mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
FURTHER SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
Peter A. DeFazio (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-12-21

I rise in support of Division B of this bill, which has bipartisan, bicameral support of the leadership of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate. It includes H.R. 4460, the ``Disaster Recovery Reform Act'', and several other Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) bills that passed the House earlier this year. prgtoken While there are many good provisions in Division B, I will focus my comments on a few provisions that I believe will have the most impact in making the United States a leader in disaster recovery. Under Division B, the Nation will be on the right track to build stronger and more resilient communities and it will encourage better behavior before and after disaster strikes. prgtoken We know that for every dollar invested in mitigation to make our communities stronger before disaster strikes, the taxpayer saves $3 to $4 in future disaster costs. Section 2036 of this bill furthers the goal of investing in mitigation before disaster strikes by establishing a steady funding stream for FEMA's Predisaster Mitigation (PDM) program. prgtoken Under Section 2036, the President must provide a specific amount of additional funding from the Disaster Relief Fund for the PDM program. The specific amount of additional funding is equal to six percent of the estimated amount of disaster assistance provided for each major disaster. The President will then distribute these funds in accordance with existing law, with a certain amount provided to each State and the remainder made available through a competitive grant process. prgtoken Section 2036 uses language similar to language in the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) authorizing FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which is mandatory funding provided post-disaster with each disaster declaration. Although Section 2036 uses the term ``may'', the intent is that FEMA will set aside funds for the PDM program, just as they do for HMGP. We have had several bipartisan conversations with FEMA confirming that FEMA understands the intent of this section and will interpret the ``may set-aside'' language included in section 2036 as mandatory. The mandatory funding for the PDM program from the Disaster Relief Fund required under this section will provide consistency to a program with a proven record of saving taxpayers money. prgtoken In addition, section 2036 authorizes FEMA to withdraw and redistribute funds that remain unobligated three fiscal years after FEMA awarded the funds to the grantee. The intent of this provision is to provide FEMA with discretionary authority to move funding that is not being used to States and projects that will use it. However, FEMA is not required to withdraw these funds from grantees and shall make these decisions on a case-by-case basis. For instance, a grantee
ENDING SECRECY ABOUT WORKPLACE SEXUAL HARASSMENT ACT
Carolyn B. Maloney (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-12-21

I rise to introduce the Ending Secrecy About Workplace Sexual Harassment Act. prgtoken We are experiencing a national moment of reckoning. Millions of people who have been victims of sexual misconduct in the workplace are telling their stories and initiating a movement to create real change. We have an obligation to listen to all those who have come forward and recognize that many are still suffering in silence. And we also have an obligation to take action to make things better going forward. prgtoken The Ending Secrecy About Workplace Sexual Harassment Act will help lift the shroud of secrecy surrounding these cases that have concealed them for years or even decades by requiring companies to annually report all out-of-court settlements involving claims of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment and assault to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. prgtoken When employers don't have to disclose these internal settlements and there is no public record about abuse, it can cause great harm to victims, other employees, and even the public at large. More complete data and a transparency requirement will help identify institutional problems that should elicit further investigation by EEOC. This bill also has the potential to spark a change in the workplace, inspiring corporate leaders to focus on prevention if they know that complete secrecy is no longer an option regardless of how a claim is addressed and resolved. With total secrecy, companies have absolutely no incentive to focus on preventing sexual misconduct if they know they will never be held accountable. prgtoken In 2015, there were nearly 30,000 reports filed with the EEOC involving sexual harassment. That is one-third of the total harassment reports filed that year alone. If companies had to report all of their private settlements, that number would likely increase. The EEOC can also use these reports to take action, if appropriate, and go after violators. prgtoken I believe this is an important first step toward increasing accountability in the private sector to ensure a safer, fairer workplace for everyone. s, Representatives Khanna, Norton, Cummings, David Scott, Shea-Porter, Raskin, Connolly, Suozzi, Kuster, Moore, Dingell, and Pallone for joining me as original cosponsors on this legislation, and hope that more members will support as well.
Introductory Statement on S. 2271
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2017-12-21

I am pleased to be joined by Senators Collins, Cochran, Gillibrand, and Murkowski in introducing legislation to renew the law that expands the reach of libraries and museums and enables them to better serve their communities. These vital institutions educate, inform, engage, and connect people from all walks of life. prgtoken In 1996, Congress passed the Museum and Library Services Act, establishing the Institute of Museum and Library Services, IMLS, to house our Nation's library and museum programs together for the first time. My predecessor, the late Senator Claiborne Pell, a great champion for expanding educational and cultural opportunities to all communities, was instrumental in passage of this law. The Senate Committee report for this bill noted the ``great potential in an Institute that is focused on the combined roles that libraries and museums play in our community life, in support of research, learning, and entertainment, and in support of American culture and history.'' prgtoken Over the last 21 years we have seen IMLS, with a relatively modest Federal investment, build the capacity to support and expand access to library and museum services at the State and local levels. IMLS has been the source of major Federal support for nearly 120,000 libraries, including public, academic, research, special, and tribal libraries, and 35,000 museums, including art, history, science and technology, children's, historical societies, tribal, planetariums, botanic gardens, and zoos. We have seen access to libraries and museums increase, and these institutions continue to evolve as community hubs, advancing the growth and vitality of the areas they serve. prgtoken In Rhode Island, IMLS funding for the grants to States program under the Library Services and Technology Act, LSTA, has supported improved online resources; literacy initiatives, including a summer reading program; and the provision of talking books to residents with visual impairments and disabilities. Providence Public Library was awarded a recent grant to provide underserved teens with learning opportunities, leading to digital credentials, academic credit, exposure to work, and entry into education and career pathways. IMLS has also supported and elevated the work of Rhode Island museums. For instance, the Tomaquag Museum in Exeter was one of ten recipients nationally to be recognized with a 2016 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The Providence Children's Museum and the Preservation Society of Newport County also received grants to support their work in recent years. prgtoken I have been proud to continue the work of Senator Pell in supporting robust funding for libraries and museums and authoring the last two renewals of the Museum and Library Services Act. I have seen firsthand the impact libraries and museums have had on our communities in Rhode Island and the residents and visitors they serve, making our State stronge
NATIONAL CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING AWARENESS WEEK
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-12-21

today we are adopting S. Res. 327, the National Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Awareness Week resolution. In 2015 I sponsored a similar resolution, National Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Awareness Month, which was inspired by the story and memory of Amanda Hansen. Ms. Hansen was a 16-year-old, living in West Seneca, NY, when she tragically lost her life to carbon monoxide poisoning while attending a sleepover at a friend's home. Her heartbreaking story focused attention on this issue and spurred action to prevent future deaths from exposure to this deadly gas. As a long supporter of this resolution, I believe that every home across our great Nation should have carbon monoxide alarms installed that can detect and prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, a silent and odorless killer. By bringing awareness to carbon monoxide poisoning and reminding our fellow Americans to diligently check their home-detection systems, Americans can take the necessary actions to ensure the safety of their loved ones. prgtoken I again send my deepest condolences to the Hansen family for their loss and to the many American families who have suffered from the passing of their loved ones due to carbon monoxide poisoning. prgtoken With the help of Amanda's spirit, I will continue to fight for congressional action to help prevent future tragedies. Today I stand proud to be a Member of a body that unanimously supports the adoption of National Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Awareness Week.
REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-12-21

I rise in opposition to the continuing resolution. prgtoken In addition to the many, many problems I have with how this bill was secretly written without any attempt to work with , I also cannot support it because of the absence of the Dream Act and long-term funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program. prgtoken On four occasions, s tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act with bills they drafted in secret. These bills had no input from --or really anyone who would have actually been affected by repeal. prgtoken Then they drafted a so-called tax reform bill, again entirely in secret, not consulting anyone outside a small group of lawmakers. prgtoken So it is not a surprise that the bill they jammed through is actually nothing more than a tax cut for the richest Americans and large corporations, and all at the expense of American families, who will actually pay higher taxes. prgtoken Now, doubling down on their failed strategy of secrecy, s came up with a government funding bill at the very last minute that ignores many of our highest priority needs, including passing the Dream Act and coming up with a long-term solution for CHIP. prgtoken I hope that s will finally realize that this isn't the right way to govern. You are not representing the country when you govern 1 month at a time and rush through poorly written bills that only benefit certain special interests. prgtoken It is time to return to regular order. prgtoken Now I would like to speak about the absence of the Dream Act in this bill, a negligent decision that even the majority of s in this country disagree with. prgtoken To say that s have sent mixed signals on DACA is an understatement. prgtoken During his campaign, said he supported deporting all undocumented immigrants, including those who had registered for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program. prgtoken Later, he said DACA recipients had nothing to worry about. Then, in September, the Justice Department canceled the DACA program. I can't even imagine the uncertainty that DACA recipients have felt since 's election. prgtoken DACA was put in place in 2012 by President to remove the crushing fear of deportation experienced by hundreds of thousands of young people. These are outstanding individuals who were brought into the country through no choice of their own, at very young ages, and who know no other country than the United States. prgtoken In fact, the average DACA recipient was brought into the United States at the age of 6. prgtoken Now, there are nearly 700,000 individuals with DACA in the United States, approximately 220,000 of whom live in California. Each day, more than 100 lose their DACA protection, plunging them back into the uncertainty that President relieved. prgtoken These young people study, they work, they pay their taxes. They are
RUSSIA INVESTIGATION
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-12-21

I come to the floor tonight to discuss the Senate's investigation into Russia in the 2016 election. Specifically, I have been reviewing for months documents in the possession of the Senate's Intelligence Committee. I regret to say, the depth of the committee's investigation is completely unsatisfactory into the crucial issues of what I call following the money. prgtoken Early in 2017, I began asking the committee leadership to look into any and all financial relationships between Russia and and his associates. In an open hearing the committee held in March, I noted a number of public facts. First, there is an extraordinary history of money laundering in Russia. Billions of dollars from corruption and other illegal activities have been moved out of the country. Second, the President's son said in 2008: ``Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets.'' Third, entities associated with the President had already been the subject of millions of dollars of fines for willful, repeated, and longstanding violations of anti-money laundering laws. Fourth, the Congress and the American people still haven't seen the President's tax returns. prgtoken Since then, there have been numerous additional press stories about associates of the President and their financial connections to Russia. In my view, these stories require thorough, detailed investigation. It is not just by the press. The special counsel's indictment against former campaign manager Paul Manafort included extensive detailed allegations of laundering of millions of dollars from pro-Russia- Ukrainian interests. This indictment provided a clear example of how a foreign-influenced campaign can be financed through illicit means and why the importance of following the money is so crucial. prgtoken There have been others, acknowledged financial connections, such as former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and his payment from RT, the television station that is part of Russia's state-run propaganda apparatus. prgtoken Then there are the strange denials, such as when Jared Kushner wrote in his statement in July, ``I have not relied on Russian funds to finance my business activities in the private sector.'' prgtoken I can state, that is some kind of good lawyering because the word ``rely'' is subjective. Mr. Kushner did not deny financial ties to Russia. He said he hadn't relied on those funds, not whether he had any, not whether he ever had any, but he hadn't relied on them. That is about as lawyerly and subjective a statement as you can imagine. prgtoken My bottom line is, these financial ties need to be a central focus of the Intelligence Committee's inquiry. The reason I say this, I want to spell out what the connection here is. Our inquiry covered counterintelligence concerns related to Russia and the election, including any intelligence regarding links between Russia and individuals associated
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BLUE CAMPAIGN AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2017
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-12-21

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. prgtoken , I rise in strong opposition to this continuing resolution, which is, yet again, a complete abdication of our responsibilities as Members of Congress. prgtoken What we have before us today is evidence that the so-called leadership simply cannot deliver on the promises they have made to the American people. Instead, this Congress has decided to continue taking the ludicrous approach of funding the government for just a few weeks at a time, while ignoring the pressing issues that demand our attention. prgtoken Over the last few weeks, s in this Congress have decided to focus only on pushing through legislation designed to further enrich giant corporations, while adding $1.5 trillion to the deficit. prgtoken Yet, to the DREAMers who teach our children, care for our sick, and serve our Nation, s continue to say: You just have to wait. prgtoken For millions of our most vulnerable--young kids suffering from illness and debilitating disease, who are reliant on the Children's Health Insurance Program--s have made it clear their priorities lie elsewhere. prgtoken And to those who have served our country with dignity and pride, the majority has failed to provide urgently needed resources to address the dire shortfalls at the VA. prgtoken Well, , the DREAMers cannot wait. The threat of deportation looms over these courageous individuals every single day. Sick children deserve our attention now. They should not be used as bargaining chips in this reckless debate. And our Nation's veterans need to know we have got their backs without delay. We cannot deny them the healthcare that they have earned. prgtoken Don't tell me that we don't have the funds to support those who need us the most, when this Congress just gave a handout to those who need it the least. prgtoken This pathetic continuing resolution fails to address the needs of the people who sent us here. It doesn't even come close. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``no.''
CALIFORNIA IS ABLAZE
Raul Ruiz (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-12-21

right now, my home State of California is ablaze, and the communities of Idyllwild, Anza, and Mountain Center in my district are still bruised from the 2013 wildfires and are on high alert for the next fire. prgtoken Today, we passed my bill and delivered a win for our firefighters and victims of fires by increasing Federal funding to recover, rebuild, prevent future fires, and keep communities safe. prgtoken The 2013 Mountain Fire in my district burned over 27,000 acres, destroyed homes, and cost over $25 million. I worked with Cal Fire, Idyllwild Fire Protection District, and Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council to author the bipartisan Wildfire Prevention Act, which will deliver tens of millions of dollars to recover, rebuild, prevent future fires, and keep our communities safe. prgtoken This bill puts people above partisanship and solutions above ideology to improve the lives of the people we serve. It makes government work for the people. prgtoken Thank you to these incredible local partners for working with me to deliver this pragmatic solution for the district and for the community.
CONFIRMATION OF JAMES C. HO
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-12-21

I wish to voice my disappointment that Mr. James Ho was confirmed to serve as a judge on the Fifth Circuit. prgtoken While at the Department of Justice, Mr. Ho wrote a memo that the administration used to greenlight the CIA's use of torture. Furthermore, Mr. Ho's comments on campaign finance reveal a common thread among judicial nominees that I find particularly disturbing. prgtoken Mr. Ho argued that some of the detainees held by the U.S. at Guantanamo were not protected under the Geneva Convention. The memo Mr. Ho wrote allowed the CIA to use interrogation techniques banned by the Geneva Convention that caused the death of a detainee. The interrogation techniques Mr. Ho claimed were legal were ineffective and their use hidden from lawmakers. As my colleague Senator McCain said when he introduced an amendment to reaffirm our government's prohibition on torture in 2015, ``Our enemies act without conscience. We must not.'' prgtoken I am also deeply concerned by Mr. Ho's radical views on money in politics. Mr. Ho has said, ``For truly radical but effective reform, we must reverse course and abolish all restrictions on campaign finance.'' The overwhelming majority of Americans, both s and , disagree strongly with Mr. Ho and believe that prgtoken unlimited, unattributable amounts in money in politics corrupts our political system. Our political finance systems has been flooded with secret, corporate money since the 5-4 ruling in Citizens United. Mr. Ho's opinion on campaign finance favors corporations and the wealthy who use money to yield influence and shape policy. prgtoken Unfortunately, Mr. Ho is not the only judicial nominee who has espoused such extreme views. Every single nominee has come from a preapproved list created by the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society. This intellectual hegemony will harm Americans seeking redress in the courts. Recently, three judicial nominees withdrew their names from consideration after the American public learned how inexperienced and unfit they were for a lifetime appointment. I encourage the administration to submit mainstream nominees and to stop outsourcing our judicial system to rightwing think tanks.
RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF CHARLES BURRELL
Diana DeGette (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2017-12-21

I rise to honor the contributions of an extraordinary Denverite, Charles Burrell, who on November 28th was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. I've known Charlie my whole life. His distinguished career included playing in the Al Rose Trio founded by my uncle, Al Rose, together with Lee Arrelano. It was the first racially integrated jazz group in Colorado, and in the 1950s and '60s, they played at some of Denver's best-known destinations for music. When my uncle died unexpectedly at a relatively early age, Charlie volunteered to be my ``honorary uncle,'' a role he has embraced. Born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1920 and raised in Detroit, Charles Burrell studied music at Cass-Technical High School, then one of the most prestigious music schools in the nation. Although a dedicated student of classical music, Charlie and his friends embraced jazz and practiced it whenever possible. At seventeen, he was even asked to join the Lionel Hampton Big Band, affording him the opportunity to travel the country with some of the jazz greats of the time. Charlie attended the New England Conservatory of Music and then joined the Navy, where he was selected to join the first-ever all-Black Navy band, which was used in recruiting to help encourage African- American enlistment. After an honorable discharge, he attended Wayne State University with an eye toward teaching music in the public schools, and eventually made his way to Denver to do just that in 1949. A chance meeting with John VanBuskirk, the lead bass player with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, led to an audition, and Charlie became the first person of color in the nation to be hired by a major orchestra. Charlie is equally comfortable in an orchestra or a jazz band. He was known to finish a performance at the DSO and then wrap up his evening playing jazz at the Rossonian Hotel in the Five Points neighborhood. In 1959, Charlie became the first person of color to join the San Francisco Symphony, fulfilling a childhood dream. He played under conductor Pierre Monteux until 1965. Always a generous man, Charlie has been an inspiration and mentor to many, including his niece, the two-time Grammy award-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves, and his cousin the renowned pianist George Duke. At ninety-seven, Charlie has proved that age is just a number, frequently playing live bass on KUVO, Denver's preeminent jazz station. Charles Burrell has been called the Jackie Robinson of classical music for his ability, class, and poise, helping forge change in American institutions that weren't always inclined to widen their circles. It is my honor today to add to the accolades of this accomplished trailblazer.