mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING BILL HEDGEPETH: SELECT BANK & TRUST AND SELECT BANCORP INC., THE 2019 REALTOR CUP AWARD WINNER
Richard Hudson (Republican, NC) \u2014 2019-3-6

. Madam , I rise today to honor and congratulate Bill Hedgepeth with Select Bank and Trust and Select Bancorp Inc. for receiving the 2019 Realtor Cup award from the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. prgtoken Bill has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Select Bank & Trust and Select Bancorp Inc. since 2008. This includes 19 branches in North Carolina and South Carolina. Bill is known for not just his exemplary work in real estate, but his commitment to lead in the community. prgtoken Throughout his career, Bill has been recognized for his effort and natural talent. He has been named a Paul Fellow by the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International and in 2015 received the Business of the Year Award on behalf of Select Bank & Trust and Select Bancorp Inc. prgtoken Not only is Bill dedicated to seeking excellence in his career but he currently serves as the Board Chair of the United Way of Cumberland County, the Greater Fayetteville Chamber board Treasurer, the Fayetteville and Cumberland County Vision 2026 Board, the Highland Country Club Board of Directors and the Fayetteville Technical Community College Board of Trustees. prgtoken Bill is very deserving of this award, and I couldn't be prouder of the example he set for our county and beyond. prgtoken Madam , please join me today in congratulating Bill Hedgepeth on receiving the 2019 Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce Realtor Cup.
Judicial Nominations (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-3-6

the Senate confirmed one of President 's well-qualified nominees to the Federal bench and advanced the nomination of another. prgtoken That is what we will do today. With Allison Rushing's nomination confirmed, we will vote later today on the nomination of Chad Readler and then turn to consideration of Eric Murphy to join him on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. prgtoken Mr. Murphy is a graduate of Miami University and the University of Chicago Law School and now serves as the State solicitor of Ohio. He has held two prestigious clerkships on our Federal courts, including for Justice Anthony Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court. prgtoken So I hope our colleagues will join me in advancing another wise choice for our Nation's judiciary.
HONORING PASTOR FRANKLIN WOOD, SR.
Greg Pence (Republican, IN) \u2014 2019-3-6

. Madam , I rise to acknowledge Pastor Franklin Wood, Sr of Whittier Lane Baptist Church who has played an integral role in his community and congregation for nearly half a century. The United States of America was founded by patriots like Pastor Wood who believed that faith and freedom of religion was of paramount importance to building a strong society. That truth is evident in our National Motto: in God We Trust. Faith remains the bedrock of American life, and one of the reasons for that is the Church. Local churches, such as Whittier Lane Baptist Church in New Castle, IN, have always been at the forefront of service to communities large and small. As worshipers put their trust in God, they looked to Pastor Wood for guidance and counsel. I have no doubt that Pastor Wood's leadership played a vital role in the spiritual health and wellbeing of so many individuals in his congregation. As he begins a well-deserved retirement, I want to acknowledge Pastor Wood and sincerely thank him for dedicating his life to serve God and the Church. It is a true honor to serve a Hoosier who has demonstrated such deep commitment to his community. I wish him all the best in his retirement.
RECOGNIZING JOPLIN HIGH SCHOOL ROTC
Josh Hawley (Republican, MO) \u2014 2019-3-6

today I wish to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Joplin High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, one of the oldest such programs in the United States. prgtoken At a time when our Nation faces extraordinary challenges at home and abroad, preparing the next generation is paramount. The future lays in the hands of our youth. Since 1919, Joplin High School JROTC has been developing outstanding citizens for Missouri through leadership development, discipline, and service. prgtoken Today, less than 1 percent of Americans serve in the military; yet, Joplin High School JROTC has 120 cadets who are part of the program's historic legacy under the leadership of Lt. Col. (Ret.) Joshua Reitz and 1SG (Ret.) Richard Banks. Some of these cadets will go on to put the lessons and leadership training they received into practice through service in the U.S. Armed Forces. Military service is not only a career, but a lifestyle full of continuous reward and knowledge. For those that choose the path of Military Service, we should thankful. prgtoken To the members of Eagle Battalion, I urge you to uphold your school's core values of truth, honor, and loyalty. These values may be no guarantee of popularity, comfort, or success, at least not as the world defines success; yet, a life of integrity characterized by these virtues is a life of which you can be proud. prgtoken The path of leadership is a difficult one and often lonely. America needs strong servant-leaders in the next generation willing to confront the challenges we face with courage, rooted in the principles that make our Nation great. prgtoken As your Senator, I have been given the solemn responsibility to nominate young women and men for placements at our Nation's service academies. It is a duty I do not take lightly, knowing that these future leaders will be on the frontlines of securing American freedom. I encourage those of you who have been a part of Joplin High School JROTC to seriously consider applying for one of these highly selective spots. The program's legacy of excellence demands that I give your candidacy the consideration it deserves. prgtoken I want to thank Joplin High School ROTC for their dedication to their school, to Joplin, to Missouri, and to our country. Congratulations on the first 100 years of service, and here is to the next century of service.
The Green New Deal (Executive Session)
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2019-3-6

we had a lot of discussion about the energy parts of the Green New Deal, but it goes into lots of other areas. There are many frequently asked questions. prgtoken I would say on the energy costs--and President 's energy adviser says you couldn't reach the goal--one thing we need to remember on the energy costs is that families pay those utility bills. prgtoken We just avoided a clean power regulation that in my State would have doubled the utility bill in 10 or 12 years. During the 3 years or so we were debating that because the court cases kept saying there really is no authority to do this, I kept reminding the people I work for, the next time you write your utility bill, just write out your check one more time, because if this goes into effect, within a decade, that is what you will be doing. See what happens when you pay that bill by writing your check one more time. prgtoken Some of the questions on this have been about other things as well. The fact that we love a challenge--this Green New Deal creates that. It talks about Medicare for all. At least in the talking points, it talks about job guarantees for all, a vacation in every job guaranteed by the government, and I think maybe even a vacation in the government program if you choose not to work. prgtoken There are lots of things here for people to be concerned about. There are estimates of cost, but even if they were three times the cost, it would be pretty extraordinary. In fact, $36 trillion would rebuild the entire Interstate Highway System every year for 100 years. When you are talking about $93 trillion, $80 trillion is the entire gross domestic product of the world. These are big numbers. It is a big bill. prgtoken Surprisingly, a dozen Senators are supporting this bill. They have cosponsored the bill. Whether it is the guaranteed jobs number or the universal healthcare number or the all-renewable electric grid system number or the guaranteed green housing number that individuals would have to comply with, this is an amazing step in a different direction. It is one that the country clearly will not take. It is one that I believe even the sponsors have some concerns about. prgtoken We will have a chance to vote on it here in the next few days or weeks, and we will see what the American people have to say about it. prgtoken .
FOR THE PEOPLE ACT OF 2019
Ralph Norman (Republican, SC) \u2014 2019-3-6

I am a contractor. We do business and we build projects. If you want to see something that is going to skyrocket cost, the fact of asking what party and where they donate money has nothing to do with transparency. It just has to do with what political affiliation you have and it could weigh heavily in who is selected for a job, which has nothing to do with the job that you are doing. prgtoken , I rise in support of Congressman Cole's amendment to maintain the status quo and prevent the government from using politics as a litmus test when evaluating bids from contractors. prgtoken When the government buys goods or services, the only concern should be getting the best job at the best price, not who the company did or did not donate to in the last election. Companies should compete on value, not party loyalty. prgtoken We see what happens when politics influences who receives government money. Let me give you an example. prgtoken In December 2011, The Washington Post released a bombshell report finding ``'s green technology program was infused with politics at every level.'' prgtoken The Post found, through its review of thousands of memos and emails, that ``Political considerations were raised repeatedly by company investors, Energy Department bureaucrats, and White House officials.'' prgtoken Do you know what the result was? $500 million of taxpayer money went to a solar company, Solyndra, which went bankrupt. We can't let that happen again, but that is what requiring companies bidding on contracts to disclose their political activity as part of the bid process would lead to. prgtoken Also troubling about this provision of H.R. 1 is that it repeals something we all just agreed to less than 1 month ago. If this amendment isn't adopted, H.R. 1 will repeal a provision of the funding bill we just passed. prgtoken Two hundred and thirteen voted for the funding bill. I know this is a town of evolving political positions and flip-flopping, but I think that might just set a new record. I can't believe this body would vote for something like this and a month after to repeal it. Back home they call that a bait and switch.
FOR THE PEOPLE ACT OF 2019
Barry Loudermilk (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-3-6

. Mr. Chair, such time as I may consume. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I love this country. I love this country for what it is. I love this country for the principles and the ideas on which it was founded. America is not a place. It is not a government. It is not a people. It is an idea. prgtoken One of the ideas of our Founders is that the government is most effective when it is local, the closest to the people. prgtoken I want to correct something that I think my colleagues on the other side may not understand or are just not presenting to the American people. Yes, the Constitution gives Congress the ability at times to come in and modify election law, but this bill is so sweeping, it strips the States of their constitutional authority that was given to them by the Constitution by eliminating their influence in elections altogether. prgtoken The true intention of the Founders when it came to this provision in the Constitution was predominantly to ensure that the States could not render the Congress ineffective by refusing to hold elections so they would ensure that we always have a quorum here. prgtoken That was the purpose of that. We need to go back to the original intent of the Founders when they added this in the Constitution. prgtoken , if you read the writings of the Founding Fathers, this is ultimately clear. I want to read to you something that James Madison said regarding the States' authority, especially when it comes to elections. He said, ``The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the Federal Government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. . . . The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives and liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement and prosperity of the State. prgtoken They could not be clearer that the States should be the ones setting the laws regarding elections. This would totally undermine that. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Woodall), my good friend and colleague.
FOR THE PEOPLE ACT OF 2019
Andy Biggs (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2019-3-6

. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis) for yielding me time. prgtoken Let me just tell you that this really is a monstrosity of a bill, the ``ic Politician Protection Act.'' prgtoken You see, H.R. 1 was referred to 10 committees, but only one marked it up; 100 pages of this bill fell within the jurisdiction of the Judiciary Committee. We had a hearing but we didn't get to mark it up, which I think was designed--who knows why it was designed, but we couldn't expose all the flaws of this bill. prgtoken Let me talk about two of them right now, because these both are patterned after the Arizona law, oddly enough. prgtoken The Independent Arizona Redistricting Commission in Arizona, passed by the voters, upheld by the United States Supreme Court, and guess what. We are not going to qualify under this bill. prgtoken That redistricting commission produced, actually, a ic majority, so we have a blue majority in the house now. But I tell you what, the registration numbers all were for the red, but the IRC in Arizona changed that. prgtoken But guess what. Under this bill, it is not good enough. It is going to be taken out of the hands of the State and put in the hands of the Federal Government. prgtoken That is a violation of the Constitution and the spirit of electoral law and redistricting throughout the country. prgtoken Let me talk about this, having heard now that this is going to be not from taxpayers but from lawbreakers who are going to fund this. prgtoken Arizona has something called the Citizens Clean Elections Commission. I was there when that came out, funded ostensibly by lawbreakers who, oddly enough, are taxpayers. They are taxpayers. And guess what else? Arizona's courts have said they are taxpayers and that the whole scheme was problematic. prgtoken That is what is happening with this particular bill. It is rife with problems throughout, but these two problems really are dilatory to this bill. I urge Members to vote ``no.''
FOR THE PEOPLE ACT OF 2019
Jim Jordan (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-3-6

as the gentlewoman said, this amendment would require the Office of Government Ethics to promulgate rules to apply ethics laws to unpaid employees of the Executive Office and President of the White House. As she also mentioned, this is clearly to go after Jared Kushner and Ivanka . It seems to me that this is not the kind of thing that we should be focused on. prgtoken Miss has been appointed as an executive branch employee and is now covered by the ethics laws and regulations that apply to all executive branch employees. It seems to me this is congressional overreach and redundant of current ethics rules and practices of other folks who have worked in the executive branch. prgtoken As I said, I oppose the amendment, and .
CELEBRATING THE 1ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE LAUNCH OF EMERGENCY AIR MEDICAL SERVICES FOR THE BIG BEAR
Paul Cook (Republican, CA) \u2014 2019-3-6

. Madam , I rise today to recognize and congratulate the Big Bear Fire Department and Mercy Air on a successful year of Emergency Air Medical Services for the Big Bear Valley. prgtoken The mountain communities of my district are uniquely rugged, and ground based responses are oftentimes too slow or limited by terrain to provide lifesaving medical care in a timely fashion. Air ambulances have the ability to rapidly transport patients to treatment centers, and emergency air medical services improve the survival and recovery rate of those in need. On February 14, 2018, Big Bear Fire Authority (BBFA) and the BBFA Critical Care Medical Air Ship crew undertook their first flight. Over the past year, arrival times have decreased, lives have been saved, and over 300 missions have been safely and successfully flown. prgtoken I applaud the BBFA and the BBFA Critical Care Medical Air Ship crew, and their partners Mercy Air, Big Bear Valley Community Healthcare District, and Big Bear Airport District for their commitment and dedication to bringing this lifesaving service to the Big Bear Valley. I wish them many years of safety and success ahead as they work to keep our community safe.
FOR THE PEOPLE ACT OF 2019
Rodney Davis (Republican, IL) \u2014 2019-3-6

the balance of my time and that is not nearly enough to talk about all the bad provisions in this bill once again. prgtoken There are so many provisions in this bill that many of my colleagues graciously came down to the floor to talk about them. As a matter of fact, I have with me a file of letters from groups prgtoken like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the ACLU, the National Right to Life, and all others that have been outspoken in their opposition to this behemoth partisan piece of legislation. prgtoken Let me remind everybody once again: we s--there are only three of us on the House Administration Committee--were not consulted at all by anyone who wrote this bill, nor by any of the groups who were pointed out at the press conference announcing this piece of legislation that they helped to write this bill. Make no bones about it, this shell game, this nebulous freedom from influence or whatever fund you want to call it, the CBO estimates they don't even have enough information on it. They are estimating the taxpayers will be on the hook for at least $1 billion, and that goes in addition to the over $2 billion that the rest of the bill is going to cost the taxpayers of this country. prgtoken Now, it is interesting, I just read a tweet--I never met the gentleman, Dan McLaughlin, but it is a pretty good explanation of what I think this bill is. His tweet says: ``Professional politicians do unethical things that they've written the rules to allow.'' prgtoken This bill has written the rules to allow Members of Congress to enrich their own campaign coffers that will eventually be on the backs of government and the taxpayers. This is not why we should be here. prgtoken I am for the American voter. I support that every eligible voter have easier ways to register to vote and get easier access to the polls. What I am not for is for Washington, D.C taking over elections and enriching the campaign coffers of the people who sit in this room. prgtoken I know what difficult elections look like. It is the worst of partisan politics, and it is personal to me. I know what it looks like when people take well-intentioned laws and use them to their political advantage. I don't want that to happen, and I believe H.R. 1 will allow that to happen. prgtoken We have had disagreements. I respect the fact that my colleagues have come here to debate this bill, but this is the furthest thing from a bipartisan bill. I can't say it enough how opposed to this bill I am. prgtoken , .
The Green New Deal (Executive Session)
Kevin Cramer (Republican, ND) \u2014 2019-3-6

I rise to join my colleagues, first of all, in, yes, opposing this Green New Deal, this joint resolution, that is full of so many dangerous policies and positions. But before I get into my reasons for that, let me also join my colleague from Wyoming in saying I am for the things he is for and even more--carbon capture, utilization, and storage, refined coal, all kinds of ways that we can accomplish the same goals together, with realistic proposals, not fantasies. prgtoken Let me also say something that should warm the heart of our colleague from Massachusetts. The Koch brothers strongly opposed my candidacy and my election to the U.S. Senate. I owe them nothing, and I am grateful. prgtoken You know, I wasn't always this pessimistic about the possibilities in this Chamber. I believe, in fact, that divided government presents an opportunity for the parties to come together to find common ground and to have legislative victories based on shared goals and shared values. I hope we can get back to that. prgtoken I had hoped for it even on controversial issues, like immigration and healthcare, and I certainly hoped for it on energy policy, but when I heard that the were proposing this Green New Deal, I didn't view it as an opportunity for political gamesmanship. I viewed it as an opportunity to find common ground, to compromise, to find balance, and to negotiate the way that I believe our founders intended it. prgtoken I don't think killing innovators with something like a Green New Deal is how we accomplish the goals they say they are for in their Green New Deal. prgtoken You can imagine my disappointment when I read the contents of this joint resolution. The Green New Deal is not serious policy. It is a fantasy. I am personally disappointed to see so many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle cosponsor this--especially those who are seeking higher office--and ignore the realities. prgtoken Someone earlier mentioned that the Green New Deal never talks about airplanes. No, but it does say that we want to transition to 100- percent renewable energy by 2030. Well, I don't know how you fly airplanes without having fossil fuels. prgtoken As the Presiding Officer may have seen, in my State of North Dakota, we are having a really, really cold winter. In fact, most of the Upper Midwest is. The National Weather Service referred to a stretch of this really cold weather earlier this winter as a polar vortex. We call it winter. prgtoken Polar vortex or whatever you want to call it, it has been a rough winter. Rough winters aren't rare or new to us, but this one has been particularly cold. We were well below zero several days in a row. In fact, during the polar vortex, one day the wind chill was well below 50 degrees below. By the way, for those of you from the South, 50 below is below zero--zero. It is a really low number. prgtoken But I believe there are some facts that have been left out related t