macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-01-12
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I rise today on behalf of my district in Orange County to offer my prayers and condolences to all those wounded and killed in the recent and tragic shootings in Tucson. Arizona. I want to honor my colleague and dear friend. Congresswoman GABRIELLE GIFFORDS. who remains in critical condition and those who lost their lives. Gabriel Zimmerman. Christina Green. John Roll. Dorothy Morris. Phyllis Schneck and Dorwin Stoddard. GABBY was doing what all Members of Congress must do. interact with their constituents and provide a venue for them to petition their government. It is a sad day in America when the basis of our democracy. the interaction between elected officials and those they represent. is put into jeopardy by those who wish to do us harm. Those lost on that day were robbed of life too early. like nineyearold Christina Green. whose life was bookended by tragedy. She was born on September 11. 2001. but strove at such a young age to be engaged in her community. Or the life of GABBYs close aide. Gabriel Zimmerman. who at 30 years old had made public service and helping those in the Eighth District of Arizona his purpose in life for the last 4 years. Judge John Roll dedicated his life to public service and understood the risks associated with controversial issues. And to remember those that left so many loved ones and memories behind. Dorwin Stoddard. Dorothy Morris. and Phyllis Schneck. I await the day that we welcome our colleague back into the House chamber and will continue to pray for those still in the care of doctors and those who have passed on.
Date: 2011-01-12
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I solemnly rise in support of this resolution. We come together today in tribute to Congresswoman GABRIELLE GIFFORDS and all of the innocent victims of a deranged gunmans actions in Tucson. Arizona. This past weekend. our Nation witnessed a horrifying and tragic act of violence that took the lives of six. and left many others wounded. including our friend and colleague. GABBY. GABBY is one of my closest friends and my thoughts and prayers are with her husband
Date: 2011-01-12
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I rise to join my colleagues to honor those who died and were wounded in Tucson. Arizona this past Saturday. The senseless rampage took the lives of six remarkable people and forever altered the lives of their families. 13 other people who were wounded. and each of their families. This tragedy has touched the soul of our Nation and we will not forget it. Like my colleagues and Americans throughout our country. I am deeply saddened and disturbed by the events that took place as our colleague. Congresswoman GABRIELLE GIFFORDS. conducted her outdoor constituent town meeting in Tucson. To the families of those who died I offer my heartfelt condolences. And for my colleague. GABBY. as we call her. and her family. and to the other victims and their families. I offer my prayers as they receive urgent medical treatment and begin their recovery. I share in the comments that so many of my colleagues have already made about GABBY. She has worked hard and contributed much. She is a highly respected colleague and a courageous representative for Arizona and our country. The attack on Congresswoman GIFFORDS and her staff and constituents is deplorable and represents an attack on all Americans. I also join my colleagues in saluting the heroism of four men and women who subdued the shooter and attended to GABBY immediately after she was shot. These men and women truly made a difference on that Saturday. They deserve our praise and admiration. Madam Speaker. the responsibility for this tragedy lies with the shooter. someone who had earlier been identified as needing mental health care and who should never have been able to obtain a gun. Thankfully. he is in custody and his fate is now in the hands of our law enforcement and judicial system. But while he will be tried for his act. this attack has raised in all of us a deep and gnawing question that must be unanswered. How can we improve ourselves after this tragedy? Everyone who meets Congresswoman GIFFORDS knows she is not an angry woman. She has sought to balance the diverse interests of her district while doing what she believes to be in the best interest of our country. Yet she was attacked. vilified and denounced by extreme political factions who sought to demonize her for what she believed as a member of Congress. We cannot undo the events of Saturday. January 8. but we can and should commit ourselves to a more responsible level of political discourse in America. I hope we can all learn from the events in Tucson. that in the name of GABBY and all of the victims of this deadly shooting. we can commit ourselves to strengthen our Nation. not fight each other. to be able to disagree with each other without hating or demonizing one another for it. Madam Speaker. thank you for this opportunity to pay tribute to Congresswoman GIFFORDS. her staff. her constituents. and everyone touched by the tragedy that unfolded on Saturday in Tucson.
Date: 2011-01-18
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I yield myself an additional 30 seconds. And lets make sure that as we do this. we tackle the deficit and the debt. I listened to my colleague talk about the debt. but we all know that the independent. nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office in a letter to Speaker BOEHNER dated January 6. 2011. indicated that repealing this bill will increase the deficit by over $200 billion over the first 10 years and by another $1.2 trillion over the second 10 years. Our colleagues have criticized those findings. but theyre the same people who they applauded when the numbers came back their way. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2011-01-18
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself 3 minutes. Mr. Speaker. it is interesting to hear this attack on the CBO numbers that came out when many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle just 9 months ago. when the CBO was reporting deficit numbers and the cost of the bill. were singing CBOs high praises. Now lets look at some of the items that were just mentioned. Lets look at the doctor fix payment. Let us look at the SGR. We know that has been an issue that has been with this House for years and years. It has nothing to do with the health insurance reform bill that was signed by the President. We are going to have to deal with that issue whether we had health insurance reform or didnt have health insurance reform. And. Mr. Speaker. they know that. We also heard that we frontloaded the revenue in this bill and disguised the outyear costs. If that were the case. how is it possible that CBO would say that it actually reduces the deficit by more in the second 10 years than in the first 10 years? The fact of the matter is this bill will increase Social Security revenue as employers provide more of their compensation in the form of wages that are subject to payroll taxes. Double counting is not the issue. The fact is it reduces the deficit. and CBO says that. Now. CBO is the independent referee that we use in this body. They are like the guy on the football field. the referee. who calls the plays. calls when there are penalties and no penalties. Sometimes we like the call and sometimes we dont. But it is an unprecedented step to say that we are going to totally ignore the decisions and judgment of the independent CBO and we are going to replace that with our judgment for the purposes of deficit reduction calculations in legislation that goes to reducing our debt. That is a recipe for budget anarchy. It is a recipe for fiscal chaos. We should not go down that road. The CBO has been very clear that the fiscally responsible thing to do is to move forward with the law in its place. We obviously can fix things as they come up that need to be addressed. specific items. But to repeal this wholesale willthe folks that we rely on as the independent. nonpartisan judges here say that repealing this bill as our colleagues are proposing to do will add $1.4 trillion to the deficit over 20 years. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2011-01-18
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise to oppose the Republican majoritys callous attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Reform has already made a dramatically positive difference for millions of our constituents and small businesses while tackling our ballooning national debt. We in Congress must continue doing all that we can to support American families and businesses as we emerge from this recession. Democrats have pledged to measure all legislation by a proposals success at creating jobs. at strengthening the middle class. and at bringing down the deficit. Unfortunately. the Republican majoritys attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act fails on all such counts. Repeal would hurt small businesses. canceling $40 billion worth of tax credits to help employees afford coverage. Repeal would stall middle class job growth. as onethird of small business owners told the small business majority they were more likely to hire new employees as a result of reform. And of course repeal would deepen our already exploding deficit. increasing it by $230 billion in the next 10 years and by more than $1 trillion in the following decade. Many of my colleagues across the aisle have rebuffed this analysis from Congress own budgetary referee. the Congressional Budget Office. because it doesnt fit the Republican narrative or campaign promise to tackle the deficit. However. while they may be entitled to their own opinions. they are not entitled to their own facts. Health care repeal is the epitome of fiscal irresponsibility. and it counters our most basic American values: life. liberty. and the pursuit of happiness. We lose life when insurance companies can freely drop those who are sick from coverage. We lose liberty when our seniors have to choose between medications and groceries. And we lose the pursuit of happiness if we return to the days when only job security guaranteed health security. Our fiscal decisions. Mr. Speaker. must be a reflection not only of our economic future but of the statement of our most central national values. By ensuring that Americans have vital coverage rather than cruelly denying it to them. we can live up to the dreams of liberty and justice for all.
Date: 2011-01-18
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I would remind the gentleman that this body voted on a majority basis to repeal the 1099 provision. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas .
Date: 2011-01-18
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I notice the gentleman mentioned CBO. What CBO said in that regard was that. because of the exchanges. there would be some people who would not seek their health care through employment. They would be liberated to be able to get it through the exchange. Im glad the gentleman confirmed the importance of CBO numbers. Mr. Speaker. I yield 1 minute to my colleague from Ohio .
Date: 2011-01-18
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. I thank my colleague from Maryland. Mr. Speaker. this past year. around June. I was speaking to a woman who is a single mother. She has two young children. She is a real estate agent. and it has been tough in California. But through all of that. she managed to pay her premium to have health care for herself and for her two children. In June. her daughter. for the first time. had an epileptic attack. and she didnt know what to do. She was scared to death. So she took her to the hospital and her daughter got better. but of course her daughter will have more of these. One month later. she found out that her daughter would not be covered any longer by that health care plan. and so she has been paying about $1.700 out of her pocket for her daughter and her medications and all. She came to me and I said. well. this is what the reform is about. This is what health care reform is about. Its about taking care of our children and our families. And I told her that her daughter would now be covered. If this was your daughter. you would not repeal this health care reform.
Date: 2011-01-18
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. all the charts in the world cant wish away the CBO letter of January 6 of this year which says that the premiums will go down in the employer market. that people. on average. will pay less in the individual market. and that this legislation will reduce the deficit and the debt over the next 20 years. Again. that is the call from the nonpartisan experts we have. We shouldnt be substituting our judgment for theirs.
Date: 2011-01-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

There is nothing that one can do when youre debating this bill than to be civil and to respect the American people. who. many of them. are in the jaws of terrible disease. rehabilitation. or maybe some have already lost their lives. And the repeal of this health bill. just a couple of pages. would sentence people possibly to dying. H.R. 2 talks about jobs when were talking about lives. So I think it is important that we follow what the repeal of this patient protection and health care bill doesend consumer protection. patient protection. And I think it is important for us to be able to hold this Constitution and prove that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. Well. I could say that there are 1.1 million jobs already created. that the deficit will blow up $143 billion. a trillion over 20 years. But I really want to refer to the 14th Amendment that allows and guarantees you equal protection under the law. If this bill is repealed. Ed Burke. a hemophiliac. will probably have serious health issues because he would have lifetime caps. Or Mr. Land. who was on my health care teleconferencewhere 18.000 people in Harris County were contactedmaybe he. who is from a family of schizophrenics and people who have children that have schizophrenia. maybe he would not be guaranteed the equal protection under the law.
Date: 2011-01-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Thank you so very much. Maybe they would not be able to withstand this onslaught on their rights because the Constitution guarantees them equal protection. And some who have insurance and some who do not would not be treated equally. And finally. let me say that in Texas. the Department of Insurance has said that this bill helps Texans. I hope my colleague from Texas will vote not to repeal this bill. I will vote "no" on the repeal.
Date: 2011-01-18
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Speaker. I think it is important to address the notion of job killing versus job creating. Weve heard a lot of talk about the title of this bill and the jobs that it supposedly kills. But lets look at the facts here though. Of the 1.1 million privatesector jobsdocumentedthat were created last year. fully 200.000 of those were in the health care sector. or onefifth. Weve actually had an average of 20.000 jobs per month created in the health care sector alone over the course of the last 2 years. There have been no job losses in the health care sector. None. And I challenge our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. on the Republican side of the aisle. who are vociferously advocating the repeal of health care reform on the premise that it is a job killer to name one area of health care. one. where there have been job losses. I would suspect that we would hear crickets chirping. because there are none. There isnt a single area of health care that there have been job losses. not before health care reform passed and not since. Also. I think it is important to address the comments from my colleague the gentleman from Texas who stated that President Obama told the Democratic Caucus that health care reform would supposedly allow us to shrink five tests performed on a patient to one. That is simply not true. That never happened. He never said that. And at the end of the day we need to make sure that we are entitled to our opinions but not to our own facts. I suspect that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are making up their own facts because their arguments dont stand on the strength of their ideas and arent strong enough to stand on their own. I thought it was important to clear that up. Madam Speaker.
Date: 2011-01-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I have listened for a couple of hours to the debate on health care and will have additional hours going forward tomorrow. I think it is important that each Member look carefully at their own congressional area and as well their own State. I hope maybe I will be able to convince a few Members of the reality of the State of Texas. And by the way. I dont know how far this legislation will go. We expect a victory on the repeal tomorrow. I dont want Americans to be frightened who need this bill. Mr. President. be prepared to use your veto pen. But Texas is the number one State with uninsured. Health care premiums have grown five times faster than income. and 500.000 middle class workers have lost their private insurance. In Harris County. where many of us live. more than 800.000 will be put on the health care rolls if this bill continues to go forward. meaning the Patient Protection bill. But if the repeal goes. well throw 800.000 people to the wolves. There is a reason to support this bill. particularly in Texas. which has an enormous number of uninsured.
Date: 2011-01-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentleman from California. but more importantly I thank him for really turning the light bulb on. We worked so hard on this legislation that we probably have forgotten to articulate all of the nuances of this bill. It is unbelievable. I hesitated to use the term "frivolous" today. but. frankly. Im saddened by the fact that we had to engage in a frivolous debate. So I just wanted to say to the gentleman. some years ago under the Bush administration I took note of the fact that we did not have enough community health clinics. frankly. and I am so glad that our collective research caused us to put that legislation in the bill. Last Monday. I convened my community health clinics. It was amazing the expanded work they do because some of them received stimulus dollars. One of my clinics was able to open up 21 legacy. and one of my community health clinics was able to open up 21 new patient rooms because of stimulus dollars. But what I want to say on that point is three things: Community health clinics help seniors and families. And to seniors. this gives you. in addition to the comfort of being nearby your home. but you get. in addition. a primary home or a medical home. You can use that clinic. that doctor to be part of your medical home. The community health clinics can then multiply themselves or improve themselves by having electronic records where. as a senior who has extended medical records. can you imagine in the future what happens with seniors when they can put all their data into electronic records to be able to track seniors and to assure their good health? So contrary to frightening seniors and talking about death panels. this bill provides community clinics. a medical home. electronic records. and the inevitable closing of the doughnut hole so that seniors do not have to choose between paying rent and buying food and getting their brand drugs that they need. So I just wanted to say theres so much. And then as you mentioned your daughter and the training. Thats creating jobs. How do they talk about losing jobswhich I think. by the way. again. is frivolous because we created 1.1 million jobs. And. frankly. I would just say to you that this is about saving lives. Jobs are very important. Weve created jobs. But even the title of their legislation. H.R. 2. "jobkilling"? This is killing Americans if we take this bill away. if we repeal this bill. So I would argue that maybe my good friendswho some of them are new and I appreciate their newness. I appreciate their desire to keep a commitment to constituents. But when you come to the Congress. you have to govern. You have to look at the whole of America. And therefore. looking at the whole of America. you need to look at the crux. The crux is saving lives. So I thank the gentleman for bringing us to this point. I know that we will be getting another hour that I hope maybe I will have an opportunity to share some thoughts. But again. I will yield back my time and just say this is about saving lives.
Date: 2011-01-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentlelady. It is a pleasure to be able to join my colleagues on the floor. including Congressman GREGORY MEEKS of New York. who well have the opportunity to hear from. and I thank
Date: 2011-01-18
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. let me thank our CBC Chair. Emanuel Cleaver and the gentlelady from the Virgin Islands. Congresswoman CHRISTENSEN for anchoring this Special Order in order to pursue a very important discussion on the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Health Care Reform. We remain committed to our diligent work to be the conscience of the Congress. but also to provide dedicated and focused service to the citizens and Congressional Districts that have elected us. I hope that this discussion will highlight the impact of how the repeal of the Affordable Act would impact the American people. particularly. within the minority community. We know that not all Americans have equal access to health care. It is all too unfortunate that persons of lowincome. or of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. and other underserved populations have higher rates of disease. This same population frequently experience fewer treatment options. and reduced access to the care they need. Worst of all. minority populations are also less likely to have health insurance than the population as a whole. But now. because of the Affordable Care Act. minorities can benefit from: Preventative Care that includes regular screenings. annual wellness checkups. cancer screenings. and immunizationsall at no additional cost. Care that is coordinated to help patients manage their chronic diseases such as diabetes. heart disease. highblood pressure. cancer. and many other ailments that require multiple health teams. Training to increase diversity within the health professions so that patients have more choice of providers who are racially and ethnically diverse. Also. health plans will be required to use language services and community outreach in underserved communities. Expansion of the health care workforce with increased funding for community health centers. which provide comprehensive health care for everyone no matter how much they are able to pay. Banning insurance companies from discriminating against those patients who have been sick. No longer will sick patients be excluded from coverage or charged higher premiums. Neither will women have to pay higher premiums simply because of their gender. I am confident that if we repeal Affordable Care Act. we present a grave. unhealthy danger to the lives of our most vulnerable populations who need health care most by playing politics. I urge my Republican colleagues to revisit the thought of repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act by working with eager Democrats to continue building a bridge to a healthier Americafor all.