macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-11-17
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I have heard a lot of screaming from the Democrats from the extreme left saying that they are mad. and even some personal -insults tonight which is. frankly. unfortunate. I think it is because Democrats. I guess they think if they say it loud enough and scream loud enough. they can hide and drown out the facts. Mr. Speaker. we have heard tonight. they loudly scream against the high deficit. and then they do not want to do anything to reduce the deficit. Right here we heard leaders of the Democratic Party loudly criticizing tax cuts. Those are horrible. But let me quietly quote what they said just 2 days ago about some tax cuts. Let me quote. for example. the gentleman from New York about a $10 billion tax cut over 5 years offered just 2 days ago. He said: I ask that the amendment be passed by unanimous consent. So 2 days ago he liked that tax cut. But wait. there is more. The gentleman from Washington . who we heard a little while ago screaming to try to drown out the facts. said 2 nights ago about tax cuts: Mr. Chairman. I do not think anyone is going to oppose this cut. like the bther ones. Mr. Speaker. they cannot speak from both sides of their mouths.
Date: 2005-11-17
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. Federal spending has been on the rise. Over the period of time from 2001 to 2005. inflation has only gone up 12 percent during that period of time. However. when you look at the various other government spending programs. they have gone up anywhere from 21 percent all the way up to 99 percent for education. Believe me. government has grown. It has grown to the point where our constituents are saying. stop already. make some changes. The significance of this chart is how much government has grown. A lot of it was due to 9/11. a lot of it was due to the slowdown in the economy. The time has come where we needto start cutting back on the future growth. That is all that this does is cut back on the future growth. That is all that this does by onetenth of 1 percent. I heard somebody say. where is the Democrat plan? Well. their plan would
Date: 2005-11-18
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. by direction of the Committee on Rules. I call up House Resolution 565 and ask for its immediate consideration.
Date: 2005-11-18
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time. and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.
Date: 2005-11-18
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for the time. Sometimes subtleties are lost. especially when we are dealing with very difficult. critical issues. such as war and peace. and unfortunately. the message has gone out quite clearly to the world press. as recorded throughout the world today by the media. that there is a serious diminution in support for the mission that the United States of America is engaged in in Iraq here in Congress. So I think that this resolution today is very important to eliminate any confusion that may exist by virtue of a very clear nessage that has spread around the wo~ld today of a serious diminution of the mission of our troops. and that this resolution will clear up that confusion. Let us say very clearly with this resolution. with the overwhelming defeat of the message of diminution of support. that we stand with the troops and that we stand with the mission of the troops. of being in Iraq until there is a stable. democratic government there. That is critical for the security not only of the Iraqi people. but of all of the neighborhood in that. area and of the United States.
Date: 2005-11-18
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. what we have before us tonight is not an attack on any one Member. It is not about politics. but it is- about whether or not you support our troops who are in harms way. When I was in Iraq. I will never forget a nurse coming up to me in a hospital that had been pretty darn damaged and neglected by Saddam Hussein. and she said. please do not leave. I thought she was talking about me not leaving the hospital. and I said to her. I have to go. She said. no. I do not mean you. I want your troops to stay until our country is safe. until -our country is secure. I will never forget that woman. That message has been relayed time and time again from the troops who come home. who say we cannot leave prematurely. We do have an exit strategy. It is when the Iraqi people can control their own country. When the Iraqi people stand up. we will standdown. That nurse I will never disappoint.
Date: 2005-11-18
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: . Texas

Mr. Speaker. I ask. What part of al Qaeda do you want operating here in America? Al Qaeda is a worldwide organization and a worldwide threat. I do not want any part of. this. Americans do not want. need. or deserve al Qaeda. Our troops are over in Iraq fighting not just for our freedom and protection. but the freedom of the world. We must -fight the bad guys over there. not over here. We must support our troops to the hilt so they do not go to bed at night covered in talcumpowderthin white sand wondering. Does America really support me? In case people have forgotten. this is the same thing that happened in Vietnam. Peaceniks and peoplein Congress. and America. started saying bad things about what was going on in Vietnam. and it did a terrible thing to troop morale. I just pray that our troops and their families can block this noise out and know that we will all fight like mad- to make sure our troops have everything they need for as long as they need it to win the global war on terrorism. Withdrawal is not an option. To our men and women in uniform. I simply say. God bless you. I salute you. All of America salutes our troops.
Date: 2005-12-07
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of the Stealth Tax Relief Act. The AMT is not just a stealth tax. it is a sneaky tax. It is a parallel tax system where normal rules of income and deductions dont applyyou lose most of your deductions and your children become a liability! The bill we are debating today. the Stealth Tax Relief Act. will keep the AMT from hitting millions of additional middle class Americans. However. we are just holding back the tide of the AMT that in 2008 will swamp the tax system and actually collect more money than the underlying income tax system. We need to repeal the AMT. But until we can repeal it. we must hold harmless those Americans whose taxes are being raised in the next year. But even before we repeal the AMT we need to be sure that those Americans who have prepaid future tax liability under AMT be able to use the prepaid tax credits that they have accumulated. Unfortunately. there are thousands of Americans who have prepaid future tax liability through the AMT but have never been able to use their credits. These credits amount to an interest free loan to the Federal government. Some Americans have been floating an interest free loan to the government for years and years. This is just plain wrong. To add insult to injury. many of these Americans have had to take out second mortgages on their homes and are paying interest on those loans to give the government an interest free loan! Some families raided their retirement plans or their childrens education savings in order to give the gove.rnment an interest free loan. I have a bill. the AMT Credit Fairness Act that would correct this inequity and would allow Americans to use their prepaid tax credits. Unfortunately. the AMT Credit Fairness Act is not part of the Stealth Tax Relief Act that we will pass today but I will continue to work for its enactment.
Date: 2005-12-08
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to rise today in support of this bill and the resilient American economy. This act will build on our legacy of tax relief that is fueling our economy. and will extend some very importane tax provisions that will keep Americas econdmy moving forward. Freedom and free enterprise go handinhand. And keeping tax rates low so people have more of their hardearned money in their pockets is the right way .to go. Texans want. need. and deserve to have their sales tax deduction extended. It is vitally important for Texas. In Texas. we like to say "no new taxes." We finance our spending through a sales tax. In 2004. we made sales taxes deductible from Federal -taxes again. but that deduction expires in just a few weeks. My constituents want to keep the sales tax deduction. This bill will allow any American to choose to deduct either State sales tax or their State income tax through 2006. That is a great idea. Next. this bill extends the popular research and experiment tax credit. Luckily. we finetuned it to make it work even better. Many companies in our districts will be able to use this new alternative simplified credit. They will be able to add good research and create new jobs because of it. This extension and expansion of the credit are great for American jobs and our economy. Finally. we must extend the tax rate reduction on capital gains and dividends. This progrowth policy helped spark the economy that we are seeing today. People and companies need to have some certainty for making decisions about longterm capital gains and dividend policy. Forcing folks to work with shortsighted tax policy just does not make sense. We have to change that if we want to see our economy stay the course. Mr. Speaker. I am proud to support this bill and urge my colleagues to support it.
Date: 2005-12-08
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise in brief comment about a former Member of this House who passed away this week. Carroll Campbell. As one who came to this House with Carroll Campbell in January of 1979. I would say that if you were to draw a blueprint for an outstanding Member of Congress. you could do no better than to look to Carroll Campbell. Carroll Campbell served tremendously as the governor of his home State of South Carolina. but before that. served with great honor and distinction in this House. Mr. Speaker. I can say that he was a man of great integrity. He was one that you admired in every aspect. I can recall him being the first Member from my side of the aisle south of the MasonDixon line who came out in support of the extension of the Voting Rights Act. He provided leadership in so many areas. whether tax policy. national defense or otherwise. Carroll. Campbell was a champion. Carroll Campbell left us far too soon. and we send our words. our good wishes. and our hopes with his wife and his children. This House is a greater place because of the service rendered to this House by Carroll Campbell.
Date: 2005-12-13
Speaker: TOM DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. it is with extreme pleasure today that I rise in support of H. Res. 487. This resolution supports the goals and ideals of KoreanAmerican Day and honors the many important contributions KoreanAmericans have made to the United States. January 13. 1903. marked the arrival of the first 102 Korean immigrants to America. For more than 100 years. KoreanAmericans. like the immigrants from other Nations who came to the United States before them. have established roots and thrived in the United States through strong family ties. conimunity support and hard work. The influence of KoreanAmericans has been observed in all facets of American life. including. but not limited to. entrepreneurship. the arts and education. Since my first term in Congress. I have had the pleasure of working handinhand with a large KoreanAmerican community in Northern Virginia. Through this warm and prosperous relationship. I have only become more impressed with a people whose heritage displays such a strong sense of determination. discipline and compassion. I am very proud of how rapidly the KoreanAmerican community has spread its roots in Northern Virginia and am extremely appreciative of their numerous contributions to our community. From Annandale to Fairfax to Prince William County. KoreanAmericanowned shops and businesses dominate the retail landscape. Their children are succeeding in our schools and going on to start their own businesses and bring up" their fanilies. making our community better and more prosperous by far.
Date: 2005-12-13
Speaker: GARY G. MILLER (republican)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 280. The Brownfields Redevelopment Enhancement Act. I would like to thank Committee Chairman OXLEY. Subcommittee Chairman NEY. and Ranking Member FRANK for their leadership and assistance in ensuring this important legislation be considered by the full House prior to adjoumment.
Date: 2005-12-14
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I was absent from this chamber for 16 years after serving for 10. The compelling reason for me to return was the events of 9/11. And one of the things that I thought I would never see in the House of Representatives is an Alice in Wonderland type atmosphere where just because you say something. you think it is true. The fact of the matter is. many of the complaints registered by my friends on the other side of the aisle are taken care of in this conference report. If you vote down the conference report. those sections that are not subject to sunset will continue on without any of the changes that the chairman has articulated. So the very arguments they are making against what they do not like about the law now should compel them to vote for this conference report because we make changes. Madam Speaker. it is the primary responsibility of governmeikt to protect the safety of its citizens. The PATRIOT Act tears down that wall. that artificial wall that existed between the intelligence community and the criminal justice enterprises. And what we did was we said it made no sense. it made us more vulnerable to attack. Some have said. look. these changes in the PATRIOT Act change what was current law. That is true because there was a need to do so. And some have argued all we need to do is to follow what has been the law in the past. The distinction that must be drawn is that. in the war on terrorism. it is not good enough to collect the evidence after a terrorist attack to try and bring people to justice. The ingperative is to stop the terrorist attacks from occurring in the first place. That is why we have the differences in this law. Yes. there is a different standard. The standard is to allow us to stop the terrorist attacks in the first instance. We have. as a result of oversight. and I have attended every single hearing in the subcomrpittee and full committee. done unbelievable oversight. reviewing every bit of evidence that has been out there. There has not been one single example of abuse proven. not one. The IG report could not find it. We could not find it. I have been to every single hearing that we have had. been with every witness. They could not prove a one. But because we are concerned about the possibility of abuse. we have put at least 30 additional limitations into this conference report. And so really the question is. do you believe in the essential foundation of the PATRIOT Act which makes changes. recognizing that we are trying to stop terrorist attacks before they occur. rather than doing the regular criminal justice activity of collecting evidence after the fact. I am not willing to place my children and grandchildren in jeopardy by defeating this conference report.
Date: 2005-12-14
Speaker: TOM DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. please include the attached exchange of letters between Chairman MICHAEL G. OXLEY of the Committee on Financial Services and myof the debate on H.R. 3508. under general leave.
Date: 2005-12-14
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Madam Speaker. I rise today in support of House Resolution 579 and the tradition of Christmas. I commend my colleague. Ms. Davis. for introducing this resolution. As Americans. we enjoy the freedom to practice our own faith. This heritage inspired the American tradition of respecting individuals in their right to practice their religion. regardless of faith. However. it seems that. in recent years. zealous liberals have tried to destroy this heritage. It all started when schools would no longer call their annual winter recess a Christmas break in order to be politicallycorrect. Now. instead. there is a holiday break. in many instances thanks to actions of .the ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union. While this may be a valid point since various religions observe holidays arouind the same time. they would not stop there at the erosion. There is a war against Christmas. Our children cannot sing Christmas carols. They can only sing holiday tunes. And now. instead of a Christmas tree. advertising calls them holiday trees. There is no reason why we cannot honor and cherish the traditions of Christmas while also doing. the -same with Chanukah. Kwanzaa or any other valued religion celebrated in America. America should never single out a religion for the purposes of banning or looking down upon references to their holiday celebrations. That practice flies in the face of the principles that our Nation was founded on. Instead. we must treasure the traditions that remind us of our history and of our country while at the same time respecting Americans of different faiths. As such. I strongly support House.Resolution 579 which recognizes and .supports symbols and traditions of Christmas. Madam Speaker. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution.
Date: 2005-12-14
Speaker: JO ANN DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Madam Speaker. I would say that the reason for this resolution is that the attack has not been on the menorah or any of the other symbols of the other religions. But the attack has been and is being made on red and green colors.. on candy canes. on Santa Claus. which are not even religious symbols. That is the point of the resolution. And with that I will leave it the way the resolution stands.
Date: 2005-12-15
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I have the honor of chairing a subcommittee that has jurisdiction over pension law and being an original sponsor of the Pension Protection Act. As a member of both the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Ways and Means Committee. we have been working for the last 2 years to get a pension bill to the House floor. and I am proud to rise il strong support of We need to get this bill through the the bill. House and on to conference with the The Pension Protection Act is good Senate and quickly enacted early next and it is tough. Our bill makes compa- year. The number of traditional pennies put their moneyi behind their. sion plans has been declining rapidly. promises and keep employees well in- The companies dropping these plans formed on the health of their pension are in two groups. The first group is plans. those that do not put their money beWhile this bill is tough. it does not hind their pension promises and turn go overboard with more red tape that their liabilities over to the governhas almost killed traditional pension ment. We have seen that in the steel plans. Even with all the red tape that and airline industries. currently binds up these pension plans. The second group is companies that there still are some loopholes in cur- are just sick of the red tape and uncerrent law that have allowed companies tainty of our laws so they decide to to run away from their responsibilities stop offering plans altogether. like and dump pension promises onto the Verizon announced last week. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. In the many hearings on pension
Date: 2005-12-15
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. there are a number of major provisions in this bill. and let me speak of one that has been referred to on both sides of the aisle. some in support and some not in support. Section 407 which is the expedited removal section. this was adopted in the markup in the Homeland Security Committee. The question of expedited removal was one that we explored in our subcommittee. The specific context of our hearing involved the growing number of illegal border crossings by what is referred to by the service as "other than Mexicans" or "OTMs." Let me explain what this is. Most people who come across the border illegally from our adjoining countries. either on the north from Canada or on the south from Mexico. accept voluntary departure. They agree to voluntarily go home and agree that they do not go through the various processes involved. We cannot do that with those people who are not from those countries because neither Mexico nor Canada would accept them. So we have to have an acknowledgment from the country from whence they came. their home country. that they are. in fact. residents of those countries or citizens of those countries. That requires us to detain those people for some period of time. That requires detention space. and the subject that has been discussed before. the idea of catch and release was created as a result of insufficient detention space and insufficient resources dedicated to that proposition. After that was revealed by the press earlier this year. the administration responded by trying out a couple of pilot projects in certain sectors. Instead of catch and release. it was retain them and then have expedited removal. They found that to be successful. and so they have expanded it to the entire southern border.Our bill mandates that not only be a temporary policy but a permanent policy. Yes. it does extend within 100 miles of the border. and it is limited to 14 days. That is. people who have been here less than 14 days. even though the underlying law allows it to be done for a 2year period of time. it does not limit it to 100 miles from the border. This is a border security bill. and we limit it in that fashion. It is directed at those who have come here. We even had the incident of a large number of people from Brazil this past year coming up. and we found that not only did they come across the border but instead of running away from our immigration officers. they ran to them. They ran to them to surrender. and they ran to them to surrender so they could be cited so they could actually get the citation which said you have entered this country illegally. you have to show up for your hearing 90 days hence. And 90some percent did not show up. My question is. why did the 6 percent show up? If you look at it. we have created a system with every incentive to come back. That has turned around because of the pilot project. What this bill does - is jnandates . it. It is commonsensical. It is the right thing to do. It helps us take a right step in the right direction.