congress to take up last September. major new investment in infrastructure. stuff that will really help move the economy. We havent voted on that. I hope well move forward on the payroll tax cut extension for 160 million Americans. We should do that quickly. So lets remember that this economy was in tatters. It has at least gotten a little bit back up on its feet. but we have a whole. long way to go still. Unfortunately. this bill today wont do one thingnot a thingto help it. With that. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Wisconsin .
Date: 2012-02-02
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I hope if our Republican colleagues are going to keep asking CBO for these reports that theyll read those reports. because if you read the CBOs analysis of the impact of the Recovery Act. theyve been very clear that in the year 2010. it helped save or create up to 3 million jobs. Thats what CBO says. It also says in the year 2011. it helped reduce unemployment by over 1.4 percent. Thats what the Congressional Budget Office says. Now were asking the Congressional Budget Office for a study here. I think we should take into account in some of our comments their findings that theyve already delivered to us. With respect to the situation the President inherited. again. the economy was in total free fall. Yes. its kind of like when youre trying to run up an escalator thats going down really fast. When you first get on. youre going to go down until you stop it. until you stop it. and then you take action to try to run. Youre trying to run in place through the actions youre taking. First you dont feel like youre moving up. but were finally moving up. The President inherited an economy like an escalator going down very fast. And we passed a recovery bill. It stopped the free fall and stabilized the economy. We need to take more steps. and I wish our colleagues. Republican colleagues. would bring to the floor some of the bills that will help it. But lets just remember that for the last 22 months. weve actually created up to 3 million jobs. in fact. over 3 million jobs in the economy. Are we where we want to be? No. But lets not go back. Lets not go back to the same policies that got us into this same mess to begin with. With that. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina who has been very focused on budget issues for a long time.
Date: 2012-02-02
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I agree with Mr. MCCLINTOCK that more information is helpful. We just dont want to ask for the information in a way that we only get one side of the story. I hope our colleagues are going to vote for the amendment a little later on the floor that says we should also try and figure out what the economic impact of major investments in infrastructure is through the appropriations process. Theyve removed that analysis from this bill. In addition to the fact. its very curious that when it comes to tax policy. theyve written this in a way that when CBO does an analysis of. again. the major decision that would be made by this body in the next few years. whether or not to extend some or all of the 2001/2003 tax cuts. that will show no impact on economic growth because of the way theyve written this legislation. when. in fact. we know. at least from earlier CBO reports. that in the outyears. 10 years out. it will actually be a drag on economic growth because it will increase the deficit when you allow the tax cuts for the folks at the top to go on and on and on. So. yes. we want more information. Lets just not ask CBO for information that is designed to only extract one side of the story. And. unfortunately. thats what the bill does in its current form. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2012-02-02
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Again. I go back to the fact that youre asking CBO to only give one side of the story. and I would just refer