macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-02-05
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you so much to my good friend from Ohio. What is more baffling is that it is bad enough that the President is. in this proposed budget. asking for more tax cuts for the wealthiest few. but what is more disheartening. deflating. insulting is that he is doing it on the backs of Medicaidrecipients and Medicare beneficiaries. There is a $252 billion Medicare cut. a net $28 billion Medicaid cut in this budget. Yet still there are billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy. I mean. .how do you stand behind a podium at a press conference. how do you hold up this big. thick. hulking document and say that this is a representation of your values. of our countrys values? Tax cuts for the wealthy and slashing health care for those who need it most and who can least afford it. I just honestly wonder every single day who raised these people. What were they talking - about around their dinner table? It was obviously a different conversation than what was discussed around my dinner table. . I come from not a poor background. not a wealthy background. but you know. I ate every night. we woke up and ate breakfast every day. Because I was comfortable in that regard and. because my family was able to provide for us. we were taught around that dinner table that you took care of and gave back. In the Jewish religion. it is called Tikkun Olam. You give back to the community and help people who can least afford it. and this budget is the antithesis of that. This is give to the people who can best afford it and do it and take from the people who can afford it the least. I guess that is another example of why Democrats were successful across this country. Why both of my colleagues were successful in defeating Republican incumbents because the message was clear and they wanted a new direction.
Date: 2007-02-05
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Speaking of SCHIP. the childrens health insurance program. there is actually a proposal in this budget document that narrows who would be eligible for the childrens health insurance program. Right now. I think the eligibility is twice that of the poverty level. and Secretary Leavitt just signed off on a formula that would narrow those children who could potentially be eligible for childrens health insurance. I mean. at a time in our country when people Hi199 are struggling to afford health care. when we have more and more people. especially children join the ranks of the uninsured. which means when you are sick. they cannot afford to go to the doctor and they use our emergency rooms as primary health care. Like I said. where are their values coming from?
Date: 2007-02-05
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Just actually if you are momentarily at a loss. yhave the privilege of sitting on the House Appropriations Committee. as does Mr. RYAN. and we will have a chance to take this document apart pretty carefully. one of the things that I was reviewing as we received this today was just the continuous example that this administration provides in representing a policy in one way and doing something completely different. I mean. we have to be careful about the words we choose when we are on the House floor referring to the President. but I will point you to the section -of the proposed budget that talks about how we finally are including at least some portion of the war budget inside the budget. instead of doing .it all as emergency supplemental funding. So we have to give the President credit for at least including a portion of that in the budget. However. he actually does not have any funding for the war. assumes no funding for the war past the end of 2008. There is no funding in his proposed budget for 2009. I think probably everyone in this country would like nothing more than for us to be completely finished in this war in Iraq by that point. but that is notthe track that we are on and it is not the track that the President has suggested that we are going to be on. So. there is a certain lack of clarity in terms of the distinction between what his budget represents and his rhetoric. They are not matching each -other. and I think people see through that. We are fortunately now running this institution. So. through our accountability process. we can show the disparity between what the budget represents and what the actual policy implementation is.
Date: 2007-02-05
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

That brings me back to my. you know. sort of private thoughts. when reviewing the budget proposal. and the changes in the SCHIP program formula. where are their values. where are their priorities? If you lay out the choices they had. they choose covering the formula and covering fewer kids. Perhaps it is that President Bushs daughters are grown now. or that they have always had health care coverage or that he grew up in a family that maybe didnt understand need. But there is something desperately wrong with the priorities and the values of this administration in terms of the direction they are moving in this country. That is why. at least f6rtunately now. Mr. RYAN. Mr. ALTMIRE. Mr. MURPHY. we have some balance. We have the ability to exert Congress role as a check and balance. We have the 30something Working Group that can come to the floor each night and talk about those issues. talk about what is important to the American people. and the way we want to continue to move this country in the new direction that our constituents have asked for.
Date: 2007-02-06
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I would like to express my strong support for H.R. 808. as it would create a U.S. Department of Peace. The importance of peace in the world today is often overlooked due to the severity of constant conflict. but. as a mother and lawmaker. the reality of war concerns me for the future of our Nation and this planet: The promotion of peace. not violence. should be number one on our agenda. For years. I have worked to raise awareness in the women within our society. and around the world. so that they can spread the word of peace and build a culture of peace in this world. Women in themselves are a powerful entity. and I believe by working together we as a society can stop the escalation of violence. We can prevail by joining together and building a U.S. Department of Peace. War is not the way. but peace is. I am proud to support this resolution. creating a U.S. Department of Peace and urge my colleagues support.
Date: 2007-02-06
Speaker: LINCOLN DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Tennessee

Mr. Speaker. we often hear from our friends on the right that when the Democrats question the war or the strategy in Iraq. we are disheartening our troops and emboldening the enemy. I guess it doesnt matter that there are many Republicans who also ask the same questions about the war. This attempt by the right to use fear and shame to quiet the administrations critics is distasteful and. I believe. hurts America. Those on the right who take the. argument further. suggesting that folks who dont agree with the administrations policies and dont keep their views to themselves are being unAmerican. really saddens me. It saddens me because it seems like those on the right are trying to discourage the very actions that led to the founding of our Nation. the. very actions that allowed the United States to continue evolving toward the neverending goal of a more perfect Union. Our country derives its strength from the diversity of views and ideas that come from its people. If one idea isnt working. then someone has the freedom to siuggest another idea that is different and might yield different results. In my opinion. the ability of the American people to discuss differing ideas gives our Nation great strength. Additionally. I believe that when Iraqi people see Americans exercising their right to freedom of speech. the Iraqi people are not disenchanted by their prospects. but rather they are inspired. to have a country as free as ours. They see our freedom as a beacon of hope for what their nation could become some day. Frankly. it is the freedom we enjoy here that scares the enemy over there so much. because they know that once the people taste freedom. they will demand it for eternity for themselves. So we should not stifle our freedom here for fear that it may be negatively impacting the war over there. which I seriously doubt it is. Furthermore. if the actions of Senators of both parties and House Members of both parties embolden the enemy. then doesnt public opinion also embolden the enemy? Since polls show a large majority of Americans disagreeing with the administrations policy in Iraq. not the war. the administrations policy in Iraq. if this is the case. then.why dont we see those on the right condemning the American people for expressing their views and emboldening the enemy? It is because
Date: 2007-02-06
Speaker: LINCOLN DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Tennessee

I so often hear that cut and run is a strategy from Democrats. That is not the case. When we finished the war in 1945. military bases were established in western Europe. in Turkey and other places throughout the world. They are still there..As we finished our endeavors. .as many people thought during the Korean War. our military bases are still located in South Korea. We will never leave the Middle East. if the American people think that is the case. What we are talking about is being able. to redeploy and do certain other endeavors that have not been. done to make sure we win this war. win the peace. and have success in Iraq. We will be in the Middle East for a long. long time. My greatgrandchildren will still see us be there. That is an area in which we have to defend Americas freedom and liberty. But we have got to take another look at having success. because what we are doing now is not having the success the American people demand. expect and we should have for them. and our troops deserve better than that. Mr. Speaker. I yield back the remaining portion of my time. PEAK OIL
Date: 2007-02-06
Speaker: JOHN OLVER (democrat)
Chamber: H

from Massachusetts is a cosponsor. A number of our colleagues have gotten on this bill to try to understand the nature of this problem. at least part of our dependence on fossil fuel. which is global warming. climate change. We think the debate is over. The debate is over because the science is clear that human activity is causing the climate to change and all those other problems or ramifications of increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We need to take action now to stop global warming. We subject our economy. our national security. our way of life to great risk and catastrophic harm. We have a bipartisan bill that will reduce the Nations greenhouse gas emissions substantially and in a timely fashion. We have a series of Fortune 500 companies from Alcoa to BP to Caterpillar to Duke Energy to DuPont to a number of environmental groups that support the Federal Government making a goal of reducing greenhouse gases by the year 2050 to 70 percent below 1990 levels. creating a regulatory structure to do that. Then these companies that I just read say that the market can resolvethe issue. It would create a cap and trade program with large tax incentives to unleash the ingenuity of the American free marketplace to capture the technology. which will make us much more economically viable to use efficiency. technological advances. alternative fuels. This will reduce over a period of decades not only our dependence on fossil fuel from foreign sources. not only improve our economy. not only improve our national security situation with the rest of the world. but drastically begin to improve our environment. The U.S. can take the lead in finding solutions to this seemingly intractable problem. The Federal Government sets a goal with the regulatory structure. the market produces the results. and human ingenuity. once again. solves some of the problems. I want to thank Congressman BARTLETT for the time and for his enormous interest in this issue and his skill and expertise.
Date: 2007-02-07
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. it was a preeminent privilege to serve with the gentleman on the Science Committee when he was a chairperson in waiting. and I am honored to call you Mr. Chairman today. Mr. Speaker. this is a serious problem. I beseech. I urge. I implore. I beg that my colleagues would support this legislation. H.R. 365. 365 is an appropriate number for this legislation. because this is a 365/24/7 problem. And this problem must be dealt with. This is a dangerous drug to produce. It is toxic. It is poisonous. It is deadly. It can explode. Twenty percent of all labs are discovered because of fire or explosion. And as bad as this is. there is a sinister side to this drug. Innocent people are being harmed by virtue of this drug being in residential property that landlords are not aware of. And when these innocent persons move in with their children. the residue from this product is causing damage to the liver. damage to the lungs. may cause cancer. and it creates problems in the neurological system. Mr. Speaker. we must act now. These labs are in all 50 States. No State is beyond the scope of this problem. Twothirds of the residential settings are victimized with these labs. Between 2003 and 2005. the DEA pointed out that 47.000 lab incidents occurred. We must act now if the innocent are to be protected from this deadly assassin. I beg that we all support this important piece of legislation.
Date: 2007-02-07
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of this resolution to recognize the African American spiritual as a national treasure. Till the passage of the 13th Amendment. African Ameridcn slaves were prevented from speaking their native languages. playing musical instruments they had used in Africa. and practicing their traditional religious beliefs. Despite attempts to strip away the history and identity of these individuals. they relied on a strong oral tradition to pass down stories and family narratives in the form of original songs. now known as spirituals. These African American spirituals came to represent a part of history that many tried to silence through oppression and slavery. These songs are a part of the spirit that could not be destroyed by the institution of slavery. And while the spirituals we know today likely represent onlya small portion of the total number. they remain an important link to the past as we teach new generations the meaning of our roots. For African Americans. identifying their history and researching genealogy becomes challenging due to a lack of organized records. Many are left with piecing together records of their ancestors left from former slave owners. Through song we can identify with our past. and the African American spiritual is oe of the few remaining bastions of African American tradition and history though art. I urge my colleagues to honor our history by voting for this importance piece of legislation.
Date: 2007-02-08
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Thank you. Mr. Chairman. Members. I have sat in my office and got caught up on a lot of work and I was listening to the debate. and I guess I am concerned about the tenor of the debate because I am serving in this Congress and I am in my eighth term. one term in the majority. the last 12 years in the minority. and I have never seen a display of what we are seeing on the loor today. Because I served with Speaker HASTERT and many speakers. and it is frustrating to see this activity. My concern is what we are portraying to the American people. And I think the chairman of the Science Committee pointed out the White House statement on the use of the plane. I was here on the floor after 9/11. and I know that not one Member on the Democratic side questioned whether Speaker HASTERT needed the security. needed a nonstop to his district. And I think that is far beyond anything we should be considering. I want to save energy. although I have to admit. I have a district where we produce a lot. and I am glad people use it. But I also know that we have more important things in this House to do than to pick at one person who happens to be the Speaker of the House. I could go back and find lots of things from former Speakers ofthe minority party and talk about it. but again. we didnt do that. I didnt. and I dont remember any of my colleagues doing it. But I also know that if we are going to seriously be legislators. then we need to pass this bill. I was concerned with some of the amendments that were brought up earlier literally by members of my Energy and Commerce Committee that were not germane because their amendments would have been germane if this had been an Energy and Commerce bill. but it is not. It is a Science bill. That is why I think if we are serious about dealing with global warming. more efficiency in fuel. there are lots of ways we can do it. I know the Science Committee is doing their job. and I know the Energy and Commerce Committee will. and if there are tax issues that need to be dealt with. I know the Ways and Means Committee will deal with it. Mr. Chairman and Members. I would hope we would realize that the actions today do not reflect good on the House itself.
Date: 2007-02-09
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. pursuant to Rule XI. Clause 2(a)(2) of Rules of the House of Representatives. I respectfully submit the rules for the 110th Congress for the Committee on Education and Labor for publication in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. The Committee adopted these rules by voice vote. with a quorum being present. at our organizational meeting on January. 24.
Date: 2007-02-12
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Thank you. Congressman CARNEY. for bringing this important piece of legislation before the House. Today. friends. we will honor and we will respect the fourth anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security. In so doing. we understand that it has been a rocky 4 years. but the importance of this mission of Homeland Security has only grown. We must never forget the crucial mission of the Department of Homeland Security and that it cannot be fulfilled without the people who make up tfie Department of Homeland Security. While there have been some difficult times. it is time for us to acknowledge that there are some good people working in the Department of Homeland Security. These people are heroes who work day and night keeping our country safe. They sacrifice their time. They are often away from their families. and they do a thankless job too often. So we are here today to say thank you. not only to those who are in the lofty offices and who hold high positions. but we are also here today to say thank you to those who sweep the floors. those who file the paperwork. those who answer the phones. those who are making a difference in the lives of Americans by making sure that while we are on their watch we are protected. I want you to know that while the Department came in dead last with reference to job satisfaction for Federal employees. according to a recent OPM survey. and we know that this is unacceptable. they were dead last. but I believe that they can improve. I believe that they will do better. And I want to share my optimism because the Department of Homeland Security -is a Department that every one of us is depending on who lives in the homeland. So the leadership in this Department must do better. Congress today. I believe. stands with the rank and file employees of this Department. and we want everyone to do better. -and we are here to support all of those many employees who are working hard for us. So I ask today that my colleagues join me in supporting and in embracing this resolution for the Department of Homeland Security. They are making a difference in our lives. The Department recently saw its fourth anniversary. It has been a rocky 4 years. but the importance of its mission has only grown. We must never forget that the crucial mission of the Department cannot be fulfilled without the people who make it up.. These heroes work day and night keeping our country safe. sacrificing time with their families. doing often thankless jobs. We are here today to thank them. The Department came in last in the recent OPM survey of job -satisfaction of Federal employees. This is unacceptable. The Departments leadership must do better. it must listen to the people on the front lines. Congress stands with these rankandfile employees. We will do our part to see that the Department does better by them.
Date: 2007-02-12
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on its 98th Anniversary. In 1909 the founder of the NAACP came together with the purpose of promoting the rights guaranteed under the 13th. 14th. and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. Today. the NAACP works to ensure that all individuals have equal rights and to eradicate racial hatred and discrimination. The NAACP has influenced some of the greatest civil rights victories of the last century. including: integration of schools and the Brown v. Board decision. the Voting Rights Act. striking down segregation. and the Equal Employment Opportunity Act. Despite the advancements of the past 98 years under the leadership of the NAACP. there is still much work to be done. The NAACP continuesto promote new ideas and leadership in the fields of educational and employment opportunities. ending health care disparities. and economic empowerment.
Date: 2007-02-13
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Penn

sylvania. Mr. Speaker. I take the floor today not as a Democrat or a Republican. but as an Iraq war veteran who was a captain with the 82nd Airborne Division in Baghdad. Three years ago I came home. but 19 of my fellow paratroopers did not. I rise to give a voice to the hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians and veterans across the globe who are deeply troubled by the Presidents plan to escalate the number of American troops in Iraq. I served in Baghdad from June 2003 to January 2004. I saw firsthand this administrations failed policies in Iraq. In this new Congress. there are 49 new faces. I am proud that five of those 49 new faces are veterans. All five of those veterans are Democrats. Today. I stand with my other military veterans. Sergeant Major TIM WALZ and Admiral JOE SESTAK. We stand together to tell this administration that we are against the escalation and to say with one voice that Congress will no longer be a blank check to the Presidents failed policies. Mr. Speaker. the time for more troops was 4 years ago. but this President ignored the military experts like General Shinseki and General Zinni. who in 2003 called for more troops. several hundred thousand more troops. to secure Iraq. Now. Mr. Speaker. our President is ignoring military leaders again.. patriots like General Colin Powell. General Abizaid and the bipartisan Iraq Study Group who were clear: the Presidents plan to send more of our best and bravest to die refereeing a civil war in Iraq is wrong. Mr. Speaker. it is a time for a new direction in Iraq. From my time serving with the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq. it became clear that in order to succeed we must make it clear to the Iraqis that we are not going to be there forever. Yet 3 years after I left Iraq. Americans are still running convoys up .and down Ambush Alley and securing Iraqi street corners. _ Today I am proud to stand with my fellow veterans and support this resolution. Mr. Speaker. we often hear from our colleagues on the other side that the only way to support the troops is to blindly support the President. Mr. Speaker. I ask anyone to look at
Date: 2007-02-13
Speaker: PATRICK J. MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Penn

sylvania. Mr. Speaker. during rollcall vote No. 96 on the previous question I was unavoidably detained at a closed Intelligence briefing. Mr. Speaker. if I had been present. I would have voted "yes."