macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-03-12
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. too many Americans continue to be uninsured and too many of those Americans are Hispanic. A recent study by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation found that over 70 million Americans under 65 were uninsured for at least some time during the last 2 years. This is unfortunate enough. but the statistics are even more alarming when we look at the Hispanic community. In the last 2 years. over half the Hispanic population under 65 has gone without health insurance for some time. In California. half of the Hispanic population is currently uninsured. We cannot ignore the problem as a country. and I certainly cannot ignore it as a Californian. More Hispanics live in California than any other State. and they contribute to the States economy and culture in countless ways. But there remains a huge disparity between the Hispanic population and the rest of the population when it comes to the accessibility to health insurance and health problems. Studies consistently show that Hispanics suffer disproportionately from diabetes. obesity. HIV/ AIDS and asthma. We as policy makers need to commit ourselves to closing this gap. At a time when the economy has soured and the American families are feeling the effects. we need to bolster longstanding programs which have served Americans well. Medicaid is one of those programs. Instead of the current administrations proposals for tax cuts that will pad the pockets of the rich but will do little to shore up the programs that have served Americans admirabW during times of economic downturn. the administration then turns around and tells our Nations governors that there is no money to shore up these programs.
Date: 2003-03-13
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for yielding me this time. and today I rise in opposition to H.R. 5. There is no doubt that most Americans have real problems accessing affordable health care in this country. and we need to find a solution. How-
Date: 2003-03-13
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in opposition to the Help Efficient. Accessible. LowCost. Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act. Tens of thousands of people die each year from preventable medical errors. But rather than reform the medical system to prevent needless deaths and injuries. doctors and big insurance companies are lobbying to limit the rights of injured patients to seek full recovery in the courts. This measure unfairly impacts women and low income patients.
Date: 2003-03-13
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman from Mississippi. Mr. Speaker. now to join us on the House floor is the gentleman from Texas . who has been a leader of the Blue Dogs and has some nifty charts here. to really explain. in case any of you have just joined us. that the Blue Dogs are about bringing down the deficit and creating jobs and bringing the economy back. in contrast to what the President and his Republican majority in the House and in the Senate have presented with their 2004 budget. We have a different budget in mind. We have a timeline to bring down the debt and bring this country back into surplus. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.
Date: 2003-03-13
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. If I may ask the gentleman a question on that. right now you are telling us we are paying about $4.400 for a family of four just on the debt that this Nation carries in 2003. and if the Presidents budget gets passed and signed by him. we are going to be looking at increasing that geometrically. basically?
Date: 2003-03-13
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. I would say to the gentleman. from Texas. this does not include what it costs for us to go to war with Iraq.
Date: 2003-03-13
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I thank the gentleman. Congratulations. by the way. at being named the ranking member of the new Committee on Homeland Security. another area of government that we will see. undoubtedly. some spending happening this year. I know with the gentlemans fiscal conservative principles that he will really hold the line and try to make America safe. but do it within a budget and without too much overspending. as we see the Republicans are attempting at this point. I thank the gentleman for being here tonight. Next we have the gentleman fron Arkansas (Mr. Ross). who has been a Blue Dog now. I do not know. maybe 4 years. or maybe 2 or 3. He is going to talk about the Blue Dog budget. I yield to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Ross).
Date: 2003-03-13
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I thank the gentleman from Arkansas. I think there was a point that the gentleman made that is so important for America *to understand. and that is that when one comes to this country or when one is born in this country and one realizes their potential. one is in the greatest market economy the world has known. and so it is great if one can use their talents and make money. It is the American way. My father did it coming to this country. my brothers and sisters and I have done it in this country. We want the same thing for everybody. And I tell people dI1 the time who make good money. I say. when they complain to me about paying taxes. I say to them. is it not a great country. where you can make $1 million. $2 million. $500 million a year? Is it not a great marketplace? Is it not great to see the infrastructure we have. the communication that we have? The way our market works. the way people can come here with nothing and make something? Is it not a great place? Madam Speaker. one has to make money to pay taxes. I think it is a great thing that we pay taxes. because I see the improvements. I see what we have. We have a market economy where we can succeed. So we are not against rich people. We just want to tell people who are making money. there are the troops sacrificing. there are the unemployed sacrificing. There are teachers in classrooms sacrificing. taking out of their own pocket to buy supplies right now. Can you wait? Can you wait on your next tax cut? Would the gentleman not agree?
Date: 2003-03-13
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. the gentleman is right. We need to protect and invest in America. Because we know what happens when we invest in America. when we invest in education. when we invest in a health care system. when we invest in our infrastructure and our communications system. When we invest. we reap more. And when we spend and drive up the debt. we get ourselves in trouble. When we are talking about 18 cents of every dollar going to pay down the debt. it is credit card amounts. It is what one would anticipate as being the highest cost of borrowing. And imagine if we have to go to war. That is outside of the Presidents budget. It is not included in the spending that he is proposing. So we will be even higher. And the Blue Dogs feel that the first thing we need to do is get down to basics. Hold down our spending. be good about that. tighten our belts in these tight times. spend on the right things. on investment. on homeland security. on education of our children. on our military. But we also believe it is not time for a tax cut. We believe that everyone must sacrifice during this time: and if we sacrifice and we do it right. we will bring down the debt that we see spiraling out of control. And when we do that. we will have more money. more money in the long run to spend on the things that make this country great. So I would encourage my colleagues. in particular on the Republican side. to come and ask us about the Blue Dog budget. because we think it will work and it will bring down the debt. And when we bring down the debt. we will see ourselves where we were 2 years ago: in a surplus situation.
Date: 2003-03-19
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to remember and honor my good friend. Mr. Sunil Aghi. or Sunny. as he was known by most people. I first met Sunny when I received a phone call one morning during my first campaign for Congress. Sunny introduced himself. He said that he was Indian. and since my campaign was a campaign of the people. he wanted to get his people. the Indian community. to come and help me win. When he said Indian. I thought he meant headdress and Native American. but what le meant was the IndoAmerican community. those who were from India. Sunny had such energy. He was a leading IndoAmerican in the political arena. He was a oneman show. putting together fundraisers. hosting dozens of Congresspeople and Senators. spreading the message of democracy. He believed In democracy and teaching many of us about India. the worlds largest democracy. Sunny passed away last week. survived by his wife. Dimple. and his three young children. And he was young. But as someone said. he managed to wrap many of us here in the Congress and at other State and local levels. pcoplc who represent people. he managed to wrap us as a sari does. in his Indianness. Thank you. Sunny. for your life and the life you gave to others.
Date: 2003-03-20
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I stand 100% behind our troops. The brave men and women in uniform who have volunteered to defend our country are in my thoughts. and in my prayers. I pledge to work to ensure that they have all the resources necessary to help them accomplish their mission quickly and safely so that they can return home to their families. I also pray for the family members who sent their loved ones into harms way to protect the freedom that every American enjoys. They are to be commended for their sacrifice and unwavering support for our troops. My home state of Florida has sent over 5.000 Reserve and National Guard personnel to Iraq with the full understanding that not all of them would return to their families and loved ones. and my heart goes out to these brave Floridians. Every member of our Armed Forces deserves our deep and unending gratitude for their professionalism and commitment to the ideals of this great country. For the record. I would like to express my support for the second and third Whereas clause of the resolution we are currently debating. and I would like to submit Congressman HASTINGS Resolution support the troops which I support in its entirety. May God continue to bless America.
Date: 2003-03-26
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in honor of Womens History Month. to pay tribute to the dedication and courage of the millions of women who have served in the United States Armed Services. Since the earliest days of our Nation. women have played an integral part in our military operations. either behind the front lines or in actual combat. As fa. back as the Revolutionary War. there are stories of women who posed as men so that they could go and fight at the frontline. Others offered their services as nurses. Still others worked to support the war movement by leaving their domestic roles to take on jobs that were necessary to maintain the Nations economy. More recently. the role of women in the armed services has greatly expanded. In 1978. women began to be assigned to duty aboard ships. in 1991. women were assigned to aircraft in both the Air Force and the Navy. and by 1994. the ban on women on combat ships was lifted. allowing women greater opportunities in our armed services. As the war in the Persian Gulf looms ahead. we send our thanks and support to all our members of the armed services. But let us not forget the women and their contributions in this time of need.
Date: 2003-03-27
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor Craig Durfey for his tireless work in the fight against autism. Craig is the founder of Parents for the Rights of Developmentally Disabled Children. As a father of children with autism. he knows firsthand the difficulties that come with dealing with this dreaded disease. Today autism is a national crisis that affects nearly 1.5 million children. According to recent studies. as many as one in every 250 children born today will be diagnosed with autism. Autism costs the Nation between $20 billion and $60 billion annually. and the projection for the next 10 years will be that it will cost $400 billion. Autistic children go to doctors three times more often than normal children. and many times families must travel hundreds of miles to see a knowledgeable doctor that understands autism. Craig has been working tirelessly to provide funding for programs in my community and in the Nation that would train social service and law enforcement personnel on how to identify children with this type of disability. I applaud Craig for his efforts. and I will continue to work on his behalf with my colleagues in the Congressional Coalition for Autism Research and Education to increase funding for ideas like Craigs and to find a cure for autism.
Date: 2003-04-01
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I rise today to call attention to the actions taken by the Republicans in this House to drastically cut the funding for veterans programs. While thousands of brave men and women are fighting for our country and risking their lives every single day. the House majority party voted for the GOP budget resolution which would cut veterans programs by $28.8 billion. This cut in programs includes money for health care. for disability compensation. pensions. and other benefits. The Disabled American Veterans. the Paralyzed Veterans of America. and the American Legion have all issued statements opposing this budget. We cannot in good conscience commit men and women to defend this Nation while at the same time reducing the benefits they are entitled to and deserve. because after all. what message. what message does this send to those that have and those that are serving our country? I am appalled at the actions of the Republican House. While brave men and women are defending our freedom. we must defend their right to receive their benefits.
Date: 2003-04-01
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I stand before Members today outraged at the disgraceful treatment of our Nations veterans. While some may disagree with the United States decision to lead the charge against Iraq. all would agree that the men and women putting their lives on the line deserve our unwavering support. These volunteers deserve respect not only during times of war. but also when they return home. The administration has spent a great deal of time showcasing our proud troops. but that same administration is attempting to make cuts to health care and other benefits that impact our veterans. Unless this body takes action. many veterans will be financially responsible for paying for the injuries they receive as a direct result of their sacrifice in defending us and our values. This is hypocrisy at its best. What kind of message does this send to our troops? It says that we appreciate them rutting their lives on the line when we need them. but we cannot offer them that same assistance when they need us. House Concurrent Resolution 95. the budget resolution that recently passed the House. would require an acrosstheboard cut of 1 percent in mandatory appropriations for veterans programs. This budget would cut compensation for serviceconnected disabilities and education benefits and other health care funding by $14 billion over the next 10 years. In addition. while the Bush budget anticipates an increase in the number of veterans eligible for compensation due to serviceconnected disabilities. the budget does not add one dime for benefits for additional disabilities and deaths. As an American. as a patriot. and as a Member of this esteemed body. I encourage all Members to support the efforts to res:.ore the funding cuts in mandatory spending for veterans benefits. Our past and future veterans deserve the respect and gratitude of this Nation. The least we can do is take care of them when they return home from defending our American values.
Date: 2003-04-02
Speaker: LORETTA SANCMIEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to talk about the importance of adequate security at our Nations ports. On Monday. President Bush visited the Port of Philadelphia to praise our Coast Guard on their increased role at ports and to promote new security under Operation Liberty Shield. However. during this visit. the President failed to mention that the Coast Guard has reported receiving only a fraction of the resources they need to secure these ports. or that the President did not ask for any future port grant funding in either the supplemental spending bill or his fiscal 2004 budget request. no funding to fill in the gaping holes in our port security needs. Just outside of my district. are two ports. the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. Last year. an estimated 4 million cargo containers passed through those ports. 35 percent of all U.S. international trade. Less than 4 percent of those containers were screened. Our ports of entry are some of the most vulnerable threat risks in our Nation and we need to provide the means and the resources necessary for adequate security.
Date: 2003-04-02
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of the Green amendment. It is interesting as we sit here and listen to each other that the teaching profession is probably one of the most important professions there is. Not a single person here has gotten here without having some teachers. We do not pay them very much. It is one of the lowpaying professions. And yet we do not want them to receive their spouses Social Security. My Social Security is going to be offset with a pension. I am willing to allow that to go for making sure that the teachers after a long career of teaching can have a retirement. scraping together the pennies so they can live without going on a system that is no longer called welfare because we do not have it.
Date: 2003-04-02
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. while our brave soldiers continue their work abroad. our citizens back home must live under a constant state of Orange Alert. The administration has implemented Operation Liberty. Shield. Therefore. it is no secret that a threat still looms on our home front. so we must not forget that this war is not just being fought abroad. Therefore. it is essential that the supplemental spending bill include necessary funding to meet the needs of the Nations homeland security. In my district the Anaheim Police Department is presently spending an extra $21.000 per day to maintain Level Orange threat. If our Nation goes to Level Red. this number will double to $40.000 per day. Also. joint terrorism task forces have been set up in a number of cities to coordinate the dissemination of information and strategies dealing with potential terrorism. These task forces give local law enforcement the unique opportunity to train. coordinate. and work closely with Federal agencies like the FBI. the INS. the marshals. Customs. and the Secret Service to share information and develop a coordinated process for combating terror threats. but there is no funding. no resources to adequately implement this. While we continue to fight for additional resources for our first responders. we must not forget that the main thing we need to do is prevent any future terrorist attacks. This week the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States received testimony from experts on the state of our Nations homeland security. The testimony was not pretty. Our Nations ports were referred to as porous. our civil aviation facilities called unprepared. and our immigration check points deficient. Our ports of entry are some of the most vulnerable threat risks to this Nation. and we need to provide the means and the resources for adequate security. Every year more than 6 million cargo containers pass through our ports. 4 million of those. accounting for 35 percent of all international trade to the U.S. pass just 20 miles away from my home through Long Beach and L.A. ports. yet only 4 percent of these are screened. But the President responded to these requests with only $22 million. Just a third of what we need. But the President responded to these requests with only $22 million. a third of what the Customs Service deemed necessary. Additionally. the U.S. Coast Guard requested nearly $1 billion in Port Security Grant money to address gaps in the physical security of the ports it patrols. To date. only 40 percent of that needed funding has been granted. While the President says in speech after speech that he Is taking port security seriously. neither his FY04 budget request nor his supplemental funding request contained money for Port Security. Our ports are still extremely vulnerable. and full funding of Port Security Grants and the Container Security Initiative are Imperative.