macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-02-12
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the distinguished gentleman from Georgia for yieldifig. Would it be all right if before I get into the specifics. I tell you a little bit about what it feels like to be a freshman. what I have learned? I have experienced some very interesting things while I have been here in Washington.
Date: 2003-02-12
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. I thank the gentleman. The gentleman is right. I have been in the State legislature for a number of years. and the private sector. and I havc to admit I have been kind of caught off guard by some things in the few weeks I have been up here in D.C. fl 1900 Some things that kind of hit me kind of in a strange way. I have to admit. maybe it is just because of the Washington phenomenon. is how I hear things thrown out there that are not based on facts. The gentleman just mentioned some of the qualifications of Miguel Estrada. I do not know of a more qualified individual. The man. as the gentleman well said. got here when he was 17 years old. worked and studied. he was not a rich man. barely spoke the language. worked and studied and was able to educate himself. was able to graduate from Columbia University with honors. Harvard Law School with honors. worked in the Clinton administration. The people that he worked with have said publicly. in writing. that he is a decent individual. that he is a hardworking individual. that he is a talented individual. and yet I say to the gentleman from Georgia. then I hear some strange accusations coming out there which. frankly. I am not used to. Because where we served. and coincidentally. the three others of us who happen to be here right now. as the gentleman from Georgia mentioned. are from Florida and the three of us served n the Florida legislature together. and it was a wonderful experience. And we have heated debates there. but we are used to at least basing those debates on facts. Yet.. let us kind of analyze some of these "accusations du jour" that we have heard about Mr. Miguel Estrada. We have heard frora others in this process. some members of the minority party. that one of the reasons that Mr. Miguel Estrada should not be a judge. because he is not qualified to be a judge. is because he is a Hispanic individual who got here. as I repeat. when he was 17 years old and has lived. really lived. his part of the American dream through hard work. sacrifice. dedication. He was not given anything. He earned it. He earned it. Yet. there are some who have said. well. Mr. Estrada is not Hispanic enough. He is only Hispanic in name.
Date: 2003-02-12
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I can understand the reason for that very interesting question. By the way. let me tell the gentleman a little bit about myself. I was born in southern Florida of Cuban parents. so I am Hispanic. I am American. obviously. 100 percent American. of Hispanic descent. Mr. Estrada was born in Honduras. Central America. came over hete. and he was a naturalized American citizen. He came here when he was 17 years old. He was not born an American here like I was. he was naturalized. He did not speak much English until after he got here at the age of 17. And then there are others. by the way. some of them like me born here. some of them. by the way. who do not speak Spanish fluently who then claim that Mr. Estrada is not Hispanic enough. I consider myself. and I am very proud of my heritage. .but I think It would be ludicrous if I. who was born in the United States. who obviously was born. thank God. was born in the United States. thank God was born an American. was born into freedom. was born in the land of opportunity. I think it would be ludicrous and frankly maybe a bit offensive if I were to say to the gentleman from Georgia. to somebody that the gentleman and I know who was not born in the United States. who got here when he was 17. who is a Hispanic. whose mother. by the way. got here carrying a 3yearold child when she came to this country. I think it would be frankly offensive. I think. sir. that the gentleman would be offended if I said that about somebody. that that person is not Hispanic enough. Who am I to say that a man who got here when he was 17 years old. barely speaking English. from Honduras is not Hispanic enough. That is irresponsibfe. That is offensive to me. sir. But it is just not only that. Here is a person who got here at 17. has lived his part of the American dream. and I do not think anybody can argue that he has been a successful lawyer. who again woiked even in the Clinton administration. and the people that worked with him. his bosses. his coworkers have said in writing that he is extremely qualified and he is fair. But then some of these other people that are accusing Mr. Estrada with some ridiculous. baseless accusations like the one that I just mentioned. To me. that one is more than ridiculous. it is offensive. It is offensive. by the way. to all of us of Hispanic heritage. but it is offensive and slould be offensive to everybody who believes in equality and the American dream. and that anybody here. anybody here who works and sacrifices and loves this Country can be an American. and we should not be judging them if they are too Hispanic or not Hispanic enough. Again. I think that is offensive.
Date: 2003-02-12
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Again. it begs a difference. You have these incredible double standards. You have the double standards of judges that did not have previous judicial experience. were nominated and approved for the same court that Mr. Estrada was nominated before. They were not judges before. and yet now there are some people saying that that Is what disqualifies Mr. Estrada. You have certain people saying that Mr. Estrada. who. I repeat. was born in Honduras who came here at age 17. barely speaking English. worked hard. studied hard. became a model American and a wonderful attorney. even worked in the Clinton administration and actually for more than one President. And now they are saying that. well. this individual is not Hispanic enough. Why this double standard? You have some people that have said that. for example. that the ABAs rating provided the gold standard. American Bar Associations rating provides. they said. the gold standard for how a judge should be measured. whether one is qualified or not. Well. now those same people are saying that Mr. Estrada is not qualified even though Mr. Estrada got the highest possible riting from the ABA unanimously. So why the double standard? Why is this individual being treated differently than others just like him with the same or less qualifications. with the same or less merits? Why is he being treated differently? The gentleman mentioned the case a little while ago of a very similar case where he went right through the process. Nobody asked him any questions. and if you look at those questions that were asked. they were pretty amazing they were asked. They were total softballs. And yet Mr. Estrada. who nobody has been able to say anything negative about his record. about his integrity. about how he has lived his life. how he has really lived a piece of this American Dream. And for these accusations that come out of left field. ridiculous. unfounded. kind of really almost funny accusations to come out against this fine human being. this wonderful gentleman who has done nothing but work hard. study hard. work hard. live the American Dream. has given of himself because he has worked with two different Presidential administration. for false accusations. for baseless accusations. for double standards to be used against him. so that he does not become the first Hispanic on that court. it is frankly very sad.
Date: 2003-02-12
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

% ida. The honorable gentleman from Georgia. if I may. I want to make sure everybody understands sometlring very important. as I think most people know. With a name like DiazBalart. yes. I am of Hispanic heritage. It is something I am very proud of. And with a name like that. I cannot hide nor do I want to. But I am not here to support Miguel Estrada because he is a Hispanic. Absolutely not. I think it would be a sad day if we were here pushing for people based on their race or their religion or their ethnicity. I am here to support Miguel Estrada because of his qualifications. because he is highly qualified. The honorable gentleman from Florida just mentioned that the bar association. what they said and how they qualified him as the highest qualifications that a lawyer can have. unanimously again. that is why he should be a judge. Because he has worked in the Solicitor Generals office and he has been in front of the Supreme Court of the United States 15 times. I believe. has been fighting in cases in front of the Supreme Court in front of the United States. something that many lawyers do not do once in a lifetime. He has done it. I believe. approximately 15 times. Because his academic credentials are unbelievable. unbelievable. I know that a lot of thecritics that he has cannot compare his experience in front of the Supreme Court. his academic credentials with theirs. his success as a lawyer with theirs. I am supporting Miguel Estrada because of his qualifications. But what I have to admit. sir. is hard for me to swallow. Just like I am not supporting him because he is a Hispanic. I am supporting him because he is so highly qualified as everybody has said. including. by the way. people like Seth Waxman. the former Solicitor General to President Clinton who has said. "He was a model of professionalism and competence." Like Ronald Klain. the former counselor to Vice President Al Gore. a familiar face to the gentleman from Florida and I in the State of Florida. as we well recall. not one who can be accused of being a right winger by any stretch of the imagination. He said. "Miguel will rule justly towards all." The former Assistant General for the Office of Legal Counsel for President Clinton. Mr. Randolph Moss said. "A very principled guy. very honest and ethical." That is why I am here supporting Miguel Estrada. That is why the President of the United States nominated him for this important position. But I have to tell you something. Just like he should not be supported. endorsed or get that position because he is Hispanic. he should not be denied that position simply because he is Hispanic. And that I think is highly offensive.
Date: 2003-02-12
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I do want to just leave one thought here tonight. which is a sad thought because the facts speak for themselves. We are seeing what is going on with the nomination of Miguel Estrada and the false accusations. baseless accusations. almost funny accusations. that have been leveled against him. But what is really sad to me is that while our friends. the partisans on the Democratic side. claim to advocate for diversity. they fight to block the nomination of a wellqualified Hispanic. While our friends. our partisan Democrats. take credit all the time for helping the advancement of minorities to. high positions in government. they block the first Hispanic. I repeat. the first Hispanic on the Nations second highest court. It is important to note. though. that a filibuster. a parliamentary process to avoid the votes against Miguel Estrada is not only the rejection of a highly qualified Hispanic. it is a rejection of diversity. It is a very sad day. very sad day. for our country if this stands. I am optimistic that it will not. I am hopeful that they will dig deep in their souls and realize what they are doing.
Date: 2003-02-12
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to thank my dear friend. the honorable gentleman from Georgia. for this opportunity. I do want to end just again reminding all my friends and all our friends in this august Chamber and also the Chamber next door that we have a historic opportunity. a historic opportunity to pass welfare reform in order to continue the gains that we have made in the past. We also have a historic opportunity to do something that has never happened. which is to have the first Hispanic in the D.C. Court of Appeals. It would be a wonderful thing for all Hispanics. but more importantly it would be a wonderful thing for the entire country. a beautiful sign that diversity is acceptable and accepted.
Date: 2003-02-13
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I believe our welfare plan has worked. It has been shown to work. and the corrections that are in this plan make it work better. It is no surprise to the people of the Third Congressional District of Texas that because of the excellent services provided by the North Central Texas workforce. many leave welfare behind. One example is a woman I will call Alice who found help through the Choices program in Allen. A single mother of two children. Alige went to the workforce center in Allen 5 months pregnant. She had never held a steady job. Having worked a month as a receptionist and 3 months as a waitress. she decided she needed a Job to support her and her children. The Choices program provided her with child care assistance and transportation assistance to seek employment. She worked with the employment services staff. and in time she found a job as a warehouse manager in Plano making $8.50 an hour. The Job did not last because the company went broke and she lost it. That did not stop her. Within 2 weeks of losing her job. she found another working as a receptionist in Plano making $12.50 an hour. Her employment counselor reports that Alice always showed determination and motivation to become selfsufficient so she can support her family. She still works full time and has even taken on a parttime job as a Mary Kay distributor. In December. she sent a Febraary 13. 2003 CO Christmas card to the people of the North Central Texas Workforce Center in Allen thanking them for their help. She is a shining example of the positive things that happen when people move from welfare to work. This welfare bill helps them immensely. Let us pass it today.
Date: 2003-02-13
Speaker: TOM DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Chairman. we heard some of the same dire predictions from the other side when we passed this legislation originally in 1996. We heard predictions that the caseloads were going to rise. that unemployment was going to rise. that the child poverty level would reach alltime highs. In point of fact. the opposite has occurred. Instead. welfare rolls shrank as many Americans moved from welfare to work. from dependence to selfsufficiency. Over the last 6 years we have seen incredible results. results that need to continue to spread for the benefit of our Nation as a whole. 3.6 million fewer Americans live in poverty today than in 1996. Employment of single mothers is now more than 70 percent. which is an alltime high. Since 1994. welfare caseloads have fallen by 60 percent. today leaving less than 2 percent of the U.S. population on welfare. Moreover. crime has dropped. illegitimacy has declined. and abortions are rarer. A lot of good things came out of that legislation that we passed in 1996. We knew that the original system that was designed for a different time and a different era. It was designed for a time when most of the women were home. Most women did not work outside the home. and outofwedlock births were rare. but times changed and we have reformed a system whose incentives were perverse that discouraged selfsufficiency. that subsidized outofwedlock births. that trapped beneficiaries by making it too costly for them to go back to work because of the benefits that they would lose. By sharing this responsibility with the States. we are using the federalist model going back literally to a lot of innovation we get at the State level that is discouraged by Federal bureaucracies. This legislation takes us to the next step. I think it would return more people and move them off of the welfare rolls. on to payrolls. of building successful families and building a successful country. I want to thank the authors of this legislation. and I am proud to support it.
Date: 2003-02-13
Speaker: JO ANN DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. Saturday. February 15 commemorates the 183rd birthday of one of the true heroines of our country. Susan B. Anthony. Best known for being a pioneer of the womens movement. Ms. Anthony dedicated .much of her life to the fight for equal rights between the sexes. However. it would be in error to speak about the life of Ms. Anthony and not to mention her diligence in defending the rights of the unborn. As a natural outgrowth of her beliefs that all humans deserve equal protection under the law. Ms. Anthony spoke out courageously against abortion. Indeed. she believed that abortion violated the rights of both women and their children. by exploiting women and by denying their unborn children the most precious of our rights. the right to life. The courage and hard work of Susan B. Anthony has not left one woman in our country untouched. It is my sincere hope as we reflect upon her life and achievements. the womens movement will recognize the need to return back to our roots. to the vision that Susan B. Anthony had for us.
Date: 2003-02-25
Speaker: TOM DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. pursuant to clause 2(a)(2) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. I hereby submit the rules of the Committee on Govemment Reform for the 108th Congress for publication in the Copgresslonal Record. These rules were adopted by the Committee on February 13. 2003. In a meeting that was open to the public.
Date: 2003-02-26
Speaker: JO ANN DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution encouraging the people of the United States to honor and celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and commending Abraham Lincolns efforts to end slavery.
Date: 2003-02-26
Speaker: JO ANN DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the concurrent resolution now under consideration.
Date: 2003-02-26
Speaker: JO ANN DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. the distinguished gentleman from Illinois . the ranking .nemb.- on the Subcommittee on Civil Service. Census and Agency Organization of the Committee on Government Reform. introduced H. Con. Res. 36 on February 12. 2003. I am honored to be an original cosponsor of this legislation. Abraham Lincoln. our 16th President. issued a preliminary proclamation on September 22. 1862. granting freedom to slaves in territories that were in rebellion. The official Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1. 1863. It was a straightforward document. much like the President himself. and was based on his right as the Commander in Chief during the Civil War. Though the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in scope. acclaimed by some. and denounced and condemned by others. ultimately it was a landmark as expressed in the 13th amendment: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude. except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted. shall exist within the United States. or any place subject to their jurisdiction." Historians report several revisions and compromises of the proclamation. but Lincolns personal wish. as expressed in his letter to Horace Greeley. editor of the New York Tribune. had always been that all men everywhere could be free. Much has been accomplished in our Nation since 1863 by freed men and women and their descendents in every sphere of our national life. this. in spite of great adversity. but with utmost determination of spirit and soul. History has shown us that to surge to greatness. as a Nation or as an Individual. humans must be free. We must never forget our history. we must never forget the steadfastness of the President who was rightly called the Great Emancipator. We must never tolerate mental or physical slavery in our Nation or any nation. Mr. Speaker. H. Con. Res. 36 has been cosponsored by 115 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle. I believe this bill. introduced by our colleague. the gentleman from Illinois. the Land of Lincoln. to be representative of the conviction of this body and I. therefore. urge our colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 36. Again. I thank the distinguished gentleman from Illinois for his work on bringing this meaningful resolution to the floor. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2003-02-26
Speaker: JO ANN DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois. the Land of Lincoln. . my distinguished colleague.
Date: 2003-02-26
Speaker: JO ANN DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I would again like to thank my distinguished colleague. the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Civil Service and Agency Organization. for introducing this important piece of legislation.
Date: 2003-02-26
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. may I ask a question on that note? If I may. there is a letter that has been. that we have all seen. that is signed by every living former Solicitor General. some of them are Republicans. some of them are Democrats. stating exactly what the gentleman has just said. how that would be devastating for the country in that offices ability to represent the U.S. before the United States Supreme Court. So. again. the gentleman is stating some pretty obvious. I think. commonsense reasons as to why that should not be released. Number two is that every Solicitor General. former Solicitor General of both parties. so this is bipartisan. this is a bipartisan statement. in writing have said exactly what the gentleman has just said: that that information cannot be released. But I have to admit to the honorable gentleman from Florida that the part that has me more preoccupied. more worried. is that if that is the standards that some people want to use as to why certain nominees for judge should be disqualified. then it may be wrong. It clearly is because every living Solicitor General of both parties has stated it in writing. If that is the standard. there is an argument. What really worries me is the double standard that is being applied to Mr. Estrada. There have been seven judges that have come out of the Office of Solicitor General. Seven judges. And not once have those documents been requested of those individuals. Not once was that deemed to be necessary. Not once was that deemed to be essential. And clearly never was that used as a something to block the nomination of seven other people who have come from the same office. So why the double standard? Why the double standard on this brilliant Hispanic lawyer who. as the gentleman stated so eloquently. there is nothing in his record other than talents. discipline. hard work. decency. integrity. Why the double standard when there are seven other people who have passed this process and those documents were never asked of them. and now that is being used as an excuse for this one individual. That is what really worries me. And I do not know if the honorable distinguished gentleman from Florida