mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Rand Paul (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-9-13

for the first time in 15 years, we are debating the congressional role in the declaration of war. prgtoken We have fought the longest war in U.S. history under an original authorization to go after the people who attacked us on 9/11. That war is long since over, the war has long since lost its purpose, and it is long past time that we have a debate in Congress about whether we should be at war. prgtoken It is the constitutional role of Congress. Interestingly, the folks you have heard on either side of the issue have said it is our job. It is what we should be doing. Yet we haven't done it for 16 years. Who in their right mind thinks that Congress is actually going to do their job without being forced to do their job? prgtoken My resolution is actually silent on whether we should still be at war. My resolution simply says that the resolutions we have previously passed will expire. I don't believe they have anything to do with the seven wars we are involved with currently, anyway, but if we were to force them to expire, we would then have a debate. prgtoken But for those who say: Yes, Congress should exert its authority; Congress should be involved in the initiation of war--they don't really believe that unless they are going to vote that way. What will happen is the continuation of the same--that we abdicate that role and let the President do whatever he wants. prgtoken It is worse than that. Let's say that we were to vote for my resolution and that the authorization to go to war after 9/11 expired. Do you think any of the wars would end? No. The neoconservatives and the neoliberals believe the President has unlimited authority. They call it article II authority for war. There is some authority given to the President--an enormous amount of authority--to execute the war but not to initiate the war. The sole duty of initiation of war was given specifically to Congress. prgtoken So if these authorities were to expire--the President already says: I have all the authority I want under the Constitution to do whatever I want. But that is not what our Founders wanted. Madison, if he were here, would vehemently disagree. Madison wrote that the executive branch is the branch most prone for war; therefore, the Constitution, with studied care, vested that power in the legislature. It was supposed to be difficult to go to war. prgtoken Some wrung their hands and said: Oh, the Senate can never agree on any authorization to go to war. How long did it take us after Pearl Harbor? Twenty-four hours, and we declared war on Japan. How long did it take us after 9/11? It took 3 days. We can come together as a body when we are attacked, when we are unified in purpose. But guess what--after 16 years, it is difficult to determine the purpose in Afghanistan. prgtoken Also, those who say: We need a new authorization, but it is going to authorize war anywhere, anytime, with no geographic limit and no time limit--basically th
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
Paul Mitchell (Republican, MI) \u2014 2017-9-13

our Nation faces a dire fiscal situation. We have reached our debt limit, we have lifted our debt limit, and we are now determining how to control our spending while still funding necessary programs. What is worse, too many of our Federal regulations and mandates that we fund--or maybe more appropriately, the taxpayers fund--are unnecessary and exact burdensome, excessive costs on our constituents, both families and businesses. prgtoken The reality is we can and we must make cuts to our government before financial markets make them for us. We can do that without impacting essential programs if we make the right targeted cuts. If we make those cuts, we can actually grow our economy by stopping overeager bureaucrats who seem to believe that everything--and I do mean everything--should be regulated until it no longer functions. prgtoken Not only is such action possible, it is essential for the well-being of the American economy and our families. We in Congress need to be focused on growing and protecting Main Street, not protecting an already bloated Federal Government. prgtoken The amendment I have proposed today makes a cut to the bureaucracy of several offices of Financial Services. These cuts are a modest 10 percent reduction of administrative expenses, which will save taxpayers over $596 million, annually. Let me repeat that. That is over half a billion dollars a year. If we put enough together, it is real money. prgtoken One of the cuts included in the amendment is to the IRS. My amendment does not target IRS services, those that help taxpayers get a lost refund or have questions about filing. Lord knows those people need all the help they can get to understand our Tax Code. Rather, the amendment focuses on IRS enforcement. prgtoken This is the part of the IRS that abused their power by targeting groups based on their political beliefs, victimizing groups and individuals for exercising their constitutional rights and trying to follow the rule of law. They misled Americans and took 3 years to provide a full list of organizations that were targeted for their political beliefs. This is an agency that must be stopped, and my amendment is a step towards doing so, while saving the American taxpayers money. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to seriously consider my amendment as we work to secure our financial future and hold our government accountable. prgtoken Mr. Chair, .
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (Republican, NJ) \u2014 2017-9-13

as we conclude discussion on our 12- bill package, I rise to urge support of H.R. 3354 and to thank the 12 chairs and ranking members who led the great work on these bills as well as the many Members who offered amendments in this open and free and, I may say, rather civil discussion. prgtoken This package prioritizes our domestic and national security to keep our people safe, supports our troops, strengthens law enforcement, secures our borders, and helps get our economy moving, and it deserves bipartisan support. prgtoken Over the past week, the House has debated hundreds of amendments in this appropriations legislation. Combined with the thousands of Member requests included in the base text, these bills are truly representative of our shared American values. prgtoken I want to thank all my colleagues for their time and consideration of one another throughout this process. prgtoken Tomorrow the House will vote to finalize all 12 appropriations bills before the fiscal year deadline of September 30. prgtoken We have not had what is referred to and what is called regular order for a long time--in nearly a decade. And what's more, we have done all 12 bills under a very abbreviated time schedule. From June 12 to July 20--just over 1 month--the Appropriations Committee has held 12 subcommittee markups and 12 full committee markups, putting in hundreds of hours debating hundreds of amendments. The legislation on the floor this afternoon is a result of this hard work. prgtoken I would like to thank my committee, particularly its leaders, including Chairmen Robert Aderholt from Alabama, John Culberson from Texas, Kay Granger from Texas, Mike Simpson from Idaho, and Tom Graves from Georgia who has done a masterful job this afternoon, Judge Carter from Texas, Ken Calvert from California, Tom Cole from Oklahoma, Kevin Yoder from Kansas, Charlie Dent from Pennsylvania, Hal Rogers from Kentucky, and Mario Diaz-Balart from Florida. prgtoken On the ic side, I want to thank Ranking Members Sanford Bishop from Georgia, Jose Serrano from New York, Pete Visclosky from Indiana, Marcy Kaptur from Ohio, Mike Quigley from Illinois, Lucille Roybal-Allard from California, Betty McCollum from Minnesota, Rosa DeLauro from Connecticut, Tim Ryan from Ohio, Debbie Wasserman Schultz from Florida, and David Price from North Carolina, and their surrogates. prgtoken Of course, I particularly want to thank the ranking member of the full committee, Mrs. Nita Lowey from New York for her dedication and friendship to getting our work done on time. prgtoken I must also thank our incredibly hard-working staff, , led by Nancy Fox, our staff director; and Maureen Holohan, our new deputy staff director on the side; and by Shalanda Young and Chris Bigelow on the ic side. I thank them all. To all the staffs, those assembled here in this room and those who have been here for many hours over the last couple
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
Tom Graves (Republican, GA) \u2014 2017-9-13

I know Mr. Quigley and our team have worked hard on this bill, and there are a lot of tough decisions, no doubt about that. We have made some tremendously difficult decisions. prgtoken I know Mr. Mitchell was sitting here with a mission from his constituency, and that was to produce savings, to find savings and to reduce the debt and the deficit I applaud his efforts. I know he has sharpened his pencil and he has done a lot of work, and I appreciate him bringing this concept before the House.
HONORING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF VICKIE HALE
Brad R. Wenstrup (Republican, OH) \u2014 2017-9-13

I rise today to wish a happy 100th birthday to Vickie Hale of New Richmond, OH. prgtoken Through her life, Vickie has been an incredible member of our community here in Ohio's Second District. It's people like her who make the world a lot nicer. prgtoken A retired school teacher and member of the New Richmond Historical Society, Vickie has spent her life dedicated to the life and improvement of her community and those around her. prgtoken Her public service and example to other is admired. prgtoken VIckie, as well as her husband John, a World War II veteran, have made New Richmond a better place throughout their lifetime, through their kindness and dedication to all. prgtoken Happy Birthday Vickie.
HURRICANE IRMA
Darren Soto (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-9-14

I thank the gentleman from Illinois for his inspiring words. prgtoken , I appreciate the opportunity to update the House on what has occurred in Florida after the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. prgtoken First, I want to start by thanking so many Members of Congress for supporting a package that doubled from $7 billion to $15 billion, the emergency relief. Not only was it so critical for the great State of Texas, but it was absolutely essential for anticipating the effects that Irma would have on the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia, up through South Carolina, and southeast United States. prgtoken When I arrived back on Friday--you know how important it is to go back to your district when there is a crisis on hand--I saw people taking the notice of evacuation seriously. I saw people stocking up on gas, stocking up on water, stocking up their cupboards, making sure to be ready. prgtoken While it was initially supposed to hit the southeastern portion of Florida, as you know, these predictions can be somewhat accurate, which is why we always need to be sure to always prepare, whether you think you are in the eye of the storm or not. Because, in fact, after it went through the central Keys and leveled a lot of Marathon and other central Keys islands, it hit southwest Florida. The eye went right through the Naples-Fort Myers area, and a lot of those folks are still struggling with that. It actually went up through the western center of the State, through the western portion of my district in Polk County, as well as Hillsborough County, Pasco County, and other areas, and then finally going up through the Big Bend. prgtoken That night, the wind was so loud and the rain was so hard that you couldn't even hear the trees snapping. When I woke up the next day, I knew it was bad, but, to my surprise, there were trees down everywhere. prgtoken Right outside our door, right down the street, in Osceola, Orange, and Polk Counties--all the counties that I represent--one of the first initial acts of courage that I saw was neighborhood folks with nice F- 150s, chainsaws, and all of this construction equipment, volunteering their time to get these major trees out of the roads. We saw that throughout Kissimmee, east Orlando, Winter Haven, Haines City, Lake Wales, and so many areas, like St. Cloud, that I represent. prgtoken That debris removal that the State was approved for by FEMA is going to make sure, now that those trees are on the sidewalk or they are on the median, that they are going to get picked up. It is going to be so critical that we have that either 75 or 90 percent reimbursement for debris removal to make sure that these neighborhoods can come back to normal. prgtoken One of the other impacts of having all of these trees down, since we haven't had a hurricane with major winds since 2004, was that it absolutely decimated the power grid. If our fellow Members remember nothing else about what I have to say h
VOTE EXPLANATION
Bill Nelson (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-9-14

I was necessarily absent for yesterday's vote on the motion to table Senate amendment No. 871 to H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act, to repeal existing authorizations for the use of military force. I would have voted yea. prgtoken , I was necessarily absent for today's vote on the motion to invoke cloture on substitute amendment No. 1003 to H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act. I would have voted yea. prgtoken , I was necessarily absent for today's vote on Calendar No. 109, confirmation of the nomination of Pamela Hughes Patenaude to be Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. I would have voted yea. (At the request of Mr. Schumer, the following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record.)
COMMENDING LAKE COUNTY VETERANS AND FAMILY SERVICES FOUNDATION
Bradley Scott Schneider (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-9-14

I am proud to rise today to commend the Lake County Veterans and Family Services Foundation (LCVFSF) and the important work they do throughout the Tenth District to support veterans and their families. LCVFSF plays a critical role in our community by connecting veterans with each other and the resources they need, as well as educating and counseling families to support veterans and service members. LCVFSF offers peer support and nurturing connections for veterans through programs such as the Cup-A-Joe coffee meetup, as well as close collaboration with the Dryhootch Drop-in Center and Catholic Charities to help find jobs for veterans. This year, LCVFSF and its innovative approach to wellness were recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for their work, Fostering Healing and Recovery through Connection. During this National Suicide Prevention Week, LCFSF deserves particular acknowledgement. Every day in the United States, an average of 20 veterans die by suicide. Each of their deaths is a tragedy. We owe it to the fine men and women who served us, and who may still bear the physical and often invisible mental scars of that service, to support them after they retire the uniform. Later this month, LCVFSF is partnering with the Student Veterans Club of College of Lake County to lead a Ruck March to raise awareness of the epidemic of veteran suicide. Participants will march more than 20 kilometers from North Chicago to Grayslake in memory of the veterans lost every day to suicide. Many will walk with ruck sacks representing the symbolic weight carried by those who have fallen due to suicide and those who suffer from their loss. For all their efforts to improve the lives of our veteran community and address the tragedy of veteran suicide, I thank the staff, volunteers, and supporters of the Lake County Veterans and Family Services. I wish them much success on the upcoming Ruck March and look forward to continuing to work with the Foundation in the days ahead.
HONORING HALIFAX COMMUNITY COLLEGE ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY
G. K. Butterfield (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2017-9-14

I rise to recognize Halifax Community College located in my congressional district in Halifax County, North Carolina in the Town of Weldon as the institution celebrates its 50th Founders' Day and installs its new president, Dr. Michael Elam. Since its inception 50 years ago, Halifax Community College has served as a cornerstone of the Roanoke Valley region and has been a source of pride for the community. prgtoken What would eventually become Halifax Community College was first called Halifax County Technical Institute and was chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly on September 7, 1967. Originally located on US Highway 301 in Halifax, the school, led by its first president Dr. Phillip W. Taylor, first opened its doors to students in February 1968. The school remained in its original location until 1977 when it relocated to its present location on NC Highway 158 in the Town of Weldon. prgtoken , since its humble beginnings half a century ago, Halifax Community College has become known statewide for its innovative facilities and educational excellence in the Roanoke Valley. The institution serves more than 7,000 students each year and offers more than 40 academic programs that lead to certificates, diplomas and associate degrees. Halifax Community College offers basic literacy skills, workforce and human resources development, and continuing education programs. It is also home to the renowned 1,500-seat multipurpose theater called The Centre. prgtoken The staff of Halifax Community College work in earnest each day to achieve the school's mission ``to meet the diverse needs of [the] community by providing high-quality, accessible and affordable education and services for a rapidly changing and globally competitive marketplace.'' prgtoken In recognition of its hard work and achievements, Halifax Community College has been the recipient of many prestigious awards including the 2015 Southern Region Equity Award by the Association of Community College Trustees; 2016 Advancing Diversity Award by the American Association of Community Colleges; 2016 Rural Community College Alliance Innovator Award; and 2017 American Association of Community Colleges Community College Safety, Planning, and Leadership Award. prgtoken , Halifax Community College is a vibrant, student-oriented institution that continues to embrace student learning and success as its top priorities. Under the visionary leadership of past presidents Dr. Phillip W. Taylor (1967-1988), Dr. Elton L. Newbern Jr. (1988- 1998), Dr. Theodore H. Gasper Jr. (1998-2006), and Dr. Ervin V. Griffin Sr. (2006-2017), Halifax Community College has prospered and has transformed educational opportunities and outcomes for the Roanoke Valley. prgtoken I have no doubt that Halifax Community College's new president, Dr. Michael Elam, will build on the work of those who came before him and will ably and skillfully lead the institution into the future. prgtoken , I a
CRIMINAL ALIEN GANG MEMBER REMOVAL ACT
Jerrold Nadler (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-9-14

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. prgtoken , it has been said about this body that if you invent a nice enough title for a bill, it doesn't matter what you write in the bill because all people know is what the title is. This bill is a good example of that. prgtoken Who is in favor of criminal alien gangs? prgtoken No one. But this bill has received no committee consideration in which the questions could have been asked and the answers given to make sure that the bill would do what its sponsors say it does. prgtoken But this legislation wouldn't provide decent protections against gang violence. It would shred due process protections and would allow deportation of innocent immigrants based on the flimsiest of evidence. prgtoken It would establish a Star Chamber-like process for designating criminal gangs that would provide virtually no opportunity for them to contest such a designation. Once a group is designated as a gang, an immigrant who is determined to be a member of that gang--determined under undefined procedures and standards--would be almost assured of being deported and would be subject to mandatory detention while awaiting removal. prgtoken The procedures under this bill would be laughable if they did not have such deadly consequences for so many innocent people. Suppose there are some people in my neighborhood that I think are up to no good. Maybe I have good evidence that they are committing crimes, or maybe I just don't like them. Either way, I submit a tip to Homeland Security that the group is engaged in activity that qualifies as a criminal gang under this bill. prgtoken Then, based on undefined and unknown procedures, the DHS can designate that group as a criminal gang. In doing so, it would amass some sort of administrative record, which is also completely undefined in the bill, but we know it can include secret evidence. No notice would be given to the group that is under review, and no opportunity would be given to present evidence contesting the designation; no exculpatory evidence. prgtoken After designation, there is a process for judicial review; but unless the group has the habit of scouring the Federal Register, it would have no idea that it has been labeled a gang and that it needs to go to court in 30 days. If, somehow, the group does learn of its designation, it has just 30 days to contest it, and only in a Federal Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. prgtoken That review, however, would be based entirely on the administrative record amassed by the government. The group would have no opportunity to submit evidence to rebut the designation, which renders the entire review process meaningless. That is not due process under the Constitution. That is a sort of stacked process you would expect in a banana republic or in Russia. prgtoken It gets even worse. Under this bill, any alien is deportable if he or she is or has been a member of a designated gang or has participated in the gang