macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-12-15
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Penn

sylvania. This is also about the integrity of this institution. This vote is about whether were going to continue telling people willing to die for our freedoms that they need to lie in order to do so. I urge my colleagues to vote "yes" on repeal.
Date: 2010-12-15
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. I have had the opportunity. in 14 years on the Armed Services Committee. to meet a lot of our military men and women. I do not believe that they are so fragile that having a gay person serve next to them will kill them. I rise today to express my strong support for the Dont Ask. Dont Tell Repeal Act of 2010. The mission of our Armed Forces is to deter war and to prevent and to protect the security of our country. If a soldier is capable and willing to sacrifice his or her life to honorably serve this country. that soldier is truly defending this country. If a gay soldier is capable and willing to fight for this country. that soldier. too. is protecting the security of this country. If that soldier is willing to fight for our country. but our government denies him or her the right because the soldier is gay. then it is not the gay soldier who puts our security at risk. but this government.
Date: 2010-12-15
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. life has prepared me for this vote. When you have had to sit at the back of the bus. in the balcony of the movie and have had to stand in a line for colored only. then you are prepared for this vote. I assure you that I dont need a survey to tell me what is right when it comes to human rights. We cannot truly have a firstclass military with secondclass soldiers. I close with this: I will not ask people who are willing to die for my country to live a lie for my country.
Date: 2010-12-15
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I am proud to cast my vote today to end the unjust and misguided policy of Dont Ask. Dont Tell. Our Nation faces great challenges and is currently at war. We need highly qualified military personnel with a wide range of abilities. including critical language skills. And yet. under Dont Ask. Dont Tell. 14.000 service members have been dischargednot because of their performance. but because of their identity. We cannot afford to turn away talented and patriotic soldiers simply because they are gay. The Pentagons Comprehensive Review Working Group found that the "risk of repeal of Dont Ask. Dont Tell to overall military effectiveness is low." Our military leaders have expressed their confidence. which I share. in the ability of service members to adapt to this change and remain focused on their mission. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Admiral Mike Mullen. has said. our military is a meritocracy. where it is "what you do. not who you are" that counts. Our Nation was also founded on that ideal. It is time to repeal this discriminatory policy. so all service men and women can finally live by the principles that they fight to protect.
Date: 2010-12-15
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I rise in strong support of repealing the "Dont Ask. Dont Tell" policy. We have lived with the damaging effects of "Dont Ask. Dont Tell" for 17 years. It harms our military readiness and reduces the recruiting pool for our military. This is why Secretary of Defense Gates. Admiral Mike Mullen. and a majority of service members support its repeal. This policy is both counterproductive and morally wrong. At a time when our armed forces need qualified. dedicated men and women in uniform. we shouldnt be forcing them out just because they are gay or lesbian. Gay and lesbian men and women have servedand currently serveour country with honor and distinction. They have laid to rest the ignorant belief that a love for ones country is somehow based on who you love. I am proud to stand with them and support the brave gay and lesbian service members who ask for nothing more than a chance to serve their country without hiding who they are. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation that strengthens our military and our country and fulfills the promise of America as a place where all citizens. not just the politically popular ones. have equal rights.
Date: 2010-12-15
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker. I rise today to express my support for a negotiated solution to the decadeslong conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. I will be voting in favor of the resolution introduced by my friend from my home state of California. Congressman BERMAN. as I believe that only a negotiated solution to which all parties agree will achieve lasting peace. However. I would like to note that I believe that this resolution unwisely addresses only one issue standing in the way of IsraeliPalestinian peace. even while numerous other issues continue to plague the peace process. I believe that the resolution is fully correct that the Palestinian Authority should not seek statehood unilaterally. Yet. I do not believe that unilateral actions by either side that undermine efforts to achieve a negotiated solution are helpful in achieving our shared goal of peace in the region. In fact. I believe that they are extremely counterproductive. Moreover. I believe that it is critical that this Congress support the Obama Administrations continued efforts to negotiate with each of the parties over substantive issues to make progress toward a settlement so that an eventual return to direct negotiations can be successful. Indeed. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell is in the region now working to make substantive progress. Once again. I support this resolution. but I believe that it unfairly only addresses one of a number of complex issues standing in the way of achieving a negotiated peace settlement in the Middle East.
Date: 2010-12-15
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding. I rise to support this legislation. As I listened earlierand I had to depart from the floorI wanted to reinforce the comments and perspective that Chairman BERMAN has announced. Mr. Speaker. diplomacy is bilateral. It is a twoway street. It is a giveandtake. It is the ability to help all of the people who are involved. and it is also the ability for the world to recognize that a coming together has occurred. I have the greatest sense of concern and respect for the Palestinian people and for Palestinian Americans. who themselves have reached out and asked for help. I believe the people of the West Bank and Gaza want freedom. opportunity. equality. and a peaceful existence. I be lieve. over the years. the people of Israel and its many leaders have engaged in the process of peace. We in the United States are committed to a twoparty state. We are committed to a peace resolution. Make peace today. Unilateral affirmation of one state without the recognition of the importance of both states coexisting and working together does not lead to the recognition that the world should give to two independent states that will be working alongside each other. So I would simply indicate that. as we move forward. it is enormously important that we get energized on the twoparty debate. discussion and diplomacy. and that we provide a peaceful existence as one of the negotiatorsthe United Statesfor the Palestinian people and the people of Israel. We should be engaged. We have been asked to be engaged. We can make a difference. and I would support the idea of our making a difference. To my friends who have proceeded on a unilateral perspective. Mr. Speaker. I would simply say: go this route of a twoparty state. engaging to provide peace for the two states.
Date: 2010-12-15
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. it is with great enthusiasm that I support House Resolution 1377 honoring the accomplishments of the Honorable Norman Mineta. Former Congressman Norman Mineta is an outstanding leader and a noble American. Former Congressman Mineta lived through a dark time in our Nations history when we forced Japanese Americans into internment camps based solely on their heritage. He was forced to leave his home and eventually sent to the Heart Mountain Internment Camp near Cody. Wyoming. This injustice is in part what prompted him to champion the struggle against social injustice and oppression. Congressman Mineta addressed the injustices Japanese Americans endured during World War II with H.R. 442. the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. which passed with his leadership. He persisted in fighting for justice and equal rights for all. He has a human rights legacy worthy of being honored by this august body. Hence. today as we honor him for his accomplishments. we are reminded of the moral imperative to fight against human indignities and injustices. Former Congressman Mineta not only understood the value of acknowledging our past mistakes but also took meaningful actions to ensure that history does not repeat itself. Former Congressman Mineta reminds us that collaborative efforts with the Asian American community can produce a greater America. This is evidenced by his founding the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) which continues to use collaborative efforts to promote ideals for the wellbeing of Asian American and Pacific Islanders. as well as all Americans. The history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders will continue to shape our Nation as their contributions make America a greater nation. This is why Asian American and Pacific Islander issues must continue to be a part of the great American debate. Today. we honor Former Congressman Mineta for his accomplishments which have strengthened our entire nation. His legacy continues to remind us that liberty and justice for all can indeed be a reality for all.
Date: 2010-12-15
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of H. Res. 1377. honoring the accomplishments of Norman Yoshio Mineta. Norm Mineta has had an extraordinary career as a public servant. making countless contributions both to our nation and to the city of San Jose. which Ive had the pleasure of representing since 1995. Norm Mineta was born in San Jose in 1931. to Japanese immigrant parents who owned a successful insurance company. In 1942. following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Executive Order 9066 declared all persons of Japanese ancestry to be "enemy aliens." and his family. along with many other JapaneseAmerican families. was forced to relocate to an internment camp. Despite this treatment. Mr. Minetas father volunteered to teach Japanese to American soldiers. and Mr. Mineta himself ultimately participated in the Reserve Officers Training Program while at the University of California at Berkeley. and after graduating in 1953. served as an Army intelligence officer in Japan and Korea. Following his military service. Mr. Mineta returned to San Jose to join his father at the Mineta Insurance Agency. He was active in the community. serving on the Santa Clara Council of Churches. and the citys Human Relations Commission. In 1967. he was appointed to fill a vacant City Council seat. which he was later elected to. and in 1971. he became the first Asian American mayor of a major U.S. city. when he was elected as mayor of San Jose. From 1975 to 1995. an important period of growth in Silicon Valley. Norm Mineta represented Californias 15th district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Over the course of his tenterm tenure in Congress. his many accomplishments included cofounding the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. securing a formal apology and financial reparations for interned Japanese Americans. and serving as the Chairman of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee. In 1995. Mr. Mineta returned to the private sector as a Vice President at Lockheed Martin. In addition. he served as Chair of the National Civil Aviation Review Commission. which offered a number of proposals for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reform that were adopted by President Clinton. In 2000. Mr. Mineta became the first Asian American to serve in a Presidential Cabinet when he was named as President Clintons Secretary of Commerce. The following year. President George W. Bush asked him to serve as his Secretary of Transportation. where he played a key role in the nations response to the attacks of September 11. In 2002. the San Jose International Airport was renamed the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport in honor of this native son. In 2006. President Bush awarded Mr. Mineta with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. the highest civilian award in the United States. He has also received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun from the Japanese Government. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution and honoring Mr. Minetas contributions and service to our country and to the city of San Jose.
Date: 2010-12-16
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. Im here this morning to simply say that Democrats continue to fight to maintain tax cuts on income up to $250.000 for couples and $200.000 for individuals. My Republican colleagues continue to demand tax cuts for all incomes. including millionaires and billionaires. I ask my Democrats to please continue to extend the unemployment benefits to help out Americans to make it through this recession. and I plead with my Republican colleagues to not hold the middle class and unemployment hostage any longer. I also recommend that we help the 155 million middle class Americans at a cost of $214 billion. and I plead with my colleagues to join us in assisting to help because only 4.8 million of the countrys wealthiest. at a cost of $133 billion. is what we are trying to make a decision on. Please join me and look out for the working people of this country. and let the billionaires continue to pay the bills.
Date: 2010-12-16
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time to speak on this legislation. It is very clear. because of the fragile state of our economy. that there are many important provisions in this tax bill before us. For middle income families. it means their tax rates will not go up. For people in need of unemployment insurance. it extends those benefits another 13 months. And for families struggling to make ends meet. this bill extends tax credits for them so that they can pay for their childrens education and they can take care of their children. These are lifelines for hardworking families that are struggling in this economy. I have fought my entire public career for these tax breaks to support middle income families to make college more affordable. These provisions help some 155 million Americans in this economy. But thats not all thats in this tax bill. Tragically. these 155 million Americans were held hostage to a ransom that the Republicans would only help these families. help these individuals. help these students struggling in school if we gave tax cuts to the wealthiest people in this country. It is as if the wealthy dont have enough money and struggling middle class families have too much. But that was the price that was extracted for this legislation to help these 155 million Americans struggle through this economic downturn. So we see that some $25 billion will be lavished on 6.600 of the wealthiest estates in this country. These are estates in excess of $10 million for a husband and wife. These are estates that have used all of the tax laws to minimize the size of that estate to their advantage before they pay the estate tax. But the Republicans were not prepared to give unemployment insurance to millions of Americans who are struggling to find work unless they could provide this money to the wealthiest people in the country. This is not fair. it will unnecessarily increase the deficit. and it has no stimulative value. Economist after economist has told us what happens with this money when you give it to the wealthiest people in the country. They put it in the bank. and some day they may use it or they wont use it. Its not like middle income families that have to pay the rent. pay the lights. send their kids to school. Its a completely different operation. So no stimulative value to giving billions and billions of dollars to the richest 2 percent of the people in the country. its not fair in terms of the resources of this country being used for those individuals while other families struggle. and it creates deficit unnecessarily. If youre going to create the deficit. at least it ought to be stimulative. at least it ought to grow the economy. thats not what this does. It should be rejected for this reason because this deficit. beginning the first of the year. will start immediately coming out of the hides of programs that support these very same middle income families and the education of their children.
Date: 2010-12-16
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I would like to make sure that we classify this not as class warfare. if you will. but a Good Samaritan waving the flag. And. frankly. if we take the best of America and recognize that working people need help. the unemployment insurance that is part of this bill is a valid part of it. The child tax credit. the payroll holiday. all of those speak to the vision of this Nation that we have the willingness to share. We understand when men and women on the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan. they fight not for any one class or any one community. They fight for America. So when we provide an estate tax that blurs the understanding of America. that we need an estate tax that is $5 million and $10 million. were not telling the truth. The present law provides for most Americans. $3.5 million for an individual. $7 million for those who are couples. provides for family businesses. it provide for farmers. It worksand it has worked. It is not necessarily the best. But to give $25 billion to $28 billion unnecessarily that would go and take away from education and Social Security and Medicare. domestic spending that is necessary. is a crime. So this is not about fighting against someone who has a few more dollars than the next person. Its to do what were sent here to do and make sure that the capitalistic system works for everybody. including those who are now unemployed. Lets get our senses together. Lets get the Senate to understand what the real deal is. Fight for everybody. not just a small special interest group. Its time to stand up and be counted. And Id like to see this rule go forward simply because I want to put it to them that you cant spend $28 billion and waste it on those who dont need it.
Date: 2010-12-16
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding this time to me. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of this rule. as amended. that will give an opportunity to both sides to address what. I think. is an egregious provision in this bill. It. unfortunately. I think. also mirrors another provision in this bill. which is the tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent of the people in this country and to a handful of estates. to some 6.000 estates. It gives them a $25 billion tax cut at a time when working families are struggling to keep their families together. Also is the fact that it does nothing in terms of stimulus. in terms of job creation. These tax cuts to the wealthy. so many economists have said. is the least stimulative thing you can do. They simply dont spend the money in a timely fashion because they dont need to spend that money. The second one. of course. is that the estate tax provides no stimulative impact either to the economy. In talking about doing this for the sake of the economy. what we are really doing is cutting taxes to people and to estates that will not contribute to economic growth. so we are creating debt that is unnecessary to create. You know. we are a couple of weeks away from the debt commission. We are a couple of months away from when people were concerned whether the United States was going to look like Greece or Spain or Portugal. Along we come now. and were not even prepared to make the distinction as to whether or not we would create debt for. hopefully. stimulative purposes and/or just hand out tax breaks to people who dont need them and who wont contribute to the improvement of the economy. Yet it will clearly be put on the debt of this Nation. and it will clearly have to be dealt with in the ensuing Congresses where it will drive a series of decisions that arent necessary. but neither was the debt necessary. I do think this rule is an improvement because it will give the opportunity for those individuals who want to vote against this tax cut for this limited number of estates to do so. Then whether they vote for that or against that or whether that prevails or doesnt prevail. the individuals will still have the ability to vote against this legislation as this is not to suggest that the amendment addresses all that is wrong with this legislation. It doesnt address the tax cuts for the high income. It doesnt address the complications of the payroll holiday and what that means to the financing of Social Security over the long term. the ability of this Congress to change that a year from now. the fact that that can lead to tax increases for individuals. and that its less progressive than the higher provision that was in the original Recovery Act to provide assistance to middleincome families. There are a number of good provisions in this legislation. There are tax provisions in here to help educate their children. to take care of their children. and the extension of unemployment for a year. but I would hope that we would support the rule. As inadequate as this legislation is. I would hope that we would support the rule.
Date: 2010-12-16
Speaker: LINDA T. SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. I rise today in strong opposition to this reckless legislation. There is no question that I strongly support some of the items in this bill. Unemployed Americans desperately need their benefits extended. and I proudly have voted to do so every time I have had the chance. This bill also contains tax cuts for hardworking American families. tax cuts I voted for 2 weeks ago on this very floor. But this bill holds these good policies hostage to a giant handout to those who need help the least. It is political bullying at its very worst. an affront to working American families waged by Republicans whose irresponsible decisions got us into this mess in the first place. This bill contains a radical change to the inheritance tax that will concentrate wealth and power in even fewer hands than it is now. In a country that prides itself on being a meritocracy. not an aristocracy. such a giveaway is irrational. It completely neuters our ability to invest in people and infrastructure. This bill contains tax breaks for those who will make more than $250.000 a year. breaks that our country can illafford when teachers are being laid off and libraries are being closed. when those who have been unemployed for the longest are losing their safety net. and young men and women are still being asked to serve and die in Iraq and Afghanistan. The payroll tax cut is another bad idea. Not only does it make Social Security less secure. many public servants. including California teachers. wont see any tax cut at all. Overall. this bill adds nearly $1 trillion to the deficit. while doing very. very little to create jobs. spur economic growth. or invest in Americas future. Because I am committed to creating jobs. making retirement secure. and investing in this country. I cannot in good conscience support this bill. Compromise is one thing. surrender is another. and I will not surrender in my fight to ensure that America remains the land of opportunity for all.