macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-01-22
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of the Pandemic and AllHazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act which will reauthorize certain provisions of the Project Bioshield Act of 2004 and the Pandemic and AllHazards Preparedness Act of 2006. This legislation was initially passed by Congress to help the U.S. develop medical countermeasures against chemical. biological. radiological. and nuclear terrorism agents. to provide a mechanism for Federal acquisition of these newly developed countermeasures. Our Nation remains vulnerable to these threats because many of the vaccines and medicines to protect our citizens do not exist. Developing and stockpiling these medical countermeasures require time. resources. and research. all of which will be provided under the legislation before us today. Im pleased that the language I supported during the committee process aimed at increasing emphasis on regional trauma care centers was included. This bill is very important to me because the University of Texas Medical Branchs Galveston National Laboratory is near our district. The Galveston National Lab is the only BSL4 lab located on a university campus. At the lab. scientists conduct research to develop therapies. vaccines. and diagnostic tests for naturally occurring emerging diseases such as SARS and avian influenza. as well as for microbes that might be employed by terrorists. This is exactly the type of research we hope to encourage under the Pandemic and AllHazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act. As an original cosponsor of this bill with Mr. ROGERS. Im very pleased at how quickly we have moved this rare bipartisan piece of legislation. I would like to thank Chairman ROGERS. Chairman UPTON. Chairman PITTS. Ranking Member WAXMAN. Ranking Member PALLONE. Mrs. Myrick and Ms. ESHOO for their work on this important legislation. The House passed this bill twice last year. and I hope the Senate acts quickly. and we will send it to the President. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote "yes" on this legislation.
Date: 2013-01-23
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker and Members of the House. at the end of the day when we vote today. we will simply be voting to kick the can down the roadwhich every Member of this House has told their constituents they no longer wanted to dobut we will kick the can down the road on the question of the debt limit of the United States and whether or not the full faith and credit of the United States will stand behind the bills that we owe the rest of the world. the businesses and our companies. individuals. peoples retirement plans. Thats all this bill does. Under some sort of camouflage about withholding pay. what have you. they kick the can down the road. You know. Americans are starting to realize that the economy is starting to recover after the devastation of the housing scandals. of the Wall Street scandals. Small businesses are starting to hire. spending over Christmas was reasonably good. the stock market is at a 5year high. the housing market is coming back. builders are in fact building new homes because of the demand in housing. 1l 1000 All of a sudden. enter the Congress of the United States and it says that were going to put the full faith and credit of the United States of America on a 90day leash. Were going to take the greatest economy in the greatest country with the greatest responsibility in the world and were going to put them on a 90day leash. How does a great country respond on a 90day leash? We know how it responded last time the world saw this happen. We got downgraded in the credit rating. That drove up the borrowing cost of the United States. That drove up the borrowing cost of corporations. That drove up the borrowing cost of counties and citiesthe counties and the cities that we represent. And were told again that should we falter on the credit debt of the United States. that we can expect a downgrade and we can expect a further downgrade in cities and counties all over the country. and somehow were supposed to believe that this is a good plan.
Date: 2013-01-23
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

What this plan does is hold the jobs of Americas families and working people all across this country hostage. It holds them hostage to the passage of this legislation. and it holds them hostage 90 days from now. This bill says if you dont vote for the Ryan budgetbecause we know the votes are on the other side of the aisle to pass the Ryan budgetthen we go back to putting the credit of the United States at risk. The last time the American people looked at the Ryan budget they rejected it overwhelmingly. Do you remember the election of November. just a couple of months ago? They rejected those cuts in Medicare. those cuts in Medicaid. and the tax cuts for the wealthy. Yet all of this is being put back on the table by holding the debt limit hostage. holding the credit hostage. and holding American jobs hostage. So if you dont vote for that budget. then they get to play with the debt limit again. They get to play with the debt limit again. We have got big lifts to make between now and then. folks. We have sequestration. we have tax reform. and we have a budget to write. Lets just get down to business and do it. Just do it. Dont play with the credit of this country. Dont play with peoples pension plans. Dont play with the interest rates that corporations have to pay to borrow. Dont play with the interest rates that your local municipalities have to pay to borrow for projects in their districts. This has got to stop. If you really believe that America is a great country. if you really believe that were an international power. then we ought to start acting like one. and the Congress of the United States ought to start acting like it. And 90day extensions on the creditworthiness of the United States is not the picture you paint when youre an international power. It has to stop. It has to stop. We cannot continue to go through this and put all of this at risk and put this recovery that is. in fact. happening at risk because of the actions of the majority here in this House. once again. to fool with the credit.
Date: 2013-01-23
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Do you want to shut down the government? Have at it. I was here when it happened before. Youll find all your constituents up close and personal. Youll get to know them. Thats a lot different. Thats a lot different action. You want to go off with sequestration? You dont like the cuts that come up with its substitute? Fine. We voted for sequestration. You told the American people with your votes you were prepared to have sequestration if we didnt do the job. So youve got a lot of tough votes to make. Dont try to avoid them by holding the creditworthiness of the United States at risk. It has got to stop. and it should stop today on the floor of the House of Representatives. We should say to the world that we are prepared to have this country pay the bills. The deficits have been incurred by our actions. It has got to stop today with a "no" vote against this legislation.
Date: 2013-01-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman very much from Massachusetts. and I thank my friend from Texas. I would hope that all of us would commit to doing our job. And I know that my good friend recognizes that the Constitution in article I. section 8. requires the Congress to have the power to collect taxes and duties and to pay the debts. but also to be concerned about the general welfare. Really what the administration says is that they support a longterm increase in the debt ceiling. And the reason why the people of the United States have not heard of this controversy is because the normal course of business constitutionally is for the Congress to consult with the Treasury. the Treasury to consult with the Congress. and the debt ceiling is raised in a manner that protects the general welfare of the American people. But now we have a proposal that is driven by polling and brinksmanship. This is not the way to run a country. I heard a comedian some years ago say. What a great country. We are a great country. I love America. The Constitution emphasizes the greatness of this Nation. but we dont play politics with something that is the ordinary course of business. Spending cuts is the responsible way to govern. but it is to govern in a way that we sit at the table of reconciliation and we dont break the backs of seniors who utilize Medicare and Social Security and veterans benefits. What we do is we sit at the table and we understand how to deal with the oncoming issue of the deficit. How do we do that? We do it with growth. But the Constitution has nothing in here that suggests. under this article. that we are to do brinksmanship and do 2 weeks or 3 weeks or to May. What happens in May. a crisis where we cant pay our military? The debt ceiling is paying the debt. and I am troubled by the fact that we would use this tactic. I want bipartisanship. In fact. someone who raises issues about the vulnerable. like myself. has worked with my Republican friends. I look forward to do it. Im an American. I believe in the Constitution. but you do not raise the debt ceiling in increments. The administration says. We wont stop it. but we want a longterm increase so that we can begin the rebuilding of this Nation. Growth. the Constitution. thats what we should be talking about. making America better.
Date: 2013-01-23
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman from Michigan. This resolution contains some good news. but lots of bad news for the American people. The good news is that our congressional Republican colleagues have finally recognized that America must pay its bills and meet its financial obligations without condition. The bad news is they only want to do that for 3 months. Just read the title: To ensure the complete and timely payment of the obligations of the United States Government until May If its a good idea to maintain the obligations of the U.S. Government between now and May 19. it sure is a good idea to make sure that we meet the obligations of the U.S. Government beyond that. And by setting up what amounts to another fiscal cliff. all our Republican colleagues are doing is prolonging economic uncertainty. For the last 2 years. weve heard from our Republican colleagues that economic uncertainty is bad for the economy. Guess what? It is. Yet thats exactly what youre doing. another big dose of economic uncertainty. This is a political effort simply to increase their negotiating strategy leverage 3 months from now at the expense of jobs in the economy and the American people. How do we know its at the expense of jobs in the economy? Because we saw what happened in August of 2011. As the ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee said. it was the worst month in terms of jobs. We saw our credit rating downgraded. and both GAO and the Bipartisan Policy Center have said it cost the taxpayers over $1 billion. So thats all were doing right now. another dose of uncertainty. To my friend and colleague. the chairman of the Budget Committee. yes. we need budgets. yes. we need to reduce our longterm deficits. Thats never been the issue. The issue is how. We believe weve got to make targeted cuts in reforms. but we also believe we need to eliminate a lot of the tax breaks and loopholes that we heard a lot from our colleagues about in order to reduce the deficit in a balanced way. If you dont do that. you sock it to everybody else in the country. Lets pass a balanced approach to reducing our deficit. and not one that takes it out at the expense of our kids and our seniors.
Date: 2013-01-23
Speaker: DANNY K. DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Thank you. Mr. Chairman. No budget. no pay. No budget. no responsibility. No stability. no confidence. No confidence. no ability to borrow. to attract investors. H.R. 325 is a gimmick. It is a gimmick. And Ive always been taught that if you have a debt. pay it. Delaying it drives up interest rates and is not the best approach to convincing investors and lenders that we have the ability to pay. If you convince people that you dont have the ability to pay. it is more likely that theyre not going to let you have what you want. Thats what Ive always been taught. They do not want gimmicks. They want solutions.
Date: 2013-01-23
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. I want to thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for understanding the need to stop dancing with default. Recognizing that we cant disregard our obligations to seniors. veterans. and active military is a first big step. But this legislation doesnt create the longterm certainty that our economy needs. The small business owners that I talk to tell me that they need certainty before they can invest in their businesses and hire more employees. Instead of providing small businesses the longterm certainty they need. the Republicanled House is just playing games. Theyre stringing the American public along so they can set up yet another dramatic showdown that only hurts our recovery. The mere mention of default sends markets plummeting. dries up hiring. and pulls the rug out from under consumer confidence. Businesses in my district and all across the country cant afford more tantrums threatening defaults and government shutdowns. Its our job to find a solution and give businesses. the markets. and American families the longterm certainty they deserve. This legislation isnt a longterm solution. Its yet more irresponsible gamesmanship.
Date: 2013-01-23
Speaker: MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act. which is being introduced today by its longtime champion. Congresswoman
Date: 2013-01-25
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to introduce the House Resolution Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee. as an entity of the United States Postal Service. should issue a commemorative stamp in honor of the holiday of Diwali. I am proud to be joined in this effort by my colleagues Congresswoman Grace Meng and Congressman Ami Bera. This House Resolution urges the United States Postal Service to issue a stamp in honor of the holiday Diwali. Meaning "row of lights." Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil. the awareness of ones inner light. the dispelling of ignorance. and bringing peace and joy through the awakening gained from this higher knowledge. Also marking the beginning of the Hindu New Year. this festive and important Indian holiday is observed in America. and across the globe. by Hindus. Sikhs. Christians. Jains. and Buddhists. But despite the significance of this holiday. the United States Postal Service has yet to merit Diwali with the same recognition as other major religious holidays for which stamps are issued such as Christmas. Kwanzaa. Hanukkah. and Eid. As one of the worlds oldest religious holidays. Diwali has survived political. economic and social changes throughout history. while always carrying the universal symbolism of the victory of light. goodness. knowledge and truth. It is long overdue that we honor this significant holiday with a postage stamp of its own.
Date: 2013-02-04
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I strongly support the Childrens Hospital Graduate Medical Education program and I am a cosponsor of H.R. 297. This successful program is the most important federal investment in the pediatric workforce and must be reauthorized. Failure to do so would be catastrophic to pediatric care in our country. Since this program began. it has allowed Childrens Hospitals across the country. including Texas Childrens Hospital in Houston. to increase training by 35%. I believe we must spend more on Graduate Medical Education entirely. but today we have the opportunity to extend the successful Childrens Hospital program which. like other GME funds. is money well spent. Despite the successes of the program. there are still many pediatric specialties that are experiencing shortages. This bill will help address this and will continue to strengthen our pediatric workforce. I look forward to voting in favor of this bill and encourage my colleagues to do the same.
Date: 2013-02-04
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of H.R. 297. the Childrens Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013. The Childrens Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program not only provides a critical investment in the pediatric health workforce. but also helps improve childrens access to health care. The Childrens Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program was first authorized in 1999 and has achieved incredible success. The program has enabled childrens hospitals to host teaching programs while maintaining highquality clinical care. It currently supports 56 childrens hospitals and is responsible for a significant increase in the number of physicians trained in childrens hospitals. As the first registered nurse in Congress. I know firsthand that a welltrained primary care workforce is crucial to our health system. Only by ensuring the security of pediatric residency programs can we successfully work to promote the health of all Americans.
Date: 2013-02-04
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I support the National Pediatric Research Network Act. H.R. 225. Thank you to Representatives CAPPS and MCMORRISRODGERS for their continued leadership on this issue. This important bill will allow the National Institutes of Health to focus funding on researching rare and genetic pediatric diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy. muscular dystrophy. Down syndrome. and Fragile X. Because there are such a small number of incidences of these terrible diseases. they are extremely difficult to study. This bill takes steps toward giving our research community the tools necessary to increase research of an array of diseases that cause so much pain and suffering to children and their families. Increasing our nations commitment to researching rare pediatric diseases is an area that enjoys bipartisan support. I look forward to voting for this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same.
Date: 2013-02-04
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Will the gentleman yield for just one quick moment. I want to applaud him for that and just add two groups that we did not mention yet that will really be impacted by comprehensive immigration reform: Liberians who came here on deferred enforcement. who are now still in limbo and worked with us over the years. Weve been. if you would say. advocates for them. And Haitians. who have a distinctive pathway into citizenship. who have certainly been contributing. fought with us in the Revolutionary War. And you are absolutely right. the diversity visa has been a lifeline. not for terrorists. but a lifeline for hardworking immigrants. And I hope that when we debate this. as I said. mountains of tension or disagreement. that we can find common ground to include all these groups that will help better America and grow America strong.
Date: 2013-02-04
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of commonsense immigration reforms that will foster economic growth. keep our families and our communities together. and protect workers rights. Americas immigration system is broken. and we must forge a bipartisan agreement to fix it. As a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. I will ensure that the needs of all communities are addressed in immigration reform. Many undocumented immigrants were brought here as children and know the United States as their only home. I support the DREAM Act to allow these bright young people to build their futures here and contribute to our nations prosperity. Strong families are the cornerstone of our Nation. and I believe provisions to guarantee family unity must be included in any serious immigration reform bill. I am dedicated to keeping families together by supporting a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. At the same time. Congress must ensure that immigration reform positively impacts economic and employment opportunities for all Americans. I will prioritize improving access to adult education programs and increasing job training opportunities so that all Americans can pursue their dreams and provide for their families. It is time to come together to enact fair and reasonable immigration reforms that advance our national interests and honor our history as a country of immigrants. I will work hard in Congress to ensure that these reforms strengthen our communities and drive our economy forward.
Date: 2013-02-05
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

My friend from Massachusetts is absolutely right. What most of America is waiting for is for us to address the very abyss that weve put ourselves in. the cliff that weve put ourselves inthe fact that we became hostage to this idea of a commission that was necessary because we could not get Members on both sides of the aisle to be able to work together on what should be cut. It was particularly because my friends on the other side of the aisle had Members who did not understand how government functioned. Republicans did not understand that government. in fact. is a rainyday umbrella. that we are supposed to serve the American people. So. while we are fiddling. one could say that Rome is burning. or maybe they could say that the cities and towns of America are asking us to finally answer the question. Under the laws that we adhere to. the President has a right to submit his budget. That should be very clear. No legislation here on the floor is going to dictate the Presidents budget. There is a law that says it is supposed to be the first Monday in February. We will admit that. But what President has ever had the hostagetaking of the debt ceiling so that you cant write a budget if there are individuals in the Congress that wont do the normal business. which is to raise the debt ceiling so that the American people can be taken care of? As we speak. however. the President has introduced. today. a shortterm fix to avert the sequester. The Democrats have offered a way of averting the sequester. We have nothing from the Republicans except a resolution that says a request for a plan. the very plan that the President knows by law he is going to submit as long as he knows what the amount of money is we have to work on. And. of course. the budgeting process is going through the House. The chairman of the Budget. Mr. RYAN. the ranking member of the Budget. Mr. VAN HOLLEN. we all know the regular order. and were going to do our work. But putting us on the floor today and ignoring what we should be doing. Im saddened that my amendment that indicated that I wanted to make sure that the most vulnerable in any budget process. 15.1 percent of Americans living below the poverty line. which includes 21 percent of our Nations children. I wanted to have a sense of Congress that whatever we did. we would not do anything to harm these vulnerable children who. through no fault of their own that they may be suffering from the kind of economy. or their parents are suffering so that they live in poverty. whatever we do. we should not do anything more to make their life more devastating.
Date: 2013-02-05
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

My other amendment had to do with the estate tax to raise revenue. and that would have been a reasonable debate to address what we can do to make the lives of Americans better. Request a plan. a plan is not action. The President does a budget. we do a budget. Mr. Speaker. lets do our work and help the American people and avoid the sequester.