macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-09-26
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Thank you to the gentlelady from Arizona for putting this Special Order together. It is a true privilege to stand here to highlight an issue that needs to be dealt with here in America. Mr. Speaker. our veterans are those who have protected our freedoms that allow us to stand on this floor and debate the issues of the day. Without their sacrifices. we wouldnt have the America that we know today. I am surprised when I read the statistics about veteran suicides. The number that dies by his own hand each year is greater than the official number of all U.S. war deaths in more than a decade of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Between 2005 and 2011. over 49.000 veterans have taken their lives. and more than 69 percent of all veteran suicides were among those 50 and older. and nearly one in five suicides nationally is a veteran. even though veterans only make up 10 percent of the U.S. population. We need to take steps to ensure that our veterans have the mental health sources they need. We need to make sure that we raise awareness and do away with the stigma of suicide so that veterans feel comfortable finally reaching out for help. When soldiers are scared to come forward about their mental health problems because they think they will be labeled a "coward." they continue down a dark and lonely path that eventually could lead to suicide. Instead. we need to ask our struggling veterans to ask for help. As my colleague from Illinois just mentioned. the Department of Veterans Affairs launched a crisis line that since 2007 has answered more than 890.000 calls and has made over 30.000 rescues. In 2009. they added a chat line for text. and over 108.000 texts have been sent. These are the types of resources that we need to provide those who have provided so much protection and freedom for us here in America. and I stand here today to work with my colleagues across the aisle to make things happen. Thank you again to the gentlelady from Arizona.
Date: 2013-09-27
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. since ObamaCare was first passed. weve known that it would cause premiums to rise and increase the cost of health insurance for millions of Americans. One issue that has not been talked about enough is the serious threat to the access of quality care for patients. especially in the rural parts of the country that I represent. This is a very serious issue in my district. and one of the main reasons that I support defunding this bill. As we get closer to the October 1 release date of the individual health insurance plans under ObamaCare. the threat of reduced access is quickly becoming the reality. Because of ObamaCare. one of the largest health insurers in Georgia is eliminating 40 percent of their contracts with hospitals and 30 percent of the contracts with doctors in the State and ending all voluntary outofState coverage. For my constituents in rural Georgia. we already face a shortage of care. In small rural communities. workingclass patients have a more difficult time accessing the hospital or doctor that they may need. Mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues and the American people to look at the facts and ask: What good is a health insurance card when a patient cannot find a doctor or hospital that takes it? Thats one of the reasons that I stand before you in strong support of defunding this destructive law and putting in place commonsense. marketbased reforms.
Date: 2013-09-28
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. we are just 3 days away from October 1the day ObamaCares health care exchanges are scheduled to open. Yet every constituent phone call. news headline. and report I come across further proves that this law is simply unaffordable and unworkable. On Thursday. at 11:22 a.m.. President Obama said: Most of the stories youll hear about how ObamaCare cant work is just not based on facts . . . Were only 5 days from finishing the job. Exactly 23 minutes later. I received a news alert. saying the White House postponed another portion of ObamaCarethe sixth unilateral delay. Worse. in my home State of Texas. premiums will increase by 53 percent for young males and by 11 percent for females. Mr. Speaker. I have heard the personal stories. and I have seen the facts. ObamaCare is unaffordable and unworkable. Americans want. need. and deserve patientcentered reforms. not this "government knows best" health care law.
Date: 2013-09-28
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I thank my colleague from Georgia for his leadership on this bill. Mr. Speaker. the House is at work and the Senate is at home. The President is absent again. But none of us would be debating the future of this country without the men and women in the United States military. Thats what makes theirs special and different. Now. I listened as some argued against this bill and then said we would all support this bill. Good. Good. Then lets put 435 green lights on the board and lets show the country that were united in this. Just today. 300 men and women from Moody Air Force Base. which my colleague represents as well as I do. many of the families down there in Georgia said goodbye to their families and friends and got on a plane. Why? Because we asked them to. Over 90 days ago. this House right here passed an appropriations bill that fulfilled our promise to pay our soldiers in a timely manner and did all of the things that you said needed to be done with research and equipment and the other things. This House did that. and the Senate chose not to take action. Because of the Senates inaction on the bill. the House is again working to do the right thing while. again. the Senate is at home. and we are working to pay our men and women who are defending our freedom. Now. I know many of my colleaguesit sounds like maybe all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisleare going to support the legislation in this House. All were asking is for the Senate. HARRY REID. and the President to have enough honor to make sure the families of our soldiers are not used as political leverage and guaranteed that they are paid on time. This amendment does just that.
Date: 2013-10-01
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. thank you to all my colleagues whove been trying to work hard to do what we came here to do. which is to govern. Its a disappointment to me that were in a situation like this where government will begin to shut down. Thats not good for America. thats not good for our districts. and thats not good for the hardworking taxpayers of this country. But I got to see politics at its worst over the last few days. We put forth a solution to stop a government shutdown. We asked for some simple corrections. simple changes to a law that many in this countryan overwhelming majoritysay is going to be a train wreck. Even Democrats in the Senate say this law. as it is implemented. is going to be a train wreck. Why did we do it now? Because today is the day that the ObamaCare exchanges open. Our opportunity to fix the problems that even many on the other side of the aisle see may have ended today. Thats why we sent a bill that said defund ObamaCare. like many Americans want. but avoid a government shutdown. The Senate said: Were not going to talk. We dont want to listen. So we said: Lets just delay it for a year. just like the President has delayed it for Big Business and many of his political allies. The Senate again said: No. we dont want to hear from you. We dont want to talk. And we said: Lets just delay the individual mandate. because the President and his political allies dont have to follow the law that was passed long before I got here. Again. the Senate said no. And what pains me the most as a brandnew Member of Congress is when we asked the Senate last night to keep the government open but get rid of their own special congressional perkan exemption in their own health care planthey again said no. That no was a thumb right at the American people. That no cut right through the fabric of our communities in this country when the Senate said they deserve a special perk more than anyone else in America. Thats shameful. Thats why were here today. Weve put forth the plans to keep government running. And I believe we are going to continue to do that on our side of the aisle. Its time for the American people to demand governing. not just out of our side of the aisle. but out of both sides of the aisle. We need to demand leadership out of this administration. We need to demand leadership from the Democratcontrolled Senate. What this has become is politics. Its become a blame game. Whos going to be blamed for this government shutdown? I guarantee both sides are going to be polling on this issue to determine whos going to get an advantage. Politics should not determine policy in this institution. Politics should not come before governing in this institution. And I think the American people should demand action from everyone. and they should demand it now.
Date: 2013-10-03
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. the real issue here today is about the rights of the American people. Individual American citizens should have the same rights to the same exemptions as powerful corporations have been given. and Members of Congress should comply with the same laws as everyone else. whether it be ObamaCare or any other law of this country. And that. Mr. Speaker. is all that weve asked for. If the President would simply agree to give the people of this country the same relief that he has given powerful corporations. we wouldnt be shut down right now. House Republicans will continue our efforts to pass bills that reflect the American peoples priorities and their rights. and keep the government running. We hope that President Obama and HARRY REID will negotiate in good faith and join Republicans in our efforts to keep the government funded and protect the rights of the American citizens.
Date: 2013-10-04
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. the fact is that I and most of the Members of this House have voted now for five different measures that would have paid our Nations civilian defense workforce and all of our guardsmen and reservists. The first of those bills passed this House with overwhelming bipartisan support in July. Mr. SpeakerJuly. Unfortunately. the Senate and the President have refused to pass four of the five measures. And in the Pay Our Military Act. the President unilaterally deemed many of the civilian workforce and our National Guard nonessential to our national defense. Im sorry. Mr. Speaker. but what the President is doing is wrong. The civilian workers that design. build. and maintain our planes. our ships. and our infrastructure and support our warfighters in everything that they do are essential and should not be furloughed simply because the President chooses to do so. Every member of our National Guard and Reserve stand ready to defend our Nation. and they should be paid while we wait on HARRY REID and the President to agree to negotiate. Thats why Ive introduced the Pay Our Guardsmen and Civilian Defense Personnel Act. Our national security depends on these men and women. and they should be paid while were waiting on the President and Senator REID simply to do their job and agree to negotiate with us. I urge my colleagues to support this measure. SHUTDOWN
Date: 2013-10-04
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Madam Speaker. this has been a tough week for my constituents. a tough week for all Americans. Ive been reflecting on the goals I set when I decided to run for office a little more than a year ago. I came here to tackle the growing debt that is saddling our country. I want to make sure that we reform the way Washington spends money. and I want a better and more responsible America for my children and your children. Madam Speaker. I hate the bickering that has consumed this institution. I dislike the fighting. But even more. I dislike the $17 trillion in debt thats preventing American exceptionalism. It is unacceptable that last year our country spent a trillion more than we had. It is unacceptable that our President does not want to talk about how we get out of the red or the fact that ObamaCare will add another $1.3 trillion to our deficit. We had historic spending reforms in this House and have begun the process to reprioritize how Washington spends your tax dollars. I will continue my efforts to get our fiscal house back in order. I will continue to advocate that we return to a constitutional appropriations process and begin passing all of our spending bills. One of the most important powers the Constitution outlines is in article I. It is for Congress to control Federal spending. We must get back to that system of checks and balances that our forefathers designed and the Constitution demands.
Date: 2013-10-05
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to see that once again this Chamber is moving forward with yet another bill to fund our government. Today. were ensuring that all Federal employees are paid so their families are not harmed during this time. I know how these families feel because I was a Federal employee for 16 years. I am also proud to represent Scott Air Force Base in the metro east area of Illinois. Whether they are Active Duty. civilian. Reserve. Guard. or retired. we must take care of our military. The House has already acted to ensure that these men and women are paid. but. unfortunately. this administration has chosen needlessly to furlough workers. Today. I stand with these hardworking men and women. and I also stand against this administration that always seems to find a way to make situations like this as painful as possible. We have been told to make things difficult for people as much as we can. said a park ranger this week to reporters. I had a similar experience a few months ago with an airport in my district that was at risk of losing their control tower. even though we told the administration how they could shift the money around. To solve this problem. Mr. Speaker. we had to stand on this floor and pass a bill. and now that tower remains open. Congress had to pass a bill and has to pass a bill now to stop this behavior. and I am offended by the punitive behavior of this White House then and today. Mr. Speaker. I stand with all military personnel.
Date: 2013-10-08
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise to recognize the 2013 Angels in Adoption. Jessie and Kayci Prince. from my hometown. Plano. Texas. As children. both Jessie and Kayci were touched by adoption. Having experienced the powerful impact adoption has on families. they decided to adopt one of their own. In 2012. EzekielZeke for shortfrom the Democratic Republic of Congo. became part of the Prince family. As the Princes helped Zeke learn how to read. they quickly learned how challenging it was to find books that depict transracial families. They decided as a family to write. illustrate. and publish "Thats a Yummy Color." a childrens book celebrating adoption. This book is now helping other families form special bonds with their own adopted children. I am grateful for the compassionate families like the Princes. Jessie and Kayci. you are truly an inspiration. God bless you.
Date: 2013-10-10
Speaker: AUSTIN SCOTT (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

I thank the gentleman from California. my friend and colleague and a strong advocate for agriculture in this country. Mr. Speaker. Americans do not like being dependent on foreign oil. and Americans sure dont want to become dependent on foreign food. That is why. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to discuss the importance of passing a farm bill. In my home State of Georgia. agriculture plays a major role in the overall success of our State. Last year. Georgia agriculture was valued at over $14 billion. and the total economic contribution to Georgia was $72 billion. This contribution makes up approximately 10 percent of our gross domestic product and 360.000 jobs. In my district. one of every eight jobs is tied to agriculture. As a major economic driver of our State. the agricultural industry has suffered without the certainty of a farm bill. Over the past several months. our farmers have had to deal with this uncertainty within the industry because Washington has not been able to agree on a farm bill. Many of my constituents are left in limbo. trying to decide what to do next year with regard to their crops. wondering if there will be crop insurance or the other things that they depend on for their farm operations and their livelihoods. That is why it is critical to provide the certainty of a farm bill. to boost our economy and help our farmers and our farm families succeed and create jobs. The farm bill we passed in the House saves taxpayers over $20 billion. I want to reiterate that. Mr. Speakerover $20 billion and it makes real progress in tackling the drivers of our debt. It consolidates more than 100 programs administered by the USDA and improves agricultural programs to be more cost effective and market oriented by repealing outdated and unworkable permanent law. I ask my colleagues to join me so we can move to conference and sign a new farm bill into law in order to provide certainty for our country and Americas farmers.
Date: 2013-10-10
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

My colleague. Mr. YODER from Kansas. brought up so many great points of why it is crucial to have this debate here on the floor of the House. It seems as though farmers get a bad rap. There is a lot of talk on this floor about growing our economy. and. frankly. ag has been a bright spot in our economy. Mr. Speaker. It is just like Washington. Because of inaction ofa lot of times. Republicans and Democratswe are not able to continue to allow them to grow their portion of the economy. It just seems like the right hand works against the left sometimes here in Washington. I just want to see us put some good Midwestern common sense that many of us learned right on the family farms in the Midwest. right here to work and into action in Washington. D.C. Speaking of common sense. I want to introduce my good friend. my colleague from the great State of Pennsylvania .
Date: 2013-10-10
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Thank you to my good friend. the gentleman from Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker. I do want to address something that my colleague from Pennsylvania brought up. He talked about research. Research in agriculture is crucial to our ability here in America to continue to feed the world. We feed the world from Americas farms. and it is underappreciated and taken for granted. Part of this farm bill is a research title. where the Agricultural and Food Research Initiative through the National Institute for Food and Agriculture was reauthorized. Other ways we strengthen and promoted ag research in this bill are doing things like providing new research funding for specialty crops. beginning farmers. and organic agriculture. We have improved accountability and transparency of the ag research programs. and we have harmonized policies under the various competitive grants programs to improve program efficiency and reduce wasteful spending. Many of my colleagues are talking about ag leading the way in reducing spending here in Washington. Our farmers need to be congratulated for that. The University of Illinois. in my districtanother land grant institutionuses many of these public research programs. Our students are being trained on how to make our food supply safer and better. and through AFRI. the University of Illinois has conducted cuttingedge research aimed at improving food security. achieving more efficient crop production. and promoting animal health through livestock genome sequencing. Let us not forget. Mr. Speaker. the Southern Illinois University CorntoEthanol Research Center. This is an example of a publicprivate partnership that is working. where public funds were used in its initial construction. but private entities are doing cuttingedge research to make our Nations fuel supply cheaper and make our Nations security better. With that. Mr. Speaker. I yield to my friend and colleague from the great State of Indiana .
Date: 2013-10-10
Speaker: RODNEY DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Thank you to my good friend and colleague. Congressman LUKE MESSER. a true leader on so many issues here in Congress and for the Midwest. Thank you for being here today to talk about how important agriculture is to our economy. I know much has been brought up about crop insurance. Some who dont represent agricultural districts think crop insurance is a program that is wasteful. that it is welfare for farmers. Let me remind everyone. Mr. Speaker. that before we had the crop insurance program. farmers didnt have to have skin in the game. They have to pay premiums just like we have to do for life insurance. auto insurance and other types of insurance. This is what makes America work. This is why crop insurance is working. Before this program. we would have supplemental. ad hoc disaster assistance. and Members of Congress who served before many of us would come to this floor and pass bills to fund disaster assistance. Let me remind you. Mr. Speaker. that those werent budgeted. At a time when decisions were made to basically put the financial future of our country in jeopardy decades before now. they were still passing disaster assistance bills that cost taxpayers billions. Crop insurance changed that. Farmers have skin in the game. They pay their premiums. and it stops usit stops Congress right nowfrom spending beyond its means. It has been said before that this farm bill is an example of how Washington begins to work once again. We are looking toward our financial future. and we are looking to balance our budget through bills like this farm bill. We are going to begin to put a down payment on the unsustainable $17 trillion of debt that your kids. Mr. Speaker. and my kids shouldnt have to pay. With that. I yield to my friend from my birthplace State. the great State of Iowa. He is my good friend and colleague and a leader in ag policy. Mr. KING.