macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-19
Speaker: BEN RAY LUJAN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Chairman. thank you very much. For many years. local farmers in New Mexico have been asking for an amendment that would allow local acequia and community ditch associations to access EQIP funds. An "acequia" is a centuriesold irrigation structure that is still in use today in primarily Hispanic communities across New Mexico. and it is governed by a small board made up of private landowners. The board of private landowners. also called the acequia and community ditch association. is in charge of administering maintenance of the irrigation infrastructure. which often requires work on sections of infrastructure residing on private land. Because of current EQIP rules. individual producers can apply for assistance under the program but are not allowed to include the community ditch association to help with the work. even though the community ditch association is charged with maintaining the infrastructure for all water users. Mr. Chairman. you can see the dilemma that were facing in New Mexico. This translates into burdensome roadblocks to improve conservation practices or manage scarce water resources. Mr. Chairman. in New Mexico. we are seeing one of the worst droughts in our history. and improving water use and conservation practices are key to keeping our agricultural communities alive. The Natural Resources Conservation Service. NRCS. charged with administering the EQIP program. has indicated this language in my amendment would create the administrative efficiency needed when working with small producers in New Mexico who irrigate their crops via acequia and community ditches. This amendment does not open up the program to large irrigation districts or government entities but simply affords local Hispanic farmers in rural New Mexico equal eligibility to compete for funding. Acequia community ditch associations. which are comprised solely of private landowners. do not have the authority to impose taxes or levees. and are in need of this clarifying language. Mr. Chairman. these programs are put together State by State and funded State by State. and its my hope that through the work with the committee staffand. Mr. Chairman. I really want to thank the minority staff and the majority staff because they really took the time with my team to take a look at this. and I think everyone understands the need. although there still may be some questions.
Date: 2013-06-19
Speaker: BEN RAY LUJAN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time. and I thank everyone for their help on this. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from New Mexico .
Date: 2013-06-19
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I rise in opposition to the amendment offered by my good friends. Congressmen ROYCE and ENGEL. This amendment would cripple the Food for Peace Program. our Nations premier foreign aid program. and endanger tens of thousands of jobs in agriculture and the maritime industry. Since 1954. Food for Peace has enabled the United States to play a leading role in responding to international food assistance needs and ensuring global food security. reaching more than 3 billion people in 150 countries. In 2012 alone. the Food for Peace Program shipped million of tons of American food aid abroad aboard dozens of U.S.-flagged and crewed ships. Food for Peace also helps maintain our domestic merchant marine by ensuring a steady flow of American cargo shipped by Americans on U.S.-flagged ships. Unfortunately. many benefits from the Food for Peace Program are being threatened by this amendment. which would redirect 45 percent of the programs budget to send direct cash payments overseas with little accountability. scant transparency. and no benefit to U.S. farmers and merchant marines.
Date: 2013-06-19
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

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 Pennsylvania will be postponed.
Date: 2013-06-20
Speaker: DANNY K. DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Madam Chairman. lets be clear: unequivocally. and without a doubt. we know that the sugar subsidy raises the price of sugar on the domestic market in this country. I know that I have lost out of my congressional district major candy makers and food processors who left townnot because of labor costs. not because of any rifts. but because they were paying so much for the price of sugar that they knew that if they went to Mexico. if they went to Canada that they could get sugar at a much lower price. I dont know why we help 4.000 sugar growers at the expense of 600.000 workers in America. I say vote "yes" for the PittsDavisBlumenauerGoodlatte amendment. When you do that. you are helping the guy who gets a cup of coffee and needs to use sugar for the sweetener. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2013-06-20
Speaker: DANNY K. DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Madam Chairman. I keep hearing "if it is not broken. dont fix it." Well. I can tell you for the 600.000 people whose jobs are at risk when their companies move out of the country. that seems like broken to me. I would now like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. BLU-
Date: 2013-06-20
Speaker: DANNY K. DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Madam Chairman. I yield the balance of my time. 11/2 minutes. to the gentleman from Pennsylvania . The Acting CHAIR. Without objection. the gentleman from Pennsylvania will control the time.
Date: 2013-06-20
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me just correct one thing. The GoodlatteScott amendment has a very robust safety net program in it. As a matter of fact. its the same safety net program that is in the bill itself. Let me make one other point right quick. Mr. Chairman. With the recent study by Professor Scott Brown. the University of Missouri put in a study that showed if this plan in this bill. this management supply bill. goes into effect. in the first month alone. school lunch program costs will go up $14 million. and the price of a gallon of milk will go up 32 cents. Mr. Chairman. I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California .
Date: 2013-06-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Most of America would ask the question: What happened here today? I can probably say that what happened here today is a little hand of a hungry child that was raised up. and the child said: What about me? You can talk about farmslittle ones and big ones. I am a big supporter of our agricultural production in this Nationit is from the soilbut I am very glad that we stood up for the children who are faced and confronted with $20 billion in cuts from something that stamps out hunger. Households with children receive about 75 percent of all food stamp benefits. Mr. Speaker. we didnt want to just stop there. We didnt want to just take food from 200.000 hungry children. We wanted to make sure that. if you are a disabled parent with a young childand if you dont have child care and if you cant find a jobyour SNAP money would not be given to you by the State. and the State would be able to keep it. We didnt just want to take food out of a hungry childs mouth. We wanted to slap him down. We wanted to make sure that the State would be grinning by saying. Ha. ha. ha. not only do you not get food. butin the same breathwe get to keep the money. We are better than this as America. We can do better. This bill was defeated because the hand of a hungry child was able to be heard on the floor of this House. I am glad that I stood with the hungry child and stamped out hunger in that childs heart. stomach and mind. Today. a childs voice. as sweet and quiet as it is. Mr. Speaker. was loud and clear: dont take food from me.
Date: 2013-06-25
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. today I rise to support H.R. 2289. introduced by Representative SAM JOHNSON (RTX). This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to rename the section heading of provisions relating to the individual retirement accounts (IRAs) of married individuals as the Kay Bailey Hutchison Spousal IRA. Senator Hutchison. from Texas. along with Senator MIKULSKI. coauthored the now 15yearold law that allows homemakers to make the same deductible contributions to their IRA as salaried workers. The Spousal IRA was one of Senator Hutchisons proudest achievements while in Congress. I thank Senator Hutchison for her years of service to the U.S. Senate. I believe this is a fitting tribute for her championing of this issue. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2289 to honor Senator Hutchison.
Date: 2013-06-26
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Speaker. in just 4 days. millions of American students will quite suddenly finally find themselves between a rock and a hard place. Unless Congress acts. the interest rates on subsidized student loans will double on July 1. This increase comes on top of sharp rises in public college tuition. and together means students hoping to improve their economic chances in life have to borrow more money at higher cost to get an increasingly more expensive college education. A new report by the Joint Economic Committee. on which I serve as the ranking Democrat on the House side. shows that twothirds of our recent graduates now have student loan debt with an average balance of $27.000. For someone just starting out in life. that is a mountain of debt and averages about 60 percent of their annual earnings. That means that twothirds of our college graduates today are starting out in a pretty deep. big hole. The question for Congress is: Are we going to just sit back and let them get into a deeper and bigger hole of debt? Lets fix the student loan problem and get America moving again.
Date: 2013-06-26
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to urge my colleagues to address the increase in student loans that is about to happen this week. If we do not do something by July 1. the interest rate on student loans. which has been at 3.4 percent. will double to 6.8 percent. Now. last year we were able to come together and make an accord and make it easier for our students to gulp and take those loans out so that they could go and get an education. Getting an education. teaching our young people science. technology. engineering. mathematics. the arts. music. et cetera. is of national security interest to this Nation. Even Secretary Gates said the number one issue is for our people to be educated. So we must show our students that we care about them. and that they too have a future in this Nation. I urge my colleagues to come together to do something about the student loans.
Date: 2013-06-26
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I thank the remarks by the gentleman from Florida that we would have an opportunity to vote on the student loan bill to make sure that we dont do what millions of American students and their families have asked us not to do. and that is. they dont want us to double their debt. But in less than 100 hours if we dont get the vote that Mr. HASTINGS is talking about. in less than 100 hours. millions of American college students may see their student debt increase because of the Republican obstructionism. Its unfortunate that its come to this. This issue shouldnt be partisan. Its about doing the right thing on behalf of millions of students and their families all across the country. Its a simple choice. We can help students achieve an education. one that they can afford. and the skills that they need to be successful. or we can put more hurdles in their way and increase the already skyrocketing debt burden that students absorb as they graduate from college. It has been more than a year of ignoring this issue. A year ago. we were in this position. and a year ago. we voted to keep the student loan rate at 3.75 percent. Nothing has been done until recently. and then the Republicans came up with an idea that was really bad. It was worse than doubling the interest rates on July 1. It was more expensive to the students than doubling the interest rates. Its not a smart solution. Its a terrible solutionits terrible for students. its terrible for their families. After a year of ignoring this issue. the Republicans foisted this harmful idea onto the House floor. and when the Republican bill hit the floor. they refused to allow a vote on a rational plan. like the Courtney bill. that stops this doubling of the interest rates and allows this Congress to examine and develop a longterm solution as part of the Higher Education Reauthorization Act. Despite trumpeting that their plan was the same as President Obamas proposal. when the Democrats offered President Obamas actual plan. they blocked that vote. too. So they wont keep the interest rates from doubling. and they wont do a plan that they said is just like theirs. On July 1. those interest rates are going to double on millions of students as they start this school year in August and September.
Date: 2013-06-26
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

The time for obstruction has passed. Its time to keep the rates low and to work on a longterm solution. Its time to stop asking college students and their families to bear an unfair burden of paying down the Bush deficits. The Democrats have chosen to stand with the students and families who are trying to access the American Dream. We can do this. Millions of families and students have asked us: dont double their debt. Yet. on July 1. because of the Republican obstructionism. thats whats going to happen to these students. Its very unfortunate. It adds an additional $1.000 to the 4 years of college. We should not do that at this time. in this economy. for these students and families.
Date: 2013-06-26
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you very much to my cocaptain. the gentlelady from West Virginia. and to all of our sisters on the Congressional Womens Softball team. The gentlelady from West Virginia is absolutely right. we may not always agree in the boundaries and walls of this room. but I think all of us can agree that we want to defeat the common adversarythat is. the press corps. We have been out there for the last 2 months at 7 in the morning two or three times a week. None of us can believe that we actually all get out there at the crack of dawn to make sure that we can build our skills. build camaraderie. make sure that we come together around a true common purpose. We also thank our adversaries. whom we will defeat tonight when we take the field and make sure that we take the trophy back for the women Members. Weve only won one out of the last four games. but the fifth time is a charm. This is the fifth annual game. It happens to coincide with my own 5year anniversary of being a survivor of breast cancer. And the importance of this game is really that we all are focused on raising money for an incredible charity. the Young Survival Coalition. We are headed for a recordbreaking fundraising year. I want to thank the majority whip in particular for making sure that the schedule accommodated everybody coming to the game. This is going to be a fun family event. Bring your kids. We have face painting and a fun zone and all kinds of food and a great time. We have already presold more than 1.000 tickets before we even get to the door. So thank you so much. Come cheer on the women Members tonight at 7 oclock. Watkins Recreation Center. 12th and D Southeast. Take the Eastern Market or Potomac Avenue Metro. On to victory for the Congressional Womens Softball team.
Date: 2013-06-26
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 1864. introduced by me and my good friend and colleague. Mrs. WALORSKI from Indiana. H.R. 1864 amends title X of the United States Code: to require an inspector general investigation of allegations of retaliatory personnel actions taken in response to making protected communications regarding sexual assault. As the lead Democratic sponsor of this measure. I support the effort to protect military whistleblowers against reprisal for disclosing violations of law. for sexual assault and other prohibitive sexual misconduct. As such. I am pleased that this bill was also put into the National Defense Authorization Act just about 10 days ago on this House floor. People have asked me: Why are you bringing this up as a standalone bill? My answer is that. last year. we finished and approved and got the NDAA signed on the 31st of December. This bill really cannot wait. We need it today in the military because the biggest problem we have with respect to sexual assault is that the victimsthe people who are being harassed and assaultedare being retaliated against in the workplace. We do need this. There is no room for misbehavior of any kind. which may hinder the readiness. the morale. and the safety of our units. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure the passage of this important language. Madam Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2013-06-26
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I yield 11/2 minutes to the gentlelady from New Hampshire . who has been working on this issue quite hard.
Date: 2013-06-26
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I now yield 1 minute to the ranking member on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel. the gentlelady from California .
Date: 2013-06-26
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Madam Speaker. the United States military is an institution comprised of men and women who have dedicated their lives to not only defending this country but also upholding the values of this Nationthe values of this Nation. The values of this Nation say that if you go into the workplace. you should be treated equally. you should be treated with respect. And when we have sexual harassment and sexual assault happening in the workplace. in particular in our military. and when we have someone report and say. Hey. this is happening. and then they are retaliated against either because coworkers are afraid to be around them or because higherups make an example of them in some way. we have to say enough is enough. I think the time to pass this bill is now. and I want to thank the gentlelady. the Hoosier across the way. for working in such a bipartisan manner to get this done. I know there are so many in the Congress who feel very strongly that the sooner we protect the workplace. the better off this Nation is. With that. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2013-06-27
Speaker: DANNY K. DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. the struggle for equality. for justice. for freedom. for democracy is an awesome force. No force. no historical circumstance has done more to shape our Nation. but that struggle has always been confronted by an endless series of attempts to block. minimize. sidetrack. undo. and weaken our democracy. Through all these struggles. those most oppressed have repeatedly taken the lead to reinforce our democracy and solidify our Nation. We fought a bloody. wrenching Civil War to end a Nation that was suffocating "half slave and half free." Three million men fought in that war. and 620.000 died. Although African Americans made up 1 percent of the population of the North. they made up 10 percent of the Union Army. In the aftermath. Congress sought to enshrine in the Constitution. forever. basic democratic rights: in the 14th Amendment. the power to enforce the Bill of Rights. due process. and equal rights. and in the 15th Amendment. voting rights regardless of race. color. or previous condition of servitude. But a violent. terrorist backlash led by the Ku Klux Klan prevented the implementation of our Constitution for a hundred years until a new civil rights struggle. based on nonviolence. but no less powerful. forced our Nation. the courts. and this Congress to recognize those promised constitutional rights. Among the forms of recognition were the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965. They transformed the political landscape of America. But the truth is that. beginning as far back as the Nixon administration. efforts sought to chip away at those rights. Yesterdays Supreme Court decision undermining the enforcement of voting rights is the latest attempt to roll back history. Shall we go forward or shall we go backwards? The rapidly changing demographics of our Nation is calling new forces into the struggle for civil and voting rights every day. and our response to yesterdays Supreme Court decision presents a challenge for every Member of this Congress. And we have to ask ourselves: Which side are you on? For me. the path is clear. We need a Federal right to vote enshrined in our Constitution. one clearly. unambiguously. boldly. proudly asserting that we will not tolerate any infringement on our rights as citizens to express the will of the people. Those who seek to dilute voting rights. to place barriers on every citizens right to participate in this government. will find themselves on the wrong side of history and. in the end. will be no more able to stop the movement for equality. for justice. for freedom. for democracy than theyre able to stop the sun from rising in the morning or setting in the evening or to stop people whove decided that they love each other from expressing it.
Date: 2013-06-27
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. this morning a number of members of the CBC. the Congressional Black Caucus. will speak on the emotions. the value and the gift of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. I thank our chairwoman. Congresswoman MARCIA FUDGE. and Im delighted to lead that moment this morning. I will tell the Members of Congress you will hear us over the next couple of weeks and months as we proceed to do what the Supreme Court has said that Congress must do and has the authority to do. and that is to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I disagree with the courts decision. for that bill was firm. And just a few years ago. as a member of the House Judiciary Committee. with 15.000 pages. 21 hearings. a vote of 39033 in the House and 980 in the United States Senate. we reaffirmed every Americans right to vote. In fact. since that passage. Virginia has had 11 of its jurisdictions opt out. Many other jurisdictions have opted out or taken the bailout provision. But yet. that decision now has left bare the soul of so many voters who will now be unable to vote because of the Voting Rights Act elimination or striking down of section Mr. Speaker. if the Voting Rights Act is wrong. then Fannie Lou Hamer was wrong. the three civil rights workers were wrong. and Martin Luther King. Jr.. was wrong. Today we stand together to encourage our colleagues. Republicans and Democrats. to work with us to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act.