mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
John Lewis (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2017-3-24

I want to thank my friend for yielding. prgtoken , I rise to oppose this bill. prgtoken As elected Representatives, we have a mission, an obligation, and a mandate to fight for each and every American. prgtoken I ask you, : Who will stand for the American people? Who will speak up for those who have been left out and left behind? prgtoken , I have said it time and time again: Health care is a right. It is not a privilege reserved for a wealthy few, for what does it profit this body to pass this bill and lose our soul? prgtoken This bill is a shame. It is a disgrace. prgtoken , today my heart breaks for the disabled, for women, for seniors, and for working families. My heart aches for those who are living paycheck to paycheck. My heart mourns for innocent little children whose very lives depend on if their families can pay the bills. prgtoken This is the right and wrong of it. This is the heart and soul of the matter. prgtoken We cannot abandon our principles, . We cannot forget our values. I have fought too hard and too long to back down now. prgtoken I will fight any bill that turns the clock back to a darker time. I will fight every single attempt to turn a deaf ear, a blind eye, and a cold shoulder to the sick, to our seniors, and to working families. prgtoken , I will fight every day, every hour, every minute, and every second. I oppose this bill with every breath and every bone in my body. We must not give up. We cannot--I will not--give in, not today, not tomorrow, not never, ever. prgtoken On this bill, there is only one option, and that option is to vote ``no.'' We can do better we must do better. Vote ``no'' on this bill.
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
John P. Sarbanes (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-3-24

this is a terrible bill. It is a terrible bill. It is wrong for the country. prgtoken Why would the President, why would the leadership on the side here in Congress, why would they choose as the first order of business taking healthcare coverage away from 24 million Americans? prgtoken It is wrongheaded. It is immoral. It is inhumane. It makes no sense. It is wrong for America. prgtoken In the people's House, we need to vote it down.
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
John B. Larson (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-3-24

I associate myself with Mr. Neal's remarks, and especially him framing this issue from the outside about the arc of history. prgtoken As we have witnessed in this Chamber time and again, dating back to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, when you look at the impact of 24 million people, you have to look at your colleagues on the other side of the aisle and say: Are you frozen in the ice of your indifference to what impacts the daily lives of people who have showed up at our forums and the forums that you have conducted? prgtoken The sheer humanity of what is taking place across this country cries out for a solution. Yet all we have heard, as Mr. Neal said, is the helter-skelter back and forth of who is winning politically, what is happening with the Freedom Caucus, what is going to--if loses, is Ryan out? prgtoken The American people don't care about that. They care about their families. And this is the institution that we were sent to to work on their behalf. It is up to us to come together and work on behalf of the American people. prgtoken This is not a healthcare bill. This is a tax bill. We are going to work on that later on, but we shouldn't start by saying that we are going to have a transfer of wealth in this Chamber from people who are begging and pleading and showing up at the townhalls and asking for our help, and our answer is a transfer of wealth in a tax bill. Everybody wants to know why we are taking this up first and not taxes. Because it is a tax bill, that is why.
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2017-3-24

the Affordable Care Act needs to be repaired, not repealed. In 2010, passed health care reform in an effort to move toward health insurance for all Americans. Though we have made progress and more work to do, we cannot move America backward. Tens of thousands of people in northern Ohio and millions across America will lose insurance if Care becomes law. prgtoken This bill is cruel. It will take away care from some of our most vulnerable citizens like those who suffer from opioid addiction, mental illness or have disabilities. This bill will undermine Medicare and cut $28 billion from Ohio's Medicaid program, the majority of which is spent on nursing home care. If s succeed in repealing the Medicaid expansion, one in four Ohio hospitals would close according to the Ohio Hospital Association. prgtoken Our goal should be to make our health care system better, not worse. This merciless bill is not a health care bill. This bill is an $800 billion tax cut for corporations and the very rich. How that giveaway provides better health care to working and middle-class families is beyond me. prgtoken For Lent I gave up chocolate, I recommend the s try giving up tax cuts to the rich! prgtoken Let me share a story about a young man in Ohio who was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer one month before his 26th birthday. prgtoken Once he turned 26 he lost coverage under his parent's health care policy. prgtoken But after visiting an Ohio Jobs and Family Services office, he learned about his eligibility for the Ohio Medicaid expansion, which allowed him to receive the cancer treatment he needed to survive. prgtoken Frankly, without the Affordable Care Act's multi-layered protections, he would be dead. prgtoken The Affordable Care Act and its Medicaid expansion has allowed him to return to finish law school. prgtoken This bill shifts the burden of health costs to the working and middle class, all so the rich can have a trillion dollar tax cut. A tax cut for the super rich doesn't help working people and seniors pay for health care. Astoundingly, the falsely labeled, so called ``health'' bill actually rewards billionaires and corporations with hundreds of billions in tax giveaways. prgtoken This bill does nothing to control costs for health insurance. Millions will lose coverage. It will actually result in higher costs too all while undermining Medicare and slashing Medicaid. prgtoken Congress ought to repair not repeal the ACA. We cannot move backward. This GOP bill is cruel and some of our most challenged prgtoken citizens like the mentally ill or disabled will lose care. Premiums for those over 50 could increase by 5 fold. As the old saying goes; ``this dog won't hunt.'' prgtoken Ohio embraced the ACA and 866,000 people were finally able to receive health care coverage. What will this poorly conceived tax giveaway bill do to Ohio: prgtoken 1. About 47,000 people will lose health
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Hakeem S. Jeffries (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-3-24

the Presidency has been characterized by chaos, crisis, and confusion, and this healthcare debacle has been no different. prgtoken The American people clearly understand that Care will be an unmitigated disaster. Under Care, working families will pay more and get less. Under Care, premiums will increase. Under Care, copays will increase. Under Care, deductibles will increase. Under Care, out-of-pocket expenses will increase. prgtoken Under Care, 24 million hardworking Americans will lose their health coverage. Under Care, individuals between the age of 50 and 64 will pay a regressive age tax. prgtoken Health care is a matter of life and death; that is why we take it so seriously. Care will lead to increased death, disease, and destitution, and that is why we oppose this horrible piece of legislation.
HEALTHCARE BILL OUGHT TO BE REJECTED
Daniel T. Kildee (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-3-24

well, here we are. Today is the day when this House will vote on whether or not access to health care is a fundamental right in this country or should be limited to those of means who can afford it, whether access to lifesaving preventative care is something that Americans ought to be able to depend upon. prgtoken Now, we haven't seen the final language of the bill--it is still being worked on--although we are voting on it today, but here is what we know: prgtoken It will result in higher costs. prgtoken It will force families to pay higher premiums and higher out-of- pocket costs. prgtoken It will provide less coverage; and, in fact, just in the last couple of days, prgtoken even less coverage, by eliminating essential health benefits like preventative care, like hospitalization, like prescription drugs. Somebody might have a healthcare card, but it won't provide them health care when they need it. prgtoken It will have a crushing age tax. If you are 50 to 64 years of age, get ready. You will pay enormously higher costs as a result of this ill-conceived piece of legislation. prgtoken This steals from Medicare, undoes the promise. prgtoken This is a bad piece of legislation. It ought to be rejected.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1628, AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Charlie Crist (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-3-24

this bill we are talking about takes about $880 billion out of Medicaid. Medicaid is for the poor, and Medicaid is for the disabled. We are in Lent. It is supposed to be the holiest time. I want to read to you from Matthew 25, verse 45: Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto Me. prgtoken Think about that before you vote for this bill. Please vote against it. God bless.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1628, AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Jimmy Panetta (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-3-24

I rise today in opposition of what has become basically the complete repeal of the ACA. Don't get me wrong. I have talked to small-business owners, and I have talked to patients who have talked about the expenses of the ACA. But I have also heard from people in my district on the central coast of California how much it has benefited them, including 65,000 people who now have coverage under Medicaid and 25,000 people who have gained it through the marketplace. prgtoken If the AHCA becomes law, we are not making it cheaper, and we are not making it more accessible. Instead, all that is happening is that they are fulfilling a campaign promise. prgtoken , we must make sure that the ACA is here. We cannot take it away. We must make sure that we provide care, we provide coverage, and we provide the covenant that we promised our constituents.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1628, AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-3-24

I rise in opposition to the rule governing House consideration of H.R. 1628, the ``American Health Care Act of 2017,'' better known as ``care.'' prgtoken I oppose the rule, and the underlying legislation, for the following reasons: prgtoken 1. The rule under consideration is brought pursuant to ``martial law'' rule passed yesterday which suspends the normal House procedure and allows for same day consideration, debate, and vote of legislation that will adversely affect the lives of everyone in America except for the top 1 percent; prgtoken 2. The underlying bill is less than 2 weeks old and has not had a single hearing in any of the Committees of jurisdiction; and prgtoken 3. The underlying bill does not reflect the input of nearly half the Members of this body because the legislation was drafted in secret, marked up in a single overnight session, and brought to the floor without incorporating a single amendment or idea proposed by the minority. prgtoken , none of us here has had a meaningful opportunity to review the bill, ``care 2.0'' we are being asked to vote on. prgtoken This bill has undergone significant revision from the one marked up just last week by the Budget Committee of which I am a member. prgtoken care 2.0 no doubt contains many sweeteners and olive branches granted by the Administration and House leaders in backroom deals in a last ditch effort to secure the necessary votes of members to take away health care from 24 million Americans, many of whom are among the most vulnerable persons in society. prgtoken None of these changes to the bill before us has been scored by the Congressional Budget Office so we do not know exactly how many more millions of Americans will be hurt. prgtoken But what is unlikely to change is that 14 million Americans will lose Medicaid coverage and more than 52 million persons will be uninsured by 2026 under this plan. prgtoken In addition to terminating the ACA Medicaid expansion, the ``care'' converts Medicaid to a per-capita cap that is not guaranteed to keep pace with health costs starting in 2020. prgtoken The combined effect of these policies is to slash $880 billion in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade. prgtoken In short, care represents a clear and present danger to the financial and health security of American families, and to the very stability of our nation's health care system overall. prgtoken We should follow regular order in the consideration of all legislation, but especially in a matter with great importance to the American people that could impact nearly 300 million people. prgtoken For these reasons, I believe the House should reject this rule and the underlying bill. prgtoken Instead of trying to enact the largest transfer of wealth from the bottom 99 percent to the top 1 percent in history, House s should work with to strengthen the Affordable Care Act which has and con
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Barbara Lee (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-3-24

I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 1628, which is a bill to take away health care from 24 million Americans. prgtoken Whether you believe it or not, health care is a basic right. This shameful bill steals from those who can least afford it, including seniors, veterans, people living with HIV, children, and the disabled. It would, yes, rip away health care from 24 million people. It would reduce benefits, make families pay more for less, and transfer $600 billion in tax cuts to the very wealthy. This is outrageous. prgtoken Access to women's health is denied by defunding Planned Parenthood. Medicaid, as we know it, will end. Healthcare costs for working families and seniors will skyrocket. And now it eliminates essential health benefits like maternity, mental health, and emergency care. prgtoken This is not a health bill. It is a tax giveaway to the wealthy. prgtoken Let me tell you, as a woman of faith, I am appalled and I am saddened by the hypocrisy displayed in this bill by people who say they are religious. I want to remind you--in the Scriptures, the Book of Mark, chapter 12:31, we are reminded to love your neighbor as yourself. prgtoken This bill shows disdain for the most vulnerable and would lead to death and destruction and disease for millions of Americans. prgtoken I hope s remember to love their neighbor as themselves today and vote ``no'' on this mean-spirited bill. Let's defeat this harmful and morally bankrupt bill. This is a matter of life and death, and the American people deserve better.
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Debbie Dingell (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-3-24

today, the House will vote on a bill that will take us back in our Nation's history. My family has worked for decades for affordable quality health care for every American. It took a long time to achieve the progress we have made today. prgtoken We began with Social Security, then we created Medicare, developed the National Institutes of Health, the children's healthcare program, and many other efforts that have helped every single one of our communities across this country. prgtoken Hearing after hearing, amendment after amendment, the Affordable Care Act was eventually developed. Coverage was expanded. Costs were lowered. Certainty was brought to uncertainty. prgtoken Let me remind you that before the Affordable Care Act, many had to decide between bankruptcy and death. Children hit lifetime caps. Cancer and being a woman were preexisting conditions where it costs too much money for premiums, or you couldn't get them at all. prgtoken Millions now have coverage who didn't, lifesaving screenings, preventative care, and, today, we are talking about taking it back by eliminating essential services. Please vote ``no'' for America's heart and soul.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1628, AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Rosa L. DeLauro (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-3-24

the healthcare proposal proposed by President and Ryan raises premiums and deductibles. It imposes an age tax on older Americans, making their health care unaffordable. It throws millions--24 million--Americans off of their insurance. It shifts the cost of health care to the States, and it covers less and less people. prgtoken It raises people's fears and insecurities about what this will do if they get sick. It ends maternity care. It is quite outrageous when it tells you that you can't go for emergency services any longer. It would allow insurance companies to, once again, reimpose lifetime limits and annual caps. It allows insurance companies to charge women 48 percent more for the same insurance that any man would pay for. prgtoken So why would you be for this? Why? Who benefits? Who benefits? prgtoken We are going to provide 400 of the richest families in this Nation with a $7 million tax cut every year. Those are not my words. Take a look at what Families USA says. Take a look at what the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says about that. prgtoken Working people and older Americans are going to pay for a tax cut for the richest people in this Nation. Older Americans are going to be hit the hardest. Not only are they going to get an age tax, but they are going to shift $170 billion out of the Medicare trust fund--a lifeline for older Americans. prgtoken Do you know what? It makes me believe that this is the case: What does the GOP stand for? Get Old People. prgtoken That is what this bill does. That is what people are going to vote ``yes'' for today. Let me just say this: We have an obligation. We have an obligation to the people of this country to vote ``no'' today on this misrepresented bill.
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Joseph P. Kennedy III (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-3-24

5 years ago, I got the phone call everyone dreads. My wife had collapsed at work and was being rushed to an emergency room. It is a moment that is painfully familiar to far too many. Time stops. You fight to push your breath down your throat. Your brain gets stuck in that highlight reel of worst-case scenarios. You are terrified. prgtoken Fortunately, we were among the lucky ones. Lauren was okay. Most critically, our health coverage gave us the support that we needed to be able to focus on the one thing that mattered most, her recovery. prgtoken For families in America, that is the simple expectation of our country's healthcare system, a commitment that our society makes to care for one another in our time of deepest need because our health is our great equalizer. prgtoken No matter your power or privilege, no one among us escapes our time here on Earth without watching someone we love fight for their life. So we fortify this social contract, not just out of sympathy for the suffering, but so that it is there for us, too, when we need its sturdy brace. ``Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.''
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Suzan K. DelBene (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-3-24

if s crafted legislation that lived up to the promise of insurance for everybody, they would have broad bipartisan support. But that is not what they did. prgtoken This bill threatens massive disruption and chaos, not only to our healthcare system, but to middle class families, families who sit at their kitchen table trying to figure out how to pay their mortgage, buy groceries, and also get health coverage for their kids. This bill does nothing to help them. prgtoken In their rush to check a political box, s have crafted legislation that does nothing but hurt working Americans, and, in the last 24 hours, it has gone from bad to worse. prgtoken Make no mistake, the changes made in the 11th hour to appease the most extreme Members of Congress have put lifesaving care even further out of reach. prgtoken Some may use alternative facts, but this is reality, and the reality is that their bill robs $75 billion from Medicare, forces older Americans to pay five times more than others, and shifts $312 billion in out-of-pocket costs onto middle class families. prgtoken But this is about more than numbers. It is about people like Rachel, from Kirkland, Washington, who suffered a heart attack and blood clot at the age of 35. She now depends on frequent tests, medications and doctors' visits to stay healthy. Thankfully, it is all covered by her insurance. prgtoken Rachel told me: ``I'm horrified by the talking point that equates repealing the Affordable Care Act with getting freedom back. For me, the loss of the ACA gives me nothing but the freedom to die sooner and worry more.'' prgtoken I am not voting against this bill because it is a bill. I am voting ``no'' for families like Rachel's. prgtoken Health care doesn't need to be a partisan issue, and I stand ready and willing to work on commonsense solutions that expand coverage and reduce costs. But I was sent here to make my constituents' lives better. This bill does not do that. I encourage my colleagues to vote ``no.''
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Scott H. Peters (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-3-24

I came to Congress ready to help improve our healthcare system. And as our colleagues on Chairman Walden's side have pointed out, there are some insurance markets that aren't providing the choice and the low cost that consumers want, so let's fix them. prgtoken But that is not what this bill does. This bill takes away health insurance from 24 million Americans, including 37,000 people in my district in San Diego. And the last-minute changes made will cost the Federal Government even more money, without increasing coverage or reducing premiums. Is that really the best we can do? prgtoken The only reason we are in this mess is because the of the House only ever sought 218 votes. That is why we are left with a bill that is opposed by doctors, nurses, hospitals, and just about everyone because it makes the problems in our healthcare systems worse, not better. That is what happens when you never even reach out to the other side. prgtoken Whether this bill dies today, or in the Senate, I hope we can get to work together, s and , to do better for the American people.
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017
Peter Welch (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2017-3-24

those of us who support the Affordable Care Act know that the work of improving health care and making it more affordable and accessible is never done. It matters. It really matters to the mothers and fathers we represent and to the children that they love. But this bill, stripping 24 million Americans of health care, a $1 trillion tax cut to the wealthiest among us, making people 50 to 64 pay five times as much as other Americans, obviously, is a giant step backwards. prgtoken One of those Americans is Linda from Burlington. She left an abusive marriage, but had to leave her health care behind. The Affordable Care Act rescued her, and she has gone on to revive her life and her future. prgtoken Our community hospitals that do so much good in our communities have gone from red ink to black ink by the help that the Medicare expansion provided. prgtoken It is a sad day for this institution. We did all of this without hearing from a single patient, a single doctor, a single person. We had no hearings. prgtoken , can we do better than that?