mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2019-2-27

. I thank Senator Whitehouse. prgtoken I could not in my wildest dreams be able to replace Senator Baucus in what he did. But what he did back in 1986, along with a number of other Senators Senator Whitehouse just talked about, was visionary. prgtoken He signed a letter asking Federal researchers to study solutions for limiting the causes of climate change. This was in 1986, some 33 years ago. That same year, as I am today, my wife and I were farming in North Central Montana, a farm that then had been in the family for about 70 years. prgtoken During the time before 1986, and since 1986, we have seen a lot of changes on the farm. That is why it is interesting--because those changes have increased more than ever, I believe, in the last 20 years. prgtoken When this letter was sent off to study solutions in 1986, it was incredibly visionary because it was before climate change was even talked about much. Yet this group of Senators was able to see the negative impacts of this coming down the pike. prgtoken By the way, when we talk about negative impacts of climate change-- you probably have this, Senator Whitehouse, but somebody ought to put together how many hundreds of billions of dollars we have spent on natural disasters in the last 10 or 12 years compared to how much we spent in years previous. I can tell you, it was a few years ago that every State in the Union except one or maybe two had a natural disaster. That is because our climate is changing. It is because our climate is getting more erratic. I have seen it on our farm. I have seen August turn from the driest month to one of the wettest months. Over the last 20 years, I have seen a reservoir--a reservoir is a manmade area to hold water for livestock. I have seen a reservoir that never went dry from the time my father built it in the early 1950s to going dry for consecutive years. I have seen dangerous floods. I have seen water where we have never had it before. I have seen drought like we have never had it before. prgtoken I would just say, in regard to that, we just had a vote on a guy by the name of Wheeler, whom the President nominated to lead the EPA, who actually is one of these guys who doesn't believe in climate change at all. I don't know where the President finds these people, and I don't know how this body can support somebody who is this big of a denier, who wants to slow enforcement on polluters. prgtoken There is one thing we need to keep in mind in this country when we try to put people like Wheeler up for head of EPA. If you take a look at the third-world nations in this world, those are the nations that have destroyed their resource base. If you want to pollute our water and if you want to pollute our air, that is destroying our resource base. I guarantee you, that is not a way to make America great. It is not even a way to keep America great. prgtoken This nominee is rolling back the clean water rule. He has allowed more uses for asbestos in
Nomination of Michael J. Desmond (Executive Session)
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2019-2-27

I rise today in opposition to President 's nominee for Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service, Michael Desmond. prgtoken This nominee comes before us just a week into this year's filing season, when our need for an IRS that treats all taxpayers fairly is clearer than ever. prgtoken Already, thousands of taxpayers across America are grappling with the fallout of the tax bill and its capping of the State and local tax, or SALT, deduction. Already, the IRS has reported an average 17 percent drop in the size of tax refunds this year. Already, the broken promises made by President and his allies are being laid bare. prgtoken They promised middle-class families thousands of dollars of tax relief and a $4,000 raise in their salaries. Instead, they got $1.5 trillion in more debt and an economy that is even more rigged for big corporations and wealthy CEOs. prgtoken As bad as the tax scam is for the whole country, it is worse for New Jersey families. That is because s paid for a big chunk of their corporate giveaways by gutting the State and local tax deduction that New Jersey and other States' middle-class families depend on to write off their property taxes. In 2016, 1.8 million people--about 40 percent of New Jersey taxpayers--deducted their property and State income taxes. More than 80 percent of them earned less than $200,000, and the average deduction totaled $18,000--far above the arbitrary cap imposed by the tax bill. prgtoken With tax season under way, many homeowners are just now realizing how badly their President ripped them off. To add insult to injury, the IRS issued haphazard guidance for the tax bill that unfairly targets States like New Jersey, trying to simply lessen the burden heaped on them by the GOP. prgtoken In the final days of 2017, just days after President signed the tax bill, New Jerseyans rushed to prepay their 2018 local property taxes and preserve their deductions before the new cap on the SALT deductions took effect. But then came 's IRS, which issued guidance to try to limit their ability to deduct property tax payments made in 2017 on their Federal returns--a stunning backdoor attempt to retroactively apply the cap on property tax deductions without cleared legislative tax to warrant doing so. prgtoken Months later, the IRS again changed the rules on us by attacking New Jersey's new charitable deduction tax credit program. The IRS never had a problem when 32 other States offered tax credits for charitable donations. Only when New Jersey and other similarly situated States created a similar program did the IRS decide to change the rules. prgtoken Mr. Desmond would be the Chief Counsel of the IRS, the position directly overseeing the IRS's interpretation of these rule changes. Throughout his nomination, I was given no indication that Mr. Desmond would give fair treatment on these important issues aff
VENEZUELA
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2019-2-27

before my colleague from Virginia leaves, I admire him so much. I just want to applaud him and applaud his early work as a missionary in Honduras. prgtoken During our past recess, Senator Jeff Merkley and I and four of our colleagues from the House were privileged to be a part of a 5-day congressional delegation to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. We were there to find out how the Alliance for Prosperity was being implemented, of which the Senator has been very supportive, as have I, in order to focus on hope, economic opportunity, crime, violence, and corruption. prgtoken The Alliance for Prosperity is focused on all of those matters. The United States puts up some of the money to address them, but we expect the other countries, including Honduras, to put up even more. It is like being at Home Depot--you can do it, and we can help. For every $1 in El Salvador, they put up $7, and we leverage our money to get the support of foundations, NGOs, private companies, and others to do their share. It is like turning the course of an aircraft carrier, and it is starting to turn. prgtoken Probably late this week--maybe tomorrow--I suspect Senator Merkley and I will want to have a colloquy on the floor. It would be great if the Senator could join us because he has forgotten more about that part of the world than we will ever know. prgtoken Thank you. prgtoken I didn't come to the floor to focus on that, but I am glad I had the chance to since Senator Kaine was here.
Nomination of Andrew Wheeler (Executive Calendar)
Tom Udall (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2019-2-27

I would associate myself with the comments of Senator Van Hollen, who I think hit the nail on the head when it comes to this overreach by the President. prgtoken I rise in support of the growing calls for action on climate change that are echoing in every corner of this Nation. prgtoken The science is overwhelming, the evidence is clear, and unless we take immediate action, we will lose our planet as we know it. There is nowhere that has more at stake than my home State of New Mexico and the Southwest, which are in the bullseye of global warming. Unless we act against greenhouse gas pollution, rising temperatures, drought, wildfires, deforestation, we will permanently harm our communities. prgtoken Because I believe in climate science and because I believe we desperately need to act, I must strongly oppose the confirmation of Andrew Wheeler to lead our Nation's Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Wheeler has consistently advocated for measures that would damage the environment, hurt public health, and do long-term injury to the economy, and his record on climate change and the record of his administration are simply disqualifying. prgtoken Mr. Wheeler's nomination is among the worst in a long line of backward nominations by this President. For someone who wants to lead the EPA--the key word being ``protection''--Mr. Wheeler's priorities are upside down. prgtoken Let's be blunt with the American people. Mr. Wheeler was not nominated to protect the environment and human health. He was nominated to unravel and undo the environmental protections that are now in place. He was nominated to stop any new environmental and public health protections from being initiated. He was nominated to go easy on those who violate existing environmental laws. He was nominated to stand in the way of climate science and climate action. prgtoken So far, by these measures, he has been a great success for a President who mocks climate science and who denies that this existential threat even exists, but there is no success for the American people. Mr. Wheeler's nomination puts the American public at great risk, and we should firmly oppose making his appointment permanent. prgtoken Unfortunately, Mr. Wheeler's upside-down priorities don't end at climate change. In addition to actively resisting climate action, Mr. Wheeler is not looking out for the health and well-being of my constituents or protecting my State's most precious resource, our water. There, like in so many other parts of the country, fire foam used by the Air Force has contaminated groundwater with toxic chemicals known as PFAS. These chemicals are linked to various cancers, heart disease, and other ailments. Groundwater in and around Cannon Air Force Base, near Clovis, NM, is contaminated with PFAS. prgtoken This is dairy country. One dairy is actually being put out of business because the PFAS is in groundwater and it has contaminated this farmer's water we
Nomination of Andrew Wheeler (Executive Calendar)
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-2-27

as we are considering the leadership of the Environmental Protection Agency, I think we should pause a moment to recognize this administration's record on the environment--or should I say the missed opportunities--and what this administration has done in moving America in the wrong direction on environmental protection. This administration's record in dealing with the greatest challenge we have--global climate change--is deplorable. prgtoken I had the opportunity to lead a delegation of 10 Members of the Senate to the Paris climate talks in which U.S. leadership demonstrated our ability to get universal consensus that climate change is real, is happening, that it is primarily caused by the activities we do here on Earth, and that we can make a difference in the trajectory of climate change and the impact it will have on our lives. If we follow what science tells us, we can change the course for the better for future generations. prgtoken I saw in Paris the importance of U.S. leadership. We had been trying for a long time to get a global agreement to deal with this challenge. It wasn't until America's leadership in Paris that we were able to get a global consensus. In fact, every country in the world signed on to the Paris Agreement and recognized that every nation has the responsibility to respond because what happens in the environment knows no state boundaries--we are all in this together. prgtoken Then there was the election of as President of the United States. One of his first actions was to withdraw America from the Paris climate agreement. America became the only Nation in the world not to be part of the global effort to deal with climate change. prgtoken Our leadership was now going to be lost, but the administration didn't stop there. They have withdrawn the powerplant rules even though it was in 2007 that the Supreme Court, in Massachusetts v. EPA, determined that carbon dioxide is a dangerous air pollutant and is required to be regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency under the clean air rules. Yet the administration is moving in the other direction as it relates to clean air. prgtoken They did the same thing with water. The Supreme Court issued certain decisions in regard to regulated waters. It required Congress to act. Congress didn't act. The administration under President issued regulations that were similar to what we had before the Supreme Court decision, and now the administration has withdrawn those regulations as they relate to clean water. prgtoken The list goes on. The administration is now backing down on CAFE standards. That is energy efficiencies prgtoken in our automobiles. Maryland is one of 12 States under section 177 that follow California's tougher standards. That is now being jeopardized by the administration. prgtoken As we are considering the leadership of the Environmental Protection Agency, we have to recognize t
HONORING VICTIMS OF SUMGAIT POGROM
Adam B. Schiff (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-2-27

. Madam , I rise to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the pogrom against the Armenian residents of the town of Sumgait, Azerbaijan. On February 27, 1988, and for three days following, Azerbaijani mobs assaulted and killed Armenians. The violence left hundreds of Armenian civilians dead and injured, women and girls were raped, and some victims were burned alive. Thousands were forced to flee their homes, leaving behind their belongings. The pogroms came as a direct result of years of vicious, racist anti-Armenian propaganda by Azerbaijani authorities, dehumanizing the Armenian residents of Azerbaijan and laying the groundwork for mass violence. Azerbaijani authorities made little effort to punish those responsible, instead attempting to cover up the atrocities in Sumgait to this day and denying the government role in instigating the killings. Indeed, even today, racist propaganda against Armenia and Armenians is prevalent in Azerbaijan. The hateful and dangerous Azerbaijani attacks on Armenians is also seen in a horrific crime which occurred 15 years ago last week. At a NATO sponsored training in Budapest, an Azerbaijani Army officer named Ramil Safarov snuck into the room of an Armenian lieutenant, Gurgen Margaryan, and hacked him to death with an axe as he slept. For this brutal and despicable crime, Safarov was sentenced to life imprisonment in Hungary. Yet after a determined campaign by Azerbaijan's government, he was extradited to Baku in 2012 where he was greeted not as a criminal but as a hero, provided back pay, and promoted in rank. There is no more dramatic illustration of Azerbaijan's continued posture of hatred and aggression towards their Armenian neighbor than their celebration of a cold-blooded murderer. The assault on ethnic Armenian civilians in Sumgait helped touch off what would become a direct conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan which took thousands of lives and dislocated millions more. The anniversary of Sumgait is a reminder of the consequences when aggression and hatred grow unchecked. Madam , in two months we will mark the 104th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, an event the Turkish government, Azerbaijan's closest ally, goes to great lengths to deny. We must not let such crimes against humanity go unrecognized, whether they occurred yesterday or 30 years ago or 100 years ago. Today, let us pause to remember the victims of the atrocities of the Sumgait pogroms. Madam , it is our moral obligation to condemn crimes of hatred and to remember the victims, in hope that history will not be repeated.
Nomination of Andrew Wheeler (Executive Calendar)
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2019-2-27

I rise today to talk about the debate that we prgtoken are having with regard to the nomination or, I should say, confirmation of the EPA Administrator. prgtoken All of us in this Chamber and the other body, the U.S. House of Representatives--frankly, anyone in government--has an obligation to act in accordance with a goal of being good stewards of the Earth. Some might call it creation care--care of God's creation. prgtoken Unfortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency, under its current leadership, is, in my judgment, failing to meet that obligation. From day one, the administration has prioritized gutting environmental protections and rolling back policies that had us on a path toward a more sustainable future. prgtoken From attacking the Clean Power Plan to weakening methane protection standards, this administration has repeatedly prioritized the interests of polluters over the health and wellness of the American people. prgtoken Andrew Wheeler, the nominee, if he is confirmed to run the EPA or, I should say, the Environmental Protection Agency, which we call the EPA--this assault on clean air, clean water, and so many other protections will continue if he is, in fact, confirmed. prgtoken Some of the most troubling EPA actions have come while Mr. Wheeler has been running the EPA in an acting capacity. prgtoken In recent weeks, the EPA has decided to move forward with a rollback of the clean car standard and to gut the mercury and air toxics rule. These moves will harm public health and the health of our children, in particular. prgtoken The American Lung Association reports that 5 Pennsylvania counties, 5 of our 67 counties, which are home to approximately 4 million people, rank among the top 25 counties most polluted by particulate matter year round. prgtoken Rolling back the clean car standards and clean air standards will cause more exposure to harmful pollutants that lead to increased mortality, respiratory problems, emergency room visits, and work-loss days. prgtoken As we know, the transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. We also know that the MATS rule, the so-called mercury and air toxics rule, is an environmental and public health success story. prgtoken Mercury pollution is particularly harmful for unborn children, who are much more sensitive to exposure and who may suffer neurological and developmental problems. prgtoken Powerplant mercury emissions have declined by 90 percent because of the MATS rule. This was achieved ahead of schedule and at one-third of the projected cost. Let me say that again. Powerplant mercury emissions have declined by 90 percent because of the MATS rule. This was achieved ahead of schedule and at one-third of the scheduled cost. prgtoken Let me give testimony from two Pennsylvanians--partial testimonies, though they are from longer letters that they wrote to us. prgtoken Mollie Michel of South Philadelphia
RECOGNIZING MAMA LILA CABBIL
Andy Levin (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2019-2-27

. Madam , as we recognize Black History Month, I rise to celebrate the life and contributions of a remarkable Detroit community activist. prgtoken While I was at the Macomb County Celebration of Black Excellence last Saturday, the Michigan activist community received news of the loss of Mama Lila Cabbil. prgtoken A close friend of Rosa Parks for 30 years, Ms. Cabbil was a national leader in the fight against racism and a powerful Detroit activist, particularly in the struggle for clean and accessible water. prgtoken At Rosa Parks' funeral service in 2005, Ms. Cabbil invoked Matthew 7:16: ``You shall know them by their fruits.'' When I read those words today, I think of Mama Lila's commitment to Michigan's Black community and to all communities that have suffered the theft of their voting rights and the unjust loss of their homes and their water. prgtoken During Black History Month, it is my honor to highlight Mama Lila's contribution to Detroit and our region and the example she sets for all of us as a passionate servant leader.
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2019-2-27

from Rhode Island for his leadership day in and day out on this issue. prgtoken I rise to join him and my other colleagues to talk about this letter and to look back at that moment in time but really to do it to look forward because we know it is long past time for bipartisan action on climate change. prgtoken As the Senator from Rhode Island has explained with a copy of that letter, back in 1986, a bipartisan group of Senators came together to voice their concerns about the future of our world. prgtoken This forward-thinking group of our predecessors, who were from the same States as my colleagues who are here today, held 3 days of hearings on climate change. That sounds like a pretty good idea for something we should be doing right now. It was chaired by, of course, the Senator from Rhode Island, Mr. John Chafee. prgtoken Minnesota Senator David Durenberger was among that group of Senators. He was born in St. Cloud. He earned his law degree from the University of Minnesota, was the top-rated cadet in his ROTC class, and served as a lieutenant in the Army Counter Intelligence Corps and as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve. prgtoken Senator Durenberger took over the seat left by Senator Humphrey, and during his 17 years of service in the Senate, Senator Durenberger proved time and again that he is a true believer in bipartisanship. He worked across the aisle to tackle big issues, and that included talking about climate change way back in 1986. prgtoken I called Senator Durenberger this week to talk to him, and our staff did, to get some sense of where he was on climate change years later. He reported to us that, in his words, he wanted to remind Americans there was a time in our very recent history when the U.S. Senate made it its responsibility to define and address some of the critical national and international policy issues that threaten the security of our communities, our Nation, and the world. prgtoken This is Senator Durenberger speaking in the year 2019. He said he could say ``without reservation that it was bipartisan Senate leadership that encouraged the four Presidents with whom [he] served-- Carter, Reagan, [George H.W.] , and Clinton--to prioritize environmental problem definition and solution.'' prgtoken He also recalled working with his colleagues on the Environment and Public Works Committee to ``challenge''--and these are his words-- ``challenge the scientific community and the business community to work harder at reducing the impact [of greenhouse gases] and suggesting what policies best incentivize alternative fuels.'' prgtoken It was in this bipartisan spirit that this group of Senators sent a letter to Dr. John Gibbons, who was then the executive director of the Office of Technology Assessment. In that letter, they talked about the need to meet ``the massive and, to some degree irrevocable, alterations in the stratosphere commonly referred to as