mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
A NEW AMERICAN CENTURY
Adam B. Schiff (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-3-1

100 years ago next month, on April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson stood in this Chamber and asked Congress to declare war on Germany. While the proximate cause for America's entry into World War I was Germany's campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare, Wilson and his supporters were also motivated by the belief that they, and the force of American arms, could deliver Europe from its intractable squabbles and, in so doing, make the world safe for democracy. prgtoken It was not until the following spring that the American doughboys were committed to the Western Front in large numbers, but they provided not only the additional combat power needed to break the exhausted Germans within months, but also imbued a sense of moral purpose into what had been nearly 4 years of futile slaughter. prgtoken A generation later, millions of American GIs returned to help free Europe from Adolf Hitler, while millions more pushed Japan back from its imperial conquests in Asia. This time we stayed--the living to keep the peace and prevent one form of tyranny being replaced by another and the dead as silent witnesses to the cost of liberation. prgtoken The United States worked to create the United Nations and a host of other international organizations designed to bind together humanity and avoid another catastrophic world war. We extended aid and friendship to our former enemies through the Marshall Plan and rebuilt Western Europe into an alliance of democracies, a shining contrast to the Soviet Union's eastern satellites. prgtoken America's commitment to peace was matched by an equally resolute willingness to defend freedom. When the Soviet Union blockaded Berlin in 1948, in an attempt to force the Western allies out of their half of the city, American pilots flew missions around the clock for 11 months to keep the city supplied until the Soviets relented. prgtoken Walls, barbed wire, and stifling oppression characterized the Soviet bloc and Communist Asia. Against this, the United States marshaled its greatest weapons--individual liberty, democratic governance, and a market economy to discredit and defeat communism. prgtoken When the Cold War ended four decades after it had begun, it was the fall of the Berlin Wall that symbolized the triumph of freedom and seemingly heralded a new era of peace and prosperity. prgtoken Nearly three decades have passed since communism's collapse and the global harmony that many hoped for has been replaced by an international order more challenging to American leadership and American ideals than any we have seen in my lifetime. prgtoken Intolerance, ultra-nationalism, and crude populism are rising across the developed world and threaten to undo the work of decades. After a century of American leadership of the international community, there was a sense among many here at home and around the world that we have lost our will to lead, that we will no longer honor President Kennedy's commitment
Family Planning Providers (Executive Calendar)
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2017-3-1

I came to the floor to join my colleague and friend Senator Murray to say that I, too, am ready for this fight to oppose S.J. Res. 13, which would allow the discrimination against Title X family planning providers. This is a misguided measure that would leave millions of women and families with fewer healthcare options. It would drastically decrease women's access to basic primary and preventative health services, including lifesaving cancer screenings and HIV testing. prgtoken Make no mistake, as Senator Murray said, the primary target of this legislation is Planned Parenthood. For years now, leaders in Congress have tried to keep women from choosing Planned Parenthood as their healthcare provider--this at a time when Planned Parenthood serves millions of women nationwide, including nearly 12,000 women in New Hampshire, my home State. Most of the women in New Hampshire have incomes below or near the poverty line. Many of those women live in rural areas where they don't have other options for healthcare coverage. prgtoken The sad irony of this attack on Planned Parenthood is that study after study has shown that cutting back access to birth control and to other family planning methods actually increases the number of abortions. So I understand that opponents are interested in supporting this legislation because they think Planned Parenthood provides abortions, but the coverage Planned Parenthood is providing to women in New Hampshire and across this country with Federal dollars does not allow for abortions. So what we are doing is taking away women's access to contraception and to other family planning services and saying: You have no choice now. prgtoken More than ever right now, facts matter. Research matters. Talking away women's access to birth control and family planning will lead to more abortions, not fewer abortions. Yet this legislation is part and parcel of a broader national campaign against Planned Parenthood, whose clinics have been the target of vilification, of threats, and of violence. In October of last year, the Planned Parenthood clinic in Claremont, NH, was vandalized not once but twice. The second attack, a breaking-and-entering incident, caused extensive damage. It forced the clinic to close for 5 weeks. prgtoken I have great admiration for the courage of doctors and other healthcare providers at the Claremont clinic. Despite threats and attacks, they are determined to continue serving women across the Connecticut River Valley, many of whom have no alternative to the Claremont clinic. They are typical of the dedicated healthcare professionals at Planned Parenthood clinics all across our country. prgtoken The good news is that, according to poll after poll, the American people across the political spectrum--from Independents, to Libertarians, to , to s--strongly support Planned Parenthood and oppose efforts to take away women's ability to cho
Miners Protection Act (Executive Calendar)
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2017-3-1

I rise today to call for immediate action on the Miners Protection Act. Today, as we sit here, 22,600 miners have received letters. This is a copy of the letter, and I am going to read it to you. This is a letter they received today letting them know their healthcare benefits will be terminated at the end of April. This letter basically says: The UMWA 1993 Benefit Plan notified you in December 2016-- prgtoken This is one of multiple letters they received. Can you imagine getting a 4-month extension? Then by law you have to have 90 days before they can terminate you. Every time you get an extension, within 30 days you get another letter saying you are going to be terminated. That is the inhumane treatment our retired miners and mostly widows are receiving-- that the U.S. Congress had passed the Continuing Health Benefits for Miners Act, which provided for the transfer of federal funds to the Plan to cover the health care benefits you receive through April 30, 2017. The Plan cautioned that further Congressional action would be necessary in order for the Plan to provide health care coverage to you after April 30. At this time, Congress has not taken the action needed to continue your benefits. Unless Congress acts before the end of April, the 1993 Benefit Plan will not be able to provide you with the health benefits that you have been receiving from the 1993 Plan, and those benefits will terminate effective May 1, 2017. In addition, your Funds' Health Service Card will no longer be valid. prgtoken Can you imagine a 75- or 80-year-old woman--a lady, a widow--who has lost her husband, probably because of black lung, and all the work he did for our country and for himself and his family, and she has received that three times or more now--not knowing what in the world or why they can't do something that we promised, something that was done in 1946, where the Krug amendment and the Krug act basically said that we would take care of our miners so that they would have permanent healthcare and a pension. It was not done by taxpayers' dollars. It was done by the coal they mined. For every ton of coal, there would be so much set aside. Then we had the bankruptcy laws happen in the 1980s, which basically destroyed a lot of companies for paying into it. Then we had the crash of 2008, which took it further down. prgtoken Now we stand here today, and we have a fix coming out of the AML, the prgtoken abandoned mine lands, coming, again, from coal that was mined to pay for the miners' pension and benefit plan, and we can't get it done. prgtoken I will tell you, if that piece of legislation was allowed to be voted on tonight, we would have well over 60 votes, bipartisan. My colleagues and all of our colleagues here understand the importance of the working people. prgtoken President is speaking about this every time.
INTRODUCTION OF THE WASHINGTON, D.C. ADMISSION ACT
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2017-3-1

I rise today to introduce the Washington, D.C. Admission Act with 115 original cosponsors, a record number. This is the most important bill I introduce each Congress, and it is especially meaningful this time in light of the historic results of the District of Columbia's statehood referendum last November. District voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of the referendum, which advises the D.C. Council to petition Congress for statehood. Residents are more energized than ever before to continue this momentum for statehood, equality, and self-determination. District residents have always been citizens of the United States but remain the only federal income taxpaying Americans who do not have full and equal citizenship rights. The denial of local control of local matters and of equal representation in the Congress of the United States can be remedied only by statehood. prgtoken Therefore, I am introducing the Washington, D.C. Admission Act to create a state from essentially the eight home-town wards of the District of Columbia. This 51st state, of course, would have no jurisdiction over the federal territory or enclave that now consists of the Washington that Members of Congress and visitors associate with the capital of our country. The U.S. Capitol Complex, the principal federal monuments, federal buildings and grounds, the National Mall, the White House, and other federal property here would remain under federal jurisdiction. Our bill provides that the State of Washington, D.C. would be equal to the other fifty states in all respects, as is always required, and that the residents of Washington, D.C. would have all the rights of citizenship as taxpaying American citizens, including two senators and, initially, one House member. The District of Columbia recognizes that it can enter the Union only on an equal basis and is prepared to do so. prgtoken A substantially similar version of the Washington DC. Admission Act was the first bill I introduced after I was first sworn in as a Member of Congress in the 102nd Congress in 1991. Our first try for statehood received significant support in the House. In 1993, we got the first and only vote on statehood for the District, with nearly 60 percent of and one voting for the bill. The Senate held a hearing on various approaches to representation, but the committee of jurisdiction did not proceed further. In the 113th Congress, our statehood bill got unprecedented momentum with the Senate's first-ever prgtoken hearing on statehood, which was the first congressional hearing held on statehood in more than 20 years. The House held its hearing on statehood in 1993, and obtained a record number of cosponsors in the House and Senate, including then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, as well as the other top three ic leaders in the Senate. In addition, President endorsed D.C. statehood in a public forum before the statehood hearing was he
REGULATORY INTEGRITY ACT OF 2017
Paul Mitchell (Republican, MI) \u2014 2017-3-2

such time as I may consume. prgtoken H.R. 1004 is sponsored by Representative Tim Walberg, my colleague from Michigan. Cosponsors include Representative Farenthold, Representative Meadows, Representative Gosar, and myself. prgtoken I rise today in support of H.R. 1004, the Regulatory Integrity Act of 2017. prgtoken Every year, agencies promulgate thousands of new regulations and impose billions of dollars in regulatory costs on the American public. Those rules are conceived of, developed, written, and imposed by unelected agency officials--bureaucrats. prgtoken In return for the authority to issue regulations, Congress and the American people require two simple things from agencies. First, agencies must inform the public about their intended regulatory actions--early and accurately--to provide ample time for thoughtful feedback and consideration from the public. Second, we want the agencies to listen to what the public has to say about the proposed regulatory action. prgtoken Making sure the public has an opportunity to participate in this process is key. The public comment period is an essential part of upholding our democratic values. It ensures Americans have a voice heard in the Federal Government's regulatory process. prgtoken H.R. 1004 helps preserve and strengthen the integrity of the public comment process in several ways. First, the bill defines the parameters of how an agency should communicate when asking for and offering a proposal and asking for public feedback. H.R. 1004 requires the agency to identify itself in communications on the proposal. Imagine that. We ask them to identify themselves. The agency must clearly state whether it is accepting comments or considering alternatives. prgtoken Most importantly, agency communications during this process must use a neutral, unbiased tone. This bill requires agencies to do only what you would expect them to do if the request for feedback was genuine and sincere. This bill will uphold the purpose and value of the notice and comment process enshrined in the Administrative Procedures Act. prgtoken When issuing new regulations, agencies must provide notice of the regulation and accept comments from the public before finalizing the regulation. Often, regulated entities, small businesses, and subject- matter experts can provide new insights and perspectives agency officials simply do not have and do not understand. The notice and comment period allows the public to provide valuable insight to the agencies to help them make better regulations, more effective regulations, and minimize the adverse impacts. prgtoken However, not every agency takes this opportunity to really listen to the public. Often, agencies develop a proposed regulation and assume it is the end of the story. In effect, agencies reduce the notice and comment process to checking the box. prgtoken A perfect example, unfortunately, is when EPA developed the waters of the
AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO MEET
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-3-2

I have five requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. prgtoken Pursuant to Rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: committee on armed services prgtoken The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate Thursday, March 2, 2017, at 9:30 a.m. committee on finance prgtoken The Committee on Finance is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 2, 2017, during the first scheduled vote on the Senate floor, tentatively scheduled for 10 a.m in S-216, the President's Room of the United States Capitol. committee on foreign relations prgtoken The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 2, 2017 at 10:30 a.m to hold a hearing entitled ``Venezuela: Options for U.S. Policy.'' select committee on intelligence prgtoken The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the 115th Congress of the U.S. Senate on Thursday, March 2, 2017 at 2 p.m in room SH-219 of the Senate Hart Office Building to hold a closed hearing. prgtoken subcommittee on communications, technology, innovation and the internet prgtoken The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation's Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet Subcommittee is authorized to hold a meeting during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 2, 2017, at 9:30 a.m in room G50 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to hold a hearing titled ``Exploring the Value of Spectrum to the U.S. Economy.''
HONORING OFFICER MICHAEL JOYCE, JR. UPON HIS RETIREMENT AFTER 27 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE UNION POLICE DEPARTMENT
Blaine Luetkemeyer (Republican, MO) \u2014 2017-3-2

I rise today to honor a constituent of mine, Police Officer Michael Joyce, Jr. on his retirement after 27 years of service to the Union Police Department on January 4, 2017. Officer Joyce joined the Union Police Department in June 1989. He became a full-time officer by December of that year and was promoted to sergeant less than three years later. During his years on the force, Officer Joyce served as a field training officer, supervisor, bailiff, and City Hall security officer. Additionally, he has fulfilled a myriad of capacities including zoning enforcement, evidence cataloguing/ transport, video documentation, neighborhood watch, and scheduling among others. The knowledge and experience that Officer Joyce brought to the police force and the community was an invaluable asset. Officer Joyce is known as a man of faith, integrity, compassion, and humor. As an active member of his community he has volunteered many hours to various organizations. He has served on the board of directors with the Franklin County Children and Families Community Resource Board, participated in Shop with a Cop, raised thousands of dollars for the Kops and Kids Canned Food Drive, and volunteered at Missouri Child Identification and Protection Program events. Officer Joyce also serves as an elder at Trinity Presbyterian Church. Throughout his life Officer Joyce has served as a role model and mentor to many, especially through his involvement with local schools, organizations, and clubs. The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training program was created in part through Office Joyce's hard work. This program equips first responders with the necessary training to assist individuals that are dealing with mental health crises. Officer Joyce served as one of his department's first CIT officers and also held the position of Franklin County CIT Council Co-Chairman and CIT Training Chairman. With this retirement Officer Joyce will now be able to spend more time with his lovely wife of 42 years, Jennifer. He will also enjoy more time with his children Hannah, Ethan, Noah, Warren, Faith, Connor, Moriah, and Naomi, as well as his nine grandchildren. As police officers and their families know, the most notable and award-worthy actions are often unseen by the general public and will never be awarded by anyone but God. Officer Joyce truly exemplifies the scripture that states, ``Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.'' (Matthew 5:9) I ask you to join me in recognizing Officer Michael Joyce, Number 731, on his retirement. The commitment he has shown to the Union Police Department and to his community for 27 years is a commendable accomplishment.
CALLING FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF A SPECIAL COUNSEL
Ted Cruz (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-3-2

I rise today to recognize Texas Independence Day. prgtoken One hundred eighty-one years ago, 59 delegates met in Independence Hall at Washington-on-the-Brazos to risk everything to make freedom a reality for generations of Texans to come. prgtoken Today, I continue on a tradition started by the late Senator John Tower and carried on by Members of the Texas delegation to read the words of a 26-year-old Lieutenant Colonel, William Barret Travis, who at the time was under siege by the forces of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. prgtoken On February 24, 1836, Travis penned the following immortal letter: To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World--Fellow Citizens & compatriots-- I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna--I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man--The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken--I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls--I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & of everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch--The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country--Victory or Death. Signed: William Barret Travis. prgtoken That same love of ``life, liberty, and property of the people'' that spurred the Texans at the Alamo and throughout the revolution still lives in each Texan today. prgtoken I think it is particularly appropriate that right now this body will be confirming former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to be the Secretary of Energy. That is fitting to the spirit of freedom and independence of Texans. prgtoken Texans fought for it, they died for it, and we owe it to their sacrifice to carry the torch of freedom for future generations, and we will. prgtoken To all Texans: Happy Independence Day.
CALLING FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF A SPECIAL COUNSEL
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-3-2

let me just say briefly, I couldn't be happier that my friend, the former Governor of the State of Texas, Rick Perry, will be confirmed here shortly as the next Energy Secretary. prgtoken I know, personally, as do 28 million Texans, that Rick Perry has dedicated his life to public service. He is best known perhaps for serving our State as Governor for a record 14 years. Before that, he served in the Air Force. He served as a State representative in the Texas Legislature. He was elected as our Agriculture commissioner, then served as Lieutenant Governor. As you can tell, the man was born to lead. prgtoken During his governorship, Texas became known throughout the country as the economic engine that could pull the train of the U.S. economy and could weather even the toughest national economic downturn. Under Governor Perry's leadership, the State promoted cutting-edge innovation and sensible regulation in order to foster an ``all of the above'' energy strategy that revolutionized the Texas energy landscape and the Texas economy. The State became not just an oil and gas powerhouse but the top wind-producing State in the country. We really do believe in an ``all of the above'' strategy when it comes to energy. prgtoken In short, Rick Perry created an environment where all energy producers could not just succeed but really prosper, and that continues to serve the people of our State well. prgtoken Texans still benefit from policies that continue to create more energy options for families across our State. Put it another way, Governor Perry has a very strong track record when it comes to promoting energy in a way that makes everybody better off. I have no doubt Governor Perry will take to the rest of the country these same principles that led to the Texas success story, opening America to a new energy renaissance. prgtoken I look forward to voting to confirm him in just a few minutes. prgtoken .