mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO JOHN PAUL STEVENS
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2019-5-22

it has been nearly a decade since Justice John Paul Stevens retired from the Supreme Court. His absence on the bench is perhaps felt more now than ever. Justice Stevens' nomination was the first of 18 Supreme Court nominees I have considered in my years in the Senate. As a young Senator, it was a privilege to support his confirmation in 1975. It was a vote I have long been proud of. Justice Stevens had a storied tenure on the Supreme Court and ultimately became the third longest serving Justice in our Nation's history. prgtoken Justice Stevens' commitment to the law and conduct on the bench was beyond reproach. His legacy is one of integrity, dedication to public service, and a recognition that the Constitution protects all Americans equally. He was part of majorities that protected LGBT rights, disability rights, and limited the death penalty. prgtoken The Supreme Court has never been perfect. Justice Stevens would be the first to acknowledge as much, but I cannot help but compare his many years on the Court with today. Today, the Supreme Court almost reflexively sides with corporate interests over individuals' interests, even when precedent or so-called textualism and originalism stand in the way. We have also seen an unprecedented blockade of a Supreme Court nominee, and we have a President intent on nominating the most ideological nominees to the bench I have ever seen, nominees who have been preapproved by opaque far-right special interest groups. Many of these nominees have long records of outright hostility toward reproductive rights, environmental protections, and voting and civil rights. They even refuse to accept that Brown v. Board of Education, a foundational civil rights decision settled 65 years ago, is indeed settled law. It is equally predictable and deeply unfortunate that Americans increasingly view the courts as a purely political institution. prgtoken Our Constitution and laws are intended to serve the people, protecting the freedom of individuals from the tyranny of government and helping to organize our society for the good of all. It is up to the judiciary to ensure our laws have meaning. This is a duty Justice Stevens' recognized and relished. prgtoken How I miss his jurisprudence, his steady voice, and his leadership. prgtoken I ask unanimous consent that a May 11, 2019, feature by Robert Barnes from The Washington Post entitled, ``John Paul Stevens looks back on nearly a century of life and law, but worries about the future,'' be included in the Record.
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2019-5-22

Oregonians have a strong interest in using biomass as a source of renewable fuels. This desire, coupled with how well we grow biomass in Oregon, creates the opportunity to use carefully selected wood waste as a source for cleaner transportation fuel. If we do it right, this effort will lead to healthier forests, more carbon sequestration, cleaner transportation fuels as compared to traditional gasolines, and protected old growth forests. prgtoken Current law excludes the use of federal biomass in the making of renewable fuels as defined by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The bill being introduced today eliminates that exclusion. prgtoken In addition to being an energy matter, this is an important forest management issue. Over many decades there has been an unnatural buildup of woody material on the forest floor. It becomes fuel for catastrophic wildfires. For months, each summer, Oregonians in every corner of the state, from Astoria to Adel and from Medford to Madras, suffer from smokey skies, hazardous air quality, and the almost constant threat that a wildfire may burn down their homes. In the eastern portion of the state, invasive species like juniper trees pose challenges, on both private and public lands--lowering water tables, posing fire risks, and encroaching on sage grouse habitat. It is time we stopped putting our heads in the sand, hoping the environmental ship will right itself. prgtoken Instead, this excess woody biomass should be contributing to U.S. energy independence by being converted to transportation or electricity fuels. This bill makes that economically feasible. It would make it more cost efficient for private landowners to remove low-value brush, like juniper. The bill also helps pay for programs to reduce dead and dying trees that fuel catastrophic wildfires and helps thin out unhealthy second-growth forests. The bill ensures that all residuals from the milling process and certain biomass from national forests and BLM forests qualify for the RFS standards. prgtoken Importantly, under this new definition biomass materials harvested from federal lands must be done so in accordance with all federal laws, regulations, and land-use plans and designations. In addition, the bill pays specific attention to biomass removal from insect and disease ridden forests and wildfire prone areas. And, to ensure environmental problems are being solved, not created, the bill restricts the types of biomass materials that can be harvested from federal lands so that old growth trees and stands will continue to be protected. prgtoken At the end of the day, the small diameter trees, the limbs, the debris, even sawdust at the mill presents real opportunities to generate green energy, generate green jobs, lower wildfire risks in rural areas across the country, and better position the United States to meet the RFS. prgtoken There is a lot of bipartisan support for the biomass definition in this b
Healthcare (Executive Session)
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2019-5-22

I rise today to speak about the ongoing threat from the administration to healthcare and the guaranteed protections that millions of American families depend upon. prgtoken President has tried to pass repeal plans that would take people's healthcare away and allow insurance companies to charge more for people with preexisting health conditions or those insurance companies could deny them coverage altogether. prgtoken When that repeal plan failed to pass in the Senate in the summer of 2017, instead of working in a bipartisan way to lower healthcare costs, President turned to truly sabotaging our healthcare system. prgtoken What do I mean by that? prgtoken The administration made it harder for people to sign up for the Affordable Care Act coverage. They have done so by limiting the window of time when people can enroll. They have truly created instability in the healthcare market, and their sabotage has contributed to premium spikes that we have seen across the country, including in my home State of Wisconsin. prgtoken The administration has even gone to court to support a lawsuit in order to overturn the Affordable Care Act completely, and that, of course, would include protections for people with preexisting health conditions. They have essentially gone into court to ask the court to strike down the Affordable Care Act. Now, if they were to succeed, insurance companies will again be able to deny coverage or charge much higher premiums for the more than 130 million Americans who have some sort of preexisting health condition. The number with preexisting health conditions includes some 2 million Wisconsinites. prgtoken What is the President's plan to protect people with preexisting health conditions? He doesn't have one, and I don't believe he ever will. prgtoken In fact, he has acted in just the opposite vein. This administration has expanded junk insurance plans that can deny coverage to people with preexisting conditions, and they don't have to cover essential services like prescription drugs or emergency room care or maternity care. prgtoken I ask my friends on the other side of the aisle to think about this for a moment. President supports overturning the law that provides protections for people with preexisting health conditions at the same time he is expanding these junk plans that don't provide those very protections. If this isn't straight-up sabotage, I really don't know what is. prgtoken When I was 9 years old, I got sick. I was really sick. I was in the hospital for 3 months. Now, I recovered, but my family still struggled because I had been branded with the words ``preexisting health condition'' and I was denied insurance coverage. prgtoken That family and personal experience has driven my fight to make sure that every American has affordable and quality healthcare coverage. prgtoken Today, because of the Affordable Care Act, those with preexisting health c
WOMEN'S ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL HEALTHCARE SERVICES
Katie Porter (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-5-22

. Madam , I rise today to discuss women's access to essential healthcare services. prgtoken I am the mother of three beautiful children. When I gave birth to my first child, to my second child, and to my third child, I was given the time and opportunity to plan for these pregnancies and welcome these children. I was privileged enough to have the ability to make an informed decision to become a mother at a time in my life when I was ready to care for children. prgtoken Prior to having children, I had access to birth control. I received healthcare that helped me have three healthy pregnancies and helped me to be able to get pregnant when I was ready. But too many women in this country don't have these choices. prgtoken Across the world, maternal mortality rates are decreasing. Pregnancy and birth are less dangerous across the globe, but not in the United States. While our country is a leader in so many ways, we are failing our Nation's women by not delivering the care they need during and after they give birth. prgtoken Too many women don't have access to prenatal and postnatal care. Too many women already don't have access to birth control or abortion services, and if we do not fight back, this crisis is only going to get worse. If we do not fight back, women are going to die. prgtoken The bills currently passing at the State level will not stop abortion. Overturning Roe v. Wade will not stop abortion. These acts will only stop safe abortion. prgtoken Research has found that every year approximately 25.1 million women receive an unsafe abortion, and 68,000 women die annually of bleeding and infection, almost entirely in countries where abortion is illegal or inaccessible. prgtoken If we continue down this road, women will die. The laws being passed in Alabama, Missouri, and Georgia are not pro-life. They are not protecting the lives of women and families that we were elected to serve. prgtoken Alabama has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country, but instead of focusing on ensuring that women have access to the healthcare services they need when they choose to have a pregnancy, the State is choosing to punish those who do not become mothers. prgtoken Alabama State legislature has said that they just simply don't have the funds to expand Medicaid to cover more low-income women, families, and other individuals. Yet they have the millions of dollars necessary to fight a legal battle to overturn Roe v. Wade. These laws are anti- choice, anti-women, and anti-life. prgtoken In the Alabama bill, the penalty for aborting a pregnancy caused by rape is higher than the penalty for raping a woman. Let me say it again: in the Alabama law, the penalty for aborting a pregnancy caused by rape is higher than the penalty for committing the rape. prgtoken This is not the country we want to be. prgtoken How is that upholding our values? prgtoken Let's also note that women who have a miscarriage--a tragic event-- could be cr
RECOGNIZING CHANCELLOR LELAND
Jim Costa (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-5-22

I rise today to honor a true pioneer in education at the University of California at Merced, the newest campus not only in California but among the newest in the country. prgtoken Dorothy Leland, our chancellor, is retiring, but she has paved the way for this newest university. prgtoken Chancellor Leland and her staff have built a community at UC Merced that is very special. More than 44 percent of the faculty are women. Over the past 5 years, the number of graduate students attending the university has increased by nearly 75 percent. prgtoken Probably most impressive of all, I think, is that nearly 75 percent of the students are the first in their families to attend university, and a majority of these are minorities. It is a majority-minority campus. prgtoken As a child of Mexican immigrants herself and the first in her family to graduate from college, Chancellor Leland feels a real connection to the student body. She is outspoken about DACA students, with almost 600 DACA students in the university today. She even traveled here to our Nation's Capital to fight on behalf of Dreamers. prgtoken She is one of the founding members of the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a group of more than 200 leaders who support policies that help immigrant, undocumented, and international students succeed at U.S. universities and colleges. prgtoken In her retirement, she said she wants to work on immigration reform. We can use that help. prgtoken But her work for the students and the campus at UC Merced does not end there. Arriving in 2011 during the Great Recession, Chancellor Leland immediately went to work on developing the university, because of the importance of this campus to the San Joaquin Valley, with a major construction project. She fought for $1.3 billion in funding to help expand the university, including the construction of new dorm rooms, research labs, a conference center, and an athletic facility. That project has allowed the university to expand from 5,000 to over 8,000 students and doubled the size of the campus. prgtoken She has also succeeded in graduation rates, which are up by 12 percent during her tenure. I am proud to say that, last weekend, over 1,300 students graduated. prgtoken UC Merced has achieved impressive levels of academic and research distinction and is developing numerous new patents and leading cutting- edge research. prgtoken I would also like to take this opportunity to give another shout-out, and that is to President Joe Castro and the faculty and the student body at Fresno State, home of the Bulldogs. prgtoken This past weekend, Fresno State graduated over 6,000 students, the largest in the school's history. Over 25,000 students are enrolled at Fresno State, ranked by Washington Monthly last year as one of the top 25 campuses in the United States. prgtoken Most importantly, more than 60 percent of the graduating students are the first in their generation to attend and
TRIBUTES TO FORMER REP. RON DELLUMS BY HIS COLLEAGUES
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-5-22

. Madam , on Friday, May 10, 2019, the family, friends, and former colleagues of the late Rep. Ron Dellums of California paid tribute to him at a memorial service here in Washington. Several of us who served with him in this House delivered eulogies praising Rep. Dellums for his decency, his strength of character, his leadership, his dedication to the men and women who serve in our military, and the respect he earned from his fellow legislators on both sides of the aisle. prgtoken I want to take this opportunity to include in the Record the remarks I offered along with the kind words spoken by Rep. Barbara Lee, Chairwoman Maxine Waters, and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton. Majority Whip James Clyburn also spoke, although unfortunately there is no transcript of his remarks. I can attest, however, to his moving words. prgtoken Below I share with the rest of our colleagues my remarks in praise of our friend, the late Rep. Dellums, joined by the statements of others made in tribute to him: Mr. Hoyer: Rev. Lamar and Father Conroy, thank you for your words of peace and reflection. Cynthia, Erik, Piper, Brandon, and Pam, thank you for allowing us to join you in mourning Ron and participating in this service today. To his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, let me say ``thank you'' for the love you gave him, because we all saw the joy it brought him. I had the great honor to serve in congress with Ron Dellums for seventeen years. He was a friend, a teacher, an example, a hero. He was always a gentleman. He was kind, gracious, strong, and historic. Respected and admired by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. As Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Ron Dellums was a man who knew the purpose of arms. He understood that instruments of war could be guarantors of peace. And he knew that the greatest force was that of the moral being, the spirit of good will and powerful words used to speak truth. When he saw the injustice of apartheid in South Africa, Ron fought with every fiber to arm Congress with truth and make our country an instrument of moral clarity. When he and other African-American Members saw an opportunity to raise issues that were being ignored in Washington and lift up voices that weren't being heard, Ron helped create the Congressional Black Caucus that now serves as the conscience of the Congress. As city councilman, he drew on his own family's experiences to see the clarity of his cause championing workers and their families, the downtrodden, the forgotten, and the dispossessed. The people of Oakland elected Ron eleven times to congress and then made him their mayor--because they saw in him the kind of moral leader unafraid to stand up for principles and determined to do right by those who entrusted him with high
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2019-5-22

today I am introducing the Foster Care Tax Credit Act, with my colleague Senator Jones. Enacting this bill would go a long way towards helping families with the expenses that come with taking in and providing homes for foster children. prgtoken Currently, foster families are only eligible for the Child Tax Credit if the same child lives with them for at least six months. Many foster families take in children for shorter periods, and sometimes take in multiple different children throughout the year. Even if these placements add up to more than six months, these families are potentially not eligible for the tax credit. Further, state funding for foster care families often fails to cover the cost of meeting the child's basic needs. prgtoken The Foster Care Tax Credit Act would create a new refundable tax credit targeted at these families that take in foster children but are not eligible for the Child Tax Credit. The tax credit would help ease the financial strain that many of these families face. Further, the bill instructs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and Secretary of the Treasury to conduct outreach to state and tribal agencies to better educate foster families about provisions of the tax code that may benefit them. prgtoken I hope my colleagues will support this bill to provide assistance to families who have chosen to offer a loving home for children who need it most.
CONSUMERS FIRST ACT
Ayanna Pressley (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2019-5-22

. Madam Chair, again, this is ultimately about honoring the very mission of the Bureau, and that is to put consumers first. prgtoken I support H.R. 1500, and I urge all of my colleagues to support my amendment, which will be a further effort to protect consumers and to guard against the harassment that so many Americans are experiencing every day. prgtoken Madam Chair, .
Infrastructure (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-5-22

this morning we had a meeting in Pelosi's office of the ic congressional leaders. It was in preparation for a meeting with President . prgtoken Three weeks ago, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the ic leaders of the House and Senate, asked for a sit-down with the President in the Cabinet Room to discuss the infrastructure of the United States of America--the backbone of our economy, a part of America that, sadly, has been neglected for too many years. prgtoken President promised in his campaign there would be an infrastructure program--put America to work to build the roads, the bridges, and the airports, and I might say broadband and so many other things that need to be done--so that the strength of this economy would be there to entertain new business opportunities, to attract new jobs. prgtoken We had this meeting 3 weeks ago, and it was amazing how well it went. I was sitting just a couple of seats removed from the President and heard an agreement in the room from the ic leaders and the President--$2 trillion, the President said. He rejected our offer of $1.5 trillion and said: No, make it $2 trillion that we will spend on our infrastructure. prgtoken Everybody sat up straight in their chairs and said: Well, this President is serious. prgtoken We said: , will it be 80 percent Federal spending and 20 percent local, the way it has always been? prgtoken Yes. prgtoken Can we include rural broadband in here so those of us who represent small towns--rural areas that don't have the benefit of broadband services--can get into the 21st century in terms of education and telemedicine and all of the things that brings? prgtoken Yes. prgtoken He signed up for all these things--$2 trillion, 80 percent Federal-- and the list was long of things that we were going to do together. prgtoken We went into detail in that meeting 3 weeks ago with the President about some of the aspects of it. For example, the President said--and I think he has been quoted before--that he does not approve of public- private partnership programs. He argues there is too much litigation. That is all right with me and for most of the people in the room. We didn't have to have that if the President didn't want to include it. So there was back and forth in this conversation. prgtoken There was one element missing, and I remember Richard Neal--who is the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the critically important committee, the counterpart of Senate Finance--said to the President: Now, , we have to pay for it. Two trillion dollars--how are we going to do that? prgtoken And the President said: Wait. I am not going to say that at this meeting. I know you want me to blink first as to how we are going to pay for it. I am not going to get into that. prgtoken There had been some proposals from of tax increases for wealthy people and corporations and such, but the Presiden
HONORING REX CAFE AND BAKERY
Vicente Gonzalez (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-5-22

. Madam , I rise today to recognize the Rex Cafe & Bakery in McAllen, Texas, and all of its distinguished employees. Rex Cafe & Bakery was founded by Rogelio Guerrero over 70 years ago in 1947, and I could not be happier to have such a talented group of individuals create jobs in the Rio Grande Valley. prgtoken Rogelio was born in Camargo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on February 3, 1908, and moved to McAllen in 1918. Rogelio was a World War II Veteran who served as a construction equipment mechanic in the United States Army. Rogelio was awarded the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with Three Bronze Stars and the Philippines Liberation Medal with One Bronze Star as well as many other awards for his service. He was also an active member of the American Legion, served as a member on the advisory board of La Piedad Cemetery, and treasurer of Woodmen of the World. prgtoken Rogelio left his legacy to his nephew Baldemar Guerrero, Sr who in turn left it to his son Baldemar Guerrero, Jr. The Guerrero family's determination and hard work has left a lasting impact on South Texas. Most customers have visited frequently for years to enjoy coffee, baked goods, comfort food, among many others delicious meals and treats. This, along with the top of the line customer service provided by its loyal staff, have made Rex Cafe & Bakery a pillar of our community. prgtoken Madam , it is my honor to represent the hard-working individuals of Rex Cafe & Bakery and its founder, Rogelio Guerrero. Their success is a shining example of what the 15th District of Texas has to offer.