mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
FOSTERING UNDERGRADUATE TALENT BY UNLOCKING RESOURCES FOR EDUCATION ACT
Richard Burr (Republican, NC) \u2014 2019-12-5

I also rise today to voice my strong support for the President's nomination of Professor Richard Myers to serve as a judge in the Eastern District of North Carolina. I might add for my colleagues that it is the longest court vacancy in the history of our court system. Professor Myers was reported out of committee on a strong bipartisan vote on October 31. I am pleased that the Senate will today consider his nomination. prgtoken I want to give my colleagues some additional insight into a man whom we are asking them to vote on and that goes beyond his stellar legal credentials. The first thing I want my colleagues to know is that Professor Myers embodies a work ethic and diligence that we deserve in all of our judges. As an immigrant of Kingston, Jamaica, Professor Myers is a first-generation college student in his family. He worked his way through his undergraduate degree at the University of Wilmington, and after college he pursued a career in journalism. He worked for the Wilmington Morning Star. It was his investigative reporting that gave him the desire to earn his law degree. He graduated magna cum laude at the University of North Carolina School of Law and began a legal career as a clerk for Judge David Sentelle of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. prgtoken Second, Professor Myers will be a judge who understands the value of public service, having made a career change from practicing at a prestigious private firm to contributing to our Nation's justice system following the attacks of September 11, 2001. He said that his change in career ``was something I felt that I could do and that I owed to a country that had been really good to my family.'' prgtoken He did this first in the Central District of California and then in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Professor Myers then took a different path of service at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, instructing the next generation of lawyers to be people who, in his own words, ``do the right thing every day.'' prgtoken If confirmed, Professor Myers will serve on the Eastern District of North Carolina and, as Senator Tillis said, will hold court in Wilmington. Ironically, this court is currently meeting prgtoken in the building that once housed the Wilmington Morning Star, his first job as a reporter. However, when considering Professor Myers' story, it seems fitting that someone with the character, work ethic, and servant's approach to life will be returning to the building of his first post-college job wearing the robe of a Federal judge. I have faith in Professor Myers' ability to do the right thing every day in this critically important role, and I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on his behalf to our colleagues. This is well-deserving, and he will be an incredibly effective serving judge in our district court system. I urge my colleagues to support him unanimously. prgtoken . prgtoken I suggest the a
FUTURE ACT
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-12-5

Florida is the Nation's greatest melting pot, with people from all over the Nation choosing to make Florida their permanent home. Our State has the best colleges and universities in the Nation, including many Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions. As Governor of Florida, I made historic investments in higher education and fought to keep higher education affordable so more students can get a great education in Florida. prgtoken As Senator, I will continue to fight to make sure every child has access to a quality education at a price they can afford. Our Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions are critical to the success of our State and the future of our children, and I will always work to support their mission. prgtoken The best way to support our colleges and universities is to make sure our economy is thriving so we have the resources we need to invest in education. That means we have to be careful about how we are spending taxpayer dollars. I have concerns any time the government permanently funds a program, no matter what that program is. Funding anything permanently means there is little to no accountability or oversight. We must be careful to regularly review every government-funded program to make sure taxpayers are always getting the best return on their investment.
REMEMBERING PEARL HARBOR
Ross Spano (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-12-5

. Madam , I rise today to honor the lives of those who fought and those who died so valiantly during the attacks at Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 78 years ago, the unthinkable happened. Our Nation was attacked in one of the most horrific events we have ever endured on our own soil. That day that will live in infamy also compelled the United States to enter the second World War. prgtoken The bombs that destroyed the USS Arizona, 169 aircraft, and most of our Pacific fleet, rocked the Nation to its core. The attack killed almost 2,500 servicemembers plus 49 civilians and wounded 1,200 more. They were sons and daughters, they were brothers and sisters, and above all, they were heroes. prgtoken And today we stand with those who lost family and friends, and we stand with the heroes who have defended and those who continue to defend our freedoms today and our way of life. We must never forget, and we must always honor their sacrifice.
IMMIGRATION POLICY
Glenn Grothman (Republican, WI) \u2014 2019-12-5

. Madam , obviously, most of the newspapers, insofar as people still read newspapers, most of the TV shows in the last month have focused on the impeachment hearings. And we all know that, at the end of the day, impeachment or no impeachment, President is not going to be removed in the next year. prgtoken So the question is: Why are we spending so much time on impeachment? prgtoken I have felt, in the long-term future of America, the most significant thing going on right now is what is going on with immigration policy in the United States; and as long as this impeachment hearing has taken the top of the page in the newspaper, immigration is at the bottom of the page. prgtoken I believe one of the primary reasons for keeping immigration from the public is they don't want the public to know what is going on in immigration or what isn't going on in Congress with regard to immigration. prgtoken At its worst, we allowed over 140,000 people in this country in May. President has been asking for help in this crisis, and he has gotten no--or virtually no help from Congress. Nevertheless, things that President has done on his own have reduced that figure, if only temporarily. prgtoken I mention again, 145,000 people caught and processed in May and probably over another 10,000 people not even processed. That number has gone down to around 45,000 in September, and we believe it will be even lower in October. This is largely because of things that President has done on his own. prgtoken He has negotiated with the Mexican Government--to a certain extent, under threat of tariffs--to put Mexican troops on the southern border. prgtoken The Mexican Government is patrolling the interior of its country for people trying to work their way north, and President has reached agreements with the triangle countries of Central America, the countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, and they are currently taking people coming from farther south who need asylum. prgtoken President has also--we wish he was doing more here, but he began building a wall, and we are working our way toward adding another 450 miles of wall by the end of next year. This is a significant improvement toward what it should be, but we are still well short of where we want to be. prgtoken What should Congress be doing, or what should we be focusing on while Congress is spending time debating impeachment? prgtoken First of all, we have a shortage of detention beds. So, when ICE is trying to remove people from this country, there are a lack of beds to place people in. There is no reason why, given the amount of money we are spending here, that should not be taken care of. prgtoken There have been requests for another 5,000 people in the Border Patrol, and there are still, unquestionably, people streaming across this border every month who aren't even counted because we are not taking care of them. prgtoken But there are other things
CONGRATULATING NEW PAL FOOTBALL
Greg Pence (Republican, IN) \u2014 2019-12-5

I rise today to congratulate the Eastern Hancock High School cheerleading squad for winning the Indiana Cheer Championship Varsity D division. prgtoken After placing fourth at the semi-State competition, the Royals returned to the State competition for a victorious first place win. prgtoken The Royal cheerleading squad has displayed dedication, hard work, and sheer talent. They have made the Sixth District very proud. Recognizing Greensburg Ag Teacher Greg Schneider
CONGRATULATING SANGAMON COUNTY'S WILLIAMSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
Darin LaHood (Republican, IL) \u2014 2019-12-5

. Madam , I rise today to congratulate Sangamon County's Williamsville High School, who, last week, won the Class 3A Illinois State football championship, the school's first ever. prgtoken On Friday night at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois, the Williamsville Bullets rallied late in the fourth quarter to win a thrilling 46-42 game against Byron High School. With just 3 minutes remaining and Byron leading 42-39, the Williamsville defense stonewalled Byron to force a turnover. The Bullets then marched down the field, and junior quarterback Conor McCormick fired a game-winning touchdown to secure the State title. prgtoken The Bullets' offense set a 3A championship record with 550 yards of total offense. Wide receiver Brandon Bishop set a record for receiving yards with prgtoken 230, and quarterback Conor McCormick set the record with 335 passing yards and four touchdowns. prgtoken The Williamsville football team has made all of central Illinois proud with their accomplishments this season. The never-give-up spirit that embodied this team was on full display in their State championship, and their historic season is a testament to the hard work of these young men. prgtoken I congratulate Coach Aaron Kunz and the Williamsville High School Bullets.
STEMMING THE TIDE OF OPIOID OVERDOSES
Virginia Foxx (Republican, NC) \u2014 2019-12-5

while still more work needs to be done to confront our Nation's challenges with opioids, I am pleased to report that my home State of North Carolina is working to stem the tide and has witnessed a drop in opioid overdoses. prgtoken In my district, Surry County and its healthcare professionals, first responders, and addiction counselors deserve recognition as contributing to the county witnessing a drop of over 75 percent in opioid-related emergency room visits within the last year. prgtoken This comes as we implement one of the most significant bills that Congress passed last year, the comprehensive SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. prgtoken I helped introduce that legislation with bipartisan colleagues, and I am glad to report that the bill is achieving its goal in stemming the tide of addiction by improving prevention and public health efforts, enhancing treatment and recovery programs, and providing communities more tools in their fight. prgtoken Again, , more work needs to be done to confront our Nation's prgtoken challenges with opioids, but Congress laid the groundwork for this work to be done at the State and local level with the passage of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act.
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2019-12-5

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I prgtoken ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
Kevin Cramer (Republican, ND) \u2014 2019-12-5

reserving the right to object, I don't think there is a single Member of the U.S. Senate who doesn't have serious concerns about Turkey's behavior both historically and currently. In fact, I support the spirit of this resolution. I suspect 99 of my colleagues do. At the right time, we may pass it, as Senator Cruz has stated; however, I don't think this is the right time. If there is a right time, this certainly isn't it. It is largely because just hours ago, our President returned from the NATO summit in London with NATO leaders, where this was a topic of discussion with the leadership from Turkey--this being the acknowledgement of genocide, as well as the purchase of the S-400. prgtoken I want to have a clear readout of the President's interaction and discussion with President Erdogan and our delegation's negotiations with Turkey before adopting this resolution. I don't think we can take the risk of undermining the complex and ongoing diplomatic efforts which are in our national security interests as a country. prgtoken I, too, want to be on the right side of history. I believe we will be on the right side of history, but these negotiations that the President is currently in are a part of getting on the right side of history. prgtoken I appreciate the ongoing conversations and still hope we will be able to overcome the challenges in the bilateral relationship with Turkey. We know what these challenges are, and we all share the goal of seeing them appropriately addressed, but there is no good alternative right now. In my view, adoption of this resolution today is unnecessary and might very well undermine that diplomatic effort at a key time. prgtoken I do not intend to continuously object to this resolution, but I believe it is appropriate for me to do so at this time, so I object.
FOSTERING UNDERGRADUATE TALENT BY UNLOCKING RESOURCES FOR EDUCATION ACT
Thom Tillis (Republican, NC) \u2014 2019-12-5

I rise along with Senator Burr to urge our colleagues to support the confirmation of Professor Richard Myers to serve as a district court judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina. prgtoken President has nominated an eminently qualified and principled individual to serve in the Eastern District. In his career, Professor Myers has worked as a journalist, a prosecutor, and a professor. Each step Professor Myers has taken in his professional career has prepared him for this role. From the newsroom to the courtroom to the classroom, Professor Myers has shown his commitment to the principles of truth, of justice, and of wisdom. I cannot imagine a more solid foundation upon which to place the responsibility of a district court judgeship than that of Professor Myers, which he has exhibited throughout his career. prgtoken Professor Myers is a first generation college graduate who has close ties to Wilmington, where he has chosen to locate his chambers. Once confirmed, Professor Myers will hold court in Wilmington, the same city where he was raised, where he went to college, and where he was a journalist. North Carolinians are lucky to have someone like Professor Myers with his caliber and his sense of duty to represent us in the Eastern District of North Carolina. prgtoken I urge all of my colleagues to vote for Judge Myers', or soon-to-be Judge Myers', confirmation when it comes up later today. prgtoken .
FUTURE ACT
Lamar Alexander (Republican, TN) \u2014 2019-12-5

today, the Senate passed a solution that Senator Murray and I reached to permanently fund historically Black colleges and universities and other minority serving institutions. prgtoken It is hard to think of a piece of legislation that would have more of a lasting impact on minority students and their families than this bill. prgtoken This legislation does two things: prgtoken First, it provides permanent funding--that is fully paid for--for HBCUs and other Minority-Serving Institutions attended by over 2 million minority students. prgtoken Second, after 5 years of bipartisan effort, it greatly simplifies the free application for Federal student aid--the prgtoken FAFSA--that 20 million families, including 8 million minority students, fill out every year to qualify for Federal student aid. prgtoken This bipartition provision--which was sponsored by Senators Murray, Whitehouse, and Gardner when it passed the Senate by unanimous consent last December--stops families from having to give their same tax information to the Federal Government twice--first to the IRS, then again to the Department of Education. Students give permission to the IRS and the Department of Education to share tax return data, which eliminates up to 22 questions on the FAFSA with one click. prgtoken It should eliminate most of the so-called verification process, which is a bureaucratic nightmare that 5.5 million students go through annually to make sure the information they gave to the Department of Education is exactly the same as they gave to the IRS. The president of East Tennessee State University recently told me that half the students applying to ETSU go through verification at some point. prgtoken According to the Department of Education, it helps taxpayers by eliminating up to $6 billion each year in mistakes--both in overpayments and underpayments--in Pell grants and student loans. prgtoken It has taken 20 years to reach this result, and it would not have happened without Jeff Appel, a longtime staff member at the Department of Education who recently passed away, and Secretary DeVos and Secretary Mnuchin's commitment to getting this over the finish line. prgtoken In addition, I want to thank the staff who have been instrumental in getting the proposal to this place: on Senator Murray's staff, Kara Marachione, Bryce McKibben, Mary Barry, and Evan Schatz. Conor Sheehey with Senator Scott. Rebecca Howard with Senator Jones. Christopher Toppings with Senator Burr. Corey Linehan with Senator Coons. And from my staff, Robert Moran, Lauren Davies, Andrew LaCasse, Mary Catherine Cook, and David Cleary. prgtoken The final step to simplify the FAFSA is to pass additional legislation that will reduce the 108 questions on the FAFSA to a total of between 18 and 30 questions and make Pell grants predictable so students can know how much grant aid they will receive to attend college. prgtoken I and Senators Murray, Scott, Jones, Burr, and Coon
General Leave
Nita M. Lowey (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-12-6

I rise in strong support of H. Res. 326, a resolution that reaffirms the House of Representatives' longstanding support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. prgtoken Throughout my life and my 31 years serving in this great body, I have never lost hope that there will one day be two states for two peoples-- a democratic Jewish state of Israel and a democratic Palestinian state living side by side in peace, security, and mutual recognition. prgtoken We cannot be naive. This will not be easy. Gaza continues to be run by Hamas, a terrorist organization responsible for attacks on Israel and the suffering of Palestinians in their borders. The Palestinian Authority has been a poor partner for peace, walking away from reasonable peace plans and the negotiating table altogether. And rhetoric from the Israeli Government officials about unilateral annexation pushes a future, negotiated solution farther from reality.
IN MEMORY OF CATHY THOMAS
Joe Courtney (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2019-12-6

. Madam , I rise to observe and mourn the passing of one of the pillars of civic life in the Northeastern Corner of the state of Connecticut, Cathy Thomas. Sadly, Cathy passed away on November 26, 2019 surrounded by family and friends at Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam, Connecticut. prgtoken Madam , Cathy served for 40 years as the Chair of the Thompson ic Town Committee--a record that I am confident will never be broken. In that role, Cathy supported hundreds and hundreds of candidates for town, state and federal office, generously volunteering her time to the nuts and bolts of campaigns--organizing conventions, lining up delegates, filing the critical paperwork to ensure ballot access and most of all, giving wise, common sense counsel to public officials about what the important issues were and how to talk about them, and address them. Forty years ago, Cathy was a pioneer political leader paving the way for women to occupy positions of power. Over time, the respect she garnered with her quiet, steely manner became an inspiration for other women to succeed in public office. It was truly fitting that she was awarded the 2019 Ella Grasso Women's Leadership Award this year. This is a special honor reserved to an elite group of Women in Connecticut named after the first woman in America to be elected the governor of a state in her own right. I personally experienced and benefitted from Cathy's dedicated work during all my campaigns for Congress. I will be forever grateful to her for her unstinting, unselfish help. prgtoken Her life was not solely defined by politics and government. Cathy grew up in Thompson and attended Annhurst College and Nichols College where she received her degree in accounting. She worked as an accountant for many years at Davis publications in Worcester, Massachusetts. She was close to her brother Paul LaRoche of North Grosvenordale and had many friends in town with whom she enjoyed going to concerts, the beach, and Kittery, Maine. She was also an avid New York Yankees fan, living in an area that leans in favor of the Red Sox. Nonetheless, she reveled in the rivalry. prgtoken Cathy's passing is a big loss for Northeastern Connecticut and was felt far and wide by all who knew her and will miss her. Madam , I ask the House to please join me in expressing our deepest condolences to her family and friends
General Leave
David E. Price (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2019-12-6

this is an Article I moment. The President has sowed doubt about this country's historic commitment to two-state diplomacy, diplomacy that aims at a secure, democratic, and Jewish future for Israel, and that aims at a state of their own and self-determination for the Palestinian people. prgtoken It is extremely important for this Congress to assert itself as a coequal branch of government at a time when this historic American commitment is being questioned and undermined. prgtoken This resolution makes clear that Israeli settlement expansion is unhelpful and that unilateral annexation of the territory is destructive of the prospects for peace. The resolution also reaffirms U.S. support for the security of Israel. And it makes clear that it is unacceptable for the President to cut off Palestinian aid, as he unilaterally has done, despite this aid being duly appropriated by this body. prgtoken This is unacceptable. We need to assert ourselves as an institution and reaffirm support for the two-state solution, which is really the only reliable path forward.