macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-01-05
Speaker: PATRICK MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Pennsyl

vania. Mr. Speaker. I rise today as an original cosponsor of this vital measure. Mr. Speaker. this vote is about one of the most important issues facing America today. fiscal responsibility. PAYGO is straightforward. If Congress is going to buy something. we need to figure out how we are going to pay for it. That is what the small business owners. farmers. and families in the Eighth Congressional District of Pennsylvania do every single day. If the Mignonis in Bristol want to expand their store. they have to roll up their sleeves and figure out how they are going to pay for it. When the Russos of Fairless Hills started saving for their daughters college tuition. they had to figure out how they were going to pay for that. Mr. Speaker. this is exactly what we are voting on here today. If you or I have a good idea. we are going to have to roll up our sleeves. just like the Mignonis and the Russos. and figure out how we are going to pay for it first. fl 1100 As most of you know. I have a 6weekold daughter. Maggie. Maggie and every other newborn born in America are saddled with $28.000 in debt. That is immoral. Voting "yes" to implementing PAYGO is the first step toward getting our fiscal house in order.
Date: 2007-01-09
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. the sad truth is that we have an epidemic of working poor in this country. These are Americans who work 40 to 60 hours a week and sometimes 7 days a week. yet cant afford the basic necessities. At $5.15 per hour. a fulltime minimum wage worker makes less than $11.000 a year. which is less than most of us make in a month. These arent just teenagers working part time. Most minimumwage workers are actually hardworking disadvantaged adults. Each day these working poor are faced with the impossible decision of having to choose between food. clothing. shelter. medicine and utility bills. No American who works hard for a living should have to make those types of choices. We cannot continue to look away while hardworking Americans linger in poverty. This isnt just an economic issue. it is an ethical and moral issue. I commend the Democratic leadership for their dedication to this issue. and I urge my colleagues to support this raise for the millions of Americans who deserve it.
Date: 2007-01-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. it has been almost 3 years since the train bombing in Madrid. almost 2 years since the transit bombing in London. and nearly a year since the commuter rail bombings in Bombay. India. yet the Bush administration has done nothing to protect the Nations freight and transit rail systems and its millions of passengers. We cannot keep treating our rail infrastructure as secondclass citizens. We have dedicated billions of dollars to repair the rail system in Iraq but have done little to invest in the security upgrades needed right here in America. Another perfect example of falling down on the job is the administration repeatedly zeroing out the Port Security Grant program. which is one of the few sources for a port to improve antiterrorist measures in their facilities. Passing this bill will be the first step in a long road to protecting the people of this Nation and making sure our communities. our first responders. and our transportation workers are safe. In December 2005. the 9/11 Commission gave the administration and Congress five Fs and 12 Ds. An example of one of these F grades is in providing a riskbased allocation of homeland security. I encourage all the Members to vote for this bill.
Date: 2007-01-09
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 1. The 9/11 Commission made its recommendations over two and a half years ago. and I am pleased this legislation to implement those recommendations is a top priority in this Congress. Among other things. this legislation will address the allocation of Homeland Security grants to ensure riskbased distribution of funds to provide the most vulnerable areas with the resources necessary to protect citizens and infrastructure. Section 2001 of this bill defines what critical sectors should be used to determine high risk areas. and representing a district that is home to many of these sectors. I have long supported these changes. This bill will also improve information sharing among different levels of law enforcement. improve the interoperability of communications for first responders. and strengthen aviation and cargo security. As the 9/11 Commission pointed out. these are all important steps toward securing our homeland. But I am concerned about how some of these objectives are accomplished and the jurisdictional implications in this bill. In particular. this bill provides the Department of Homeland Security with broad authority over public health. electric transmission. site security. and communications. The agencies and departments that currently oversee these areas have expertise working with these issues and it is not clear that DHS is better prepared to regulate. advise or award grants in these areas. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure these issues are worked out either in conference or through committee oversight.
Date: 2007-01-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. a St. Pete headline says: "Gator Nation: Its A Great Time to be a Gator." The Gainesville Sun boasts: "Gators Made Most of Their Chances." The Miami Herald states: "Gators are First on the Court and First on the Field." The Florida Times Union reads: "The Gators Stand Tall and Deliver. Florida Totally Dominates Ohio in Claiming the National Championship." Go Gators! The BCS Championship game between the University of Florida Gators and the Ohio State University Buckeyes last night was a clash of the titans and history in the making. My alma mater. the University of Florida. became the first school in NCAA history to hold national titles in football and mens basketball at the same time. Only six Division I schools have ever won a football and mens basketball national championship since 1936. and never in the same year. Thanks to Head Coach Urban Meyer. the Florida coaching staff. and the outstanding Gator football team. we finished the season with a 131 record. I want to congratulate the University of Florida for not only being the best athletic school in the country but also the best in academia. The Gators. through persistent offense and an overwhelming defense. defeated the Ohio State University Buckeyes 4114. They earned 21 firstlowns. 370 total yards. and did not turn the ball- ovbr on offense. The defense held the �oplonehits to only eight first downs. 82 total yards. and sacked the quarterback five times. for 51 yards. No doubt about it. the best team won the National Championship. Go Gators!
Date: 2007-01-09
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise to congratulate the University of Florida Gators for winning the Bowl Championship Series National Football title last night. After a hard fought season. the Gators proved victorious last night with a dazzling 4114 triumph over the Ohio State University Buckeyes. I want to extend special congratulations to Floridas head coach. Urban Meyer. who trained this football team to be the best in the country. All of the athletes are shining stars for the university and deserve our highest praise. Last night. the University of Florida made history by winning national titles in both mens basketball and football in the same season. Floridas academic reputation is stellar. our sports teams are number one and our fans are like none other. Mr. Speaker. it is great to be a Florida Gator. Congratulations to the students. faculty. alumni. and friends of the University of Florida. I have just one thing left to say. Mr. Speaker. and that is: Two bits. four bits. six bits a dollar. All for the Gators. stand up and holler. Go Gators!
Date: 2007-01-09
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

I just want to once again thank the Gators. and as we speak. I want you to know that they are arriving in Gainesville and we want to extend our wholehearted congratulations to the coaching staff and to the faculty and staff. I also have a yell. one that I remember. and we used to do it when I was a student at the University of Florida. It Was: One. two. three. four. five. them there Gators dont take no jive. And they:lid it last ilht. Go Gatds!
Date: 2007-01-09
Speaker: PATRICK MURPHY (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Pennsyl

vania. Thank you. sir. I appreciate the opportunity to speak here tonight amongst my colleagues here in the Blue Dogs. When you come down to Washington. you align yourself with people that are just like you. people that represent not just you personally. but your district .back at home and your interests in your district back at home. When Congresswoman BEAN talked about Thomas Jefferson and the future generations. I couldnt help but think that I kissed this morning when I came to work my baby daughter goodbye for the day. Maggie Murphy. I mentioned earlier she was born 6 weeks ago. When you look at that bottom number there that the Blue Dogs fight for. that $29.000. every newborn in America is born into that debt. that $29.000 apiece. they are born into that debt. and this Congress previously just let it keep rolling and rolling and growing and growing.. Finally the Blue Dogs have arrived now. and the Blue Dogs are saying. listen. we are not going to take it anymore. We are putting our foot down. We are going to be disciplined. That discipline is something I learned personally in the military. that families in my district in Bucks County. Pennsylvania. know about. because in my district we have Washingtons Crossing. where those soldiers that started the Revolution. that. really earned our independence. showed the discipline when they didnt have the best uniforms. They didnt have the best equipment. but they had a belief. and they stood by their beliefs. That is exactly what the Blue Dogs do. and they keep it simple. They say we stand for two things: Fiscal discipline. fiscal responsibility. and. number two. a strong national defense. That is why it is an honor that the families in the Eighth Congressional District. they know that their congressman. in myself. in PATRICK MURPHY. and our colleagues of the Blue Dogs. that we stand for something. and that we will fight every single day to bring down that number. so that when people like Maggie Murphy and other newborns in Lower Bucks Hospital and all over America. when they are born into our great country. and it is a great country. they are not born $29.000 in debt.
Date: 2007-01-09
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you so much. We are all Gators today. It is a Gator Nation. And we were just thrilled that the fighting Gator football team came to play yesterday. dominated Mr. RYANs team. although
Date: 2007-01-09
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Expanding access to higher education was one of the critical elements. is one of the critical elements of the 100hours agenda because America is all about opportunity. Our good friends on the other side of the aisle talk about prosperity and how it is essential to mal]e sure that Americans can continue to prosper. and we absolutely believe that. But there is no denying that prosperity isnt possible in this or any other country without an education. If you are denied access to education because of the lack of affordability. because you cant pay for it or because your ability to repay a loan is prohibited because the interest rate is so high that you are paying for the rest of your natural life and it takes such a huge chunk of your income that eventually you have to decide not to pursue an education. then prosperity isnt possible. As you have in this chart. and Mr. MEEK is going to talk about minimum wage. we lag behind the world in terms of global education standards. You have thousands of students who will graduate with engineering degrees this year. And look at the difference in numbers: 600.000 engineering degrees in China. 350.000 engineering degrees in India. and 70.000 engineering degrees in the. United States of America. Now. if that isnt an example and evidence of where we need to focus our priorities and make sure that we expand access to higher education so that we can grow that number. then our ability to be competitive globally is severely. severely impacted. and individuals ability to prosper is severely impacted.
Date: 2007-01-09
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

If the gentleman will yield. one of the things I wanted to point out is it could ultimately. as we continue to do these 30something hours. it could be easy to presume now that we are in the majority that we. would come here and only talk about the Democrats agenda and what we are planning to do. and we are going to spend quite a bit of time talking about that during these hours. But I think it is important that our colleagues and others who might hear us talking tonight understand that the reason that our taking the majority in the Congress was so important. besides our being able to implement an agenda. is the accountability factor. We are going to come here. now that we are in the majority and control the agenda here. it is absolutely our responsibility because we have the ability to do it to hold this administration accountable. to ask questions. to hold hearings. to bring them here and make sure that they answer questions about their policies that the American people showed us on November 7 they dont agree with. It is going to be incredibly important in the time that we spend on this floor that we not only talk about our agenda. but what we are doing to make sure that we restore the Congress role. constitutional role. where we hold the administration accountable and reestablish the system of checks and balances.
Date: 2007-01-09
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

that is major. Mr. RYAN. for the American people to vote for change and to see it. immediately. Not. well. when is the next election? What? Two years and some change. We are not even out of January yet. and we are already voting in a bipartisan way because of the leadership of the Democrats that say we have to increase the minimum wage. something we told the American people we would do. So I am excited about the fact. Mr. RYAN. that we are able not only in our lifetime but in our political lifetime to be able to deliver to the American people something that is important.
Date: 2007-01-09
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Thank you. I think the key word you touched on is balance. That is why I am thrilled. and I know the two of you are as well. to have the opportunity to restore balance and to restore the American peoples confidence in their government again. Because. Mr. MEEK and Mr. RYAN7. that is one of the things that was a casualty of the last several years. with the headline every other day. every day sometimes. about a colleague of ours on the other side of the aisle being indicted. as Mr. MEEK said. or arrested. We have former colleagues in jail. We have lobbyists that inappropriately tried to influence this process that are in jail. This election. I think. was a reflection of the American peoples desire for change and to move in a new direction. And one of the things that Speaker PELOsI has talked about. and talked about so often in the campaign. is what her speakership and our majority will be about is making this the most bipartisan Congress in the United States history. with the inclusiveness and the participation that Members on both sides of the aisle will have an opportunity to have. and that that is incredibly important. That extends beyond just the Members here. but extends to the voices of the people that we are serving. The net roots. for example. That is a community that has been so instrumental and so involved in getting the message out about what people in the country care about. I know that the three of us have interacted during our time on the floor here with folks involved in the net roots and they have given voice to so many people exponentially that would not have had the ability to get our message out. It is incredibly important. Inclusiveness and balance and confidence in government is I think going to be the watch words that will be really the clarion call of our majority. so I really look forward to that opportunity. I tell you. where we are at this stage of our careers and our lives. I have been in public office now for. gosh. I guess it is 16 years. which is kind of amazing. But it is actually 16 years. and I have spent f of those years in the majority in the State House. Mr. MEEK. we served a couple years in the majority together in the State House. and that is the last time that I had an opportunity to actually advance an agenda. We definitely spent a lot of time honing our defensive skills. and I think we have gotten pretty good at that and comparing and contrasting. But at the end of the day. most of us. the vast majority of us ran for office in order to make the world better. and now we have that opportunity. Like you said. Mr. RYAN. we might not always do it right. but it wont be for lack of good intentions and it wont be for lack of trying to stand up for those who have no voice. which I think will be quite a marked contrast compared to. and I hate to directly question the intentions. but compared to the intentions of some over the last few years. That is the most diplomatic way I can put it.
Date: 2007-01-09
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

I just want to close by saying that I look forward to the opportunity to continuing the balance that we have been trying to strike the last number of years and having the opportunity to implement our agenda. to move this country in a new direction. and begin to establish some real accountability and oversight witli this administration. I look forward to joining you on the floor with the 30something Working Group and having our new colleagues. the new additions. the new recruits in the 30something Working Group. which is the freshman class.
Date: 2007-01-09
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

I can tell you that in the 30something Working Group we do. Mr. Speaker. kind of mix it up here and there. but I think it is very. very important. I am glad we came tonight just to reflect on the work. and to say thank you to the American people. and to say thank you to the staff here in the House. and to say thank you to all of our families. I would like to say thank you to our personal staff that work in our offices. We get together. Mr. Speaker. and we go over this information. what works best here for the American people. So we just dont come to the floor. We actually spend a lot of staff time. So we want to say thank you to our staffs. Once again. we would like to say thank you to the Speaker for creating this group and sticking with us and giving us the resources that we need to come to the floor night after night. and we look forward to continuing to do that. The good thing about this 30something Working Group. Mr. Speaker. is that this wasnt a project to get in the majority. this was a project to work on behalf of the American people. So in the majority we will continue to do the things we did in the minority because we still have people out there that need the kind of representation in a sensible way. This is not partisan. We are going to read off the song sheet of whatever the Democratic National Committee puts out. That is not what it is all about. It is about giving voice. commonsense solutions. and moving in the direction that we have to move in. So we look forward to working with our Republican colleagues. And I am so honored. Mr. Speaker. to yield to Mr. RYAN to give the Web site out. and then I am going to yield back our time. But since we no longer can use our old Web site. because we are in the majority now. Mr. Mantos had to write it on some notebook paper to give out to the Members until we get our Web site memorized.
Date: 2007-01-10
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Its time to raise the minimum wage. Mr. Speaker. I love America. and I want to make real the ideal expressed in the Pledge of Allegiance. liberty and justice for all. Justice not just for those who make more in a day than a minimum wage worker makes in a year. not just for those who are in. those who are in charge. in control. included. but justice also for those who are out. who are left out of the economic recovery. who are without health insurance. who are locked out of an apartment because they cannot afford to pay rent. Mr. Speaker. in the final analysis. the justness of America will not be determined by how we treat millionaires in the suites of life but. rather. how we treat minimum wage workers in the streets of life.
Date: 2007-01-10
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. this month Democrats will take action on a bold agenda that includes all Americans. During our first 100 hours of legislative work. we are going to expand economic opportunities to millions of Americans who have been left standing in need for 6 years at least. Hardworking middle class Americans feel like they. have been left behind. While CEOs see millions of dollars in bonuses and large pay increases. middle class workers have faced stagnant wages for well over 5 years. And while their wages remain virtually the same. they are trying to stretch every paycheck to better afford increasing education and health care costs. This month. Congress will give these families some muchneeded help. For families trying to afford a college education for their children. we are going to cut student loan interest rates in half. which should save the average borrower about $5.000 over the life of the loan. For seniors struggling to pay for high price prescription drug costs. we are going to lessen the burden by giving the Federal Government the ability to actually negotiate for lower drug prices. Today we will give working Americans a minimum wage increase.
Date: 2007-01-10
Speaker: LORETTA SANCHEZ (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2. the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. and I am glad it will pass today in the House of Representatives. because for too long the disparity between the wealthiest and the poor has been going on and continuing to grow in America. And it is in no small part due to the Republicans not raising the minimum wage in almost 10 years. Imagine this. you work for $5.15 an hour. You work all year round. and not your takehome pay but your gross pay is $10.700. That is $6.000 below the poverty level for a family of three every year. The minimum wage has not gone up. Real income. the buying power of the dollar has gone down for Americans. And the cost of health insurance. of gasoline. of home heating. of tuition at college has gone up by $5.000 since the year 2000. So this is an important law to pass today.
Date: 2007-01-10
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself 30 seconds. I say. it is an interesting discussion from the other side of the aisle. It just doesnt comport with the evidence that we have in States that have passed a higher minimum wage than the Federal minimum wage. They have experienced higher job growth than those States with the low minimuin wage. Overall. retail job growth between 1998 and 2006 was 10.2 percent in those States with a higher minimum wage and only 3.7 percent in the Federal minimum wage States. Overall across all sectors it was 30 percent greater. The fact of the matter is. an increase in the minimum wage is helping the economy grow. Mr. Speaker. I yield for 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey . a member of the committee who has been battling this issue long and hard.