macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-12-20
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in firm opposition to this motion to go to conference without a vote on the Senate bill to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. It is deeply disappointing and troubling that well be denied the opportunity to vote on the Senates overwhelmingly bipartisan compromise that would bring relief to millions of Americas working families. Now. my Republican colleagues have said: Pass the 1year bill that passed the House last week. Well. talk to your Republican colleagues in the Senate. Four times the Senate Democrats tried to bring up your bill. and four times a Senate Republican objected. Facts are hard. If we do not pass this bill. 160 million Americans will face a $1.000 tax increase as we go into the new year. If we do not act. in my home State. 9 million Floridians will see this tax increase next year. If we do not act. 2.2 million unemployed Americans will lose their unemployment benefits. And if we do not act. 48 million seniors will face the specter of having to find new doctors due to cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates. Like many of my colleagues. I have received countless constituent calls. letters. and emails. many of them very personal and emotional. Just this morning. I was especially moved by a note from a single mom. Christine. with a 3yearold daughter. from my congressional district. She wrote: I am pleading my case to you out of desperation to extend unemployment insurance. These benefits help her provide food and necessities for her daughter. Too many of my colleagues like to paint unemployment beneficiaries with one insensitive and cruel brush. This young woman is not someone sitting around just collecting government checks. She was laid off from her job this fall and has only been on unemployment for a couple of months while she looks for another job. My constituents story. while personal and moving. is. unfortunately. not a unique one. My Republican colleagues who callously ignore the needs of middle class Americans by refusing to vote on the payroll tax extension and unemployment benefits are sending the message to millions of working families that. despite their efforts to look for and find work in this delicate economy. they simply dont care. The House Republican leadership needs to allow a straight upordown vote on the Senate bill which passed 8910 with strong bipartisan support. Clearly. they are afraid it might pass. I urge you to listen to the plight of constituents like Christine who said: Im asking that they give people more time to find work by pushing these dates back further. Im having a very hard time trying to find work that will accommodate my living expenses for myself and 3yearold daughter. Christine has only been on unemployment since September. She needs our help. Millions of Americans need our help. Pass this bill and stop playing politics with peoples lives.
Date: 2011-12-20
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Thank you very much. and I appreciate the opportunity to come down and to say a few words on this. Ladies and gentlemen. Im so glad that the people of this country are tuning into whats happening on the floor of this House of Representatives. What we are seeing is a great dysfunction in the Republican Party in the House of Representatives. Here is this situation: the American people are hurting. and 160 million American people do not need their taxes to go up. There are 2.2 million American people who are without unemployment benefits who will have those unemployment benefits not extended. And there are seniors. 48 million of them. who will not be able to go and visit their doctors. America is hurting. and what does the Republican Party in the House of Representatives want to do? They want to hurt them some more by not even allowing a vote on a compromise bill that was passed by the Senate with 89 votes. 39 of them members of the Senate Republican Party. Ladies and gentlemen. whats at stake here is a failure to compromise. That is the key. When Hamilton and Jefferson failed to compromise. it was John Adams that brought them together. Where would this country be if that had not happened? Ladies and gentlemen of America. wake up and realize that this is not a party just of Tea Party people. or Republicans or Democrats. its a party of all of us.
Date: 2011-12-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of the Motion to Concur on H.R. 3630 "Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011." This legislation sends the right message at a critical time for Americans. The Senate passed a measure this past Saturday that. while not perfect. will grant the American people the certainty they need as we head into a new year. The Senate Amendment to H.R. 3630 received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate. It passed by a margin of 89 to 10. The Senate version would allow employees to continue to pay a 4.2 percent tax on wages. and the selfemployed would only pay 10.4 percent. which represents a 2 percentage point tax cut. This tax cut would provide a muchneeded boost to the economy as these tax savings could be used for investment. savings accounts. and for the purchase of both goods and services. This kind of commercial activity is what will keep the economy moving. The Senate version would remove provisions in the bill that implies that would stigmatize the unemployed by implying they use illegal substances and penalizes those who must choose between paying rent or taking job training courses. The Senate Amendment removes the onerous unemployment provisions from H.R. 3630. Namely. the provisions that would allow states to test those who apply for unemployment benefits for illegal drugs and one that would require a GED. a high school diploma. or attendance in a course to attain a GED prior to being able to qualify for unemployment benefits. In addition. the Senate amendment to H.R. 3630 removes a $300 million on a special interest provision. The provision. which had passed the House. would only help a handful of specialty hospitals while resulting in billions of dollars in cuts from community hospitals. The Senate Amendment removes this poison pill. In effect. the Senate rejected this assault on the elderly. the unemployed. and the middle class.
Date: 2011-12-20
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I support a oneyear extension of the payroll tax holiday. unemployment insurance and protecting seniors access to their Medicare physician. However. both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate of the United States voted overwhelmingly to extend these expiring provisions for two months. so that Congress might have adequate time to negotiate a longer term extension for the American people. House Republicans refusal to vote on the Senate compromise puts at risk American middle class families at a time when we must do all that we can do to support them.
Date: 2011-12-20
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Let me just address one point that our friends on the other side keep making about this 1 year. All of a sudden they want 1 year. All of a sudden they want to do what President Obama wants to do. You talk about certainty. You talk about uncertainty. Nothing could be more uncertain than not giving the American people the secure knowledge and the confidence at the end of the day that their taxes are not going up the first of January. that 2.2 million Americans will get their unemployment. We can do that today. The Senate has already given us that certainty. Were not talking about just a 2month extension. Were simply talking about putting into place a compromise that we could get that would get us into next year when we come back to finish the job and continue to get a 1year extension. So this facade of you using this 1 year is nothing but a charade. You know it. It doesnt matter what the time is. You dont want anything2 months. 1 year. 10 years.
Date: 2011-12-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. we are doing what the American people have asked us to do. I thank the gentleman from New York for championing the cause of the American people. and I thank our whip. Mr. HOYER. for understanding that we need an upordown vote on the Senate compromise and a motion for this conference that will not occur to do what is right for the American people. Ive already said that the holiday season for so many has just gone up in smoke. The lights on the Christmas tree have just burst and the tree is burning. The candles throughout the house are now down and smoldering. and people are bemoaning the condition that Washington Republicans have put them in. Mothers. single mothers. families without are now begging for a lifeline. and the gigantic ship. the cruise ship. is cruising on by and allowing them to drown in the dusty and dark waters of this land. I dont understand where there is no mercy. where there is no understanding. My good friend from Michigan will see that his constituents. 70.000 of them. will lose unemployment benefits. the Speaker from Ohio. 58.000 will lose unemployment benefits. Texas. 134.000. They understand that this is smoke and mirrors. I said in the Rules Committee. at 7:05 last night. we had a right to vote on the Senate bill that was put before us. That rule was changed midstream. The American people need to understand. we had in line. through the Rules Committee. controlled by the Republicans. to put on the agenda for us to vote up or down on the Senate bill. We were not allowed to do that because they thought the Senate bill. for reasonable people. might pass. They thought that Senator LUGARs words might prevail. in the ears of the Washington Republicans. that said. do what is right for the American people. They thought Senator SNOWES words might prevail. which is to say. we all have disagreement. but let us not hold up unemployment.
Date: 2011-12-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Thank you. Let us not hold up the unemployment. let us not hold up the payroll tax. because those individuals said they didnt want it in the first place. Mr. President. if you have Executive order powers. lets just pass it. lets just rule on it. let us come back and deal with it for a year. because they know theyre not serious. and Im not going to see the holiday season go up in smoke for the American people. That is a disgrace.
Date: 2011-12-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I want to follow my friend from Missouri and add my appreciation to the troops who have come home and to their families. and I thank my colleagues for joining in wearing a yellow ribbon in honor of them. I hope they will go home and do the same and will encourage their communities to do so. But I am standing here to confront the hypocrisy and the joke of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in suggesting that the conferees are meeting when they full well know that no conferees are meeting. because no one has been appointed except the onesided conferees. Frankly. they want us to be Americans first. not Tea Partiers. not lovers of the special interests. The other body put forward a very thoughtful initiative to keep us going so that the lights will not be turned off in some poor mothers home and so that some senior citizen can still go to his doctor. They wanted to make sure 2.3 million and 134.000 people in Texas would have their unemployment. Im saddened by this crisis. Im here to work. Im going home for an emergency. and Ill be back. The lady who went off the floor should not have been confronted that way. She spoke. Shes ready to work. What about the empty chairs on the other side? They are not ready to work. Its all about a joke. This is an insult to the American people.
Date: 2012-01-17
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. on rollcall No. 1. I arrived late due to a court case. Had I been present. I would have voted "present."
Date: 2012-01-17
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. you would wonder how do you claim victory out of a season that if you are a professional football player does not end in the Super Bowl. I rise today to congratulate and thank my hometown team of the Houston Texans. a very young franchise that came together and showed their mighty might and kept on plugging until they got into the playoffs and even to the point of meeting the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday. There are many good things to say about this team. and in the backdrop of the holiday of Dr. Martin Luther King. it is also a tribute to these young men who worked together and showed themselves as brothers. coming from so many diverse backgrounds from around the Nation. Their owner. Bob McNair. their coach. Coach Kubiak. their defense coach. Wade Phillips. General Manager Smith. and some of their stars. like No. 80 and Arian Foster and their young quarterback and many others showed themselves to have good character and good examples for our community. And. yes. let me thank them for the service theyve given to the young kids in Houston. Texas. From the foundation of No. 80 and the many individual acts of kindness. we appreciate the Houston Texans. So. tonight. you may not be in the Super Bowl. but you are our winner. We thank you for being the kind of young men that are modeling yourselves to be the kind of leaders that middle school boys and girls and others can have as a shining example. Go. Texans. Maybe not this year. but I know youre on your way. But most of all. you have served yourself well in the area and the arena of professional sports. We can truly be proud of you. Congratulations. young men. Do well in the off season. and were ready for you to come back. Houston loves you.
Date: 2012-01-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I join my colleague in saying that our troops will not be forgotten. I continue to wear a yellow ribbon. as were doing in our community in Houston. in welcoming home the troops from Iraq. Thats why I rise todayto challenge those who are in the midst of the Presidential campaign to be cautious about illconceived and illspoken words. When one of the candidates. the Governor of Texas. calls the leadership of Turkey "Islamic terrorists" and says that Turkey is run by Islamic terrorists. I can assure you that those words are illconceived and inappropriate and absolutely wrong. Turkey is one of the United States strongest allies. Its a member of NATO. and it is seeking at this time membership in the European Union. There is constant dialogue between our country and Turkey. We are encouraging. of course. Turkeys diplomatic efforts to engage with Israel. and frankly. our troops have benefited from some of the needs taken care of through efforts by Turkey. So I would just encourage that we not pour fuel and fire together and that we recognize Turkey and others of our allies live in very difficult areas. Therefore. we need to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Check your facts. I dont believe the democratic country of Turkey is run by Islamic terrorists. Youre wrong and it is inappropriate.
Date: 2012-01-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentleman from Colorado. Id like to tell a fairy tale and the true story of the American people. The fairy tale. of course. is why were here on the floor even today to actually tell a little story to the American people that we are doing something to impact the deficit. The bill we passed in August. of course. responded to the need to raise the debt ceiling to pay Americas bills. But in order to cajole and drag our friends. the Republicans on the other side of the aisle. they did things like cut Pell Grants. They required the joint select committee that did not work to reduce the deficit. And. of course. they wanted us to have these shenanigans on the floor so that the American people could think theyre doing their job. But heres the real story of the American people. First of all. the debt that was increased that we are now dealing with. $1.9 trillion was raised under Ronald Reagan. $1.5 trillion was raised under George Bush. Bill Clinton. $1.4 trillion. and George W. Bush. $6.1 trillion. What is the raising of the debt ceiling. which I think most Americans care about. It is responding to the debt that is now held by the public. It is doing our job. It is responding to the fact that the public should not burden America not paying her bills. What kind of bills? Debts that are owed to individuals. to our corporations that our friends say are of great friendship to thembanks and insurance companies. but most importantly. pensions. mutual funds. State and local governments will be left holding the bag because today we want to do a few shenanigans. Mr. Speaker. let me tell you that the Kaiser Foundation has indicated in my own State that 5.6 million Texans are living in poverty2.2 million of them children. And 17.4 percent of the households in the State struggle with food insecurity. Not raising the debt ceiling means that the burden falls on those who get up every morning to work. Thats a true story of the American people. What else will happen if we dont raise the debt ceiling? 642.500 jobs will be lost. The gross domestic product will decrease by 1 percent. Unemployment would go up. Every mortgage would increase by $19.175. Stocks would fall. The S&P dropping 6.3 percent. And every 401(k) holder would lose $8.816. This is the real story of the American people. I want to stand on their side. I want to acknowledge that together as Republicans and Democrats. rather than writing the fairy tale story that youre seeing today. a resolution of disapproval. we can really work together as we have done in years past. 1997the balanced budget amendment that created the Childrens Health Insurance Program. helping children across America to be able to have health insurance. Or get rid of Medicare part D. passed by the past administration and the Republican Congress. Medicare part D. any senior will tell you. is one of the most devastating parts of their budget. causing them to pay three times more for their prescription drugs. We can get rid of that. as the Affordable Care Act did. and we would generate millions and millions of dollars.
Date: 2012-01-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Fairy tales are supposed to end with a wonderful ending. something such as never. never again or it ended happily thereafter. Well. let me tell you the true story of the American people. They dont want us on the floor today talking about not paying their bills to them. They want us on the floor right now to create jobs. to bring down the unemployment. to give them payroll tax relief. and to give extension for unemployment for those who are seeking jobs. And they dont want us to deny food stamps to young soldiers whose incomes dont allow them to provide for their families. They want us to get to work. Here I am. Im ready to get to work.
Date: 2012-01-18
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. on rollcall 3. I was unable to vote because I was a witness in a redistricting trial. Had I been present. I would have voted "aye." Stated against:
Date: 2012-01-18
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I rise today in firm opposition to this resolution. a political stunt that prevents the increase in the debt limit that this Congress has already approved. This is a dangerous distraction from our efforts to move the country forward. support continued economic growth. and promote job creation. and it flies in the face of the Budget Control Act. which 174 House Republicans voted for last summer. In 2011. my colleagues across the aisle caused multiple selfinflicted economic crises with the specter of defaulting on our Nations debt each time they played with fire regarding the debt limit. The Republican majority simply has not learned that these kinds of empty. partisan measures can cause immediate harm to our economy and hurt working families everywhere. This resolution is nothing but a deeply harmful and dangerous charade: dangerous for Americans still struggling to find work. dangerous for our economy that is depending on a robust and focused recovery. and dangerous for our responsibility as a legislature. tasked not with these grand charades of brinkmanship but of safeguarding the wellbeing of our Nation. We have already seen Americas credit downgraded and have watched as other nations have faced the worst of default. It is time to stop holding our economy hostage to an ideological agenda. I urge my colleagues to reject this resolution and protect the full faith and credit of the United States of America.
Date: 2012-01-18
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank my colleague from Michigan. We have our colleagues on the Republican side taking the position of the socalled Grover Norquist pledge. a pledge to Grover Norquists organization as opposed to the pledge we all take to do our best to uphold the Constitution of the United States. And under that pledge. if you close a corporate tax loophole for the purpose of deficit reduction. you have violated your pledge. If you say. "You know what? Gas prices are doing really well. Oil companies are doing just great. We dont think they need a taxpayer subsidy. We are going to get rid of it." you cant get rid of that if you are going to use some of that money for deficit reduction. Its a violation of the pledge. So. yes. lets get serious about deficit reduction. Lets take a balanced approach. We have a bipartisan modelat least a frameworkin SimpsonBowles. Lets be serious about that. But the reason this process on the floor of the House today is not serious is because everybody recognizes the United States cant afford to default on its full faith and crediteverybody. that is. except for the folks who are apparently going to vote to say we cant raise the debt ceiling. that we are not going to take responsibility for paying for obligations already due and owing. budgets already passed. What kind of message is that to our children? Youve got to pay for your debts. But you know what? You dont really have to. wink. wink. nod. nod. Go ahead and buy those things on your credit card and then decide the next day you are not going to pay for them. What a terrible message that is. So lets take responsibility. I will say to our colleagues. for our actions. Lets not play political games. And most of all. lets not follow the advice that our Republican colleagues today are recommending which would undoubtedly. if taken seriously. result in economic chaos and a huge loss of jobs.
Date: 2012-01-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. a gentleman by the name of Andrew Adler located in Atlanta. Georgia. and writing for an Atlanta. Georgia. newspaper offered instructions to the prime minister of Israel on how to protect that great nation. He suggested an attack on Hezbollah and Hamas and an attack on Iran. And then he gave number three: Give the go ahead for U.S.-based Mossad agents to take out a President deemed unfriendly to the nation of Israel. That President. I need not say. happens to be the President of the United States now. Words matter. Mr. Adler has been called upon to apologize. and he did. But he has brought shame to Jewish Americans. to Americans and Israel. And. frankly. the latitude in which he thought he could talk about assassinating the President of the United States without in any way a suggestion of. if you will. challenge. is an outrage and disgrace. I believe in the First Amendment. but words do matter. We should come together and be unified as a Nation. find ways to disagree with each other without raising words that are hostile and devastating. I beg for this Nations leaders to stop calling names and talk about policies and how to build this Nation up. Im outraged. Mr. Adler. An apology is not enough.