mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2017-4-4

I rise today to introduce my first bill in the U.S. Senate--a bill to help relieve the burden of student debt for young entrepreneurs from New Hampshire and the entire country. prgtoken Most of us have seen personally how heavily the burden of student loan debt weighs on students and families across New Hampshire. Less visible, but no less important, is how student loan debt is weighing down our economy--stifling innovation and job creation. prgtoken Student loan debt is preventing the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators from opening their own businesses. A New York Times report highlighted that the percentage of new entrepreneurs between 20- 34 years old fell to 25 percent in 2014, down from almost 35 percent in 1996. And Gallup found that 19 percent of graduates with student loan debt say they have delayed starting a business because of it. prgtoken It is time to once again unleash the entrepreneurial potential of our young people into creating the jobs of the future. That is why this week I introduced the Reigniting Opportunity for Innovators, ROI, Act, the first bill I am writing as a U.S. Senator, which would help provide the relief necessary for young entrepreneurs to start up and grow innovative small businesses. prgtoken The ROI Act will allow eligible founders and full-time employees of certified small business to defer their Federal student loan payments and interest accrual for up to 3 years while launching a startup. This will help give graduates the financial stability they need to take the risk of starting a business that can create good-paying jobs. prgtoken Additionally, this legislation provides an additional incentive for startup companies to move off the beaten path to help revitalize struggling communities. If the startup is located in an economically distressed area, founders and employees will be eligible for cancellation of up to $20,000 in student loans. prgtoken The ROI Act is an important step that we can take now to help young entrepreneurs and lay the foundation for a new generation of economic growth. prgtoken New businesses are historically the top job creators in our country, and small businesses are the driving force of New Hampshire's economy. But to get the education they need to compete for jobs in the 21st century economy, students are taking on more debt than ever before. In 2015, college graduates left school with an average of $30,000 of student loan debt, and New Hampshire students had the highest average student debt in the country. prgtoken At a roundtable discussion at Keene State College, I heard from students about the challenges posed by their student loan debt. One young woman told me that she hoped to start her own business but that she would likely have to put off that goal for another 10 years because of her student loan debt. prgtoken Any entrepreneur will tell you that getting a small business off the ground is expensive. These costs, mix
Chemical Attack in Syria (Executive Session)
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-4-4

. Thank you, . prgtoken , confirming a Supreme Court Justice is one of the if not the most important responsibilities we have as Senators. It is a vote we cast knowing full well that the tenure and the influence of the nominee who is before us will likely be greater and much more long- lasting than our own in the Senate. prgtoken After meeting with Judge Gorsuch and reviewing hours of his testimony before the Judiciary Committee, I have decided to oppose his nomination, and I come to the floor this evening to talk about the reasons why. prgtoken I am deeply concerned about the politicization of the Supreme Court and its recent capture by corporate and special interests. I am convinced that Judge Gorsuch would exacerbate that slide and continue the activist bent of the existing Court, and for that reason I won't be supporting him in the vote tomorrow. prgtoken There is no doubt that Neil Gorsuch is a well trained, very intelligent lawyer who likely has the right disposition to serve on our Nation's highest Court, but that is not the end of the analysis that I or any of us are required to conduct. I am concerned about Judge Gorsuch's record of putting corporate interests before the public interests. His past decisions demonstrate a resistance on his part to put victims' and employees' needs above those of large corporations. He has regularly sided with employers over workers, corporation's rights over the rights of employees to make personal healthcare decisions. While he admirably claims to rest his decisions on the law rather than his political views, his consistent support for the powerful over the powerless doesn't seem coincidental. prgtoken The Roberts Court, in my mind, has swung dramatically in favor of the rights of corporations and special interests over those of individual Americans. I would have supported a mainstream nominee, but the risk that Judge Gorsuch will inject his political judgment over a process that already too often favors the rights of corporations over individuals is too great a risk for him to earn my support. That was the statement I released upon making my decision. I wanted to begin my remarks with it. prgtoken I want to talk a little bit about the elements inherent in my decision to vote against Judge Gorsuch because I don't take that decision lightly. I have said throughout the beginning of President 's tenure that I do believe we owe some degree of deference to a President in making choices as to who will serve him in his administration, and I think that likely applies to the question of whom a President chooses for the Supreme Court as well. I think I voted that way. I certainly voted against many of President 's nominees, but I voted for many of the nominees with whom I had very deep disagreements with over policy as well. So it is not a question of whether Judge Gorsuch would be my choice; it is a question of whether I think he is going to
prayer
Gary C. Peters (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-4-4

the U.S. Supreme Court is a pillar of our Nation's democracy, and I take very seriously the Senate's responsibility to advise and consent on nominees to serve in this revered institution. Our constitutional democracy is a system of checks and balances with three coequal branches of government. Each branch is intended to serve as a check on the other two. prgtoken If congressional s are unwilling or unable to check President , this leaves our courts as the last line of defense against an administration that is committed to expanding the already vast power that is provided to the Executive. prgtoken We have seen this play out over the past 2 months as President has twice rolled out unconstitutional travel bans only to have Federal courts stop their implementation. The President's reaction was telling. He lashed out at the ``so-called `judge' '' and urged his Twitter followers to blame not only the judge who stayed a travel ban but the entire Federal court system should an attack occur. prgtoken Judge Gorsuch wants us all to know that he found these attacks on the judiciary ``disheartening.'' He told me as much when we met. He made a point to use the same language when in meetings with a number of my colleagues. Personally, I would say that these attacks on the judicial branch are more than disheartening--they are appalling, and I would say they are dangerous. prgtoken Judge Gorsuch is, by all accounts--and in my opinion--a good man, but as I have reviewed Judge Gorsuch's record and previous rulings, I have to say that I find them disheartening. prgtoken I find it disheartening that he has regularly sided against everyday Americans' rights, including women's reproductive rights, workers' rights, and civil rights. I find it disheartening that, instead of allowing women access to basic healthcare, Judge Gorsuch authored a concurring decision that argued that corporations have religious beliefs. prgtoken Yes, we all know that corporate law creates a legal fiction of personhood, but let's be real. Corporations are not people. They are not humans, and I have never sat next to a corporation at church. Corporations do not have religious beliefs. To say otherwise defies common sense. prgtoken Judge Gorsuch's ruling and the subsequent Supreme Court decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc is a dangerous step backward for women's health. This ruling puts corporations before people and could leave women in Michigan and across the country without access to essential healthcare services. This decision is a step backward for women. It is, instead, a step forward for the growing power that corporations have in this country. Courts not only serve as a check against a powerful executive branch, but they are supposed to put individuals on a level playing field against large, powerful corporations. prgtoken I am disheartened that Judge Gorsuch was the only Tenth Circuit judge to rule again
REMEMBERING DR. THOMAS E. STARZL
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2017-4-4

I rise to pay tribute to Dr. Thomas E. Starzl, the pioneer in the field of organ transplantation who impacted the lives of thousands directly and indirectly. Dr. Starzl died on March 4, 2017, 1 week shy of his 91st birthday. prgtoken To say Dr. Stazrl was a remarkable surgeon, researcher, or physician does not begin to describe this man or the contributions he made. He was a visionary who created and then transformed an entire field of medicine. He performed the first liver transplant in 1963, the first heart-liver transplant in 1984, and led a team conducting a five-organ transplant in 1987. In 2007, at the age of 80, Dr. Starzl visited with me to seek research funding for the hand transplant program at the University of Pittsburgh. He never stopped envisioning what more could be done or striving to achieve it. prgtoken The late Senator Robert F. Kennedy once said, ``only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.'' Dr. Starzl was not afraid to fail, and through his determination and the innovation and advances he brought forth, organ transplantation preserved human life, and the University of Pittsburgh became the busiest transplant center in the world. Knowing that the actual surgery is only one part of a successful transplantation, Dr. Starzl worked to develop immunosuppressant therapies and played a role in creating tacrolimus, which remains the most widely used immunosuppressant drug in the world. He also believed that it was his obligation to train the next generation of transplant surgeons. Today approximately 90 percent of transplant centers are headed by surgeons Dr. Starzl directly trained or by surgeons who learned from surgeons Dr. Starzl trained. prgtoken Over his decades of service, Dr. Starzl profoundly impacted many lives and families, including my own. Our family will always be grateful for the extraordinary care Dr. Starzl provided for my father, during his second term as Governor of Pennsylvania. In June of 1993, Dr. Starzl oversaw Governor Casey's exceedingly rare heart and liver double transplant surgery. My family cherished the 7 additional years we had with my father. prgtoken Among the many accolades Dr. Starzl received was being ranked 213th in the book ``1,000 Years, 1,000 People: Ranking the Men and Women Who Shaped the Millennium.'' Published in 1998, this book named the people who had the greatest impact on the world over the previous 1,000 years. Dr. Starzl's inclusion speaks to the enormous impact he had on so many lives. prgtoken Dr. Starzl's passing leaves a void, but we know the foundation he built for organ transplantation will endure through the many lives he saved, the surgeons he trained, and the high standards he set for quality of care. In the statement released by his family, it was noted that he ``was a force of nature that swept all those around him into his orbit, challenging those that surrounded him to strive to match his superhuman
JOBS AND TRADE
Rosa L. DeLauro (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-4-4

what a great compliment from someone who is a tigress when it comes to making sure that the working people in her community are represented--that their interests, their families, and their economic security are represented--and who fights on a daily basis to make sure that our families have the economic wherewithal with which to succeed. prgtoken The gentlewoman from Ohio is someone who really knows that the biggest problem that we face today in this Nation is that people are in jobs that just don't pay them enough; and that they can't make it, that they are struggling. prgtoken When you lay on top of that the direction that our trade agreements have taken us, it reinforces the fact of their lack of wages and of income inequality. And you can't have a discussion about income inequality in this Nation today without starting with wages. prgtoken I am struck by those people who tell us that all of this wage stagnation and income inequality is the fault of globalization and technology. No, that is not the case. You just listen to Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, who said that this inequality and the depression of wages has come from public policy choices. And we have made the wrong public policy choices, as has been evidenced by my colleague's comments. prgtoken We support a trade policy that puts American workers before corporate interests. And although President made trade a central focus of his campaign and he promised to fight for working men and women, the broken promises are piling up. prgtoken I am deeply disturbed--I know my colleague is--that President 's Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, has suggested that the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement is a good place to start for the NAFTA renegotiations. Working men and women deserve a new North American Free Trade Agreement, not more of the same corporate-driven trade policies of the failed Trans-Pacific Partnership--an agreement, as I said, that, as a candidate, President opposed. He spoke all over the country and told people that it had to go, that he was going to renegotiate NAFTA. prgtoken This is not the only about-face that this administration has taken on trade. If you listen to the Economic Policy Institute, China's past cheating to manipulate the value of their money has left over 5 million Americans without good-paying jobs. Yet, President has failed to deliver on declaring China a currency manipulator. He said he was going to do that on day one. And he has yet to act on countering our massive $347 billion trade deficit with China. prgtoken He missed his promised deadline to start NAFTA renegotiation in his first 100 days. He has already reneged on his Buy American promise that American steel would be required for the Keystone XL pipeline. They have waived that requirement, and my colleague knows deeply what has happened to steel workers.
RECOGNIZING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF MARK V. DENNIS
Charlie Crist (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-4-4

I rise today to honor the life and service of fallen Navy Hospitalman, 3rd Class, Mr. Mark V. Dennis. prgtoken Mr. Dennis was born on September 21, 1946, to Charles and Vera Dennis of Miamisburg, Ohio, where he grew up with his brother and two sisters. He went on to serve in the United States Navy in a Marine unit as a medical corpsman during the Vietnam War. A man of strong faith, Mr. Dennis also served as acting chaplain for his unit, and had dreams of being a missionary after completing his service. prgtoken Sadly, those dreams would not be realized. He was killed in action when his helicopter crashed after taking enemy fire in South Vietnam in the summer of 1966. At such a young age, 19 years, Mr. Dennis made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his country. prgtoken In 1970, a photograph in Newsweek magazine showed a Prisoner of War with an uncanny resemblance to Mark. Devastated by the loss, and plagued by nagging doubt, his family, led by his brother Jerry, began a quest for answers as to what happened to Mark. prgtoken Last August, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency released a report determining through DNA testing that the remains from the deadly helicopter crash are those of Mr. Dennis. Thanks to the Dennis family's determination, and work by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, we now know conclusively that Mr. Dennis died while serving and protecting his country. prgtoken , the Dennis family has been through a lot over the years. I pray that they will now have the closure they so deserve. Mr. Dennis will soon be laid to rest alongside his parents at the Garden Sanctuary Cemetery in Seminole, Florida, with full military honors. prgtoken I am humbled to honor the life of this young man, and all of our servicemen and women who were taken from this Earth too soon. May he, and his family, now finally find peace.
FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRATION MODERNIZATION AND ENFORCEMENT ACT (Executive Session)
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2017-4-4

last month I introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Todd Young of Indiana to create greater transparency about foreign individuals and organizations that are operating in the United States to advance the interests of foreign governments, including governments that are hostile to the United States. prgtoken In particular, our bill will give the Department of Justice new and necessary authority to investigate potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act by RT America, the U.S. branch of RT News or Russia Today News. prgtoken The Foreign Agents Registration Act was passed back in the late 1930s in response to concerns about Nazi propaganda being disseminated in the United States without people knowing what it was. It is absolutely appropriate today for us to take a look at what Russia and other countries may be doing to our news. prgtoken RT America, which broadcasts from studios here in Washington and is available on cable TV across the United States and across the world, for that matter, is one of the most high-profile assets in Vladimir Putin's vast $1.4 billion propaganda machine. According to the U.S. intelligence community, the Kremlin selects the staff for RT and closely supervises RT's coverage, including disinformation and false news stories designed to undermine our democracy. prgtoken Here we have a photo that shows exactly what I believe seems to be happening with RT. This photo was taken from a declassified U.S. intelligence report, and it shows RT's editor-in-chief--and former Putin campaign staffer, by the way--Margarita Simonyan briefing Putin on RT's facilities. So clearly he is interested. prgtoken Well, I believe the American people have a right to know if a Russian Government entity is exploiting our first amendment freedoms to harm our country. It is galling that RT news has publicly--publicly--boasted that it can dodge our laws by claiming to be financed by a nonprofit organization and not the Russian Government. prgtoken Well, what my bill--our bill--would do is strengthen the Foreign Agents Registration Act by giving the Department of Justice authority to compel foreign organizations to produce documentation to confirm funding sources and foreign connections. This is investigative authority that has been recommended by the Department of Justice inspector general, the Government Accountability Office, and the Project on Government Oversight. Our bill would create transparency by giving Justice the authority it needs to investigate RT America and publicly expose its ties to the Kremlin. prgtoken The audacity of Russia's interference in Western democracies, including extensive meddling in our 2016 Presidential election, is deeply alarming, and we have learned that Russia's influence campaign reaches tens of millions of unsuspecting Americans. False news stories can end up on our Facebook timelines and our Twitter feeds. They shape the political conversat
NEW YORK IS NUMBER ONE IN CLOSING THE GAP
Carolyn B. Maloney (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-4-4

think all the way back to New Year's Day--94 days ago--and contemplate for just a moment the fact that if a full-time working woman were to take all of the money she made between way back then and today, and she added that to what she had made working all of last year, well, she just now would have an amount equal to what a typical man made just last year. Well, welcome to Equal Pay Day. prgtoken The exact size of the gender pay gap can vary. It tends to be smaller when you are younger, worse when you are older, and worse still if you are a woman of color. Even where you choose to live can make a difference. prgtoken My thanks to the ic staff of the Joint Economic Committee, where I sit as the ranking member, for producing a new report that updates all these numbers, as well as State-by-State numbers on the gender wage gap. prgtoken I encourage all my colleagues to take a look at this report to see just how your State is doing. The best news I read all day was that New York State is number one. That was good news.
Venezuela (Executive Calendar)
Bill Nelson (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-4-4

I have already cast my ``no'' vote with regard to the judge and will so again whenever we get to final passage, but I want to take this opportunity to talk about the chaos that is going on in Venezuela. prgtoken As if there weren't already enough chaos, last week Venezuela's supreme court stripped its legislative branch of its powers--just stripped them of powers. Only because the court had gotten such significant criticism did it reverse its decision. Apparently even the very shaky President of Venezuela, Maduro, weighed in to get them to reverse their decision. Now, isn't that something? This is supposed to be a democracy. Yet it is being run as a dictatorship, where even the judicial branch goes and does something crazy and the President of the country gets up and tells them: You had better reverse yourself; there is too much criticism. prgtoken This is the nonsense that is going on in Venezuela. Of course, what went on last week further undermines Venezuela's so-called democracy, and it is only the latest in President Maduro's creeping dictatorship. That is what it is. prgtoken He has repeatedly and violently suppressed protesters and jailed his political opponents in violation of any understanding of human rights. He has used that same Supreme Court to block members of the National Assembly from taking office, and he has used that Supreme Court as a rubberstamp to overturn the laws that the National Assembly does that he doesn't like. Isn't it a sad state that Venezuela has reached? prgtoken The President has also thwarted opposition efforts to recall him, President Maduro, in a national referendum. In so doing, he was able to appoint a Vice President with ties to Hezbollah, and now a Vice President it appears that he has sanctioned for drug trafficking. prgtoken Meanwhile, the poor Venezuelan people suffer the consequences of the political, humanitarian, and economic prgtoken crisis. Venezuelans are dying because of severe shortages of food and medicine and other products. The economy is in freefall, and crime and corruption are rampant. prgtoken Last year, 18,000 Venezuelans sought asylum in the United States-- more than any other nationality. The United States stands clearly on the side of the Venezuelan people in calling on President Maduro to cease undermining democracy, release all political prisoners, respect the rule of law, and respect human rights. prgtoken There obviously is no sign that he is going to be doing this. What should we do? First of all, we ought to get our Secretary of State to work with the international community, including the Organization of American States, to help resolve this crisis and alleviate the suffering of the Venezuelan people. prgtoken That is the first order of business, to try to eliminate the suffering of people. It is all so true; whenever a dictator takes control, as has happened in Venezuela, it is the people who suffer first. prgtoken Additionally, I