macleginn/stanford_congress_record_longer_speeches huggingface dataset:
Date: 1995-11-09
Speaker: PETE GEREN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker. this is a very appealing motion. On the face of it. it is impossible to imagine how anyone could be against it. I commend those who drafted it for the wording of it. the appealing wording of it. But what this will do is totally gut the effort to try to bring any rationality to the award of punitive damages. As appealing as this language seems. that is really what its goal is. That is what its objective is. To respond to the concerns expressed by some of my colleagues earlier. this concern about punitive damages is not a province of the right wing or the left wing in this country. Legal scholars across the political spectrum. liberal. moderate. and conservative. have expressed concerns not about the number of punitive damage awards perhaps. but the arbitrariness. the capriciousness of it in their award. We have seen those issues raised time and time again. recently. to the point where the constitutionality of this punitive damage process is in question again by people across the political spectrum. I raise one very practical problem with the application of this motion to commit. How would it be applied? Would we have the plaintiff conduct the trial? They award the damages. and then do we have to have a separate trial to have a substantially similarly injured plaintiff and have a second trial. and then take what would have happened in this hypothetical plaintiffs case and apply It to this other plaintiffs case? As appealing as this language sounds on the surface of it. it presents the litigation system in this country with an absolutely impossible task: two trials in the case. the actual plaintiff. and then this hypothetical similarly situated plaintiff. It is unworkable. It is a very clever effort to undo the sincere efforts to bring some rationality to the award of punitive damages. As appealing as the language sounds. Mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues to reject the motion.
Date: 1995-11-10
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. the Republican majority want to shut dowii Government because they cannot pass their bill that is loaded up like a Christmas tree. They have not passed the majority of the appropriations bills. and they are over 40 days late. So what are we going to see? Social Security claims will not be paid. Veterans benefit checks delayed. National parks closed. The Republican majority has told the President and the American people. it is our way or no way. Well. the voters sent the message last Tuesday and by the polls show that by 2 to 1 they are rejecting the Republican extremism. We support a balanced budget. but not at the expense of cutting Medicare. education funds. and student loans.
Date: 1995-11-13
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. let me say to the gentlewoman from Florida that this is a plah that has been of long standing and of long coming. If we check back through the papers. on April 3. in the Washington Times. Mr. GINGRICH boasted that the President will veto a number of things and then we will put them all on the debt ceiling. and then he will decide how big a crisis he wants. Now. that is April 3. back when he stated that the strategy was to create a titanic legislative standoff with President Clinton by adding vetoed bills to a mustpass legislation. increasing the national debt ceiling. I am not sure that that is anything that just started today or the last 24 or 48 hours. That has been the plan for a long time. Then June 5. in Time magazine. Mr. GINGRICH was quoted as saying. "He can run the parts of the government." speaking of the President. "that are left after the Republican budget cuts or he can run no government. Which of the two of us do you think worries more about government not showing up?" Now. that is the message that Mr. GINGRICH was sending to a number of senior citizens and to a number of children and working families. and that was in Time magazine June 5. Then. in the Washington Post on September 22. the stated. "I do not care what the price is. I do not care if we have no Executive offices and no bonds for 30 days. Not this time." I do not think that is responsible. but I am quoting that directly from these publications.
Date: 1995-11-13
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Well. I do think it is extreme when we decide that our senior citizens must pay. even against the American peoples will. much more now for their premiums when it really is not necessary except to give that tax break that has been promised for the most wealthy people of the Nation.
Date: 1995-11-13
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Well. of course the bills are due by midnight September 30. because the new fiscal year starts October 1. Clearly. that has not been done. Yet. the votes are here in this body for the Speaker to get his will. but they have not passed.
Date: 1995-11-13
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I do not know. but I can tell my colleague there has been a lot of them. And we have had a lot more votes. We have worked a whole lot more hours and a lot longer days than we worked the session before. but we were completed with our business on time.
Date: 1995-11-13
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I think what the American people are reacting to is the extremism. the extremes which these bills contain. and that is why we are having such difficulty bringing them to finality. When we decide that our children need no protection in the water or in the food or the air. and our seniors or working families or any of the American people. that is extreme.
Date: 1995-11-13
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I served in both the Texas House and the Texas Senate. and I have never been in a position where I could say that I dideverything the way I wanted it to be done. but what I can say is that everyone had an opportunity to be heard. to call witnesses. and then there was a fair vote. Very. very frequently. I got a part of what I wanted. others got parts of what they wanted. But in the end. it was a piece that was made up of input and one that we could say that a clear majority wanted. It was called compromising. negotiating. agreeing. and then a majority win. Mr. Speaker. I believe that that will work in any deliberative body. but without that. it cannot. Here I am not even sure we are listening. because pll after poll. and then finally last weeks local elections. have demonstrated the growing level of opposition to the Medicare and Medicaid cuts and the education cuts. which are not popular. but no one is listening. This budget is being held hostage in order to impose higher Medicare premiums on seniors. This is not what the public wants. This is a body of. by. and for the people. This is a democracy. but nobody is listening. at least the ones who are trying to ram their ideas through are really not listening. Mr. Speaker. I do not believe that the Republicans really are interested in negotiating. despite these weak complaints about the Democrats. The Republican leadership has demonstrated no sincere interest in negotiating. If there was interest in negotiating. we would use the proper procedures. We would simply not load up these simple resolutions with all of the legislation for the entire session to be in them. It is not fair. It is not right. It is not according to anyones procedure. It is heavyhanded. It is insulting. and it is ignoring the wishes of the American people.
Date: 1995-11-13
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Clearly. this has been a longtime strategy. one that I really could not believe that we would have persons in the kind of responsible positions as we have planning this shutdown longer than 6 months ago. planning to ramrod unpopular ideas and policies that will hurt the majority of the American people in simple resolutions. simply because we have not completed our work. If these are policies that ought to stand. they ought to stand without being loaded into these simple resolutions. We should be able to work those out. We should be able to allow the resolutions to go forward clean. and then .ome to the negotiating table. This is simply a technique. in my opinion. to pull the President into a fight. where he has clearly stated that using the proper procedure for negotiating is acceptable. but he will not be hoodwinked into attempting to negotiating by allowing these higher premiums to go in and all these protections to be removed from our air. food. and water.
Date: 1995-11-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. today the House leadership. and we have heard it already this morning. is in the blameshifting mode and the only losers are going to be the American people. The majority of the Republicans say they want to save Social Security. but even under their balanced budget proposal in 7 years. they still borrow over $100 billion from the Social Security trust fund. The Government is shutting down and we are inching closer to defaulting on our debt. and who is to blame for the disaster? The blame rests solely with the Republican majority. The reason they need a continuing resolution and the debt limit increase Is because the Republican majority failed to finish their work. As of today. only 5 appropriations bills out of 13 have been finished. and only 3 sent to the President. Instead of finishing their work. the Republican majority is saying well. Mr. President. you need to increase Medicare premiums and cut education. or we are shutting down the Government. On September 22. the Washington Post reported Speaker GINGRICH saying. "I dont care what the price is. I dont care if we have no executive offices and no bonds for 30 days. not this time." Well. the majority should care. The American people should not be made to pay the price for the Republican majority not doing their work.
Date: 1995-11-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I thank my colleague from Ohio for allowing a gentleman from Texas to make the nexus with this bill. Let me talk a little bit about H.R. 2366. I know he has been comparing and contrasting this bill with the Speakers comments in an earlier speech but let me talk about the continuing budget resolution that concerns all of us and to contrast the CR with this bill we are debating today. H.R. 2366. I am glad we have this opportunity to discuss the Speakers comments and H.R. 2366. because there is a comparison between the two. First. we had the same committee. the Committee on Ways and Means. consider H.R. 2366 and the continuing resolution. Madam Speaker. we also have a continuing resolution passed by the Ways and Means Committee that would increase Medicare premiums from $46.10 to $53.50 a month. which is the same committee from which this bill came. That is why I think there is some concern. That is why I am glad that the gentleman from Ohio has brought up the comparison between what we are doing here today on the shutdown of the Federal Government and the concern about the increase in Medicare premiums with H.R. 2366 that came out of the same committee. I think there is a comparison between the two. because H.R. 2366 deals with a problem that was solved on a bipartisan basis and actually when it is passed. it will be. But the continuing resolution that was passed here was not passed on a bipartisan basis. even though it came out of the same committee. I think H.R. 2366 is a great example of recognizing a problem with the Social Security Act and Medicare and the medical device reporting requirement. and slowing it. Yet again today. because of the veto yesterday of the continuing resolution and recently of the debt ceiling. we have not seen any of the bipartisanship that we should have on H.R. 2366. It was not stated by just myself on the floor but by the President himself. that if we go back to the actual $46.10 a month on a bipartisan basis like we have done on H.R. 2366. we might not see having the Federal Government shut down today and not having lots of Federal employees furloughed. I would hope that the Committee on Ways and Means that sent us H.R. 2366 would also consider working on other even more important legislation. although I think the medical device reporting is important. particularly if you are dealing with pacemakers and folks that need it. But senior citizens also need to be able to afford that Medicare monthly premium. Going from $46.10 to $53.50 is just something that they cannot afford and frankly I applaud the President for vetoing that effort. Again hopefully it will come back to us and the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Commerce can work together so we can have bipartisan resolution to this.
Date: 1995-11-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. in response to my colleague from California. I would be glad to go over subtitle F with him. the Department of Health and Human Services and the reports eliminated. and it does not address. you know. the controversy that the Speaker has talked about under Medicare. It does talk about the effects of toxic substances and an annual report from the Surgeon General to be transmitted to the Secretary. Nowhere under subtitle F of S. 790 does it address the controversy that we see today and hear today concerning the quotes from our Speaker on Medicare.
Date: 1995-11-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

In response to the question from my colleague from California. Madam Speaker and Members. the report on Medicare treatment of uncompensated care is a report that is required right now. If there is some senior citizen who is not on the feeforservice Medicare and if they show up at an emergency room for treatment. then under current law they will still be treated no matter what. We are not changing that law either in the bill. S. 790. or any other bill that I have seen come through the Congress. So. in other words. if I am 70 years old and. because of the increase in Medicare premiums. I am not taking part in Medicare. if I show up at my local hospital. they still have to treat me. Mr. STARK. you are right. we are not changing that by this bill.
Date: 1995-11-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Well. again the gentleman brings up a valid point in reference to the report on the treatment of uncompensated care. Madam Speaker. the treatment will still be there for uncompensated care because under this bill are we not withdrawing that ability. We will be able to know that without having an annual report from the Social Security Administration or the Medicare trustees on the treatment of uncompensated care. We can be assured it is going to happen. :We know in real life if somebody does not have insurance then they are going to show up at an emergency room for lots of reasons. for the flu. for toothaches. for lots of things like that. And if they do not have Medicare. then they will then be part of the general health care system. and that hospital will be required to treat them. As we know. in most of our emergency rooms around the country. they prioritize. Someone. who has a lesser degree of illness than someone else may have to wait sometimes 6. 8. 10 hours for treatment.
Date: 1995-11-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. reclaiming my time. In response to my colleague from California. the reporting requirement in subtitle F and subsection (d) is not going to stop whatever the decision of this Congress. the Senate and the House. do on uncompensated care for Medicare or anyone else and I share the gentlemans concern. I have a district in Houston where my local hospitals are predominantly Medicare or cash payment. with very little third party coverage. In fact. we already have one hospital in my district which closed.
Date: 1995-11-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

It is tragic. It happened even before the extreme Medicare plan that is considered by this Congress. I am only concerned that in other pieces of legislation we may make it even worse. But. again. this elimination of the Medicare report on uncompensated care. will Jnot prevent seniors from receiving the care they need if they show up at a health care facility. Some other Republican legislation somewhere down the way may do it. but I have not seen one at this session do it.
Date: 1995-11-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. in response. I have a great deal of faith in our local agencies. both our hospitals at the Texas Medical Center who will talk to their local Members about uncompensated care. but also with our local housing authorities. Because I work with. not only the HUD office locally in Houston. but also with the Houston Housing Authority to make sire the elderly and homeless are protected. Whether we have a report that is being filed up here which people will review or not. we still need to make sure we remember those people in those facilities.
Date: 1995-11-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. reclaiming my time. I am confident when we deal with all of these issues. that the people will know who is working for the hospitals and who is not whether they are in Houston or around the country.
Date: 1995-11-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. reclaiming my time. I hope if we pass 790. we will see health care providers will not have to fill out unnecessary forms and they could provide more direct service to my constituents who need that medical treatment. instead of just filling out a form that they have to send in.
Date: 1995-11-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. let me continue briefly. Reports to the Congress are prevalent not just under Republican leadership or under Democrat leadership. In fact. under a bill passed this session already. the Department of Commerce Dismantling Act. which was included in the reconciliation bill. four reports to Congress are required from the Director of OMB. Those four reports over 3 years are just the process of dismantling the Department of Commerce. Similarly. in the welfare bill that was passed earlier this year. there are a number of reports required from the Secretary of Health and Human Services. and still more reports to be filed by each State. So this is an issue. We ultimately need to address. But. this bill needs to be passed. no matter who is in the leadership or who is in the White House. because we have to continually monitor the Government to make sure that we do not have duplicative reports or reports sitting on a shelf and gathering dust. We need to make sure we are- actually utilizing them. Madam Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Date: 1995-11-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I am glad that the chairman of the committee particularly mentioned that Medicare is going broke. and although this bill. S. 790. has nothing to do with Medicare going broke. but let me respond to the gentlemans claim that Medicare is going broke because I think it has to be responded to on the floor. Madam Speaker. Medicare is going broke in the year 2002. but not to the tune of $270 billion that they talk about cutting out of the system. The Medicare trustees report said we needed to cut $90 billion to extend the solvency of the trust fund to the year 2006. not $270 billion. So the threat of going broke is only hype from the Republican side to try and justify the $245 billion in tax cuts that they are still going to try and provide. Madam Speaker. let me respond to my colleague from Maryland. Mr. EHRLICH. on the Health Care Financing Administration and tb 3 direct quote. The Health Care Financing Administration has been seen as a euphemism for the Medicare Program. because without the Health Care Financing Administration you do not have a fee for service. you do not have an ability for someone to go pick their own doctor. you are going to have someone who is going to have their doctor picked for them by someone in Washington DC. or someone else. Let us get back to S. 790. Madam Speaker. because again. it is to reform the reporting requirements. and I would hope it would be considered in light of the fact that there are individual reports that some of us may like in here. but our goal is to try and control the cost of Government. and S. 790 would do that. Madam Speaker. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina .
Date: 1995-11-14
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. if I could reclaim my time and ask that the chairman of the committee. Mr. CLINGER. respond on his time.
Date: 1995-11-15
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texag

Mr. Speaker. Speaker GINGRICH has said he wants to keep open the Social Security and veterans offices temporarily so the elderly and veterans will not have to suffer from the shutdown. Well. I am glad to hear that. The problem though is that once they reopen after this .budget impasse. there are not going to be as many benefits for them there. The balanced budget proposal cuts Medicare $270 billion over the next 7 years. and. in my own State. the Republican bill cuts Medicare by over $16 billion in Texas. Such a dramatic cutback would have a severe cutback on the 2 million senior citizens. The veterans better watch out because $6.4 billion is cut over the next 7 years. including increasing veterans costs for prescription drugs. Let me look at what has happened from 1 day of the Government shutdown: 28.000 American seniors and workers have been unable to apply for Social Security or disability benefits. 200.000 American seniors have tried to call the 1800HELP line. oftentimes to report abuses we need to have reported. and they have not gotten an answer. 7.600 veterans have not been able to file for compensation. Let us cut this impasse. We want to balance the budget in 7 years. too. but not to cut veterans and Social Security.
Date: 1995-11-15
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I would ask the gentlemans words be taken down. Did I hear correctly that he was saying some Members of Congress on the Democratic side were lying?
Date: 1995-11-15
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I would like to. if I may. ask for his words to be read . back because I do not think I heard whit the speaker heard. o 2002
Date: 1995-11-17
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. Members of Congress. I ask my Republican colleagues to read your lips. Balance the budget before you cut $245 billion in taxes. before you cut $270 billion in Medicare. before you cut educational funding. Let us work bipartisanly on a balanced budget. but not by cutting Medicare and Medicaid. not by cutting and raising premium costs for seniors and limiting seniors ability to choose their own physician. We can work bipartisanly on a balanced budget but not by cutting Medicare and education. Read your own lips. Balance the budget without cutting $245 billion in taxes.