macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-10-11
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. the Department of Energys National Laboratories are vital to our national security. our economy. and our environment. They have often been called "crown jewels" of our federal research and development infrastructure. and for good reason. This is why I am extremely concerned about the impacts of this senseless government shutdown on these important facilitiesand this is on top of the harmful cuts that they have already had to endure under budget sequestration. It is worth reminding my colleagues here today that we have seen how our past investments in the national laboratories have paid off when it comes to energy development. DOE labs were key to the development of highefficiency gas turbines for coal plants. nuclear reactors. and the directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing practices that have led to the shale gas boom of today. I think it is also important to note that DOEs Office of Sciencewhich oversees most of these national laboratoriesis actually the largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the nation. and it operates more than 30 national scientific user facilities whose applications go well beyond energy innovation. Our nations top researchers from industry. academia. and other federal agencies use these facilities to examine everything from new materials that will better meet our militarys needs. to new pharmaceuticals that will better treat disease. to even examining the fundamental building blocks of the universe. I believe that this stewardship of unique scientific research. including the nations major national user facilities. is another very important role that the Department plays in bolstering our national competitiveness today and in building the industries of the futu re. Its no secret that Congresss inability to date to come to an agreement on a sensible budget plan has led to some devastating cuts to many of these important facilities. with serious impacts to our nation in both the shortterm and the longterm. Until we resolve the current crisis. even more of our nations best and brightest will be forced out of work and some of their most critical research toolsfor which the U.S. taxpayers contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to buildwill have to cease operations. I believe that we are doing damage to the seed corn of our future. and as the Ranking Member of the Committee on Science. Space. and Technology. I believe that ending this shutdown and reversing these drastic cuts need to be our highest priorities going forward.
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. is it in order to put the clean bill on the floor from the Senate to open the government?
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: BEN RAY LUJAN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in opposition to this piecemeal approach to fund the government that fails to meet our trust responsibility to our Native American brothers and sisters. I wonder if they bothered to consult with tribes before bringing up a bill that cuts tribal programs even more than they have already been cut and locks in sequester cuts that are hurting tribes in my district and across the country. Mr. Speaker. it seems clear to me that Republicans are not listening to anyone these days. because if they were. they would know that tribes do not support this piecemeal course of action. Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly called this approach "insulting" and said Tribal Nations want a comprehensive resolution as well as an end to sequestration. By taking a piecemeal approach to fund our government. this bill fails to restore many critical services that are important to tribal communities. In fact. it makes the problems facing Indian Country worse. not better. Rather than vote on this piecemeal bill that is opposed by Native American communities. we should vote on a clean funding bill that opens the entire government. get to work ending sequestration. and fully fund tribal programs to meet our trust responsibilities.
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I. too. ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59. to open the government and to go to conference on a budget so that we can end the Republican government shutdown.
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Speaker. in order to end this Republican shutdown today to get the peoples government working for them again. I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59 and open the government without further delay.
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. because many families today are not able to pay their mortgage. I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59. to open the government and go to conference on the budget so that we can end this Republican government shutdown hurting the children of America.
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New Mexico

Mr. Speaker. I join my colleagues today and ask unanimous consent that the House immediately bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59. to open the government and go to conference on a budget so that we end the Republican shutdown immediately.
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I move to take from the Speakers table H.J. Res. 59 with the House amendment to the Senate amendment thereto. to recede from the House amendment and concur in the Senate amendment to open the government now.
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

And the standing rule of the House reads. Mr. Speaker. "When the stage of disagreement has been reached on a bill or resolution with House or Senate amendments. a motion to dispose of any amendment shall be privileged." Mr. Speaker. my question is: Does the parliamentary status of the bill meet the requirements of rule XXII. clause 4?
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

So I just want to understand. Mr. Speaker. This standing rule of the House. which I have here. has been altered by the House. Is that what the Speaker is saying?
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I want to make sure I have the right one. I have in my hand H. Res. 368. October 1. "Resolved." and section 2 of that says. "Any motion pursuant to clause 4 of rule XXII relating to House Joint Resolution 59 may be offered only by the majority leader or his designee." Is that what you are referring to. Mr. Speaker?
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

H. Res. 368 changed the standing rules of the House to take away from any Member of the House the privilege of calling up the Senate bill to immediately reopen the government. is that right?
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

So a privileged motion. Mr. Speaker. would have allowed any Member of this HouseRepublican or Democratto call up the Senate bill to open the government. is that right?
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

But. Mr. Speaker. a privileged resolution. as cited in rule XXII. clause 4. of the standing rules of the House would allow any Member of the House to offer that resolution. is that right?
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I think the Chair. just as I understood. said that that was changed so that it no longer would be a privileged motion for any Member. but it would be exclusively the right of the Republican leader or his designee. Am I right about that?
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Just again. Mr. Speaker. I want to be absolutely clear that H. Res. 368 changed the standing rules of the House so that only the Republican leader or his designee could call up the bill to open the government.
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I would ask my colleagues whether the majority leader or his designee is on the floor of the House today. Parliamentary inquiry. Mr. Speaker. and this will be my last one.
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

I just want to understand. Mr. Speaker. The Rules Committee. under the rules of the House. changed the standing rules of the House to take away the right of any Member to move to vote to open the government and gave that right exclusively to the Republican leader. is that right?
Date: 2013-10-12
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I renew my motion that under the regular standing rules of the House. clause 4. rule XXII. the House take up the Senate amendments and open the government now.
Date: 2013-10-14
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. brinksmanship makes for poor politics. and defaulting on Americas debts will make for a poor national economy and a poor global image. It should not be understated how devastating defaulting on the debt ceiling would be for Americas growing economy. A default as a result of political games would be even more embarrassing. Most games have winners and losers. but if the political games being employed by the Republican party cause a default on Americas financial obligations. everyone loses. To be clear. this is not a game. The consequences on the American economy. our countrys global image. and the lives of all Americans will be very real. The Republican government shutdown has illuminated the partys willingness to put politics before people. If the Republican political brinkmanship causes a default on Americas obligations. it will demonstrate their willingness to torpedo a growing American economy. This brinksmanship must end and we must raise the debt ceiling and continue advancing policies that have and will continue to allow our economy to grow.
Date: 2013-10-15
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. Abraham Lincoln offered these words: The rule of a minority as a permanent arrangement is wholly inadmissible so that rejecting the minority principle. anarchy or despotism in some form is all that is left. I think we have come to the point of recognizing that it is important to represent the majority of Americans. the majority of veterans. who in some short order may be questioning whether or not their veterans or their disability check or their familys SSI or their mothers Social Security will come in an appropriate time. The Secretary of the Veterans Administration already said that he has had to discontinue overtime. slowing our review of benefit claims. This has led to delays for an average of 1.400 veterans a day. I say to my colleagues. rather than coddling those who wish to wave a Confederate flag in front of the White House. let us respect veterans whose lives are in cemeteries or whose lives have been recognized by being buried in Americas cemeteries. Let us stop the foolishness and put on the floor of the House the reasonable response to opening the government now so that men who are mourning. those who have flags that are truly the American flag. are being respected. not those who wish to be in front of the White House. Open the government now.
Date: 2013-10-15
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Speaker. it is incomprehensible to reasonable men and women everywhere that our colleagues across the aisle are threatening to nuke the American economy by refusing to raise the debt ceiling unless their demands are met. This is irresponsible and reckless behavior. "Nuke" is the right word to use here. As Warren Buffett noted recently. even the threat of default should be likened to nuclear weapons too terrible to ever use. Allowing the U.S. to default on its obligations. whether it be an interest payment on a Treasury bond. a check due to a Social Security recipient. or money due to a Federal contractor so they can pay their workers. would have a cataclysmic effect on our economy and would be felt around the world. It would be a mistake that would impoverish a generation and haunt us for a decade. and there could be no second opportunity to get it right. Anyone who dismisses how great a disaster a default would be should not be taken seriously. They should not be listened to or given a seat at the table where responsible decisions are made. Lets open up the government now.
Date: 2013-10-15
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. as a senior Texan on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I am very concerned about the transportation safety issues created by the Republican government shutdown. For example. aviation safety is in peril as the Federal Aviation Administration has furloughed approximately 1.700 safety inspectors and drastically limited aircraft maintenance. These types of safety risks created by the Republican government shutdown are intolerable. Further. the National Transportation Safety Board has been forced to furlough more than 90 percent of its staff. As a result. it has not been able to continue investigating deadly transportation incidents nor initiate new investigations of accidents that have occurred since the Republican government shutdown began. Mr. Speaker. the political games being played by the Republican leadership are causing serious harm to transportation safety for all Americans. and it is totally unacceptable. We do have a spending problem created by the two Republican wars.
Date: 2013-10-16
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. over the past 16 days. many of us have risen to this floor and pleaded with our friends on the other side of the aisle and asked for mercy. not mercy for our individual selves as Members of Congress. but mercy for the American people. for the 800.000 over the past 16 days who have lost their jobs in furloughs. for the $300 million a day that this Nation has lost. This is the very answer to those who are suggesting that we are spending too much money. Mr. Speaker: we have lost money. But today I come humbly to plead with my friends to do as the Chaplain mentioned this morning. to have a generosity of spirit and recognize that we can come together. Let the voices of common sense recognize that States like Mississippi. Louisiana. Arizona. South Dakota. Missouri. Texas. New Mexico. Montana. Georgia. New York. and WyomingStates that represent so manyare losing so much because they get the most money from this Nation. Then let us recognize Juanita Davis with little TuNita. 10 days old. who is fearful that her WIC money. Women. Infant. and Children money. in the State of Texas is running out. I am pleading that we come together with common sense and generosity of spirit and put this bill on the Presidents desk.
Date: 2013-10-16
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Speaker. as the ranking member on the Joint Economic Committee. I would like to call your attention to this recent report. It is subtitled. "Ten Ways the Shutdown is Hurting the Economy." Its findings are rather sobering. The report makes it clear that the shutdown acts as a serious drag on our economy. Economists have testified before the committee that 3 or 4 weeks of a shutdown would reduce the countrys gross domestic product by 1.4 percentage points. We are now entering the third week. The shutdown harms not only Federal workers. but also the private sector. If it persists. it will reduce tourism revenue. cause contractors to lay off employees. the housing market will suffer. and public health services will feel its effects. The shutdown hurts everyone. from vulnerable mothers and children to ranchers. farmers. and agricultural exporters. We are close to ending this crisis. and as the JEC points out in this report. it could not end faster. It is hurting our economy.
Date: 2013-10-16
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Madam Speaker. I rise to support this very needed legislation. Let me make a point here. There is a very important part of this legislation which sets up the budget commission. I would just like to make an appeal to that commission to not only get to us a good budget by December 15. but take some time to see how we can get some mechanisms in place to prevent us from ever again shutting down the Federal Government. We take a solemn oath here to defend the Federal Government. to support the Federal Government. to uphold the Federal Government. We must honor that. Maybe we can do mandatory arbitration in its place. But we have got some smart people in this place. We hurt too many people when we shut down the Federal Government. Hopefully. we can put the MITCH MCCONNELL rule in place. God bless that Senator from Kentucky. and the courage that he had to step forward in a bipartisan way so that we can put that mechanism in place so that we will never again put our good faith and credit at risk in this country. Finally. let us. Democrats and Republicans. work together. beginning tonight. and pass this bill.
Date: 2013-10-22
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. the Republican government shutdown is over. and the threat of the default has been averted for now. but no one is relieved. The crisis should never have happened. The shutdown really hurt our economy. Standard & Poors estimated that it cost the country $24 billion. and there is something even worse: each threat of shutdown and default slows economic growth by sowing uncertainty. dampens consumer confidence. and cuts jobs and income. The Wall Street Journal today ran an article this morning titled. "A Confidence Shutdown." Reporter Gerald Seib wrote: Washingtons misadventures have extracted a historically high toll on Americas confidence. "A historically high toll." he wrote. How high? At no other time did consumer confidence plummet as far as it did in the Republican shutdown except for prior to the 2003 war in Iraq and the 1990 Persian Gulf war. The American people dont want a government that is shut down. they want a government that is on their side.
Date: 2013-10-22
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his comments and for his support of this legislation. I had a couple more speakers who were supposedly coming to the floor. but at this time. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2013-10-22
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I would say that I spoke to you this morning. and we will obviously continue to work with you. We have tried to draw the line at serious felony violent crimes that people have participated in with respect to the ban. In terms of drug arrests or whatever. there is a 5year window that we have started. and we will be glad to continue that conversation.
Date: 2013-10-22
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as CoChair of the Congressional Childrens Caucus and a proud cosponsor of the legislation. I rise in strong support of H.R. 2083. the "Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act." I support this legislation because it is a focused and targeted measure which ensures student safety in public schools against violent adults by implementing full background checks. A deficiency in background checks for screening prospective employees poses a threat to the safety of children in schools. Inconsistent state laws and regulations that do not require comprehensive background checks for all adults who have contact with children in schools has led to some districts unknowingly hiring offenders. This is unacceptable. As a nation. we owe it to our kids and to ourselves to prevent our children from being exposed to an unsafe learning environment. This legislation directly affects the communities I represent as 21% of all paroled sex offenders in Texas reside in Harris County. Failure to screen those we permit to interact with our children in schools allows violent or sexual predators the opportunity to abuse our children. We have a responsibility to protect children and ensure them a safe. healthy learning environment. Mr. Speaker. H.R. 2083 seeks to reduce the inconsistencies in state laws and regulations by requiring comprehensive background checks for all adults who have contact with children in schools. The bill makes clear that best practices for reducing the prevalence of sexual and violent predators must include prohibiting public schools from hiring or retaining anyone who has been convicted of certain violent crimes. Additionally. the bill requires periodic updating of background checks for all current employees. and ensuring that schools report to local law enforcement when offenders apply for a position. Approximately 1.8 million adolescents in the United States have been victims of sexual assault. Risks posed by predators on on campus put children at risk and are barriers to their academic and social growth and development. Students have a right to feel safe. and parents have a right to expect that the individuals they entrust their children with will protect them from physical harm. Mr. Speaker. my constituents in the 18th Congressional District of Texas. which I am proud to represent. understand the value and importance of a safe environment for students to learn and grow. So do I. That is why I strongly support H.R. 2083. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this important legislation. [From the Huffington Post. June 3. 2013]