macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-12-17
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

While we are at it. while we are cutting the budget and basically paying for what is going on in the war in Iraq. we are providing billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy. and we are all about third party validators here. On top of what you just outlined. tax analysts agree. and this is in the New York Times. third party validators. tax analysts agree that the overwhelming bulk of the dividend goes to the top 5 percent of income earners. We just passed a $56 billion tax cut package over 5 years one day last week after we passed another tax cut package that is $39 billion over 5 years. There was no argument. no argument at all that the tax cuts that we have been passing go to the top twotenths of 1 percent of the wealthiest people in America. When I go home. I represent a fairly middle class district. working families. not the depths of the poor. working families. When I stand up in town hall meetings. I ask my folks to raise your hand if you have benefited from any of the tax breaks that have been handed down by the Bush administration for the last 6 years. Do you know. maybe one. two hands go up in a roomful of hundreds of people? Who are getting these tax breaks? The RollsRoyce Republicans. That is who are getting these tax breaks. That is what this administration and this leadership is all about. the Rolls Royce Republicans.
Date: 2005-12-17
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize an extraordinary young woman whose bravery and quick thinking saved her family from a devastating fire. Eightyearold Natelee Brinlee is a hero in every sense of the word. Natelee had been through the Irving Fire Departments Safety House where she learned how to implement lifesaving measures during a fire emergency. When a fire started in her home. Natelee knew to call 911. and alertly woke up her uncle and brother. This heroism saved Natelee. her uncle and two brothers. Natelee Brinlee showed maturity and bravery well beyond her 8 years. The recognition December 17.-2005 she is receiving is imminently welldeserved. and I know this is merely the first step of many bright years ahead.
Date: 2005-12-18
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. let me start by adding my thanks to the Armed Services Committee staff for their hard work and long hours in getting this conference report to the floor. On the whole. I think this is a solid billa bill that does a lot of good for our servicemembers and their families. It raises basic pay and hardship duty pay. It provides TRICARE coverage for Reservists. It inbreases the death. gratuity for all activated servicemembers. It begins the muchneeded reform of the DOD acquisition system. And with the inclusion of the McCain language. this bill makes a strong statement to the world that the United States does NOT condoneand will not toleratethe torture or abuse of detainees. But Im particularly happy to note that the final conference agreement includes two important revisions to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). The first revision would update Article 120 of the UCMJ making it a modern. complete sexual assault statute that protects victims. empowers commanders and prosecutors. and improves good order and discipline of the armed forces. It offers military prosecutors a clear definition of sexual assault and better tools for prosecuting sexual offenses. and it affords increased protection for victims by emphasizing acts of the perpetrator rather than the reaction of the victim during an assault. The second revision to the UCMJ involves the addition of stalking as a specifically defined offense. bringing the UCMJ in line with federal laws and the laws of all 50 states. The language in this bill will offer commanders and prosecutors a clear definition of stalking. It will raise awareness. strengthen law enforcement. and underscore the criminality of this conduct to all members of the military community. Furthermore. it will give commanders a powerful tool to cut stalking off in its early stagesbefore a stalkers behavior escalates. I have pushed for these changes for a long. long time. and I am thrilled to see both chambers finally agree on these major steps forward for the military justice system and for the men and women of our armed forces.
Date: 2005-12-18
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong opposition to this rule because of the inclusion of the drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge.
Date: 2005-12-18
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. a lot of euphemisms on the other side. such as the cuts in the rates of growth. suggesting that that is just a neutral act when it takes place. They have cut about $40 billion out of this budget in this package that we are going to vote on in a little while. Twelve billion of that cdmes from student loan accounts. and about $7 billion. 70 percent. almost $8 billion of that. 70 percent of those cuts come off the backs of students and their parents. They increase the cost of college education over the next few years by almost $8 billion. That means that students that are struggling to finish their college education. to acquire a college education so they can participate in this economic system. will have thousands of dollars added on to the cost of the borrowing that they must engage in. They must engage in that because the cost of education is outstripping the ability of middle income families to supply that money for that education for those children. So the Republicans idea is to make college more expensive. At a time when we worry whether we will have enough students graduating from college to meet the needs of the economy. their idea is make it more expensive. Yes. the Democrats do have a better idea. and that is to try to open up the access to college and lessen the cost of college. Then. if that is not enough. if that is not enough. if you get to the other part of the program like Medicaid. they say they are going to reduce the cost of increase. Well. that cost of increase is done by increasing the premiums and the copayments to the poorest people in this country. Those premiums and copayments is about $19 billion over 5 years. $100 billion over 10 years. Andif it is not enough that they increase your copayments and .their premiums. then they take away the benefits. They are going to take away eyeglasses from elderly people. hearing aids from elderly people. and if Tiny Tim was here today they plan to take away his crutches. That is the Republicans at Christmastime: Take away the crutches of old people. the hearing aids of old people and eyeglasses. because those are the benefits that are listed and the benefits that they plan to cut to the poorest people who need health care. They are going to add on billions of dollars to the States because of the changes in the work requirements. unfunded mandates. So you can talk about slowing the growth. but the growth and the costs to parents of students going to college. the growth in the costs of people who need health care who are poor. the growth in the cost of people who need those services under health care. all of those increases. NoV. maybe that does not sound like a tax increase to you. but if you are poor and you are trying to *pay for your health care and it costs you more. that kind of looks like a tax increase. If you are going to add on thousands of dollars to5tudent loans. that is a tax increase. What we have here is one cruel. one Inhumane. one insensitive budget by the Republican Party.
Date: 2005-12-18
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Shame. shame. shame. You know. I am really glad that I am not a Republican. You know. Christianity is not what you say. it is what you do. And today you all practice what I call all the time reverse Robin Hood. During Christmas time you. are robbing from the poor. the working people. to give tax breaks to the rich. Humbug. The Republicans today are trying to be the Grinches that stole ... Not Christmas. but health care from the poor. Republicans are practicing what I call reverse Robin Hood. robbing from the poor to give to the rich. In this season of giving. the Republicans are taking from the p6or to line the pockets of the wealthiest Americans. Well. I say Bah Humbug! Bah Humbug to you and your policies. Those who will suffer will be: single mothers seeking child support. students struggling to pay their college loans. foster kids. the sick and the poor whose only access to health cov�erage is Medicaid. and those whose nutrition depends on food stamps or school lunches. Christianity what you say not what you do. If you are going to talk the talk. you must walk the walk. And the Republicans today are not walking with the poorest among us.
Date: 2005-12-18
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of the rule for this conference report and for the underlying conference report. This bill will make our nations military stronger. by providing funding for the equipment. salaries. and materials we need to prosecute the War on Terror around the world and the War in Iraq. On behalf of my constituents. particularly those in our armed services. I have committed to never cutting off support while they are serving in a war zone. Congress authorized the President to act. based on numerous assurances about the nature of the threat from Saddam. Much of that information turned out to be wrong. and as a result. the responsibility for the war now rests with the Administrations civilian leadership. Congress role should be to provide the necessary support and conduct vigorous oversight of our activities. This appropriations bill also provides beneficial hurricane relief and improves our national energy security by providing access to ANWR for oil and gas exploration And production. I want to thank the appropriators for hearing the concern of Texas. which has been hit indirectly by Hurricane Katrina and directly by Hurricane Rita. We have 150.000 evacuees in Houston. but funding and redtape are still major burdens. On the topic of ANWR. our nations energy crisis this year proved we need a more robust supply of petroleum. because hurricanes can disrupt vital production in the Gulf of Mexico. I encourage supporters of oil and gas exploration and production in ANWR to support the rule and support this conference report because this is a historic opportunity to finally achieve what many Congresses could not achieve. This legislation may not be the ideal vehicle. and I would have preferred to do this on the energy bill. However. a majority of the House and a majority of the Senate support opening ANWR. but procedural moves in the other body have stood in the way of our energy security. As a result we need this procedural maneuver to get ANWR done. to provide energy and jobs for America. I have visited the North Slope on several occasions and I can personally attest to the strong environmental protections. Unfortunately. ANWR has become a symbolic issue for environmentalists. blown far out of proportion to the actual affects of oil and gas production on this coastal plain. History will likely prove their dire predictions of environmental problems to be incorrect. In closing. Mr. Speaker. I encourage all Members to support the rule and support the underlying conference report for Fiscal Year 2006 DOD Appropriations.
Date: 2006-01-04
Speaker: ALCEE HASTINGS (democrat)
Chamber: H

had to say on September 28. 2006: "I have said it before: the way the majority runs the House is shameful. It is hypocritical. it is unAmerican. it is undemocratic. and it happens every single day that we have a closed rule. and in other circumstances as well." He goes on to say "closed rules are an affront to our democracy. We should stop it now. My outrage and the outrage of all on this side is as much about process as it is about policy. Pure partisan politics never produces sound public policy." Finally. the gentlewoman from California. Ms. MATSUI: "The American people want to hear practical. wellthought ideas from their elected representatives. Today we could have had that honest. engaged and realistic debate. These proposals and ideas deserve to come to the floor. They deserve to be debated. and they deserve a vote. Unfortunately. under the rule reported out. this will not happen. Instead. we will have a gripping session that yields no results. Congress is part of this government. In fulfillment of its responsibilities. this House should reject this rule and bring real policy to the floor." Mr. Speaker. I could go on. but I think you get my drift. They are doing exactly what they railed against us about. The righteous indignation that we heard on a continuing basis in the Rules Committee. and here they come with the rules of the House. and they include in it five pieces of legislation with no rule whatsoever. What do we get? A motion to recommit.
Date: 2006-01-31
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H

ofCalifornia. Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of House Resolutions 635. 636 and 637.
Date: 2006-01-31
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to join all Americans and others around the world in mourning the death of Coretta Scott King. a woman who worked to create change so that all Americans.would have the opportunity to experience true freedom and justice. Mrs. King walked alongside her husband the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. until his untimely death. It was her courage and steadfast resolve in the aftermath of this tragedy that led to the launching of the Martin Luther King. Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change and the designation of Martin Luther King Day as a federal holiday. As we prepare to begin our observance of Black History Month tomorrow. it is important that we recommit ourselves to continuing the work that Dr. and Mrs. King began more than 40 years ago. I extend my deepest sympathies to Mrs. Kings family. I hope that they can find solace in knowing that all Americans are grieving the loss of this courageous woman.
Date: 2006-02-01
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. Members of the House. last night the President stood before this Nation and said that it was important that we educate new math and science teachers and that we bring new people to the math and science fields and that Americas students start to study math and science and engineering so that America can remain competitive in the world. Today. we vote to make student loans far more exiensive for those students who take up the Presidents challenge. We make it more expensive for those students. and. we make it more expensive for their parents. Of the $12. billion. the $12 billion. the largest cuts in the listory of the student loan program that this legislation takes out of the budget. almost 70 percent of those savings are generated by increasing. by continuing the practice of forcing students and parent borrowers to pay excessive interest rates. and in many cases by raising the interest rates on the parents who then borrow additional money to finance their childrens higher education. Many Members are standing up on the Republican side of the aisle and talking about the courage that they have to make these cuts. What is the courage. what is the judgment. what is the morality of making it more difficult for young people to achieve a higher education. to achieve an advanced degree. to participate to the fullest extent of their talents in the American economy. and to participate in the quest that the President had asked for. to make our economy more innovative. more competitive in a globalized world? I do not understand it. I do not understand the message of the President
Date: 2006-02-01
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. we are here today because of a few minor changes the Senate made to this legislation after it passed the House last year. Those changes did not alter the. defective nature of the underlying billor my fundamental opposition to it. From the single largest cut to student aid in the forty year history of the Higher Education Act to new burdens placed on poor -people and Children served. by Medicaid. this reconciliation package targets those with the least in order to payor I should really say. partially payfor tax cuts that flow disproportionately to those with the most. Thats right: When this $39 billion in spending Cuts is paired with the $122 billion in tax cuts the House has already approved. the Deficit Reduction Act actually increases the deficitby over $80 billion. .Furthermore. as. recent press reports have highlighted. it didnt have-.to be this way. When it comes to restraining government spending. there are plenty of other choices we could have madelike eliminating $22 billion in overpayments to Medicare HMOs or terminating the $10 billion Medicare PPO slush fund or restoring $9.6 billion in drug company rebates to the Medicaid program. All of these provisions were stripped out of this conference report behind closed doors in the middle of the night. The Republican leadership here in Congress has allowed special interest lobbyists to drive the legislative process. As a result. the powerful winand the people we are supposed to serve lose. Although several higher. education provisions I authored related to curtailing excessive lender subsidies. strengthening .the schoolaslender program and providing mandatory deferment for active duty military are included in this report. these positive steps are in and of themselves not sufficient to overcome the overarching misdirection of the underlying bill. For that reason. we should reject this legislation and put an end to the special interest politics that produced it.
Date: 2006-02-01
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Thank you. Mr. Chairman. and thank you. Mr. Ranking Member. for this opportunity. Mr. Speaker. I consider it a singular privilege and a superlative pleasure to speak today in honor of Mrs. King. Mr. Speaker. Dr. King expressed some of the great ideals of our time. ideals like injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. But it was Mrs. King who went to South Africa and. in a sense. made real that ideal by reminding the South Africans that apartheid was unacceptable. and causing many of us to understand that injustice in South Africa was a threat to justice in America. Dr. King expressed the ideal that we should transform neighborhoods into brotherhoods. but it was Mrs. King who met with gang members and caused them to understand that it was their neighborhood and their brotherhood that was needed to cause these to be good neighborhoods. Dr. King reminded us that life is an inescapable network of mutuality tied to a single garment of destiny. that whatever impacts one directly impacts all indirectly. But it was Mrs.. King who went to Mrs. Mandela and who visited with her as her husband was on the eve of leaving prison because she understood. that Nelson Mandelas suffering was indirectly impacting the suffering of all people in the world. So I am :honored. today to honor the first lady of the civil rights movement. who has been said to have.been a person with a gentle spirit. but with a will. a will of steel. And while she was the first lady. I think many of us will always see her as- our queen. Thank you. Queen Mother King.
Date: 2006-02-01
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to remember the life and accomplishments an extraordinary. womanmy friendMrs. Coretta Scott King. I was surprised and deeply saddened to learn of Mrs. Kings passing yesterday morning. Mrs. King and I were friends and confidants for many years. She was an incredible woman--graceful and dignifiedwho showed strength in the face of indignation and tragedy. Coretta Scott King was a committed activist in the civil rights movement even before she met Dr. King. After they married. she was with him every step of the waysupporting him and promoting the philosophy of nonviolence. Following Dr. Kings assassination. she continued his legacy promoting social and economic justice for all. Mrs. King was determined to make his dream a reality. She did all this while remaining committed to her family and raising her children. Mrs. King made it her mission to spread the message of peace. She was not just an American. but a citizen of the world. As human beings. we are blessed to- have known her compassion and dedication. It has been said that the ultimate measure of a persons life is the extent. to which they made the world a better place. Coretta Scott Kings work has forever shaped the way we treat each other as human beings. Her passing marks the end of an era. It is up to all of us to honor her dedication and continue the struggle for equality.
Date: 2006-02-01
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. today I would like to honor and commemorate Coretta Scott King. a. tireless advocate for civil rights and the widow of the great civil rights leader. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. Today. we continue to mourn the loss of a great woman and a pioneer of civil rights. While Dr. King was the visionary behind. the civil rights movement. Mrs. King was the architect. She made real the ideals expressed by Dr. King. A driving force. she valiantly worked to found the King.Center to both preserve the history of the civil rights movement and to train the many men and women in the philosophy of nonviolent resistance. Mrs. King was first and foremost a woman of strong character. She was a leader in her steadfast presence. her. determination. and her courage. As one of the first people to speak out against apartheid. she embodied her husbands words "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Her passion for equality and justice led her on numerous peace delegations around the world. Her actions and work with gang members demonstrated the value and the necessity of transforming neighborhoods into brotherhoods. Mrs. King spoke out against attacks on affirmative action and against racial profiling. As a result of her unrelenting cam.paign efforts..a bill was signed in support of the Martin Luther King. Jr. National Holiday. Devoting relentless energy to her noble work. Mrs. Coretta Scott King has made a tremendous impact on American history. She will be missed by all those who knew her and remembered by all those who. have benefited from her enormous contributions.
Date: 2006-02-08
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and for offering this resolution recognizing the contributions of Catholic schools to our communities and to our Nation. and join in the remarks of those who have spoken before me on this measure. Clearly. as we travel our congressional districts and we recount our own life experiences with Catholics schools. both in attending them and in interacting with them in our congressional roles. the magnificent and incredible contribution they make to our communities and to building the lives of young people in the fullest sense of the word. not just the academic performance of these young people. but the efforts that they make to integrate them into the community in terms of community service and building their character and building their moral values and building their recognition of the community in which young.people live. and the diversity of that community. and understanding the need to be accepting of that community. these are characteristics. these are values. these are principles that we hold dear as a Nation. and Catholic schools have been fundamental to building those within the young people that attend these schools. I had the honor of attending Catholic high school. but only for 1 year. Bellermine High School in San Jose. and I just wanted to express my support of this resolution and the continuation of the contribution- of Catholic schools to our Nations education system and the characterbuilding of our young people.