macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Chairman. let me be clear. the Florida Secretary of Transportation is in town today. along with Commissioner Lazaro. and they are both opposed to this amendment. The U.S. Department of Transportation has said that we need to invest $375 billion just to keep up with the needs of this Nations transportation infrastructure. Yet we have a bill on the floor today at $284 billion. Obviously. this is not enough of an investment we need to keep up with our transportation system. � This amendment will tie the hands of the State departments of transportation and would deny them the flexibility they need to fund important projects in their State. My home State of Florida is experiencing tremendous population growth. and we use tolls to cover many of the high costs related to maintaining an adequate transportation system. Without these additional revenues. there is no question that current improvement projects will not be funded. In other words. no tolls. no roads. The current tolling provisions in this bill were carefully worked out in a bipartisan manner and were developed to allow States the flexibility to build new roads. reduce congestion. and invest in transit. We authorize this. major transportation bill every 6 years so we".can make major investments in infrastructure and improve the national transportation system. but the Kennedy amendment does the opposite. It takes money from the States and limits their ability to creatively finance major projects. In closing. no tolls. no roads.
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I am pretty excited about the fact that we are go.ing to spend an .hour discussing Amtrak. I do not think anybody in this country knows more about transportation and transportation infrastructure and the needs of transportation than the gentleman from Minnesota . I have asked him to give us kind of a broad background. bringing us up to date as to how we arrived where we are as far as Amtrak is concerned in this country. And then we will go to the other speakers. I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota.
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Would you answer just one question for me before you leave. Can you let me know whether there is any form of transportation that pays for itself? You know. we have been raising this issue about aviation. and. you know. -we put billions of dollars. I forget how many billions into aviation. and we talk about our transportation bill. we have it on the floor today. and we are putting it in. But is there any mode of transportation in the whole world that pays for itself?
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. now I would bring up the gentleman from California . He is new to the Congress. but not new to the fight as far as passenger rail is concerned. He has a history that precedes him in the legislature in California.
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. would you believe that 66 percent of the American people support Amtrak? Not 66 percent from the Red States or the Blue States. but 66 percent of the American people. Mr. Speaker. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland . a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and a leader in this country on transportation and infrastructure.
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. reclaiming my time. may I ask the gentleman one question before he leaves? I know that the gentleman comes from Baltimore. which is a big city. and many people look at the big city and know that we need Amtrak. But would the gentleman believe that 109 small cities do not have any other form of transportation? They do not have bus service. nor do they have air service.
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker. it is now my pleasure to yield to the gentleman from-.New York
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the gentleman: Can he repeat how much we are proposing to spend this year on Amtrak?
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. $1.8 billion. Would the gentleman believe that we are spending $1 billion a week in Iraq. $4 billion a month in Iraq. and with $3 billion. it would completely fund the Amtrak system and bring it up to date. The people that pay the bill are getting the short end of the stick.
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker. I would like to yield to the delegate from the District of Columbia who is a leader on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and has been on that committee ever since I have been here in Congress for over 12 years. and I know longer. but certainly is the voice for transportation. not just in the District. but in the country.
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

We are working on the bill. hopefully. we will pass it tomorrow. But Iwant to point out. we are looking at a bill that is $284 billion. and our Department of Transportation indicated that we needed $375 billion. So we are way behind. This is because this Bush administration does not support the investments that we really need to make in transportation. and that is why we are 17 months behind passing a transportation bill that the country and all of the Governors. the local communities. the private sector. they all need this investment. because our infrastructure in the United States is falling apart.
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. if the gentlewoman will yield. our local Coast Guard came to Washington and carried the Florida delegation home.
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

And it took all day. because the group was stationed out of Jacksonville. so we flew from here to Miami. then We went to Fort Lauderdale. Orlando. then to Jacksonville. That was the only way we could get out of the city. But let me mention to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia. after September 11. there was another plane that went down in New York. I do not know whether you remember that. it went down in Queens.
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

I was in New York at that time. I had checked out of the hotel. and the hotel would not let us. back in. We did not know what was going on. And everything shut down. like the gentlewoman said. The airport shut down. the bridges shut down. There was no way out of the city.. I went to the Amtrak station and there I saw several Members of the Senate and the House. and that is how we were able to get out of New York City and get back into Washington. D.C. It is a safety issue. Why would the richest country in -the world evenconsider not having a rail transportation to move people in time of crisis.
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. if the gentlewoman will yield. it is truly hard to believe how an administration could state that it is their goal to put an industry out of business and put them in bankruptcy. To me. it is just a clear example that we have gotten our priorities wrong. I think that this debate should not be between Democrats and Republicans. House and Senate. I think this debate. I think it is very important for the American people to weigh in on why they think it is important. One of the things that I think has been a failure is that we have not been able to convey the importance of rail service in this country.
Date: 2005-03-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I want to be clear that there is no mode of transportation. including rail. that pays -for itself. not only here in the United States.but nowhere in the world. Public transportation is just that. We subsidize dvery forming of transportation. I really welcome this debate because I think we .have been nickeling and diming Amtrak to death. and now we need to put up or shut up. And I think the American people. where 66 percent. not from the blue States and the red States. but 66 percent of the American people said that they want passenger rail in this country.
Date: 2005-03-10
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. this week marks Stop Violence Against Women Week. I rise to show my support for victims of domestic violence. I grew up in a large family. I am the sixth of seven children. and my family. has always sup-
Date: 2005-03-10
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. today we are reminded in the press that it is 5 years since the bubble burst on the NASDAQ stock market. It has been 5 years. and those people who invested in that market. in those index funds. have recovered 60 percent. or is still 60 percent below where it was in 2000. For those people who thought they are going to retire on their 401(k)s who were invested in the market at that point. we have all heard the stories when we return to our districts that their spouses are going to continue to work. that they are going to postpone for a year. they are not going to be able to retire like they thought they were. This does not mean we should not invest in the market. it simply means we should not take $15 trillion out of Social Security and undermine the guarantee that it provides to those workers. those very same iiorkers. in many instances. who. in their corporate 401(k)s have lost almost 40 percent. if they stayed there today. of their retirement nest egg. That nest egg ought to be preserved. and the President should not be allowed to undermine that nest egg by taking $15 trillion out of Social Security.
Date: 2005-03-10
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. the amendment before us is about increasing financial flexibility. Toll credits allow the expenditure of nonfederal funds on one project to serve as the match on another project. The benefit of having toll credits is to enable various transportation projects to exchange a toll credit for nonfederal share of a projects cost. This measure does not render a good house keepin9 seal of approval on tolls. but it does recognize that States like Texas. that are experiencing significant increases in population and diminishing roadway capacity. are able to better leverage their transportation dollars. I have heard from my State. and others that utilize tolling. repeatedly. on how this toll credit development will better equip them in addressing challenges now and in the long run.
Date: 2005-03-10
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I rise in support of the hard work of my colleagues. Chairman DON YOUNG. Ranking Member JIM OBERSTAR. Chairman TOM PETRI. and Ranking Member PETE DEFAzIO. This legislation will help our nation keep up with its ever growing transportation needs. but I want to add that it does fall short. It falls short because we have not indexed the gas tax or added the small increasesnecessary to allow the country to successfully grow. The Department of Transportation estimated that it will take at least $350 billion to keep up with our transportation needs. but the Administration has drawn a line in- the sand at $289 billion. I would ask the President to look back at Texas. where the Republican- leadership is now seriously considering indexing the Texas state gas tax. as I proposed many years ago in the state legislature. The gas tax is the easiest tax to defend for a politician. because the benefit to drivers is obvious. and if you dont use your car or truck on the roads. you dont have to pay it. Now we forced into a situation where every new highway in America will be tolled. something my middle and lowincome commuters and professional truck drivers vigorously oppose. � So I support this legislation. but I also support the reopener provision that allows us to consider a gas tax index proposal in the future. I also support further efforts in conference to increase the scope of the minimum guarantee and increase the rate of return on that minimum guarantee. Texas deserves at least 95 percent of the gas tax revenue that we pay into the system. I support the efforts of the Majority Leader to improve our rate of return. but I also encourage him to study what his colleagues. including the Speaker of the Texas House. are considering for the state gas tax. This legislation also included two projects of critical importance to my area in Houston. the reconstruction of Clinton Dr. near the Port of Houston and the construction of US90 from the Beltway into Loop 610. Clinton Dr. is currently in a state of disrepair causing safety concerns and the constant maintenance work is a drain on local resources. US90 will Provide much needed mobility for Northeast Harris County. by completing a project that has been on the books for many years. Development along this corridor will be encouraged and greatly improve the area. I want to thank Cohgressman TED POE for working with us on the US90 project. which will also benefit his constituents by providing another route into central Houston and by relieving traffic on 110 east and US 59 North. Mr. Chairman. I encourage my colleagues to vote for the bill.
Date: 2005-03-10
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank my colleague for yielding to me. and it is an honor to be here once again with him. It has been my distinct pleasure to serve with my colleague in various capacities over the last 10 years. and particularly because we represent a State that would be so impacted by whatever the vague outlines of the Presidents suggestion. for lack of a better term. Because what has been truly unfortunate about the Presidents concept is that that is all it has become. It has just been a concept. We are trying to help people understand that the President. although he has been stumping the country promoting his doncept. his concept has never amounted to legislation. He has not asked any Member of Congress to file legislation. We have not seen a bill. therefore. we have no specific details. And coming from the State that we do. which is one of the States whose residents would be the most significantly impacted by the devastating results of his proposal on Social Security. we have spent quite a bit of time trying to educate our constituents about the dire ramifications. Given our generation and the impact ultimately that the Presidents outline would have on them. we need to continue to spend time doing what we have been doing. which is trying to spread the word and make people aware that. despite what they may have heard in the previous hour. we are on a factdisseminating mission. We need to get the word out and make people understand that there is a lot of fiction and a lot of trumpedup reality that has been disseminated. We need to help people understand that while there is a problem with Social Security. we need to be responsible and take the time that is reqjuired. that is our responsibility to take. to get it right. It is not a crisis. The year 2042 is what has been clearly acknowledged as the earliest that we have to be concerned about there being a cut in benefits. And while we absolutely do not think we should reach that point. in 2042. since this is the 30something Working Group. I will be 75 years old. In 2052. which is the more likely scenario. given the dim economic picture they have painted and given our economic history. it is unlikely that in 2042 there would even be a problem yet. I will be 85 years old. The reason that is important. as my colleague knows when he talks to his friends and when I talk to my friends. people who are listening out there. people our age think Social Security will not be there for them. They really do. And with the facts. they will understand that it will be there for them well beyond their retirement years. We need to be responsible and -take some time to make the changes necessary and not yank the rug out from under our generation or our childrens generation. We need to make sure we can preserve the Social Security safety net. So. Mr. Speaker. I am glad to join my colleague this afternoon because we have a lot of educating to do.
Date: 2005-03-10
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. what could happen is our colleagues on the other side of the aisle just spent an hour talking about how there is a crisis. and we need to address it. It could appear as though we are engaging in a debate of. yes there is. no there is not. Let me just show the folks at home who is saying and agreeing there is not a crisis. The other day. the Comptroller General. David Walker. testified in front of the Committee on Ways and Means. which is the committee with main jurisdiction over this issue. He said. while the program faces no immediate financial crisis. he did say that time is working against us. and the longer we wait. the further you put off solving this problem. the more difficult it is going to be. He did acknowledge in full public view. the Comptroller General of the United States. that the program faces no immediate financial crisis. Now. I would not think that the Comptroller General would deliberately contradict the President unless he wanted to make sure that he stuck to what is factual versus hyperbole. We have been truly committed to disseminating facts and not just blowing this problem out of proportion to get to our political goal. That is what the other side has been doing.
Date: 2005-03-10
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. it is important to continue along the vein that we have. These are not manufactured facts by the gentleman from Florida and the gentlewoman from Florida
Date: 2005-03-10
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

That is okay. I thank the gentleman. He is right. I was giving him too much credit. You do not get both. You get at least a 46 percent cut in your benefits in the Social Security benefits that you would have gotten if you move to a private account. I want to give some information to our younger peers about what it would mean. Risky private accounts do not make up for the 46 percent cut in benefits that President Bush has proposed. A 20yearold who enters the workforce this year would lose about $152.000 over their working lifetime in Social Security benefits under the Bush plan. Social Security provides disability insurance. which we have not talked too much about -yet. I had a man who suffers from MS come to one of my town hall meetings. He could barely speak because it has affected his voice. H1348 co He can no longer work. He collects Social Security. We need to remind people of people who are survivors. who are collecting survivors benefits. their families. people on disability.
Date: 2005-03-10
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I want to remain true to my gender. and I have done this every week since I have been participating in the 30something group. I have an 18monthold who I want to take to Mommy and Me in the morning. so I am going to go home in a minute and catch my flight so I can do that. The reason that I am saying that is that I am one of three women younger than 40 in the Congress. out of 435 Members. There are- a unique set of issues that women face when compared to men. The privatization outline that the President has suggested really puts women in a dire situation. For example. in 2003. the average monthly Social Security benefit for a woman was only $798. which is $241 less than the average mans monthly retirement. Womens earnings were 76 percent relative to men in 2003. -which is down from 77 percent in 2002. Women who reach retirement age live on average at least 3 years longer than men. so this is going to be their problem 3 years longer than men. Social Security is the only source of retirement income for one in three unmarried. retired women. Without Social Security. 52 percent of white women. 65 percent of African American women. and 61 percent of Hispanic women would live in poverty upon retirement. It provides more than half of the total income for widows and single women. I We have got to make sure that Social Security provides for all of us. We have got to make sure that we get the facts out as it relates to this problem. Not crisis. but problem. And we in the 30something group. the members of our generation are going to continue to help educate. as we go around the country on the campus tours that we are planning. as we work with Rock the Vote and the myriad of organizations that the gentleman has detailed. The Older Womens League also is on that.list in being in opposition to the Presidents outline. It is our responsibility to ensure that when the baton is handed to our generation. that we commit to carrying it forth and run up those stairs like they do in the Olympics and light the torch so that we can make sure that we preserve the safety net that was created back in 1935. It is always a pleasure to be here with the gentleman. and I look forward to continuing our factdisseminating mission.
Date: 2005-03-10
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Absolutely. The Speaker is also wearing the tie. During this week. the Lifetime Network has promoted the issue of violence against women and highlighted the issue of violence against women on their Web site and on their network. We have all been wearing and have been asked to wear this tie and scarf to highlight domestic violence and the tragedy of domestic violence so that we can make sure that we can fight domestic violence in every corner of this country. So I am pleased that the men and women of the Congress on both sides of the aisle have been committed to this and we are standing in solidarity with the women who have been victims of domestic violence.