macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-26
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you so much. I thank the gentleman for his remarks and for taking us through an important aspect of Jewish life in America. Now it is my pleasure to yield to another colleague from the West. and a leader on the House Rules Committee who has a Rules Committee meeting that is imminent that he needs to get to. and a leader in the Jewish community as well. Congressman ED PERLMUTTER from the State of Colorado.
Date: 2010-05-26
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you so much. Mr. PERLMUTTER. We appreciate your contribution to our effort to raise awareness and celebrate the contributions of Jewish Americans to American history. It is now my pleasure to yield to one of our newest Members. who as of just yesterday is no longer the most junior Member of the House of Representatives. He held that title for. oh. about a month. He is the neighbor to the other side of my congressional district. and did a fantastic job as a State senator. was another leader in the organized Jewish community in south Florida. someone who has been a staunch advocate for Israel and for issues that are important to the Jewish community. the gentleman from Florida. Mr. DEUTCH.
Date: 2010-05-26
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you very much. Mr. DEUTCH. and Im really pleased that you chose to highlight in your remarks the contributions that our Jewish war veterans have made. Last year. I think it was last year.
Date: 2010-05-26
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

I want to thank you very much for giving us the chance to thank this great country not only for taking us in. but for letting us be so much a part of not only the culture and the political life. but to be very much involved in the greatness of the United States of America. Thank you for giving me this chance.
Date: 2010-05-26
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you so much for your eloquence. Ms. BERKLEY. and for acknowledging that a lot of people think about the arrival of Jews in America as really being an infusion after World War I. an infusion after World War II. but we have 353 years of Jewish life in this country. And. unfortunately. much of our arrival followed persecution in other parts of the world: after the Spanish Inquisition. the pogroms in Russiathats when my family came initially in the 1800sand then in the early 1900s fleeing Poland for a better way of life here. And its so incredibly important that we tell our story. Jewish American Heritage Month allows us to do that now. President Bush proclaimed it 5 years ago. We had 250 cosponsors. of which you were one. of the original legislation that urged him to do that. And one of the things that I really think is important to acknowledge is there is so much partisanship here in the House of Representatives. I was the most proud at the time that we passed that resolution unanimously out of the House. With over 400 Members voting for it. we had 250 cosponsors. bipartisan cosponsors. and then we had a bipartisan effort across the Jewish community in this country to urge the President at the time to proclaim the first Jewish American Heritage Month. And they did so willingly. put aside party differences because they knew that it was incredibly important. And we have continued to be able to mark the occasion every year.
Date: 2010-05-26
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Me as well. And in that same vein. Emma Lazarus was by far at the time the leading Jewish literary figure in 19thcentury America. And its her sonnet which was called "The New Colossus" that is engraved on the base of the Statute of Liberty: "Give me your tired. your poor. yearning to breathe free." And then the rest is history.
Date: 2010-05-26
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

The rest is history. exactly. There are so many contributions that this month allows us to highlight. And I really thank you for joining us tonight. to continue to be able to do that. And I know we look forward to the rest of the month and the celebrations across the country.
Date: 2010-05-26
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you so much. It is now my privilege to invite my colleague from the State of Floridaa. the gentleman from central Florida. who is a newly elected Member and who has done a fantastic job fighting for his constituents. fighting on behalf of the issues that are important to this country. and fighting to help particularly focus on job creation and turning our economy around. the gentleman and my friend from central Florida.
Date: 2010-05-26
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you so much. Mr. GRAYSON. for sharing your unique perspective. And. again. its so incredibly important that we had this opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of Jewish Americans to American history. And I can tell you. Mr. Speaker. that something that I am quite proud of is a contribution that I wasnt aware that I had made. Upon my election to the Congress in 2004. I learned that I was elected as the first Jewish woman to represent the State of Florida in Congress in history. And thats a source of great pride certainly to my parents. my Jewish parents. who were extremely proud and who kvelled. which is a Yiddish expression for a great bubbling of pride. so to speak. But its something that has been a source of pride to me.
Date: 2010-05-26
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

I am really privileged to have been here to listen to the gentleman acknowledge the patriots that gave their lives and that have served our country so faithfully from his community. and I can tell you that the constituents of the district that he represents in Indiana have no greater friend. no greater advocate. than JOE DONNELLY. With that. I yield back.
Date: 2010-05-27
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

First I would like to take the opportunity to salute my dear friend. Chairman SKELTON. for being the kind of leader on a committee as challenging as providing for the men and women of the United States military. to ensure the listening ear to those of us who represent soldiers and their families across America. I think our State of Texas can count itself as having the highest population. one of the highest populations of current and active duty military as well as veterans. I thank the ranking member for his leadership. In saying that. before we honor them on Memorial Day. I believe that this legislation is a tough initiative on providing for the families and the men and women of the United States military. I also think its important to note that the Defense Department can be a job creator. create opportunities for Americans across this Nation. And my amendment simply asks that a report be provided to the Congressional Black Caucus towards establishing a report on the numbers of small. medium. minority and womenowned businesses that are doing business with the Defense Department. There are 57.4 million Americans employed by small businesses. This amendment will be beneficial to small businesses by providing cohesive information in this sector and by encouraging and strengthening competition between businesses. More importantly. with this report I would like to encourage the Department of Defense to get out beyond the Beltway and to establish outreach centers or outreach programs that would explain to these small businesses. whether in Appalachia or whether in the Delta. whether in Houston. whether in urban centers. how to do business effectively. efficiently. and with integrity with the Department of Defense. This amendment creates jobs. And as I look for greater opportunities. Mr. Chairman. I would like to add that I believe that we are moving in the right direction to eliminate Dont Ask. Dont Tell. To my dismay. it has been characterized as breaking a trust. a breach of our responsibility to our military. It is not. It is giving everyone a chance to be an American. to swear to the oath of service. I believe its an important step for liberty in our Nation.
Date: 2010-05-27
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: S
State: Texas

Thank you very much. Mr. Chairman. I rise in support of the bill for the purpose of engaging in a colloquy with the chairman. I would like to discuss the important role the National Aeronautics and Space Administration plays in our national security. In fact. I had legislation that established NASA as a national security asset. Chairman SKELTON. would you agree that our national security space programs are closely linked to NASA and that termination of the human spaceflight program could result in serious consequences for our space launch? Further. do you agree that NASAs space programs have made important contributions to our national and homeland security. economic security. international standing. and technological competitiveness? Finally. it is my hope that the Department of Defense will carefully assess the national security assets that may be possessed by NASA.
Date: 2010-05-27
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: S
State: Texas

Thank you very much. Mr. Chairman. My colleagues and I who are working on this issue appreciate your view. Transferring funds from the human spaceflight program to unproven commercial space efforts designed to carry humans and cargo into space is unreasonable and may be an unreasonable risk that this country should not take at this time. I hope that we can work together on this issue to ensure the continuation of human spaceflight programs. Thank you. Mr. SKELTON. for supporting NASA.
Date: 2010-05-27
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: S
State: Penn

sylvania. Madam Chair. I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Amendment No. 79 offered by Mr. PATRICK J. MURPHY of Pennsylvania: At the end of subtitle D of title V. add the following new section:
Date: 2010-05-27
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: S
State: Penn

sylvania. Madam Chair. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chair. when I served in Baghdad. my team did not care whether a fellow soldier was straight or gay. We cared if they could fire their M4 assault rifle or run a convoy down Ambush Alley. could they do their job so that everybody in our unit would come home safely. With our military fighting two wars. why on Earth would we tell over 13.500 ablebodied Americans that their services are not needed? This policy hurts our national security. and it has cost the American taxpayers over $1.3 billion already on this unjust policy. Our troops deserve a Congress that puts their safety and our collective national security over rigid partisan interests and a closeminded ideology. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and support the brave men and women willing to take a bullet for our families. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2010-05-27
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: S
State: Penn

sylvania. Madam Chair. I yield 30 seconds to my fellow Blue Dog and strong leader on this issue. Mr. MATHESON of Utah.
Date: 2010-05-27
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: S
State: Penn

sylvania. Madam Chair. I yield 30 seconds to the chairwoman of the Personnel Subcommittee on the House Armed Services Committee. Mrs. DAVIS from California.
Date: 2010-05-27
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: S
State: Penn

sylvania. Madam Chair. I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Michigan. a freshman Congressman. a former lieutenant commander of the United States Navy Reserve. Mr. PETERS.
Date: 2010-05-27
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: S
State: Penn

sylvania. Madam Chair. I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Minnesota. the highest ranking enlisted soldier ever to serve in the United States Congress. Command Sergeant Major TIM WALZ.
Date: 2010-05-27
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: S
State: Penn

sylvania. Madam Chair. it is my great privilege to yield 30 seconds to my mentor on civil rights. the Freedom Rider and great civil rights leader. the gentleman from Georgia. Mr. John Lewis.
Date: 2010-05-27
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: S
State: Penn

sylvania. Madam Chair. former Air Force Sergeant David Hall was walking into this gallery when I was walking in today. Sergeant Hall wasnt asked. Sergeant Hall didnt tell. Someone outed him for being gay. and he was kicked out of the Air Force. He had already served in the Middle East. He said to me. "I assure you I am fit for military duty. Please stop discharging patriotic Americans who just want to serve the country they love."
Date: 2010-05-27
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: S
State: Penn

sylvania. Madam Chair. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. and I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. PAT-
Date: 2010-05-28
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I stand to honor those who have died and have given their lives so that we might have a better life. But its not enough to simply thank them with words. This is why the 111th Congress has passed Homes for Heroes. to help with the homelessness among our veterans. This is why we provided college benefits for the children of our veterans. This is why we produced a $2.400 tax credit for employers who hire our veterans. This is why we provided a $250 economic recovery benefit to our veterans. This is why we produced $23 billion in health care and other services for our veterans. They have been there for us. I thank God for them. Its time for us to continue to be there for them.
Date: 2010-05-28
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Let me thank the gentlelady and acknowledge that I am from Texas. And in addition to the good news. and we are still working to improve the conditions of Texans. this bill will be a cause celebre in the State of Texas. We know. overall. 290.000 jobs have been created in the month of April over the United States because this Democratic leadership had the courage to vote for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the stimulus package that has generated the opportunities for job creation. My good friend and colleague indicated in an inquiry on the floor. What is the point? Well. Ill tell you what the point is. The point is that this bill saves taxpayer dollars. and it helps one of the basic infrastructures of job creation. small businesses. And through the program that we are now extendingwe are eliminating fees for loan packageswe will see increased opportunities for our small businesses to get what they need. the capital to hire people and to keep their businesses and their doors open. $26 billion in loans has already gone out to our small businesses across America. impacting the numbers. Madam Chair. that you read in the Houston Business Journal. where the small businesses are one of the basic infrastructures of our community. Their doors are open. they are securing loans. and theyre hiring people. What is the point? The point is that we have provisions dealing with community college and career training. an idea that I had that individuals could be getting their unemployment insurance but be trained for new jobs. This is in this provision based upon utilizing trade provision dollars. What is the point? Summer jobs. 375.000 summer jobs. only costing $1 billion over a 10year period. paid for. The highest unemployment is among our youth. 16 to 19. and among minority youth it is even higher. The Congressional Black Caucus worked extensively to ensure that we would have summer jobs money.
Date: 2010-05-28
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. a colleague on the floor just used the terminology "confiscated." and I certainly want to respect her use of a word in the dictionary. Yet I would say to men and women of the United States military. to whom we are providing funding from the revenue that we collect. that that money is not being confiscated. To those disabled veterans who are getting a tax benefit. we are not confiscating money. we are giving them dollars. To those who are on the Louisiana coast. who are going to get a benefit from the increase in the oil trust fund to help them clean up the disaster in Louisiana. we are not confiscating money but using the Federal resources to help the American people. We are helping America. That is what this vote is about. The Republican opposition do not want to help America. We do.
Date: 2010-05-28
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. this bill supports the efforts of American entrepreneurs and of American businesses to create jobs here at home. and at the same time. it closes down perverse tax loopholes that encourage big corporations to ship American jobs overseas. On the plus side. it invests and encourages investments in research and development by businesses right here at home. which are provisions that our colleagues have supported in the past. It invests in the very successful Build America Bonds initiative that has driven new investment in roads. in bridges. and in essential infrastructure here at home. It pays for all of these investments by eliminating a number of loopholes in the Tax Code. including a very awful loophole that encourages big corporations to export. not American products. but American jobs. Very simply. Mr. Speaker. creative corporate tax lawyers have devised a way to have American taxpayers. our constituents. foot the bill for the taxes that their corporations pay to foreign governments for their overseas operations. Think about that. We dont pay for the taxes that American corporations have to pay for jobs here at home and earnings here at home. Yet our constituents are footing the bill for taxes American corporations pay to foreign governments for jobs created overseas. That creates a terrible incentive for big American corporations to move jobs and operations away from the United States. It is a great deal for big corporations. and we understand why they want to protect those loopholes. but it is a lousy deal for American workers and American taxpayers. The choice we face here is very clear: A vote against this bill is a vote against investing in jobs in America and in favor of protecting loopholes to offshore American jobs. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and to support Americas small businesses and Americas jobs.
Date: 2010-05-28
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentleman for yielding. A yearandahalf ago. this country was suffering from a recession created by years of extreme economic and fiscal policies under the previous administration and the financial scandals of Wall Street. There were 800.000 jobs a month being lost when President Obama was sworn into office. Thanks to the Recovery Act. we are now seeing positive job gains. Over the last 3 months. we have added an average of 187.000 jobs. but people still are not able to find jobs in sufficient numbers. People are still losing their health care as they lose their job. People are losing their homes because of the extended term that they are spending as unemployed Americans. And we have got to help these people. The idea somehow that we can now wind this down or these people really are not now looking for workin all of our communities. when jobs are advertised. 10 times. 20 times the number of people as there are jobs show up seeking that job. seeking that opportunity to help their families. We have got to be able to respond to that. That is what this legislation does. As the economists have told us. it is one of the best things we can do for Main Street. because. unfortunately. these people need to spend this money immediately. whether it is on groceries. or clothing. or rent. or utilities. to try to keep their families together. We have got to pass this legislation.
Date: 2010-05-28
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 4213. the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010. This bill would create or save over one million jobs. extend much needed help to those struggling to find work. and close tax loopholes for corporations that send American jobs overseas. I was unable to cast my vote in support of this important piece of legislation and would like to reflect for the RECORD that. if I had voted I would have voted yes. With a 12.6% unemployment rate. my top priority is to get Californians back to work. this bill would bring critical assistance to those who are still looking for work by extending unemployment insurance through November of this year. This bill will also create and save jobs by extending tax credits to small businesses. enabling them to hire more employees and expand operations. More needs to be done to help our economy make a full recovery and get our people back to work. but this bill takes care of those who are suffering as our economy continues to recover. Once again. I rise in support of this legislation.
Date: 2010-05-28
Speaker: ZOE LOFGREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I rise to express my views on H.R. 4213. the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act. This is an important bill for our country as we continue to move out of the economic recession. I will be voting in favor of H.R. 4213. However. I have strong reservations about the carried interest tax provisions in this bill and its impact on job growth in areas like Silicon Valley. where innovation and venture capital funds play a key role in the economy. The American economy gained 290.000 jobs last month. the largest number of job gains in a month since 2006. and the GDP increased by 3 percent last quarter. While these numbers clearly show positive economic growth. the economy has not been recovering fast enough for many families in Santa Clara County where unemployment is still at 11.4 percentnearly 2 percent higher than the national average. H.R. 4213 will do much to help California and Silicon Valley families hit by this recession. This bill will provide California with billions of dollars for unemployment benefits. direct assistance to needy families and children. emergency rental assistance. and summer youth programs. I support all of these programs because they will provide a critical lifeline for families trying to keep their heads above water and survive this economic downturn. These programs will help maintain the shortterm stability of the economy. but families in the longterm need jobs the private sector will create. Venture capital investments help create these jobs of the future. This is why I am so concerned about the section in the bill that will increase the tax rate for carried interest as applied to venture capital. Unlike private equity funds. venture capital investments typically span multiple years and funding cycles. It is not uncommon for it to take 10 to 15 years for these ideas to reach the market. and in many cases they never do. We have all heard of Google. Apple. Cisco. Genentech. and Tesla Motors. All of these companies were at one point just an idea in the minds of their founders. The system of venture capital allowed these ideas to develop and grow into major industries that created hundreds of thousands of jobs. I applaud House leaders for delaying the implementation of changes to the carried interest tax for a year. but the eventual hit to venture capital investments is worrisome. Just as we are starting to emerge from the "Great Recession" this seems an inopportune time to overturn the venture capital system that has been an engine of job growth.