mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
FILIBUSTERS
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-9-16

now, since are stonewalling pandemic relief, the Senate is using our time to confirm more well- qualified judicial nominees to lifetime positions on the Federal bench. Renewing the Federal judiciary has been a major success over the last 4 years. prgtoken Since January 2017, President has nominated, and this Senate has confirmed, 211 article III judges, including 53 circuit judges. That is the second most appellate confirmations of any President in American history at this point in their term. prgtoken This isn't a partisan victory. The President has sent us impressive, qualified men and women who understand the radical notion that the job of judge is to actually follow the law--follow the law. It is a victory for our Constitution itself, but, believe me, this progress has not come easy. prgtoken Throughout the last 4 years, our Senate ic colleagues have visited a historic degree of obstruction upon this President and his efforts to stand up the administration that the American people actually elected. prgtoken Senate have forced us to break more filibusters on nominations since 2017--now listen to this--than had occurred cumulatively in all of Senate history--all of Senate history--before President was sworn in. I am going to say that again. prgtoken Senate have forced us to break more filibusters on nominations since 2017 than had occurred cumulatively in all of Senate history before President was sworn in. They have attempted to filibuster more nominations in the last 3 years than the sum total of all prior Senates--from 1789 through 2016 added together. prgtoken What was once a rare roadblock for the most controversial people has now become a daily norm. Before 2017, before this Senate ic minority got to work, only 5 percent of all nominations to district courts and circuit courts had been subjected to filibusters. I will say it again. prgtoken Before 2017, before this Senate ic minority got to work, only 5 percent of all nominations to district courts and circuit courts had been subjected to filibusters. Under President , the number has been 80 percent--80 percent. Our ic colleagues even obstruct nominees they don't even oppose. We have taken more than 100 cloture votes on district judges, even though district court nominees from any State with a ic Senator could not have even gotten out of committee without ic support. prgtoken So, to summarize, here is what we are doing this week. We are breaking ic filibusters on nominations because are filibustering coronavirus relief. And let us not forget the cherry on top. Because self-awareness apparently no longer exists, our ic colleagues have chosen this very moment to argue that they shouldn't have to play by any of these rules if they ever get power themselves. prgtoken President calls the filibuster ``a
DACA (Executive Calendar)
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2020-9-16

I want to thank the Senator from Florida for yielding his time. He is not only the Senator from Florida; he is also a former Governor. prgtoken , I am here today to talk about the brave men and women of law enforcement in Montana and across this Nation. These men and women, many who are my friends, are the best of the best. Montana heroes literally put their lives on the line every day to protect our families--our moms, our dads, our kids. They don't do it for the pay or the accolades; they do it to serve their communities, to keep us safe. prgtoken The men and women wearing that badge accept that every time they leave home to go to their shift and give their loved ones a kiss goodbye, they may never come back home. That is courage. prgtoken My home county sheriff--Gallatin County, MT--Sheriff Brian Gootkin-- just a little over 1 week ago, we had a huge, massive wildfire that struck the Bridgers just north and east of Bozeman. It has been my hometown for 56 years. There were huge plumes of smoke, a great big fire--11,000 acres. They rushed into the fire and evacuated the residents there. Twenty-eight homes were destroyed, and not a single person lost their life. I can tell you why--because of the actions of the Gallatin sheriff's department, firefighters, and other agencies. prgtoken This courage is something we should celebrate every day. This is something we should defend every day, including right here on the floor of the U.S. Senate. But, sadly, some people have other ideas. prgtoken The way that members of our law enforcement are being treated right now around this country is atrocious. It is disturbing. Just this past weekend, two members of L.A.'s law enforcement, a man and a woman, were ambushed while sitting in their car--shot point-blank. Many of you have seen the horrifying videos. prgtoken If that weren't sickening enough, there were violent protesters storming the hospital that they were being treated at and chanting ``Let them die.'' There are no words to describe the outrage of what is happening here. This anti-police rhetoric is beyond dangerous, and those who support it should be ashamed of themselves. They should be publicly condemned by every Senator, every Representative, and every Governor across this great country. prgtoken In fact, just this year, 37 officers have been killed. By the way, that is more than a 20-percent increase over the same time last year. Being a police officer in this country is more dangerous than ever before. I am having private conversations with members of law enforcement, our peace officers, men and women who will quietly tell you that it is difficult to continue to serve in this environment where they are not getting the support of their elected officials. I will tell you they are getting the support of their communities in many cases, though. But where is the outrage being expressed by those who are elected to serve, and how are these h
RECOGNIZING LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Ralph Norman (Republican, SC) \u2014 2020-9-16

I want every American to look at this picture of what, sadly, has become ``the new normal'' in many cities across our great Nation. The one common thread for all of these cities is that they are run by liberal who tolerate these criminal activities: buildings deliberately being set on fire, department stores being looted of merchandise, police cars, as you see here, being bashed and torched, and our brave law enforcement officers being executed in broad daylight. prgtoken Imagine, if you are an owner of these businesses who invested a lifetime of savings, waking up to their places of work being destroyed through no fault of their own. prgtoken Here is my question: Why have remained silent on condemning these acts of violence? prgtoken Is it any coincidence that there is not one standing with us tonight? Where are they? They are not here. prgtoken I would submit that this is a preview of coming attractions to cities and towns all across our great country if this lawlessness is allowed to continue. prgtoken Now is the time to support law enforcement, not defund law enforcement. prgtoken Now is the time to enforce our laws and put those criminals behind bars if they destroy private property. prgtoken Now is the time to get back to we, the people, not we, the criminals, not we, the government, not we, the politician. prgtoken In closing, you do not build up America by tearing down America.
Crime (Executive Calendar)
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2020-9-16

as we all know and as any American who has watched the news over the summer knows, there has been a terrible increase in crime in America's cities. Assaults, shootings, murders have been higher this year, and my home State has not been safe from this trend. In fact, in St. Louis, MO, there were 55 murders in the month of July. That compares to 22 murders a year earlier in July, which we thought were way too many then. In Kansas City, MO, homicides in the first 6 months of this year were about 40 percent higher than they were last year. prgtoken One of the Kansas City victims was a 4-year-old boy named LeGend Taliferro. He was murdered in the early hours of July 29 while he was asleep--a 4-year-old boy murdered while he was asleep--by a random shooting, violence going on outside his home. So early in July, the Justice Department launched an effort in Kansas City that has become a national effort, which they called Operation LeGend, named for little LeGend Taliferro. Under Operation LeGend, Federal law enforcement officers are working alongside local police to solve crimes, to make arrests, to track down fugitives, and to prepare cases for trial so criminals can be held accountable. The key phrase there is ``alongside.'' Federal agents aren't going in and taking over the police department; they are going in to add assistance to the police department. prgtoken On that topic, there was no immediate raid of trafficking centers or drug gangs or anything like that. I, frankly, thought the Justice Department was wrong in not announcing earlier to Federal officials and local officials what they were going to do and when they were going to do it, but I think we worked with them to see that that isn't going to continue to be the case. In fact, in early August, they made a similar determination to go into St. Louis. prgtoken One of the advantages of having Federal officers work with the local police in these cases is, one, they bring a whole lot more intensity to the moment. With the extra help, suddenly something becomes possible that wasn't possible before. Also, many of the people arrested can face Federal charges as well as other sentences. prgtoken Certainly in our State--in Kansas City and Missouri both--the two different U.S. attorney's offices have done a great job working with local officials before this but are even better able to look at what Federal charges might be faced to take some of that load off the local prosecutor and also look for another way to get these people off the street. prgtoken By September 1, in Kansas City, the operation had led to the arrest of 355 people suspected of serious crimes in Kansas City. More than 100 of those 355 people have been charged in Federal court. In St. Louis, where I said before that the government decided to bring Operation LeGend--the Justice Department made that decision in early August, and by September 1, there were already 359 arrests, and 128
RECOGNIZING TRINITY AT CITY BEACH
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2020-9-16

as a member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each month I recognize and celebrate the American entrepreneurial spirit by highlighting the success of a small business in my home State of Idaho. Today I am pleased to honor Trinity at City Beach in Sandpoint as the Idaho Small Business of the Month for September 2020 and recognize them for their efforts to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. prgtoken Established by Justin Dick, Trinity moved to its City Beach location in 2009 and has been an integral part of the Sandpoint community for more than a decade. Named after the holy trinity of peppers, onions, and celery found in traditional Creole cooking, prgtoken Trinity attracts tourists and locals alike and has developed a reputation for its quality food, service, and views of Lake Pend Oreille. In addition to serving quality southern cuisine, the restaurant also provides dozens of local jobs and enhances the cultural richness of Northern Idaho through their day-to-day service and steady participation in community events. prgtoken In recent months, Trinity at City Beach has done their part to reduce the spread of COVID-19, offering carryout and dine-in eating to the Sandpoint community while safely maintaining CDC social distancing and face covering guidelines. Additionally, Dick and his team have raised money and collected food to be donated to nonprofit organizations and healthcare centers in the Sandpoint area to help ease the burden on frontline workers. prgtoken Congratulations to Justin Dick and all of the employees of Trinity at City Beach on being selected as the Idaho Small Business of the Month for September 2020. You make our great State proud, and I look forward to your continued growth and success.
ORDERS FOR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2020-9-16

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:45 a.m Thursday, September 17; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day and morning business be closed; finally, following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Valderrama nomination under the previous order.
TRIBUTE TO COMMANDER EDWARD H. MURRAY
Richard C. Shelby (Republican, AL) \u2014 2020-9-16

I rise today to recognize the service of Commander Edward H. Murray of the U.S. Navy on the occasion of his retirement after 20 years of Active Duty. I would like to briefly share with my colleagues some of the highlights of his fine career. prgtoken For the past 20 years, Commander Murray excelled in leading Navy Sailors as an E-2C naval flight officer. He served sea tours with VAW- 116, deploying on the USS Constellation and USS Abraham Lincoln in support of coalition forces in Iraq and operations in the Western Pacific. He also deployed to the Western Pacific with VTC-12 onboard the USS Bonhomme Richard, providing airspace and diplomatic coordination. Ashore, Commander Murray's assignments included a special selection as aide-de-camp to the four-star commander of the U.S. Naval Forces in Naples, Italy, during operations in Kosovo and Libya. He also served my colleague, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, as a legislative fellow and then continued his service in the Navy Office of Legislative Affairs as deputy director of the Senate Liaison Office. prgtoken I have gotten to know Commander Murray over the past 2 years through his assignment to the Navy's Appropriations Matters Office. As a representative of the Chief of Naval Operations and Secretary of the Navy, he provided valuable support to Members of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees regarding the Navy's budgetary needs. His efforts to provide timely and transparent information to the committees contributed to the enactment of the Defense Appropriations Acts for fiscal years 2019 and 2020. Commander Murray also provided superior support to me and many of my colleagues as we traveled across Europe and Asia conducting oversight of critical national security assets abroad. prgtoken As Commander Murray departs the Pentagon, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his retirement; to thank him, his wife Amanda, and his family for their years of service; and to wish him the very best going forward.
DACA (Executive Calendar)
Mike Braun (Republican, IN) \u2014 2020-9-16

I rise this evening to recognize the 50- year anniversary of Vincennes University Jasper Campus. prgtoken Vincennes University was founded in 1801 as part of the Northwest Territory back then that would later become the State of Indiana. For over 200 years, Vincennes University has been a premier institution of higher learning for those seeking knowledge in manufacturing, logistics, aviation, and other important fields of study. prgtoken In 1970, when I was a mere junior in high school, this university expanded and established a new campus in my hometown. prgtoken With open enrollment and concentrating on jobs with fields where there were employee shortages, Vincennes University Jasper Campus is providing opportunities for all Hoosiers to add new skills to their resume that will ultimately lead to good-paying jobs, mostly right there in Indiana. prgtoken Notably, with their partnership with Purdue University, this campus provides low-income students or those in need of remedial coursework with a stepping stone to one of the Nation's top engineering schools. prgtoken I have to admit, VU Jasper Campus holds a special place in my heart. At the company I founded in the early eighties, we use this as an excellent source of recruiting people into our own company who generally come there fully skilled, ready to go, and generally end up sticking with the job, which is great. prgtoken As a Jasper native, I have seen firsthand what an asset this campus has been to our community and the economic benefit it has added to Dubois and surrounding counties. prgtoken We are lucky to have VU in Jasper, and I am happy to be here on the floor of the U.S. Senate to celebrate with them on their golden anniversary. prgtoken .
National Debt (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2020-9-16

in the beginning of September, the Congressional Budget Office issued its latest budget outlook. The news wasn't good. CBO announced that next year our country's debt is projected to exceed the amount of our gross domestic product. In other words, the size of our debt will be greater than the size of our economy. That is a very bad position to be in. prgtoken Countries with that kind of debt-to-GDP ratio face time-sensitive decisions if they want to avert an all-out economic crisis. Greece is just one recent example. We all know the kind of economic devastation and accompanying turmoil that Greece has experienced in recent years. prgtoken Now, as the United States, we can probably hang on a little longer than most other countries before entering a full-blown debt crisis. It is helpful that our economy was surging before being waylaid by the onset of the coronavirus, but even we can't hang on forever. Sooner or later, if we don't address the size of our soaring debt, we are going to have a problem--a lot of problems, in fact. prgtoken That is not something most of my colleagues across the aisle want to hear. They would like to spend as much as they want, whenever they want, on whatever new government program that they have come up with, and they imply that s are miserly for not wanting to join them. prgtoken s, imply or sometimes say, just don't care about the ordinary Americans who would supposedly benefit from ' spending. In fact, the opposite is true. In the face of the pandemic, s have been willing to spend huge sums to help our fellow Americans weather this crisis, and s are worried about our spending and our debt precisely because we care deeply about ordinary Americans. We know what the consequences of unchecked debt and spending can be, and we want to protect Americans from those consequences. prgtoken To start with, the larger our debt grows, the more interest we are likely to have to pay--and we are already paying a lot. Right now, we are paying roughly $484 billion a year in interest on our debt. That is a substantial chunk of our yearly budget, and that is money that could otherwise be going to other priorities. prgtoken And the problem has only snowballed. By 2029, the yearly interest on our debt is projected to reach $807 billion, according to one estimate. Now, that is going to eat up a lot--a lot--of money that could otherwise be spent on important investments: healthcare, veterans, infrastructure, defense, seniors, education. We would have a lot more money to devote to those priorities if we weren't paying hundreds of billions in interest each year on our debt. prgtoken Then there are the economic consequences of a huge debt: The economy will struggle. Unemployment will grow. Businesses will create fewer jobs, if they create jobs at all. Wages and benefits will likely stagnate. The stock market will struggle. prgtoken We h
21ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS CORONAVIRUS RELIEF ACT OF 2020
Jefferson Van Drew (Republican, NJ) \u2014 2020-9-16

. Madam , the balance of my time to close. prgtoken Madam , working parents across the country are currently grappling with the challenge of finding affordable childcare as COVID- 19-related school closures force many students to stay home. Parents are eager to return to work, but without reliable, affordable childcare options, students, workers, and the economy will be impacted significantly. prgtoken H.R. 8162, the bipartisan 21st Century Community Learning Centers Coronavirus Relief Act, supports the Department of Education's efforts to extend a commonsense solution that will help parents return to the workforce by increasing access to safe, supportive environments for students. By giving 21st CCLCs greater flexibility to provide normal programming during school hours and in-person care to students during the regular school day, parents can return to work with peace of mind, knowing that their children are in good hands and not falling behind academically. prgtoken Again, Madam , I thank Representative Wild for introducing this legislation. I strongly urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 8162, and .
Issues Facing America (Executive Calendar)
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2020-9-16

I would like to thank my colleagues for joining me on the floor today. It is clear that America is facing two separate, very different paths. prgtoken Last Thursday, the in this Chamber blocked much needed assistance to families and small businesses struggling to make ends meet amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and they did it for one reason only--politics. Our friends across the aisle didn't want to provide $15 billion in childcare, more than $250 billion of additional Paycheck Protection Program loans for small businesses, $105 billion for schools, and $20 billion for farmers. prgtoken While this aid is vital to my fellow Iowans, it would have helped families and communities all across the Nation, in red and blue States. There is no denying that the damage being caused by this pandemic is real. Businesses are being shut down, schools are being closed, and lives are being lost. Yet this toll is apparently not enough for the other side to set politics aside, even momentarily, to come together and help our fellow citizens with their daily struggles. prgtoken This senseless obstruction is leaving Iowa families to fend for themselves when they most need a helping hand. In so many ways, this represents the distinct difference between the two political parties at this very moment. prgtoken While Senate s are leading efforts to get America back up and running and guarantee opportunities for everyone, are embracing obstruction and anarchy. prgtoken Following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, my friend Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina introduced legislation to tackle police reform in a meaningful way. The bill he proposed would have enacted long overdue policies, such as finally making lynching a Federal crime, ending the use of police choke holds, expanding the use of body cameras by law enforcement, and increasing other forms of transparency and accountability. prgtoken Yet despite the impassioned pleas of Americans across the country demanding justice for George Floyd and other African-Americans who have died in police custody, blocked the Senate from even debating Senator Scott's thoughtful police reform bill this past summer. prgtoken Shouldn't we all be able to agree, regardless of our party affiliation, that Congress needs to take action to guarantee that no American should fear walking on the streets, especially in their own neighborhood? That guarantee should include people of color and peaceful protesters, as well as our law enforcement officers doing their jobs. prgtoken As a consequence of the ' obstruction, the streets in some of America's great cities have descended into a state of chaos and lawlessness, immersed in violence and vandalism, arson and murder. prgtoken When taxpayers turn to their elected leaders--whether for assistance to provide for their families during a pandemic, for protection from unfair policing pr