mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LET'S WORK TOGETHER TO IMPROVE THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
Gene Green (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-3-29

I want to thank my constituents and the millions of Americans who contacted their Representatives last week and voiced their opposition to the bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken Although Care failed, the debate on health care is far from over. I hope that Ryan will reach across the aisle so we can improve a law that works and is more popular than ever. prgtoken Thanks to the ACA, over 20 million more Americans are insured. People with preexisting conditions can no longer be denied. Consumers are protected from the worst abuses of the insurance industry. There are parts of the law that can be improved, and that is what we should be working on. prgtoken The bill never tried; not one public hearing was held on that bill. Their complete lack of transparency in the leadership tried to ram it through without public comment. We worked on the ACA for more than a year before there was a final vote. prgtoken Care was voted on in only 18 days after it was introduced--18 days--a bill that would cut 24 million Americans from health care. As ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, I hope to work with my colleagues on a bipartisan solution to improve the ACA.
HONEST AND OPEN NEW EPA SCIENCE TREATMENT ACT OF 2017
Eddie Bernice Johnson (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-3-29

since the time that President Nixon signed into law authorizing the EPA, it appears to me that there has been no evidence that they have done anything other than attempt to protect the lives of the American people. I don't believe that this legislation is going to do anything to further that. prgtoken It will give them a lot of unfunded mandates, far more than what they would ever be funded to carry out. I would ask everyone to respect the Agency and vote ``no'' on the bill. prgtoken , .
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2017-3-29

we have come to a crisis in our country. My State of West Virginia has the highest drug overdose death rate in the Nation. West Virginia reported 818 overdose deaths last year--four times the number that occurred in 2001 and a nearly 13-percent increase over 2015. We lost more than 700 West Virginians who died from an opioid overdose last year. Some 42,000 people in West Virginia, including 4,000 youth, sought treatment for illegal drug use but failed to receive it because of a lack of treatment centers, which we have been trying to correct. In West Virginia, drug overdose deaths have soared by more than 700 percent since 1999. prgtoken West Virginia had the highest rate of prescription drug overdose deaths of any State last year--31 per 100,000 people. In West Virginia, providers wrote 138 painkiller prescriptions for every 100 people. Think about this. Doctors are prescribing and manufacturers are producing. They have written 138 painkiller prescriptions for every 100 people in my State--the highest rate in the country. I hope Arkansas is not facing the same dilemma we are. prgtoken Every day in our country, 91 Americans die from an opioid overdose. Opioids now kill more people than car accidents. In 2015, the number of heroin deaths nationwide surpassed the number of deaths from gun homicides. Since 1999, we have lost almost 200,000 Americans to prescription drug opioid abuse. prgtoken , 2.1 million Americans abuse or are dependent on opioids. According to the CDC, three out of four new heroin users abused prescription opioids before moving to heroin. Heroin use has more than doubled among young adults ages 18 to 25 in the past decade. Forty-five percent of the people who used heroin were also addicted to prescription opioid painkillers. Between 2009 and 2013, only 22 percent of Americans suffering from opioid addiction participated in any form of addiction treatment. prgtoken Misuse and abuse of opioids cost the country an estimated $78.5 billion in 2013 in lost productivity, medical costs, and criminal justice costs. prgtoken Every week, I come to the Senate floor to read letters from West Virginians and those struggling all throughout our country with opioid abuse. The reason I do this is because it is a silent killer. We don't talk about it. There is not one of us in the Senate, not one of us in Congress, not one of us in any gathering who doesn't know someone in our immediate family, extended family, or a close friend who hasn't been affected, but we would never talk about it because it was so embarrassing--how did it ever break down in our family, whether you had a model family or you thought you did. This is a killer. Whether or , conservative or liberal, this is a killer. It has no discretion. It has no partisan base. It goes after one and the other. So this is what we are dealing with. prgtoken The letters I read have a common theme: They all mention
HEALTH CARE IS NOT EASY, BUT IT IS ESSENTIAL
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-3-29

. Madam , $880 billion cut from the insurance of hardworking, low-income families; $600 billion going to the top 1 percent of the richest people in America. Those were the singular features of the Care bill: not caring for any one of you, but simply taking away and providing for the rich. prgtoken Health care in my district and in America is very serious. I heard the testimony for many years of mothers who had autistic children or children with severe disorders, or visited nursing homes where elderly who had worked were there on Medicaid, or maybe heard the pleas of cancer survivors who would not have lived but for the Affordable Care Act and having insurance. prgtoken This is nothing to play with. Any suggestion that health care is easy, Mr or that we can get together with the moderates is not a direction to go. If you are serious, we are serious. But we are serious about people whose lives are in jeopardy, and we are serious about providing access and health care to all of America, including our rural hospitals and our children's hospitals, who beg for us not to pass Care. prgtoken We are prepared to work on behalf of the American people. Health care is not easy, but it is essential, it is lifesaving. I want to be on the side of saving lives of all Americans. It is not easy and it is not something to fool around with.
HONEST AND OPEN NEW EPA SCIENCE TREATMENT ACT OF 2017
Paul Tonko (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-3-29

. The Union of Concerned Scientists has recently said that ``the bill effectively prevents the EPA from using the weight of scientific evidence to protect public health and the environment.'' prgtoken They go on to say ``this doesn't make sense.'' prgtoken I agree. This doesn't make any sense. prgtoken Instead, I hope that, as a Congress, we can turn our attention to truly protecting scientific integrity. We must protect the scientific process from political interference, which is why I recently introduced the Scientific Integrity Act, which will require our United States Federal agencies to adopt or strengthen policies to insulate government-directed research from the influence of political pressure and special interests. prgtoken Under the Scientific Integrity Act, Federal agencies that conduct or fund scientific research would be required to develop clear, written scientific integrity policies that can guarantee research is being done and published without undue influence, censorship, or distortion. prgtoken Scientific and technological information would be able to flow more easily while protecting privacy, confidentiality, and our national security. Twenty-four separate Federal agencies have developed scientific integrity policies to date. This legislation would also codify and strengthen these policies within a common framework. prgtoken Every on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee has supported the Scientific Integrity Act, and I invite all of my colleagues across the aisle to join us in working to truly protect scientific integrity. prgtoken I urge a ``no'' vote on the so-called HONEST Act.
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-3-29

I am here on behalf of 55 million working Americans who lack access to retirement savings plans through their employers. These numbers underscore a very, very uncomfortable truth for many Americans--that there is a looming retirement crisis in our Nation. prgtoken Congress must do more to preserve, protect, and strengthen retirement savings for all Americans. I come to the floor to express my strong opposition to the legislation before us, which would do precisely the opposite. prgtoken H.J. Res. 67 would tear down ongoing efforts at the State and municipal levels to assist, not obstruct, hard-working Americans in preparing for financially stable and rewarding retirements. prgtoken I also want to express my very deep concern about efforts by my colleagues to force a vote on H.J. Res. 66 in the very near future. I would advise my colleagues to reconsider their taking action on both of these misguided proposals right away. prgtoken While many private sector employers have the option to set up and their employees have the choice to contribute to their own retirement savings accounts, fewer than 10 percent of workers who are without access to a workplace plan contribute to retirement savings accounts outside of their employers. prgtoken To address this growing issue, in August of 2016, under the guidance of the administration, the Department of Labor promulgated what has become known as the State-sponsored auto-IRA rule. This rule provides critical guidance for States on how to administer programs that are designed to improve access to retirement accounts among private sector employees. These State-facilitated retirement programs would allow State governments to provide automatic enrollment in State- sponsored IRA programs, with there being the opportunity to opt out at any time. prgtoken There are misguided and progressive proposals that seek to overturn the critical rulemaking that protects Americans in this process. If passed, these resolutions, very simply, will cripple ongoing efforts on the State level to ensure that retirement savings opportunities are more readily available for all workers. prgtoken In my home State of Connecticut, we have led efforts to find secure and innovative ways to address the growing retirement savings gap for nearly 600,000 working people in Connecticut who lack access to employer-based retirement savings. The Connecticut Retirement Security Authority has led this effort. It was created in 2016, and it is based on almost 2 years of market research, public hearings, meetings, and broad input from employers, potential participants, and representatives of the financial sector. prgtoken We are moving in the right direction in Connecticut. Programs that represent a strong step in the right direction have been fostered and built by encouraging State facilitation with private providers. These plans allow workers access to secure, low-cost retirement savings
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2017-3-29

I rise in opposition to both of the Congressional Review Act, or CRA, resolutions related to retirement that we will be considering this week. These CRA resolutions before us would kill Federal regulations that give cities and States the opportunity to expand retirement options for individuals. prgtoken Our Nation faces a retirement crisis. In Hawaii, about 50 percent of private sector workers have jobs that don't provide retirement benefits. prgtoken According to a recent survey by AARP Hawaii, 56 percent of working age people feel anxious about having enough money saved for retirement. For generations, Americans relied on the ``three-legged stool'' of retirement: Social Security, private savings, and a pension from their employer. Those days are gone. More and more seniors are relying on Social Security for a bigger share of their income in old age. prgtoken In Hawaii, the average monthly Social Security benefit is $1,408. Given the cost of housing, medical insurance, and other necessities in Hawaii, that is not nearly enough. prgtoken Seniors should be able to count on us to keep Social Security strong. That is a bedrock position we should honor. prgtoken Given the retirement crisis, taking away tools that States and local governments can use to help bolster retirement savings makes absolutely no sense, yet this is what we are about to do if we pass these CRA resolutions. prgtoken Last week, the Hawaii State Senate held a hearing on legislation that would establish a Hawaii retirement savings working group. The proposed legislation would bring together public and private stakeholders to look at ways to improve retirement savings for workers. A number of stakeholder groups, retirees, and other citizens testified on the bill. prgtoken Let me tell you one of their stories. His name is Donald. He is a 61- year-old gay man who has lost three husbands to HIV/AIDS. Donald has worked for 35 years and even set aside money for retirement using 401(k)s--401(k)s that he cashed out to help cover medical costs for his loved ones. prgtoken He said: ``I did what I had to do out of love and devotion, especially when each of my guys' families took a step back in the face of adversity.'' prgtoken Donald now lives paycheck to paycheck in senior affordable housing. He plans to work until he is at least 65. prgtoken Personal tragedy isn't the only reason it is difficult for him to save. He wants to save, but he noted that ``I am trying to muster some form of IRA through local financial institutions to no avail. No one returns the calls.'' prgtoken For too many working people, saving for retirement isn't automatic or easy. It seems out of reach, but we can't let that stand. prgtoken The administration recognized the retirement crisis in our country and the need for new thinking to help people save. In fact, that is the point of the regulations the Senate is poised to kill. These regulations simply provide a framework t
QUESTIONING THE RUSSIAN CONNECTION
Pramila Jayapal (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-3-29

, Mr. Raskin of Maryland, for his incredible leadership and for the opportunity to continue to lead the Special Order hour for the Progressive Caucus here every week. And every week we do try to pick a different topic. prgtoken For those of you in the audience, we pick a different topic, and this evening that topic is the ties to Russia of this administration. prgtoken Yesterday, Sean Spicer told veteran White House correspondent April Ryan that she was ``going to have to take `no' for an answer'' when she asked him about the President's collusion with Russia. prgtoken Well, Mr. Spicer, we are here to tell you that we will not just take ``no'' for an answer. We are not going to sit back and believe everything that is coming out from the White House when there is mounting evidence that President 's campaign may have colluded with Russia to tip the election in his favor. prgtoken And for those of you who saw the Judiciary Committee today, we had a resolution of inquiry from Representative Hakeem Jeffries and Ted Lieu about this very issue in relation to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his ties to Russia. prgtoken Let's not forget that President 's former national security adviser and campaign adviser only lasted a record-setting 24 days in the role because he blatantly lied about meeting with Russia's Ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, during the campaign. prgtoken So what other ties to Russia have been confirmed? prgtoken There are so many of these ties that I thought it might be helpful to have a diagram and to really show exactly what the connections have been between top officials during the campaign who are now the same officials that are serving in the White House and are the President's close and personal confidants. The fact that a diagram is even necessary tells us something. prgtoken Let's start at the top with the President himself. prgtoken President has a long history with Russia. His first trip to Moscow was actually 30 years ago. He went to explore potential real estate opportunities. His relationship with the country has clearly grown. prgtoken In the late 1990s, started banking with Deutsche Bank, which has since been investigated for funneling Russian money offshore. prgtoken Soon after that, he linked up with a Russian company called the Bayrock Group, which has ties to the Mafia and to criminal interests in Russia. Their partnership was integral to helping to prgtoken expand The Organization to new heights, with properties springing up across the country. prgtoken His ties to Russia only grew deeper. In the late 2000s, several Russian businessmen bought properties from The Organization, netting them hundreds of millions of dollars in profit. prgtoken Now, let's fast-forward to 2016 when then-candidate was building his team. He brought on Carter Page, who is now under investigation for communicating with Russian officials. And, in fact, it wa
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Gary C. Peters (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-3-29

Michigan is a State that builds things. We invented the auto industry and created a new era of manufacturing. My State saw the American labor movement grow and fight to deliver the 40- hour workweek and safe workplace conditions. In Michigan, we work hard, and after a lifetime of hard work, we expect to be able to retire with dignity. prgtoken The American dream can mean different things to different people, but I believe there are some universal elements. We all want our children to prosper and see more opportunity than we have had. While we all need to have a secure retirement, we dream of passing on to the next generation--whether it is a small business or a family farm, a home with the mortgage paid off, or a nest egg that has been built up over many decades. I fear this piece of the American dream--the ability to enjoy a comfortable retirement on the strength of your lifetime earnings--is slipping further and further away for increasing numbers of Americans. prgtoken The measures we are considering this week, which would repeal the Department of Labor's safe harbor for States and municipalities developing retirement plans, would be a step backwards. Generations ago, Congress heard the American people and agreed that it was simply unacceptable for retired and elderly Americans to live in poverty. The solution that followed was Social Security, perhaps the most effective anti-poverty program ever created. prgtoken Today, we must meet that challenge once again. We must preserve and strengthen Social Security, and I will fight for that every day that I am here in the Senate. But a modern, comprehensive retirement policy must be more than just a safety net. It must be a ladder to prosperity. A ladder provides a sturdy frame to help people climb and reach new heights, if they are willing to put forth the effort. prgtoken Unfortunately, far too many Americans lack access to private savings plans. Traditional defined-benefit plans--the pensions our parents and their parents relied on--are now providing historically low rates. Now, more than ever, expanded access to defined-contribution workplace retirement accounts is critical to our Nation's economic future. Solving the retirement crisis is a complicated puzzle, but one of the most important pieces is access. prgtoken Ninety percent of Americans with access to a workplace plan report saving for retirement, while just 20 percent of those without access to a plan say they have saved. Although this difference should be as clear as night and day to everybody, only about half of private sector workers have access to a 401(k) retirement plan. This leaves nearly 60 million Americans without access to a workplace plan. Make no mistake, the numbers are clear. Workers without access are disproportionately low-income and minority workers. prgtoken In an effort to address this sweeping problem, States and municipalities have begun work to create their own pro
IN RECOGNITION OF RHUDINE DORSEY
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2017-3-29

it is my honor and pleasure to extend my personal congratulations to an exceptional community leader and outstanding citizen, Mrs. Rhudine Warren Nelson Dorsey, fondly known as Dina, as she celebrates 45 years of service with the Georgia Legal Services Program. prgtoken Dina was born to John and Minnie Warren in Columbus, Georgia. As an ``Army brat,'' her family moved around a lot and she attended several schools. She finished high school at William H. Spencer High School in Columbus, Georgia. She furthered her education at Columbus College (now Columbus State University) and Chattahoochee Valley Community College. prgtoken In 1972, Dina began working at the Georgia Legal Services Program, formerly the Legal Aid Society, and has been an advocate for low-income clients with the organization ever since. She started as a receptionist under the management of attorney Rufe McCombs. She has since served as Domestic Relations Coordinator, Communications Coordinator, Pro Bono Coordinator, and Paralegal. In these roles, she has helped numerous clients collect countless dollars owed to them by government agencies such as the Social Security Administration. prgtoken The Georgia Legal Services Program was founded in 1971, just one year before Dina began to work there. While independent of the Georgia State Bar, the organization was formed to establish a statewide legal services program and provide expanded legal services in Macon, Columbus and Savannah. Today, the Georgia Legal Services Program serves about 10,000 clients a year directly and many more through free legal clinics and ``Ask a Lawyer'' days. prgtoken Dina's work with the Georgia Legal Services Program over the past 45 years has been widely recognized in the Columbus community. In 2006, she received the Liberty Bell Award from the Columbus Bar Association. That same year, she received the Mayor's Commission on Unity and Diversity Distinguished Woman Award. prgtoken Dr. Benjamin E. Mays often said: ``You make your living by what you get; you make your life by what you give.'' Not only has Dina established a legacy in advocating for quality legal services for low- income people, but she has also done a tremendous job of giving back to the great city of Columbus, and I am very grateful for her tireless efforts to make the community stronger. A woman of great integrity, her efforts, her dedication, and her expertise in her field are unparalleled, but her heart for helping others is what has made her life's work truly special. prgtoken On a personal note, I have been blessed to know Dina since 1972 when I first moved to Columbus. She and her family have been dear friends to me and my family and I can say without reservation that she is one of the most passionate and warmhearted individuals with whom I have had the pleasure of working. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our sincerest appreciation to Mrs. Rhudine Dorsey as she celebrates 45 yea