macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-07-25
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I strongly support the child tax credit. and I support expanding and strengthening the child tax credit. The problem is this bill does just the opposite for the most needy families with kids in the United States. They dont get a tax cut under this bill. In fact. they get deliberately left behind because this bill fails to extend a critical improvement to the tax credit that is only currently temporary in law. and they dont extend that. I heard the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee earlier blaming that on the President. once again. as if the President made our Republican colleagues not include that provision in their bill. Extending the child tax credit is in the Presidents budget. Extending the child tax credit is in the House Democratic budget. Extending that child tax credit enhancement is not in the House Republican budget. and that is why it is not here today. What is the impact of this? The impact is to hurt our lowincome families with kids. As Mr. LEVIN pointed out earlier. it is really ironic that. just yesterday. the chairman of the Budget Committee gave a big talk in Washington about how he wanted to "start a conversation about poverty" and "help families get ahead." That was yesterday. Those were words. Here we are on the floor of the House today with an actual deed. an actual acta vote that will put 12 million more Americans into poverty or deeper into poverty. 6 million of them children. The President in his budget extends those benefitsthose tax strengthening. taxcut provisionsand pays for them by getting rid of some of the big tax breaks for corporations. The Republican approach has been just the opposite. In the last 6 weeks. they have permanently extended tax breaks for big corporations. but today. when it comes to the kids. they leave them behind. They dont extend those enhancements. Who are these individuals? Let me point out to our colleagues the folks who are being left behind: A single mother of two. working fulltime at minimum wage. will lose a tax credit of $1.725. This is an individual who is making about $15.000 a year. These are the people we are trying to help with the child tax credit. Yes. we would love to expand it. but not at the expense of this single mom. Who else gets left behind? It would be an Army private Elmarried. one child. They are going to lose $229 in their child tax credit because this Republican bill refuses to extend those enhancements. Mr. Speaker. yes. lets strengthen it. but not at the expense of those most vulnerable families. I urge a "no" vote.
Date: 2014-07-25
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. as we all know. this Republicanled House has recently been in the habit of passing extraordinarily expensive corporate and business tax provisions. making each permanent. However. we are here today to follow a completely different track. Today. we will leave countless single mothers and fathers. struggling to support a family. without the certainty we rushed to provide corporations. Honestly. Im dumbfounded by this. Im dumbfounded and frustrated by a Majority that can find it in their hearts to make corporate provisions like R&Dwhich I supportpermanent. but cant find that same heart for hardworking Americans. It is truly disgraceful. While there are a few good provisions in the bill before us. we are leaving the most vulnerable taxpayers out in the cold. Literally. Parents will have to choose between heating their home in the dead of winter and putting food on the table for their kids when we take roughly $1.700 out of their pockets. Kids are not cheap and this bill doesnt come close to addressing the price of raising healthy. successful children. As a working mom. I understand the struggle to raise a family. And Im one of the lucky ones. Many of my constituentsand constituents of each one of us here todayarent so lucky. These arent lazy people. expecting a government handout. but hardworking parents. I cannot support a bill to increase poverty across the country. On top of all this. at the eleventh hour. the Majority tossed in a devastating amendment to this bill. An amendment that denies millions of children a tax benefit their parents deserve and have paid for. Parents who have worked long hours and paid their fair share of federal taxes will no longer be able to claim the refundable child tax credit. Seriously? You are going to pull the rug out from under struggling families? You have got to be kidding me. If we can pass permanent tax law for corporations. we can certainly tackle permanent policy for people straining to make ends meet.
Date: 2014-07-28
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. let me welcome the young African leaders that are here from all over Africa. They came because they view America as a working government. a government of democracy and collaboration and coalition. So I welcome them. But I also ask my colleagues to show them that government and pass the emergency supplemental now. The issues at the border. the unaccompanied children. are not the fault of President Obama or any of us who believe in immigration reform. They are the fault of people fleeing violence. prepared to flee from losing their lives. Just like the unfortunate circumstances in Nigeria. where Boko Haram is terrorizing people. people are fleeing for their lives. Boko Haram needs to be addressed because they have just kidnapped the Vice Prime Ministers wife in Cameroon. And. as well. we need to bring about some solution to the devastation of Ebola in Liberia. brought to my attention. Mr. Speaker. there are many issues. We should not go home. We should address them and not point the blame. We need to get to work and do what is right by the people of the world and the American people.
Date: 2014-07-28
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H.R. 3202. the Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act and yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. again. I rise in strong support of my bill. H.R. 3202. the Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act and. again. want to offer my appreciation to Chairwoman MILLER of the committee. that I am the ranking member of. for her collaboration. cooperation. and commitment to Americas security and working together in a bipartisan manner not only at the subcommittee level. but at the full committee level. Again. thanking Mr. MCCAUL. the chairman of the full committee. and
Date: 2014-07-28
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me offer just a few thoughts. I am delighted to associate myself with a very important point that the chairman of the committee made. and I will use the terminology "authorization equals affirmation." It is important for us in this Congress to affirm an agency that is handling some of the most precious responsibilities. alongside of the intelligence community. alongside of the United States military. Defense. It is Homeland Security. That is why this is a first start toward making sure that we are. in fact. looking to affirm or reauthorize the importance of this particular agency. What I would say is that. when we were crafting this bill along with my chairwoman as she introduced this legislation. we were somewhat before this rising surge. and we began to think about what we needed to do to get in front of it. I am very glad that I laid the framework in my language in the bill dealing with having DHS find out what are the causes. how do we address the issue of unaccompanied children that are coming. We might have used the term "surge." It was a surge. but it wasnt at that point. I believe that facts are crucial. and I think it is important that this bill will encourage some of the things that have already been done. The President has met with the three Presidents of Honduras. Guatemala. and El Salvador to determine and assess what the reasons are. how extreme the violence is. The stories are horrific. And then. of course. to separate out the children who are running toward the men and women in green and begin to look at the border and securing the border. which none of us quarrel with. We realize that there have been some strideswe have worked with the Mexican governmentbut we also know that drug cartels. drug smugglers. sex traffickers. and human traffickers still prevail. because bad guys are always prevailing. We have to make sure that mixed into those bad guys that have those particular desires are not terrorists that will come and disturb this community or this Nation. I think this bill lays a good framework for us to collaborate with so many others. I want to thank Chairman MILLER for the bipartisan nature of the work on this bill. and the bills that originate from our committee. I would like to say that this is only the beginning. I am looking forward to our committee partnering with Judiciary. and that we look to a reauthorization of ICE. which is a partner to the work that is being done on Homeland Security. I think it can be done. We have set a good model here today. As we make our way through the Department of Homeland Security. we have set a very good model on how we can affirm the vitality. the vigorousness. and the crucialness of these subagencies in providing for domestic security. With that. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2014-07-28
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 2952. a bill that will create a research and development strategy for critical infrastructure security technologies to protect critical American infrastructure from physical and cyberattacks. As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee. I believe that the technology and protection of our critical infrastructure falls short in addressing the cyberattacks we face on a daily basis. We are in dire need of new security technologies to keep pace with rapidly evolving threats and the rapid advancement of the infrastructure itself. This bill requires the Homeland Security Department to facilitate the development of a research and development (R&D) strategy for critical infrastructure security technologies. The measure requires the Homeland Security Department. within 180 days of enactment and every two years thereafter. to submit to Congress a strategic plan for research and development efforts addressing the protection of critical infrastructure. The plan must identify critical infrastructure security risks and any associated security technology gaps The department also must submit a report to Congress. within 180 days of enactment and every two years thereafter. on departmental use of publicprivate consortiums to develop technology to protect such infrastructu re. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the bill would cost less than $500.000 annually in 2014 and 2015. assuming the availability of appropriated funds. The bill contains no intergovernmental or privatesector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state. local or tribal governments. Mr. Speaker. the cost of this bill is a small price to pay for the increased security and safety it will provide once it has been successfully implemented. In closing. I would like to state that I have always advocated for strengthening our Department of Homeland Security and giving the department the proper tools to protect our country. It is important that we continue to help support the agencies that protect us.
Date: 2014-07-29
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. often. the American people hear the term "Congress." but I think it is important to let all of my colleagues know and remind them what the Republicans will be doing over the next 48 hours. It is important to know that there will be a resolutiona billon the floor of the House. H. Res. 676. and it says that they are looking for the power to intervene in one or more civil actions to file suit against the President. to seek any appropriate relief against the President. the head of any department or agency. or any other officer or employee. Let me be very clear. The Republicans are looking to sue the secretary who didnt order enough paper clips and indicate that we need to sue the President for not doing his job. while veterans are suffering and need a whole reformation and a new bill. while people are still not getting their unemployment insurance. while we are not able to expand Medicaid to help those who need health care. and while we are not raising the minimum wage. Democrats want to work for the American people. but Republicans want to sue the secretary. meaning the secretary who orders paper clips. because the President is not doing his job. Lets work for the American people.
Date: 2014-07-29
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of our Kurdish allies in the Middle East. The Kurdish people are one of Americas strongest allies in the Middle East. In 2003 leading up to the Iraq war. the Kurdish people. positioned in the northern part of Iraq. opened their arms to American troops and welcomed their liberation after decades of oppression from Saddam Husseins regime. Recently. with the ISIS insurgency in Iraq. the Kurdish Regional Government has remained firm in protecting Iraq and have managed to maintain stability in a volatile region. Currently. a Kurdish tanker is anchored off the coast of Texas with an estimated $100 million worth of crude oil aboard. The KRG presently maintains federal control over their region despite the objections of the Iraqi central government. Even though the ship was cleared on Sunday by the U.S. Coast Guard. a Federal judge ruled that the cargo could be seized by U.S. Marshals at the request of the Iraqi oil ministry. The claim of misappropriation by the Iraqi oil ministry could be viewed as exclusionary. Congress and the administration need to pressure the Maliki government to be more inclusive. The Kurdish Regional Government. at present. exports billions of dollars each year in crude oil to major allies of the United States all over the world. It should always be our mission to support our allies in the Middle East and move in the right direction in our relationship with the Kurds. THE IRS
Date: 2014-07-30
Speaker: MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Speaker. last September. I was honored to welcome the TriCaucus Health Disparities Summit to my home State of New Mexico. The Center for Health Policy at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque brought experts from all over the country together to talk about what they are seeing as providers. researchers. and patients. and we heard that communities of color continue to face substantial cultural. social. and economic barriers to obtaining quality health care and achieving equitable health outcomes. Several of my colleagues in fact joined me at that summit. and we all pledged not to just acknowledge these disparities. but to act to provide the tools and resources necessary to achieve health equity. That is what the Health Equity and Accountability Act does. It is a comprehensive bill. developed with significant stakeholder input. that would build on the gains of the Affordable Care Act and put in place the policies and the infrastructure needed to eliminate health disparities. The bill sets national standards for culturally and linguistically appropriate care and includes programs to address diseases that disproportionately impact minority communities. It also provides grants and scholarships to build diversity in the health care workforce and extends funding to strengthen the health IT infrastructure in minority communities. These provisions are just part of a larger strategic approach because problems like this really are more systemic. We cant just add some funding here or make a policy change there and walk away. This takes thoughtful. comprehensive policy to make a substantial longlasting difference on issues like this. I would like to commend my colleague. Congresswoman LUCILLE ROYPALALLARD from California. for her leadership on this bill. It is not easy to put together a bill of this size in consultation with dozens of Members offices and more than 300 stakeholder groups. but she managed to do just that. and I thank her for putting together one of the best versions of this bill I think Congress has had before it. Mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Date: 2014-07-30
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. thank you President Johnson. and happy birthday to Medicaid and Medicare. I am excited about the lives that have been saved. and I am looking forward to the full expansion in all 50 States of Medicaid in 2015. its 50th birthday. I will tell you. when President Johnson signed Medicare into law. less than 50 percent of our seniors had health insurance and 35 percent lived in poverty. Now. over 52.4 million Americans are given health care benefits through Medicare. Medicaid. regardless of their condition. and then for some also when their income is very low. Mr. Speaker. 43.6 million Americans age 65 and above have Medicare and Medicaid. including 8.8 million disabled. Our seniors are able to be in longterm living because of Medicaid. By the time the baby boomers reach 65. it is expected that 80 million people will be covered by Medicare. What is the common sense and lack thereof of the States that have not accepted expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act? Mr. Speaker. Medicare and Medicaid together save lives. I am interested in saving lives. Lets stand up for the Affordable Care Act. Medicare. and Medicaid to save the lives of Americans.
Date: 2014-07-30
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise to bring upand I am pleading to bring upH.R. 377. the Paycheck Fairness Act. to jumpstart the middle class. instead of this partisan lawsuit attacking the President of the United States of America.
Date: 2014-07-30
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise to bring up H.R. 1010. a minimum wage increase. to jumpstart the middle class. instead of the partisan lawsuit attacking the Honorable Barack Obama. President of the United States of America.
Date: 2014-07-30
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise this evening in strong opposition to this resolution that would propose to have the House sue the President of the United States. With only a few hours left before Congress adjourns for the August district work period. we have a full plate of responsibilities left unfinished. When I go back home to my district. I highly doubt that many constituents will be running up to me to thank me for Congress passing a resolution to sue the President of the United States. I know what I will hear instead: Why hasnt the House passed comprehensive immigration reform to fix our broken immigration system? Why hasnt Congress raised the minimum wage so people who work full time dont remain in poverty? Why havent we renewed emergency unemployment insurance for more than 31/2 million Americans. including nearly 300.000 veterans? The only answer I will be able to give them is that Republican leadership in the House cares more about scoring political points against this President than they do about helping Americas middle class families. This is a question of priorities. The American people sent us here to respond to the pressing needs that face our Nation. It should be a given that we would use our time to focus on the most important issues. Instead. we waste time on suing the President of the United States while failing to address commonsense measures to ensure economic security for every American. Not only does this resolution reflect a very different set of priorities from the majority of Americans. we are yet again wasting millions in taxpayer dollars. just like the $3 million wasted in defending the indefensible and unconstitutional Defense of Marriage Act and billions of dollars wasted by shutting down the government to try to take away Americans health care benefits. It is unconscionable that when this donothing Republican Congress finally decided to do something. it is suing the President for doing his job when they refuse to do theirs. I wish I could say that this was politics at its worst. but I have heard too many in the Republican majority raise the specter of impeachment not to know better. Mr. Speaker. I urge opposition to this time- and taxpayer moneywasting resolution and urge Republicans in the majority to join Democrats and address the serious challenges facing our Nation.
Date: 2014-07-30
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of the 3.5 million Americans who have lost their unemployment benefits over the past seven months and the one million Dreamers whose aspirations continue to be tragically denied and in strong opposition to the Majoritys endless parade of political stunts. now best highlighted by the present legislation. H. Res. 676. a resolution giving one chamber of Congress the authority to sue the President. As the American peoples elected representatives. we have a duty to debate and vote on pressing legislation. such as longterm unemployment insurance and comprehensive immigration reform. Instead. the Majority is wasting the American peoples time and precious tax dollars on this political stunt that will inevitably fail. Any firstyear law student would be able to tell the Majority that our chamber would lack standing before any court under the U.S. Constitution because theres simply no injury. Just nine days ago. Judge William Griesbach agreed. dismissing a suit brought before the Eastern District Court of Wisconsin by Senator RON JOHNSON against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management over its implementation of the Affordable Care Act because the Senator lacked standing. To quote Judge Griesbach. "Under our constitutional design. in the absence of a concrete injury to a party that can be redressed by the courts. disputes between the executive and legislative branches over the exercise of their respective powers are to be resolved through the political process. not by decisions issued by federal judges." One of our nations most noted jurists. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia agrees. He wrote last year in his opinion in United States v. Windsor. regarding the dangers of resolving a political question before a court. that the framers of the Constitution unequivocally rejected a "system in which Congress and the Executive can pop immediately into court. in their institutional capacity. whenever the President . . . implements a law in a manner that is not to Congresss liking." Our Constitution provides the Executive wide discretion in the implementation of federal law. In 2006. thenPresident George W. Bush extended the deadline and waived penalties for certain seniors who failed to sign up in time for the new Medicare prescription drug program. At that time. or in the following year when control of this chamber changed hands. neither Democrats nor Republicans contemplated suing President Bush over his use of executive discretion. If the Majority is dissatisfied with current federal law. it should use its authority granted under Article I to amend it. Otherwise. the Majority should do what every elected official under our present government has done since 1788go before the American people and openly debate the merits of their agendawhich today includes the unashamed denial of millions of Americans essential unemployment benefits or the million young persons raise in our country the opportunity to become Americans.