mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Cyber Security (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-12-2

allow me to begin on a topic that doesn't currently concern legislation or nominees on the floor but one that does concern our national security and the privacy of the American people. prgtoken Over the summer, I requested a review of the potential risks posed by FaceApp, a widely used Russian-based mobile application that requires the full and irrevocable access of its users' photos and data. Very recently, the FBI responded to my request in writing, warning that the FBI ``considers any mobile application or similar product developed in Russia, such as FaceApp, to be a potential counterintelligence threat, based on the data the product collects, its privacy and terms-of-use policies, and the legal mechanisms available to the Government of Russia that permit access to data within Russia's borders.'' prgtoken Let me repeat this. These are the FBI's words in a letter sent to me just in the last few hours; that the FBI ``considers,'' their words, ``any mobile application or similar product developed in Russia, such as FaceApp, to be a potential counterintelligence threat.'' prgtoken The letter went on to say that the FBI is prepared to address foreign influence operations involving FaceApp against elected officials, candidates, political campaigns, and political parties. prgtoken In light of the FBI's warning, I strongly urge all Americans to consider deleting apps like FaceApp immediately and proceed with extreme caution when downloading apps from foreign countries that are known adversaries. The personal data that FaceApp collects from a user's device could end up in the hands of Russian intelligence services. It is simply not worth the risk. prgtoken Americans should be aware of the risks posed by certain mobile apps, particularly those developed in foreign countries that are known adversaries, before they download them. The FBI didn't name other countries, but I would certainly name not only Russia but China, Iran, and there are others. prgtoken Please, Americans, be careful, and let us let all of our intelligence agencies pursue this potential danger to America and ensure that it doesn't endanger our national security.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Tammy Duckworth (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-12-2

I rise today to honor the outstanding career of Michael T. Carrigan. Mr. Carrigan is retiring as president of the Illinois AFL-CIO following a long and distinguished career in public service. prgtoken After growing up in Bradley, IL, Mr. Carrigan graduated from MacMurray College in Jacksonville. He then completed a 4-year apprenticeship program and became a wireman before serving as business manager and financial secretary for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 146. prgtoken In 1995, Mr. Carrigan was elected to the Decatur City Council. He was appointed mayor of Decatur in 2008 to complete the term of another, retiring mayor. In 2010, he became president of the Illinois AFL-CIO, where he has spent the last 20 years advocating for workers and families across my State. prgtoken Among the many victories Mr. Carrigan has secured for working families, he recently helped successfully push for a minimum wage increase in Illinois and a $45 billion State infrastructure package. He has been lauded for his ``steady hand'' and leadership and will no doubt be missed by his membership and everyone in Illinois that supports the rights of working people. prgtoken I thank Mr. Carrigan for his service to the State of Illinois, and I wish him all the best in retirement.
Nomination of Dan R. Brouillette (Executive Session)
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2019-12-2

here is what the Senate and the American people need to know before the next vote coming up on the nominee to be the Secretary of Energy. prgtoken First, Mr. Rick Perry--who until yesterday was the Energy Secretary-- has refused to comply with the subpoena to testify about his involvement in the -Ukraine scheme. prgtoken Second, Acting Secretary Dan Brouillette--nominated to replace Mr. Perry--has failed to provide substantive answers to key questions about Mr. Perry's dealings with the Ukrainian state-owned energy company Naftogaz. prgtoken Third, since I have been raising questions on this matter, Naftogaz executives have reportedly been coming forward to cooperate in a Federal investigation into the Ukraine scheme. prgtoken Mr. Perry has virtually skipped town, leaving his job after insisting for months that he was determined to stay while the Ukraine scheme is front and center in the House impeachment inquiry. prgtoken Now, with the vote on Mr. Perry's replacement just minutes away, the Senate is truly in the dark, lacking answers to important questions. Those questions include issues pertaining to Mr. Perry's role in a campaign to change the leadership of Naftogaz; questions about what Mr. Perry, his donors, and certain crooked associates of Rudy Giuliani's stood to gain from those changes; questions about Mr. Perry's role in the Ukraine scheme, which administration officials have admitted was about withholding critical military aid in a face-to-face meeting until the Ukrainian President agreed to do for what he described as a political favor. prgtoken These are serious issues closely tied to ongoing investigations. This goes way, way beyond the well-documented waste we often see in the Cabinet--private jets, soundproof booths, $30,000 desks; this is about the administration using its full might to push a foreign leader into helping 's reelection campaign. The Senate ought to know about Rick Perry's involvement, especially since he was described by Mr. Holmes and others as one of the ``three amigos'' who were right in the center of all this. prgtoken What exactly is the rush on confirming his replacement? This isn't the first week of a new administration. Nothing is going to happen to the powerplants or nuclear facilities if the Senate takes the time to get answers to these central questions. Dan Brouillette is already the Acting Secretary. No American interest suffers if the Senate insists on getting answers that go right to the heart of the Senate's oversight responsibilities. prgtoken I briefly want to recall what this is all about. prgtoken The ``three amigos'' basically seized control of our country's ties with Ukraine under the direction of the President and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Secretary Perry led the American delegation that attended President Zelensky's inauguration in May after the Vice President was told to stay home. The Vice
CLOTURE MOTION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-12-2

. I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet), the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker), the Senator from New York (Mrs. Gillibrand), the Senator from California (Ms. ), the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Jones), the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), the Senator from Massachusetts (Ms. Warren), the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Whitehouse), are necessarily absent.
Nomination of Dan R. Brouillette (Executive Session)
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2019-12-2

I rise today to speak about our nominee and the vote for Secretary of Energy. prgtoken Mr. Brouillette came before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee 2 weeks ago. I found him to be up to this enormous task. He is a good man, and he has the credentials. He came out of our committee 16 to 4, and that is pretty impressive in today's toxic world that we live in, sorry to say. prgtoken He has a long history with energy issues and with the Department of Energy, so he is no stranger to this agency or to the workings of this agency. He has served as the staff director of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, so he understands the proceedings of this body and of the House. At the Department of Energy, he served as an Assistant Secretary of Energy during the administration and, of course, as the Deputy Secretary for the past 2 years under Secretary Perry. He knows the Department; he knows Congress; and he knows the energy issues facing our Nation. prgtoken He has also demonstrated his managerial skills. He has been vice president of Ford Motor Company, and he has been a senior vice president of USAA, which I think we all know is the large insurance and financial services giant that serves the members of our military and their families. prgtoken This Senate has confirmed him twice before, and we have gone indepth in looking into him, and he has been forthcoming. He has not held anything back. I asked him every question I possibly could. I know some of my dear colleagues on my side of the aisle have some concerns on some questions they want answered. I did get into those with him. He assured me that his answers were accurate and correct, and I found them to be very substantial. prgtoken I basically come before you to say that we have a gentleman who I think is well qualified. He is ready for the job; he is up to the job; and he understands the job. That is what we should be looking at. prgtoken So if we could put politics aside--truly put politics aside--and look at the qualifications of a person who is willing to serve and his family, who is prgtoken behind him 100 percent, wanting him to give that service--he and his wife are both former military people. prgtoken I found him to be quite charming, quite delightful to work with and talk to but, more than that, most professional in his approach and how he has handled himself and in the way we have worked with him in our committee. Being the ranking member on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I have worked with him, and we have worked with him throughout the last 2 years. He has been very forthcoming and good to work with. prgtoken I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to please consider voting for this gentleman because I think he is really the right person at the right time for this job. prgtoken .
Tribute to Johnny Isakson (Executive Calendar)
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2019-12-3

I am pleased to join , , and Independent colleagues alike on the floor today. I understand there is an overflow that is going to be back on the floor tomorrow to say the truth and tell the truth about Johnny Isakson. prgtoken One of my friends likes to say: ``Flattery won't hurt you if you don't inhale.'' Johnny, I know a lot of nice things have been said about you today, and more tomorrow, and probably for the rest of the year. So I would just say: Don't inhale too deeply, and you will be just fine. prgtoken I just want to follow up on what several of our colleagues have said. A number of them talked about how kind Johnny is. He is one of those people who will say hello to the folks who are custodians, the people who may run the elevators, the folks who are the security police here, and he even says nice things to the pages. Can you imagine that? That is true. He is about as kind as anybody you would ever want to meet, and it is not just occasionally. It is like that all the time. prgtoken He is also smart. I haven't heard anybody say he is smart. They may have. I may have missed it. I want to say, for the record, that he is one smart fellow--as my mother used to say, smart as a whip. He grasps complex issues, understands them, and is really good at explaining them so that even people like me can usually understand them. prgtoken I first met Johnny when he was newly elected to the Senate, and we had just established something called orientation. We didn't have orientation for a number of years here. George Voinovich from Ohio, Lamar Alexander from Tennessee, and Mark Pryor from Arkansas, and I put together a 3-day deal. We called it orientation for new Senators and spouses, and I remember that Johnny, I think, was in the first class that came through. prgtoken I had been Governor of Delaware for 8 years. I got here in the beginning of 2001. One of the Governors I served with was a Governor from Georgia named Zell Miller. Zell Miller was elected and served two 4-year terms. I think he served two 4-year terms. One of the prgtoken people who ran against him was Johnny Isakson. When Senator-elect Johnny Isakson came through orientation right after he had been elected, I asked him if he knew Governor Zell Miller. I thought that they had a connection, and, sure enough, they did because they had run against each other in an earlier year. prgtoken There is a saying that some of you have heard. That saying is something like this: Just because somebody is your opponent, doesn't mean they have to be your enemy. prgtoken I don't think I have ever heard anybody say such nice things, kind things, and generous things about their opponent in an earlier election where he lost and Zell Miller won. That is proof that your opponent does not have to be your enemy. For us around here, this day and age, that is a lesson that we would do well to take to heart. prgtoken One of the other things I want to sa
HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF GARTH C. REEVES, SR.
Alcee L. Hastings (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2019-12-3

. Madam , I rise today with a heavy heart to honor the life and legacy of Mr. Garth C. Reeves, Sr. who sadly passed away in November at the age of 100. Garth was the publisher emeritus of The Miami Times and a voice for the aspirations of African Americans in Miami for most of the past century. He was a man of principle, who after serving in the United States Army during World War II, worked to improve his community through civil rights activism, journalism, and publishing. prgtoken Garth was born in Nassau, Bahamas in 1919. He attended Florida A&M University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in printing in 1940. He served in both the European and Pacific theaters during World War II, from 1942 to 1946, and later returned to Miami to work under his father, Henry Reeves, who founded The Miami Times newspaper. prgtoken Garth dedicated his life to resisting and fighting racism. Taking the helm as publisher and chief executive officer of The Miami Times following his father's passing, he advanced the cause of civil rights and challenged segregation laws with acts of civil disobedience. In 1949, when African Americans were only allowed to play golf on Mondays, he showed up to play on a Wednesday. Garth and others sued for equal access to the golf course and won after a seven-year court battle. And in the 1950s, he was among the first to swim at Crandon Park in defiance of laws that designated it a whites only beach. Today, these may appear to be small acts, but they raised up the black community and highlighted the systemic inequalities facing African Americans each and every day. prgtoken Garth's good works didn't stop there. He provided scholarships for students to attend his alma maters, Booker T. Washington High School and Florida A&M University, and he donated to The Black Archives/Lyric Theater. It is no surprise that in 2011, he was recognized by the National Newspaper Publishers Association with the Legacy of Excellence Award, and The Miami Times named as the top black newspaper in the country. More recently, he was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists' Hall of Fame in 2017. prgtoken Madam , Garth C. Reeves, Sr. was a champion for our community and positively impacted the lives of countless people in Miami and around our nation. I extend my deepest condolences to his family during this extremely difficult time. Garth was a true blessing to so many. His legacy will always endure. I am proud to have called him a friend. He will be dearly missed.
HONORING CAROLYN EDWARDS
Peter A. DeFazio (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2019-12-3

. Madam , on behalf of myself and Mr. Graves of Missouri, today I would like to recognize the outstanding career, significant accomplishments, and invaluable contributions of Carolyn Edwards, a dedicated civil servant who in January will retire after a distinguished 46-year career with the U.S. Department of Transportation--44 of these with the Federal Highway Administration. prgtoken Among her many exemplary accomplishments, Ms. Edwards has been involved in every Federal surface transportation bill since TEA-21 in 1998. This has included support--through the technical assistance process--for Congressional Committees, countless Members of Congress, and their staff on legislative and highway policy issues. prgtoken This is the fourth time that a Congressional Committee Chair (or Ranking Member) has publicly thanked Ms. Edwards, by name, for her contributions. Prior instances include-- prgtoken On July 29, 2005, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (Senator Jim Inhofe) thanked her on the Senate floor during floor consideration of the conference report for SAFETEA-LU; prgtoken On June 29, 2012, in the Congressional Record the Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (the Honorable John Mica) thanked Ms. Edwards, among others, for her work on MAP-21; and prgtoken On December 3, 2015, I thanked Ms. Edwards on the House floor for her work on the FAST Act. prgtoken Ms. Edwards joined the Federal Highway Administration in 1973 as an economist within the Agency's Office of Highway Planning. There, she helped to establish FHWA's Highway Performance Monitoring System--a system that 40 years later continues to provide national-level data on the extent, condition, performance, use, and operating characteristics of the nation's highways. Over the ensuing four-and-a-half decades, Ms. Edwards has gone on to serve in a range of high-level analytical positions at FHWA, including stints in FHWA's Office of Highway Policy Information and in FHWA's Office of Legislative Affairs and Policy Communications. prgtoken As one example, during the mid-1990s, Ms. Edwards served in FHWA's Office of Highway Information Management. While there, she identified-- then helped to resolve--a $1.6 billion error in the Treasury Department's calculation of Highway Trust Fund revenues, which impacted the State-by-State distribution of Federal highway funding. Later, she also worked in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs, with a portfolio that covered Federal-aid highway programs and the Highway Trust Fund. prgtoken Ms. Edwards is ending her career as a member--and former leader--of FHWA's legislative analysis team. In this capacity, she serves as an unparalleled national expert on a wide range of highway-related topics, including Federal highway legislation, the Highway Trust Fund, and the operations of the Federal-aid highway program. For years, she has been a go-to ref
Tribute to Johnny Isakson (Executive Calendar)
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2019-12-3

I will be brief. prgtoken Every one of us can stand here and talk on the floor about Johnny Isakson ad nauseam. prgtoken By the way, I have been watching this on TV, and I appreciate your stick-to-itiveness in your being on the prgtoken floor, listening to this. You are a great man. prgtoken The fact doesn't escape me that we are standing in the U.S. Senate, a body that has seen so many great Senators over the years. We can go back and have a history lesson on Clay, Calhoun, La Follette, Murray, Wheeler, Mansfield, Metcalf, and all of these folks. The truth, though, is the reason we are all here, talking today, is that Johnny Isakson is a very special guy, and he is special for a number of reasons. prgtoken He treats everybody with respect, and because of that, everybody treats him with respect. His word is his bond, and his handshake is worth something in this body, which is not something you see all the time. Johnny is somebody who can get things done. I speak from experience in being the ranking member on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. He has shepherded through many, many very difficult pieces of legislation, and he has done it because he has developed trust. prgtoken If we ever get in a foxhole together, Johnny, I will have your back. Do you know what? I know you will have mine because you have exhibited it before. It has been such an incredible pleasure to be in this body, serving with you. You are one of those guys who doesn't have to be disagreeable, but if you disagree, you can disagree. Thank you very much. It has been a pleasure to serve with you. prgtoken Godspeed to my friend Johnny Isakson. prgtoken .
For-Profit Colleges and Universities (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-12-3

a few years ago, a woman who works in my office in Chicago--who actually cleans up the office in the evenings-- was so excited when she learned that her daughter had been accepted to college. It was a dream come true for a woman who had immigrated to the United States, taken some of the hardest, most menial manual jobs in the hopes that her daughter, one day, would have a better life. prgtoken She sat down with my chief of staff in Chicago to tell her about the details, and immediately, we knew there was much more to the story. Her daughter had been accepted not just to another prgtoken college or university; she had been accepted to a for-profit college in the Chicagoland area. The for-profit colleges and universities are notorious. The numbers tell the story, two separate numbers: 9 percent of all postsecondary students go attend for-profit colleges and universities--University of Phoenix, DeVry, very well-known names--9 percent of students go to those schools, but 33 percent of all of the federal student loan defaults are students from for-profit colleges and universities. prgtoken Why? Why is this one category of higher education so notorious for students starting and ending up deeply in debt to the point where they cannot pay it back? Well, the reasons are simple and very obvious. They overcharge the students, and they undereducate them. They make promises that are wild and cannot be kept. They give them courses of doubtful value and do not tell them that any credits that they have earned at these for-profit schools cannot be transferred to city colleges, community colleges, or universities. prgtoken So the students are stuck. At some point, some will quit piling on the debt and just basically walk away. All the promises and all the jobs and careers that were supposed to come from this are never going to materialize. It is a classic fraud, and sadly, our government is part of that fraud. You see, we recognize the accreditation of those schools. We tell that cleaning lady and her family that these are good schools and universities. The Federal Government does that and offers Federal loans to these students to go to these schools. prgtoken Is it any wonder that the students and their families think they are doing the right thing for their future? The Federal Government gave a stamp of approval. Well, what happens when those schools reach the end of the line? What happens when those same for-profit colleges and universities go bankrupt? The students are in a terrible position, deeply in debt with courses that are meaningless, with their lives compromised, and nowhere to turn. prgtoken We decided long ago to create an opportunity for these students to get out of this dilemma--one that we share in by accrediting these schools--something called the ``borrower defense,'' which allows these students, if they were defrauded, to discharge their federal student loans and get on with their lives. prgtoken