mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONG KONG HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY ACT OF 2019
Nancy Pelosi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-11-20

I thank the distinguished chairman for yielding. prgtoken I salute him and Mr. McCaul, the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. To you, and Mr. McCaul, thank you for affording this opportunity to vote on the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. prgtoken This is a proud day for the U.S. Congress, for our values of freedom and justice, and for the people of Hong Kong. prgtoken For 6 months, the people of Hong Kong have stirred the hearts of all freedom-loving people with their extraordinary outpouring of courage and their refusal to relinquish their demand for democracy, the democratic freedoms, and the rule of law which was promised more than two decades ago. prgtoken Today, the Congress is sending an unmistakable message to the world that the United States stands in solidarity prgtoken with the freedom-loving people of Hong Kong, and we fully support their fight for freedom. prgtoken We salute Chairman McGovern, a leading voice for human rights in China and around the world, our Congressional-Executive Commission on China chair and also chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. prgtoken , I thank Congressman Smith, just listening to him talk about we are into our third generation of freedom-loving people in Hong Kong. prgtoken I am so glad Mr. Smith acknowledged the work of our distinguished former colleague, Frank Wolf, who was so, so very much a part and still continues to be a spiritual leader to us in this regard. prgtoken We have worked with Martin Lee and Anson Chan way back when and--so late 1980s, early 1990s--then into this new century with another generation; and now, three generations, Martin Lee still being involved, but with Joshua Wong and Nathan Wong and all of the young participants who are there, because it is a sad situation. prgtoken In 1997, when the United Kingdom transferred Hong Kong to China, America was hopeful that the people of Hong Kong would achieve the ``high degree of autonomy''--that is in quotes--``high degree of autonomy'' that they were promised. Today, it is beyond question that China has utterly broken that promise. prgtoken America has been watching for years as the people of Hong Kong have been increasingly denied their full autonomy and faced with a cruel crackdown on their freedoms and an escalation of violence. prgtoken Most recently, the violent attacks against students at Hong Kong Polytechnic University have shocked the world as unconscionable and unacceptable. prgtoken More than 1,000 young people were denied food, water, first aid. Scores were sent to the hospital for hypothermia after attempting to escape through a sewer, and hundreds now languish in jail cells. prgtoken Right now, frightened parents of the students who remain on campus are holding vigil outside, praying that their children will be safe, clutching signs reading: ``Save the kids. Don't kill our children,'' and, ``They are children of God. Let them go.'' prgtoken In the
RECOGNIZING THE TAINOS AND CARIBS DURING NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
Stacey E. Plaskett (Democrat, VI) \u2014 2019-11-20

. Madam , November is Native American Heritage Month, and I would like to share with you a story, one unknown to most Americans, but one that Virgin Islanders learn at a young age. It is the Caribbean story of Europe's drive for conquest and the resistance of the Native Americans of the Virgin Islands, the Tainos and the Caribs. prgtoken In 1493, Columbus and his men landed on Ayay, known now as Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. There they met a group of Taino people who had been taken captive by the Caribs. While en route back to their ship with these captives, Columbus' men encountered the fierce Carib villagers, and the first recorded violent conflict between Europeans and Native Americans of the Western Hemisphere ensued, killing one of Columbus' men. prgtoken Men and women fought with bows and canoes against gunpowder on ships. It is our story of Native pride of resistance, of remembering what is yours. prgtoken However, the Taino and Carib peoples have left us with so much more. When you use such words as barbecue, guava, canoe, hurricane, potato, maze, savannah, you are connecting with indigenous people who centuries ago journeyed from South America to settle in the archipelago that has given, and continues to give, much to this country and the world.
HONG KONG HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY ACT OF 2019
Brad Sherman (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-11-20

such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing. prgtoken We vote today on S. 1838, but this is not just a Senate bill. This is a bill very similar to the one introduced in this House by the gentleman from New Jersey. This House has already voted on this bill and supported it overwhelmingly. Today, once again, we show the world our commitment to the people of Hong Kong and to the preservation and protection of Hong Kong's autonomy, given China's aggressive attempts to undermine the ``one country, two systems'' approach. prgtoken With this important legislation, we send a clear signal that the United States will hold those undermining Hong Kong's rights and autonomy accountable and that the American people stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Hong Kong. With few exceptions, the people of Hong Kong have fought for their rights through peaceable protest, and we stand with them. prgtoken , I hope all Members will join me in supporting the passage of this bill, and .
Pensions (Executive Session)
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2019-11-20

I rise this afternoon to talk about what some observers have called one of the best historically black colleges and universities in our country--Delaware State University in Dover, DE, home of the Hornets. prgtoken For a number of years, I was a naval flight officer in the Vietnam war and then came back to the United States and moved to Delaware and got an MBA at the University of Delaware. Right away after that, I went to work at what became the Delaware Economic Office. We were headquartered at the campus of Delaware State College. prgtoken Delaware State College was an HBCU and was not a well-funded college, not one that was in the favor, frankly, of the Governor and legislature, for the most part, and was a bit of a stepchild. prgtoken I used to think: Boy, wouldn't it be great to be able to help transform Delaware State College into something historic, memorable, and outstanding. prgtoken Later on, I would be elected Governor--about 15 years later--and have the chance to work with the fellow who was the president of Delaware State University at the time and to transform, with the help of the Delaware General Assembly, Delaware State College into Delaware State University. prgtoken Today, of all the HBCUs in the country, I think its latest rating is No. 5, and I think there are 70 or 75 of them in all. They just reported that their enrollment for the coming year will reach 5,000 students, all in undergraduate, graduate, master's and Ph.D. programs, which is a record. We are proud of the Hornets and the great job they are doing educating people. prgtoken Last month, in one of my frequent visits to Delaware State, I took a campus tour unlike any other, from the cockpit of a brand-new Vulcanair V1.0 single-engine aircraft. We flew all over Kent County, north of Dover. We had a chance to do some approaches. It was a lot of fun, and it was basically a reminder that Delaware State provides undergraduate and graduate programs for all kinds of training and educational needs. One of the key ones right now and one of the most interesting, at least for a naval flight officer, is that Delaware State is the largest producer of pilots and aviation professionals of color in the country. I believe they have over 100 students and every one of them, when they graduate, has a job waiting for them. Some are pilots and others do a variety of work for aviation. prgtoken Today, we have about 157 million people who go to work in this country, and we have about 5 million jobs where nobody will show up. One of those areas where we need people is in the aviation world, and Delaware State is providing that. When the plane landed earlier this year at the airport just north of Dover, I held a roundtable with the Delaware State University executive vice president and provost, Dr. Tony Allen. We talked with administrators and students about a bipartisan bill called the FUTURE Act, which was discussed on the floor today a
For-Profit Colleges and Universities (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-11-20

there are various options available for graduates of high schools across the United States. Some of them choose to go to college or university, but even making that choice gives you a lot of options. prgtoken There are basically two categories of schools, though, that I want to address in this statement this morning. One category is called for- profit colleges and universities, and the other is the traditional not- for-profit colleges and universities, which would include your community colleges and public universities and many not-for-profit, private universities. prgtoken But I want to focus this morning on the for-profit colleges and universities in the United States. People sometimes can't make the distinction between which is which. Some of the big names in the for- profit industry include the University of Phoenix. That is one you probably heard of. DeVry University is another one you might have heard of. prgtoken There are some defining characteristics of these schools. They, of course, are in business to make money, and they have a different economic model than many of the other universities. prgtoken I have met the CEOs of for-profit colleges and universities and found that in some cases they have limited or no experience when it comes to education. They are investors. They are business people. The idea of education is a secondary part of why they were chosen. prgtoken There is an important statistic--in fact, two statistics--that I want to preface my remarks with, and these will be on the final, I might add, for those who are following this statement. prgtoken The numbers 9 and 33--9 and 33. Why are they important? Nine percent of postsecondary students go to for-profit colleges and universities--9 percent--but 33 percent of all the federal student loan defaults in the United States are students from for-profit colleges and universities--9 percent of the students, 33 percent of federal student loan defaults. prgtoken What is going on here? prgtoken Well, what is happening here, unfortunately, is that many of these students are signing up for the for-profit schools that they think are legitimate colleges and universities, and, frankly, they are dramatically overcharging them. prgtoken Every analysis we have gone through says that the tuition at these for-profit schools far exceeds what students are likely to pay, certainly, in a community college and in the case of many public colleges and universities. So they have a big tuition bill to start with, and they have poor results. prgtoken What kind of results? Students graduate believing that they are being trained or educated to do a certain profession, and then they find out that they can't do the job or they don't qualify for the job, or they get so deeply in debt on the way to graduating, they give up and quit-- the worst of all possible outcomes. prgtoken So that is the preface on these for-profit colleges and universities. I have come to this f
RECOGNIZING LOCAL PAGEANT TITLEHOLDERS
Jefferson Van Drew (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2019-11-20

I want to highlight three exceptional young ladies who reside in my district in south Jersey. They are pageant titleholders who work for the greater good of our community. prgtoken Madison Stiles is a Salem County native, who uses her title to promote mental health awareness. She is an avid volunteer through her community and is a fantastic advocate for the important subject of mental health. prgtoken Miss Vineland 2019, Marissa Marchese, who resides in Vineland, New Jersey, created a platform called ``Homeless Has a Face'' that allows her to educate individuals on the harsh realities of being displaced and share the stories of those who are not fortunate enough to have a roof over their heads. prgtoken Lastly, but certainly not least, Jaslene Candelaria, at the young age of 11, created a platform that collects stuffed animals, blankets, and inspirational cards for cancer patients of all ages. Her goal is to bring joy and smiles to patients, and she visits various hospitals throughout her community to make sure to do so. prgtoken , I thank them all for their selfless and benevolent work throughout their communities. Our future is in wonderful hands with them. They are our heroes, and may God bless them.
THE HOUSE IS CONTINUING THE WORK OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
Tony Cárdenas (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-11-20

. Madam , I rise today to highlight the great work of the House of Representatives. For the last 10 months in the 116th Congress, the House of Representatives has passed 18 healthcare bills, 5 gun safety bills, 81 education bills, 47 national security and defense bills, 45 environmental bills, 36 immigration bills, 40 infrastructure and transportation bills, and much more. prgtoken My point, Madam , is that we are continuing the work of the American people. We never lost sight of our promise and commitment to the people of this great country. prgtoken We are constantly fighting back the White House's attempt to take away healthcare from millions of Americans, and we are working to lower prescription drug costs. prgtoken We will continue supporting our military and ensure that they have all the resources that they need to keep Americans safe. prgtoken We will not allow this President to keep us from fulfilling our duty to make our economy stronger, our prgtoken schools safer, and to protect us from tyranny.
Appropriations (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-11-20

with government funding set to expire tomorrow, the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution yesterday to fund the government through December 20. It is now up to the Senate to pass the continuing resolution without much fuss and send it to the President's desk before the deadline. prgtoken As the leader and I work to set the time for that vote, we must look ahead. The continuing resolution will give appropriators additional time to get a bipartisan appropriations process back on track before the end of the year. The Senate has been able to process several noncontroversial appropriations bills, bipartisan, but several more can't move forward until the and the s both all agree on the allocations. You can't do it with one party. That leads to trouble. In recent days, we have made some progress, and I hope the talks between both sets of appropriators--House and Senate, ic and --will continue in good faith and in earnest after we finish the continuing resolution. prgtoken At the same time, there are several very important issues the are trying to address in the continuing prgtoken resolution that the Senate s refuse to address. Most notably, the s objected to restoring expired funding for the minority- serving institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander- serving institutions, and predominantly Black institutions. prgtoken These are ladders up. Such a high percentage of people of color-- people in minority groups--use these colleges to create great lives for themselves. They work hard, and they study. There are no alternatives for them other than these institutions. To hold the money back, which is what the other side is doing, is so wrong. It is so unfair. prgtoken The will not stop fighting the fight to help these institutions, and we are committed to securing this funding in any way we can. These are American dream institutions. If you believe in the American dream, you shouldn't be holding this money back.
CONGRESSMAN LESTER WOLFF OYSTER BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Thomas R. Suozzi (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-11-20

I thank Mr. Huffman for allowing me this time. prgtoken I rise today in support of this bill that I have sponsored, a bipartisan bill, H.R. 263, which, as has been mentioned, would rename the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge as the Congressman Lester Wolff Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge. prgtoken , I want to thank Chairman Grijalva. I want to thank, again, Congressman Huffman and my colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee for their work on this bill, as well as the members of the New York delegation, all of whom are cosponsors of and support this legislation. prgtoken Congressman Lester Wolff, who represented my district for 16 years, is our Nation's oldest living former Congressman, and, in January, he will turn 101 years old. prgtoken The renaming of the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge in his honor is in recognition of his monumental contributions to the preservation and protection of our environment. prgtoken These precious wetlands, at Congressman Lester Wolff's urging, were protected in 1968. It was in 1967 that the New York State Legislature, at the insistence of then-Governor Nelson Rockefeller and the master planner, Robert Moses, authorized a bridge across the Long Island Sound. prgtoken Lester immediately saw the bridge would despoil this pristine and precious resource of the Long Island Sound and soon found himself at the center of an enormous political fight. Lester eventually won this fight, and the Oyster Bay Wildlife Refuge was born. Today, it covers over 3,200 acres of one of the most important areas for natural refuge anywhere on the north shore of Long Island and is home to many endangered species. prgtoken Not only was Lester a champion for our environment, he also served our Nation honorably in our military. Lester served in the Civil Air Patrol during World War II and commanded the Congressional Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, rising to the rank of colonel. prgtoken In 2014, Wolff received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to also support this legislation so we may honor this great Congressman whose efforts were an important part of our Nation's environmental history.
SUPPORT BIPARTISAN PATH FOR USMCA
Kendra S. Horn (Democrat, OK) \u2014 2019-11-20

I rise today in support of the continued effort by the U.S. Trade Representative and the ic working group to finalize the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the USMCA. prgtoken Oklahoma workers, families, businesses, and our Nation benefit from free and fair international trade. Every day, Oklahomans create and export world-class products, and two of our largest trading partners are our neighbors to the north and the south. prgtoken In 2018 alone, Oklahoma exported a total of $5.6 billion in manufactured goods. Nearly half of those went to Mexico and Canada. In the same year, Oklahoma agriculture exports to Mexico and Canada totaled $154 million. prgtoken A stronger trading relationship with Mexico and Canada means a stronger economy for Oklahoma. It is imperative that Congress finish negotiating and pass a strong trade agreement to restore certainty in our trading relationship with Canada and Mexico and support millions of American jobs in the process. prgtoken Though finding common ground is not easy, it is critical, and I support the USTR and lawmakers' work to find a bipartisan path forward for this important trade agreement.
Government Funding (Executive Session)
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2019-11-20

I know people are waiting to see what might happen around here. We will have before us a continuing resolution to fully fund the Federal Government through December 20. I wish this was not necessary, and that we would have just passed all of our appropriations bills. But while I wish the step was not necessary, I would urge all Members to vote aye. prgtoken I wish we were further along in our work, but it is not for lack of trying. It is no secret what is holding up negotiations--the President's demand for $8.6 billion more for his vanity wall along the southern border. This is a wall the President gave his word to the American people that Mexico would pay for it, and now he is telling the American people: No, I want the American taxpayers to pay for it. prgtoken I should point out that he already has $10 billion on hand. He could not possibly build that much of his wall, anyway, over the next fiscal year with the eminent domain that would have to be done in Texas and elsewhere. And, of course, the wall they have built, at a cost of millions of taxpayer dollars a mile, can be defeated by a $100 saw at the local hardware store. The President was talking about how they will make it so high that it will be hard to get over it, but you can just kneel down and cut a hole to go through it. But he has $10 billion on hand for his wall. It could not be spent in the next year no matter how much the government is overcharged for the wall. prgtoken He stole $6.3 billion of that from our troops and their families, and despite the fact that the vast majority of that money has yet to be spent, he wants more. prgtoken If we hadn't had this issue, we would have had our work done by now. To quote one of the most famous baseball players, ``It's deja vu all over again.'' The President is once again putting his own personal interests ahead of the interests of our country. prgtoken I would like to remind the Chamber what is at stake in the annual appropriations bills. These are the things that are being held up because the President wants us to forget his promise that Mexico would pay for this wall. prgtoken What is being held up? Well, education for our children. Cutting-edge medical research. Anybody who has a family member with cancer or diabetes or any other disease wants their tax dollars being spent on medical research. Support for our Nation's farmers, medical care for our veterans, addressing the opioid crisis, environmental programs to keep our air safe to breathe and our water safe to drink--all of these things are being held up, all are being put on autopilot because the President cares about his wall--his symbolic wall--far more than he does about medical research or medical care for our veterans. prgtoken So we find ourselves at a critical juncture. We could pass another continuing resolution to allow us to continue to negotiate in good faith, which I am committed to do, or shut down the government. Well