macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-02-13
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Madam Speaker. we clearly need a stimulus bill. a bill that creates jobs. Unfortunately. the only thing that this is going to stimulate is more government bureaucracy and government bureaucrats. This will not help the economy. Let me add some ammunition. Only $3 billion. which is onethird of 1 percent to help the job creators to stimulate small businesses. Onethird of 1 percent for small businesses that are the job creators? And yet. its going to add $9.400 for all of our American families in debt. $9.400. Less than 7 percent of the money goes to infrastructure. Thats shameful. You know. this House debated recently the TARP bill to try to cover itself for the embarrassment. the embarrassment and lack of accountability of that TARP bailout bill. This is just the "Son of TARP." Were going to be embarrassed. Its not going to help the economy like its supposed to. and were going to read about the scandals. Please vote this bill down.
Date: 2009-02-23
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise to talk about a gutless move by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. They are currently sending robocalls into my district criticizing me for my vote on the stimulus package. Well. maybe thats fair game. But last week I was home in the district and I accepted an invitation by a bipartisan group. the Public Policy Institute of California. to discuss the issue. Three Members of the other side of the aisle in my area were invited to be on that panel. They all declined. including one who had accepted and then declined when she found out I was going to be there. Youre messing with my children and my grandchildrens future. Youre messing with my 91yearold mothers current retirement. Have the guts to appear on panels with Members of this side of the aisle. and quit hiding behind the skirts of Mr.
Date: 2009-02-23
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 44. It has been articulated very well on this floor as to the reasons why this should be supported. I would like to suggest for Members on my side of the aisle that they might consider voting for this in tribute to our former colleague. Mr. Blazwho was on the floora brigadier general of the United States Marine Corps. a Member of Congress for a number of terms. including those during which I was here the first time around. and. as importantly. a fellow graduate of the University of Notre Dame. I salute General Blaz. We are talking about facts- that go to instances or events that occurred some 60plus years ago. Sometimes we only hear about that by reading it in the history books and we attempt to try and place ourselves there to understand. We dont have to do that today. General Blaz is here. He went through it as a young boy. He is a credit to this country. hes a credit to Guam. hes a credit to this institution. He is an example of the triumph of American forces during World War Hl and what they allowed the people that they liberated to become. From rather modest beginnings in a war zone. he picked himself up. was educated in one of the finest universities in this country. became a member of the United States Marine Corps. rose to the position of brigadier general. and later had the privilege of representing -those same people with whom he lived in an occupation status later on here in the House of Representatives. If there is any question about the loyalty of the people of Guam. if there is any question about what they suffered. if there is any question about the justice of this bill. it can be answered by just looking at this gentleman. Mr. Blaz. It is an honor for me to be here Februcry 23. 2009 on the floor whenhe ishere visiting us again to talk in favor of this bill. I would hope that there would be a unanimous vote for this bill.
Date: 2009-02-25
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. after just passing a $1 trillion spending plan. the Democrats in Congress claim they will tax and spend our way out of this economic gloom. I believe we should root out government waste before we add new government spending. and we dont want to increase taxes when folks are already feeling pinched by this tough economy. In the Texas State House. the Speaker threatened to kick me off Ways and Means if I didnt vote to raise taxes. I just said "no." When I didnt vote to raise taxes. they booted me off the committee. What can I saythere were no new taxes in Texas. How about America? This Congress must approve a Federal spending freeze before we can consider tax hikes during these uncertain economic times. The last thing we need to do is push consumer confidence even lower. Lets take tax hikes off the table.
Date: 2009-02-25
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I rise to engage Chairwoman LowEY of the State. Foreign Operations. and Related Programs Appropriations- Subcommittee in a colloquy. Madam Chairwoman. President Bushs fiscal year 2009 budget directs $20 million for Cuba under the Economic Support Fund. This funding is critical U.S. assistance to those working for democracy and independent civil society in Cuba. The House voted overwhelmingly to increase funding for this important program in fiscal year 2008. However. funding for Cuba was not specifically designated in the report attached to the omnibus appropriations bill. Can you clarify for the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD that it is the intent of the committee and of this Congress to provide $20 million in the underlying legislation for this important program? I yield to the chairwoman.
Date: 2009-02-25
Speaker: CHRIS LEE (republican)
Chamber: H

This resolution. House Resolution 183. expresses condolences. to the families. friends and loved ones of the victims of the February 12. 2009. accident of Flight 3407 which took place in Clarence Center. New York. There were 50 people on board Flight 3407. including passengers and crew. Sadly. all lives were lost. Our sympathy goes out to the victims and to each and every one of their families. friends and loved ones. Losing a loved one is tragic. but the loss is compounded when its as the result of an unfortunate and unforeseen situation. Im hopeful that this resolution will. in some small way. comfort the families and friends of all of those who lost their lives on Flight 3407. I also want to thank the first responders and those who are. providing support and assistance to the families of the victims. Their efforts are appreciated. The National Transportation- Safety Board is thoroughly investigating .every aspect of this accident. The Board is responsible for determining -the circumstances and cause of this accident. and they will report back to Congress. In the meantime. I want to assure the families. the public. the Members of Congress. that those charged with the investigation of this tragedy will not rest until the cause of this aviation accident has been determined. The loss of even one life in an aviation accident is unacceptable. but the American public should know that our commercial airlines today are both safe and reliable. The National Airspace System handles almost 50.000 flights per day and more than 7 million passengers annually. Since 2007. the commercial airline industry has maintained the lowest fatality accident rate in commercial aviation history. Up until this accident. the FAA reported no onboard fatalities in passenger operations in the past 2 years and now approaching almost 3 years with about 1.6 billion people transported during that period. Despite the amazing safety record. I wish we lived in a world where we could eliminate all accidents and risks. While I dont believe that we can do that. I do believe that we can continue to work as effectively as possible to do everything we can to avoid these types of accidents in the future. Again. I want to express my condolences to the families. friends. and loved ones of the victims on board Flight 3407. and also to Mr. CHRIS LEE. my distinguished colleague from New York. and his constituents. I yield to my colleague from New York such time as he may consume.
Date: 2009-02-26
Speaker: TIM MURPHY (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Pennsylvania

Mr. Speaker. this week President Obama came before us and outlined the priorities for health care reform. Good. But lets keep in mind what reform is. The high cost of health care is not cured by massive injections of money and taxes. We must eliminate the $500 billion in annual waste. Electronic medical records will help. but only if it puts critical information in doctors hands and they are personal. private. and portable. Eliminating hospitalacquired infections must also be a priority. Infections kill 100.000 patients a year and cost us $50 billion. In the 3 years I have come to this floor to ask Members to take action. nearly a quarter of a million people have died unnecessarily. How many more will have to face this preventible disease before we push for meaningful reform? Health care reform is about fixing our health care system. not just financing it and financing its problems. Lets make health care reform real reform. because lives depend on us.
Date: 2009-02-26
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. the suggestion has been made that it makes no sense to treat primary residences in the way that the current bankruptcy law does. Well. in fact. Supreme Court Justice Stevens. in the case of Nobleman v. American Savings Bank. explained why we have this when he said that. "At first blush it seems somewhat strange the Bankruptcy Code could provide less protection to an individuals interest in retaining possession of his or her home than of other assets. The anomaly. is. however explained by the legislative history indicating that favorable treatment of residential mortgages was intended to encourage the flow of capital into the home lending market." In other words. it is precisely because we want to promote home ownership that it is treated in this way. Now. we in the Judiciary Committee believe we can do a lot of things. But one thing we have been unable to do. but were trying to do it once again is suspend the laws of economics. This suggests that this change will have no impact whatsoever. The change will have this impact: It will include higher risk premiums on all mortgages in the future because of the uncertainty now involved with respect to all mortgages. Thats whats going to happen. I had a telephone town hall in my district with thousands of people on the line. and one person said to me. how is that fair? How is that fair to me? How is that fair to my children and my grandchildren. when this means this is going to increase the cost of home mortgages in the future across the board and maybe limit the accessibility to home mortgage notice future to those very people we say were trying to help? Sometimes it is more than just a sentiment that we have to act on here. It is reality. And unless we can suspend the laws of economics. this provision will actually undo what the bill is intended to do. that is. help people be able to have access to mortgages and help people get lower rates. This is one of the reasons why you have lower rates for home mortgages than you do for second homes.
Date: 2009-02-26
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. And some people have suggested well. look. its treated differently in all other aspects. . Interestingly enough. if you look at chapter 12. which has to do with agricultural loans. and you see the argument being made that. well. when they made that change there. it had no impact. Interestingly enough. it was during the Clinton administration that their Department of Agriculture concluded that chapter 12 may have substantially increased costs Tor farm businesses. Thats not the Bush administration. Thats not a Republican economist. Thats the Clinton administration. their Department of Agriculture concluding that this type of a change in the agricultural setting actually substantially increased costs for home businesses. If you want to substantially increase the cost for home mortgages in the future across the board for all Americans then vote for this provision. Go home and talk about how you felt good about it. But dont tell folks what its really going to do. Its going to hurt everybody in terms of their accessibility to home mortgages.
Date: 2009-03-05
Speaker: TIM MURPHY (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Pennsylvania

Mr. Speaker. today the White House convenes a forum on health care. and we do need health care reform. We have the best health care available in the world. but its just too expensive for too many. Why? A brand new report from the New England Health Care Institute stated that in our $2.3 trillion health care system. a full 30 percent of total spending could be eliminated without reducing health care quality. This is a savings of $800 billion. savings that comes from improving the quality of care. savings from eliminating misuse of drugs and less effective treatments. And we can find even more savings from stopping Medicare and Medicaid fraud. We can make quality health care affordable and accessible. Let us work together for true reform. Lets fix it and make it better. not finance a broken system. Reform is the best medicine.
Date: 2009-03-05
Speaker: SAM JOHNSON (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. this administrations new budget torpedoes core values we Americans hold dear: hard work. fairness and the freedom to thrive. Sadly. the new budget will raise taxes on anyone who works hard. plays by the rules and pays taxes. It will raise taxes on anyone who drives a car. turns on their lights or saves. It will raise taxes on people who donate to charity or own a home. It will raise taxes on anyone who plans. hopes or dreams of becoming successful. Thats just wrong. We must not raise taxes. but save America during this severe recession.
Date: 2009-03-05
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker. I come from the State of California. which has been hit about as badly as any State in the Union with the burst of the housing bubble. and particularly my part of the State of California. So I know. and I am earnestly hopeful that we will enact legislation that will be a benefit to that phenomena that has occurred throughout this country. However. I rise in opposition to this rule and rise in opposition to this bill precisely because of the inclusion of the bankruptcy cramdown provision. It is a classic example of the law of unintended consequences.. The gentleman came to the floor. the gentleman from Texas. just a moment ago. and said. look. we should treat this the way we do with other homes and other investment properties. That is an inept analogy in that if you look at chapter 13 right now and you do have a cramdown on a vacation home. for instance. from $550.000 to $500.000. that plan would require the entire thing to be paid back within 3 to 5 years. Thats not the proposal we have here on the floor with respect to the primary residence. This would be extended over 30 years. This would create an additional uncertainty in the marketplace so that the accessibility. the eligibility and the low rates that are now given in the arena of primary homes. as opposed to other homes or other investments. would be in jeopardy. Thats the thing that we have to understand. We are treated precisely. differently in bankruptcy court because we want to promote homeownership. we want to promote eligibility. We want to promote accessibility. and we want to promote low rates. When you introduce an uncertainty like this. and we have in our minority report from the Judiciary Committee extensive reference to experts who say this is the case. when you introduce additional reduced risk. as you do here. you are going to jeopardize the accessibility and eligibility of these mortgages in the future to everybody. particularly those who are of the medium and lowincome groups. So sometimes we have got to learn on this floor that best intentions dont conclude with the best results. What we are doing here is working against the interests of the very people we claim to be helping.
Date: 2009-03-05
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. I thank the gentlelady from North Carolina. Mr. Speaker. when a bank forecloses in a neighborhood. it certainly affects the values of the surrounding homes. But when a bankruptcy judge arbitrarily breaks the mortgage contract. it will lower values on houses everywhere. I rise today in opposition to the rule and alsd to the well intended but tragically flawed bill. The Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009 may live up to its name for a few people and for a very short time. but it does not stop home prices from" falling. That. Mr. Speaker. is exactly what must happen for the economy to recover. Nobody here wants to see his or her constituents lose their homes to foreclosure. but it isour responsibility. as leaders. as Members of Congress. to make sure that the laws we passed dont have severe. unintended consequences. As most economists agree. two things are causing housing prices to fall. first home builders overbuilt and there was a glut on the market. and the demand did not keep up with the supply. Second. as long as perspective buyers expect prices to fall. they will continue to hold out buying. In doing so. there is a selffulfilling prophecy here. And like the two clauses of this crisis. this bill will have two consequences. Banks will most certainly require much higher down payments for future borrowers. Instead of 5 or 20 percent. borrowers will have to come up with. perhaps. 40 or 50 percent. Why. because of the uncertainty of is this amount of the mortgage going to hold? Second. banks will certainly charge a higher interest rate than they do today.. Under normal circumstances. some might consider that a good thing. But if this bill becomes law. the House prices will fall further. faster. and -the economy will certainly follow. As we have seen. many more people will lose their livelihoods and find themselves in a foreclosure. And. tragically. the families this legislation was supposed to help will find themselves underwater again. This is incredible danger here. and I urge my colleagues to vote against the rule.
Date: 2009-03-09
Speaker: GINNY BROWN-WAITE (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. I thank the gentlelady from Illinois. Last week I had s6me folks in town from Florida. and they didnt get to see snow very often obviously living in Florida. And when they came here. it was about some of .the tax issues. And they were darn mad. the same way that
Date: 2009-03-10
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. As you have just heard. this bill names a United States courthouse located in Elizabeth City. North Carolina. the "J. Herbert W. Small Federal Building and United States Courthouse." I too support this legislation. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-03-10
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself 15 seconds. I would be remiss without thanking the gentleman from North Carolina for his persistence. for his leadership. for fighting for this. And as you have heard today he does so with great passion for someone who he admired greatly. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-03-10
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. As you just heard from the gentlewoman from Maryland. this bill names the Federal building located in the United Nations Plaza in New York as the Ronald H. Brown United States Mission to the United Nations Building. This bill has already passed the House once before and. as you have heard the explanation. here it is in front of us.
Date: 2009-03-10
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time. as I may consume. As we just heard. this bill names the United States Courthouse to be constructed in Jackson. Mississippi. as the R. Jess Brown United States Courthouse. R. Jess Brown grew up and was educated in the public school system of Muskogee. OK. He attended Illinois State University. Indiana University. and the Texas Southern Law School. Mr. Brown was actively involved in civil rights issues and dedicated his career to pursuing equality for all citizens. In 1948. he was a coplaintiff in a lawsuit brought on behalf of AfricanAmerican teachers in Jackson. MS. seeking equal pay. After being admitted to the bar in Mississippi. he became Associate Counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense and Educational Fund. As Associate Counsel. he filed a civil rights case in Mississippi seeking to enforce the right of African Americans to register to vote. Later. in 1961. Mr. Brown represented James H. Meredith in a lawsuit that was filed and won. This case opened the door to allow Mr. Meredith and other African Americans to enter and study at the University of Mississippi. Mr. Brown was alive in many other cases that helped to break Idown barriers related to discrimination in the areas of public transportation and accommodations. He was a leader not only in the civil rights movement. but also more broadly in the legal community. Among his many accomplishments. he cofounded the Magnolia Bar Association. served on the Board of the National Bar Association. and was admitted to practice law before the United States Supreme Court. I have no objections to the passage of this bill and support its adoption. I understand the other side has a speaker. and I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-03-10
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Speaker. if I may inquire from the gentlelady from Maryland if she has any other speakers at this time?
Date: 2009-03-10
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Again. this bill designates the Federal building and United States Courthouse located on Barr Street in Lexington. Kentucky. the Scott Reed Federal Building and United States Courthouse. At this time. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-03-10
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. I yield myself such time as I may consume. This bill names the United States Courthouse located on East 4th Street in Davenport. Iowa. as the James A. Leach United States Courthouse. As we recall. he was also a former colleague of ours here in this distinguished body. With that. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2009-03-10
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr. Chairman..I want to thank the gentlewoman from Maryland for her description of this bill. This is something that this House has done for many. many years. And for many years the distinguished majority leader. Mr. HOYER. has sponsored a resolution to authorize the use of the Capitol grounds for this event. and Congress has clearly supported it. It provides children a fun way toallow children to show off their dedication. their work. and creativity as they compete for trophies and the opportunity to race in other competitions. Girls and boys between 8 and 17 will race down the Capitol Hill in their homemade cars. We are all looking forward to that. The winner of each division will then be qualified to compete in the National Soapbox Derby. I support this resolution and encourage my colleagues to do the same.
Date: 2009-03-10
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. Mr.. Speaker. the gentlewoman from Maryland has done a great job explaining this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.