macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-21
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

I rise today to give great support for H.R. Let me say. Mr. Speaker. at the outset that the Congressional Gold Medal is our highest honor. and there is no greater recipient that we can give this honor to than the First Special Service Forces. known as the Devils Brigade. They were courageous. They risked their lives. As a matter of fact. they were the unit that led the liberation of France and Italy from the Nazis with daring. with courage. with skill. So it is very important for us to stand here today and to give great recognition to this unit. There is a special bond between Canada and the United States. and that special bond started in World War II. For it was the first unitand the only unitwhere two nations. Canada and the United States. formed a force that accomplished what many felt was impossible. [] 1310 You know. the Lord Jesus Christ said that there is no greater loveno greater lovethat you can show than one who would give his life for another. What a great honor this is. Mr. Speaker. I am just proud to join with my colleague. Mr. MILLER from Floridamy good friendand Mr. COTTON from Arkansas to give this recognition. this high nobility of purpose to the first unit. Today. Mr. Speaker. we are proud to have our Navy SEALs. our Green Berets. our Special Ops. those special soldiers who go where many times few others would go. But the foundation of that was the Devils Brigade. I can just imagine that Nazi soldier who wrote that note. scared out of his wits when he called them the "Black Devils." when they would go and put shoe polish on their faces so that they could be expertly disguised to go in and to help to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany. So it is with great pleasure that I stand here to join my colleagues in urging unanimous passage of this extraordinary legislation to honor this extraordinary group of soldiers. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2013-05-21
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I have no further speakers. Ill just take this opportunity to join all of us in the Congress of the United States to salute the First Special Service Force for the outstanding work that they have done. I urge unanimous passage on this legislation. and I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2013-05-22
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. instead of working together to find a compromise to fully reverse the sequester. House Republicans have turned their backs on the American people and are jeopardizing our fragile economy. In fact. sequestration will cost 750.000 jobs this year alone. according to the Congressional Budget Office. We saw last month how quickly and easily these cuts can be addressed when the Congress passed legislation to address traffic controller furloughs. But we have not been given the opportunity to address the 70.000 children who could lose access to Head Start or any of the other programs that have been crippled. Funding for the National Institutes of Health has shrunk by $1.5 billion. cutting into lifesaving medical research for areas that include breast cancer. heart disease. and Alzheimers. The cuts from NIH alone will result in a loss of more than 20.000 jobs and $3 billion in economic activity. We can address these cuts. but the GOPs obstructionism has stalled all reasonable efforts. We need to work on an approach that will fix sequestration while reducing our deficit sensibly. Mr. Speaker. I urge my Republican colleagues to come to the table to compromise. and help find a solution that will keep our economy on track and growing.
Date: 2013-05-22
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Madam Speaker. I rise today to bring awareness to the devastating effects sequestration is having on HUD and those who benefit from the agencys work. Because of Congress failure to pass legislation to reduce the deficit. the Federal Government is making acrosstheboard spending cuts to domestic and defense programs. including HUD and all its related agencies. These cuts are having a profound impact on people. especially in the rental and homeless assistance programs. and families in my district are feeling this firsthand. The housing authorities in my district will soon be forced to consider terminating approximately 1.800 families from housing assistance. Cuts to housing authorities will affect their capacity and their efficiency to serve lowincome individuals and families. the elderly. the disabledall of whom need these programs to survive. Our focus in our communities should be to do everything possible to prevent homelessness.
Date: 2013-05-22
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. again let me offer my deepest concern and sympathy for our fellow Americans in Oklahomawhat an enormous tragedy and devastationand also our friends in north Texas. America is embracing them. as we should. But I rise today to acknowledge. as we look toward this coming weekend. and honor those who have fallen in battle. and to be able to celebrate the experience that Members of Congress. women Members of Congress had this morning in commemorating the war memorial for women. and to salute Brigadier General Wilma Vaught. who was the founder and originator. along with Members of Congress. of this historic memorial. Today. we ascended to Arlington National Cemetery where we placed a wreath in honor of those women. 154 women have fallen in Afghanistan and Iraq. We had the privilege of honoring five women from the five military branches and to. again. pay tribute to those who are willing to sacrifice. Men and women sacrifice. They are parents. Mothers leave behind their children and families. Families depend upon women in many different ways. and it is greatly an honor to be able to honor those women and to say as well that we will never. ever forget those men and women who have fallen in battle. And we will be there on Memorial Day. as I will be in my Heights location doing a flag ceremony and at the Veterans Cemetery. because this is what America does. We never forget those who fell in battle for us.
Date: 2013-05-22
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Let me thank the gentleman from Colorado for his leadership. and I hope that we will continue this debate with my good friends on the other side of the aisle on this issue. It is just very challenging to have a structure of legislation that deems approval and does not do what I think all of us want it to do. which is to get moving to provide these jobs and to do what America is uniquely noted forthat we cross the Ts and dot the Is. that we make sure that the environmental concerns are answered. I rise on this rule to make several points. Mr. RUSH and I offered an amendment to strike section 4. In this bill. it does not allow for judicial review. It allows for people in Kentucky or in Arizona or in Texas to come to the District of Columbia to file their cases in the Court of Appeals. As a member of the Judiciary Committee. I raised concerns about that. My bill struck the provision that eliminated judicial review so that some burdened individual citizen couldnt just go into his Federal district court. I had another amendment that is very near and dear to me that wants to give new life to the jobs and businesses in the energy industry. which is to create a report to ensure that women. small businesses. minorityowned businesses get their fair shake and that we have an overall commitment to hiring the new young graduates who are coming out. many of them from the diverse community. which we see the energy industry is still seeking to outreach because there is a great need for increased diversity in many of these fields. Amendment No. 2 would have added a nonseverability clause so that. if anything were found to be unconstitutional. we would go back to the drawing board for this entire bill. Again. to have a major initiative be deemed approved. the Secretary of State authority deemed approved. the Presidential authority deemed approved. this is something that. my colleagues. we should work together on. I would finally suggest that I hope my colleagues will support my amendment on extending to 1 year the period for filing. Lets work together and make sure weve got something that will create jobs.
Date: 2013-05-22
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

As the Democratic side of the Texas delegation. I want to join the other Republicans that came up with the Oklahoma delegation and simply say that this is not a partisan issue. We stand ready to be of assistance to those people in Oklahoma. I represent Dallas. That is closer to Oklahoma City than it is to Houston. No matter where tragedies may occur. we stand ready as American people to stand by those people who have been affected. notwithstanding party.
Date: 2013-05-22
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on this and in so many other areas. I rise in opposition to H.R. 3. It is a very bad deal. Its bad for our environment. our energy policy. American workers. and a bad deal for America in general. In the way this bill is written. a foreign company pumping a very dirty form of oil all the way across this country would not have to pay a dime into our oil spill liability trust fund the way that American companies have to do. Under this bill. the highly polluting tar sands that the pipeline carries would produce over 40 percent more carbon pollution than conventional oil and would increase Americas dependence on one of the single dirtiest petroleum products there is just as the predictions of climate change catastrophes grow more dire each and every day. and that is just not right for Americas future. H.R. 3 leaves Americans with all of the risk of spills. environmental damage. and air and water pollution. but none of the lasting rewards. Its a bad idea and its bad policy. and I urge my colleagues to vote against it.
Date: 2013-05-22
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I thank our ranking member from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for allowing me to speak. Ive been a longtime supporter of the Keystone XL pipeline. Im frustrated that the pipeline has still not been approved after four favorable environmental impact statements. Its time for the administration to approve the project. I actually represent the refineries where most of the oil sands product will go. The fact is that these refineries will continue to seek supplies of heavy crude oil whether the Keystone XL pipeline is approved or not. The problem is that if the President does not approve the Keystone pipeline. he will force these facilities to continue to purchase oil from unstable. foreign countries with very few environmental regulations. I want my Democratic colleagues to understand that even if we made all the investments we want to in alternative energyand I support thatwe still need to rely on oil for the next 25 or 30 years. This number comes from our administration. So if we have to purchase oil from somewhere. doesnt it make sense to purchase it from a province that regulates carbon? I plan to support the bill this afternoon. But let me be clear about a couple of things: I support the bill because its a message bill. and its time for the administration to stop stalling and make a decision. There are provisions of the bill I dont like. I do not support the precedent and policies laid out in section 4 through section 8. I also dont know why we continue to send bills that dont have a chance in the Senate except to tell them the House again will support the pipeline. I hope this vote will put this issue behind us because I have 5 refineries in east Harris County that are ready to use that heavier crude because theyre importing it from other countries like Venezuela. I would rather import it from Canada. our closest neighbor.
Date: 2013-05-22
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 4. line 21. strike "60 days" and insert "1 year". The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 228. the gentlewoman from Texas and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.
Date: 2013-05-22
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chair. again. I would have hoped. having worked with the gentleman from Nebraska. the proponent of this legislation. that we would continue to work on a bipartisan pathway. This amendment is to relieve the burden on some of the very people many of us represent. and that is. of course. those individual claimants who happen to be in faraway places who now have to go to the D.C. Court of Appeals and to actually bear the burden of responsibility dealing with the fact that when you challenge the factual evidentiary determinations made in an EIS statement. an Environmental Impact Statement. for example. the plaintiff must demonstrate that theyre not supported by substantial evidence in the record considered as a whole. Thats an extreme burden that will have to be carried by plaintiffs. Theyll have to secure lawyers here in the D.C. area. Theyll have to travel here. bear extra expenses. It will be necessary to get experts. locate and prepare witnesses. relocate themselves. and gather and review documentary materials. I would suggest that it is obviously a stress and a burden. In section 4. this bill has no right to judicial review. So in essence. it means that you have one track to go in for a number of issues that might come forward. I am concerned that that would be the case. And for that reason I think that our amendment has the strength of purpose that is necessary. Let me also add again. as I want to be very clear. why should we burden the individual plaintiffs. Mr. Chairman. with financial burdens that are excessive? My amendment gives them a fair amount of time to get a response and to participate in this process. I ask my colleagues to support the amendment. and I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2013-05-22
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chair. I demand a recorded vote. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII. further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Texas will be postponed.
Date: 2013-05-23
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her work on this rule last night in the committee. It has already been said that. in a little more than a month. the interest rates on loans for millions of the neediest students will double to 6.8 percent from the current 3.4 percent. This morning. unfortunately. the Republican majority has put forth a bill that is even worse than if the Congress does nothing. Think about it. If Congress does nothing. the interest rates go from 3.4 percent for those most in need of the student loans. for those families most in need to finance their educations. and will jump on July 1 to 6.8 percent. Were trying to avoid that because we know what that means to students who have to borrow money and families who have to borrow money to try to pay for their college educations. Whats the remedy of the Republicans? The remedy of the Republicans is to do something that is worse than letting the interest rates double. Understand that. Theyve made a choice thats worse than if the interest rates double. Its no wonder that. beyond the Republican caucus. its very hard to find anybody who is supporting this legislation. In fact. yesterday. the President said. if this bill is sent to his deskI hope it will not bethat he will veto it. Why would we do that? Because its very clear that this is going to add $4 billion to the debt of our students who Members of Congress lament are so deeply in debt because of the money they have to borrow that goes to education. Its not necessarily a choice for students or families if you want to get a college education. but why would you add $4 billion onto the backs of these students and their families? Now. the majority had a number of alternatives last night in the Rules Committee. Mr. COURTNEY went there and said. Well pay for it. Well raise additional revenues to keep it at 3.4 percent. Then the Education and the Workforce Committee of this House can do its job. which is to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. and we can put in place a longterm program for helping families finance their educations. We have to also understand that weve got to do something about the State support and the cost of college at the institutional level. but they turned Mr. COURTNEY down.
Date: 2013-05-23
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I offered to have the Obama amendment made in order. the legislation by President Obama. which actually saves students about $30 billion in interest rates over the next 6 years. It saves students and families over $30 billion. They wouldnt make that amendment in order.
Date: 2013-05-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentlelady from New York and the gentlelady from North Carolina. I thank the gentlelady from New York for her persistent leadership on this issue. I rise today to first ask the question how you can have legislation that sounds positive. but in actuality literally puts the education system of America upside down. First. let me tell you how frustrated Americans are as they see the drip. drip. dripping of the sequester. and I join the gentlelady in her frustration on why we have not gone to budget reconciliation. I just want to mention the pathway of education so we can see that families are being pounded upon. Sequestration is causing 70.000 children to lose Head Start and Early Head Start. And. unfortunately. 950.000 military children will lose teachers. I live in a State where we have a lot of military bases. So when I rise today to oppose H.R. 1911. I rise with a high degree of overwhelming frustration for the people who live in my State. I am sorry that this rule did not accept an amendment that I had that would have submitted a report to Congress on the feasibility of offering loan forgiveness for those who put businesses in economically depressed areas. That truly provides for jobs. But then the real thing is to cap the interest rates at 4 percent. As was indicated by my colleague. Mr. HOLT. he indicated how the numbers would go up for the students. Well. let me talk to you about Parent PLUS. Now. you can really see the oppression on parents who are trying to help their children go to school. In addition to the $100 billion of debt that students are carrying. we now eliminate the feasibility of Parent PLUS loans. Right now in current law. theyre $27.956. But if we go into this bill. theyll go up to almost $36.000. Imagine a parent with four children. Ive spoken in the last couple of weeks at the University of HoustonDowntown. the University of Houston. Texas Southern University. Houston Community College. Ive spoken at Lone Star colleges. all of these colleges in our districts. St. Thomas.
Date: 2013-05-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

All of this does not answer the question when this bill will be passed. I ask my colleagues to oppose the rule. oppose the underlying bill. Cap this. This is not the Presidents message. The President had an extended life to be able to provide for parents and students. All you have to do is look at the red-$36.000 is what this bill is going to cost parents. and that means that were going to close the door of opportunity for women. for minorities. and for Americans to get a higher education. This is not the way in graduation season to say thank you to our children for being successful and graduating from college. Lets oppose this bill and do the right thing for Americans.
Date: 2013-05-23
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1911. the wrong approach to a very real problem for our nations students. As we all know. the interest rate on student loans will double in July if Congress does not act. But todays legislation is not the solution. In fact. todays bill will make student loans more expensive. not less. Student loan debt already tops $1.1 trillion. burdening recent graduates with high monthly payments even as they struggle to find jobs and start their lives. With that much debt at the start of their careers. they may put off purchases like a home or a car. But rather than address that problem. todays bill would add $3.7 billion in additional loan interest charges over the next ten years. In fact. if we did nothing and allowed the student loan interest rate to double. students would be better off than they would be under H.R. 1911. Todays bill also makes it difficult for students to accurately predict their college costs. Under this proposal. the interest rate on loans would be recalculated every year for the life of the loan. According to Congressional Budget Office estimates. interest rates will be higher than current rates for seven of the next ten years. A borrower who takes out a loan next year under the Republican plan would see his interest rate more than double by the time he starts repaying that loan in 2017. Mr. Speaker. we need a comprehensive solution to the problem of student debt that includes affordable financial assistance and works with states and colleges to keep costs down. It is time to reauthorize the Higher Education Actlets take this opportunity to negotiate a sustainable. longterm plan that works better for students.
Date: 2013-05-23
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to express my opposition to H.R. 1911. the Smarter Solutions for Students Act. This bill will return federal student loans to a system of marketbased variable rates. an imprudent policy that seeks profits for deficit reduction at the expense of students struggling with the substantial and everclimbing cost of postsecondary education. With federal student loan interest rates set to double on July 1. 2013. Congress must act quickly to extend the current rate. rather than passing legislation that hurts students and families. According to the Congressional Research Service. H.R. 1911 will actually make it more expensive for students than if Congress did nothing and let the current interest rate expire. The Congressional Budget Office estimates this bill will cost students and parents an addition $3.7 billion in additional interest charges over the next 10 years. This is unacceptable. Approximately 60 percent of students take out loans to attend college and increasing the costs of borrowing will prevent millions from being able to pursue higher education. Last year the total amount of student loan debt reached $1 trillion and the average borrower from the class of 2011 graduated with $26.600 in debt. College educated students are the future engine of our country. and anyone who wants to pursue a postsecondary education should have the opportunity to do so without going into crushing debt. I urge my colleagues to extend the current interest rate of 3.4 percent for two years and find a true longterm solution to the cost of college worthy of our nations young people.