mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING CONGRESSWOMAN MARCY KAPTUR, THE LONGEST SERVING WOMAN IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Paul Tonko (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-3-14

I thank the gentlewoman from California for yielding. prgtoken Marcy, it is an honor to be on the floor this evening. We have joined together many times to share a message for the American public about the fight for what is right. No one leads that fight better than you. We have assembled here to celebrate the extraordinary career of our great colleague and friend from Ohio, my friend from Ohio, Marcy Kaptur. prgtoken Marcy is a towering giant in the history of Congress. Her legislative achievements are too numerous to count. Her work led the way in the creation of the moving and so powerful World War II Memorial on the National Mall. What great respect for our veterans. And that is who you are, a respectful individual. prgtoken Marcy was one of the first Members of Congress to raise the alarm for prgtoken America's workers and industries facing unfair competition from trade policies around the world. prgtoken She has been a champion of America's farmers, fighting tirelessly to protect the rights of poultry growers and restore some balance to our Nation's increasing consolidated meat industry. prgtoken She continues to be a champion and a visionary in the fight to bring down skyrocketing prescription drug costs; to restore stability and good sense to our financial system; and to save the Great Lakes and the millions who rely on their resources from the harmful algal blooms-- blooms that threaten to poison their rich waters. prgtoken There is no Member in this or any Congress who is more committed to serving the needs of her constituents and her district. While she has proven to be truly formidable to her opponents, Marcy is as kind as she is fierce. prgtoken In just a few days, this Sunday, March 18, Marcy will become the longest serving woman in the history of the United States House of Representatives. What a proud achievement. What a proud moment. What a great moment in history to witness and share: 35 years, 2 months and 14 days, but who is counting? prgtoken Those numbers are the official numbers that surpass the record set by former Massachusetts Representative Edith Nourse Rogers. Her enduring service has met more than three decades whereby girls have grown up in Ohio and all across America seeing that they, too, could serve and lead in the United States Congress, an impressive example that my friend, Marcy Kaptur, continues to set. prgtoken I am more than pleased and more than a little relieved to say that Marcy is as passionate and driven as the day we met nearly a decade ago. prgtoken As the longest serving woman remaining in either Chamber, God willing, in a few years, Marcy will become the longest serving woman in the history of the United States Congress. It is my great hope that I will have the privilege to witness that historic moment, just as I am humbled to share in this one. prgtoken I want to thank Marcy Kaptur for years of our friendship, our collaboration, our conversations, our coaching--her c
HONORING THE LIFE OF CHARLESTON HARTFIELD
Ruben J. Kihuen (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2018-3-14

today I rise to remember the life of Charleston Hartfield. prgtoken Charleston was a military veteran who served for 16 years and was deployed to Iraq. He had received a Presidential Citation for extraordinary heroism in Iraq, along with numerous other individual commendations and achievement medals. prgtoken After the military, Charleston began his career with the Las Vegas Police Department, where he had worked for 11 years while also being an active member of the National Guard. prgtoken Along with protecting our Nation, he also enjoyed coaching youth football. Although he had no experience in football, he bought and studied books about coaching. prgtoken Charleston was a husband and a father to a son and a daughter. prgtoken He attended the Route 91 music festival on October 1 in Las Vegas with his wife, who was his high school sweetheart. prgtoken Charleston died trying to save the lives of concertgoers. As gunfire erupted, he immediately jumped in to usher people to safety. prgtoken He was loved by many and touched many lives. prgtoken As a published memoir author, Charleston's story will always be remembered. He was a selfless man who dedicated his life to protecting the community and country he loved. prgtoken We also grieve the loss of Charleston's mother, who died 2 days after his funeral from what many people said was a broken heart. prgtoken I would like to extend my condolences to Charleston Hartfield's family and friends. Please know that the city of Las Vegas and the State of Nevada and the entire country grieve with you.
HONORING CONGRESSWOMAN MARCY KAPTUR, THE LONGEST SERVING WOMAN IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2018-3-14

I must say, I was not expecting what just happened. I want to thank the gentlewoman from California, my beloved friend of almost over three decades--in having the deep respect I have for her in her own life before she came to Congress and now as the ranking member on the Financial Services Committee; a very difficult position to hold--for taking this opportunity so late in the evening to commemorate my tenure here in our magnificent U.S. House of Representatives. prgtoken , I thank every single Member who has come down. prgtoken Obviously this is Women's History Month, and we had this announcement today, and I happened to be the victim of it. prgtoken , I thank the people of Ohio's Ninth Congressional District for believing in me throughout my political career, for teaching me, for helping me to learn more and to understand the travails and the possibilities that were in their minds and hearts. I thank them so very much for that. prgtoken As with anyone, we all have our faults and human limitations, but, to the best of our ability, we have tried to uphold the Constitution and to help the American people. prgtoken I think back to my very first term in Congress, beginning in 1983. There was a great Congressman from Florida, Claude Pepper. I can still see him down in the well. Probably the most important vote I cast in my first few months in Congress was the refinancing of Social Security. What a great leader he was. Probably not originally from the liberal wing of our party, yet liberals and conservatives came together to do what was right in resecuring Social Security for the next generation. prgtoken Congressman Levin came to the floor with a spark plug. Our fight has always been to define where our jobs went, and we began to track places where we saw production move beyond our ability to restrain. Places such as I represent became hollowed out in many corners of our community. Since the early 1980s until today, this country has not been able to balance its trade accounts or to write trade agreements that were truly fair, as Congressman Levin has referenced. So we hemorrhage at the rate of over half a trillion dollars a year, almost $600 billion annually, because we can't get other markets open, and they take it out of the hides of our people and our communities here in this country. prgtoken So if we go back to the 1980s. If you really look at when the numbers began to change, it is not hard to understand why the American people are unsettled and frustrated because of what has happened with the economy. prgtoken As I said in remarks earlier today, I was taught by a very great professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin many years ago that economics is not destiny, but it is 85 percent of it. If you really think about that, what we have endured over the last period of my service, three decades--going on four decades almost, we have seen this transformation in production platforms. prgtoken Unfortu
ECONOMIC GROWTH, REGULATORY RELIEF, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2018-3-14

I am pleased to join my colleague from Washington to talk about the challenge that women both here in the United States and across the world are facing from the excesses of this administration. prgtoken What we have seen time and again is that the administration has exhibited a dangerous obsession with rolling back women's reproductive rights here in the United States and abroad. Just in the past 14 months in office, this administration has launched a multipronged and aggressive assault on women's rights. One of President 's first acts in office was to reinstate and greatly expand the global gag rule, which prohibits U.S. funding for international women's health organizations that so much as mention abortion. What they did was to say that this is not going to just affect those organizations but any health organization that the United States puts funding into. This action will cause a significant increase in unsafe abortions and maternal deaths across the developing world. The administration has proposed budgets that would eliminate all Federal funding for Planned Parenthood, and, going even further, would prohibit States that on their own would direct Federal funds to Planned Parenthood for those same health services. They would prohibit States from doing that. prgtoken Most recently, the State Department reportedly removed data on reproductive healthcare from its annual human rights report. So is the idea that if you don't give people access to data, then it doesn't happen? The administration instructed career employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to remove words such as ``fetus,'' ``diversity,'' ``evidence-based,'' and ``science-based'' from their official vocabulary. prgtoken Well, if we are not basing decisions at the CDC on evidence-based and science-based data, then what are we basing it on? As Senator Murray says, they are basing it on ideology. Well, that is a lousy way to make a decision about where to put our healthcare money. prgtoken This administration has even attacked women's access to birth control, issuing new rules that allow almost any company to opt out of the birth control benefit in the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken Simply put, you cannot support women's empowerment unless you support women's access to family planning. Recently, the United Nations Population Fund's ``Family Planning 2020'' report explained why women's access to all healthcare services, including abortion, is so vital both to women's advancement and to their country's economic development. The report says: Every woman and girl must be able to exercise her basic human right to control her own reproductive health. Access to safe, voluntary family planning is fundamental to women's empowerment. It's also fundamental to achieving our global goals for a healthier, more prosperous, just, and equitable world. prgtoken The report goes on to say:
FAMILY FIRST PREVENTION SERVICES ACT
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-3-14

I would also like to acknowledge the dedication of key congressional staffers, including those at the Congressional Research Service, the Congressional Budget Office, and with House and Senate legislative counsel's office. These staffers pour immense time, effort, and expertise into turning concepts into legislation and are the epitome of dedicated public servants. In particular, we would like to acknowledge and thank Emilie Stoltzfus, Ruth Ernst, Jim Grossman, Susanne Mehlman, Sheila Dacey, and Jennifer Gray. We would like to thank key congressional and administration staffers, including Ryan Martin, Laura Berntsen, Anne DeCesaro, Morna Miller, Becky Shipp, Scott Raab, Veronica Duron, Ted McCann, Stephanie Parks, Wendell Primus, Samantha Offerdahl, Rafael Lopez, Jeff Hild, Jenny Delwood, Rose Hacking, and Sonja Nesbit. prgtoken We recognize there is not the space to acknowledge all of the countless individuals who made this law a reality, but we honor the contributions of those individuals and their organizations across the country as well. Opportunities for reform like this do not materialize out of nowhere; they are the result of hard work and perseverance by many committed to a cause. These individuals' vision for a better world for vulnerable children and families guided our work and we will be forever grateful for their commitment and dedication.
ECONOMIC GROWTH, REGULATORY RELIEF, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2018-3-14

. People who cleaned up the last crisis are warning us not to pass this bill. Experts from both parties are warning us, the authors of Wall Street reform. Barney Frank said he would vote no if he were in the Senate. Chris Dodd, in an op-ed today, writes that the bill's changes amount to ``chipping away at the ability to conduct comprehensive and effective oversight.'' prgtoken Now, people are saying this isn't a major scale-back of Dodd-Frank, but Senator Dodd and Congressman Frank both say they would vote no because they recognize it as damaging to the work we all did. prgtoken Experts like Paul Volcker, head of the Federal Reserve; Sheila Bair, head of FDIC, appointment by President , used to be chief of staff for Senator Bob Dole; Dan Tarullo, who was effectively the head of supervision of regulation for the Federal Reserve, wants us to vote no. Sarah Bloom Raskin, who was at the Federal Reserve and then Deputy Secretary of the Treasury; Gary Gensler, who is head of the Commodities Future Trading Commission; Tom Hoenig, a who is at FDIC and earlier was the Fed president; Antonia Weiss at the Treasury Department; Paul Tucker, international banker from England-- international regulator; Phil Angelides, a former California State Treasurer who ran the Commission that examined what happened in the bank crisis--they all wrote to the Senate. They all outlined a combined 28 pages' worth of concerns about this bill, and my colleagues just say: Oh, this is just helping the small community banks and some of the regional banks a little bit. prgtoken Well, not exactly. That is what happens here. We start off wanting to help the small banks; we start off helping some of the midsized regional banks that generally do a good job--banks like Huntington and Fifth Third and Key Bank--but then Wall Street gets involved, and Wall Street drives a bigger and bigger hole in this bill and gets more and more help and more and more breaks and look where we are. prgtoken , I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record letters from two of these financial experts.
THOUSANDS GATHER TO PROTEST GUN VIOLENCE
Donald M. Payne, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2018-3-14

the NRA--the NRA--the NRA stands for ``No Action.'' prgtoken It has been a month since 17 children and their teachers were gunned down while at school in Parkland, Florida. It has been more than 5 years since 26 children and their teachers were slaughtered in Sandy Hook. prgtoken In both of these instances, the same weapon was used: an AR-15 semiautomatic assault rifle. prgtoken And Congress still has taken no action to end gun violence. prgtoken , there have been more than three dozen moments of silence related to gun violence since the Sandy Hook massacre. There have been zero moments of action. prgtoken As those of us who are married or have children know, the silent treatment doesn't work at home. Well, it surely isn't working in Congress. There are dozens of reasonable gun safety bills pending in this esteemed legislature, but the majority party is giving the American people the silent treatment. prgtoken NRA: No action. prgtoken Meanwhile, between the moments of silence, around 7,000 children have been killed by guns since 2012. prgtoken NRA: No action. prgtoken Let us take action on Mr. Cicilline's assault weapon ban to end the flood of new semiautomatic assault weapons onto the streets. prgtoken Let us take action on Mr. Thompson's bill to strengthen the background checks. prgtoken What is the problem with making sure that we check each person's background? Does the NRA say that that is wrong, too? prgtoken There is no action. prgtoken Let us take action on my Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act to encourage people to safely, freely make the economic decision to self- disarm and dispose of most of their violent weapons. prgtoken , the NRA spends tens of millions of dollars in our elections. I received a grade of F. It is the first F that I have ever gotten that I was proud of. prgtoken What do the American people get? prgtoken They get no action. Let us end the silence of inaction.
STUDENT, TEACHERS, AND OFFICERS PREVENTING SCHOOL VIOLENCE ACT OF 2018
Bradley Scott Schneider (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-3-14

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4909, the STOP School Violence Act. prgtoken , we have a fundamental responsibility to protect our young people from violence, and this package of school security improvements is an important step. In particular, this bill includes a bipartisan provision that I introduced with my friend and colleague from Illinois, Congressman Mike Bost, to help schools acquire and install panic buttons in classrooms for use in emergency situations. prgtoken Mr. Bost and I first introduced the Securing Our Schools Act in January, and I am proud of the support we have built from both sides of the aisle which helped get this provision included in today's school safety package. prgtoken This technology will ensure students and teachers have a more immediate method of notifying law enforcement and first responders in case of a medical emergency, active school shooter incident, or natural disaster. All congressional offices have similar emergency buttons. If this technology is good enough for Members of Congress, we should be doing the same to keep our young people safe where they learn. prgtoken While this bill represents progress, it is far from an adequate solution to the threat of gun violence. We now need to build on this bipartisan momentum for other urgent solutions to improve gun safety and reduce gun violence. This includes universal background checks; restrictions on the sale of bump stocks, assault weapons, and high- capacity magazines; and research into the causes of gun violence. prgtoken Here in this Congress, we have the ability to save lives with commonsense legislation. We must act, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. It is a good start.
ECONOMIC GROWTH, REGULATORY RELIEF, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-3-14

today I wish to speak on the importance of helping our community banks and credit unions. These institutions are on the ground daily helping our families and small businesses. They deserve recognition. They also deserve our careful consideration of regulatory adjustments that will help them continue their work. prgtoken Let me be clear: There are parts of S. 2155 I disagree with, as do many of my colleagues, but what I think that we can all agree on is the good works that our local credit unions and banks do for our communities. prgtoken Community banks and credit unions anchor our towns, helping our workers and businesses. These institutions provide more than just savings and checking services. Many provide credit counseling and financial management. They help individuals save for education or for a financially secure retirement. They provide the mortgage loans that make homeownership a realistic goal for many families. They get to know our small businesses and provide them with much-needed financial support. Most importantly, they do so in a way that is tailored to their communities. prgtoken I would like to emphasize the role that community banks and credit unions play with respect to small businesses especially. We talk a lot about Main Street businesses in this body. As the ranking member of the Small Business Committee, I am keenly aware of the need to provide our small businesses with adequate resources and support, including through access to capital. This is especially the case for underserved communities, where the bigger banks simply don't have a presence. prgtoken There are provisions in this bill that will help. For example, for credit unions, the bill changes the designation of certain real estate loans which have previously been classified as business loans. This will free up capital for small business lending. It is through changes like these that we can carefully tailor regulations, address regulatory unfairness or duplication, and help our local lenders. prgtoken In Maryland, we are fortunate to still have a good number of these local institutions. We have almost 90 credit unions in Maryland who have about 1.9 million members. These credit unions serve many of the Federal workers that we in Congress work with every day. They provide services and support for our Department of Defense employees, our Library of Congress employees, our National Institutes of Health employees, and our State and county workers who keep our communities going. Because of their close ties with their membership, these credit unions and others like them are able to offer special services that big banks may not have the incentive to provide. prgtoken Similarly, our community banks remain strong. There are 54 community banks chartered in the State. Our community banking sector employs over 35,000 Marylanders. These banks have withstood the Great Recession and even the Great Depression. For instance, Easte
ECONOMIC GROWTH, REGULATORY RELIEF, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-3-14

today many of us will join with Maryland students and other students throughout this region to demand that this Senate and the House of Representatives take commonsense action to reduce gun violence in America--gun violence that has resulted in massacres at concerts, slaughters in churches, and, of course, mass deaths at schools throughout the country, and the death toll we see in the streets of America every day. prgtoken I am going to read the names of 17 Maryland young people, people under age 20, who have died just in the last year as a result of gun violence in Maryland. prgtoken Andre Galloway, 16 years old; Lavander Edwards, 16 years old; Dashanae Woodson, 17; Shaquan Trusty, 16; Thomas Johnson, 16; Anthony Cheeks, 17; Tyrese Davis, 15; Jeffrey Quick, 15; Xavier Cole Young, 14; Kymici Brown, 17; Larry Aaron, 19; Terry Joseph Bosley, 17; Iyanni Nachae Watkins, 13; Shadi Adi Najjar, 17; Artem Ziberov, 18; Dustin Khoury, 17; and Laila Goodwin, 4 years old. That is not the entire list of people under age 20 who were shot and killed in Maryland. In the State of Maryland, in 2017, 481 souls were lost to homicide, and in 2016, 436 Marylanders were lost to homicide, in all cases by gun violence. prgtoken The time to act has long passed, but for goodness' sake, let's join with the students and Americans crying out throughout this country to say enough is enough and enact commonsense gun safety legislation.
HONORING CONGRESSWOMAN MARCY KAPTUR, THE LONGEST SERVING WOMAN IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Marcia L. Fudge (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2018-3-14

I am proud to stand today to congratulate my friend and colleague from the great State of Ohio, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur who on March 18th will become the longest serving woman U.S. Representative in U.S. history. prgtoken Marcy, for 35 years, has served this nation and the people of Ohio with distinction. prgtoken It is my honor to serve with someone that never backs down from a fight and leads on all the things that are important to Ohio and all Americans. prgtoken I applaud her for her commitment and dedication to revitalizing our cities, ensuring fair trade deals and good jobs for American workers, increased funding for defense and energy security, and protecting the Great Lakes. prgtoken She has accomplished and contributed so much yet never forgot where she came from or the people that have helped her to become. prgtoken On behalf of the people of Ohio's 11th Congressional District, I thank her for her service and congratulations on this historic achievement.