macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for the time. Here we go again. Congress reconvenes and the majority is starting out the new year doing the same old thing. We come back from the holidays. a time for family. for reflection. and we begin this new year with a vote to cripple the health care of our families. The vote today would defund Planned Parenthood. and it would repeal essential pieces of the Affordable Care Act. Mr. Speaker. I really dont know how else to put this except to say that the Affordable Care Act works. It actually works for the people that I represent. for Californians. and for Americans. especially those who never had health care before. Not only has this law been affirmed constitutionally by our Supreme Court. it has survived countless votes to dismantle it in this Chamber and the other. But thanks to the Affordable Care Act. the folks in my district have seen massive improvement in their community. From 2012 to 2014. more than 60.000 people at home in my area now have health insurance. and they never had it before. This is just about partisan politics today. You are right. Mr. McGOVERN. it is just about partisan politics. Instead of focusing on the issues that are important to our familiesimmigration reform. addressing climate change. creating jobsno. here we go back again. Mr. Speaker. lets cut the partisan politics. Lets do what families need. Lets vote against this.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: TED LIEU (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. House Republicans have unveiled their new ideas for moving America forward. which include trying to repeal or undermine for the 62nd time the Affordable Care Act and for the llth time attacking womens health care. both of which are guaranteed to be vetoed by President Obama. So one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again. expecting a different result. There will be no different result today. The Affordable Care Act will remain the law of the land. and Planned Parenthood will not be defunded. The Republicans know this. Because if the Affordable Care Act were actually to be repealed. over 22 million Americans would lose their health coverage. including 3.5 million Californians. and the Republicans have no plan for how they will fix this immediate healthcare crisis. In addition. millions more will lose healthcare access if Planned Parenthood were to be defunded. If you want to look at hyperpartisan bills that waste time. squander taxpayer resources. and are going nowhere. look at the GOP agenda. If you want ideas that will move America forward. such as investing in education. reducing carbon pollution. and creating jobs. look at the Democratic agenda. At least we are not insane.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. This is a sad and shameful way to begin the new year 2016 here in the United States Congress. This bill is entitled Restoring Americans Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act. the freedom of health insurance companies to once again deny health care to people based on preexisting conditions. It may be a new year. Mr. Speaker. but here we go again. We are in this Congress. on the floor of this House for the 62nd time with this effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and. to add insult to injury. to deny millions of women access to healthcare choices by targeting Planned Parenthood. While the calendar has changed. the Tea Party Republican agenda remains the same. Despite all the pressing issues we face in this country at home and abroad. the only thing and the first thing our Republican colleagues decide to bring to the floor of the House as the most pressing business to start 2016 is to take away access to affordable care from 22 million Americans and deny access to affordable care for millions of American women. That 22 million figure. Mr. Speaker. that is not my figure. That is the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that has looked at this legislation and concluded that. as a result of this bill. 22 million Americans will lose access to their affordable health insurance. It will be the freedom to be uninsured. the freedom to not have any opportunity to have coverage when your family has healthcare needs. Mr. Speaker. if you look at this chart. you can see that the Affordable Care Act has already made a dramatic difference in bringing down the number of uninsured in the United States of America. yet here we are in a new year. and the first act of this Republican Congress will be to turn back the clock and change that figure. I really hope. Mr. Speaker. that our colleagues will begin to focus on more important issues in the days ahead. Everybody knows that this will take about a nanosecond for the President of the United States to veto because the President of the United States is not going to allow 22 million Americans to lose their access to affordable health insurance. and the President is not going to allow millions of Americans and millions of American women to lose access to reproductive choice and a range of healthcare options here in the United States. It is disturbing. shameful. and sad that this is the way we are starting the new year. I hope we get on to more important business. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. it seems to me expanding access to affordable health care for 22 million Americans who didnt have it is being on the right side of history. I am now pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Colorado . a distinguished member of the panel which. I am sorry to say. was set up as part of a witch hunt against Planned Parenthood. but I am glad she is there.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois . the ranking member on the Select Investigative Panel on Planned Parenthood. She will be there looking after the interests of American women. I am pleased to say.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. With all due respect to Mr. UPTON and putting aside the merits of this bill. this is the 62nd time we are voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act. We have never seen a vote in this House on any kind of socalled substitute to the Affordable Care Act. Our Republican colleagues have been full of talk. and we havent seen any action. I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin . a member of the Budget Committee.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland . a friend and colleague and the Democratic whip. who understands that providing health care to 22 million Americans who didnt have it is a good thing.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan . the ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I dont think that the President is going to mull over this decision for very long. He is going to veto this because the President doesnt want to deny 22 million Americans access to affordable care. which is exactly what the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office tells us is what this will do. and he doesnt want to deny access to health care to millions of women and families. Mr. Speaker. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey . the distinguished ranking member on the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Washington . a member of the Budget Committee and the Ways and Means Committee.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. yes. that would be important to show that we have a President that doesnt want to eliminate affordable health care for 22 million Americans. Mr. Speaker. I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida . a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I hope everyone listens carefully when our colleagues say that it will save money over the next 10 years. because the Congressional Budget Office says this will actually lose the taxpayer money over the longer term. We all hope to live and have our children live in the longer term. Mr. Speaker. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey . a distinguished member of the Budget Committee and Ways and Means Committee.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia . the distinguished ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I listened carefully to the Republican leader. Mr. MCCARTHY. who said that they have worked hard and relentlessly to make this day happena day that would eliminate affordable health care to 22 million Americans. [ 1700 I want to make sure all of our colleagues understand that this is not a fact coming from the Democrats. There is the saying that you are entitled to your own opinion. but you are not entitled to your own facts. That is a fact that came from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. In fact. they were responding to a letter from Mr. PRICE. the chairman of the Budget Committee. The letter reads: Dear Mr. Chairman. At your request. CBO and the staff of the joint committee have estimated the budgetary effects of this bill. It goes on to say: And analyze the bill. It is their conclusion on page 9 of the letter to the chairman: Enacting H.R. 3762 would increase the number of people without health insurance coverage. Relative to current law projections That means relevant to the current law with the Affordable Care Act in place. would reduce by about 22 million people in most years after 2017. That is a fact. That is signed by the director of CBO. Keith Hall. who. as everybody in this body knows. was selected on a bipartisan basis by the chairman of the House Budget Committee and the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. both Republicans. That is a fact. It is a sad state of affairs when we are "celebrating" the fact that they "worked relentlessly" to get to the point to eliminate affordable care to 22 million Americans. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York . somebody who understands the importance of affordable health care and is also a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Oregon . a distinguished member of the Education and the Workforce Committee.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon . a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas . a member of the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself the balance of my time. We finished the debate. really. where we began. which is. on this first day back of 2016. we are really revisiting the battles of the past. as the gentleman from Massachusetts and others have said. We heard from the Republican leader.
Date: 2016-01-06
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to H.R. 3762. the SenatePassed GOP Reconciliation Bill. appropriately dubbed the "Taking Health Coverage Away from Millions of Americans and Attacking Womens Health Care Act." This measure marks the 62nd House vote to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act. It is the 11th time the House has voted this Congress to attack womens health care. Make no mistake: champions of these damaging. reactionary policies are putting politics over people and undermining the fundamental notion that health care is not a privilege. but a right. It is unfortunate that. instead of using this time to advance legislation that improves our health care system. we are again engaging in another futile attempt to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood and put womens health at risk. disinvest in public health and chronic disease prevention. and roll back coverage gains. consumer protections. and reforms advanced by the Affordable Care Act. This Reconciliation measure flies in face of patient access and good governance. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this damaging legislation will lead to an estimated 22 million Americans losing their health insurance after 2017. Among its many nefarious provisions. H.R. 3762 is designed to halt Medicaid expansion. This would devastate millions of hardworking adults and their families across the country. particularly those in high need communities. H.R. 3762 would eliminate Planned Parenthoods ability to receive reimbursement for all health care services provided under Medicaid. Health centers like Planned Parenthood are the bedrock of our health care safety net Medicaid patients deserve to choose their health care provider and should not have their choice limited by politically motivated agendas. Texas is a case study in what happens when Planned Parenthood is attacked and access is rolled back. In short. this measure takes away affordable health care coverage and puts politics ahead of common sense. Our constituents deserve better. I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 3762 and get back to work on behalf of the American people.
Date: 2016-01-07
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to urge my colleagues from both sides to stand up for the 100.000 people who have been killed by gun violence over the past decade. It is time to stand up for the over 2.600 children who die from gun violence and the over 6.400 women who are murdered by an intimate partner by a gun each year. I believe it is the responsibility of this body to take the steps in order to protect our citizens. We are not limiting a persons right to bear arms by requiring everyone or an entity selling firearms to obtain a license and to do background checks. We are saving lives. We are not limiting a persons right to bear arms by looking at safety technology. gun safes with fingerprint technology. We are saving lives. We are certainly not restricting a responsible citizen from obtaining a firearm by investing in mental health care and by renewing domestic violence outreach efforts. as both are causes of gun violence. It is time to respond to this now. The status quo is no longer acceptable.
Date: 2016-01-07
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. nearly 5 years ago to the day. I rose to offer my support for one of my closest friends and our former colleague. Gabrielle Giffords. That day. many of us. from both sides of the aisle. mourned the six Americans whose lives were taken by a deranged gunman in Tucson. Arizona. Since then. it has become eerily commonplace for a Member to lead a moment of silence to honor their murdered constituents: a colleague of ours whose life changed forever. twenty 6yearold children. a Federal judge. worshippers in church. How does Republican fervor over the right to own a gun trump the right not to be murdered by someone who shouldnt have a gun? President Obamas executive actions are a critical step to reducing this national epidemic. They are well within his legal authority and will help keep guns out of dangerous hands. They are so critical because of Republican inaction on closing loopholes. which a majority of Americans support. and their failure to rise above the NRAs fearmongering. Democrats will continue to bring meaningful. commonsense solutions to this floor so we can keep our Nation safer.
Date: 2016-01-07
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker. I rise today against another handout to corporate interests. this time needlessly limiting access to courts for American consumers and workers. The bill we would consider under this rule is the second blow in a onetwo punch for American families. We kicked off 2016 by defunding Planned Parenthood and. effectively. repealing the Affordable Care Act. Now we are considering legislation that would limit class action lawsuits. and needlessly threaten the privacy of asbestos victims. as well as other victims of faulty product designs. negligence. and dangerous environmental occurrences. The end goal is obvious: enable corporations to avoid both blame and accountability when they have harmed consumers or knowingly exposed workers to toxic chemicals. I wish that I were more surprised. but I am not. The truth is clear in this bill. It is just the next step in Republican efforts to lift corporate interests above any level of scrutiny. endangering citizens and consumers in the process. Our courts are a cornerstone of justice for everyday Americans. We need to find ways to expand. not restrict. access to our legal system for victims. Class actions have cleaned up the environment after oil spills. banned cigarette ads aimed at children. and policed pricefixing on Wall Street. among many other things. Other nations allow big corporations to run amok. harming people through dangerous products. fraud. and dishonesty. virtually unchecked. But here in the United States of America. class action lawsuits are a vital tool that hold even the very powerful accountable for their malfeasance. Mr. Speaker. it is time to get to work on policies for the American people. not against them. and I urge my colleagues to vote against the rule and the underlying bill. H.R. 1927.
Date: 2016-01-07
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Chair. I rise in opposition to H.R. 712. the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act. Rather than a goodfaith effort to improve our regulatory process. this bill would add unworkable new requirements on federal agencies that could impede critical efforts to safeguard public health. the environment. and other national priorities. I was pleased. however. that this bill includes provisions from the Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act . which I introduced with my colleague Rep. LUETKEMEYER. This bipartisan proposal would ensure that new federal rules include a brief. plainlanguage summary so that the public can better understand the proposed action. While I cannot support H.R. 712. I hope that we can continue to work across the aisle on this commonsense initiative that will enhance public understanding of important federal efforts in public health. consumer rights. environmental protection. and other areas. The Acting CHAIR. All time for general debate has expired. Pursuant to the rule. the bill shall be considered for amendment under the 5minute rule. It shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the 5minute rule an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of the Rules Committee Print 11437. That amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. The text of the amendment in the nature of a substitute is as follows: H.R. 712 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled.
Date: 2016-01-07
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. today I rise to celebrate the life of an extraordinary man. William "Bill" Ray. Bill laughed often. and he loved much. His charm and gentlemanly character won the respect of many people in my community. Bill worked in my district office as a community liaison and caseworker for 13 years. You know what? He made a difference in peoples lives. He was genuinely interested in people and things. from the Boy Scouts to Native Americans and to veterans. He knew how to find the best in others. and he gave the best of himself. Bill loved his wife. Rhonda. and their son. Jeffrey. with all of his heart and soul. He loved his country and our military. He was a true patriot. Bill was noble in character. genuine in spirit. and very kind of heart. Rhonda. Jeffrey. you have my deepest condolences on the passing of your husband and father. I am blessed to have known him and to have worked with him.
Date: 2016-01-07
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
Date: 2016-01-07
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentlewoman from California for all of the advocacy she represents for those young people. those children. who are most vulnerable to us. Mr. Speaker. it is my pleasure to yield to the gentlewoman from Oregon
Date: 2016-01-07
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentlewoman from Oregon very much for her work. for her resolution. and for her advocacy. Mr. Speaker. I now yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania .
Date: 2016-01-07
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his wise words and the wisdom that has come with this experience. Mr. Speaker. I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas .
Date: 2016-01-07
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for her leadership and her commitment to every child in this country. I yield to my colleague from Virginia
Date: 2016-01-08
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I want to thank our ranking member of the Judiciary Committee for yielding to me. I rise in strong opposition to this legislation. The socalled Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act is an attempt by the House majority to take away Americas access to the courthouse and punish asbestos victims by requiring personal information be made public on the Internet. I am proud to represent the hardworking people in the 29th District of Texas. Our district is home to the Port of Houston and the largest petrochemical complex in the country. The people in Eastside Houston and Harris County are proud of the work they do in producing the oil and gas and chemicals that drive our Nations economy. We also produce a lot of seafarers because we are the largest international port in the country. This inherently hazardous work needs to be done as safely as possible. Workers in Harris County and throughout our great country should not be exposed to known human carcinogens like asbestos. This is why I introduced. with my colleague. Representative SUZAN DELBENE. the Reducing Exposure to Asbestos Database. or READ Act. last year. This legislation would expand existing protections enacted under the Reagan administration that would create a public database with the location of asbestos and asbestoscontaining products in the country.
Date: 2016-01-08
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Chair. 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 California will be postponed.