mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Anniversary of the Firing of James Comey (Executive Calendar)
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2018-5-9

this week the Senate will vote on the nomination of Michael Brennan to serve on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Milwaukee. prgtoken Judge Brennan is a highly qualified nominee with broad, bipartisan support in his own State of Wisconsin. The Senate Judiciary Committee received numerous letters in support of Judge Brennan's nomination, including from the longtime ic Milwaukee district attorney. I fully support this nomination. prgtoken I have heard from some of my colleagues--and especially from those on the other side of the aisle--that they believe Judge Brennan shouldn't have received a hearing before the Judiciary Committee. They say this because one Senator from Wisconsin didn't return the blue slip. But their opinions are based on an incorrect understanding of the blue slip's history. prgtoken As I explained last year several times on the Senate floor and several times in committee, the blue slip courtesy is just that--a courtesy. It has a history going back to 1917. Since then, chairmen of the Judiciary Committee have distributed blue slips to home State Senators to get feedback on the nominees to the Federal bench in their respective States. prgtoken Chairmen have applied the blue slip courtesy differently in its 100- year history. For the first 39 years of its existence, the blue slip had no bearing on whether a nominee went through the committee process. Then, in 1956, Senator James Eastland of Mississippi became chairman. He started requiring both home State Senators to return positive blue slips before the committee would ever proceed on a judicial nomination. Scholars maintain that Chairman Eastland adopted this policy to allow southern Senators to veto nominees sympathetic to the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. prgtoken Then, when Senator Ted Kennedy took over the chairmanship from Senator Eastland in 1979, he went back to the original blue slip policy. prgtoken Then comes along Chairman Strom Thurmond continuing that policy. Then comes along Chairman continuing that policy, and Chairman Orrin Hatch followed that policy. Under the policies of those chairmen just mentioned, negative or unreturned blue slips did not necessarily preclude a hearing for a nominee. prgtoken When Senator Leahy became chairman during the administration, he did away with this policy and resurrected Chairman Eastland's strict blue slip policy. The reason for this strict blue slip policy was obvious to everyone at that time--at least obvious to everybody on our side of the aisle--to block President 's judicial nominees based on politics and ideology, something that never played much of a role in a lot of these nominations prior to 2002. In sum, only 2 of my 18 predecessors who extended the blue slip courtesy required signoff from both home State Senators. prgtoken When Senator Leahy adopted an historical blue slip policy, that was his prerogat
The Economy (Executive Calendar)
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2018-5-9

last Friday, we got new numbers from the Labor Department in terms of jobs and how American workers are doing. The unemployment rate is now down to 3.9 percent. It is the lowest it has been in 17 years. One analyst from the network CNBC said: ``That's a wow number.'' prgtoken The American economy has created 3 million jobs since President took office. There are 3 million Americans who are now earning a paycheck instead of waiting for a government check. We have gotten 304,000 new manufacturing jobs since President took office. There are 352,000 new construction jobs and 84,000 new jobs in the mining and logging industries. Compare this to when in Congress and in the last administration launched an all-out War on Coal. There are 84,000 new jobs in mining and logging. prgtoken s ended the War on Coal. We struck down a major ic regulation that would have crippled the mining industry. We showed industries like manufacturing, construction, logging, and mining that we want people doing these jobs. We want people back to work. Employers have responded all around the country by hiring more people, and that makes the economy grow. prgtoken So far s in Congress have gotten rid of 16 major regulations since President took office--wiped them off the books completely. We have shown that s are serious about cutting redtape and loosening Washington's stranglehold on our economy. Because we got rid of these rules, Americans have saved as much as $36 billion over time. That is the cost for families and businesses jumping through the hoops and filling out the paperwork that government had previously demanded. prgtoken The latest one of these regulations that were repealed was just last month. s in the Senate passed a resolution to help save people money when they are shopping for a car. We got rid of a rule that the administration had written to restrict how car dealers handled financing offers to buy a car. The rule was done in a way that was actually contrary to the law. It also had the potential to limit choices for consumers. We want consumers to have more choices. s in the Senate voted to get rid of this unnecessary, burdensome regulation. prgtoken President has been very active in getting rid of excessive regulations as well. One of the first things he did as President was to issue an order cutting redtape. He said that for every significant new rule any agency wanted to write, it had to get rid of two rules. For every one new rule, get rid of two. That is how this administration has made a difference in Congress. prgtoken The results so far have been even better than anyone had expected. The nonpartisan American Action Forum has been tracking the numbers. This is what they said. They looked at all the rules that agencies have been working on for the fiscal year we are in now--since last October. Agencies hav
TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
Kevin Yoder (Republican, KS) \u2014 2018-5-9

I rise today during Teacher Appreciation Week to honor the educators in my district, who work tirelessly on behalf of our students. prgtoken The public schools in the Third District of Kansas are some of the best in our Nation, and our workforce of qualified, dedicated teachers are a major factor in making our schools so great. As a product of public schools myself, I know the kind of impact teachers can have on the lives of their students. Good teachers are a key to setting our kids and our communities up for a successful future. prgtoken I am working hard to give teachers the tools and resources they need to do to their jobs well. I fought to protect the educator expense deduction in tax reform, affirming that our Tax Code should support and reward our teachers. I also supported the recent omnibus funding bill, which included a $2 billion investment in continuing education and workforce development grants for teachers. prgtoken , none of us would have the opportunities we have in life without the teachers who gave us the tools and skills to succeed, and we pay special recognition to each of the teachers who made a difference in our lives, and who continue to make a difference in the lives of kids in our districts this week during Teacher Appreciation Week.
TRIBUTE TO LEO MONTOYA
Orrin G. Hatch (Republican, UT) \u2014 2018-5-9

as we move through life, certain people leave a lasting impression, and I rise today to recognize one of them. Leo Montoya, a citizen of Utah, is an exceptional man who has impressed me with his commitment to family, faith, and community. prgtoken In 1928, the year Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, Leo was born on June 4 as the seventh of nine siblings to Epifanio and Decideria (Gutierrez) Montoya. Decideria's family roots were in New Mexico, where she raised her family as head of household in La Jara and Lumberton. Decideria worked outside the home, so her daughters took care of their youngest siblings while the older brothers contributed to support the family any way they could. The family lived under extreme poverty and hardship in La Jara until Leo's 14-year-old brother, Candido, traveled 90 miles north to find work in the Lumberton coal mines. prgtoken Candido saved his meager earnings to buy a small ranch to support his mother and siblings with the help of his younger brothers, Jose and Eudoro, who also worked in the mines. Jose had only one arm but loaded coal shovel-for-shovel against any other worker. Both Candido and Eudoro served in the military during WWII, and Leo, Tony, and Elisandro served during the Korean war. Leo's oldest child, Tereso, was born during the Korean war. prgtoken It is Utah's good fortune that the entire Montoya family eventually settled in Utah. They are hard-working, honest, and enterprising people who value God, family, and country above all else. Leo is the last of them, and it is fitting that his achievements and contributions to Utah are recognized. Leo is a true American success story. prgtoken While serving in the Army, Leo met the love of his life at a small town dance, Rebecca Manzanares, of Monticello, UT. They were married in the Glendale neighborhood of Salt Lake City and together raised 11 children: Leona, Jay, Guy, Luben, Jim, Tanya, Reba, Leo, Max, Toni, and Belen. Leo worked at Hall Process Company for $1.45 an hour, but he and Rebecca still managed to invest a small fortune in real estate. prgtoken Where some saw oppression and exploitation, Leo and Rebecca saw opportunity and fortune, teaching their children that they could obtain and achieve anything America offered if they worked hard, became educated, and stayed out of trouble. Their children succeeded in different ways and remain powerfully united as a loving and supportive family unit. prgtoken Leo also contributed to the Salt Lake community. Beginning in 1965, he began encouraging young boys to discipline themselves through sports in his Glendale neighborhood. At first, Leo trained young boys on a punching bag hung under a tree in his side yard, where he could keep an eye on them while he worked. By 1970, boys started showing up in larger numbers, many of them troubled youth from broken homes, so Leo began holding daily practice in church and school gymnasiums to give the boys some
The Economy (Executive Calendar)
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2018-5-9

first, I want to talk about our growing economy. I listened to my colleague's comments, the Senator from Wyoming, about the importance of the tax legislation. I couldn't agree with him more. I think it is stimulating not just economic growth but higher wages and more jobs. I also want to talk about the need for us to connect to those jobs the Americans who are not currently employed. Then I want to talk about some very shocking, new information we have about why people are outside of the workforce. prgtoken We just had a good jobs report from April. It showed a steadily growing economy. It showed unemployment at 3.9 percent. That is the official number, but that is the lowest the official number has been since the year 2000. prgtoken In my home State of Ohio, there was a recent survey done by PNC Bank--it has been doing this for 9 years--that asked small- and mid- sized companies: What is your level of optimism about the future? They said their business optimism has been at record levels for the past 9 years. So there is something going on that is very good in the economy. prgtoken If you talk to the small business community, the National Federation of Independent Business survey shows the same thing, not just optimism but also a sense that companies are getting ready to invest even more. So there are some good things going on in our economy. prgtoken This week, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce issued its own report, and it shows something interesting, which is that three out of four businesses in Ohio are saying they want to add people--three out of four. More than half of them said they want to add more than 25 people. I was just home and had a lot of interaction with small business people over the last week. I can't go to a business in Ohio where I don't hear people talking about the need for a qualified workforce. They tell me, yes, the tax bill is helping--no question about it. It is helping middle- class families throughout my State. Ninety percent of Americans are getting paychecks that read Uncle Sam is going to withhold less money-- on average, $2,000 for a median-income family in Ohio just from the tax cuts this year alone. prgtoken Again, small businesses are investing more. Companies are doing everything from investing in people, with bonuses and higher pay and better 401(k) matches, to investing in equipment and technology and, therefore, in the productivity of those workers, which will lead to better economic performance. So those things are happening. prgtoken On the regulatory front, I also think that much of what we have done in Congress is beginning to help. This includes 16 different times when Congress has said we shouldn't have this new regulation that was put on by the administration at the end of his term. Rather, we ought to free up the economy more--over $60 billion, by the way, of relief to our economy. That is helping. prgtoken I think it is also very helpful, as Senator
RECOGNIZING HOGAR CREA OF PUERTO RICO
Jenniffer González-Colón (Republican, PR) \u2014 2018-5-9

today I rise to recognize Hogar CREA of Puerto Rico on its 50 years of service to our community, helping people who struggle with substance abuse reclaim their place in society. prgtoken Hogar CREA was founded on May 20, 1968, in Puerto Rico by Juan Jose Garcia. The nonprofit organization has over 55 houses and 12 projects, in addition to 32 service proposals that serve more than 2,000 residents daily. Prevention and counseling services were established for communities, schools, municipalities, civic and religious entities, among others. prgtoken Moreover, in 1976, Hogar CREA began establishing international homes; and today, it provides service in more than 10 countries throughout Latin America and in several States of the Union. prgtoken Hogar CREA's historic mission has been to serve the helpless and to be an instrument to mitigate the suffering of those who live under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Let's recognize Hogar CREA on their 50 years of service.
The Economy (Executive Calendar)
Ron Johnson (Republican, WI) \u2014 2018-5-9

I rise today to encourage all my Senate colleagues to vote to confirm Michael Brennan as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Michael Brennan has an exemplary resume, including degrees from the University of Notre Dame and Northwestern University School of Law, two Federal clerkships, work as a prosecutor, and almost a decade on the State trial court bench before returning to private practice. His accomplishments in practice are noteworthy, but I would like to focus my remarks today on Mike's commitment to public service and his reputation as a jurist. prgtoken Becoming a Seventh Circuit judge will not be a huge adjustment for Mike because he has already spent 9 years as a judge. Anyone who spends time with Mike will be struck not only by his intellect but by his humility and strong commitment to justice and the rule of law. This explains why the attorney general of Wisconsin and the State's public defender--fierce adversaries in the courtroom--were able to come together to write a letter enthusiastically supporting his nomination. I have a sense those two don't often agree, but when it comes to who they want deciding their cases, they both point to Mike. prgtoken By the way, that is just one of many letters that influential members of the legal community in Wisconsin have written in support of Mike's nomination. Included in the outpouring of support are letters from 2 former Federal defenders, 5 former U.S. attorneys, more than 40 judges, and 15 former presidents of the State Bar of Wisconsin, and s--all joining together to support Michael Brennan's confirmation. prgtoken One letter, signed by over two dozen Wisconsin judges from across the political spectrum, sheds light on the kind of judge Mike has been and will continue to be. It states: To the litigants who appeared before him, Judge Brennan was a wonderfully kind and patient judge with a humble demeanor. prgtoken Another letter attests that those same qualities have now made Judge Brennan one of the most sought-after mediators and arbitrators in Wisconsin. I am sure the litigants in the Seventh Circuit will have the same experience and reaction to his hearing their cases. prgtoken In this climate that has hyperpoliticized the judiciary, I want to bring my colleagues' attention to one very important paragraph in the letter supporting Mike that was signed by Wisconsin judges. It reads: Finally and significantly, Mike is not an ideologue, and he has never worn his politics on his sleeve. You could ask any number of lawyers who appeared before him, or his colleagues who worked alongside of him, and they will confirm that Judge Mike Brennan never let his personal, religious, or political views influence his legal decision in any case. He is brilliant, experienced, hard working, and fair-minded. Rest assured, they don't come any better than Mik
CONGRATULATING ANDY MERFELD
Tom Emmer (Republican, MN) \u2014 2018-5-9

I rise today to recognize Capital One, its executive team, and its employees for their generosity and commitment to our local communities. prgtoken Since 2012, Capital One has generously donated over $80,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota to support the mission of enabling young people to reach their full potential. prgtoken In particular, a Capital One grant to fund Project Learn helps advance the goal of equipping our kids with coding skills to meet the needs of the future. Capital One recognizes the importance of STEM- and tech-related skills to the future of our Nation, and I thank them for investing in our Nation's future leaders. prgtoken Thank you, Capital One, for your commitment to the young people of central Minnesota. We are grateful for your team in our community. Recognizing Anoka Ramsey Athletic Association
GROWING OPTIMISM AND CONFIDENCE FROM MONTANA SMALL BUSINESSES
Greg Gianforte (Republican, MT) \u2014 2018-5-9

I rise today to report that optimism among Montana small businesses is strong and on the rise. I recently concluded a tour of Montana's Main Street businesses; and as I listened to business owners, they described their growing confidence. prgtoken They talked about how progrowth reforms, which this Congress and our President delivered, are providing them and their small businesses greater certainty. They described how cutting taxes and cutting red tape are leading them to invest, create Montana jobs, and grow. prgtoken Their confidence and optimism match the national trends. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index, which gauges optimism, hit new records in the second quarter. A survey from CNBC, which measures small business confidence, remains near its record high for the first quarter. prgtoken , I am encouraged by the optimism I saw from Montana small businesses, and I will continue working to grow opportunities that improve the lives of all Montanans.
PROTECTING RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES
Dana Rohrabacher (Republican, CA) \u2014 2018-5-9

I rise to introduce the Restoring Community Oversight of Sober Living Homes Act of 2018. This bill addresses Federal policies that have resulted in the proliferation of sober living homes in residential neighborhoods. prgtoken These so-called homes, which are really businesses in all but name, house drug and alcohol addicts in single-family residences. This infusion of drug addicts and alcoholics into residential communities has had a deleterious impact on the quality of life of local families who now suffer increases in police activity, transient residences next door, and a decline of property values. prgtoken Federal law has shielded unscrupulous owners, operators, and inhabitants of these so-called sober living homes from meaningful oversight. The well-being of the neighbors that surround them has been ignored. This is a travesty. prgtoken My bill will empower the communities and the States to prohibit such facilities in residential areas if that is the will of the local people. I now submit this legislation and ask my colleagues to cosponsor the bill, which is based on the principle of federalism, protecting local residential communities across our land.
Nomination of Gina Haspel (Executive Calendar)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-5-9

earlier today the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence heard from the President's pick for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Gina Haspel. Actually, we had an open hearing this morning, and I just returned from a recently concluded closed hearing, during which classified information was shared with the committee and discussed with the nominee. prgtoken As we know, the President's nominees for various positions have been the victims of hearsay, innuendo, and rumor. Thankfully, Ms. Haspel had the opportunity today to respond to some of the questions--and attacks, really--that have been posed against her in the public. She has now had a chance to respond, and I thought she did so with tremendous knowledge, grace, and the kind of temperament you would hope for in a Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. prgtoken She exemplified the core attributes we have come to know about her since she was nominated: professional integrity, an innate sense of loyalty to her country, and a strong drive to work hard, not just for the advancement of her individual career but also to protect Americans and put our national security first. prgtoken The fact that she is here today, as President 's nominee to become the first female Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, is a testament to both her character and her exceptional, decades-long career as an intelligence professional. prgtoken All the while, she has endeared herself to her colleagues in the intelligence community, who have an immense amount of respect for her and her work. In fact, in addition to being the first female Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Ms. Haspel would be the first operations officer in perhaps 40 years or more. In other words, at the CIA they have analysts, they have people who do operations, who are case officers and who do intelligence work, and, then, they have other people who perform technical intelligence activity. She would be the first in 40 years to actually have worked in some of the hot spots around the world that I will mention more about here in a moment. prgtoken Yesterday, I spoke about some aspects of her career, about some of the pieces that our colleagues across the aisle have left out of the picture, which, in fairness, should be painted in full context so people can understand that her career, spanning 33 years, is far more than a couple of anecdotes or caricatures of her experience. In other words, she is not defined by those experiences. Although, as she has said today, we have all learned from those experiences. prgtoken Her 33 years of service showcase an unparalleled commitment to the Central Intelligence Agency and a devotion to the rule of law. She understands that when the intelligence agencies don't follow the rules of the road, somebody is going to be held to account for it at a later time. In this case, ironically, having followed the rule of law, we find that some of our