mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2018-10-1

today I wish to recognize and extend my sincerest congratulations and happy birthday wishes to Ethel Edna Tilley, who celebrates her 100th birthday on October 19. prgtoken Ethel, who likes to go by Edna, was born in Ramsgate, England, in 1918 and immigrated to the United States with her mother and sister when she was 8 years old. Her father worked for 3 years in America before their family joined him and settled in Everett, MA. Edna met her husband Charlie at the County Road Church in Chelsea, MA. They later married in the same church, while Charlie was home on leave during his service in World War II. After the war, they moved to Saugus, MA, where they raised their two children, Geraldine and Robert. prgtoken At 40 years old, Edna fulfilled her lifelong dream and became a teacher. Together with her husband, Edna remodeled the first floor of their home and opened the Country Kindergarten. Her kindergarten became a nursery school and daycare center serving hundreds of children for 22 years. prgtoken She retired from teaching only to go back to work 2 years later, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service in Durham, NH. Throughout her life, Edna also served as a Sunday school teacher, a Sunday school superintendent, a factory worker, and a key-punch operator at a bank. Additionally, Edna taught dance classes with her husband before he passed away in 1996. prgtoken Today, Edna lives in Fremont, NH. She loves to paint, and she gives away items she makes to friends and family. She has four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Her family describes her as kind, generous, and pure in heart. prgtoken I hope you join me, Edna's friends and family, and many people across the Granite State in wishing Ethel Edna Tilley a very happy 100th birthday.
CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2018-10-1

last week we learned from investigative reporting that a senior political appointee--a political appointee at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Eric Blankenstein, has written hateful, bigoted blog posts. prgtoken This is a man handpicked for the job--and paid very well from tax dollars--by Mick Mulvaney, the head of the CFPB, the sort of part-time head of the CFPB. He is tasked with enforcing laws to protect consumers, laws protecting Americans from discrimination and lending. prgtoken The Consumer Protection Bureau is supposed to be on the frontlines, fighting for families getting ripped off by shady payday lenders and big banks. prgtoken The person with Blankenstein's job should be fighting and preventing the very real financial discrimination that everybody in this body knows happens all too often today in Ohio and Oklahoma and across this country. prgtoken Instead, now, because of news reports, we know the person tasked with this job has written that most hate crimes ``are hoaxes.'' These blog posts are filled with disgusting, bigoted language that I will not repeat on the Senate floor because we have a better decorum than that and this language is so offensive. prgtoken But this is the man Mick Mulvaney wants going after big banks that discriminate. How is it that the Director of Management and Budget failed to look into the background of such a senior, well-paid political appointee? Placing Blankenstein in charge of fair lending was a moral mistake, a managerial failure, and he should be fired immediately. It has been a week now since reporters found those hateful writings. The fact that he is still in the job is a disgrace. The President should act; the CFPB head should act. prgtoken We have seen no contrition from Blankenstein--no contrition from him, no apology for the hateful posts, no acknowledgement that these are totally inappropriate and immoral views for someone whose job it is at the agency to root out discrimination. prgtoken How can you expect to lead a staff dedicated to that mission after these revelations, after this attitude, after expressing these kinds of views? There should be no place in the Consumer Protection Bureau for people who don't believe discrimination is real or don't believe discrimination is a serious problem. prgtoken Too many Americans are turned down for loans or charged higher rates based on the color of their skin. We know that. That is proven. That is documented. prgtoken A report this year from the Center for Investigative Reporting analyzed tens of millions of mortgage records. They found that across the country, people of color are far more likely to be turned down for a loan, even when you take into account factors like their income and the size of the loan. Someone who is African American or Latino with the same income, the same size of loan, the same financial information--the person of color is more likely to be turned down than the person
Nomination Of Brett Kavanaugh (Executive Calendar)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2018-10-1

the confirmation process for Judge Brett Kavanaugh, one of the most qualified and most impressive Supreme Court nominees in our Nation's history, is moving forward. prgtoken On Friday, the Judiciary Committee reported this nomination favorably. prgtoken Then, here on the floor, we officially moved to take up the nomination. Every member of the committee agreed that Judge Kavanaugh should be reported out with a favorable recommendation, and every voted in opposition--in some cases, before he or anyone had even been nominated. prgtoken That last part shouldn't really surprise anyone. have made no real attempt to disguise that this was a pure partisan calculation for them from the beginning. prgtoken Several of them had announced their opposition to Judge Kavanaugh's nomination long before his original hearings even began, before they had questioned him on his judicial record they deem so problematic and, in some cases, more than 2 months before Dr. Ford's allegations of misconduct were made public. prgtoken The didn't mince any words. The way one ic member of the Judiciary Committee put it: Supporters of Judge Kavanaugh are-- listen to this--``complicit in the evil.'' That is a ic member of the Judiciary Committee. prgtoken Another on the committee, before Judge Kavanaugh was even named, described in almost apocalyptic terms the consequences of whomever the President might nominate. Here was the quote: ``We are looking at the destruction of the Constitution of the United States as far as I can tell.'' prgtoken And here was the ic leader, just hours after Judge Kavanaugh was nominated: ``I will oppose him with everything I've got.'' Well, they have certainly done just that. They have done just that. prgtoken The ranking on the committee first heard from Dr. Ford on July 30. Did our colleague alert the chairman so the committee could do due diligence in a confidential way, consistent with Dr. Ford's wishes? No, she did not. Did she discretely raise the issue with Judge Kavanaugh during her private meeting with him on August 20? She didn't do that, either. As best we can tell, the chose to keep this allegation secret, rather than investigating in a bipartisan and timely way; in fact, they held it in reserve. Meanwhile, the senior Senator from California, or her office, were already in communication with Dr. Ford. In fact, her office had already recommended--recommended--that Dr. Ford retain a particular Washington, DC, law firm. prgtoken The firm in question is not exactly foreign to ic politics. Two of its founding partners, including one of the attorneys who personally appeared at the hearing to represent Dr. Ford, had until recently been scheduled to hold a fundraiser for one of our Senate ic colleagues tonight. Oh, and by the way, the firm had also represented in another matter the person who ha
Nomination Of Brett Kavanaugh (Executive Calendar)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-10-1

after the tumultuous week just past, after the fireworks during the Kavanaugh hearing--the second hearing--I think we all needed a little bit of time to decompress and to digest what exactly happened. I am, of course, referring to this contentious hearing over the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh. It was fair and necessary, in my view, to hold the hearing because Dr. Christine Ford, against her wishes, as it turned out, was thrust into the national spotlight by our ic colleagues. Once there, we believe she deserved her chance to tell her story. Just as importantly, Judge Kavanaugh deserved a chance to speak to the American people and to clear his name. prgtoken I have told people before, and I will say it again, I want to make sure Dr. Ford is treated no worse than my own daughters would be if they found themselves in this unfortunate circumstance or my mother or my wife. Similarly, I think Judge Kavanaugh should be treated as well as we would want our father, our brother, our son, or somebody's husband were they to find themselves in his circumstances. prgtoken This is about fairness in the end, fair process, one that gives everybody a chance to tell their story. One of the things that makes this so different is we know many of the Senators listening to this testimony--almost half of them--throughout the Senate had already made up their minds. I would hate to walk into a courtroom where the judge and the jury had already made up their minds without even hearing from the witnesses. Unfortunately, that is the kind of hearing room Judge Kavanaugh walked into last week. prgtoken We have heard Dr. Ford's story, and we have heard Judge Kavanaugh's strong and forceful rebuttal. What is so unusual now--I guess the goalposts seem to shift every day, maybe even every hour--some people are saying Judge Kavanaugh's rebuttal and his denial was so forceful, and he was obviously so upset, that somehow negatively reflects on his judicial temperament, and then he is disqualified for trying to defend his good name. prgtoken I will defy any Member of the Senate--frankly, anybody in the country--whose reputation and way of life was threatened with destruction, whose reputation as a father, as a husband, as a member of the second highest court in the country under similar attack on their reputation and their good name not to be angry about that if they believed the allegations against them were completely false. What we found is, there is simply no evidence to corroborate or confirm Dr. Ford's allegation. prgtoken We have all heard the individuals who Dr. Ford said were present the night of the alleged assault either have no recollection of such a party or say the assault never happened. That includes one of Dr. Ford's best friends at the time, Leland Keyser, who said she doesn't remember ever meeting Brett Kavanaugh and certainly she wasn't present at an event such as Dr. Ford described. prgtoken This bri
BUDGET ENFORCEMENT LEVELS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019
Michael B. Enzi (Republican, WY) \u2014 2018-10-1

section 251 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, BBEDCA, establishes statutory limits on discretionary spending and allows for various adjustments to those limits. In addition, sections 302 and 314(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 allow the chairman of the Budget Committee to establish and make revisions to allocations, aggregates, and levels consistent with those adjustments. prgtoken The Senate will soon consider the House amendment to H.R. 302, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. Among other things, this amendment provides emergency funding to respond to recent natural disasters. The amendment would increase budget authority by $1,680 million and outlays by $25 million in fiscal year 2019. The amendment includes language that would designate its spending as emergency pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Deficit Control Act of 1985. The inclusion of this designation makes this spending eligible for an adjustment under the Congressional Budget Act. prgtoken As a result, I am increasing the budgetary aggregate for fiscal year 2019 by $1,680 million in budget authority and $25 million in outlays. Further, I am revising the budget authority and outlay allocations to the Appropriations Committee by $1,680 million in revised nonsecurity budget authority and $25 million in outlays for fiscal year 2019. prgtoken I ask unanimous consent that the accompanying tables, which provide details about the adjustment, be printed in the Record.
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (Executive Calendar)
Jerry Moran (Republican, KS) \u2014 2018-10-1

I come to the floor this afternoon to speak about an announcement that occurred last night that an agreement had been reached to modernize the North America Free Trade Agreement. The new agreement, named the ``United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement'' or ``USMCA,'' will bring this trade pact between our countries into the 21st century. prgtoken Over the last year and a half, I have been working with my colleagues and others in the administration to make clear to President , Ambassador Lighthizer, Secretary Ross, and my Senate colleagues of the importance of trade and exports--whether that was in meetings with the President and his Cabinet officials, through my subcommittee chairmanships, through speeches here on the Senate floor, or with many of my constituents in Kansas whose livelihoods depend on trade. prgtoken I have written numerous letters to U.S. agricultural leaders and various agricultural organizations, followed up by speaking engagements across the country at the annual meetings of national farm and ranch groups to rally producers to fight to preserve trade relationships with Canada and Mexico. prgtoken I have spent a lot of time in Kansas at nearly 100 townhall meetings in the last 2 years attended by various agriculture and commodity groups. prgtoken I have talked to local media where folks are particularly interested at home about the issue of NAFTA and trade. prgtoken In each of these instances, I was clear that withdrawing from NAFTA without a replacement agreement would be devastating to the Kansas economy. While NAFTA modernization was due to reflect changes in the economy since its enactment almost 25 years ago, the agreement has been critical to growth in agricultural exports and has created countless manufacturing jobs in my State. prgtoken As a result of NAFTA, Canada and Mexico are two export markets that account for approximately 39 percent of total exports from Kansas. We, as Kansans, sell more aerospace parts and products to Canada than anywhere in the world and more food and commodities to Mexico than anywhere in the world. prgtoken Importantly, the new agreement includes all three countries. As I conveyed to the President when the bilateral U.S.-Mexico agreement was announced, a final deal without Canada would be a significant step backward from the agreement in place today. I applaud President for taking these concerns seriously and, while engaging in tough negotiations, recognizing the benefit of all three nations being included in the final agreement. prgtoken The road ahead for this new agreement will not be easy. I am carefully reviewing the agreement's details and look forward to additional economic analysis on the impact it would have--particularly on Kansas but on farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers across our country and, equally of importance, the impact upon their employees. prgtoken Once the President signs the agreement, it will be up to Congress to
IN RECOGNITION OF BETSY COHN
Carolyn B. Maloney (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-10-2

I rise to recognize Betsy Cohn, a leader and activist who has made a difference on the national stage. Ms. Cohn has been an advertising and marketing executive, a stalwart of ic politics and an outspoken feminist who has worked to elect women to office. On October 1, 2018, she celebrated her 80th birthday. prgtoken Betsy Cohn has broken through glass ceilings and reached down for others to follow. She had an extraordinary career in marketing and public relations, starting in the Mad Men era when few women succeeded in becoming executives. She worked for some of the most iconic movie and television studios, heading departments and making significant contributions to the entertainment industry. prgtoken Born Betsy Levitt, Ms. Cohn attended Syracuse University. In 1959, she was hired as a secretary at Kenyon & Eckhardt Advertising, where her talents were recognized, and she rose to become Head of Casting and then Director of Public Relations. prgtoken In 1975, seeking an opportunity to have a bigger impact, Ms. Cohn left the advertising firm to become Director of Marketing (Non- Theatrical) at Paramount Pictures. She became a Consultant for Showtime from 1977 to 1982, and then joined MGM/UA as Director of Pay TV where she remained until her retirement in 1986. prgtoken In addition to her professional experience, Ms. Cohn has given generously of her time and attention to some of New York's greatest cultural and civic institutions. She has served on the advisory board of the Maxwell School of Citizenship at Syracuse and the New York State Tourism Advisory Organization. She is on the Central Park Conservancy Women's Committee; on the Lincoln Center Theater's Patron Committee; on the development committee board of Jazz at Lincoln Center; on the board and executive committee of New Dramatists; and a Co-Chair of the Chairman's Council of New York Historical Society. prgtoken Ms. Cohn's deep knowledge and understanding America's cultural institutions were recognized when she was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, a committee established to advise the President, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities on ways to promote private sector support for, especially at the state and local level. prgtoken A longtime political activist, Ms. Cohn has been deeply involved in ic politics, and especially interested in helping women win. She served as Executive Vice President of the Women's Leadership Forum of the ic National Committee. When Hillary Clinton ran for Senate, Ms. Cohn was Vice Chair of Finance for her campaign. She was the co-creator of the Tri-State Maxed-Out Women's Committee for Hillary Clinton (2006 to 2008), which held information sessions and brought well-known leaders to speak with women who had been major donors to Hillary Clinton's Presidential campaign. Ms. Cohn then created the Tri
FAA Reauthorization (Executive Session)
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2018-10-2

I am here this afternoon to address two pieces of legislation that are coming before the Senate. One we are currently waiting to consider is a long-term reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, and the second, which I hope we will soon consider, is comprehensive legislation to address the Nation's opioid epidemic. prgtoken I begin by thanking Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson for their work to deliver a bipartisan, bicameral FAA reauthorization bill that provides a 5-year reauthorization for the agency. The last time we reauthorized the FAA, when I was in the Senate, I think it took us 23 tries to get it done over a period of time that was actually longer than the original authorization, but this time we are doing it much faster, with three short-term extensions. Last week, the House passed this bill, the FAA reauthorization, with broad bipartisan support, and I hope the Senate is going to act quickly so we can get this bill to the President's desk for signature. prgtoken The FAA has not received a long-term reauthorization since February of 2012. Short-term reauthorizations fail to give the FAA the certainty and the necessary resources they need to make to improve our Nation's airports and make commercial air travel safer for all passengers. prgtoken I think it is particularly an issue right now as we are switching over to the NextGen system of air traffic control. Last month, I had a chance to visit with air traffic controllers in New Hampshire at the Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility in Merrimack, also called the TRACON. What I heard from folks there was that a long-term reauthorization bill means that the TRACON and Merrimack will be able to upgrade its systems to keep our airways safe, while also allowing the center to continue to hire well-qualified, trained controllers to meet staffing needs. prgtoken The bill we have before us now provides critical investments through the Airport Improvement Program that provides grants to airports nationwide for planning and development projects that these airports would be unable to complete otherwise. In New Hampshire, where we have a number of small airports, this grant program is particularly important. prgtoken It also increases investments in the Essential Air Service Program, which provides services that would otherwise be too cost prohibitive for airlines to operate in rural communities like we have in New Hampshire. For example, EAS is vital for Granite Staters who utilize the Lebanon Municipal Airport and depend on this service for access to regularly scheduled flights that would not otherwise be available. I am sure the Presiding Officer has an appreciation for the Lebanon Municipal Airport, since he went to school at Dartmouth in that region of the State and knows how important that airport is to New Hampshire. prgtoken I am also pleased the FAA bill includes legislation I introduced as part of it to permanently