macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-06-28
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Members. Im from Texas. We believe its our constitutional right to own every gun that was ever made. and we dont want to export them to anywherebut this resolution is pure politics. Mr. Speaker. today I rise in opposition to the resolution recommending that the House of Representatives find Eric H. Holder. Jr.. Attorney General. U.S. Department of Justice. in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena duly issued by the committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In 2005. the Bureau of Alcohol. Tobacco. Firearms. and Explosives (ATF) initiated Project Gunrunner that focused on stemming the flow of firearms into Mexico. This would stop guns from being obtained by drug cartels and criminal organizations that have killed thousands in Mexico in recent years. Part of Project Gunrunner was Operation Fast and Furious. which has come under scrutiny over the past year due to reports that the ATF allowed the sale of hundreds of assault weapons to suspected straw purchasers. who then allegedly transported these weapons through the Southwest and into Mexico. In December 2010. suspected firearms linked to Operation Fast and Furious were found at the murder scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. This resolution is not about Project Gunrunner or Operation Fast and Furious because the Department of Justice has produced thousands of pages of documents. two dozen officials have been interviewed. and the Attorney General has testified nine times. to show it was not responsible for these operations. The Attorney General has continually offered to provide even more information. including documents outside of the Committees original subpoena. The documents that are now at the center of the resolution are completely unrelated to how Project Gunrunner or Operation Fast and Furious were initiated. This investigation is nothing more than a hyperpartisan. electionyear effort. The Committee vote was strictly along partisan lines and every amendment passed or failed on partyline votes. During this investigation. the Committee refused all Democratic requests for witnesses and hearings. as well as requests to interview any Bush Administration appointees. Attorney General Eric Holder has produced sufficient evidence. through thousands of pages of documents and testifying nine times before the committee. to confirm that once he learned about Operation Fast and Furious. he took action to bring it to a close. The denial of Democratic requests to interview officials of the Bush Administration on this matter only further proves this is strictly a partisan political game to hold the first sitting Attorney General in contempt.
Date: 2012-06-28
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX. I rise to give notice of my intent to raise a question of the privileges of the House. The form of the resolution is as follows: Whereas the chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has interfered with the work of an independent agency and pressured an administrative law judge of the National Labor Relations Board by compelling the production of documents related to an ongoing case. something independent experts said "could seriously undermine the authority of those charged with enforcing the nations labor laws" and which the House Ethics Manual discourages by noting that "Federal courts have nullified administrative decisions on grounds of due process and fairness towards all of the parties when congressional interference with ongoing administrative proceedings may have unduly influenced the outcome". Whereas the chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has politicized investigations by rolling back longstanding bipartisan precedents. including by authorizing subpoenas without the concurrence of the ranking member or a committee vote. by refusing to share documents and other information with the ranking member. and restricting the minoritys right to call witnesses at hearings. Whereas the chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has jeopardized an ongoing criminal investigation by publicly releasing documents that his own staff has admitted were under court seal. Whereas the chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has unilaterally subpoenaed a witness who was expected to testify at an upcoming Federal trial. despite longstanding precedent and objections from the Department of Justice that such a step could cause complications at a trial and potentially jeopardize a criminal conviction. Whereas the chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has engaged in a witch hunt. through the use of repeated incorrect and uncorroborated statements in the committees "Fast and Furious" investigation. and Whereas the chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has chosen to call the Attorney General of the United States a liar on national television without corroborating evidence and has exhibited unprofessional behavior which could result in jeopardizing an ongoing Committee investigation into Operation Fast and Furious: Now. therefore. be it Resolved. That the House of Representatives disapproves of the behavior of the chair for interfering with ongoing criminal investigations. insisting on a personal attack against the attorney general of the united states. and for calling the Attorney General of the United States a liar on national television without corroborating evidence thereby discredit to the integrity of the House.
Date: 2012-06-28
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I rise today because this is a great country. In fact. I would call it the greatest country in the world. Throughout my lifes history. although we have traveled mountains and low valleys. I have been equal and unequal in this Nation. Yet today I feel as tall as the pine trees because our Supreme Court shed itself of diverse and sometimes divisive bickering and upheld the Constitution of the United States. It granted to the American people affordable health care. It granted to the sickest of the sick the opportunity to be covered by insurance. It granted to seniors who fall into doughnut holes and who have to choose prescription drugs over food a relief line. It granted to hospitals that take in indigent patients who may otherwise die on sidewalks in America an opportunity to take care of those patients. It gave children with preexisting diseases an opportunity to live fully in this country. So now the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. We have been vindicated. Every single. single vote of those Members who have lost and of those who have won. weve been vindicated. Thank God for the United States Supreme Court.
Date: 2012-06-29
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I now rise to a question of the privileges of the House and offer the resolution previously noticed.
Date: 2012-06-29
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker. I rise today in support of this conference agreement. Without it. transportation projects would dry up. countless American workers would be thrown out of work. and a college education would cost an additional $1.000 for more than 7 million students and their families. The benefits of this legislation for millions of Americans will be felt immediately. In my home State of California. this legislation will save or create nearly 180.000 construction jobs rebuilding our highways and bridges and bike paths. and it will save 570.000 California students from going deeper into debt this next academic year. With this conference report. 7 million students across this country will get another year of interest rate relief as they take out their student loans for the coming college year. More than 4.5 million of those will be women. more than 1.5 million of those will be African American. nearly 1 million are Hispanic students. all who are struggling to stay in college. This interest rate relief that we are providing today will help them. What is happening today. though. is a rare thing in this Congress. Its a victory for college students. Its a victory for lowincome families. Its a victory for the middle class. Its a victory that should not be as rare as it is in the Congress today. The American people should thank this win. and we should make sure that we continue to cooperate in this Congress. And we should also make sure that we heed the words of Mr. YOUNG and Mr. DEFAZIO that we have to do more on our infrastructure to make this country a firstrate country going forward in the future. Thank you very much for yielding me this time. Mr. RAHALL. and for all of your work on this legislation.
Date: 2012-06-29
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. on June 29. 2012. I inadvertently voted "aye" on rollcall no. 450. I intended to vote "nay." and that reflects that I oppose H.R. 5972.
Date: 2012-07-09
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. First of all. let me say that this is very much bipartisan legislation in that it has been sponsored by both Democrats and Republicans. I am very. very pleased to have as an original cosponsor on this and to have worked very closely with Mr. LUETKEMEYER. who has done an admirable job in providing leadership on a much. much needed piece of legislation. which is H.R. 4367. As I said. I am proud to be an integral part of moving forward a very timely. reasonable. and vital piece of legislation. Let me just say at the outset. Mr. Speaker. that our banking system. our retail system. our credit unions all sit at the centerat the epicenterof this Nations great economic system. which is facing tremendous challenges. As
Date: 2012-07-09
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. in closing I certainly would just like to say how important this legislation is. As the chairman of our Financial Services Committee. Chairman BACHus. just stated. these are sophisticated individuals. These are people who know the system. Thats why I refer to them as scam artists. This is a racket. and its a racket that we need to put out of business thats causing tremendous headaches. tremendous difficulties for the heart of our fine economic system. which is our banking system. our commercial system. This will go a long way in helping to take away a very superfluous but serious enough threat. The other thing about this thats very fine is we hear a great cry among the American people for great bipartisanship. Heres a great example of Democrats and Republicans working together for the good of the United States of America. Thank you very much for working with me on this. and I appreciate having an opportunity to work with you. And since I have no other speakers. I yield back the balance of my time.
Date: 2012-07-09
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Thank you very much. Two weeks ago. the United States Supreme Court justly and commendably upheld the Affordable Care Act. ensuring that millions of Americans will continue to have access to quality. affordable health care. Despite this monumental victory for our country. for the 31st time since its enactment. Republicans are attempting to repeal the health care law. treating it as if this is just some kind of political game played between the two parties. While the Affordable Care Act will expand coverage for millions of Americans. many Texans will be denied access by their Governor. And Im a Texan. Just today. Texas Governor Rick Perry announced his decision not to expand Medicaid or implement a State health exchange under the Affordable Care Actnothing more than politics. However. during his announcement. Governor Perry failed to provide an alternative plan to address the growing numbers of uninsured Texans. Texas has the highest percentage of adults without health care insurance. and rejecting Federal Medicaid funds would only worsen this predicament for Texans. Without the Affordable Care Act. millions of uninsured Americans will continue to seek primary care in our Nations overcrowded emergency rooms. leaving taxpayers to pay the tab. if they own property. As a nonpracticing registered nurse. I am all too familiar with this scenario. which has placed a huge burden on our Nations hospital systems. Mr. Speaker. this weeks GOP messaging vote to repeal is nothing more than political warfare in an election year. Instead of bringing jobcreating bills to the floor. Republican leadership insists on wasting taxpayer dollars by debating a law which has been firmly upheld by the Nations highest court. While the Republicans have introduced numerous measures to undermine and repeal the Affordable Care Act. they have repeatedly failed to introduce one piece of legislation which could serve as a viable alternative to the health care law. I urge my colleagues to reject this effort to take away patient protections for Americans. Instead. for once. let partisan politics come in second and let the American people win this one.
Date: 2012-07-10
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I rise in strong opposition to the repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This Congress has spent most of our time voting on messaging bills and very little time actually legislating. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle and I agree on many issues. We even agree on some of the shortcomings in the Affordable Care Act. No bill is perfect. and we should be spending our time improving it. not abolishing it. Repealing this bill is a vote to drop college students from their parents health plan. Its a vote to allow insurance companies to discriminate against women and withhold lifesaving procedures because of preexisting conditions. It would stop 13 million Americans from receiving rebates on their health care premiums. A repeal would mean children. families. and working Americans are denied health insurance. In our district in Houston. Harris County. Texas. we have one of the highest uninsured rates in the country. The bill today denies my hardworking constituents the chance to qualify and purchase health insurance. Theres no question that repeal is a bad policy. This is all politics. Mr. Speaker. I ask the majority to put partisanship aside and reach across the aisle to improve this law and not resort to partisan gimmickry that exposes our Nations most vulnerable to even more pain and suffering.
Date: 2012-07-10
Speaker: DAVID SCOTT (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Georgia

Mr. Speaker. let me. first of all. respond to what my previous speaker on the other side has said because its very important that we straighten the RECORD out. This is not a tax for people to get health care insurance. What this is. the Supreme Court ruled. and again. chaired by a Republican chairman. Chief Supreme Court Justice. and he said that in order for the mandate to stand. Congress could only do it through their taxing authority. And that was to take care of the penalty. This is not a tax for individuals to get their health insurance. CBO says it will only affect 1 percent of the American people. and that is a choice that they will make. Its not a tax penalty for you to get insurance. Its a penalty for those who can afford the insurance who choose not to buy the insurance. Now. let me also make another point that is very clear. In addition to this being a program in which the vast majority of the American people approve. they do not want you to repeal their opportunity to have individuals. in these tough economic times. their children be able to stay on their insurance till 26. They want that there. They do not want you to repeal them having to be denied insurance because of a preexisting condition. And our hospitals need this very much in order to have the Medicaid expansion.
Date: 2012-07-10
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself 1 minute. What were engaged in here in the House of Representatives right now is a total waste of taxpayer money. Its no wonder the American people think so little of this institution. We are now on our 31st effort in this House to repeal all or part of ObamaCare. We have not yet voted once on the Presidents jobs bill. which he presented last September. Two numbers. Thirtyone. thats the number of times this House will now have voted to repeal ObamaCare. Zero. thats the number of times that we voted on the Presidents jobs bill. Ive been listening to this debate this afternoon and weve heard the same old. tired misrepresentations and distortions that we heard the first time around: Government takeover of health care. In the year 2010. PolitiFact rated that the Lie of the Year. And it just goes on and on and on like whackamole. The American people do not want to relitigate this issue. What the American people want us to do is focus on jobs and the economy. Lets get on with that business. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 2012-07-10
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. its quite a scene to see so many of our colleagues rush to the floor of this House to call upon this Congress to deny the American people health care protections. patient protections. that every Member of this Congress has. If the child of a Member of this Congress has preexisting conditions. whether its diabetes. whether its asthma. their child gets covered. If their child is 25 years old and didnt happen to have health insurance. they can be covered on the health insurance plan. And yet this bill to repeal ObamaCare would deny to the American people the same kind of patient protections that every Member of this Congress enjoys. Its a sad day. With that. I yield 11/2 minutes to the gentlelady from Pennsylvania
Date: 2012-07-10
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. the gentleman who just spoke. the gentleman from Oklahoma. called this bill unaffordable. We heard the debate a little bit earlier about what the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said about this bill. the Affordable Care Act. They say if you repeal the Affordable Care Act. it will increase the deficit over the next 10 years. and it will increase it by over $1 trillion in the second 10 years. Yet. we have this bill on the floor today without even a fresh Congressional Budget Office estimate. So nobody knows how those numbers may or may not change. What we do know is that the last assessment that they give us is that the action that our Republican colleagues are proposing today would increaseincreaseour national deficit. That is not fiscal responsibility. With that. I yield 11/2 minutes to the gentlelady from Minnesota . a member of the Budget Committee.
Date: 2012-07-10
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. just to respond to my friend. the chairman of the Budget Committee. with respect to the CBO estimate. if it was true that over the 10year period you had tax revenue loaded in the way that would sort of socalled deceive the impact of the deficit. it would stand to reason it would get worse over the second 10 years. In fact. the deficit savings. in other words. the reductions to the deficit. is greater over the second 10 years. according to the Congressional Budget Office. than the deficit reduction over the first 10 years. And if you repeal the bill. as the Republicans are proposing to do today. you will not only add to the deficit in the first 10 years. but youll add even more to the deficit over the 20year period. I now yield 11/2 minutes to the gentlelady from Florida. a member of the Budget Committee. Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ.
Date: 2012-07-10
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise today because its time to put an end to the pointless. partisan games. The Affordable Care Act has now been passed by a duly elected Congress. signed by the President and upheld as constitutionaldespite the chagrin of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle and their best effortsupheld as constitutional by the United States Supreme Court. More importantly. Americans. and particularly south Floridians. are already benefiting from this law. Thanks to the closing of the coverage gap. the doughnut hole. seniors in my district can now afford their prescription drugs instead of having to choose which ones they have to leave behind at the pharmacy because they cant afford to take them all home when they fall in the doughnut hole. And young adults have the security of staying on their parents plan until the age of 26. As a cancer survivor and a mother. this law is important to me because through it. the nearly 4 million Floridians who dont currently have health insurance will be able to get the coverage that they need. Mr. Speaker. this is our 31st vote to repeal all or part of the Affordable Care Act. It is time to stop the tantrums. grow up and work together on Americans number one prioritycreating jobs and getting this economy turned around. I look forward to working with my colleagues and any colleague on either side of the aisle to focus on job creation. getting this economy turned around. and focusing on Americans number one priority. which certainly is not fruitlessly engaging in partisan bickering.
Date: 2012-07-10
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I think this whole conversation about tax or a penalty has gotten us a little bit into the silly season. If you go to the State of Massachusetts Web site and you look at the RomneyCare plan. what they say is that if youre able to afford insurance but decide not to get it. you will pay a penalty collected through the tax systema penalty collected through the tax system. ObamaCare is modeled on RomneyCare. And as Governor Romney understood at one time. if you say to people who can afford health insurance. its okay that you dont get it. just show up at the hospital and everybody else will pay your bill through their higher premiums or taxpayers who have to pay uncompensated care to hospitals. thats freeriding on the system. Thats freeloading on the system. Thats saying to every other person. every other taxpayer that other people should be responsible for paying for the health care bill of the person who chooses not to get health care coverage. Yes. if you can afford health care coverage but you decide to freeride on other people. then theres a little penalty under this bill just as there is under Governor Romneys proposala proposal. by the way. that was once widely supported by our Republican colleagues when they talked about the importance of personal responsibility and the importance of making sure that people who are going to use the health care system took some responsibility for paying for their health care system. I now yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from Ohio .