macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-07-01
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. I thank the gentlewoman for the time. Mr. Speaker. I was listening intently to the debate. I must say that the people in my district would not recognize the America that has been described by the gentleman from California. They would not believe that the economy is moving up. They would not believe that jobs are being created. They would not believe that they have low taxes. Frankly. they believe all of the opposite because that is what their reality is. All of us have been home in our districts. as have I. All of us. I hope. have polled our constituents. both informally and formally. I find what my constituents say in my district is similar to what I see in the national polls. The number one thing they are concerned about are jobs. They are concerned about good jobs. permanent jobs. They understand the agony of those who are unemployed and of those who are having difficulty. if not discovering the impossibility. of finding prospects for jobs at the present time. and we understand that on this side. though the other thing my constituents have said to me over and over again is. while "jobs" is the number one issue. the number two issue is the spending. which is out of control by this Congress. So I hear my friends on the other side of the aisle who say we have an emergency in terms of the unemployment benefits running out. I understand that. Yet what my constituents are telling me and what Americans are saying all over the country is that there are at least two emergencies. Jobs. yes. are an emergency. but spending. outofcontrol spending. irresponsible spending by this Congress under this Democratic leadership is a major concern to them. Under this rule. we cant deal with both emergencies. We can only deal with the question of jobs in the unemployment compensation arena. but we are prohibited from dealing with how you pay for the government spending here. Thats what we have been asking for. Deal with the second emergency so that you dont have further people unemployed for years and so that you dont impose your debt on my children and my grandchildren so that they will not have the prospect of jobs in the future. It is not original with me. but it often has been said the best social welfare program is a job. While we want to have unemployment insurance to cushion people. to transition people from a period of employment to unemployment to employment. that is not the prospect we want for them shortterm or longterm. What we want is creation of jobs. and the irresponsibility of this administration and this Democratic leadership in not facing up to the fact that our persistent irresponsibility in not paying our bills is something that exacerbates the problem-
Date: 2010-07-01
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. So as I hear the people on the other side of the aisle try and say. look. Republicans are those Scroogelike people who are not concerned about people who are unemployed. let me just say we have people unemployed as well as you do in your districts. We have friends and family members who are suffering under this. We understand that. But we also understand they are saying at the same time. when you pass legislation in the Congress that costs money. find a way to pay for it. Find a way to pay for it. You can be both for creation of jobs as well as being responsible in the carrying out of our duties. That is all we are saying. Dont promise the American people a free lunch. and dont say. well. we will think about that in the future. because we have got to think about spending right now. Now. I understand this rule doesnt allow us to do this. The leadership on the Democratic side doesnt want to face up to the concerns we have. We are not even going to have a budget. But at some point in time we have to stand up for what is right. and we can do two things at once.
Date: 2010-07-01
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. My parliamentary inquiry is this: I understand that we are dealing with H.R. 5609. and I have. just 20 minutes ago. been given the copy of H.R. 5609. which. in every respect. after the introduction. is different from the 5609 that we were prepared to speak on just 20 minutes ago. My question is. under the rules of the House. is it appropriate to completely remove the text of the bill that we were prepared to deal with and exchange it for an entirely new language which refers to new sections of the U.S. Code of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. where the original 5609 referred to another section of the code?
Date: 2010-07-01
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. According to the copy of the bill that I have. 5609. it says that this bill is referred to the Committee on House Administration. If it is referred to the Committee on House Administration. how is that on this floor it is now being brought forward by the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. who is not a member of the Committee on House Administration?
Date: 2010-07-01
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. So. as I understand what the Speaker is telling me. this request for consent to bring this to the floor at this time would have the effect of discharging the committee of jurisdiction. that is. the Committee of House Administration. and bring it directly to the floor to be handled now by another committee. the Committee on the Judiciary. Is that correct?
Date: 2010-07-01
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Is it under the rules. or is it customary interpretation under the rules. that the minority receive a copy of the bill to be brought to the floor at some time before 20 minutes before its brought to the floor? Is there no requirement for notice of the actual contents of the bill to be considered. even under a request such as has been made by the gentleman from Michigan?
Date: 2010-07-01
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. So further parliamentary inquiry. Under the rules of the House. a motion such as made by the gentleman to suspend the rules in effect suspends all rules. including rules that would govern the language of the bill as introduced and as given to the minority yesterday and up until 20 minutes ago.
Date: 2010-07-01
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Once again. Madam Speaker. I rise in support of this bill.
Date: 2010-07-01
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in opposition to the amendment offered by my colleague. the Gentleman from Wisconsin. Mr. OBEY. As we all know. the Deepwater Horizon oil spill has resulted in the worst manmade environmental disaster in history. As a result. tens of thousands of Gulf residents are sidelined. From rig workers to commercial fishermen and shrimpers. these folks are forced to watch their waters. their beaches. and their livelihoods succumb to the oil spill. My colleagues on the left will tell you that this amendment assists those in the Gulf. providing $142 million for Oil Spill Unemployment Assistance. But this is merely a token. The underlying bill provides $2.93 billion in relief to Haiti. but this amendment only provides Americans whose livelihoods hang in the balance only $142 million. Gulf Coast Americans should be enraged. Almost $3 billion for Haiti and a measly $142 million to Gulf Coast victims. The Democrat leadership has filled this amendment with questionable provisions diverting education spending. cutting federal charter school programs. and paying back their union pals. And then they add desperately needed Gulf assistance and say "you either vote with us or you vote for big oil." This is a false choice and it is playing politics with all my Gulf residents who are out of work as a result of this tragedy. I oppose this amendment.
Date: 2010-07-14
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. Fidel Castro showed himself on television this week to remind the world that he is alive and in power. despite having turned over some titles to his puppet brother. What he does is he throws Cuban patriots in the dungeons. and then when he feels pressure. he releases Cuban patriots. deports them from the country. expels them. gives them the choice. "Do you want to stay in the dungeon or be expelled from your country?" to gain diplomatic and economic oxygen. He wants U.S. sanctions eliminated and he wants the European common position. which ties a close relationship between Cuba and Europe to an improvement in human rights. he wants that common position eliminated. He comes together with the Spanish Foreign Minister. Mr. Moratinos. and they agree upon a supposed number of political prisoners. under 200. they say there are. The U.S. State Department. in March. makes clear that only those charged under socalled dangerousnesswhatever that meansnumber 5.000 in the Cuban dungeons. Lets not be fooled. Lets not be fooled. The solution to the Cuban problem is free elections. the release of all political prisoners through free elections in Cuba.
Date: 2010-07-14
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise to honor the recent accolades of the Third Congressional District of Texas. While I know its a great place to live. work. and raise a family. clearly. other notable and even national publications have paid attention. too. For example. D Magazine put the spotlight on the best suburbs for Dallas. and 11 out of all 11 cities in the Third District outside of Dallas ranked among the top: Parker. Murphy. Allen. Sachse. Plano. Frisco. Wylie. McKinney. Rowlett. Richardson. and Garland. Money Magazine just named McKinney. Texas. as the fifth most desirable place to live in the Nation. while Allen took 16th and Rowlett claimed 24th. In addition. Newsweek featured 10 Third District high schools in June in the Americas Best High Schools edition. My hat goes off to the people who make Texas places so special and the leaders who had the vision and courage to make their dreams for these communities a reality. Congratulations to all. God bless you. I salute you.
Date: 2010-07-14
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. this week weve seen that the Castro dictatorship has released a handful of political prisoners in an attempt to try to win concessions from the European Union and the United States. Its not the first time theyve done that to try to win concessions. At the same time. the Obama administration recognizes that there are about 5.000 Cubans that are held in the gulags of that nation for the charge of dangerousness. Those are 5.000 additional political prisoners that languish in prison. Weve got to remember who the Castro regime. that terrorist regime. who they are. This week alone theyve blamed the United States for sinking the South Korean ship that killed 46 sailors early this year. They blamed the United States. This is the same regime that holds an American hostage. Mr. Alan Gross. a Jewish American contractor who was providing humanitarian aid to Cuban Jews within that island nation. This is the same regime that. last month. Fidel Castro himself compared Israel to Nazi Germany. And yet some want to give concessions to that regime. Some want to help that regime with billions of dollars. Lets stay firm. Lets demand elections. Lets demand freedom for the Cuban people.
Date: 2010-07-14
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I rise today to recognize and honor the late California State senator and former California Assembly Republican Leader Dave Cox. who passed away at his home yesterday. surrounded by his loving family. I had the great pleasure of working with Dave. and I admired not only his energy. but his tireless service to the people he represented. I was pleased that I was able to represent some of those same people in my congressional district. which overlapped his State senate district. He constantly strove to make government work better for people. and I do believe he accomplished this mission. His public service spanned more than two decades. and it goes without saying that he will be sorely missed across the entire Sacramento region. Dave served on the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Board. and was a 6year Sacramento County supervisor before joining the California Assembly in 1998. and then the California Senate in 2004. Much can be said about Dave Cox the public servant. but let us remember that he was a devoted husband. father. and grandfather as well. Dave. along with his wife. Maggie. raised three daughters. and were the proud grandparents of six grandchildren. I was pleased to be able to speak with him just a few weeks ago. when he had returned from receiving some treatment for the cancer. And he told me that he was going to return to the State senate. which he did several days later. Here was yet another example of a man serving the people he loved until the very end. He said to me at that time. well. he was only about 90 percent. And I said. "Well. 90 percent of Dave Cox is better than a hundred percent of most of the people in public service." I am honored to remember my friend. the late Senator Dave Cox. a devoted family man. an exemplary public servant. and a trusted colleague. Eternal rest. grant unto him. 0 Lord. and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.
Date: 2010-07-15
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Chairman. I rise today actually in support of H.R. 5114. the Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act. And since the word "priorities" is mentioned in the title. I wanted to share a few of my constituents priorities. On balance. they would say this is a good bill. particularly given the fact that over the last few weeks I received numerous calls from Realtors and wouldbe home buyers who could not close on houses because of the lapse in the National Flood Insurance Program. While the situation has been taken care of temporarily and while the home buyer tax credit closing deadline was pushed back. I think my colleagues can understand the frustration back home in Florida that this simply is not how we should be handling issues in Washington. D.C. As for the bill we have on the floor today. I want to draw my colleagues attention to one provision in particular that gives me pause. Section 5 of the legislation effectively raises homeowners insurance costs for struggling homeowners. There are a lot of things that keep Floridians up late at night: unemployment. hurricane season. the solvency of Social Security and Medicare. and among others. homeowners insurance premiums. We have to remember that the NFIP was selfsufficient until Hurricane Katrina and. frankly. it should continue to be. But raising rates during this recession in Gulf States already devastated by hurricanes. oil spills. and failed stimulus plans is a horrifically bad idea. I offered an amendment at the Rules Committee that would have prevented these increases. but unfortunately my Democrat and Republican colleagues in floodprone areas around the country will not have an opportunity to vote on that amendment.
Date: 2010-07-19
Speaker: TIM MURPHY (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Pennsylvania

Madam Speaker. on rollcall Nos. 448 and 449. I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present. I would have voted "yes."
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. a new USA Today poll reported that threefourths of those 18 to 34 dont expect to get a Social Security check when they retire. They deserve much better. In 351935. that isworkers were told that the payroll tax would never exceed 2 percent of the first $3.000 of earnings. Sadly. since then. Congress has raised the payroll tax 14 times. now at 12.4 percent. and the taxable wage base 10 times. Time and history prove Congress cannot resist the temptation to raise taxes on Social Security. Weve got to find a better way forward without raising taxes. without any changes to those in or near retirement. Americans want action. not scare tactics. Lets start working together on fair. commonsense solutions so we can ensure Social Security will be there for those who need it most without raising taxes.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. today is Dr. Oscar Elias Biscets 49th birthday. This physician and peaceful advocate of freedom has dedicated his life to defending human rights and advancing democracy in Cuba. and for that he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. So while Dr. Biscet and thousands of political prisons sit in Castros gulags. the Castro regime is using political prisoners as a bargaining chip in a calculated attempt to gain concessions from the United States and the European Union. Even more troubling. however. is the evident collaboration between the Cuban Catholic Church and the Castro regime. The church is cooperating with the regime and reaching out to only those families of political prisoners that the regime asks them to talk to. while Dr. Biscet and others dont even get a call from the church. Mr. Speaker. we must continue to stand tall. to stand with the Cuban people. and to demand the release of every single political prisoner in the Cuban gulags. Until every single one is released. we cannot shut up. we cannot stop speaking. The United States should not be fooled. We will continue to stand with the political prisoners.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to point out the obvious: You cannot feed road signs to your kids. They are made of aluminum. degreasing agents. and reflective film. They dont taste good. In fact. you cant even pay the rent with road signs because landlords prefer checks. Thats why Americans are so confused about the Obama administration and why they are spending tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer money on road signs. touting the success of the stimulus. I should have said the socalled "success" of the stimulus. President Obama assured the American people that he would not waste the stimulus money. In fact. he even said that he would not waste one single nickel and that he would make famous anyone who wasted the money. Well. I guess Im making the President famous then because these signs are the most obscenely wasteful and gratuitous things that we have seen out of him yet. There is a reason why the majority has lost all credibility with the American people. and there is a reason you havent created any jobs. That reason is posted on the sides of our roads.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. last week the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit challenging the State of Arizonas recently enacted immigration law. DOJ bases its groundless lawsuit on the supremacy clause. preemption. and the commerce clause. However. DOJs officials should take noteand maybe even read the bill. for that matterthat the new Arizona law mirrors Federal law. which already requires aliens to register and carry their documents with them. Arizonas law simply states that violating Federal immigration law is now a State crime as well. Because illegal immigrants are. by definition. in violation of Federal immigration law. under the new provisions they can now be arrested by local law enforcement in Arizona. This week DOJ officials have stepped up their attack on the Arizona immigration law by stating that they may file another lawsuit if the law leads to racial profiling. Once again. read the bill. Arizonas law expressly prohibits racial profiling four separate times. All in all. DOJs lawsuit reveals the Obama administrations contempt for immigration law. the people of Arizona. and for the majority of the American people who support Arizonas efforts to reduce human smuggling. drug trafficking. and illegal immigration. Arizona takes a responsible and constitutional approach to defending the immigration laws.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I guess the polls show that the Democrats are in trouble. because every time that happens. Social Security is pulled out of their back pocket. Republicans are going to destroy Social Security. This party is the only party to save Social Security. Democrats must be behind in the polls because they are pulling out George W. Bush. I have looked all over this campus. I cant find him. I went down to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He left. Maybe you folks didnt notice. President Obama is there. And what a real shame it is that current Democrats are running away from the Democratic Party of John F. Kennedy. He told us. forget about class warfare. a rising tide lifts all boats. Maybe you ought to listen to some of those on your side who didnt talk about fear but talked about hope.
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

The world. and especially the press and the media in the United States. continue to treat the political prisoners in the gulags of the Cuban dictatorship as nonpersons. The most wellknown and respected political prisoner in Cuba is Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet. He has been in the gulags of the Castros for a decade due to his peaceful. prodemocracy work inside that enslaved island. Dr. Biscet is the Mandela of Cuba. Today is his 49th birthday. I wish him Godspeed and freedom. and freedom for Cuba. To the press I ask. how long do the heroes of Cuba have to suffer before you acknowledge their existence?
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 4842. the Homeland Security Science and Technology Authorization Act of 2010. It gives me great pleasure to work with the gentlewoman in bringing forward this authorization bill to the floor. This bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the Science and Technology Directorate and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office for fiscal years 2011 and 2012. and I want to thank the chairwoman for her bipartisan leadership on this legislation. This process started last summer with numerous stakeholder meetings. followed by meetings and recommendations from the Department of Homeland Security and concluding with the recent improvements and support of the House Science and Technology Committee. When it comes to homeland security. there is no room for partisanship. Chairwoman Clark and the chairman of our full committee. Chairman THOMPSON. working together with
Date: 2010-07-20
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I would just like to say in my remaining time that I hope that this is a unanimous vote in support of this legislation. It gives a framework to the S&T directorate. and it is an assertion of the proper jurisdiction of this committee and of this House. and I do believe this moves us in the right direction. I have no further requests for time. and I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2010-07-21
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. when the clock strikes midnight on December 21. 2010. a $3.8 trillion Democrat tax increase will ring in the new year. The Democrats ticking tax bomb means all taxpaying Americans will face higher taxes starting on January 1. For married couples. get ready to give up date nights in order to pay the tax penalty for I saying "I do." For families with children. get ready to give up the family summer vacation so that you can fork over to Uncle Sam an extra $500 per kid. For already struggling small business owners. get ready to share more of your hardearned profits with Uncle Sam. hardearned profits that could be used to hire new workers. The American people want. need. and deserve better than the Democrats massive tax hikes to pay for their Big Government agenda. Lets stop the big tax increase and protect Americas future.