mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Federal Regulations (Executive Calendar)
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2019-12-11

on Monday I spoke at the annual meeting of the Missouri Farm Bureau, and, in our State, as in, frankly, almost every other State, the No. 1 economic activity in terms of value produced is agriculture. prgtoken Where we live in the middle of the country, we do better in an economy that focuses on growing things and making things than we do on an economy that focuses more on giving advice--not that we don't want to give a lot of advice, but the truth is we don't want to get a lot of advice, either. prgtoken So there is nothing wrong with a service-based economy, and there is nothing wrong with an important service sector in our economy, but America, in so many ways, was built on a productive economy, on an economy that produced something and something tangible. I think we have a chance to see those things happen again. prgtoken Where we are located, almost exactly in the middle of the country, the Mississippi River Valley is the biggest piece of contiguous agricultural land in the world. Compared to the near competitors in size, it is the only one of them that has its own built-in, natural transportation center. prgtoken In fact, there are more miles of navigable river in the Mississippi River Valley than in the rest of the world put together. I didn't say more river than the rest of the world put together because that wouldn't be true, but more miles of river that you can actually navigate--river you can use as an avenue of transportation and commerce than everywhere else in the world put together. prgtoken For an economy that is trying to reach out to the world or trying to efficiently compete, that is a big advantage. prgtoken So at the Farm Bureau meeting, at least three of the things the people I talked to were most interested in were regulation, transportation, and trade. prgtoken When it comes to regulation, Missouri farm families understand that many of the best things that have happened to them in the past 3 years have been the things that didn't happen. There was a terrible regulation proposed--waters of the U.S.--in which the EPA was trying to decide that their authority over navigable water would be authority over all the water. Suddenly, navigable water had become, under the EPA, any water that could run into any water that could run into any water that could run into any water that eventually would run into navigable water. If that is how we want to define it, the Congress should decide that, not the EPA. prgtoken I stood on this floor many times during that terrifying time when the EPA was about to take over anything that related to water, from the new sidewalk in front of your house to whether you pave your driveway to whether you could set a utility pole without EPA approval. prgtoken With the Farm Bureau map of Missouri, I think 99.7 percent of our State would have met the new EPA definition of the water the EPA would regulate. The other 0.3 percent, I think, were sinkholes tha
TRIBUTE TO SERGEANT MAJOR DEREK GONDEK
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-12-11

today I rise to pay tribute to SGM Derek Gondek for his exemplary dedication to duty and service as an Army congressional fellow and congressional budget liaison for the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Financial Management and Comptroller. Sergeant Major Gondek is retiring after 27 years of dedicated service to his country and the U.S. Army. prgtoken A native of Lewiston, ME, Sergeant Major Gondek enlisted as an infantry soldier in July 1992, attending infantry one station unit training at Fort Benning, GA. prgtoken Sergeant Major Gondek has served in a broad range of assignments during his Army career at all levels of command. Starting as a rifleman with the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Fort Polk, LA, Sergeant Major Gondek led soldiers as a team leader, platoon sergeant, first sergeant, and operations sergeant major across the Army. His highest level of leadership was as a battalion command sergeant major of the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, HI. He has also instructed at the Army's Jumpmaster School and provided coaching to rotational units at the Army's Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany. Sergeant Major Gondek has served forward deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. prgtoken In 2017, Sergeant Major Gondek began his tenure with the U.S. Senate, first as a Defense fellow and next in his subsequent assignment as a congressional budget liaison for the U.S. Army. Sergeant Major Gondek worked tirelessly with Members of Congress and their staffs to accurately articulate the Army's budget positions to the Appropriations Committees. His professionalism, diligence, and commitment to the mission are unmatched, and his work both as a fellow and as a liaison very effectively represented the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense to the U.S. Congress. prgtoken The foundation of Derek's military success is his family. He is a devoted husband to his wife Maura and committed father to his daughters, Winnie, Ellie, and Zoey. Maura, Winne, Ellie and Zoey provide the foundation for Derek's service. Their attitude of service, sacrifice, and care for others permeates every organization and activity they participate in. The Gondek family is truly an example of servant leadership in the Army and the communities they engage. prgtoken Throughout his career, Sergeant Major Gondek has positively impacted soldiers, peers, and superiors. Our country has benefited tremendously from his extraordinary leadership, judgment, and passion. I join my colleagues today in honoring his dedication to our Nation and invaluable service to the U.S. Congress as an Army congressional liaison. prgtoken It has been a genuine pleasure to have worked with SGM Derek Gondek over the last 3 years. On behalf of a grateful nation, I join my colleagues today in recognizing and commending Derek for his service to our country, and we wish him all the best as he
FARM WORKFORCE MODERNIZATION ACT OF 2019
Ken Buck (Republican, CO) \u2014 2019-12-11

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I rise to discuss the Farm Workforce Modernization Act this afternoon. prgtoken As I said during last month's Committee on the Judiciary markup, this is an issue that is of great importance to me and to my district in eastern Colorado. Colorado is home to one of the largest agricultural economies in the country. I like to remind my colleagues, we have some of the best melons in the world in southeast Colorado, and no one bypasses a good Colorado steak, but to get this food to the table, our farmers and ranchers need help. prgtoken I have heard countless times how our farmers struggle to find reliable workers to plant and harvest crops. As we said during our committee markup, my colleagues and I are committed to crafting a solution that ensures our Nation's agricultural employers have a stable labor supply. prgtoken I appreciate my friends' work to solve a clear problem, especially Chairperson Lofgren, Representative Newhouse, Representative Panetta, Representative LaMalfa, and many other Members. I appreciate their efforts to craft a solution that gives our agricultural employers the labor, supply, and resources they need to keep America the world's breadbasket. But this bill before us today is not the answer. prgtoken My colleagues will tell you how they have taken our concerns to heart and prgtoken have worked to make the bill better, but this bill is still the same fundamentally flawed bill that came before us in the Committee on the Judiciary a few weeks ago. What is worse is that House leadership put this bill on the floor under a closed rule without an amendment process. There are a number of problems with the bill that a rigorous debate and thoughtful amendments could address, but that will not be happening today. prgtoken Most notably, we don't have the slightest idea of how many individuals this bill will put on a pathway to citizenship. And while I would like to think that all of our agricultural workers are trustworthy, good people, we don't have any way to verify that before granting certified agricultural work status. prgtoken The chairperson will assert that aliens seeking status under the bill will need to have a clean record in order to be put on a pathway to citizenship, but this simply is not true. H.R. 5038 allows an illegal alien to receive certified agricultural worker status and get on a pathway to citizenship even if they have been convicted of two crimes involving moral turpitude, controlled substance violations, or if they were involved in prostitution or trafficking. The bill also permits an individual to receive status after being convicted of two misdemeanors with a third conviction pending. prgtoken We saw the vote down an amendment from Representative Chabot that would have made an alien ineligible for amnesty if they are charged with two DUI's or one DUI with an injury. You can't tell me that you are serious
CLOTURE MOTION
Lamar Alexander (Republican, TN) \u2014 2019-12-11

. We have a vacancy at the Food and Drug Administration. So what if someone said: Wouldn't it be a good idea to go see if we can recruit the chief medical officer at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, one of the most distinguished institutions in the world, an organization that is even larger than the FDA? Wouldn't it be a good idea to go get a practicing oncologist? Wouldn't it be a good idea to get somebody who has worked at the National Institutes of Health and who has letters of recommendation from more than 80 organizations? Wouldn't it be a good idea to get someone who has been recommended and endorsed by the last five FDA Commissioners, under Presidents , , and ? prgtoken Well, we have such a person. That person came out of our committee 18 to 5--Dr. Stephen Hahn, the Chief Medical Officer of the MD Anderson Cancer Center. We should be grateful he is willing to take this job at this period of time. prgtoken I urge a ``yes'' vote, .
RECOGNIZING SUPERVISOR LAURENCE CRABTREE
Tom McClintock (Republican, CA) \u2014 2019-12-11

. Madam , I rise to recognize Supervisor Laurence Crabtree, who is retiring after 50 years of service as an indispensable steward of our forests. Laurence's passion for forest service began in his teenage years, when he worked as a smokechaser in a youth employment program at Clearwater National Forest in 1969. After working in a variety of seasonal positions as a firefighter, timber cruiser, and forester, Laurence spent twenty years as a District Timber Management Officer and District Resource Officer on Lassen National Forest. After serving as a District Ranger at Humbolt-Toiyabe and Modoc National Forests, followed by two years at Plumas National Forest, Laurence took his skills to my congressional district, serving as Forest Supervisor of the Eldorado National Forest for more than six years. Indeed, Laurence has spent his life as an ardent servant of our forests and the millions of Americans who visit them each year. Laurence was an explorer of our lands just as he was a protector, and his list of accomplishments speaks volume to his work. He discovered a rare moth in the Sierras that had not been seen for 140 years, then discovered a new moth in Nevada, aptly named Pelochrista crabtreei. He was awarded a Proclamation of Commendation from the Lassen County Board of Supervisors for his community involvement as the Big Valley District Ranger, as well as a Quality Step Increase for ``furthering the trust and collaborative relationships with Central Nevada Counties and Tribes.'' One of his proudest accomplishments was dedicating the Olympic Training Center at Echo Summit in El Dorado County as a California Historical Landmark to honor the special site used for training by America's top athletes. As wildfires ravaged nearly every corner of California, Laurence was at the forefront of making our forests environmentally sound and recreationally accommodating. Following the 2014 King Fire, Laurence's role as an Agency Administrator contributed immensely to the King Fire Restoration Project, which quickly began a complete reforestation process. His work over the past six years in particular has led Eldorado National Forest to become a regional leader in timber production and hazardous fuel treatment. He has received multiple certificates of merit for excellence in leadership and management, highlighting his devotion to protecting the communities and unique wildlife that make our western forests so special. Laurence's passion for serving his community extends beyond the forests. In both California and Nevada, Laurence served on school boards and chambers of commerce. Now, Laurence and his wife Denice will be returning to Big Valley, where he will undoubtedly continue his active involvement with his community while also spending more time with his family. prgtoken Gifford Pinchot was explicit in his first maxim for foresters, ``A public official is there to serve the public and not run them.'' La
Tribute to Kelly McManus (Executive Calendar)
Jerry Moran (Republican, KS) \u2014 2019-12-11

today, I want to take a moment to recognize the contributions of Kelly McManus. She is a member of my staff. She is U.S. Army MAJ Kelly McManus, who has spent the last year working in my personal office as part of the U.S. Army Congressional Fellowship Program. prgtoken Before Kelly departs my office here at the end of the year to return to the Big Army, I rise to express my appreciation to Major McManus for all of her hard work and dedication and service to our Nation. prgtoken Kelly's 10 years of service in the U.S. Army have developed her leadership abilities and shaped her perspective on major defense issues of national significance. These assets and attributes have made her an invaluable asset to our team as we work to serve Kansans, servicemembers, and veterans. prgtoken Before joining our office, Kelly's assignments had taken her around the world in service of our country. She deployed to both Iraq and Kuwait to support operations New Dawn and Spartan Shield, from 2011 to 2012, served as the medical planner for the Allied Land Command in NATO headquarters in Izmir, Turkey, and reported to Wiesbaden, Germany, to serve on the personal staff of the U.S. Army Europe headquarters commanding general, LTG Ben Hodges. prgtoken Kelly has also served stateside, leading her detachment through deployment in Fort Dix, NJ, in support of Hurricane Sandy relief efforts and commanded a medical company in the 2nd Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State. prgtoken Kelly joined our team in January 2018. From day one, she embraced Kansas, its people, and the challenges they face day in and day out. On her first official trip to Kansas, she visited our prgtoken military installations and talked with soldiers and airmen to learn about their life experiences. She made it a priority to spend time in Kansas and to learn from the Kansas people so that she could bring their thoughts and ideas back to the Nation's Capital. These personal conversations with Kansans and Kelly's experience in the Army have helped to drive meaningful policy. prgtoken She led our efforts to secure maternity leave for those serving in the National Guard and Reserve after talking with an expectant mother in the Kansas National Guard. She has also sought to increase access to suicide prevention programs and destigmatize the notions surrounding mental illness. prgtoken In addition, her experiences in serving in uniform have been instrumental to my efforts to support our veterans. Over the past year, I have continually been impressed by Kelly's leadership and professionalism. At every opportunity, she has proven herself to be an important and fully integrated member of my team, carrying the equal weight and responsibility of my personal staff. Her seamless communications and her skill in tackling issues big and small have been a great benefit to our office and the people that we serve. Kelly has exceeded all of my expect
CLOTURE MOTION
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2019-12-11

the Senate is considering the nomination of Aurelia Skipwith to be Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. prgtoken The agency needs Senate-confirmed leadership in place, and Ms. Skipwith is well qualified to serve as the Director. She has a degree in biology from Howard University, a degree in molecular genetics from Purdue University, and a law degree from the University of Kentucky. For almost 3 years, Ms. Skipwith has served as the Department of the Interior's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks. prgtoken At her nomination hearing, Ms. Skipwith was introduced by ic Congressman William Lacy Clay, of Missouri. He said Ms. Skipwith was ``one of the most talented, hardest working and driven persons that I have ever known.'' prgtoken I encourage every Senator to support her nomination. prgtoken .
CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 1790, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2019-12-11

. Madam , I thank Ranking Member Thornberry and Chairman Smith. prgtoken Madam , I am grateful that the House and Senate have come to an agreement in this year's National Defense Authorization Act conference report to finally repeal the widow's tax. prgtoken I appreciate my predecessor, the late Chairman Floyd Spence, who was one of the earliest proponents of eliminating the widow's tax, and I picked up on his efforts upon my election in 2001. Being the lead sponsor of this bill will always be meaningful to me. prgtoken I made every effort to be bipartisan, always inviting all cosponsors of both parties to milestone achievements. Repealing the widow's tax has been personal to me. prgtoken Lieutenant Colonel Trane McCloud was the military fellow in our office in 2003 and was sadly killed in Iraq on December 4, 2006. His wife, Maggie, and prgtoken their three children, Hayden, Grace, and Meghan, have always been on my mind and in my heart as we fought for the repeal of the widow's tax. prgtoken This legislation has the support of 383 Members in the House. This bill that is included in NDAA, has the largest number of cosponsors of any bill in the House of Representatives this Congress. I welcomed Congressman John Yarmuth to be the first cosponsor with the intention of always being bipartisan. This provision will restore the full amount of the survivor benefit annuity to more than 65,000 surviving military families. The repeal of the widow's tax will impact families who could receive an average of almost $12,000 a year. Surviving spouses visited and called representatives and were very convincing. prgtoken This effectiveness was truly remarkable, and I commend Edith Smith, Barb Christie, Kathy Prout, Kathy Thorpe, Kristy DiDomenico, and Kristin Fenty for their perseverance. Veterans service organizations were also instrumental. I am thankful that the families who have given the greatest sacrifice in service to our country are no longer burdened by this unfair offset. prgtoken Madam , I urge all Members to vote in support of the NDAA conference report.
HONORING THE LIFE AND SACRIFICE OF STEPHEN CARR
Steve Womack (Republican, AR) \u2014 2019-12-11

it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the life, service, and sacrifice of a hero from the Third District of the great State of Arkansas, Fayetteville Police Officer Stephen Carr. prgtoken On Saturday, December 7, Officer Carr was preparing to begin another shift of keeping his community safe when he was cowardly ambushed and executed, most likely because of the uniform he wore. prgtoken We have lost one of our finest law enforcement officers, someone who dedicated his life to serving Arkansas and defending others. Officer Carr made it his mission to make our State a safer place for everyone. prgtoken Officer Carr served as a protector, promoted peace and justice, and demonstrated the valor and integrity that the uniform embodies. prgtoken Our hearts are broken as we grieve this unthinkable loss. Today, we vow never to forget his memory and pledge to honor his life of service forever. I join all of Arkansas this morning in the mourning of the loss of Officer Stephen Carr. Our prayers are with his family, his loved ones, and the Fayetteville Police Department. prgtoken I also recognize Corporal Seay Floyd and Officer Natalie Eucce, who immediately engaged and eliminated the suspect. prgtoken Our police deserve our deepest respect and gratitude. While they know the risks they face are greater than ever, they refuse to shy away from their mission to protect and serve. prgtoken Stephen Carr was a native of The Woodlands, Texas my friend and colleague Representative Kevin Brady would have been on this floor this morning to offer his condolences to the family, a family that he knew personally, but because of a markup in the Ways and Means Committee, he is unable to be on the floor with me this morning. prgtoken , if it please the House, I would like to ask for a moment of silence for Officer Carr, who will be laid to rest tomorrow, and, in fact, for all of our heroes who have faced the end of watch.
Tribute to Johnny Isakson (Executive Calendar)
Roger F. Wicker (Republican, MS) \u2014 2019-12-11

let me join my dear friend and colleague from New Hampshire in paying tribute to so many things about Johnny Isakson. prgtoken I know we are supposed to abide by the rules, address remarks to the Chair, and not speak to each other, and if I occasionally look over at the senior Senator from Georgia and call him Johnny, I will apologize in advance to the Chair and to the keeper of the rules. prgtoken I think one of the points that Senator Shaheen was making about the bipartisan barbecue lunch every year is that we ought to do this more often. We choose sides so many times, and for those of us on this side of the aisle, it is three times at lunch every week--Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The senior Senator from New Hampshire and I never have a chance to have lunch together because we are there with our leadership talking about what our folks are going to do. prgtoken Johnny Isakson decided at least one time a year, when he was in charge of making that decision, that he would invite s and . Sometimes we got pushback from the leadership of both parties because they didn't have us captive that particular hour, and some of us who tried it didn't do it year after year after year. Johnny Isakson has done that and has been an example of bipartisanship. prgtoken I hope, Johnny, we are not making you weary of speechmaking, but I did want to make an extra point that perhaps others haven't made and give a quotation that Senator Johnny Isakson has made about others that he would never have made about himself because he is too modest. prgtoken I first became aware of Johnny Isakson in 1990, and he and I had not met at that point, but I was in Atlanta, GA, for some party function. Johnny Isakson was a successful businessman and a member of the Georgia senate. He was the nominee for Governor that year, and it was pretty well known that he was not going to win that race. But he came before us and gave a rip-roaring talk, very impressive, and I said to myself: You know, he may not win this year, but this Johnny Isakson fellow has a future, and he is going to go places. prgtoken It turned out that the impression I had that day was correct. He would go on to serve for some time in a bipartisan way in Georgia, and then, when the of the House of Representatives resigned from office, Johnny Isakson was there to win the special election and became my colleague in the House of Representatives. prgtoken During that time when we served in the House together, we were on the deputy whip team together. And, Johnny, it was usually you and I sitting next to each other at each of those weekly meetings of the whip team. prgtoken I began to realize on a personal, day-to-day basis what an outstanding leader he was, what an articulate leader he was, how persuasive he was, and how able he was to actually come up with some accomplishments in the Congress. prgtoken Boy, it is hard to get a bill passed, a