mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh (Executive Calendar)
Tina Smith (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2018-7-17

I rise today to express my strong concern about Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. In particular, I want to discuss today his troubling record on the environment and what that means for people's health. prgtoken Judge Kavanaugh has demonstrated that he simply doesn't believe that existing law allows new environmental threats to be addressed via any sort of regulation. I am talking about existing law designed to protect human health and our environment. prgtoken When you take a look at Judge Kavanaugh's record, one thing becomes abundantly clear: Judge Kavanaugh has tried to weaken Clean Air Act protections even though the act controls pollutants such as smog and carbon monoxide, which contribute to asthma, heart attacks, and even premature deaths. They put our health at risk. prgtoken In a 2012 case, Judge Kavanaugh authored an opinion that found the EPA had exceeded its authority when the Agency directed upwind States to literally stop blowing smoke onto their downwind neighbors. The good news is that the Supreme Court was more sensible than Judge Kavanaugh. Justices Kennedy and Roberts joined four others in a 6-to-2 decision to overturn Judge Kavanaugh's lower court ruling. Writing for the majority, Justice Ginsburg found that the EPA does have the power to act to protect people's health. I agree with the Supreme Court's 2012 decision, and so do most Americans. An April 2018 poll found that 75 percent of Americans support even stricter limits on smog. prgtoken What Judge Kavanaugh particularly doesn't like is that the Clean Air Act specifically gives the Environmental Protection Agency the right-- the duty, even--to regulate new pollutants that threaten people's health. He has objected to using the law to establish new programs to reduce mercury--a potent toxin that harms developing brains. In 2014, Judge Kavanaugh lashed out at tough standards for mercury--a toxin that has been found to harm children's development. prgtoken Judge Kavanaugh's narrow view of the Clean Air Act could be extremely damaging to our efforts to address climate change by regulating greenhouse gases. Although the act does not mention greenhouse gases by name, the Supreme Court has held that the EPA does have the power to regulate them. In fact, the Court held that the act requires the EPA to address any air pollutants that are found to endanger human health. But Judge Kavanaugh still seems to have a problem with adding new pollutants to that list. This is even though Judge Kavanaugh claims to believe what virtually every scientist tells us: that manmade climate change is real and is an enormous threat to our planet and to our health. But merely accepting climate science is too low a bar because even if Judge Kavanaugh believes in the urgent challenge of climate change, he doesn't seem to believe there is an urgent need to address it, as his record demonstrates. prgtoken Over the next few decades, th
Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh (Executive Calendar)
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2018-7-17

, the Senator from Rhode Island. prgtoken In Hawaii, we understand the importance of caring for our planet. The Native Hawaiian community embraced the idea of ``malama `aina,'' a respect for and responsibility to care for the land in a way that protects our environment for future generations. That is why Hawaii has led the way in enacting measures to fight climate change and safeguard our natural resources. In the last few years alone, Hawaii has set ambitious goals to move to 100-percent renewable energy and become carbon neutral. prgtoken We were the first State in the country to commit to meeting the objectives of the Paris climate agreement. In contrast, the administration has spent the last year and a half disparaging the idea of protecting our land and natural resources. has taken action after action to prioritize the interests of his supporters in the fossil fuel industry at the expense of our environment. prgtoken The President filled his administration with appointees who refuse to accept the realities of climate change. He named two Environmental Protection Agency Administrators--Scott Pruitt and Andrew Wheeler--who don't even believe in the EPA's mission of protecting the air we breathe and the water we drink. prgtoken Administration officials have weakened rules that regulate pollution and protections for our natural resources. These actions have led to lawsuits by groups who embrace ``malama `aina'' and seek to protect our environment. These lawsuits will be decided by our courts. The outcomes will depend on an independent, fair, and unbiased judiciary. prgtoken A number of these cases will come before the Supreme Court. In the October term, the Court will be hearing a case called Weyerhaeuser Company v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to decide whether the Federal Government can protect endangered species on private land. Cases making their way through the lower courts include California v. EPA, which challenges the Federal Government's regulations on vehicle emissions, and West Virginia v. EPA, which challenges President 's Clean Power Plan. These cases raise crucial questions that will determine whether the government has the power to protect our environment. The answers to those questions may very well come from the Supreme Court. prgtoken The President's nominee to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, raises serious concerns about whether he would be that fair arbiter on environmental issues, the kinds of cases that will surely come before the Supreme Court. Throughout his time on the circuit court of appeals, Judge Kavanaugh has argued for weakening environmental regulations. Basically, his decisions benefit industry over the environment. prgtoken In Coalition for Responsible Regulation, Inc. v. EPA, Judge Kavanaugh argued that the EPA should not regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act because the cost to business was more imp
BLUE-SLIP TRADITION
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2018-7-17

I wish to join my distinguished colleague from Connecticut in commenting on the qualifications and prospects of these two nominees whom we are facing now on the Senate floor. I thank him for his comments. prgtoken I would like to take my time to bring to the attention of this body some of the concerns that--what I think are in the nature of concerns that if we do this now, we will learn to rue the day we made these mistakes. prgtoken Let me begin, as I did in my comments about Judge Kavanaugh, with just a quick overview of how our Founding Fathers felt about the judicial branch of government and about the jury and what it was there for. The Founders were experienced politicians. They were adept at history. They read widely. They prided themselves on the expertise they had developed in how you design a government, and they were very conscious about doing something that was unprecedented and that they wanted very desperately to have work right. So they put their hearts and souls into trying to get it right, this American experiment of ours. prgtoken From sad experience in the Colonies, they knew big special interests could come in and could completely dominate a legislative body; that the legislative body would be at the beck and call of big, private special interests. They had also seen Governors in the Colonies become corrupted by influence. So they were very concerned that it was not enough that you separated the legislative and executive branches and created some degree of rivalry between the two because that left the prospect still that the big special interests that commanded the legislature could also command the executive branch. Then, where would the ordinary citizen go? Where would you go for relief when some big and powerful interest controlled those two branches of government? You would go to the courts. That is why they made the judiciary independent. That is why they insisted and fought so hard to make sure the institution of the jury made it over from England, made it to the Colonies. It was part of our battle with England that the King had tried to interfere with our juries. We took the power of the jury and the independence of the court seriously, not just as a matter of providing justice to an individual person but as part of the architecture of our Constitution, as part of the architecture of freedom that our Constitution represents. prgtoken There is something that is interesting about the jury and the courts, but the jury, in particular, that makes it a little bit different than a lot of the rest of what went on in that Constitution because, clearly, the Founding Fathers were concerned that the power of government would be co-opted by powerful interests and then evil work would be done with that power against ordinary people. So a lot of our constitutional structure is designed to protect all of us regular Americans against the power of government, but in the courts, and
JOBS AND INVESTOR CONFIDENCE ACT OF 2018
David Scott (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2018-7-17

. We ran out at 2 minutes there. But this is very important, because when you are making changes, you want to make clear that you are not taking away any important and critical oversight and authority from the SEC. prgtoken So I want to make a point that we work hard to make sure that the SEC retains oversight of important exchange functions, such as those related to exchange market data, listing standards, member and market regulation, colocation, and order routing services. We, the drafters of the bill, do not take away any authority from the SEC.
Trump-Putin Summit (Executive Calendar)
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-7-17

I wish to start by thanking my colleague from Connecticut for his words today and for his leadership in protecting the integrity of our democracy and the rule of law. prgtoken When it comes to issues of national security and foreign policy, we have had many vigorous debates in this country over the decades and many important debates here on the floor of this Senate. There have been deep disagreements over specific foreign policy choices that we make as a country. But there has consistently been broad bipartisan support for the view that the United States and strong U.S. leadership benefit not only our interests but the interests of folks around the world. That has been American leadership grounded in key values and principles, including the promotion of democracy, universal human rights, the rule of law, a free press, and the idea that America is an exceptional nation based not on tribalism but a beacon of hope for all people, as symbolized by the Statue of Liberty. This isn't to say that over the decades we have always been virtuous or always consistent in the application of these principles. We all know we have made many mistakes and detours along the way, but until now, until this moment in our history, the principles and values I outlined have been the guideposts and cornerstones for American Presidents--s and alike--since the end of World War II. prgtoken With those guideposts, we have built some very important international architecture: our alliances, international institutions, and international agreements. But today, sadly, we have a President who has gone absolutely rogue on the time-tested bipartisan tenets of American foreign policy, whether it is the way he attacks or berates our allies or when he consistently goes out of his way to praise dictators like Vladimir Putin or Kim Jong Un or other autocrats around the world. prgtoken I am not going to take the time today to chronicle the mountain of evidence leading up to the events of last week that show already President 's radical retreat from the kind of global leadership that America has exercised since the end of World War II. We all know that those views are shared by many of our Senate colleagues. Senator McCain has been very strong on that, as have other Senators. Others have said quietly what Senator McCain has said publicly. This is a moment where everybody has to come together as patriots, not partisans. prgtoken Including Senator McCain, we have a lot of foreign policy experts and independent groups, like Freedom House, that have raised the alarm bells about this administration's far-reaching attacks on fundamental institutions of democratic society, like freedom of the press. prgtoken One thing we all know is this: We know the words and actions of an American President have real-world consequences. Those of President leave our friends unsure if they can dep
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2018-7-17

neither of the amendments that I offer tonight have much to do with the appropriations we are addressing. They are not about specific budget provisions, although I very much enjoyed listening to the many amendments tonight and am impressed with how often the discussion has been cordial. Instead, this amendment seeks to preserve current Clean Water Act protections for our rivers, streams, and wetlands. prgtoken Our Nation's river systems and wetlands provide irreplaceable resources: natural water quality improvement, flood protection, shoreline erosion control, recreation, general aesthetic appreciation, and natural products for our use at no cost. Yet section 430 of this bill seeks to undermine the critical balance between protecting these waters and the day-to-day operations of our Nation's farmers, ranchers, and foresters. prgtoken Under current law, you do not need a Clean Water Act permit if discharges of dredged or fill material are associated with normal farming, ranching, or silviculture activities. This exemption pertains to normal farming and harvesting activities that are part of an established, ongoing farming or forestry operation. Only when the activities change or convert the use of a waterbody to a new purpose or impair the historic flow or reach of a stream or wetland does the exemption no longer apply. prgtoken What this means is that farmers can continue to plow their fields, plant their seeds, and harvest their crops without ever having to obtain approval under the Clean Water Act; but if a farmer wants to use the current exemption to convert his farmland into a residential development, he can't do that unless he gets a permit. prgtoken A rancher couldn't use this exemption to plow under a wetland to expand the reach of her grazing lands, and forestry operations can't use this exemption to change the course of a local stream to improve drainage on their growing lands. prgtoken Section 430 of this bill seeks to provide an absolute exemption for impacts to any streams or wetlands that happen to be on agricultural, ranching, or forestry lands. This is a fundamental change to the Clean Water Act and one where the impacts have never been explored. prgtoken This amendment would be a departure from almost 40 years of implementation of the Clean Water Act by eliminating the existing provision requiring that the exemptions are limited to established, ongoing farming practices. It could result in the loss or impairment of thousands of acres of valuable wetlands. prgtoken , we shouldn't be using an appropriations bill to change Federal policy related to the protection of our Nation's rivers and streams. To the best of my knowledge, no hearings or investigations on the impacts of this provision have ever been held. prgtoken If Congress intended to overturn almost 40 years of Clean Water Act precedent, regular order would require hearings before the House Committee on Transportati
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
James E. Clyburn (Democrat, SC) \u2014 2018-7-17

. Madam Chair, I rise in support of the Sewell amendment. This proposal would increase funding for grants from the Historic Preservation Fund to preserve the sites and tell the stories of the civil rights movement. prgtoken I want to thank my colleague Terri Sewell for her leadership on this issue, and I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their support of this program in the past. prgtoken First funded in fiscal year 2016, this program has met a great need in rural communities across our Nation that are struggling to preserve and protect their legacies. prgtoken Last year, the program funded a $500,000 grant to preserve Trinity United Methodist Church, which will help secure the church's legacy and preserve its history for future generations. I was a student at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, during this time, and I know well the role that Trinity played in our meetings and our rallies, many of them attended by luminaries like Martin Luther King, Jr Roy Wilkins, Thurgood Marshall, and many others. prgtoken This is but one example of several successful grants in South Carolina and throughout the Nation. There is much more work to be done to fully preserve this history. prgtoken Madam Chair, I strongly support this amendment.
BLUE-SLIP TRADITION
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-7-17

the nomination of Ryan Wesley Bounds is just the latest in more than a year of attacks that have been based on a strategy of converting the United States from a nation that is based and organized on and that fights for the principle of ``we the people'' into one that bows to the powerful and the privileged. prgtoken His nomination has already strained and degraded the Senate's blue- slip tradition as our colleagues rush to pack our courts with extremist judges to advance that vision--not of judges who call balls and strikes but of judicial activists who want to rewrite the Constitution to put down workers, to put down healthcare rights, to lay out and tear down consumer rights and women's rights--so many opportunities and empowerments diminished in the favor of the privileged and the powerful. That is what is going on with the packing of the Court. prgtoken This deed of putting forward this nomination on the floor tonight changes a 100-year tradition of comity in the U.S. Senate and the recognition that the home State Senators have something important to say about the integrity of the individual who is being put forward. At stake in this confirmation is the Senate's advice-and-consent responsibility as applied through the blue-slip tradition--a tradition that incentivizes consultation and bipartisan cooperation. When you take away the blue-slip tradition, you diminish the incentive for consultation and cooperation. This tradition has existed since 1917. It was 101 years ago when Senator Thomas Hardwick objected to President Wilson's district court nominee, and he wrote his objection on a blue slip of paper--thus, the name. prgtoken No judge until now--101 years later--has ever been confirmed by this body having not received a single blue slip from a home State Senator. Until this administration, just five had been confirmed without both blue slips having been returned. This tradition has been honored by both parties. It has been a bipartisan tradition. When the have been in power, the s have wanted it to be honored. When s have been in power, the s have honored it. In fact, in 2009, at the start of President 's term when the controlled both the Executive Office and this Chamber, my colleagues wrote a letter. They wrote that they expected the blue-slip tradition to be observed evenhandedly and regardless of party affiliation. It was not just that letter from which we have heard over time. We have heard from Chairman Grassley. prgtoken Chairman Grassley wrote clearly about this: For nearly a century, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has brought nominees up for committee consideration only after both home State Senators have signed and returned what is known as a ``blue slip.'' This tradition is designed to encourage outstanding nominees and consensus. . . . I appreciate the value of t
TRADE ADJUSTMENT AUTHORITY
Bradley Scott Schneider (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-7-17

President 's trade war is spiraling out of control and American workers and businesses are paying the price. prgtoken Back home in Illinois, already more than $3.8 billion in exports have been targeted for retaliation. I have heard from numerous working companies hurting from this misguided approach. They are struggling with new, high costs and are now less able or less likely to hire or expand. prgtoken Today, I am introducing legislation to help American businesses affected by the tariffs. Trade Adjustment Assistance was created in 1962 to help U.S. workers and U.S. firms adapt to competition caused by changing trade policies. My bill would expand the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms to add reduced exports resulting from retaliatory tariffs as a qualifying factor for the TAA program. prgtoken I also enthusiastically support similar legislation by my ic colleagues being introduced this week to provide similar assistance to impacted workers and farmers. prgtoken President needs to end this damaging trade war. Until he does, we need to provide relief to the businesses and workers who are adversely stuck with the consequences. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
NIGER
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2018-7-17

as vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I want to draw the Senate's attention to the plight of civil society leaders in Niger, where political and civil rights have been deteriorating over the last several years. This disturbing trend threatens the U.S.-Niger partnership and should concern each of us. prgtoken Mahamadou Issoufou was elected President of Niger in 2011 and, in the following years, worked cooperatively with Niger's international partners, including the United States, to make progress toward the restoration of democratic governance in that country. Our countries have partnered together on health, development, and humanitarian assistance programs, and as we all know, we have suffered tragic losses together in the fight against terrorism. prgtoken Progress toward democratic governance has been significantly eroded. Since the run up to President Issoufou's reelection in 2016, the government has increasingly persecuted opposition politicians, journalists, peaceful protesters, and civil society leaders in a manner that has undermined progress and stability in the country. prgtoken This trend has not gone unnoticed. The State Department noted in its most recent Human Rights Report that Niger's significant human rights issues include harsh and life-threatening prison and detention center conditions, detention of opposition politicians, and restrictions on freedom of assembly. In November 2017, Niger withdrew from the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative after being suspended for failing to meet good governance standards, including for its repression of civil society. prgtoken An example of this disturbing trend involves the arrest of several dozen civil society leaders between March and April of this year, in connection with demonstrations against the country's new finance law. Many of these individuals, like Ali Idrissa, the coordinator for the Network of Organizations for Budgetary Transparency and Analysis, are affiliated with Publish What You Pay and are advocates for transparency and accountability of Niger's revenues in order to combat corruption. That effort should be a shared goal in Niger. Peaceful public assembly and calls for accountability should not result in imprisonment. prgtoken I urge the administration, other donor governments, including the EU, and the international financial institutions to hold the government of Niger accountable for respecting its citizens' right to freedom of expression and assembly and to join me in calling on President Issoufou to release the detainees and to dismiss the charges against these individuals. This is now a matter of urgency, as four civil society leaders reportedly face jail sentences at a judgment hearing on July 24. prgtoken Doing so would be a positive step by the government of Niger toward proving that it is serious about upholding the values that underscore our partnership, including to maintain its