macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-14
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would just make two points. The first. as I mentioned earlier. one of the great untold success stories of the Affordable Care Act reforms. as well as other reforms in the health care system in recent years. is that we have dramatically reduced the cost of health care on a per capita basis. In other words. the increased costs per person of health care have been dramatically slowed down. according to the Congressional Budget Office. which has helped save Medicare and other health care programs over $1 trillion. That is the right way to do it. by realigning the incentives so we are rewarding value in our Medicare system. not volume. as opposed to the Republican voucher plan. which saves money by shifting the risk onto seniors. The other pointand we have talked about this over and overit just aint so that the Republican budget balances. Again. it requires the revenue from the Affordable Care Act. that amount of revenue. in order to balance. at the same time they say they are getting rid of it. Two days from now. they are going to add over $268 billion to the deficit by getting rid of the estate tax for estates over $10 million. That is not accounted for in their budget. It puts their budget out of balance. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-04-14
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in opposition to H.R. 650. which would undermine the DoddFrank Wall Street Reform Act and eliminate consumer protections for some of the countrys most vulnerable borrowers. Mr. Speaker. the talking points describe this bill as one that preserves access to manufactured housing. But the reality is that we have learned this bill is a solution to a problem that does not exist. We agreed that this issue needed additional study last year. and reports we have received from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. the manufactured housing industry. and the Center for Public Integrity have all shown us that this measure would not create access to affordable housing but would instead allow an incredibly profitable industry to make even more money by charging exorbitant interest rates and fees to lowincome borrowers. The industry itself asserts that it has been growing and is highly profitable even with the DoddFrank mortgage protections in place. In fact. according to its trade association. the manufactured housing industry recorded shipment increases in every month of 2014. The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform found that 2014 marked a "fifth consecutive year of annual industry production increases." Even one of the worlds investors. Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffet. has been touting the postDoddFrank profitability of manufactured housing. In a letter to his shareholders. he pointed out that Clayton Homes. Berkshires highly profitable manufacturing housing subsidiary. earned a total of $558 million in 2014an increase of 34 percent over 2013. Yes. that is a 34 percent increase. even after the DoddFrank rules were in place. Unfortunately. Mr. Speaker. this is the same Clayton Homes that was the subject of a recent Seattle TimesCenter for Public Integrity joint investigation that found this manufactured housing empire profits in every imaginable wayfrom producing the housing. to selling the housing. to originating loans that take advantage of vulnerable consumers and leave them virtually no way to refinance. So. Mr. Speaker. I insert this article into the RECORD. This. again. is a scathing article that was produced by The Seattle Times. [From the Seattle Times and The Center for Public Integrity. April 7. 2015]
Date: 2015-04-14
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I think it is important for people to know that that letter that was read was back in 2011. and that was prior to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus very investigative reporting. I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Alabama .
Date: 2015-04-14
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I think it is important for me to correct statements that have been made more than once by the opposite side of the aisle about consumer protections. H.R. 650 would remove consumer protections afforded to borrowers of highpriced mortgage loans under the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act. as enhanced by DoddFrank. for manufactured housing loans that currently receive such protections. Those protections include: Prior to making a highcost mortgage. the lender must receive written certification that the consumer has received counseling from a HUDapproved counselor or State agency. That would be out. Restrictions on loan terms for highcost mortgages. including the loan payments currently only allowed in very limited circumstances. prepayment penalties banned. a limitation of dueondemand features of loans. creditors banned from recommending default on an existing loan to be refinanced by a highcost mortgage. no fees can be charged by services or creditors to modify or renew or extend a highcost mortgage. late fees capped at 4 percent of past due payments and the pyramiding of fees banned. no fees for borrowers to receive a payoff statement. charges that qualify for points and fees cannot be financed into principal balance. a ban on issuing two loans in order to evade HOEPA coverage by splitting fees and rates. All of these are protections that would be eliminated. Mr. Speaker. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri
Date: 2015-04-14
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Members. I reiterate that H.R. 650 would remove consumer protections afforded to borrowers of highpriced mortgage loans under the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act. as enhanced by DoddFrank. for manufactured housing loans that currently receive such protections. and I read off some of those protections. I further want to share that these lenders want to be able to originate these highpriced loans at 14 percent and even more when the interest rates change. but they want this bill to change the definition of a "mortgage originator" so that the licensing and antisteering requirements of DoddFrank would not apply to manufactured housing. Not only are they going for protection for higher priced loans and higher fees. they want to change the definition so they dont look like they are originating loans. and they dont want to come under the law in terms of what we require for protection for higher priced loans. Mr. Speaker. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas .
Date: 2015-04-14
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the Honorable MAXINE WATERS for continuing to be a champion for people who have been taken advantage of. She has a rich history of fighting for those who are not in a position to fight for themselves. Mr. Speaker. I guess there will be a question of "Who are you going to believe?" Will it be MAXINE WATERS. who has for decades been fighting for the least. the last. and the lost? MAXINE WATERS. who is known across the length and breadth of this country as a champion for poor people. for people who purchase manufactured homes? MAXINE WATERS has saidand I concur with herthat this bill will create an opportunity for people to take advantage of those who are living at a level of life wherein what they pay for a home must be what they can afford. and they cannot afford to lose that home. This is why she is so concerned. and I join her in this notion. that there is predatory lending taking place if this bill passes. If this bill passes. people will be allowed to steer people into homes that will have higher interest rates. If this bill passes. there will be people who will need counseling but will not get the counseling that they need to help them maintain home ownership. If this bill passes. we will go back to prepayment penalties. If this bill passes. we will not be able to bring back these protections and safeguards that have been instated under DoddFrank. We will eliminate them. and they will be gone forever. We need to think before we act and before we vote. This is an important vote for those who are not going to be able to stand up and fight for themselves. but I thank God that we have got the Honorable MAXINE WATERS on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives standing here today to stand up for them. So who are you going to believe? There seems to be a difference of opinion. When you have differences in opinions. you look to see who has been doing what and for how long. She has been fighting for these kinds of rights that we are talking about today since she has been in the Congress of the United States of America. I am proud to stand with the Honorable MAXINE WATERS. I think that if we pass this bill. we will continue to do what many want to do. but in an incremental salami way. We will continue to slice away at DoddFrank. We will continue to do what those who cant repeal it in full would do in part. and that is eliminate the protections for consumers.
Date: 2015-04-14
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker and Members. before the next Members rise to speak on this bill. I would just like to remind everybody that this amount of interest rate that they will be getting on these loans. should this bill pass. is 10 percent above the prime rate. and from 14 percent it could go up to maybe 18 percent. There is no Member of Congress who would pay that kind of interest rate on a home loan or manufactured housing or anything else. but we are asking the most vulnerable in our society that are targeted to pay this kind of entry rate in the interest of getting credit. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland .
Date: 2015-04-14
Speaker: MAXINE WATERS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. My colleagues on the opposite side of the aisle keep telling us how everybody who would make money on the most vulnerable population is somehow suffering. They are suffering because somehow they are not able to make these loans because they cannot be guaranteed the profits that they want to get. Let me again just share some information with you. Clayton Homes. the largest U.S. mobile home manufacturer. as well as the two biggest mobile home lenders. 21st Mortgage Corporation and Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance. are owned by Berkshire Hathaway. an amazingly profitable company whose shares trade for $215.000 each. Berkshire Hathaway profited to the tune of $19.87 billion. or 12.092 per share. in 2014. The CEO of Berkshire Hathaway is Mr. Warren Buffett. the third richest man in the world. Even though the CFPBs rule on manufactured housing was effective in January 2014. again. Clayton Homes profited to the tune of $558 million in 2014. up from $416 million in 2013 and $255 million in 2012. Why do we need to provide this industry with more regulatory relief when they are already thriving? Note that these profits come on the backs of some of Americas lowest income households. In fact. 84 percent of the industrys customers make less than the U.S. median household income. Clayton. again. is a large conglomerate of companies operating under at least 18 names. constructing nearly half of the industrys new homes and selling them through its own retailers. Many consumers think they are shopping around. not realizing that it is just different dealers with different names. all operating under the Clayton umbrella. Let me just wrap this up by saying that this bill is absolutely a giveaway. It is my friends on the opposite side of the aisle deciding that it is more important to allow this industry to charge exorbitant interest rates and fees to this vulnerable population than it is to try and do something about reform. We went through a recessionalmost a depressionin this country because of the way loan initiators came up with these exotic products. You want to take us right back to that kind of situation. I would ask my colleagues to vote "no" on this bill. It is not needed. and it is absolutely predatory. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2015-04-14
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. on April 4. 2015 in North Charleston. South Carolina. following a traffic stop in broad daylight. Walter Scott was fatally shot by police officer Michael Slager. This tragedy once again brings to the forefront an issue that continues to plague communities nationwidethe alarming rate of African American deaths at the hands of law enforcement officers. Particularly troubling about this tragedy. is the video footage showing the officer firing eight times as Walter Scott is running away. Walter Scott was a human whose life had value. He was a father. a brother. a son and a friend. His status as an American citizen gave him the right to due process. He should not have been killed by a police officer who acted. without authority. as judge. jury and executioner. Time and again. African American families have grieved over their fathers. brothers. husbands and sons. who have been taken too soon by officers deputized with the power to protect them. The frequency of these tragedies continues to play into the deeply painful narrative that black life is not valued in this country. When I think of Walter Scott. I think of Edward Garner. Anthony Baez. Amadou Diallo. Anthony Lee. and Oscar Grant. I think of their grieving families and their lost futures. I am deeply saddened that the list of unarmed black men killed by police continues to grow. Where do we go from here? I would echo the words of Albert Einstein: "the world will not be destroyed by those who do evil. but by those who watch them without doing anything." We must all act to protect the lives of our friends and neighbors. As a country. we must commit to recognizing the humanity in others. Before we identify with any race. religion. gender. or sexual preference. we are all human. It is not likely that. in the absence of Mr. Feidin Santanas cell phone video. Michael Slager would ever face criminal charges. It is not likely that the investigators who investigate the police would have concluded that the officers account of the shooting was fabricated. It is likely that. in the absence of one bystanders courage. Walter Scott would have been villainized and the police officer who gunned him down would have gotten away with murder. From this point forward. we must all have the courage to speak up and confront injustice.
Date: 2015-04-15
Speaker: DANNY K. DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Illinois

Mr. Speaker. I rise to pay tribute to Katrina Adams. president of the United States Tennis Association. Mr. Speaker. the community in which I live. work. and represent is wellknown for its production of highprofile and world renowned male athletes. individuals like Ernie Terrell. world heavyweight champion. basketball stars Doc Rivers. Isaiah Thomas. Mark Aguirre. Mickey Johnson. Kevin Garnett. footballer Darryl Stingley. and countless others who have excelled in athletics. All of them are males. However. I take this opportunity to mention two females. One is Dorothy Gaters. the girls basketball coach and athletic director at the John Marshall High School in Chicago. Illinois. the winningest high school basketball coach in the Nation. The other is Katrina Adams. who grew up not far from Marshall High School and whose parents still live in the East Garfield Park community. Earlier this year. Katrina Adams became the first African American and the first former pro tennis player to become president and CEO of the United States Tennis Association. which is a 134yearold organization that had barred Black athletes from its premier eventthe U.S. National Championship. currently known as the U.S. Openuntil 1950. when it allowed Althea Gibson to compete. At 46. Adams is the youngest of the 53 peopleamong them. just four womenwho have been the USTA leaders. an unpaid volunteer position. In an article done by the Chicago Tribune. the writer states that. although her term lasts only 2 years. Adams understands that her being the face of the U.S. Tennis Association can have a significant impact. especially at a moment when the best female player in the world. Serena Williams. is also an African American. Katrina is supposed to have said: I think having an African American as president is a huge statement. It shows how far we have come within the USTA as a whole. As family. friends. community leaders. old coaches. volunteers. and tennis fans gathered to congratulate and honor Katrina. they were reminded of something her mother. Yvonne. told her many years ago. Her mother said: Katrina. other little Black girls may not want to reach where you are. but they will want you to do well. and you are showing them they can do it if they put their minds to it. Philip Hersh also mentions in his article something that Billie Jean King is supposed to have said to her friend Katrina. She said: Katrina. if you can see it. you can be it. Her being the first person of color as the U.S. Tennis Association presidentand as a former pro besidessends a strong message. Her family. friends. and former classmates at Whitney Young High School. at Northwestern University. and in the East Garfield Park community were. indeed. a proud bunch as they gathered to salute the young lady they had watched grow up in the inner city. become a high school and college tennis star. a tennis pro. and. ultimately. the president of the United States Tennis Association. Congratulations to you. Katrina. We are all proud of your accomplishments.
Date: 2015-04-15
Speaker: WATSON COLEMAN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise to remind my colleagues that we have not yet succeeded in bringing back the 219 Nigerian girls abducted by Boko Haram on this day last year. For a moment. the plight of those young schoolgirls captured the attention of the world. spurred by millions of tweets and a hashtag that demanded justice. but as is so often the case with faces of color. their disappearance quickly left the headlines. We can neither forget nor give up on these girls. Their abduction was a violent challenge to peace. to freedom. and to the right of every girl to choose to better herself through education. Mr. Speaker. I join my colleagues in calling for a renewed effort to bring back those girls and to bring justice to those responsible.
Date: 2015-04-15
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. what you have seen today is the powerful impact of the women of the United States Congress. Earlier today. we joined on the steps of the United States Capitol. and in that area that we joined with the young girls who had escaped from Boko Haram. women of faith. and many other advocates. we stood there. arminarm. listening to the stories of those young girls who jumped out of trucks and escaped the violence of Boko Haram and their very thuggish leader. The Boko Haram are terrorists. A year ago. they stole the "worlds girls." I led a delegation. joined by my colleagues. to Nigeria. In that effort. we saw the families who were crying and broken. We protested at the Nigerian Embassy and made a direct call to the then President to ask him to denounce Boko Haram. Today. we have been on the floor. Working with my colleagues. we have continuously said: bring the girls back. Mr. Speaker. in Nigeria. 15.000 have been killed because of Boko Haram. Also. 1.5 million are displaced persons. 800.000 of which are children. I end my remarks by saying: bring the girls back. I am delighted to have been with Congresswoman MALONEY and Congresswoman WILSON. We will never give up on bringing the girls back. They are the worlds girls. They are our girls.
Date: 2015-04-15
Speaker: CAROLYN B. MALONEY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: New York

Mr. Speaker. yesterday. on the 1year anniversary of the kidnapping of the girls of Nigeria. there were solemn acts of remembrance in Nigerias capital. In the Republic of the Congo. they tied red and purple ribbons around the capital. There was a solidarity protest near the Eiffel Tower in Paris and a gathering in London to call for the girls to be returned. In my home city of New York. as the sun was setting. the Empire State Building was lit up brightly in purple and red. purple for violence against women and red for the girls of Chibok. It seems like the very act that ripped them from the arms of their parents has somehow tied the rest of the world together. united us in our outrage. and armed us with hope. Feelings are not enough. It is time for action. It is time for the governments of Africa to unite and to act. Already. the Governments of Chad. Nigeria. Niger. and Cameroon are holding Boko Haram accountable. It is time for Western countries to unite because we will never. ever forget our girls. We could not forgive our failure to act.
Date: 2015-04-15
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Let me thank the gentleman from Colorado for his very lucid explanation of where we are today. Let me say that I hope my colleagues will join me in eliminating sequester. We can put that on the floor today that would in actuality provide more funding for education. for military pay. and for the infrastructure. We need to be doing serious work here. Let me join my colleague. Congresswoman DELAURO. in opposing the rule and the previous question in order to be able to assure that we pass pay equity. Today. in 2015. whether we have the death tax or the sales tax. we have women who are making 75 cents on a dollar and cannot make ends meet. We are having women who are not in the body of this august House and Senate working every day and getting 75 cents on the dollar. It is time for pay equity now. Lets hear the voices raised up to be able to support the working women of America who over almost a century agonot yetwere fighting for the right to vote. We have gained the right to vote. but we are still in an unequal economic circumstance. I want my colleagues to be as energetic about providing for pay equity. Now. Mr. Speaker. let me say something that is sort of bifurcated. I will say to you that. on the death tax. there is an equity in that. There is an equity in that because the ability to build that estate has been through the gracious laws and hard work of the people. a combination that you are in the capitalistic system that is here in America and. therefore. the death tax is simply the transfer tax that goes on the basis of all of this money that you have made to be able to help run this government. I dont really think that that is offensive at all because there are many tax breaks that have come to the individuals with these huge estates through their lifetime: capital gains tax. many different taxes that they have. R&D taxes. research tax that gives them a benefit. It is not like we are taking money. It is an investment in America. Let me also add that I do come from Texas. and I do think equalizing of taxes is very important. I really do. What I would like to say to my friends is let us have a comprehensive tax reform. Lets get rid of sequester. Lets pass pay equity. Lets address the tax problems of people who make $50.000 a year. and that does impact those who pay sales tax. That is a reasonable approach. Lets look at everybody in the circle of life. if you will. and make sure that. when we leave this floor tomorrow. we have addressed the concerns of all. Let us look closely at the death tax and the fact that they are not being punished. it is a transfer based upon the bounty of wealth that has been gained over the years and invested because of a capitalistic system that allows that wealth to grow. I dont think anybody can challenge that when you have become a Rockefeller.