mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IMPEACHMENT
Michael B. Enzi (Republican, WY) \u2014 2020-2-5

I rise today to speak on the trial of President . prgtoken After information from more than a dozen witnesses, over a hundred questions, and days of oral arguments, I believe the House failed to prove its case for the two Articles of Impeachment. The House's story relies on too much speculation, guessing games and repetition. It fails to hold up under scrutiny. The House claims to have proven its case, but insists on more evidence. It was the House's responsibility to ensure it had developed a complete record of the evidence it needed to make its case, and it is not up to the Senate to start the process over again. prgtoken There were contradictions in the House's case from the very beginning. The House counted on repetition to make its claims seem true, but often didn't provide the underlying evidence. For example, the House managers relied on telephone records for timing, but speculated on the content of the calls. prgtoken The House managers claimed the President wanted to influence an election, but it is difficult to see how the House's rush to bring this case in such a haphazard manner is nothing more than an attempt to influence the 2020 election. The House managers asked the Senate to do additional witnesses in 1 week, which could mean the Senate would essentially have to start the trial all over. prgtoken I not only can't call their efforts adequate, I have to say they have been entirely inadequate. Consequently, I did not vote for more witnesses or more evidence and will vote to acquit the President on both counts. prgtoken I hope we can learn from everything we do, especially in regard to impeachment. The animosity toward President is unprecedented, and I believe it is the reason we have ended up where we are today. I believe we should give each newly elected President a chance to show what he or she can do. We should provide them the opportunity to prove themselves and demonstrate our faith in our country and its leadership. prgtoken We have to give the President an opportunity to lead or even to fail. Unfortunately, President was promised an impeachment from the day he was elected, before he even took his oath of office. On the day of his inauguration, before any official act, there were riots where, and I quote from the New York Times, ``protesters threw rocks and bricks at police officers, set a car on fire and shattered storefront windows.'' I have never seen that kind of conduct before stemming from the result of our democratic process. I hope to never see it again. prgtoken The obstruction continued as President 's nominations were held up in an unprecedented way. This obstruction kept the new President from getting his key people in place. The few nominations approved had to work with career or hold-over staff from the previous administration. We have read in news articles that some of those staffers not only disliked their new bosses, but they tried to act
ADDRESSING SERIOUSNESS OF SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Don Bacon (Republican, NE) \u2014 2020-2-5

. Madam , I rise today in honor of National Mentoring Month from this past January. As a member of the Youth Mentoring Caucus, I rise to bring awareness to the importance of supporting strategies and policies that enhance mentoring programs and increase the procurement of quality volunteer mentors. prgtoken Research has shown that mentoring relationships have positive effects on people's lives in so many ways. Mentoring reassures our youth that they are not alone in dealing with everyday challenges; creates opportunity for personal growth and development; and provides youth, especially those in foster care, with vital relationships, networks, and counseling services needed to navigate life and successfully transition into adulthood. prgtoken I know the power of mentorship firsthand. I joined the Air Force in 1985 after a faith-based mentor saw where my talents leaned, and I would never have been a five-time commander nor a general officer without thoughtful mentors. prgtoken In my district, MENTOR Nebraska has partnered with 26 Omaha public schools to implement a mentoring program called Success Mentors, which serves over 600 youth. Within the last 2 years, the percentage of mentored youth in North Omaha increased by 150 percent. In the last 5 years, the percentage of mentored juvenile justice youth increased by 250 percent. In addition to a number of positive benefits associated with increased mentorship, this program has shown an improvement in school attendance--by over 50 percent in one school alone. prgtoken Congress must partner and support State and local governments and nonprofits so they can continue to prioritize new ways and approaches for serving at-risk or disadvantaged youth and connect them with caring adults who will help them navigate life and be their support system. prgtoken That is why I am an original cosponsor of H.R. 3061, the Foster Youth Mentoring Act of 2019, which addresses the need for greater support of mentoring programs that serve youth in foster care by developing best practices and quality mentoring standards when searching for and hiring mentors. prgtoken I thank our Nation's mentors, who are actively strengthening our communities and making a difference in the educational, personal, and professional lives of today's youth. Additionally, I urge my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to commit to improving our youth's outcomes and futures by supporting legislation like H.R. 3061.
HONORING RONNIE SPRINKLE
Ben Cline (Republican, VA) \u2014 2020-2-5

. Madam , I rise today to honor Sheriff Ronnie Sprinkle, who began his service as the sheriff of Botetourt County nearly two decades ago. When Ronnie was just 6 months, his father was elected as Botetourt County sheriff and held the position for 30 years, retiring in 1991. Eight years later, the junior Sprinkle followed in his dad's footsteps and was elected to the same post, which he held until retirement last month. prgtoken Save the 8 years between his father's retirement and Ronnie's election, 2020 will mark the first time since the heart of the Vietnam war that a Sprinkle has not led the Botetourt Sheriff's Office. prgtoken I want to thank Sheriff Ronnie for his years of service to our community and congratulate him on all he has accomplished during his tenure. His tireless work to secure funding for a new public safety building and jail will not be forgotten. prgtoken The risks and responsibilities that come with being a law enforcement officer are many, and I want to express my sincere gratitude to Ronnie Sprinkle for his unwavering commitment to Botetourt County and all our men and women in blue.
AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO MEET
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-2-5

I have 5 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. prgtoken Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation prgtoken The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, at 10 a.m to conduct a hearing. Committee on Environment and Public Works prgtoken The Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, at 10 a.m to conduct a hearing. Committee on Finance prgtoken The Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, at 10 a.m to conduct a hearing on the following nominations: Kipp Kranbuhl, of Ohio, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Sarah C. Arbes, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Jason J. Fichtner, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the Social Security Advisory Board. Committee on Veterans' Affairs prgtoken The Committee on Veterans' Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, at 9:30 a.m to conduct a hearing. Select Committee on Intelligence prgtoken The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, at 10 a.m to conduct a closed briefing.
HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF OFFICER ALAN McCOLLUM
Michael Cloud (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-2-5

I rise today with a heavy heart to honor and to mourn the loss of one of Corpus Christi Police Department's finest, Officer Alan McCollum, who was tragically killed in the line of duty. prgtoken President Ronald Reagan once said: ``There can be no more noble vocation than the protection of one's fellow citizens.'' prgtoken Officer McCollum was a compassionate, devoted, and admired public servant who dutifully worked to keep south Texas safe. prgtoken Before serving as a police officer, Officer McCollum served 21 years in the U.S. Army, earning the Bronze Star and numerous other accolades. Following the Army, his service to others continued by joining the Corpus Christi Police Department in 2013, where he was a valued member of the Honor Guard and SWAT team. prgtoken Last year, he once again demonstrated his willingness to sacrifice his own safety for others by helping push an overturned car back on its wheels after it had caught fire, saving the life of the driver. prgtoken On Saturday, Officer McCollum paid the ultimate price, sacrificing himself, while upholding the rule of law. prgtoken Scripture tells us that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and those who are crushed in spirit. Right now, so many of us, in Texas, the Corpus Christi Police Department, and the family of Officer McCollum, are brokenhearted. prgtoken Our prayers are that his family and friends touched by this tragedy, and especially his wife of 12 years, Michelle, and his three daughters, Hannah, Carissa, and Liliana, would feel the Lord near them during this difficult time. I extend my deepest condolences to them during this extremely difficult time. Honoring the Service of Officer Michael Love
RECOGNIZING EINAR MAISCH
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2020-2-5

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Einar Maisch for his 34 years of service to the Placer County Water Agency. Water resiliency and infrastructure are pressing needs in northern California, and Einar has devoted his career to solving these critical issues. prgtoken As general manager, he worked to make PCWA the local leader in water rights by overseeing the clear and transparent budget process, increasing customer accessibility to the agency, and expanding its regional and national influence on water issues. prgtoken Throughout his long tenure, Einar has always prioritized the needs and interests of the customers and the community. His work will leave a lasting impact on water planning, resiliency, and management in northern California for decades come, and the north State is very thankful for all Einar has done. prgtoken Madam , I thank Einar, and I wish him the best of luck in his much-deserved and probably busier retirement. May he keep his knowledge and experience available to all of us.
USPS FAIRNESS ACT
Brian K. Fitzpatrick (Republican, PA) \u2014 2020-2-5

I rise today to strongly support H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness Act. I have led, with my colleagues, this important legislation that ends the unfair prefunding mandate for the Postal Service and also solves the most pressing financing problem facing our letter carriers and post offices across the United States. prgtoken , the USPS is the only Government entity--the only one-- which is mandated to prefund its retirees' health benefits. 100 percent of the Postal Service's financial losses over the past 6 years--100 percent--are directly due and linked to this requirement. prgtoken This is an outdated policy which has forced the Postal Service into a horrible financial position, which has prevented it from investing in resources that would benefit all of our communities, no matter where we live. prgtoken Moreover, , this legislation has widespread support from the National Association of Letter Carriers, the American Postal Workers Union, and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union. prgtoken This bipartisan bill will restore USPS' financial health by shoring up that funding and ensuring that it has the resources to improve the Postal Service for all Americans. prgtoken , I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation. This is the priority for our postal workers, in addition to 6-day delivery as well as door-to-door service. We have to get all three done for our postal workers, our letter carriers, and our post offices that serve all of our communities.
IMPEACHMENT
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-2-5

over the last months, our country has been consumed by a single word, one that we don't use often in our ordinary parlance. That word, of course, is ``impeachment.'' It has filled our news channels, our Twitter feeds, and dinner conversations. It has led to a wide-ranging debate on everything from the constitutional doctrines of the separation of powers to the due process of law--two concepts which are the most fundamental building blocks of who we are as a nation. It has even prompted those who typically have no interest in politics to tune into C-SPAN or into their favorite cable news channels. prgtoken The impeachment of a President of the United States is simply the gravest undertaking we can pursue in this country. It is the nuclear option in our Constitution--the choice of last resort--when a President has committed a crime so serious that Congress must act rather than leave the choice to the voters in the election. prgtoken The Framers of the Constitution granted this awesome power to the U.S. Congress and placed their confidence in the Senate to use only when absolutely necessary, when there is no other choice. prgtoken This is a rare, historic moment for the Members of this Chamber. This has been faced by the Senate only on two previous occasions during our Constitution's 232-year history--only two times previously. We should be extraordinarily vigilant in ensuring that the impeachment power does not become a regular feature of our differences and, in the process, cheapen the vote of the American people. Soon, Members of the Senate will determine whether, for the first time in our history, a President will be removed from office, and then we will decide whether he will be barred from the ballot in 2020. prgtoken The question all Senators have to answer is, Did the President commit, in the words of the Constitution, a high crime and misdemeanor that warrants his removal from office or should he be acquitted of the charges made by the House? prgtoken I did my best to listen intently to both sides as they presented their cases during the trial, and I am confident in saying that President should be acquitted and not removed from office. prgtoken First, the Constitution gives the Congress the power to impeach and remove a President from office only for treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors, but the two Articles of Impeachment passed by the House of Representatives fail to meet that standard. prgtoken The first charge, as we know, is abuse of power. House alleged that the President withheld military aid from Ukraine in exchange for investigations of Joe and Hunter prgtoken . But they failed to bring forward compelling and unassailable evidence of any crime--again, the Constitution talks about treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors; clearly, a criminal standard--and thus failed to meet their burden of proof. Certainly, the House managers
IMPEACHMENT
Kevin Cramer (Republican, ND) \u2014 2020-2-5

I rise today to officially declare that I will vote against both Articles of Impeachment brought against President by the very partisan and, quite frankly, ridiculous House of Representatives. I know my position is hardly a surprise, but it is almost as unsurprising as the House impeaching the President, to begin with. prgtoken Since the moment he was sworn into office, have schemed to remove from office. It is not my opinion. I take them at their word. Their fixation on his removal was a conclusion in search of a justification, which they manufactured from a phone conversation between world leaders leaked--leaked--by one of the many career bureaucrats who seem to have forgotten that they work for the elected leaders in this country, not the other way around. prgtoken So the two Articles of Impeachment before this body today, in my view, are without merit. They are an affront, in fact, to this institution and to our Constitution, representing the very same partisan derangement that worried our Founding Fathers so much that they made the threshold for impeachment this high. prgtoken The Senate exists exactly for moments like this. I didn't arrive at my conclusion to support acquittal hastily or flippantly, and I don't believe any of my colleagues did either, including those who come to a different conclusion from mine. Despite being sent such flawed Articles by the House, the Senate did in fact dutifully and solemnly follow its constitutional obligation. During the last days of the trial, we heard sworn testimony from 13 witnesses, read 17 depositions, asked 180 questions, viewed 193 video clips, and poured over 28,000 pages of documents. prgtoken But even more than the House managers' shallow arguments and lack of evidence against and due process for our President and the obvious derangement at the very root of every investigation, beginning with the corrupt FBI Crossfire Hurricane counterintelligence investigation during the 2016 election cycle, the Articles of Impeachment we will vote on in a few hours should have ended at their beginning. prgtoken Can we agree that if a of the House unilaterally declares an impeachment inquiry, it represents the opinion of one Member of Congress, not the official authorization of the entire Congress? Can we agree that a vote to begin an impeachment inquiry that has only partisan support and bipartisan opposition is not what the Founders had in mind and in fact is what they firmly rejected and cautioned about? Can we agree that impeachment articles passed by a majority of one party and opposed by Members of both parties on their face fail, if not the letter of the law, certainly, the spirit of the Constitution? prgtoken Yet, even under the cloud of purely partisan politics of the House of Representatives, the Senate conducted a complete, comprehensive trial, resulting, in my view, in a crystal clear conclusion: The ic- le
IMPEACHMENT
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2020-2-5

voting to find the President guilty in the Senate is not simply a finding of wrongdoing; it is a vote to remove a President from office for the first time in the 243-year history of our Republic. prgtoken When they decided to include impeachment in the Constitution, the Framers understood how disruptive and traumatic it would be. As Alexander Hamilton warned, impeachment will ``agitate the passions of the whole community.'' prgtoken This is why they decided to require the support of two-thirds of the Senate to remove a President we serve as a guardrail against partisan impeachment and against removal of a President without broad public support. prgtoken Leaders in both parties previously recognized that impeachment must be bipartisan and must enjoy broad public support. In fact, as recently as March of last year, Manager Adam Schiff said there would be ``little to be gained by putting the country through'' the ``wrenching experience'' of a partisan impeachment. Yet, only a few months later, a partisan impeachment is exactly what the House produced. This meant two Articles of Impeachment whose true purpose was not to protect the Nation but, rather, to, as Nancy Pelosi said, stain the President's record because ``he has been impeached forever'' and ``they can never erase that.'' prgtoken It now falls upon this Senate to take up what the House produced and faithfully execute our duties under the Constitution of the United States. prgtoken Why does impeachment exist? prgtoken As manager Jerry Nadler reminded us last week, removal is not a punishment for a crime, nor is removal supposed to be a way to hold Presidents accountable; that is what elections are for. The sole purpose of this extraordinary power to remove the one person entrusted with all of the powers of an entire branch of government is to provide a last-resort remedy to protect the country. That is why Hamilton wrote that in these trials our decisions should be pursuing ``the public good.'' prgtoken Even before the trial, I announced that, for me, the question would not just be whether the President's actions were wrong but ultimately whether what he did was removable. The two are not the same. It is possible for an offense to meet a standard of impeachment and yet not be in the best interest of the country to remove a President from office. prgtoken To answer this question, the first step was to ask whether it would serve the public good to remove the President, even if the managers had proven every allegation they made. It was not difficult to answer that question on the charge of obstruction of congress. The President availed himself of legal defenses and constitutional privileges on the advice of his legal counsel. He has taken a position identical to that of every other administration in the last 50 years. That is not an impeachable offense, much less a removable one. prgtoken Negotiations with Congress and enforcement in the courts