mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING ESTHER BEGAM
Erik Paulsen (Republican, MN) \u2014 2017-6-6

I rise today to recognize Esther Begam, a Holocaust survivor who recently received her high school diploma from Wayzata High School at the age of 88. prgtoken In 1942, Nazis invaded Poland and forced 11-year-old Esther and her family into a labor camp. Esther tragically lost her mother and her brother in Auschwitz, as well as her older sister in another labor camp. prgtoken After the war, she married another survivor and moved to Minnesota to start a family. In 2010, she was invited to share her story with the Wayzata High School history class, where she was asked what her biggest regret was, and Esther said she wished she had received her high school diploma. prgtoken So after hearing her story, the school was able to arrange a graduation ceremony. Last month, Esther was presented with a diploma in front of her children, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren, receiving a standing ovation that was 71 years overdue. prgtoken , I congratulate Esther Begam on her accomplishment after overcoming an incredibly difficult life challenge. She is truly an inspiration.
D-DAY
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2017-6-6

on this day, June 6, 1944, 73 years ago, the largest amphibious assault in history landed on the beaches of Normandy, known as Operation Overlord, which we know more commonly as D-Day. prgtoken I rise today, 73 years later, to honor the thousands of Allied soldiers who lost their lives on the beaches of Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno, and Sword, and those, as well, that lived to carry the battle, ultimately, to Berlin and win. prgtoken General Eisenhower told his soldiers that ``the hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.'' Today we commemorate the operation which began the liberation of Europe from Nazi control and paved the way for the eventual Allied victory in Europe--and for all of us to remain vigilant to preserve that same precious and fragile freedom. prgtoken As was said in the movie ``Saving Private Ryan,'' for all of us, ``Earn this.''
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2017-6-6

I want to start by commending my colleagues from Georgia and Montana for their compassion and care for our veterans and specifically for their continued efforts to ensure we have accountability at the VA. They worked hard on this legislation. I hope the Senate moves expeditiously to vote for it and to help our veterans to be able to have the kind of responsibility and accountability they deserve. Remembering Les Spaeth prgtoken , I also rise today to talk about veterans. I am going to focus on World War II veterans. prgtoken Last Monday was Memorial Day. I was in Mason, OH. I was in Warren County, OH. My mom grew up there, and my family still has a lot of ties there. I was there at a ceremony for the veterans memorial, one of the most beautiful memorials in the State of Ohio. I happened to be there about 15 years ago when it was first began, and it was great to be back. At the ceremony, I got to see a World War II buddy of mine. His name is Les Spaeth. He is also a good friend of my father's and grandfather's. As always, seeing him brought back great memories, and I was able to speak about him during my remarks. prgtoken Two days later--a few days ago--we got word that Les Spaeth died at age 92. I want to take a moment to pay tribute to this man who gave so much to his country and to his community. prgtoken Les was a marine corporal during World War II. He signed up after graduating from Mason High School in 1942. He served in the Pacific, including the occupation of Japan after the war, helping that country make a difficult transition to democracy. Thanks in large part to American soldiers like him, by the way, the transition worked. Japan has become one of our greatest allies. prgtoken Les came back to Mason, OH, and started a small business called Spaeth Brothers Cleaners. He had that optimism so many of the World War II generation had. He had the courage to take a risk and help build jobs and help the economy of his hometown. My dad did the same thing after World War II. prgtoken Les was a businessman, but he was also a public servant for more than half a century. He served six terms as Warren County auditor. He served on the Board of Elections for 25 years. He chaired the Warren County Party for 17 years. prgtoken He was very active in the community in so many other ways too. He was one of the very first volunteer firefighters in Mason, OH, starting way back in 1948. He was elder at his church, Heritage Presbyterian, where his service will be held. For 70 years, he was a freemason and member of the American Legion. He helped set up the American Legion Buckeye Boys Program, a great program where they are teaching young men about State, local, and Federal government and values and leadership. His whole life was centered around his community--through the family business, through military service, through elected office, and through volunteeris
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Johnny Isakson (Republican, GA) \u2014 2017-6-6

. I thank Senator Tester. prgtoken I started my remarks a few minutes ago by saying that this will be the 73rd anniversary of D-day. Nobody who charged Omaha Beach or climbed those cliffs in Normandy had second thoughts about what they were doing or asked questions about their leadership or tolerated anything but the best they could out of themselves. Because of that, they won. prgtoken Today, our veterans are winning. Our committee--the Senate is going to pass in I think a unanimous or near-unanimous fashion a piece of legislation that is a byproduct of a good bipartisan effort to see to it that we correct the problems of the past, give the Secretary of the VA the ability to do it in the future, and if he or she doesn't do it, it gives us the ability to change them so they are held accountable as well. prgtoken It has been a pleasure to work with you and a privilege to work for our veterans. prgtoken On this special day, we honor those who served America 73 years ago by the beginning of the end of World War II, thank them for their service, and thank all veterans who provide service to the people of the United States of America. prgtoken I want to end by noting that we have 32 sponsors of this legislation, which is almost exactly one-third of the Senate, and alike. That sends the proper signal that this is the right bill at the right time for the right people--veterans of the United States of America. prgtoken .
D-DAY TRIBUTE
J. French Hill (Republican, AR) \u2014 2017-6-6

today I rise in recognition of one of Arkansas' finest, Staff Sergeant Robert Dale Van Fossen of Greenbrier, Arkansas. On November 22, 1952, a Douglas C-124A Globemaster II took off from McChord Air Base in Tacoma, Washington, headed for Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage. Staff Sergeant Robert Dale Van Fossen, along with 51 others, was onboard. And near Middleton Island, in the Gulf of Alaska, the plane disappeared. prgtoken Eight days after the plane's disappearance, part of the wreckage was located some 50 miles east of Anchorage. Unfortunately, a week into the search, the recovery team had to call off the effort due to weather conditions. The families of the victims were notified they would not have any remains to bury. prgtoken Finally, in March 2016, after 64 years and extensive recovery efforts, Staff Sergeant Van Fossen's remains were confirmed found and returned to his home in Heber Springs, Arkansas. prgtoken I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the family of Staff Sergeant Van Fossen and hope that they are now able to find peace that he is finally home and in his final resting place. Conway Bikeshare Program
TRIBUTE TO VICE ADMIRAL JAMES D. SYRING
Richard C. Shelby (Republican, AL) \u2014 2017-6-6

today I wish to mark the retirement of VADM James D. Syring from the U.S. Navy following more than three decades of military service to this great Nation. prgtoken In his last post, he served as the Director of the United States Missile Defense Agency, MDA. As Director, Admiral Syring made enormous contributions to the successful development and fielding of the Ballistic Missile Defense System, BMDS, in order to protect our Nation, American troops deployed abroad, our allies, and our international partners. prgtoken Beginning as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy, the Navy recognized his potential early on and designated him an engineering duty officer, where he served in various assignments. prgtoken Upon selection to flag rank in 2010, Admiral Syring served as the program executive officer for Integrated Warfare Systems, where he managed integrated weapons systems for ships, submarines, carriers, and aircraft within the Fleet and Joint Force. prgtoken His intellect, work ethic, and ability to deliver complex weapons systems resulted in his being nominated and confirmed as the ninth Director of MDA in November 2012, the first naval officer to assume the directorship of this multibillion-dollar Agency. He oversaw MDA's worldwide mission to develop and deliver to the warfighter a capability to defend the United States against ballistic missile attacks. He has done an outstanding job. prgtoken During his time at MDA, the Agency and the Department of Defense made significant progress in addressing current and emerging ballistic missile threats of all ranges. The progress made is even more remarkable considering the budget cuts sustained during that time. In response to the growing North Korean ICBM threat, Admiral Syring implemented a program to expand the capacity of homeland missile defenses. His leadership brought acquisition rigor to the critical Ground-based Midcourse Defense--GMD--Program and laid the foundation for the Agency to implement ground system modernization, a robust ground-based interceptor--GBI--Stockpile Reliability Program, as well as the Redesigned Kill Vehicle Program. prgtoken Under Admiral Syring's steady hand, the Agency successfully fielded a new data terminal at Fort Drum, NY, providing the warfighter the capability to improve communication with homeland defense interceptors. prgtoken He also oversaw a strategy to improve the overall sensor and discrimination capability of the Ballistic Missile Defense System. With the Long Range Discrimination Radar--LRDR--Program, MDA will deploy an improved persistent midcourse BMDS discrimination capability to enhance the Pacific architecture. The program today is within cost and is on schedule to deliver an initial capability to the warfighter in 2020. Those most familiar with major defense acquisition programs know that this is no small accomplishment. prgtoken Overall, Admiral Syring's advocacy for additional interceptor capaci
CHILD PROTECTION AND FAMILY SUPPORT ACT
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2017-6-6

I am honored today to announce legislation that Senator Peters and I have introduced that provides another option for children in the foster care system in Montana and across the country. prgtoken I worked with a host of Montana groups to develop the Child Protection and Family Support Act of 2017, including a handful of nonprofit organizations focused on foster youth, the Montana attorney general, Indian Tribes, and individual constituents. I am pleased to have their support on this legislation. prgtoken Montana is in the midst of a child welfare crisis. We have a record 3,400 children in foster care, and about a third of those children are there because of methamphetamine use by their parents. prgtoken Montana state law requires the Office of the Child and Family Ombudsman to investigate circumstances surrounding child fatalities when the child was involved with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Child and Family Services Division within 12 months of the date of the child's death. prgtoken Last December, the Montana Department of Justice issued a report and the findings were devastating: It detailed 14 child deaths that met these parameters. prgtoken Of the 14 cases reviewed, 11 involved children 2 years old or younger. In nine of those cases, the children were 1 year old or younger. Eleven cases included allegations of drug use, four of which indicated methamphetamine use. Six cases indicated issues of domestic violence, and eight cases involved parents who received child protective services in Montana when they themselves were children. I have been told that at least seven children have met a similar fate in the first 5 months of 2017 alone. The death of one child is too many. prgtoken Under current Federal policy, a child must be removed from the home of a parent and, after removal, cannot be living with the parent, in order to be eligible for a title IV-E foster care maintenance payment. My bill would permit title IV-E foster care maintenance payment support, for up to 12 months, for a child in foster care who is placed with a parent in a licensed residential family-based treatment facility. This would allow the parent to get the help they need while keeping the family intact. prgtoken Secondly, the bill would reauthorize the Administration for Children and Families' Regional Partnership Grant, RPG, Program. These competitive grants reduce the risk of foster care due to parental substance abuse, an issue of utmost importance to Montana. Since their inception in 2006, two Montana grantees have utilized and benefited from RPGs: the Center for Children and Families in Billings, MT, and the Apsaalooke Nation Housing Authority in Crow Agency. prgtoken My bill reauthorizes and strengthens this grant program with modest improvements. For example, it encourages the use of RPGs to address the needs of children and families affected by methamphetamine, heroin, and opioid su
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
David Perdue (Republican, GA) \u2014 2017-6-6

we have 50 workdays in the Senate before the end of this fiscal year--50 days. That does not include the 5 weeks we will be gone during the August State work weeks. I rise tonight to talk about what happens September 30. September is the end of the fiscal year. That means we have to have the Federal Government funded for fiscal year 2018, which starts October 1 of this year. prgtoken Like most years--as a matter of fact, like every year since 1980--the Federal Government will probably not be funded by the end of this fiscal year in the manner it was supposed to be, according to the law that was done in 1974, the Budget Act of 1974. In the last 43 years, the Federal Government has only been funded four times, according to that bill. We have used 178 continuing resolutions, and therefore ongoing omnibuses and so forth, where six people get in a room, basically decide how we are going to spend $1 trillion. prgtoken This is the only enterprise I can find anywhere in the world that funds its operations this way. The problem is, we have a system that is absolutely totally broken. It is a fraud that is being perpetrated on the American people. We have been asked, between now and September 30-- this is the way the budget process works. By the way, we should have started this back in January, but we couldn't do it because we were working on the fiscal year 2017 budget to do reconciliation so we could work on healthcare. prgtoken Now we are going to, when that gets done, do a budget for 2018. We will do a reconciliation and hopefully do a tax package behind that, but wrapped up in all of that, here comes September 30 and 50 workdays from today to fund the Federal Government. Between now and then, in 50 days, we are asked to do a budget for fiscal year 2018, to do full authorizations for 16 different entities, committees, and then do appropriations for 12 committees. prgtoken By the way, over the last 43 years, you have to fund 12 appropriations bills to fund the Federal Government. It was 13 appropriations bills up until around 2000. Since then, it has been 12, but of those 12, the average number of appropriations bills this body has appropriated each year is 2\1/2\. prgtoken Now, by any measure, that is unacceptable, but we are now asked, between now and September 30, in a very truncated manner, to do the budget, do all 16 authorizations and all 12 appropriations. Now, I am not a betting man, but I will go to Vegas and short that idea right now. There is no way we are going to fund this government according to that policy--no way. It will not happen. It can't happen. It has not happened in 43 years that way except four times. prgtoken Every single year this process breaks down. Like I said, we have used 178 continuing resolutions. What does a CR do? It ties the hands of our military leaders, where they can't move money from one bucket to the other to help accommodate it. So what we have right now is a pro
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Hoeven (Republican, ND) \u2014 2017-6-6

I rise today to speak in support of the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act--bipartisan legislation that will help ensure that our veterans receive the care they deserve. prgtoken We owe our veterans more than we can ever repay for their dedicated service. Part of this debt is providing our veterans with timely, high- quality healthcare. prgtoken In my home State of North Dakota, our VA medical center is located in Fargo. It not only serves the veterans in North Dakota, but it also serves the western half of Minnesota as well. If there is one thing that our veterans have made very clear about the health center in Fargo--from both North Dakota and Minnesota--our veterans have made clear that it is an outstanding healthcare center that provides high- quality service. Our veterans love the Fargo VA. They do a great job. prgtoken It is important to note that the vast majority of VA employees are dedicated to serving our veterans and are working diligently to provide services to veterans in their communities. However, as recent events have shown, there are a number of instances where poor performance or misconduct by a VA employee has had tragic consequences. prgtoken In cases like these, the VA needs to have the ability to address these situations and to do it in a fair but expeditious manner. This bipartisan legislation will provide the VA Secretary with the necessary tools to do just that and ensure that VA employees are putting our veterans first. Specifically, this legislation establishes in law the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection within the VA, a post which was created earlier this year through Executive order. It authorizes the Secretary of VA to reprimand, suspend, demote, or remove VA employees at any level and hasten the appeal and review process. Additionally, it establishes protections for whistleblowers . prgtoken These reforms are important for our veterans. That is why the legislation has garnered the support of many veterans organizations. It has garnered the support of our North Dakota VA Commissioner, as well as the veterans service organizations, including the American Legion, AMVETS, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the Military Officers Association of America, and others. It has also garnered the support of cosponsors on both sides of the aisle in this Chamber. prgtoken Seventy-three years ago, over 160,000 brave Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. I can think of no more an appropriate day to pass legislation that honors our commitment to our veterans and helps ensure they receive the care they have earned. prgtoken I thank the committee chair, Senator Isakson of Georgia, and also Senator Tester of Montana for their outstanding bipartisan leadership on this important legislation. prgtoken I particularly also want to thank Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who is the primary sponsor of this legislation an
Honoring the Ghost Army (Executive Session)
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2017-6-6

thank you and Senator Cassidy. We just came back, as we all know, from the Memorial Day recess. I wanted today not to only reflect on that but also to reflect on our anniversary of D-day and the day that our Allies invaded France in 1944. In doing so today, I would like to speak and pay tribute to all of those-- including, but not limited to, Americans, but especially Americans--who risked their lives to defend our freedoms. prgtoken In particular, I come today to recognize a special group of dedicated soldiers. You probably have not heard of them, but they are referred to as the Ghost Army--the Ghost Army. This is a unit that served in World War II. It was comprised of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133rd Signal Service Company. The personnel of this U.S. Army unit were handpicked. They were handpicked for their artistic and creative characteristics, and you will see why in just a moment. prgtoken They handled top secret information, and they were among some of America's most promising artists, engineers, and signals professionals. The mission of the Ghost Army was very simple: Fool Adolph Hitler--fool Adolph Hitler by using what was called tactical deception. The Ghost Army's deceptive creation of fake battles, inflatable tanks, theatrical props, and other inventive equipment falsified troop movements, and had our enemies chasing ghosts--hence the name the Ghost Army. prgtoken Beginning in Normandy 2 weeks after D-day and ending in the Rhine River Valley, the Ghost Army staged over 20 fake battles--fake battlefield deceptions. The German Army did not know whether they were coming or going, thanks to the Ghost Army. These performances, of course, were illusions. They were called illusions by the soldiers. They occurred in the most dangerous spot in the war, on the frontline of battle. prgtoken Now, without the Ghost Army's dedication and fearless perseverance, Allied successes at the Battle of the Bulge and the final battles in Po Valley, Italy, would not have been possible. The 23rd unit was composed of only 1,184 men--1,200 men. They put themselves at risk every day at the forefront of danger, and they fought tirelessly. They used ingenious, innovative methods to mislead the enemy, ultimately leading the Allies to many victories in Europe. Because of their bravery, because of the bravery of the 1,200 men in the Ghost Army, up to 30,000 American soldiers and 10,000 German soldiers were able to return home alive. prgtoken So why are we waiting until today to honor these 1,184 brave Americans? Because until recently the Ghost Army's mission was classified. It was top secret. Nobody except the members of the Ghost Army knew anything about it. This has finally changed. That is one of the reasons I am here today. I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Ghost Army soldier bill, a bipartisan effort led by Senators Markey, Collins, and King. This long overdue legislation will award a Congr
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF REUNIFICATION OF JERUSALEM
Luke Messer (Republican, IN) \u2014 2017-6-6

on the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem and on behalf of Hoosiers from Indiana's Sixth Congressional District, I rise today to send my prayers and best wishes to the Jewish state. prgtoken It is our hope that the special relationship between America and Israel continues to be strengthened and to grow. Israel is our most important friend in that region of the world and among America's strongest allies anywhere in the world. On this anniversary, let it be reaffirmed that Indiana and America stand with Israel. prgtoken The Holy City is a place of prayer for all people, and this day provides us with an opportunity to pray for the Jewish state. May it remain a beacon of light, representing democracy and freedom, and may peace and prosperity reign for its people. prgtoken The eternal capital of the State of Israel, Jerusalem, is also a seat of parliament; and from one representative body to another, we say ``Shalom'' and ``God bless.'' Our prayers are with Israel today, tomorrow, and always.