macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-04-13
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the distinguished gentleman from Florida. and I carefully and enthusiastically associate myself with his response. We are all colleagues here. We call each other "distinguished colleagues." and I call my good friend from North Carolina "distinguished colleague." with whom I disagree with wide and wellversed opposition. First of all. as we approach a sacred holiday for many of us in this country. it is one of sacrifice. and as we move into the month of May. we begin to look at how mothers sacrifice to take care of their children and not themselves. Many of us during this time frame will be fasting because we find that this draconian road that our Republican friends are on. with the minutest and the smallest of a majority that voted in this low voting election in 2010. is frightening. We need prayer. and we need to fast because this is truly the road to ruin. I just hope that my colleagues who communicate to the American people will tell the truth. The budget. the repeal of the Prevention and Public Health. the CR. all of them are the road to ruin. Whether you agree with our President or not. he has it right: the country we can believe in. With regard to the CR. when you have The Washington Post or any newspaper saying that more than half of the $38 billion in cuts that are used in this CR for tomorrow are taken out of education. labor and health programs while those at the top 2 percent or 1 percent of the tax bracket keep going on and onmany of whom said we are willing to sacrifice. that we are willing to offer to be able to help this countryand then when they want to repeal the Prevention and Public Health bill so that the brunt of the people going in for medical care will be in the emergency rooms because they will not have had cholesterol checks or high blood pressure checks or checks for sickle cell or diabetesthey wont have any of that. Theyll go into the emergency rooms. laying out in comasthats what the repeal of this legislation is all about. The question you ask the Republicans is: What is the dream or the vision of America for them? It is a road to ruin. and the budget is an absurd ridiculousness that wants to cut Medicare and wants to cut Medicaid. In going back to the CR. how can you tell the District of Columbia citizens. who pay taxes. that they cannot take their own money and use it for the dictates of their elected body? How can you tell them that?
Date: 2011-04-13
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

The gentleman is enormously kind. I sat and listened to Congresswoman ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON who has lost a vote on this floor that she had. and the citizens of that community. the Mayor and the city council could do nothing but take to the streets to protest. How can you dictate what we do with our own dollars? And so over the next 48 hours. you will see the reason why many Americans are fasting. because they see that this country is going down the road of no return. And it hurts my heart to think that were going to rescind $16 billion that can be used to make a healthier country. to make a country where children can have access to health care. where a little 10yearold doesnt die because he has an abscess. I ask my colleagues to vote against all these rules and stop this from going down the road to ruin.
Date: 2011-04-13
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to both this rule and H.R. 1217. the legislation to repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund of the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act uses Hydelike language. I was on the Energy and Commerce Committee. I still am. We put it into the Affordable Care Act that there will not be one penny of Federal funds that will go for elective abortions. The Hyde Act may be on appropriations bills. but the Affordable Care Act has that language in there. I know there is going to be a lot of talk during debate about the legislation and how we need to reduce our deficits. and tough funding cuts will need to be made by Congress in order to bring down our national debt. H.R. 1217 is not meaningful legislation to reduce our debt. nor is it a plan to create jobs or spur the growth in our economy. This legislation is yet another attempt by the majority to dismantle and repeal the Affordable Care Act because they do not have the support to do the straight repeal of health reform. As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. I know that this bill would be the first of several pieces that will mark a reversal of position by the majority on what has been previously bipartisansupported health care concepts. I have worked across the aisle for years with my colleagues on many prevention provisions. including Prevention and Public Health Fund that would fund the integration of primary care services into publicly funded mental and behavioral health settings. To date. Texas alone has received $495.000 for this program. I introduced this legislation for several years with bipartisan support from Representative TIM MURPHY. At the time it was called the Community Mental Health Services Improvement Act. And yet here we are today rolling back funding on these important bipartisan provisions to fulfill campaign promises. We know that prevention programs will ultimately save our health care system in the future. What we did with the Prevention and Public Health Fund in the Affordable Care Act was to make a down payment on reducing preventable health conditions such as diabetes. obesity. strokes. and heart disease. The fund represents an unprecedented investment-$15 billion over 10 yearsthat will help prevent disease. detect it early. and manage conditions before they become severe. By concentrating on the causes of chronic disease. the Affordable Care Act helps move the Nation from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention.
Date: 2011-04-13
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Dont let the majority fool you today by saying this legislation is a costsaving measure. Several things that they wont be highlighting in relation to this legislation are the cost of treating these chronic diseases in Texas alone totaled over $17.2 billion. and chronic diseases resulted in $75.3 billion in lost productivity and economic costs to Texas. If we want to have a debate on saving money and creating jobs. I would like the majority to show us their jobcreating and deficitreduction plan. They have been in power for 100 days. and we have spent most of the time by creating more debt by repealing provisions in health reform that would actually save my State billions of dollars. Today is yet another example of the majoritys misguided priorities.
Date: 2011-04-13
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me thank the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey and let me thank the chairman of the committee as well. Madam Chairwoman. we just have a disagreement. I would venture to say that the bulk of sick people in America and others who every day struggle to maintain their health so they can provide for their families would vigorously disagree as well. I think there are two points that I would like to make. and that is that what we lose when we repeal this Affordable Care Act and the funding of it is more than the glory that we get from going home and bragging that we have undermined Americas health care system. or some would say that we have taken away ObamaCare. Preventative care is an unbelievable plus that this bill has generated. I went to one of my emergency centers. a new one. that is crafted under the public health system. It is to take the load off the emergency centers. the emergency centers that ambulances go to. What an amazing sight. of people coming with broken toes and fingers and feet and bruises. maybe the beginning of heart disease and other problems. But it was a lower level emergency room. not particularly preventative care but the kind of intervention that can save millions of dollars. I want to go even lower than thatand I dont use that terminologybut I want people to be able to go and check on their cholesterol. check on their high blood pressure. understand whether they have sickle cell. understand what stage of diabetes they are in or understand what stage of heart disease they are in in a preventative care cycle. And everyone knows that economists document how many billions of dollar that will save. How can we vote against that? And then secondarily. there are two elements that the Affordable Care Act provides that is being repealed. research and training for health professionals that we absolutely needwhether youre in the private care system or notand then of course protecting our most precious resource. and that is our children. If you can raise a child in a healthy manner in terms of nutrition. in terms of immunization. in terms of regular doctor visits. then you are able to save billions of dollars. This is wrong. headed in a wrong direction. Many of us are fasting. I said on this floor. we must pray because this is the wrong direction to go.
Date: 2011-04-13
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Chair. today we are considering a piece of legislation that will roll back important gains for public health and prevention. Specifically. todays bill proposes to repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund under the Affordable Care Act. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. more than 75 percent of health care spending in the United States is due to chronic conditions. such as stroke. diabetes. and cancer. One of the ways to control health care spending is to invest ways to prevent disease and improving the public health of our nation. By investing in preventive health care services. we can reduce the number of people with chronic diseases while saving lives and money. Currently. funding from this program is being used by states and communities to prevent smoking. obesity. heart disease. and to increase physical activity and train the public health workforce. The Prevention and Public Health Fund presents a significant opportunity to rein in our health care spending and to promote healthy lifestyles and communities. In my judgment. repealing it will only increase preventable health care costs over time. Madam Chair. I urge my colleagues to oppose this misguided bill so that we can continue to protect the health of all Americans.
Date: 2011-04-13
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: In section 1. add at the end the following:
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

If the Speaker would allow. we are going to be offering a Democratic alternative today. and everyone will have a chance to see the alternative.
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

As I indicated. you will have a Democratic alternative budget that were going to put forward. and it will present a very clear choice for the Members. We will present a budget that achieves steady. predictable deficit reduction. Again. we make different choices in how we do it. and that is the center of the debate. So everyone will have an opportunity to vote on an alternative budget.
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

The President did not offer what we call a budget. He offered what was an outline. an approach. that he wants people to look at on a bipartisan basis. Thats what the President proposed yesterday.
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the ranking member. Im glad my colleague raised the issue of the bipartisan fiscal commission. because the fiscal commission took a look at the Republican budget plan and said it was not balanced and not comprehensive and not a way to achieve deficit reduction in a responsible way. That was the verdict of the bipartisan commission. Why did they say it was unbalanced? Because the Republican budget provides big tax breaks for special interests. You dont get rid of the subsidies to the big oil companies. You want to give additional tax breaks to the very wealthy. including millionaires. And what do you do for the tradeoff? You cut funding for education for kids and you do end the Medicare guarantee. Were going to have time to talk about other parts of the bill later on. but I want to talk about that now because its going to be the subject of the previous question. What this budget does is say to seniors. you no longer may stay in the Medicare program today. you have to go into the private insurance market. And the way it saves money is it says. as those costs in the private insurance market continue to go up. you are not going to get premium support that will keep up with it. Youre going to get something thats a relatively fixed value compared to the rapidly rising health care costs. which is why. as the President said yesterday. in the year 2022 seniors would pay more under the Republican budget plan by over $6.300 than they do under current Medicare. And that continues to rise and rise and rise. I want to put an end today to this other talking point we keep hearing. that somehow theyre offering seniors what Members of Congress have. Its not true. What Members of Congress have is something called a fair share formula under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan. So as premiums go up. the risk to Members of Congress and other Federal employees is fixed at a certain percentage. Not true under the Republican Medicare plan. The way it saves money in the out years is in fact to make sure that share between Medicare and the senior is not fixed. that the senior has to pick up more of the cost. That is a fact. And that is how they make money in the out years. by putting it on the backs of seniors. even while they say theyre going to bring down the top tax rate by 30 percent for the wealthiest people in this country. Thats the kind of choices were facing here. The gentleman from New York had an amendment before the Rules Committee on exactly this issue of ending Medicare and the guarantee that it provides in saying youve got to go into the private system.
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

His amendment makes the point that if you think this is a good idea. if the Republicans think this is such a good idea. why dont you apply it to veterans? Why dont you apply it to active service personnel? If it is such a great thing. why dont you turn them into voucher premium supportwhatever you wanta kind of plan where they have to eat the rising cost of health care? Members are going to have an opportunity. If you vote "no" on the previous question. you will be able to vote to say. lets not turn Medicare into a voucher premium support. lets not end the guarantee. and lets not do that for our military personnel or our veterans either.
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

The Democratic alternative says. yes. we should ask the highest income earners. the folks at the top 2 percent. to simply pay the same rate that they paid during the Clinton administration when the economy was roaring and we created 20 million jobs. Thats what the choices are before us. and thats exactly the point youre making. You want to end the Medicare guarantee for seniors at the same time you want to give tax breaks to folks at the very top. Thats your choice. You can make it. but we dont think thats the choice the American people want to make.
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the ranking member. If my colleague would remember. one of the first amendments that was offered was to say lets be serious about the deficit. Lets have shared sacrifice. Lets ask those folks paying over a million dollars to go back to the same tax rates that they were during the Clinton administration and put some of that money to deficit reduction. We offered other amendments by saying lets let the big oil companies do a little less with the taxpayer subsidies and focus that on higher priorities. The gentleman asked where the figure was that a senior would have to pay $6.000 more in the year 2022 under the Republican proposal. That is from the CBO letter to the chairman of the Budget Committee where they did their analysis of the longterm impact. It was not a Republican outfit. It was not a Democratic outfit. In fact. the chairman of the committee has made it clear that he has used the CBO baseline for the purpose of his own budget. This is out of a CBO report. And I think we need to take it seriously. because we can all have our own arguments and opinions. but there are certain facts that we cant run away from. and thats one of them.
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. the chairman of the committee mentioned the IPAB. and it is true that the President indicated yesterday that that is a mechanism for trying to reduce the rise in Medicare costs. The chairman said they repeal the IPAB. which we believe will result in higher Medicare costs. which will mean that seniors have to absorb an even greater amount of the increase. With that. I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland . the minority whip.
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. yes. we do ask the big oil companies to give up their taxpayer subsidies. And yes. we do ask the very top 2 percent of income earners in the country to go back to the same tax rate they were paying during the Clinton years when the economy was roaring and 20 million jobs were created. instead of the dramatic job loss we saw between 2000 and 2008. With that. I yield 2 minutes to a distinguished member of the Budget Committee. the gentleman from Texas
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. the Medicaid program is one where the costs of health care have actually grown much more slowly compared to the growth in health care costs elsewhere. Cutting $1.4 trillion out of an already stretched program is not a recipe for helping more people. It will definitely hurt those who depend on Medicaid. You are just giving Governors a blank check with no accountability. With that. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. In the Republican budget. I want to make it clear. they took some of the savings that we gained through Medicare reform last year. We gained those savings by ending the overpayments to some of the Medicare Advantage insurance companies that were being overpaid compared to others. They demagogued it when we did it. but they kept that in their budget. but they got rid of our initiative to close the prescription drug doughnut hole for seniors. So if you pass that budget. the moment it passes. there goes the big doughnut hole all opened up again because they took the money but didnt keep our effort to close the doughnut hole. With that. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California .
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. we agree that youve got to make cuts. We just think you need a balanced approach where you also deal with the revenue side. And because yours doesnt deal with that piece at all. thats why the fiscal commission said it was unbalanced and lacked the comprehensive solutions that we need. With that. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Pennsylvania
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. we share the gentlemans concern and view. As I said. the question is not whether we reduce the deficits but how we do it and the choices we make in the process. With that. I yield 2 minutes to Mr. BLUMENAUER. the gentleman from Oregon.
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I just want to go back to the point that was raised again with respect to what Members of Congress have in terms of health insurance plans. We have whats called a "premium support plan." The idea behind a premium support plan is that the employer and employee share the premium. and the employerin this case. the U.S. Governmentpays a certain percent. I have right here the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program handbook. and it reads: The governments share of premiums paid is set by law. So Members of Congress have protected themselves by law. For most employees. the government contribution equals the lesser of 72 percent or 75 percent of the total premium for the particular plan. In other words. the Member of Congress/Federal employee has 72 cents for every premium dollar paid for. Whenever premiums go up. 72 percent of the cost of that premium is picked up by the government. The Republican plan gives seniors a raw deal. It does not give seniors the deal that Members of Congress give to themselves. and that should be put to rest right now. Just look at the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program handbook. With that. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Florida .
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I remind the gentleman that what were saying is that the top 2 percent income earners should go back to the same rates they were paying during the Clinton administration. a period of time when the economy was roaring and 20 million jobs were created. When we moved to the current rates for the folks at the very top. we saw at the end of 8 years. 2000 to 2008. a loss of over 625.000 private jobs. Let me just say something about this Medicare issue because what the Republican plan does will result in rationing by income. Let me be clear. Seniors. you will no longer be able to choose to stay in the Medicare program. Youve got to go into the private health insurance market. Youre going to be given a voucher. premium. whatever you want to call it. that doesnt keep pace with rising health care costs. That means that the plan you may be able to afford may not cover the very benefits you need. and your doctor certainly may not be on that plan. So you lose your choice of doctor if you cant happen to afford the plan that theyre on. or you lose your benefits. This Republican plan is rationing by the insurance industry. With that. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Ohio .
Date: 2011-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I would just point out again that the choice is whether we want to ask for shared sacrifice. The fact of the matter is the reason the bipartisan fiscal commission said that the Republican budget isnt balanced was. among other things. because it asks for nothing from the folks at the very top who got the big tax cuts. With that. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida