mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IN RECOGNITION OF THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL AND ALL THE AMAZING CONTRIBUTIONS THAT CAROLE KING HAS MADE TO NEW YORK AND OUR COUNTRY
Carolyn B. Maloney (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-1-14

. Madam , I rise today to recognize my dear friend Carole King, arguably the most prodigious singer-songwriter of our century, for the fifth anniversary of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical which is based on her life and career. prgtoken Beautiful: the Carole King Musical opened on Broadway on January 12, 2014. After its first season the show won a GRAMMY for Best Musical Theater Album as well as two Tony awards. In 2015, it opened on London's West End, garnering 2 Olivier Awards. The show is now entering its sixth year. prgtoken Carole King launched her extraordinary musical career as a hit songwriter at the young age of seventeen with the song ``Will You Love Me Tomorrow,'' co-written with her then-husband Gerry Goffin. With Goffin and others, she went on to write dozens of chart-topping songs throughout the 1960's. King made her breakthrough as a musical artist in her own right when she released her era-defining album Tapestry in 1971, which stayed on the charts for over six consecutive years and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. prgtoken To date, King has composed more than 100 hit singles and amassed numerous prestigious musical awards, including four Grammy Awards. She was the first woman to receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which she was honored with in 2013. She has also been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2015. prgtoken In addition to her prolific musical career, King has also dedicated her exceptional abilities towards environmental activism and ensuring the conservation of American wildlife, parks, and wild places. King is a long-time resident of Idaho and began working with the Alliance for the Wild Rockies in 1990, testifying on Capitol Hill against legislation that would harm Idahoan natural spaces. She has also been a stalwart and outspoken advocate of the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA), a bill I have introduced in every Congress since the 103rd Congress. King testified in favor of NREPA in 2009 before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands. prgtoken Madam , I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the extraordinary contributions of Carole King, whose environmentalism and musical talents have bettered New York and our nation and inspired a Broadway musical.
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2019-1-14

it is interesting--we have entered the 24th day of the shutdown. That means that for 24 days, hundreds of thousands of Federal workers have lived with the uncertainty of when they will get their next paycheck. Tens of thousands, probably hundreds of thousands, of private contractors know they will never be paid. For 24 days, nine Federal Departments and dozens of Agencies have been closed for business. They have withheld vital services from millions of Americans. I want to point out that the millions of Americans who are not receiving these services pay taxes to have these services. It has now become the longest government shutdown in history. Taxpayers have lost billions of dollars. The country has lost billions of dollars. prgtoken The United States should be considered the most powerful country in the world, but the rest of the world sees our government being held hostage to the whims of an undisciplined President who is proud of the shutdown and shows no concern for the chaos he is causing to all Americans, s and alike. prgtoken Ask people at home what this means to them, no matter whether they are s or , that the President seems not to care that the Food and Drug Administration has stopped inspecting seafood, fruits, and vegetables, and Americans are at the risk of eating tainted food and feeding their families tainted food. He seems not to care that the Environmental Protection Agency has stopped inspections of chemical factories, water treatment plants, and other industrial sites, leaving our country vulnerable to dangerous pollutants seeping into the air we breathe and the water we drink. Ask any parent how they might feel about their child going to school and drinking water that is tainted with chemicals solely because we closed down the Agency that is supposed to inspect those chemicals. prgtoken He seems not to care that over 800,000 dedicated Federal workers have gone without a paycheck this month. As a result, across this Nation, hundreds of thousands of families are wondering how to pay their bills and put food on the table. It doesn't make any difference whether they are s or or Independents; they are hard-working Americans. prgtoken Just a few days ago, the President's own chief economic adviser went on national television and said furloughed workers were better off from this shutdown because they don't have to use up vacation days during this time they are being forced to take. Does he actually know what he said? Can you even believe such an arrogant, out-of-touch dismissal of hard-working Americans? The President's economic adviser is going to get paid and doesn't have to worry, but this cavalier way of treating hard-working, honest Americans is indefensible. prgtoken I hear from Vermonters every day about the impact the shutdown is having on their lives. None of these Vermonters-- and ic al
REMEMBERING GERALD BOSCHWITZ
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2019-1-14

today I wish to honor and pay tribute to Gerald Boschwitz, who passed away on December 30, 2018. prgtoken Gerry's life was defined by his enduring kindness and commitment to his family. The son of Ellen and former U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz, Gerry came from a family that valued service and decency. During his life, he embodied these values and passed them on to his children as well. prgtoken I went to Wayzata High School with Gerry. An accomplished student, he then attended Carleton College where he studied political science, a subject for which his family life prepared him very well. prgtoken Gerry, or ``the Gerb'' as he was known to his family, was the first of Rudy and Ellen's four sons and the leader of his pack. Gerry was a quintessential oldest son and big brother, serving as both a mentor and a sounding board for those he loved. Whether it was helping his father on the campaign trail, or his brothers make career decisions, Gerry always showed up, ready to give his support. prgtoken Gerry also worked alongside his siblings at the family's Plywood Minnesota/Home Valu Interiors business for 25 years, stepping in as CEO when his father was ready to pass the torch. He later cofounded a business of his own. prgtoken His commitment to his work often made him the first one up in the morning and out the door, but that didn't stop him from putting his family first, including leaving voicemails for his wife Janet at her work so that his voice was the first she would hear in the morning. prgtoken Gerry's family--his wife Janet and their sons David, Benjamin, and Michael--was truly the centerpiece of his life. Gerry was deeply committed to the Boy Scouts and served as an assistant scoutmaster for more than a decade. The Scouts played an important role in the lives of his sons as well--all three Eagle Scouts--something Gerry was very proud of. prgtoken Gerry fought valiantly against his multiple myeloma cancer for 4\1/2\ years, undergoing numerous treatments including a stem cell transplant and a natural killer cell transplant. In keeping with the kindness and generosity that defined so much of his life, Gerry's final gift to others was the knowledge researchers will gain from his experience. prgtoken That final act is no surprise to those who knew him best. prgtoken May his memory be a blessing. prgtoken Thank you.
HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF HERB KELLEHER, CEO OF SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
Eddie Bernice Johnson (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-1-14

. Madam , as the representative of the 30th Congressional District of Texas, I rise today to recognize the life and legacy of Mr. Herb Kelleher, CEO of Southwest Airlines. prgtoken Herb Kelleher was one of a kind. He embodied the colorful spirit and joyful nature of the airline he cofounded. He exuded this bright personality whether he was on television, in a room full of people, or speaking to just one individual. Beyond instilling the value of fun in his company, he revolutionized air travel by making the low-cost, low- fare airline accessible for many Americans. prgtoken Born in New Jersey, he studied English and philosophy at Wesleyan University and then law at New York University. It was his wife, Joan, whom he met on a blind date, who persuaded him to set up a law firm in Texas. Southwest Airlines was born not on the back of a cocktail napkin as he later liked to boast, but when one of his legal clients, Rollin King, owner of a small commuter airline, and his banker, John Parker, came to his office. Both men found travelling between the cities of Houston, Dallas and San Antonio inconvenient and expensive and thought they could do it better. With Herb Kelleher's help, they succeeded. prgtoken Since it's conception as a public company in 1971, Southwest has succeeded by just about every measure. In more than 45 years, in an industry filled with bankruptcies and mergers, Southwest has never had a year where it lost money. Under Mr. Kelleher's leadership, Southwest broke through in an industry entrenched with big names to offer a new spin on commercial air travel. In addition, the company promoted a healthy work environment before the idea became a widely-embraced corporate concept. prgtoken To Mr. Kelleher, Southwest Airlines was more than just another company; to him, it was a cause. His goal was to keep fares low and fly to as many cities as possible. In his words, the focus was to ``democratize the skies'' by making it as easy, affordable, and flexible for everyday Americans to travel. Such a mission may seem quaint today, but it was a revolutionary aspiration back when he first began. prgtoken Madam , the life of Herb Kelleher that we celebrate today is a testament to the value of great character and honesty. Because of Mr. Kelleher, Southwest Airlines made an essential contribution to America's quality of life. And most importantly, for Dallas and Texans statewide, Mr. Kelleher made an essential and long-lasting economic contribution to our region. Today as we reflect on his life, it is safe to say that the late Mr. Kelleher made a very real contribution to our world, and we are all witnessing the benefit of those contributions today.
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-1-14

this is day 23. For 23 days, we have had a partial shutdown of the Federal Government. It is now the longest shutdown in our history. That is not a proud record. prgtoken Government workers have now gone a pay period without getting their paychecks. Those who have been working have picked up their pay stubs, and their pay stubs show zero. Those who have been furloughed have not received a paycheck. prgtoken I think the American public would be outraged to think that we are asking our dedicated Federal workers--our frontline of public service-- to work and not get paid. That is not what this country stands for. prgtoken It has an effect on their work. It is difficult to show up every day and do your work and mission for the public and be worried about how you are going to have money to make your monthly mortgage payment or to pay for your children's needs or to meet your medical needs or your family's food needs. These are real decisions that government workers must make. Many are falling in default. prgtoken The largest number of Federal workers live paycheck to paycheck. In other words, they can't make it without their income coming in. That is a fact of life for American workers. Yet the government is in a partial shutdown. prgtoken I ask why? What is the disagreement we have here that keeps us from opening the government? Why is the President holding the American people hostage to his agenda? prgtoken I say that because the House of Representatives has passed over to us a bill that would pass the appropriations for six appropriations bills, opening up most of those Agencies, all except for one that comes under Homeland Security. Those would be opened up. They are not in any disagreement. The appropriations specifics were agreed to by the Senate in four of those six bills, and the last two were passed out of the Appropriations Committee 31 to 0 and 30 to 1. Under leadership, in a bipartisan manner, we have already approved these six appropriations bills. So why don't we act? prgtoken I asked the distinguished majority leader for us to consider that bill, and he objected. Quite frankly, I don't understand why, because if we bring it up for a vote, we will pass it by overwhelming numbers, and the government will open for those Agencies that are under those appropriations. prgtoken Then, my colleague Senator Van Hollen asked unanimous consent that we bring up a continuing resolution for Homeland Security, which passed this body in late December by a unanimous vote, so we could have the government open and then we could negotiate the border security issue. We agree on border security for the country, but we disagree with wasting money for a wall that will not keep us safe. prgtoken In fact, those who had been involved in negotiating border security in the Senate have been arguing for spending more money for technology and personnel but not for a wall. That is what we should be doing. prgtoken
GOVERNMENT FUNDING
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2019-1-14

I rise today to join my ic colleagues in sharing stories of what we are hearing from our constituents who are being impacted by this government shutdown. prgtoken I want to take a minute to thank my friend and colleague from Colorado for his thoughtful and comprehensive and passionate remarks about where we are and why. This is a needless and terrible exercise in politics, and we need to reopen the government. prgtoken This senseless shutdown has been dragging on now for weeks, affecting vital government services and leaving many Federal workers without pay. With every day that passes without a resolution, hard-working people are dealing with greater uncertainty, and many are facing tough choices in order to protect their families and the way of life they have worked so hard to build. Like many of my colleagues, I have heard from a number of people throughout my State who have been affected by this shutdown. prgtoken On Friday, I visited two nonprofits in New Hampshire, the Nashua Soup Kitchen and the Community Action Partnership--most of us know it as CAP of Strafford County--which provides vulnerable people with shelter, food, and support. They are now in danger of being unable to provide services that are a critical part of our safety net. They also fear an increase in demand for those services because unpaid Federal workers will be turning to them for help. prgtoken Federal employees and others affected by the shutdown in New Hampshire have also written to my office to describe the hardships they are facing and to urge us to reopen the government. One of those Granite Staters has been an air traffic controller for close to 19 years. Sadly, on Christmas Eve, her mother passed away, leaving her with a terrible loss but also with the stress and expenses of a funeral, all while having to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. On top of that, now she has not received a paycheck for that work. prgtoken She wrote: The government shutdown has been the last thing on my mind. But now the realization of not being able to pay my mortgage, credit cards from Christmas-time, and now this funeral is too much to bear. prgtoken She put it simply, saying: My colleagues and I deserve better. prgtoken I also heard from a Granite Stater who works for the IRS. He wrote to me saying: The prospect of not having a paycheck for an extended time is causing sleepless nights, and I am recovering from an extended bout of pneumonia that ended up putting me in the hospital right before Christmas. . . . My wife is worried about the bills for that. Last night, I worked pushing out the car payments. Today I applied for unemployment for the first time in 25 years, and talked to my mortgage company. prgtoken He continues: All this was under control a month ago, but now has me worried, and is costing me charges and interest. prgtoken He also de
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-1-14

as the government shutdown enters its fourth unfortunate week, its effects are widespread and worsening. As of Friday, 800,000 public servants were without pay. Tomorrow, roughly 41,000 Active-Duty Coast Guard members won't get their paychecks. By the end of the week, our Federal courts will start running out of operating funds. Farmers and small businesses remain unable to access loans and assistance. Some working families are unable to access home loans. Food safety inspections are curtailed. Airport terminals are closing amidst widespread staffing shortages at TSA. The shutdown is even affecting the opioid crisis. The DEA is in charge of approving a critical daily medication used by doctors in the recovery and treatment of opioid addiction. As long as the DEA is shut down, that is not happening. prgtoken It is all the more shameful because the shutdown is a completely manufactured crisis--manufactured by . The only reason the government is shut down right now is that President reversed positions the day before the government funding ran out, bewildering Senate and s who were assured he would sign a stop-gap bill to fund the government. prgtoken Leader McConnell is trying to blame the current of the House. He is way out to lunch on that one. We are here because the President reversed himself, and the last of the House failed to use his responsibility to put the Senate-passed bill on the floor. This House has voted to reopen the government. It is the Senate that hasn't done it because Leader McConnell won't bring the bill to the floor. prgtoken President has stubbornly refused to negotiate or soften his position from the get-go. ic leaders and staff have been over to the White House over and over again to urge the President to open the government while we negotiate over border security. We are all for border security. There are different ways to do it. Everyone wants it. But why shut down the government while we are negotiating that? Every time we have asked that of the President, he has been intransigent and uncompromising. He refuses to back down from his position that the price to reopen the government is $5.7 billion of taxpayer money for a wall he promised Mexico would pay for. prgtoken I want to remind all my colleagues and the American people that only want to reopen the government. We offered a proposal that would separate the government shutdown from our disagreements over border security. prgtoken The House has passed six bills to reopen the government, each of which was drafted and approved by Senate s. Let me emphasize that point. The ic proposal to reopen the government is to pass the s' government funding bills. are not demanding any added policy changes, no ic agenda items, no nothing. These bills are noncontroversial. Leader McConnell has vot
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
Mark R. Warner (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2019-1-14

let me pick up where my friend the Senator from Virginia left off. prgtoken We are now in the history books: the longest shutdown in American history on this President's watch--a President who, a few weeks back, said he would be proud to own this government shutdown; a President who, in the lead-up, said: Gosh, don't those know that most of the folks who aren't going to get paid are -- prgtoken which was, frankly, one of the most insulting comments any elected official in my lifetime has ever made. prgtoken I wish the President or somebody from his White House had been with Senator Kaine and I when we sat down with Federal workers from Virginia last Friday. Senator Kaine may have already mentioned a couple of these stories. I am going to briefly recap a couple of them. prgtoken A number of Federal employees who came and sat with us said they were in Federal service because they thought it was national service, many of them former veterans who felt they had an obligation to continue to serve our Nation, to protect it. prgtoken One lady, who worked at a small Agency that investigates chemical spills--and there had been a chemical spill in Houston the week before--felt her job was to get out and investigate. prgtoken A young man who served in the military now was supposed to be approving the safety of helicopters that are supposed to be deployed to Iraq. This guy is not able to do his job. Who is going to watch out for the safety of those helicopters? What about the needs for those helicopters that may be for troops in harm's way? prgtoken There is the story of one worker who said she had a little bit and could get through with her savings, but she went into her IRA to draw down that money. As Senator Kaine mentioned, she will get repaid, but even if she gets repaid, she will not get repaid the tax penalty for an early withdrawal from her IRA. prgtoken Another employee was able to get a couple thousand dollar advance on a credit card, but even when he is repaid in terms of backpay, that will not make up for the fees and interest that is charged on the credit card. prgtoken My apologies to the Presiding Officer if the Senator from Virginia already recounted this story. A young couple, both Federal employees, brought their 7-week-old baby to this meeting and said they wanted to bring this small bundle of joy because they had the unthinkable happen. When they tried to get their daughter put on their Federal healthcare insurance, whoever was supposed to send in the form had been furloughed. So when they took their daughter to the doctor and the doctor prescribed medicine, at the drug store they couldn't pay the bill because the folks didn't have their insurance. They had done nothing wrong. In this case, it didn't end up in a tragedy. The insurance company, with additional documentation, put the child on the insurance plan, and this family was able to get medicine for their child, but no