mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
A. Donald McEachin (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2019-10-23

. Madam , I was unavoidably detained on October 21, 2019 during roll call no. 568, On Motion to Table, H.Res. 647, Raising a question of the privileges of the House. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 569, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended, H.R. 4406, Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 570, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, H.R. 4407, SCORE for Small Business Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''
GEORGIA SUPPORT ACT
Brendan F. Boyle (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2019-10-23

I rise in support of H.R. 598, the Georgia Support Act. This bill helps strengthen the vital U.S.--Georgia partnership, a strategically important relationship in a critical part of the world. In 2008, Georgia was invaded by Russia and the Kremlin continues to attack Georgia through subversive disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks. This bill provides Georgia with assistance to combat this threat and support its democratic institutions. prgtoken The Georgian government has long made closer integration with the EU and NATO a priority. According to recent polls, almost 80 percent of the Georgian population supports membership in the EU and over 70 percent supports membership in NATO. As a member of the U.S. delegation to NATO Parliamentary Assembly, I am pleased that the bill recognizes that Georgia has been a longstanding NATO-aspirant country. prgtoken I urge all of my colleagues to support the Georgia Support Act. Passing this bill shows our support for Georgia's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, as well as for its democratic development, Euro-Atlantic integration, and peaceful conflict resolution in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
NFL SHOULD END RACIST EXPLOITATION OF NATIVE AMERICANS
Betty McCollum (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2019-10-23

the National Football League is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and its popularity and economic success is indisputable. Millions of fans watched the NFL last year, and the league's 32 teams split more than $16 billion in revenue. prgtoken One team, the Washington franchise, exploits a racist slur and a racist mascot that insults and demeans Native Americans to help generate profits for the NFL owners. prgtoken In the 21st century, we should rightly condemn the use of racial slurs that disparage African Americans, Latinos, Asians, or anyone. And there is no doubt about it. The term ``redskin,'' in fact, was used in conjunction with scalp hunting in the 19th century. prgtoken In 1863, in Winona, Minnesota, my home State, a newspaper, the Winona Daily , printed an announcement: ``The State reward for dead Indians has been increased to $200 for every redskin sent to purgatory. This sum is more than the dead bodies of all the Indians east of the Red River are worth.'' prgtoken A news story published in the Atchison Daily Champion in Atchison, Kansas, on October 9, 1985, told the stories of settlers' ``hunt for redskins, with a view of obtaining their scalps.'' prgtoken No doubt about it, this is a negative word. This is a slur. So it is remarkable that the NFL commissioners and owners continue to sanction the racist and shameful use of the term ``redskin'' to describe Native Americans and then profit from it. prgtoken There are millions of Native Americans in this country whose ancestors endured forced removal from their lands, suppression of their culture, and state-sponsored campaigns of ethnic cleansing. prgtoken The NFL racist mascot mocks this painful history. prgtoken Tomorrow night, the Washington team and its racist mascot will be in Minnesota, the home of 11 proud sovereign Tribal nations. I will be joining Tribal leaders, elected officials, and other Minnesotans gathering outside the stadium. We will be speaking out against racism and exploitation. We will stand proudly with our Native American brothers and sisters. With one voice, we will be calling on the NFL to end its racist exploitation of Native Americans and to do one thing: Change the mascot.
INTRODUCTION OF WHITE HOUSE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR DIVERSITY ACT
J. Luis Correa (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-10-23

. Madam , after President 's inauguration, the White House deleted Spanish-language content from the official White House website. At the time, the White House claimed that a Spanish- language site was under development, but, more than two years later, such a website has yet to materialize. Meanwhile, the previous two administrations offered Spanish-language content on the official White House website. prgtoken There are many taxpayers whose first language is not English. Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and French are among the most spoken languages in the United States. People benefit tremendously from having different options to access their government and receive information that may impact their lives. This is why it is imperative that the White House and federal agencies continue to be accessible to all taxpayers. prgtoken Therefore, I am reintroducing the White House Accountability for Diversity Act. It is vital for all Americans to be able to follow issues that affect their lives. This legislation will allow for content to be translated into Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, French and any other language deemed necessary by the Office of Management and Budget. This will ensure that all taxpayers have the option of accessing up-to-date information in their preferred language.
ELECTION REFORM
Brian Higgins (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-10-23

. Madam , this Saturday, October 26, early voting begins in New York State for the first time, expanding the window for voters to select their government representatives. prgtoken This country has long upheld its protection of free and fair elections, keeping the power and decisionmaking where it should be: with, and only with, the American people. prgtoken Foreign interference in our elections is real, and its existence is threatening the legitimacy of our elections, national security, and the democracy this Nation was founded on. prgtoken Today the House will vote on the SHIELD Act, adding further transparency in campaigns, stiffer penalties for voter deception, and further restrictions against foreign interference, including making campaigns mandatory reporters if there is any offer of foreign assistance in those campaigns. prgtoken Madam , I urge others to join me in voting to protect the vote of the American people.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, RELATING TO...
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-10-23

3 weeks ago, a small number of U.S. Special Forces were working with our Syrian Kurdish partners to conduct operations against ISIS and hold more than 10,000 detainees, many of them hardened ISIS fighters. It was a product of a half decade of hard work by American and coalition forces and the Kurds to degrade ISIS, to put them on the run, and stabilize the postconflict region. prgtoken Today, only 3 weeks later, as American troops continue their withdrawal from their bases in northern Syria at the President's orders, President Putin and President Erdogan have announced a plan to establish Russian and Turkish control of a region that was once controlled by American and Kurdish forces. Our partners, the Syrian Kurds, have been killed and wounded in Erdogan's invasion and forced to leave their homes in droves. Most importantly, the upper hand we once held over ISIS has been eroded. prgtoken We don't know how many ISIS detainees have escaped from detention facilities or where they have gone. There seems to be no articulable plan on how to get them back. In the blink of an eye, President has undone over 5 years of progress against the Islamic State. prgtoken Three weeks after first announcing the troop withdrawal, the President does not seem to have a clear strategy for securing the enduring defeat of ISIS and fixing the mess he has created in Syria. Secretary of State Pompeo does not have a clear strategy. Secretary of Defense Esper does not have a clear strategy. Every day it seems like we are going in a completely different direction. One day, reports indicate the administration was considering a residual force in eastern Syria; the next report says the administration planned to target ISIS from Iraq. The next minute, reports said Iraq will not allow our forces to do that. prgtoken What is the strategy here? America's security is at risk. ISIS is dangerous. ISIS is escaping. How will the administration continue to bring the fight to ISIS? What will the President do to prevent Russian and Turkish aggression and the potential slaughter of our allies and friends, the Kurds? When will the administration present its strategy to Congress? prgtoken We need answers to these questions right away, but, shockingly, the administration's top officials, Secretary of State Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Esper, have now canceled two scheduled briefings with the Senate, and there is no new time on the calendar. prgtoken Secretary of State Pompeo apparently had time to speak to the Heritage Foundation yesterday, which is four blocks away from the Capitol, but he doesn't have time to come to Congress, not even to brief us on Syria? prgtoken Secretary Pompeo is derelict in his duty. He has an obligation to come here. It is not a question of time if he spoke four blocks away at the Heritage Foundation. He is ducking. We need answers, and if they don't have answers, we need to have a Q and A, a dialogue, and maybe
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN...
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2019-10-23

I want to thank the Senator from Virginia for bringing forward this CRA that we will be voting on that will allow us to affirmatively from the Senate say: We want to protect people with preexisting conditions and people from these junk plans that really take away the protections that are so important and that every family counts on. So I really appreciate that from the Senator. prgtoken When it comes to healthcare, families across our country have repeatedly seen President and s say one thing and do the exact opposite. Despite proclaiming themselves somewhere along the line as the ``party of healthcare,'' despite making empty promises to fight for families and people with preexisting conditions, the cornerstone of s' healthcare policy has been to attack the care families really rely on with their massively harmful Care proposals--the junk plans that you just heard about--and waivers that chip away at patient protections, and, of course, that partisan lawsuit which the court could rule on any day. prgtoken Let's make it clear. If s get their way in court, they are going to throw the lives of patients across the country into chaos and uncertainty by striking down those protections for preexisting conditions by stripping away health insurance from tens of millions of people covered through Medicaid expansion or the exchanges. prgtoken It will get rid of the lifetime and annual caps that are on patients' out-of-pocket costs, while bringing back caps on their benefits, even for those who are insured through their own employers--so this applies to everyone--and ending essential health benefits that require insurers to cover things like prescription drugs or maternity care, mental healthcare, emergency care, and a lot more. prgtoken While s have been advancing their attacks on families' healthcare, they have also been blocking commonsense solutions that are out here pushing for--like legislation to bring down drug prices through impactful steps like Medicare negotiation or making coverage more affordable for our working families and protecting patients with preexisting conditions from the s' reckless lawsuit. prgtoken Now, in the House have also passed legislation to restore funding that President cut, to help people find the right care for themselves, to reverse President 's harmful junk insurance rule, and to actually defend patients from that partisan lawsuit that s are pushing to upend healthcare as we know it. prgtoken Now, what have Leader McConnell and Senate s done with those solutions that have come over here from the House? Well, they have buried each and every one of them in a legislative graveyard, while brazenly and inaccurately claiming they care about fighting for patients or protecting preexisting conditions. prgtoken I am here to say today that s' transparent health
NOMINATION OF JUSTIN WALKER
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-10-23

we have seen too many judicial nominees in recent years who don't know their way around a courtroom. I suspect some of these nominees never even made it through a ``Law and Order'' episode. prgtoken The majority leader is now rushing a floor vote on Justin Walker, nominated to be a district court judge in Kentucky. Mr. Walker was just reported out of committee last week. The Walker nomination is leapfrogging a dozen other judicial nominees who have been on the calendar longer. prgtoken The American Bar Association, which does peer review evaluations of nominees, concluded that--Mr. Walker is not qualified to be a Federal trial judge. This is the eighth judicial nominee to be rated ``not qualified'' by the ABA. prgtoken Mr. Walker is 37 years old and has been out of law school for only 10 years. He has never tried a case as lead or cocounsel, whether civil or criminal. He has only conducted a single deposition. prgtoken The ABA said that with Walker, ``it was challenging to determine how much of his ten years since graduation from law school has been spent in the practice of law.'' prgtoken I find it hard to believe that there is a shortage of experienced, qualified attorneys or State court judges in Kentucky who could hit the ground running as a Federal trial judge. In fact, there is an experienced Kentucky State court judge sitting on the Senate Executive Calendar right now--David Tapp, whose nomination to the Court of Federal Claims I supported in the Judiciary Committee. Why can't we get district court nominees who actually know what they are doing in the courtroom, like Judge Tapp? prgtoken Rather than gaining actual courtroom experience, Mr. Walker has spent much of his time in recent years making media appearances. In 2018 alone, he appeared on TV or radio 127 times. That is not what we need on the Federal bench. prgtoken I will oppose the Walker nomination. He simply lacks the litigation and trial experience to serve as a district court judge.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, RELATING TO...
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-10-23

I support the resolution that the Senate is voting on today to disapprove of new rules from the administration to diminish the value of tax credits offered by State and local governments. prgtoken From the very beginning, I have been against the 2017 tax bill that became law. At a time of skyrocketing economic inequality, this tax law has given the largest tax cuts to the wealthiest people and biggest corporations. But in Maryland, 376,000 families are paying higher taxes according to our Bureau of Revenue Estimates, due in large part to the tax law's $10,000 limit on the state and local tax deduction. According to the IRS, 46 percent of households in Maryland claimed the State and local tax deduction prior to the new tax law, which is the largest share of any state in the country. The average State and local tax deduction in Maryland was roughly $13,000--well over the $10,000 limit. Everything in the Maryland State budget, such as education, transportation, and state Medicaid funding, is now more burdensome for Maryland taxpayers to finance. prgtoken To make matters worse for working Marylanders, on June 13, 2019, the Treasury Department issued a regulation against tax credits offered by State and local governments for charitable giving. This misguided regulation reduces a taxpayer's Federal deduction for charitable donations by the amount of any tax credit the taxpayer receives for their donation from State or local governments. The effects of this regulation go well beyond programs recently established by some States attempting to mitigate the damage of the new tax law. These rules will be deeply detrimental to longstanding tax credit programs throughout the Nation. In Maryland, this will affect tax credit programs for affordable housing, conservation, and community endowment funds. prgtoken Ultimately, allowing this regulation to take effect will make it even more difficult for State and local communities to fund our schools, emergency responders, health care, roads, and other critical services. That is unacceptable, which is why I support the Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the Treasury Department's June 2019 regulation.
DEBBIE SMITH REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2019
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-10-23

. Madam , as a senior member of both the Judiciary Committee and a co-sponsor, I rise in strong support of H.R. 777, the ``Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2019,'' which reauthorizes the Debbie Smith Act and the Debbie Smith Backlog Grant program for an additional five years, through FY 2024. prgtoken These grant programs to address DNA backlogs and provide DNA training and technical assistance on local, state, and federal levels. prgtoken It is essential that these programs be reauthorized so that the backlog of unprocessed rape kits can be reduced and then eliminated, and perpetrators of sexual assault crimes can be prosecuted and convicted. prgtoken There is an ever-present need to continue robust funding for programs such as the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program in order to make sure victims do not fall through the cracks of the system. prgtoken Women who have been raped have a right to expect police to thoroughly investigate the case and prosecute the offenders; however, many rape kits across the country are never even tested, and the perpetrators never face justice. prgtoken Under the Debbie Smith Act, not less than 40 percent of the total amount awarded in grants must be used for DNA analyses of samples from crime scenes, rape kits and other sexual assault evidence, and in cases that do not have an identified suspect. prgtoken Madam , the number of backlogged DNA samples was in excess of 100,000 nationwide as recently as January 2014. prgtoken H.R. 777 reauthorizes for five years (until the end of fiscal year 2024) the following programs: prgtoken 1. ``Debbie Smith Reauthorization'' grants for state and local DNA crime laboratories to address DNA backlogs and enhance their capacity. prgtoken 2. DNA training and technical directed to law enforcement, courts, forensic scientists, and corrections. prgtoken 3. DNA training and technical assistance directed to sexual assault nurse examiner/(``SANE'') programs. prgtoken In my congressional district, these grant programs have resulted in forensic laboratories being hired to clear much of the Houston Police Department's backlog of untested DNA benefit from this type of legislation. prgtoken Just within the past year, decades-old rape kits that sat untested in Houston have identified at least one-third of potential offenders in cases where there was sufficient DNA, according to the Houston Police Department. prgtoken In my district more than 6,600 rape kits have been cleared because of the funding made possible by the grant programs that H.R. 777 will reauthorize. prgtoken This record of success highlights the importance and continuing need to provide adequate funding so law enforcement agencies can conduct necessary DNA testing and training. prgtoken Madam , when enacted in 2004, the Debbie Smith Act was the first piece of legislation aimed at ending the backlog of untested rape kits and other unanalyzed DNA evidence. prgtoken Debbie Smith grants have played a critic
IN RECOGNITION OF THE RETIREMENT OF MICHAEL SCHNEIDER
Josh Gottheimer (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2019-10-23

. Madam , I rise today to honor the retirement of my good friend, and true leader of labor, Mike Schneider of Rochelle Park, New Jersey. After thirty- prgtoken five years with the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local No. 32, Mike leaves his indelible legacy. prgtoken Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike is a third generation Insulator, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, father, uncle and brother, and he is rightly proud of this legacy. Since joining as an apprentice member in 1984, Mike worked his way up to foreman, earning leadership positions as Vice President, President, and Fund Trustee. Mike's story is emblematic of the great American story, and he has always pushed himself and those around him to be the best they could be. It is precisely these values that make me proud to call Mike a dear friend. prgtoken I would especially like to commend Mike for his work to help New Jersey workers succeed in the 21st Century economy. As President of the Bergen County Central Trades and Labor Council and President of the United Labor Agency of Northern NJ, Mike worked tirelessly to secure his members the benefits they deserve. The hard-working brothers and sisters of labor, including Local No. 32, helped build our great country, and our towering economy, and have continued to contribute to the most competitive workforce in the world. prgtoken As dedicated as Mike has been to his craft and his career, his commitment to his family and community has been even stronger. Mike is a devoted husband to Josette and dedicated father to Brian and Kelly. Despite working long days, he never missed a wrestling match or cheerleading competition. The same drive that makes Mike such a community and labor leader has also made him a successful wrestling coach for the Hackensack Junior Wrestling Program and for the workers he trains every day. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mike for his tireless efforts on behalf of working men and women in North Jersey. As Mike departs Local No. 32, I hope he can enjoy more time with his loving family and pursue his passions of cycling and golf. I am elated he is keeping a leadership role on the Council, so we can continue to work together. I thank Mike, a true public servant, and wish him all the best.