macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-03-10
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as an original cosponsor of H.R. 4783. I rise in support of this bipartisan legislation and urge its immediate enactment to support the ongoing recovery efforts in Chile and Haiti. This bill does two simple things. First. it allows anybody making a cash contribution for earthquake relief in Chile before April 15. 2010. to receive a charitable deduction for the qualifying contribution on their 2009 tax return. And second. it provides the same tax benefit to those wishing to support relief efforts in Haiti. by extending the original March 1. 2010. deadline for Haiti contributions to April 15. 2010. as well. These simple steps are consistent with our nations tradition of responding to those in need and will provide an extra incentive for generous Americans to make timely contributions to these crises when the assistance is needed most.
Date: 2010-03-10
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I was one of those Members who understood the horror of 9/11 and joined with the thenPresident of the United States to respond to an attack on the United States. Subsequently in the Iraq war. I voted against that war knowing that it had nothing to do with the attack on the United States on 9/11. So I do not stand on this floor with a heart that is not heavyladen and an understanding of the importance of this resolution. This resolution is grounded in the Constitution and it has merit. for the question is. when we responded to 9/11. it was a war on terror. Today. we find that this is a war of insurgents. There is no real documentation that al Qaeda still lingers in Afghanistan. But we do understand that we have lost 1.000 Americans to date70 in 2010 and 316 in 2009soldiers that we honor and respect. Never will there be one soldier that we dont call for an honor and respect of the United States. In fact. I filed legislation to have a day of honor for all of our returning soldiers. None of them should come home to silence. We should always provide great honor for them. But here is where we are as it relates to the situation in Afghanistan. Today. although he has the right to do so. President Karzai is greeting the President of Iran. I hope they work together for peace. But the questions are: What are our soldiers doing to help impact the governance of Afghanistan? The governance that requires the fighting of corruption. the governance to fight for freedom and for human rights and the right to worship. governance to establish schools for the girls and boys and allow girls and boys to go. Yes. we need nation building. but not with our soldiers out walking step by step trying to bypass IEDs. many times missing it and losing arms and legs and eyes. This is the time to give the President. who did do the right thing. who deliberated and who took time and responded to his generalswe salute him for that. But now is the time for the United States Congress and the constitutional separation of the branches of government to be able to assess whether or not this particular conflict must continue and whether there is a benefit to the American people. I would make the argument there is much to do. There is much to do in cleaning up Afghanistan. There is much to do in providing for the opportunity of governance. We can do that in a way that will support the State Department with support staff from the military. And if there is a need to defend the United States. I have no doubt that the brave men and women of the United States military will stand at attention and will rise to the occasion. Now we owe their families. these young men and women. 165.000 who came home from Iraq. many of whom are suffering from posttraumatic disorder.
Date: 2010-03-10
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Madam Speaker. I stand in strong support of the Debt Relief for Earthquake Recovery in Haiti Act introduced by my dear friend and colleague. Representative MAXINE WATERS. Like so many of my colleagues here in the Congress. and particularly in the CBC. we have been working to improve the lives of the people of Haiti for many. many years. I was in Haiti last October with Chairman OBERSTAR and Congressman GREGORY MEEKS. and we met with President Preval and members of the Haitian Cabinet to discuss ways to improve the nations infrastructure system. which is absolutely vital to Haitis future economic development. Haiti is an island filled with goodwilled. hardworking people. yet their lives are extraordinarily difficult because their country has been in great turmoil for decades. long before the terrible earthquake that hit PortauPrince. Being from Florida. Haiti has always been very. very near and dear to my heart. In my congressional district of Florida. we worked with numerous area churches. businesses. and nonprofit organizations to make about 60 donations of tractortrailers filled with supplies for the Haitian people. We worked with nonprofit organizations and with Food For The Poor. and it was transported by the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lineall at no cost to the people of Haiti. You know. because Haiti is not on the front pages of the paper. their needs are very important. and we need to continue to work to help the people of Haiti. I want to thank all of my colleagues for doing it. This is a really wonderful first step.
Date: 2010-03-10
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I want to thank the team that worked on this effort. Of course. that would be the honorable Chair of the subcommittee. Mr. MEEKS. It would be the Honorable MAXINE WATERS. It would also be Mr. MILLER. the ranking member on the subcommittee and. of course. the ranking member of the full committee. Mr. BACHUS. Madam Speaker. I must tell you that my comments have been revised because I cannot allow this moment to go by without speaking to the comments that were made by Mr. BACHUS. He spoke to our hearts and he spoke truth. Its not easy to stand in the well of the House of Representatives and speak the kind of truth that we heard. A son of the South and a Representative from Alabama stood in the well of the House. and he spoke the truth about one of the greatest atrocities ever imposed upon humankind and about how one country. in an effort to extricate and liberate itself. had to pay for the very liberation that it accorded itself. It meant something to me to hear this son of the South speak this kind of truth in the well of the Congress of the United States of America. So I commend you and I salute you.
Date: 2010-03-10
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise today in strong opposition to the Presidents proposal to cancel the NASA Constellation Program. which covers the Orion Crew capsule. the Altair Lunar Lander. and the Ares I and Ares V rockets. These programs. which together comprise our human spaceflight program. were authorized in both 2005 and 2008 by Republican and Democratic Congresses. It is under the Constellation Program that NASA is currently developing new launch vehicles and spacecraft capable of traveling to the Moon. Mars. and other destinations. Not only does canceling the Constellation Program jeopardize Americas leadership role in human space exploration. but it will have detrimental effects on our economy. The issue is it will take years for the commercial spaceflight industry to get up to speed to where the level of competence exists in NASA today. Our government has already invested literally years and billions of dollars in this program. We should build upon these investments and not abandon them. Our country can support the commercial spaceflight industry. but not at the expense of our human spaceflight programs. It is my hope. Madam Speaker. that this Congress will continue NASAs Constellation Program.
Date: 2010-03-10
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring H. Con. Res. 1150. which establishes NASA and all of its assets as a national security interest. We need to work with the President in moving forward on restoring the funds for the Constellation Program and to reemphasize and recommit ourselves to human space exploration. In the current budget of the NASA program. funds have been increased. but funds have been taken away from the Constellation Program. In essence. it has been canceled. My request is that we have our task before us. and the answer is simple: to reprogram the funds that are in the NASA budget to ensure that this great asset of NASA. NASA Johnson. the NASA centers in Alabama and Mississippi and Florida and elsewhere. are maintained. The international space station has been built over the last 10 years. It has been built with the genius. the intellect. and the research of the United States. That research and genius and that kind of data requires protection as a national security interest. The funding that needs to be restored will help create this opportunity and save jobs. Let us save jobs and provide for NASA space exploration.
Date: 2010-03-10
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I did not know Charlie Wilson. but I know friends of Charlie Wilson. and based upon what his friends say. he was truly a remarkable person. I admire people who march to the beat of a different drummer. I admire people who are original. who do things in a very good way. but they do the things that they do in their very own way. It appears that Charlie Wilson was such a person. While he could easily have been a great Congressperson representing the people of his district and not traveling abroad. he took it upon himself to not only help the people of Afghanistan but to go there and be a part of it and to actually take others into Afghanistan as well to help people with a resistance movement. He marched to the beat of a different drummer. He did not allow the circumstances of what we call "the norm" to prevent him from doing unusual things in a most significant way. I regret that I did not have the opportunity to meet him. because I believe that such a person has a positive impact on the lives around him. and as I listen to his friends speak so highly of what he was able to do here in the Congress of the United States of America. I only can say. Charlie. I didnt have an opportunity to meet you on this side. but I know that at some point. Ill have an opportunity to meet you. and I want you to share some of those many stories with me. You have been a friend of this country. and this country loves you. God bless you. Charlie. I know that wherever you are. theres a good time being had.
Date: 2010-03-10
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to celebrate the life and honor the accomplishments of Congressman Charlie Wilson who passed away on February 10. 2010. Charlie Wilson was a remarkable Congressman. and in his time in the U.S. House of Representatives. he worked diligently for his constituents in East Texas. During his tenure in the House. he gained a seat on the House Appropriations Committee and through his position on the Subcommittee on Defense. he helped to fund the Afghan Mujahideen during the Soviet War in Afghanistan. Additionally. his support for progressive politics led him to be an advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment. a minimum wage bill. and Medicaid. All of these actions have garnered Congressman Wilson a place in the history books. but it was his personality that earned him a place in the hearts of so many people across Texas. When everything was said and done. we all knew that his deepest concern was for the people of his district in East Texas. and as a fellow Texas Democrat. I am privileged to have served with him. His love for life will reverberate through the halls of Congress for years to come. and he will be truly missed by his fellow Texans. and especially me. Mr. Speaker. Texas has lost a great leader and legislator with the passing of Congressman Wilson. and I ask my fellow colleagues to join me today in honoring his memory.
Date: 2010-03-10
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Earlier this evening. Madam Speaker. colleagues came to the floor of the House to salute our late colleague. the Honorable Congressman Charles Wilson. who made the people of the world happy because of his enthusiasm and leadership. Congressman Wilson was born June 1. 1933. in the small town of Trinity. Texas. He attended public schools there and graduated from Trinity High School in 1951. While attending Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. Texas. Wilson was appointed to the United States Naval Academy. He received his B.S. degree. graduating eighth from the bottom of his class in 1956. However. that was not a testimony to how Charlie Wilson would serve this Nation. He served in the Navy. attaining the rank of lieutenant. He graduated as a gunnery officer. He was assigned to a destroyer to search for Soviet submarines. He then took a top secret post at the Pentagon as part of an intelligence unit that evaluated the Soviet Unions nuclear forces. Wilson came into politics by volunteering for John F. Kennedys Presidential campaign in 1960. After a 30day leave from the Navy. he entered his name into the race for Texas Representative from his home district. While back on duty. his mother. sister and their friends went doortodoor. campaigning. It worked. At age 27. he was sworn into office. For the next dozen years. Wilson was known as .the liberal from Lufkin." In 1972. he came to the United States Congress. He was a power. He was a man who enjoyed the friendship of many of our colleagues. He was a staunch supporter of the elderly. of women. and of equal rights. He was unique in his time. He came to this Congress in a segregated time. coming from Houston. Texas. and the surrounding areas. but he knew my colleagues Congressman Mickey Leland and Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. I know that he had a relationship that showed no discrimination. no bias. I know he loved this country. He wanted to do well by our allies. and. yes. he was the star of "Charlies War." He was the one who led quietly an opposition to the Russians takeover of Afghanistan. That story will always be hisbrave. quiet. but successful. As the story is told. he didnt do a lot of talking about it. but he got the job done. We will miss Congressman Charlie Wilson. I am so honored and privileged to have had the opportunity to serve with him for 2 years when I first came to the United States Congress. He was a joy to serve with. He was a defined Member of this body. who respected this body but who had a great time. We will miss him as he has lost his life just recently. We say to his lovely wife who shared times with him for 11 years. Thank you for sharing Charlie Wilson. Thank you for giving him the joy of his life. and thank you so very much for recognizing what a special treasure he was to the American people and to the great State of Texas. Madam Speaker. my words. I hope. will be a mere comfort to his family and friends. To my colleagues in the Texas delegation. yes. we have a fallen hero. but we have a friend we will be able to remember for a lifetime. God bless you. Charlie Wilson. May you rest in peace.
Date: 2010-03-10
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise to recognize the contributions Congressman Charles Wilson made to the people of Houston. Texas. and the nation. He served the people of Houston. Texas with vigor. Congressman Wilson was born June 1. 1933 in the small town of Trinity. Texas. He attended public schools there and graduated from Trinity High School in 1951. While attending Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. Texas. Wilson was appointed to the United States Naval Academy. Wilson received a B.S. degree. From 1956 to 1960. Wilson served in the U.S. Navy. attaining the rank of lieutenant. Having graduated as a gunnery officer. he was assigned to a destroyer that searched for Soviet submarines. He then took a top secret post at the Pentagon as part of an intelligence unit that evaluated the Soviet Unions nuclear forces. Wilson stumbled into politics by volunteering for John F. Kennedys presidential campaign in 1960. After a 30day leave from the Navy. he entered his name into the race for Texas State Representative from his home district. While back on duty. his mother. sister and their friends went door to door campaigning. It worked. And at age 27. he was sworn into office. For the next dozen years. Wilson made a name for himself as the "liberal from Lufkin." In 1972. Wilson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Second District of Texas. taking office the following January. Though he did not speak much on the House floor. he spoke through his actions. He was a staunch supporter of the elderly. women. and equal rights. Charlie Wilson supported abortion rights and the Equal Rights Amendment. Wilson also battled for regulation of utilities. Medicaid. tax exemptions for the elderly and a minimum wage bill. Madam Speaker. I am pleased to recognize the contributions of Charlie Wilson as a representative of the people of Houston and this nation.
Date: 2010-03-11
Speaker: JOHN KERRY (democrat)
Chamber: H

representing Massachusetts. were able to find in the bill. or put into the bill in section 10201. $1.1 billion for the States of Vermont and Massachusetts for their Medicaid program. Now I have had my staff go over the bill and I am looking for Arizonas $1.1 billion. Or. since those two States split it. it turns out to be $600 million for Vermont and $500 million for Massachusetts. I looked around to see if I could find $500 million or $600 million for Arizona. but it is not there. But every Member of this body. I think as early as next week. or maybe the week after. is going to get to vote on that special deal. They cant change a word of it. So if your congressman says oh. no. Im not voting for that. that is wrong because it will be in the bill. I have many more of these to go over.
Date: 2010-03-12
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I have served on the Homeland Security Committee. tragically. since the occurrences of 9/11. and I want to congratulate this Nation for moving toward securing its people in a way that balances civil liberties and as well recognizes our responsibilities. As the chairwoman of the Transportation Security Committee. I want to acknowledge that in looking at how we treat our guests that come from other countries. we should always continue to review those circumstances. Just a few days ago. our guests from Pakistan. Pakistani parliamentarians. were traveling through our airport and were detained and asked a number of questions even though they were traveling with State Department escorts. as we understand it. I believe it is important to always remain secure but to remain balanced as well. I think it is appropriate that we look again at our procedures to ensure that our international diplomatic guests receive the kind of responsible treatment that is appropriate. We thank those who serve us on the front lines. but I will be looking forward to a full report by the Department of Homeland Security. and I offer to those dignitaries our respect because we do believe in international diplomacy.
Date: 2010-03-15
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise today to honor both my alma mater and hometown school. the University of Houston. and its mens basketball team. for being selected for the NCAA tournament for the first time in 18 years. The Cougars secured a bid to the tournament by winning the Conference USA championship game. Houston goes to the tournament with the Nations leading scorer. Aubrey Coleman. and a solid team surrounding him. The team faces the University of Maryland on Friday in the opening round of the tournament. While its been some time since Houston has made an appearance in the NCAA tournament. we have a long history of success in the NCAA tournament. most notably in the early eighties. It was during this time. from 1982 to 1984. that Phi Slama Jama became the nickname of the University of Houston Cougars mens basketball team. The phrase was coined by a local sportswriter. Thomas Bonk. and the nickname was quickly adopted by the players and even appeared on team warmup suits. Phi Slama Jama was coached by Guy Lewis and featured NBA Hall of Fame players Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. "Texas Tallest Fraternity" was known for its dunking and explosive. fastbreaking style of play. While the 20092010 team has a different style of play. theyre exciting to watch. and well be rooting for an upset on the number four seed on Friday.
Date: 2010-03-15
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. this is the weekthe weekthat we will have an opportunity to provide expanded coverage for Americans. I hope this will be the week of truth and not for misrepresentations that have been carried forward. I hope that those who are uninsured will understand now that 31 million will have insurance. that Medicare care will be protected and in actuality expanded by the basic benefits plan. that Medicaid will be reimbursed in all 50 States. There will be no fixes for 100 percent. and then. going forward. 95 percent. and then 90 percent to protect those who are impoverished. we will have a system of a pool of insurance companies to thwart the oneinsurancecompany per State. You will be able to shop for the best plan. If you have your insurance. youll be able to keep it. If youre a small business. youll have subsidies. As well. yes. we require companies to carry insurance. But I believe this is "the week." It is a good week for America to vote for real health care reform.
Date: 2010-03-15
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I want to quickly make two points. The community college system we have heard now is expanding because everyone wants an opportunity to be there and be trained. I hope that we will be able to have. in our package. the unemployed who are getting unemployment. keeping their unemployment but getting a scholarship to be trained which helps their income and. therefore. does not deprive of them that unemployment while they are getting a stipend to go to school. And I also hope that in the Houston communityIm sorry. Let me cite the Houston community college system that I have on my mind. They do a great job. but that in our community college system. that those exfelons that we have just spoken about can also be trained and be given opportunities. Lets not close any door to the chronically unemployed.