mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2020-3-4

I thank all of those who just voted for the motion to proceed to S. 2657. We have called up my substitute amendment, No. 1407, which now contains the full text of the American Energy Innovation Act. prgtoken We are moving through the process, albeit a little slowly here, but we are moving through the process. We now have more than 150 amendments that have been filed to the bill. Senator Manchin and I are working together with other Members to sort through potential votes on the bill. We are also working to see which ones might fit into a managers' package of easy, noncontroversial, worked-out proposals. I know everyone thinks that theirs is easy and that it has been worked out, and, of course, it is not controversial, but we have a handful of those proposals and are seeking additional ones. prgtoken I would remind Members that amendments require bipartisan cooperation, especially from those beyond the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources' jurisdiction. Those who are on the committee have had an opportunity to go through each and every one of these measures that we have in front of us and that have been incorporated as part of this American Energy Innovation Act. That input has been helpful and very, very positive as we have built these proposals. I know some folks are looking at much of this for the first time if they are not on the committee. They have ideas that are good and worthy, and we want to respect that process and incorporate them as appropriate and enhance this bill. prgtoken I want to have votes. The leader has said he wants to have an open amendment process. I want to have a managers' package, but it is entirely possible--we have seen it before--that the opportunity will be spoiled. I would just urge Members to be honest about how ready their proposals really are. Sometimes, they might not be as vetted as you think they might be, and they might need some additional work, but know that, as a committee, we stand ready to work with Members on those proposals to better enhance them. prgtoken I have taken the opportunity over the past couple of days to share with colleagues more about what our package includes--the result of this good work that we have done over the past year in working through regular order in our committee. Last night, I talked about title I, which focuses on innovation--the big, key buzzword here, ``innovation''--everything from energy efficiency and renewables to energy storage. We all talk a lot about energy storage--advanced nuclear and carbon capture, utilization, and storage. So there is a good focus on the innovation side of this bill. prgtoken This morning, I would like to highlight what is in title II, which is kind of our security title, and I put it in three different buckets. You have mineral security, which is critical to the supply chain. You have cyber security and grid security, which, again, are key to all operations of commerce and our economy
GAME CHANGERS STUDY
Rand Paul (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-3-4

I recently had the honor of being welcomed by Game Changers, an organization based in Louisville, KY, devoted to guiding our youth toward productive and meaningful lives, for a panel discussion on the impact of violence in our community. The executive director of Game Changers is Christopher 2X, who I have known for many years and watched change the lives of so many Kentuckians through his advocacy, leadership, and community building efforts. In December of 2019, just a few months ago, Christopher showed me the findings of Game Changers's study on the impact of youth violence recently released by his organization. Subsequently, I asked him to organize an event in West Louisville with a panel of community leaders and parents to discuss the report and how violent crime affects the lives of Louisville youth. prgtoken At the event, we not only discussed the findings, but also heard from Louisvillians whose real-life stories are contained in the pages of those reports. Kentucky Education Commissioner, Dr. Wayne D. Lewis, educated us on the burden that violence has on children. However, the only way to grasp the true tragedy of violent crime is to hear from those impacted. I met with Deshante Edwards, who not only lost her son, Donte, but now sees her 6-year-old grandson subsequently lose focus in school. I listened as Krista and Navada Gwynn told me that, as a result of the murder of their son, Christian, their 17- and 11-year old children are too petrified to go outside. Only personal stories such as these truly demonstrate the extreme toll taken on children exposed to violence. prgtoken That is why I feel compelled to share Game Changers's findings on violence and its impact on our youth with my colleagues. Tragically, children are exposed to violence in every corner of our Nation. I ask unanimous consent that this report be printed in the Congressional Record with the hope that every Member of Congress will read it and work with me to create safer communities for our children.
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2020-3-4

it is disappointing that when we take a look at something that is controversial like abortion and we peel it back a layer further, we make it noncontroversial prgtoken by making the discussion about something that most Americans--the overwhelming majority of Americans--agree about, which is, regardless of how you feel about abortion, you don't necessarily want your government taking your taxpayer dollars and the taxpayer dollars of a whole lot of people who have very strong feelings against abortion and using those to fund organizations that either perform abortions or that engage in promoting or lobbying or counseling or referring in order to encourage abortions. The overwhelming majority of Americans don't want that regardless of how they feel about life. prgtoken This shouldn't be a controversial issue. It is a non sequitur. It is a straw man argument to suggest that this somehow limits anyone's options. It doesn't. In fact, it expands options of individuals by saying: We are not going to take your money at the point of a gun, which is what governments do at the end of the day when they take money, in order to spend it on something that--depending on how you phrase the question and which pollster you are talking to, it is either a sizable majority or a bare majority of Americans who find that morally problematic. But an overwhelming majority of Americans say that, no matter what, you shouldn't be taking all taxpayer money and then using that to fund abortion or abortion-related advocacy. prgtoken Last week, the Senate had a chance to adopt some measures that would protect the dignity of human life--not just unborn human life but also born human life, including babies who had been born alive following a failed abortion attempt. Unfortunately, due to a minority of this body, we lost the opportunity to enact those reforms. prgtoken Those colleagues opposed to these measures did so largely on the claims that they were, as they put them, anti-woman or anti-healthcare. They claim somehow that these measures interfered with what should be considered personal--the personal nature of healthcare between women and their doctors. prgtoken I could not agree more that healthcare is personal. It is, after all, about healing, preserving, and prolonging the life of a human being, the life of a person. In the case of a pregnant woman, it is about two persons, sometimes three. If it is a woman who is pregnant with a single baby, it is two persons with two beating hearts, two distinct sets of DNA, and two unique and eternally valuable, unrepeatable souls--two persons with equal dignity and worth. We ought to value both of them and provide opportunity and care and rights and protection to both. prgtoken In the spirit of our founding, we ought to affirm through our laws and through our taxpayer dollars the truth that every member of our society--every woman, every man, every unborn child--is entitled to the rig
CORONAVIRUS PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Vern Buchanan (Republican, FL) \u2014 2020-3-4

. Madam , I rise in strong support of this Emergency Supplemental bill. I commend the bipartisan leadership of the Appropriations Committee for bringing this critically needed bill to the floor so quickly. prgtoken Time is of the essence for my constituents. Why? Because in my District, we already have 3 confirmed cases of Coronavirus. prgtoken I just finished 2 days of in-depth meetings with front-line medical experts at both the Doctors Hospital and Sarasota Memorial Hospital. prgtoken The message I have today for my colleagues in the House is crystal clear. We need to dramatically ramp-up the supply of test kits, increase the number of locations where people exhibiting symptoms can easily get tested, and accelerate the process of getting results back-- hopefully in less than 24 hours. prgtoken It is imperative that Congress quickly pass this bill so that key state and local public health agencies and officials, who are on the front-line of this pandemic get all of the resources they need. This will help them to identify potential patients and treat confirmed patients while working to keep everyone else safe from further exposure to this dangerous viral agent. prgtoken Today is no time for partisan games. prgtoken Congress should rise to the occasion by working together to approve this bill so that President can sign it into law and provide vital funds and assistance to my part of southwest Florida and the rest of the Nation.
CLERMONT NATIVE EARNS NATIONAL ATHLETIC RECOGNITION
Ross Spano (Republican, FL) \u2014 2020-3-4

today I rise to recognize Clermont, Florida, native Diane Travis, who exemplifies the type of citizen who puts community above self. prgtoken Ms. Travis serves as a councilwoman, small business owner, and most recently was named as a finalist for the Anne Viviani Women's Great Grand Masters Duathlete of the Year. As a duathlete who runs, bikes, and then runs again, she truly exhibits tremendous perseverance, discipline, and strength of character. prgtoken Even more noteworthy is the fact that she dedicates each race to her friend, Anne Viviani, whom this award is named after, and who sadly lost her life in a car accident returning home from a competition. prgtoken Being recognized as a finalist for Duathlete of the Year reflects the great success Ms. Travis has displayed in past competitions, including being the 2019 champion in her age group at the Women's USA Nationals, and then capturing the silver medal at the world competition. prgtoken , I wish Councilwoman Travis the best of luck moving forward as a finalist and in all future competitions. I know she will continue to make Clermont, the 15th Congressional District, and our country proud.
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019
Richard C. Shelby (Republican, AL) \u2014 2020-3-4

the American people are apprehensive about the spread of the coronavirus in the United States and abroad, as we can always remember. Global financial markets are on edge. Both are resilient, but vigorous action, I believe, is needed to calm nerves, stabilize the situation, and get our arms around this crisis. I believe Congress must marshal the resources necessary for an aggressive, comprehensive, and swift response. prgtoken I am pleased to report to my colleagues this afternoon that we, with the House and leadership on both sides, have reached a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on an emergency supplemental appropriations package to do just that. The agreement provides a surge in funding at every level, as I have advocated for--local, State, Federal, and international--to meet the growing challenge that we face. prgtoken The total amount included in the package is $7.76 billion, a little under $8 billion. We arrived at that figure by going back to the agencies--the NIH, the Centers for Disease Control, and so forth. We asked: What do you need? What do you think you would need if this virus really spreads? We wanted to make sure that they had the tools and the resources and that we would not shortchange the American people in any way. prgtoken So the $7.76 billion, we have been told by the people who know, should be sufficient. We hope it is. Nearly 85 percent of this funding will be spent right here in the United States--85 percent. And $2.2 billion is for the Centers for Disease Control, which the Presiding Officer is very familiar with because it is located in Atlanta, GA, including, no less than $950 million--just short of a billion--to help States and local governments prevent and combat the spread of the virus. prgtoken Now, $836 million will go to the National Institutes of Health to, among other things, train healthcare workers on the frontlines and to develop diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines related to the virus. And $61 million will support the Food and Drug Administration's role in approving such products for the American people. prgtoken Now, $3.1 billion of this package is for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, among other things, to supplement the Strategic National Stockpile here; to develop and purchase diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines; to provide resources for community health centers; and to help hospitals and help systems adapt and respond if this crisis grows. prgtoken Another $300 million is made available for the purchase of additional diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines, should further need arise--in other words, a contingency. prgtoken Finally, to fight the spread of the virus abroad, which we have to do, $1.25 billion is provided to the State Department and USAID to continue their work with our international partners. prgtoken We have listened carefully to the agencies and the experts on the frontlines in crafting this package. Vice Pres
ORDERS FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2020
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-3-4

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. Thursday, March 5; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; finally, that following leader remarks, the Senate resume consideration of S. 2657.
SUPPORTING OLDER AMERICANS ACT OF 2020
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2020-3-4

last night the Senate unanimously passed my legislation, the Supporting Older Americans Act of 2020. I developed this important legislation with Senator Bob Casey, who serves as the ranking member of the Senate Aging Committee, which I chair, to reauthorize and strengthen the landmark Older Americans Act. A bipartisan group of 24 Senators cosponsored this reauthorization, and 128 national organizations endorsed it. I rise today to commend this bipartisan achievement that will ensure that vital services for our seniors continue and are strengthened. prgtoken Since 1965, the Older Americans Act has helped to ensure that millions of seniors receive the support they need to age independently and with dignity. Administered by the Administration for Community Living, the Older Americans Act authorizes an array of services through a network of 56 State units on aging and more than 600 area agencies on aging, serving more than 10 million Americans throughout the Nation each year. OAA programs provide nutritious food, transportation, assistance to caregivers, and in-home services for older adults. These investments foster a sense of community for older adults and save taxpayers money by reducing hospitalizations and the need for long-term residential care. prgtoken As our population ages, demand for Older Americans Act services has grown. Our legislation extends OAA programs for 5 years and provides increased investments to meet growing demands. For example, one hallmark OAA program is Meals on Wheels. Last year, this home-delivered nutrition program provided seniors with 358 million meals. In many States, however, the need is soaring. In Maine, there is a waitlist of 400 to 1,500 people, depending on the time of the year and the location in our State. That is why it is so important that this bill helps to ensure that more seniors in need of nutritious food can be served through important programs such as Meals on Wheels. prgtoken At $11 a day, a meal is far cheaper than the $2,400 average cost of a hospital stay. Using Older Americans Act dollars, the Southern Maine Agency on Aging conducted a pilot study that provided seniors discharged from the hospital with 4 weeks' worth of food. The results were astounding--hospital readmissions were reduced by 38 percent--a 387-percent return on investment. On a national scale, the savings would be an astronomical $51 billion annually. prgtoken Our legislation also includes several provisions to combat social isolation, which can have devastating health effects, particularly on older adults who are already vulnerable. prgtoken As the executive director of the Eastern Maine Area Agency on Aging, Dyan Walsh, said, The Older Americans Act is a great victory for the aging services network and those we serve. There are many important provisions in the bill, not the least of which is the focus on research to study the negative consequences of social isolation and lone
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019
Michael B. Enzi (Republican, WY) \u2014 2020-3-4

reserving the right to object, if this unanimous consent were passed without a vote or even debate, that would become law. Passage of this request could infringe on the constitutional right of my constituents and many others across the United States. I believe firmly that would be the case and could even result in criminal charges against law-abiding firearms owners. So I object.
SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE THOUGHT EXPERIMENT
David Schweikert (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2020-3-4

we are going to actually try to touch on 3 or 4 different things this evening, and I am going to try to make it all sort of connect together. prgtoken On a personal level, I was very pleased as we were doing the supplemental and the mechanism in regard to the coronavirus, a little widget of that was actually the telemedicine piece of legislation that I believe Mr. Thompson from the Ways and Means Committee and myself have offered. It is always nice to see some of these ideas you have been working on getting lifted up and moved forward. prgtoken But this evening I actually want to sort of continue to talk about science, and the fact of the matter is, the impact it can have if we actually think forward on functionally our debt, our prgtoken deficits, and our ability to keep our promises. prgtoken You know, I have been behind this mic dozens and dozens of times with my little boards, trying to demonstrate that over the next 30 years, functioning Social Security and Medicare, these are earned benefits, but they also are the primary drivers of U.S. debt. It is almost all of it. And a lot of it is just demographics, we are getting older as a society, and most of it is actually Medicare, it is healthcare costs. prgtoken And it turns out that there are opportunities that, if we can embrace technology to actually disrupt some of those healthcare costs--and at the end, we always sort of talk about we need to grow the economy, we need tax policy, we need immigration policy, we need regulatory policy, we need incentives for labor force participation, there are all these things that make the economy grow so we have the resources, the receipts, revenues, tax revenues, and other things, to actually keep our promises. But one of the other things we could do is also disrupt the price of healthcare. prgtoken So just as a thought experiment, except it is actually based in the living math--this slide is a little hard to deal with--but think of this, over the next 30 years--and this isn't adjusted for inflation-- but over the next 30 years, if you were to remove Social Security and Medicare, you would have $23 trillion in the bank. prgtoken If you roll Social Security and Medicare back, you are $103 trillion in debt, and it is mostly Medicare, it is mostly healthcare costs. Well, 30 percent of that healthcare cost is just diabetes--and that is what this slide is sort of walking through--diagnosed, the individuals we know about, those we are expecting to come in the future years, and the cost curve. prgtoken The fact of the matter is, our investments, our ability to build policy that gets us to solutions for diabetes--and diabetes is complicated, you know, there are autoimmune issues, there are lifestyle issues, some are just some genetic issues. It is complicated. prgtoken But understand just curing diabetes would be 30 percent of the Medicare costs we are projecting over the next 30 years. It is a demonstration, when we can get th
RECOGNIZING JASON SAMSAL OF SUNBURST
Greg Gianforte (Republican, MT) \u2014 2020-3-4

. Madam , I rise today to honor Jason Samsal of Sunburst for his innovation as a conservationist on his Montana family farm. prgtoken Jason's land, just north of Shelby, has been in his family for generations. When Jason was 11 years old, his grandpa began teaching him the ways of the farmer and rancher. Jason has worked alongside his father for more than three decades. For him, it's the independence and lifestyle that he loves so much. prgtoken Jason has been an example for many Montana farmers and ranchers. Participating in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs, he goes above and beyond to ensure high-quality care for his crops and land. Jason is committed to using a diverse and intense cropping rotation that enhances the soil and protects it from erosion. prgtoken His methods are working. Jason is known for his produce, including one-year turnips that have reached the size of dinner plates. As a result of his work, he was recognized as the Toole County Conservationist of the Year in 2019. prgtoken Along with crop rotation, Jason makes constructing habitat a top priority on his farm. After noticing bees were struggling to pollinate his large farm in 2010, he found a solution. For every quarter mile, Jason created habitat with plants and flowers that pollinate year- round, giving the bees an area to rest. Because of measures like these, his bees and crops are thriving. prgtoken Jason is also committed to responsible wildlife practices. His farm is open for hunters as part of the state's block management program. He's constructed three wildlife corridors for animals to roam freely. He's also rebuilt all his fences with gates so antelope and deer can travel safely throughout his property. Madam , for his innovative approach to sustainable farming and his commitment to conserving Montana's land and creating healthy, practical wildlife habitat, I recognize Jason Samsal for his Spirit of Montana.