mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-1-9

I think it is important that we remind ourselves about what it takes to make a law here in Washington, DC. It obviously takes passage of a bill by the House of Representatives, passage by the Senate, and a Presidential signature. Obviously, we are in the middle of sort of a, I guess you could say, fight right now between the executive branch--the President--and in the House and the Senate, which normally would be resolved by the two sides sitting down and negotiating and coming to some sort of an agreement or compromise. That, frankly, is what is going to be necessary to resolve the current crisis we are in. prgtoken The in the Congress have the majority in the House. It takes 60 votes, as we know, to do anything in the Senate, which means it will take somewhere around the order of 10 Senate in order to put a piece of legislation on the President's desk. prgtoken There has to be a negotiation. There have to be two sides at the table. The have made it very clear in the Senate and in the House that they have no interest in negotiating with the President. prgtoken Furthermore, they have determined that they are going to shut down all the rest of the business that is being done in the Senate simply because they do not want to provide funding for the border wall that has been requested by the President. That is the standoff we are currently in the middle of. prgtoken I will remind our colleagues that as recently as last month, my friend the ic leader said that in order for us to proceed and vote on anything in either Chamber, we need to have a piece of legislation that the President has said he would agree to sign, which, again, suggests the way out of this is for the to come to the table and enter into a negotiation with the President about how to fund the border wall, how to deal with the issue of border security, and then to open up the government. That is the way this ultimately gets resolved. prgtoken It seems to me, at least from my observation so far, that there has been no movement, zero movement--zero movement--on the part of the when it comes to trying to resolve the current situation. prgtoken I will simply say that I agree with what the ic leader said as recently as December; that is, in order for either Chamber--the House or the Senate--to vote on a compromise piece of legislation, it needs to be a piece of legislation that the President of the United States has said he will sign. prgtoken Each of these elements has to come together, and, obviously, each is very relevant in this conversation. You cannot have a law without a Presidential signature. There are 535 Members of Congress. There is only one President of the United States, only one person who can sign a bill into law. Obviously, the President is a critical player in this conversation. prgtoken Of course, the , as I said, have the majority in the H
THE MIDDLE EAST
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-1-9

yesterday evening, blocked the Senate from proceeding to important foreign policy legislation. This bill, which was blocked last night, included measures of which they have been outspokenly supportive and even cosponsored, but then they decided that getting anything done at all this week would clash with their new political brand. prgtoken To be clear, the legislation I am referring to would have addressed several serious challenges to U.S. interests in the Middle East. It would have reaffirmed our commitment to the security of Israel, our closest regional ally. It would have reauthorized defense cooperation with Jordan, a critical partner, and it would have taken a vital step toward bringing the perpetrators and the enablers of the Assad regime atrocities in Syria to justice. Frankly, it would have delivered on promises to which my ic colleagues appeared to be firmly committed. prgtoken In their own words, Senate have discussed ``the continuation of America's unshakeable, seven-decade commitment to Israel's security'' and doing ``everything in our power to fight the BDS movement,'' but, alas, instead of proceeding to this legislation, Senate voted to block it. prgtoken My friend the ic leader chose to take this partial government shutdown that he is prolonging and add his very own Senate shutdown on top of it. They want to shut down the Senate as well--no progress, no bipartisan work, not even on urgent and pressing matters, nothing that might take the spotlight off his unreasonable showdown with the President. prgtoken Just as an example, during the 2013 government shutdown, the Senate kept right on chugging through the people's business. We passed 5 bills, 13 resolutions, appointed conferees on the farm bill, the budget resolution, and confirmed 28 of President 's nominees. The Senate was not shut down during the last government shutdown. This time, the want to hold everything hostage--everything? prgtoken Here is more inconsistency. Senate were for border security, including billions for physical barriers, before they were against it, and they were for the Senate working hard during government shutdowns on other business before they were against it. prgtoken Until our ic colleagues agree to get back to work--until they agree to get back to work--the Senate can't make much progress. Rest assured, Assad has not pressed the pause button on the Syrian civil war simply because it doesn't suit the ic leader's political strategy this week, Israel's enemies haven't stopped either, and until prioritize the public interest ahead of political spite, our border will not be secured, and the Federal Government will remain partially closed. prgtoken I cannot urge my ic colleagues more strongly to get past this purely partisan spite, rediscover their own past positions on border security, and negotiate a
TRIBUTE TO URBAN RAHOI
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2019-1-9

today I honor an Alaska legend, Urban Rahoi, on the occasion of his 100th birthday, which occurred on Monday, January 6, 2019. Now, my colleagues might wonder, what the heck is an Urban Rahoi? prgtoken To his admirers throughout the State of Alaska, the question is more appropriately stated: What is Urban Rahoi not? prgtoken Urban is a World War II veteran, an Alaska pioneer, a homesteader, a lodge owner, a legendary hunting guide, an aviator, a snowmobiler, an entrepreneur, and a statesman. They call him ``Urban Legend--kind of an odd play on words because ``urban legends'' are supposed to be false, but you will not find a more direct and honest guy than Urban Rahoi. prgtoken He has been flying for more than 80 years and has survived three plane crashes with barely a bruise. That earned Urban a reputation of being somewhat indestructible. That reputation has only strengthened over the years. prgtoken In 2016, Urban was out at his remote lodge on an inholding in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. He woke up at 6 a.m. one morning with a ``difficult to describe feeling.'' He felt something was just wrong and needed to get out of there. Urban was 97 years old at the time. prgtoken Now, most 97-year-olds who wake up to these feelings would likely call 911--not Urban. He gets in his plane and flies off from the lodge to Tok. Then he gets in a truck to begin a 202-mile drive to Fairbanks. He stops for breakfast, drops by a friend's cabin for lunch and storytelling along the way, goes home for a half hour, and then drives over to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. It turns out Urban had suffered a stroke, albeit a minor one in his estimation. prgtoken Urban is fond of saying: ``In my dictionary, two words don't exist: can't and impossible.'' So he wasn't about to let a little stroke stop him. Following his release from the hospital, Urban put in long hours in physical therapy. He was reportedly grumpy about missing fall hunting, but he was looking forward to returning to flying and participating in the Tired Iron snowmachine race. prgtoken The Tired Iron race is a fundraiser for the Boy Scouts that features racers in relatively ancient snowmachines, or what people in the lower 48 would call snowmobiles. Urban races a 1965 vintage Polaris Mustang. He is known to quip that the iron may be tired, but he isn't. True to form, Urban won the 2017 Tired Iron, months after his stroke. Come to think of it, he won the 2018 Tired Iron as well. prgtoken Just as I said, ``indestructible.'' prgtoken Urban Rahoi was originally from Iron Mountain. He learned to fly in 1934, making his first solo flight at age 15, and joined the Air Force in 1942, where he flew B-17s during World War II. After the war, Urban attended Michigan Technological Institute for 18 months. Restless, he began flying in Alaska and soon packed up his wife Vi, their four dogs, and a pile of gear into his three-passenger Super Cruiser, flying north to Fairban
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-1-9

I rise to speak on U.S. national defense. prgtoken In the last couple of years, we have made tremendous progress in strengthening our military and have effectively realigned our global posture and strategy. prgtoken Under the new national defense strategy, the United States has rightfully recognized the return to great power competition, where our priorities have shifted from low-intensity conflict to posturing against peer and near-peer adversaries. prgtoken Over the last 17 years of combat in the Middle East, U.S. dominance and deterrence against great power competitors have diminished. Meanwhile, nations like China and Russia have undertaken extraordinary military modernization efforts while engaging in unprecedented and destabilizing aggression. prgtoken We have seen Russian intrusions in cyberspace, the illegal annexation of Crimea, information attacks on Western democratic institutions, and the spread of lies, half-truths, and slander in order to sow division and chaos between the United States and other partners. prgtoken These gray-zone activities, which are actions below the level that would provoke an armed conflict, have gone mainly unchecked by the United States, which has set a troubling precedent and only serve to encourage further provocation. prgtoken From China, we see these gray-zone techniques manifested in their land reclamation in the South China Sea, the construction of their first foreign military installations in Djibouti, and the continuing theft of intellectual property and trade secrets in critical security areas. prgtoken They have also greatly undermined our supply chain through the Made in China 2025 initiative, which seeks to ensure that the United States and others remain reliant on the Chinese industrial base. prgtoken Above all, the United States is threatened by Russia's and China's advances in emerging technology. This includes hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence, space capabilities, quantum computing, and directed energy. prgtoken Without significant resources and focus, we will lose our technological superiority in these very areas, and both U.S. national security and the global order will be in serious jeopardy. prgtoken Building off of our successes from the last 2 years, Congress and the executive branch must remain committed to investing in research, development, rapid acquisition, and the deployment of capabilities that provide for deterrence in line with the threats of the 21st century. prgtoken Just as we rose to the challenge in the two World Wars, the Cold War, and following the attacks on September 11, 2001, we must, once again, evaluate our current posture and chart a course that best protects our national security and our interests. prgtoken While the national defense strategy correctly prioritizes a return to great power competition, we still have great national security threats in the low-intensity domain, particularly in the Middle East and in
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S IMMIGRATION LETTER TO CONGRESS
Mo Brooks (Republican, AL) \u2014 2019-1-9

. Madam , on January 4, 2019, President sent Congress a letter about America's border crisis. That letter states, in part: ``It is the sovereign right of every nation to establish an immigration program in its national interest, lawfully admitting those who have followed the rules, while denying entry to those who break the rules or fail to meet the requirements established in law. ``A nation that fails to control its borders cannot fulfill its most basic obligations to its citizens, physical safety, economic security, essential public services, and the uniform protection of our laws. . . . The southern border is a very dangerous place; in fact, Border Patrol agents routinely encounter some of the most dangerous criminals, cartels, and traffickers anywhere in the world. ``Effective border security must dramatically reduce the entry of illegal immigrants, criminals, and drugs; it must keep out terrorists, public safety threats, and those otherwise inadmissible under U.S. law; and it must ensure that those who do enter without legal permission can be promptly and safely returned home . . . current funding levels, resources, and authorities are woefully inadequate to meet the scope of the problem. We are no longer in a status quo situation at the southern border, but in a crisis situation. Status quo funding is not enough. ``In fiscal year 2018, 17,000 adults at the border with existing criminal records were arrested by Customs and Border Protection and border agents. ``In FY 2017 and FY 2018, ICE officers arrested approximately 235,000 aliens on various criminal charges or convictions within the interior of the United States, including roughly 100,000 for assault, 30,000 for sex crimes, and 4,000 for homicides.'' prgtoken For emphasis, over the past 2 years, illegal aliens have averaged 50,000 physical assaults, 15,000 sex crimes, and 2,000 killings per year, all in America. prgtoken Returning to President 's letter: ``300 Americans are killed every week from heroin, 90 percent of which floods across our southern border.'' prgtoken Stated differently, our porous southern border and illegal aliens contribute to the deaths of another 15,000 Americans per year from just one drug, heroin. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are another 55,000 dead Americans from overdoses from other poisonous drugs, many of which, like heroin, steal across our porous southern border. prgtoken President continues in his letter: ``Illegal immigration is not progressive. By every measure it is unfair, unjust, uncompassionate, and cruel. Many people are killed. It hurts both those who make the journey and so many communities bearing the cost in lives, safety, and dollars. . . . Absolutely critical to border security and national security is a wall or a physical barrier that prevents entry in the first place. Members of both parties-- including then-Senators and Clinton, current Senator S
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed--Continued
Deb Fischer (Republican, NE) \u2014 2019-1-9

I rise today to deliver a message to the hard-working agriculture producers in Nebraska and across America who feed the world. prgtoken At the end of last Congress, the House and Senate came together and passed a 5-year farm bill that provided the certainty and the predictability our farmers and ranchers needed during tough economic times. President signed this important piece of legislation into law. prgtoken As a proud member of the Senate Ag Committee, I had the privilege of working on this legislation and securing key provisions for Nebraskans. Among these were measures that protected crop insurance, streamlined trade promotion programs, bolstered opportunities for producers to use precision ag technology, and unleashed broadband deployment throughout rural America. prgtoken Because of this bill, folks in agriculture were feeling more confident about planning for the future. Now we find ourselves in the middle of a partial government shutdown, and there is some anxiety in farm country as funding to the U.S. Department of Agriculture has lapsed. In that regard, I want to provide some important updates to producers who are concerned. prgtoken The year-round sale of E15 is critical, and it is a critical issue for Nebraska's farmers, renewable fuel producers, and our rural communities. Our State has 25 ethanol plants that employ more than 1,300 hard-working Nebraskans with high-paying jobs, which are mostly located in rural communities, but for far too long, an outdated regulation that banned the sale of E15 during summer months has held our communities back. prgtoken Here in the Senate, I worked closely with a group of farm State colleagues to demonstrate the benefits of higher blends of ethanol fuel. I also championed bipartisan legislation, the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, to allow for the sale of E15 year-round. Our efforts got President 's attention, and I was proud to support him last fall when he announced that he would direct the EPA to initiate the year-round sale of E15. prgtoken Through our continued efforts in the Senate and the action by President to follow through on his promise, rural America is on the way to a major victory. prgtoken This week, some reports surfaced saying that the partial government shutdown is going to delay EPA's rulemaking process for year-round E15. I would like to reassure our fuel producers that this is simply not true. prgtoken In fact, the EPA spokesman issued the following statement, saying: This is a priority for both President and Acting Administrator Wheeler. The ongoing partial shutdown will not impede EPA's ability to keep to our deadline. prgtoken I was pleased to learn that this rulemaking process is still on track, and I want to make sure Nebraskans are aware of that fact as well. prgtoken Additionally, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced he is extending the deadline for agriculture pro
FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Patrick T. McHenry (Republican, NC) \u2014 2019-1-9

this bill is plain and simple. It is a political stunt. And this is a sad offering 1 week into a new majority. prgtoken These bills are dead on arrival, as the ranking member, my friend Tom Graves, said, when they arrive in the Senate. The Senate majority leader has already said this. It is dead on arrival. Nor will it be signed into law by the President, who has already said he would veto it. prgtoken Furthermore, these bills have been stripped of House priorities that were in this bill reported out of Tom Graves' subcommittee last Congress. And they are not going to accomplish our number one goal, which is reopening the government and addressing the critical border security needs of our country. prgtoken House s did our job last year by sending this and several other appropriations bills to the Senate that would have been signed into law and ultimately avoided a shutdown if our friends across the aisle had chosen substance over politics. prgtoken But this a greater point. What we should be focusing on, rather than this shell bill that is a political stunt, is what is not in this bill. prgtoken Now, there are a couple things that we passed last Congress in a bipartisan way that the incoming chair of the Financial Services Committee and I, as ranking member on the Financial Services Committee, both voted for. prgtoken We had the JOBS Act 3.0, which passed this House last Congress with 406 ``yes'' votes and 4 dissenting votes. Why is that not included in this bill? It should be included in this bill. It is a high priority. prgtoken Why don't we see more bills helping those who are underbanked in this country? Those who are living on the margins? Those who are on the edge? Why can't we get them included? Why can't we have financial inclusion as a part of this bill? It does not address them, nor does it help people who live in rural communities who don't have a single bank branch in their county. prgtoken So we have banking deserts in this country that separate people from access to basic financial services products. We need to fix that problem. The bill here before us doesn't address that issue either. Why aren't we doing more to help small businesses find the capital that they need? prgtoken Businesses are starved for additional risk capital so they can grow, create jobs, help their community, raise wages. But instead of talking about ways we can help people, this bill does none of that. It is a political stunt. We should be focused on helping people and helping those who are on the margins through financial inclusion. prgtoken Let's get back to the priorities that the American people sent us here to take care of. Let's vote down this bill, and let's vote ``yes'' on something that can clear the Senate and get to the President's desk and be signed into law. prgtoken I look forward to working with my colleagues across the aisle in a constructive way in the coming months to do just that. But in the meantim
ADOPTING THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE 116TH CONGRESS
Brad R. Wenstrup (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-1-9

. Madam , I will admit I am a little bit confused here today because the part of the rule package that we are debating was already passed by the ic majority last week. So why are we here again? prgtoken I hear some people say: ``I stand in strong support of this.'' Well, good. You did last week, too. prgtoken I suspect some see it as trying to falsely claim that s are opposed to protecting Americans with preexisting conditions. I guarantee you, as a doctor, there is no part of me that doesn't want people in America to have insurance and coverage for their conditions. There is no part of me. In fact, it is just the opposite. prgtoken Just last week, in one of our first votes this year, every in this Chamber voted for the House to take action this month that-- word for word, our amendment said--``guarantees no American citizen can be denied health insurance coverage as the result of a previous illness or health status'' and ``guarantees no American citizen can be charged higher premiums or cost sharing as the result of a previous illness or health status.'' prgtoken Curiously, not one of my ic colleagues voted for this. prgtoken This is only the most recent action of many we have taken to support and protect Americans with preexisting health conditions in the last few years. prgtoken Rather, this rule package allows Pelosi to use the U.S. House as a shield to try and defend the individual mandate, the same mandate that this very Chamber has already zeroed out. prgtoken The individual mandate, in its original form, forced Americans to buy something simply because they are alive, or they will be penalized. This said that Congress has the authority to penalize Americans for not buying something, penalize you just because you are alive. How is that for freedom? prgtoken By the way, there is a difference between dismantling a flawed bill, the flawed Affordable Care Act, and mending its every flaw, which we have tried to do and, in some cases, we have done. prgtoken But going back to the rule, this takes away each Member's right to vote on how we want the House to engage in litigation. Rather, it gives more power to one person and takes power away from this body as a whole to have a say in the matter. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to oppose this title of the rules package. It is bad policy, bad posturing. prgtoken And since this vote is a repeat, I repeat: s are and have been and have supported and have voted for coverage for Americans with preexisting conditions, period.