mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IN HONOR OF TOM WAGNER, SUPERVISOR OF THE WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST
Ann M. Kuster (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2017-9-7

I rise today to honor Tom Wagner as he retires after 15 years supervising the White Mountain National Forest and nearly four decades with the United States Forest Service. We are grateful for his dedication to protecting one of New Hampshire's most prized assets: the White Mountains. Through his excellent stewardship of over three-quarters of a million acres that comprise the forest, he has ensured that all will continue to be able to enjoy this national treasure. In so doing, he also improved the lives of thousands in the Granite State who rely on the White Mountains for both their livelihoods and recreation. prgtoken I want to applaud Tom for his leadership and advocacy. Dunng his tenure, Tom oversaw the acquisition of 15,000 acres to the White Mountain National Forest and brought numerous stakeholders together to update the long-term strategic plan for the forest. He has been an invaluable resource, and his continuous commitment to New Hampshire's iconic and precious environment is truly inspiring. prgtoken On behalf of my constituents in New Hampshire's Second Congressional District, I thank Tom for his many years of dedicated service to the Granite State. His achievements will continue to benefit our state and its incredible natural landscape. I am honored to recognize and congratulate Tom on his retirement and wish him the best of luck in the years ahead.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
Keith Ellison (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2017-9-7

cutting off funds to UNRWA would force it to shut down. If UNRWA shuts down, they will not be able to operate, and all of the services that it provides will fall to the predominant power, which is Hamas. I don't think this is what the gentleman wants. prgtoken The fact of the matter is UNRWA, right now, provides education, food, shelter, and a whole host of services in very dire conditions. Over the last number of years, we have seen 90 percent of the tap waters not fit for human consumption, rolling blackouts 20 to 22 hours a day, and UNRWA, in this context, is making sure that necessities like education and economic opportunity exist. prgtoken It would be counterproductive to cut off UNRWA because somebody is going to have to help the refugees.
DACA
Tom Udall (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2017-9-7

thank you for your recognition. I am honored to come here today and follow Senator Leahy and Senator Kaine and their speeches on DACA. I have also watched over the last couple of days, and I think almost every ic Senator has been down to the floor to speak with passion about this issue. I am just so proud of our caucus and our Members who have stood up and called the President on this issue. prgtoken Today, I stand with millions of Americans protesting the President's heartless decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program known as DACA. This inhumane and cruel decision threatens the hopes and aspirations of our country's young Dreamers, and there is no doubt it will harm the economy. I call on all Members of Congress-- especially the leadership--to act now and to act swiftly to keep families together and allow these kids to realize their huge potential by making DACA the law of the land. That is what we need to do, make DACA the law of the land. If the President will not do the right thing, then Congress must take action and Congress must do this. prgtoken , s, and Independents across New Mexico and throughout our country agree that Dreamers deserve to live and work in the United States. According to a Morning Consult-Politico poll released this week, 76 percent support allowing them to stay--76 percent , s, Independents. What a big number. prgtoken Most Americans agree that our Nation benefits from the contribution immigrants make in our communities and our economy. They believe our government should honor its promise to Dreamers. Many of these young people came here as small children and have not known any other country. prgtoken Take Roxana. Roxana came to Santa Fe, NM, when she was 1 year old. She is now 22. She registered with DACA as soon as she could. She completed the paperwork, paid the fee, and she has complied with all of the requirements. She now works as a medical assistant with La Familia Medical Center in Santa Fe. La Familia is a great healthcare clinic. It provides excellent medical care to everyone in Santa Fe, including many immigrants and low-income patients. prgtoken Roxana loves her work at La Familia, and she loves being able to help her fellow immigrants. Roxana had plans to go to nursing school, but the President's action to end DACA jeopardizes those plans and puts them on hold. In Roxana's words, ``Santa Fe, NM, is my home. It's where I know people. It's where I've lived. It's where I've gone to school. It's where I've grown up. It's my life. It's something that is mine but doesn't truly belong to me.'' prgtoken Those are her words. We must give Roxana and the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers what should truly belong to them. prgtoken Dreamers more than pull their economic weight in our country; 97 percent are employed or are in school or do both. They work in Fortune 500 companies and publi
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
Eliot L. Engel (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-9-7

let me start by thanking my colleagues and fellow co-chairs of the House Tuberculosis Elimination Caucus, Mr. Young of Alaska and Mr. Gene Green of Texas. I am grateful for their support of this measure and for their work to combat tuberculosis around the world. This bipartisan amendment would help move that work forward. prgtoken , America's investments in global health are not handouts. Combating disease around the world isn't just some pet project to make us feel good about ourselves. When we invest in global health, we are investing in our own security and leadership on the global stage. After all, infectious diseases don't respect borders, and when we fail to fight a dangerous illness or respond to a pandemic overseas, we risk having to respond once it reaches our shores. prgtoken At the same time, healthier communities are more protective, more stable communities. Healthier countries are stronger partners on the world stage. And when the United States helps to advance those conditions, we are showing the world what kind of country we are, what American values demand of us. prgtoken The reality is we should be investing more in these efforts. One area where we need a lot more support is in the fight against tuberculosis. prgtoken TB kills more people worldwide than any other infectious disease. This is especially heartbreaking, , because we know how to prevent TB, and we know how to cure it. We know how to cure it, and people are still dying. That is just unfathomable. prgtoken Yet, in 2015, 1.8 million people died from this disease, 10.5 million more became infected. One in ten TB patients is also HIV positive, making tuberculosis the top killer of people living with HIV. Countries with a high prevalence of TB can see their GDP shrink by 4 to 7 percent. prgtoken The World Health Organization tells us we need an additional $2 billion every year to control tuberculosis. My amendment would help to make up part of that shortfall, ramping up USAID's global health programs by $209 million. That would bring our investment in TB assistance to $450 million. prgtoken These efforts have a proven track record, . In the countries where we are working on the problem, incidence of TB has dropped by nearly one-fifth since 2000, more than twice as fast as countries where we haven't been involved. That is tens of thousands of precious lives saved, and we played a major role in that. prgtoken My amendment won't wipe out this disease, , but it will save lives, it will build on past successes and move us in the direction of putting a stop to this killer once and for all. prgtoken I ask all Members to support this bipartisan amendment, and .
DACA
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2017-9-7

I am here today to talk about the DACA Program, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, which is very important in my State. We actually have 6,000 kids who have gone through that program. prgtoken As we all know, 800,000 young people who have lived in the United States since childhood are included and affected by this recent action by the administration, which I strongly oppose. These Dreamers were brought to the United States as children through no fault of their own and are working hard to educate themselves and contribute to our Nation. In fact, more than 97 percent of DACA recipients are now in school or in the workforce, and all DACA recipients are required to meet the program's education requirements. One recent study found that 72 percent of all DACA recipients who are currently in school are pursuing a bachelor's degree or higher. According to the American Association of Medical Colleges, more than 100 students with DACA status applied to medical school last year. prgtoken The young people who have benefited from DACA have often been in our country almost their entire lives after having been brought here as children. They are valuable members of our community, and they have contributed to our economy and to the fabric of our society. In fact, one recent study estimated that ending this policy would cost the country over $400 billion over the next 10 years. prgtoken Ending DACA, which has been in place since 2012, would create tremendous uncertainty and risk deportation for nearly 800,000 Dreamers who are studying and working across our Nation. prgtoken When I think of the Dreamers, I think of, first of all, the night that the Judiciary Committee, on a bipartisan basis, passed comprehensive immigration reform. There were Dreamers there. They were there late at night and had tears streaming down their faces. Then I think about the time that President put DACA into place and made it so that they could come forward, sign up, and legally work. Now we are going to turn our backs on those same people, those people who were brought here through no fault of their own. Whether or not the current administration disagrees with the past administration, our country made a commitment to them that they could sign up for this program. Back when we passed comprehensive immigration reform, I felt that our committee--the Senators who voted for that bill, both and s--made a commitment to them that day that we were going to work on their behalf. That is why this is so wrong. prgtoken I do appreciate that this morning the President said that he wants to work to pass this bill and that he said the DACA young people do not have to worry over the next 6 months about any actions taken against them. Those are, of course, good things. I just wish this had not happened in this way, but it did. prgtoken I am also not surprised that so many people have stood up in support of Sena
DACA
Gary C. Peters (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-9-7

I rise today as a proud Michigander, American, and the son of an immigrant. My mother Madeleine grew up in France and met my father Herb when he was serving overseas during World War II. They fell in love, were married, and she had the opportunity to immigrate to the United States where she started a new life with my dad and was proud to become a new citizen of the United States of America. prgtoken She worked hard as a nurse's aide and a union steward, and she provided inspiration and opportunity for me and my sisters. And, because the Detroit Tigers don't have a game on TV at this moment, I hope that she is home in Rochester watching me speak right now. prgtoken My mother's American experience informs my views on the nearly 7,000 Michiganders who have benefited from the protection of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, known as DACA. prgtoken Let's look at the facts. The young men and women known as Dreamers and who are helped by DACA are students, serve in the military, launch new businesses, create jobs, and boost economic growth. These Dreamers did not choose to come to this country; they were brought here by their parents. They have no meaningful connections to the foreign countries they left as children and often don't even speak the language. They know no home other than the United States of America, and they were raised as Americans. prgtoken They have passed extensive background checks, paid fines, and continue to pay taxes, which reduces our budget deficit. They pay into Social Security, which increases its solvency for all Americans. prgtoken According to the CATO Institute, deporting the more than 700,000 DACA participants would cost--yes, cost--the Federal Government over $60 billion and reduce economic growth in this country by $280 billion over the next decade. prgtoken Rescinding DACA is not just cruel and unfair, it is a terrible economic policy and a bad deal for the American taxpayer. prgtoken Numbers can only say so much, so I often tell the story of a fellow Michigander, Ola Kaso. Ola is pictured right here. Ola's family came to the United States legally but unsuccessfully seeking asylum in 1998. Ola was only 5 years old when she came to America. After 13 years in the country--13 years--the government attempted to deport her and her mother back to Albania, just weeks before she was set to graduate from high school. Backed by the support of fellow Michiganders, Ola's family was granted a stay of the deportation. prgtoken I am proud to report that Ola ultimately graduated as the valedictorian of her high school class. She recently graduated from the University of Michigan and plans to attend medical school. She is a beneficiary of the DACA Program. prgtoken Our Nation is facing a doctor shortage--especially in rural areas-- and this young woman wants to dedicate her prgtoken life to caring for others. Deporting Ola makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. As a country th
WILDFIRES IN WESTERN STATES
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-9-7

in a few minutes, I am going to start sprinting prgtoken to the airport to get home to listen to Oregonians who have been clobbered by several megafires unlike anything we have seen in my home State of Oregon. On top of that, in addition to the megafires, there are numerous other fires. prgtoken Just up the road from my hometown of Portland, the Eagle Creek fire has merged with the Indian Creek fire and spread over an area of more than 31,000 acres. What we have seen--again, just staggering in its implications--the fire jumped the Columbia River into Washington State. It is ravaging our iconic Columbia River Gorge. This is a treasure beloved by the millions of people who visit every year and the people of my home State. prgtoken Next to me is a shot of the fire which has been burning in the Columbia River Gorge now for days. Although it appears the first sparks of the Eagle Creek fire were ignited by a young man, it is clear the inferno was accelerated by the unusual heat in early September. Now the lives and the homes of Gorge residents are under threat, and a world- renowned treasure in my home State has been devastated. prgtoken Sadly, this wildfire devastation this month has rippled across Oregon. The Chetco Bar fire in Southwestern Oregon has consumed more than 167,000 acres--an area bigger than all of Portland. The Umpqua North fire east of Roseburg and the Milli fire in Central Oregon have torn through tens of thousands of acres each. prgtoken I could go on. The point is, my home State is getting pounded by these fires, and the West is getting pounded by these fires. The skies glow orange at night as the flames burn on. Families wake up to ash on their windshields. Schools are closed, and people have been warned to stay indoors because it is not safe to breathe the hazardous air. prgtoken On the Air Quality Index map from the Environmental Protection Agency--which I have here--you can see the effects of the nightmare which has settled in over most of Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and large parts of Montana. As I speak, there are a million and a half acres ablaze across Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, and Utah. One-third of these burning acres are in my home State alone. This year is virtually guaranteed to be the worst fire season in history in terms of the total area burnt. prgtoken I served as chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee for a time, chaired the Forestry Subcommittee. I have sat in so many committee hearings and heard again and again about the dangers these fires pose to our States. The fact is, the fires are getting hotter, they have gotten bigger, they have gotten tougher to fight, and this is a years-long pattern in the West. It gets hot. It gets dry. There have been inadequate efforts to go in there and thin out the dead and dying material. Then we have a lightning strike in our part of the world, and then all of a sudd
VOTE EXPLANATION
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2017-9-7

I was unavailable for rollcall vote No. 188 on the nomination of Timothy Kelly, of the District of Columbia, to be United States District Judge for the District of Columbia. Had I been present, I would have voted yea. prgtoken , I was unavoidably absent for rollcall vote No. 189, the motion to table Paul motion to refer H.R. 601, the Emergency Supplemental Continuing Resolution and Debt Limit Act, with instructions. Had I been present, I would have voted yea. prgtoken , I was unavoidably absent for rollcall vote No. 190, the motion to table the motion to refer H.R. 601 to committee with instructions to report back without any provision that was not contained in the House message accompanying the bill H.R. 601. Had I been present, I would have voted yea. prgtoken , I was unavoidably absent for rollcall vote No. 191, the motion to invoke cloture on the House message to accompany H.R. 601, with further amendment--emergency aid, debt limit, CR. Had I been present, I would have voted yea. prgtoken , I was unavoidably absent for rollcall vote No. 192, the motion to concur in the House amendment to H.R. 601 with further amendment. Had I been present, I would have voted yea. (At the request of Mr. Nelson, the following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record.)
REINFORCING EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY IN DEVELOPMENT ACT
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2017-9-7

I strongly support the disaster relief package that is before us today. It is going to provide much needed assistance to the thousands of families and communities who were devastated by Hurricane Harvey. As vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I looked at it very carefully, and I know it provides a short-term increase to the debt limit to ensure the U.S. Government has access to the resources it needs. It funds the government with a continuing resolution through December 8, enabling Congress to work to complete the fiscal year 2018 appropriations bills. It is a responsible approach to addressing the needs of our Nation. prgtoken As a Vermonter, as a human being, it was heart-wrenching to watch the devastation march through Texas as Hurricane Harvey made landfall, only to see it turn toward Louisiana. Now, Hurricane Irma has struck Puerto Rico and continues on its path toward Florida and the east coast. Hurricanes Jose and Katia are swirling in the Atlantic. They are threatening our coast. This is a horrific time. prgtoken My fellow Vermonters and I are all too familiar with these images. It was only 6 years ago that Tropical Storm Irene tore through our small, special Green Mountain State and left a wound we are still trying to heal today. prgtoken A disaster of this magnitude demands the full support of the U.S. Government, and that includes all of us here. I am glad this disaster relief package is before us today. My Appropriations Committee staff has worked so hard on it. If we don't act and act fast, FEMA exhausts its funds by the end of this week. prgtoken s and in the Senate stood by my side in 2011 and in the following years to help Vermont rebuild after Irene, and I will stand in support of Texans and Louisianans now. And I will stand in support of Floridians, if and when they need it. This is only a fraction of what we will need to help recover and rebuild after these storms. It is going to require years of Federal support, and we cannot let our commitment fade. prgtoken We live in a world where 100-year storms seem to occur every year, so we have to invest in technology, conservation, and infrastructure that will mitigate further damage and make our communities more resilient in these crises. prgtoken Our ability to respond doesn't just depend on emergency assistance. Each year, in the annual appropriations bills, we fund programs that help us prevent and respond to severe weather events and invest in the necessary infrastructure. The National Weather Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Sea Grant program, the Flood Map Modernization Program, Watershed Flood Prevention Operations, Regional Coastal Resilience Grants, Community Development Block Grants, and State and Local First Responder Grants--just to name a few--are all critical to these efforts. We cannot and should not accept the deep cuts that have been proposed by President to these criti