mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-1-17

s, Senator Flake from Arizona and Senator Klobuchar from Minnesota, for bringing this timely issue to the floor. prgtoken We are facing an attack on an American institution--an attack on our freedom of the press. Sadly, the President is making an award of some kind to what he considers to be corrupt media, but I am afraid, once again, his actions will cast a shadow over our constitutional commitment to the basic freedoms we enjoy in America. prgtoken We all know why freedom of the press was included in the Bill of Rights: because the Founding Fathers--those who crafted those critical words that have led us for more than two centuries--believed there should be an accountability, accountability when it came to the government, its actions, and to public officials. That accountability sometimes is painful, as Senator Flake has acknowledged. Many of us, as Members of the Senate, House, and other political roles, really hate to receive certain phone calls and questions from members of the press, but it is part of our responsibility, as public servants, as public officials, to be accountable to the public. That is what freedom of the press is about. I think that is the part that troubles and worries and pains the President the most; that he will be held accountable for the things he has said and the things he has done. prgtoken This notion of ``fake news,'' unfortunately, is a phrase which is being used, as Senator Flake noted, by despots and authoritarians around the world to try to silence critics and to silence the press in their countries. We cannot allow this regimen of ``fake news'' and ``alternative facts'' and words like those to diminish our commitment to the basic constitutional protection of freedom of the press. It is essential to the future of our democracy. Immigration prgtoken On January 11, last Thursday, I was invited to a meeting at the White House to discuss the issue of immigration. Sadly, at that meeting, there were things said by the President and those who were with him on the issue which I believe constituted an attack on another basic element of American history: the history of immigration. prgtoken We are a nation of immigrants. That diversity that has come to these shores from all across the world is a diversity which makes us strong. We consider our land of origin, whatever it may be, but we love the land we live in. That was what immigration has meant to us and to previous generations for so many years. prgtoken Words spoken by the President at that meeting were stunning and, in some respects, disgusting to think that the President would make the comments he did. For the sake of our Congressional Record, for the Senate, and for those who are watching, I will not repeat the President's words. They have been reported in the press, but I want to go to the heart of his criticism. prgtoken He was raising a basic question as to w
DACA
Joaquin Castro (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2018-1-17

the Congresswoman was talking about the support for DACA, and it is true that surveys consistently show that the American people support the DACA kids at about 83 percent or so. That is an incredible, overwhelming majority support for this program. prgtoken She mentioned the possible tradeoff. There has been this argument that we should pass a clean Dream Act, for example, which is a DACA fix, and whether it should be paired with anything else, like, if we are going to pass a DACA bill, what is the price to pay for that? That is the common debate. What is the President, or what is the majority, going to demand for that? prgtoken But as Congresswoman Torres mentioned, I would just point out that that 83 percent support among the American people is not 83 percent only if you build a wall. The American people don't say: We support the DACA kids, but only if you build a wall across the United States of America. They say: We support the DACA kids, and we want to make sure that those kids can stay and continue to live in the United States of America. prgtoken , from California (Mr. Costa).
FUNDING THE GOVERNMENT
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-1-17

first, before I get into the substance of my remarks, let me just answer the majority leader. What leads to problems in this place? What leads to a government shutdown? It is one side deciding everything and then saying to the other side: You must go along. prgtoken The proposal has been sent over--here is what it doesn't do. It does not give help needed for our veterans who wait in line for service. It doesn't fight opioid addiction, the scourge of America. It doesn't help our pensioners. I would say to my friends on the other side of the aisle and our defense hawks over in the other body, it doesn't give defense what it needs either. It is a loser in terms of the things this country needs. prgtoken We could easily sit down and come to an agreement that would get the support of a majority of both sides, and it is the intransigence, frankly, of so many who say don't talk, don't negotiate, just do it our way or no way that has led to gridlock, that has led to the fact that the first year has been largely unsuccessful and leads to the partisanship America decries. prgtoken have shown, time and time again, we want to work in a bipartisan way, most recently illustrated by the proposal put together by my friend from Illinois, my friend from South Carolina, my friend from Arizona who is on the floor. We eagerly await his remarks, and I will try to be brief. prgtoken Leader McConnell, in this instance, as in many others, says: Our way or no way. That is wrong. We will do everything we can to avoid a shutdown. We will do everything we can, but the needs of opioid addiction and helping the veterans and Social Security and rural infrastructure and defense and, of course, the Dreamers remain hanging out with this proposal. If, God forbid, there is a shutdown, it will fall on the majority leader's shoulders and the President's shoulders. We all know what the President has said. He wants a shutdown. So you can twist words and twist facts any way you want, but the truth is, this is a purely partisan effort--a purely partisan effort--and that is what leads to the trouble in this place. prgtoken Let me say a few more things. prgtoken Despite the leader being totally partisan on this issue, we have seen some rays, some sprouts of bipartisanship. In the House, Congressman Will Hurd and ic Congressman Aguilar have a proposal on immigration, on Dream, that garnered 20 and 20 s. The Goodlatte proposal, the McCaul proposal, has not a single . I say prgtoken to the Acting President pro tempore, you have made a proposal that, in the words of Lindsey Graham, will not get a single ic vote. It can't pass. At the same time, the Senators from Illinois, New Jersey, Colorado, Arizona, South Carolina, and Colorado are painstakingly putting together a proposal where both sides give quite a bit. prgtoken So there are sprouts of bipartisanship--more than sprouts--that
IN SUPPORT OF H. RES. 676
Lois Frankel (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2018-1-17

I rise today in support of H. Res. 676, a bipartisan resolution that expresses support for the citizens of Iran. prgtoken The Iranian people should be allowed to express legitimate grievances without violent retribution from their own government. As Iranians chant ``think of us,'' their government has responded with brute force. Twenty-one people have been killed and hundreds more await an uncertain fate after being arrested. Three young Iranians have died in jail, including Sina Ghanbari, a student who was being held in Iran's notorious Evin prison. prgtoken The regime's violent suppression of dissent should come as no surprise, given its long history of denying its own citizens fundamental human rights. Torture is widespread, members of religious minorities like the Baha'i face constant persecution, and the number of executions in Iran has skyrocketed under President Rouhani. prgtoken These protests also highlight how the Iranian regime has harmed its own people by spending billions of dollars to foment aggression and destabilize the region. While Iran suffers from a youth unemployment rate of nearly 40 percent and economic hardship, the regime continues to bankroll the Assad regime in Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. The Iranian people are outraged, and their leaders should take notice when crowds are heard chanting, ``I give my life for Iran, not Gaza, [and] not Lebanon.'' prgtoken Adoption of this resolution will send a clear message to the brave voices in Iran crying out for a better future that the United States stands with them.
FINDING LEGISLATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR DREAMERS
Brenda L. Lawrence (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2018-1-17

I rise today to urge Congress to move quickly on finding a legislative solution for DREAMers before January 19. prgtoken With every passing day that Congress delays action from now until March 5, approximately 122 people will lose their DACA protection. We cannot forget about the consequences that DACA termination will have on women and their families. prgtoken , 53 percent of active DACA recipients are women. As the vice chair of the ic Women's Working Group, I am here to say that we need to represent all women and their families. All women just want a better future for themselves and their children. Without safety from deportation, families will be torn apart. Many DREAMers now have children of their own. prgtoken It is time for Congress to act. I am standing here today speaking for women in this country.
PROVIDE PERMANENT STATUS FOR DREAMERS
Jared Polis (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2018-1-17

the situation that so many DREAMers--aspired Americans who know no other country--face is becoming more and more urgent in the face of President 's cancellation of their legal status in March. prgtoken I want to point out that over 100 are losing status every day and losing their permission to be able to go to work--their legal status-- in our country. If we fail to act, one million aspired Americans will be unable to work legally and live legally in the only country they know, instantly creating over one million more people who are here illegally--the opposite of what President ran on and the opposite of what the American people want. prgtoken I know that we can pass a solution through this body. I have heard so many s and talk passionately about providing permanent status for the DREAMers. Let's pass the Dream Act, any of these bills. prgtoken , I am proud to cosponsor a new one yesterday that will finally provide some certainty for young people who want to do nothing more than work hard, play by the rules, and contribute to make our country, the only country they know, the United States of America, even greater.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2018-1-17

it is my pleasure to announce our Granite Stater of the Month for January, Mark Cournoyer, of Jaffrey, NH. Mark embodies New Hampshire's all-hands-on-deck spirit, where we work together and do what we can to strengthen our communities. In Mark's case, he has dedicated himself to making our roads safer by educating drivers, particularly new drivers, about the serious danger and potentially tragic consequences of distracted driving. prgtoken A former police officer and emergency medical technician in Fitzwilliam and Jaffrey and now a fourth-generation director of the Cournoyer Funeral Home, Mark volunteers his time to helping prevent the kind of accidents that he has responded to for years. Mark delivers presentations at area driver's education classes and local schools, sharing statistics behind distracted driving, as well as telling real stories about the outcomes of distracted driving with the hope that he can help keep the young people he meets safe. prgtoken According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about nine people are killed and more than 1,000 injured every day in the United States as a result of distracted driving. Anything that takes a driver's attention off of the road--texting, eating, reading, or looking for objects--can result in a tragic accident. Mark's efforts are critical to reducing the all-too-common practice of distracted driving, and his dedication to improving public safety can help save lives in his community and across New Hampshire. prgtoken In towns and cities across New Hampshire, many of our citizens go above and beyond to look out for one another and make their communities safer. Mark Cournoyer has done just that, volunteering his own time and wisdom to making our roads safer and helping to prevent more accidents from distracted driving. It is an honor to recognize him as our Granite Stater of the Month and join him in raising awareness about this important issue.
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017--Continued
Martin Heinrich (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2018-1-17

the Senate will be voting soon on a bill to reauthorize the FISA Amendments Act. Most Americans likely do not recognize the name of the bill, but they probably know what this bill addresses--our government's surveillance of communications. prgtoken As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I have learned a great deal about our post-9/11 surveillance laws and how they have been implemented, and I have determined that there are reforms that need to be made to the FISA Amendments Act--specifically section 702--before we renew this law. prgtoken The single biggest flaw in section 702 is how it has been interpreted. The language of the law--the collection of foreign intelligence of U.S. persons reasonably believed to be located outside the United States--anticipates that incidental or accidental collection of Americans' emails or even phone calls could occur, but under the FISA Amendments Act as written, there is nothing to prohibit the intelligence community from searching through a pile of communications collected under this statute to deliberately search for the phone calls or the emails of specific Americans. This is not what Congress intended when the law was written, and now we are being asked to vote on this law at the last minute with not a single amendment allowed. prgtoken Many of us have called this the backdoor search loophole since it allows the government to search for Americans' communications without a warrant--let me repeat that--without a warrant. The USA Rights Act, of which I am a cosponsor, includes a fix to this loophole. It also includes other key reforms to the statute that I support. But that commonsense bill is not the one on the floor today. The bill before us today would actually take us backward. It doesn't require a warrant to search for Americans' communications. It makes it quite easy to resume the ``about'' collections on Americans--a practice that the government has literally abandoned. It grants new authorities to allow section 702 data to be used in domestic criminal prosecutions of American citizens. prgtoken I strongly believe that the Federal Government needs a way to monitor foreign communications to ensure that we remain a step ahead of the terrorists and those who would threaten our national security. The FISA Amendments Act has been beneficial to the protection of our national security. I don't question the value of the foreign intelligence that this law provides. I have seen it with my own eyes. But I also strongly believe that we need to balance the civil liberties embodied in our Constitution with our national security imperatives. It is the responsibility of Congress to find that balance. The bill that is before us today could come closer to that standard if we improve it through the adoption of amendments that I and my colleagues would offer if we had the opportunity. But this bill is being fast-tracked, and we are left with only the choice o
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017--Continued
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-1-17

. Thank you, . prgtoken Despite yesterday's vote, I regret to have to say I am going to have to oppose this legislation's final passage. My view is, if this bill does not go forward now, it is possible to get and s back to work together to ensure there is a meaningful debate on the floor of the U.S. Senate and that this is done with ample time to meet this window that the Office of National Intelligence has talked about publicly, but if that doesn't happen, the Senate has denied itself the opportunity to even attempt to fix this badly flawed bill. prgtoken This surveillance authority allows the government to sweep up some untold amount of law-abiding Americans' communications. The government says, of course, that its targets are terrorists, and this is about keeping Americans safe from terrorism. I don't take a backseat to anybody in terms of fighting terrorist threats. prgtoken Having served on the Intelligence Committee for some time now, I can tell all Members and the public there is no question that the terrorist threat is real and that there are significant numbers of people who represent a very real threat to the well-being of our country. prgtoken Now, if somebody says, We have to keep Americans safe from terrorism, I am all in. I would submit that I don't know of a single U.S. Senator--not 1 out of 100--who is not all in on this fight against terrorism, but that is not what the law says. The law says that, under section 702, the government can collect, without a warrant, the communications of foreigners ``to acquire foreign intelligence information.'' prgtoken Here is how the law defines ``foreign intelligence information.'' It is information that relates to the conduct of the ``foreign affairs of the United States.'' That is just about any piece of information about a foreign country. prgtoken Who can the government target to get all of this information? Anybody ``expected to possess, receive, and/or is likely to communicate'' that information. So if you unpack that, you don't have to be a terrorist suspect or any kind of threat to the United States to be a target under section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The government just has to think you know something the government wants to know. prgtoken That is why so many Americans--, s, and Independents--are worried about getting their private communications swept up. They are law-abiding people, as I have been saying-- servicemembers, businesspeople, Americans who, on a regular basis, talk to friends, families, and contacts overseas. They are worried because, based on what the law says, which I have just read, those foreigners could be the targets, and Americans' communications could be collected by the government. prgtoken Now, for years, I and other Members of the Congress--both Houses, both parties--tried to at least get an estimate of how many law-abiding Americans' communications hav
URGENT NATIONAL PRIORITIES
Betty McCollum (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2018-1-17

the Party has total control of Washington. Yet, instead of fulfilling their responsibilities to fund the government, President and the s wasted the last 4 months on their tax scam. prgtoken Because they haven't done their jobs, s now tell us we need to kick the can down the road again. Minnesotans and Americans deserve better. We need a budget deal that keeps our government open, protects our national security, meets our commitments to hardworking families. We need to reauthorize community health centers which will otherwise be forced to lay off healthcare workers. We need to protect workers' retirements by enacting responsible pension reform. And, yes, we must pass the Dream Act. prgtoken There is bipartisan support for these priorities. The only thing standing in the way is 's failure to govern responsibly. prgtoken , it is time for President and the s to end the chaos and to work across the aisle to meet the urgent needs of the American people.
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017--Continued
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2018-1-17

when the Sun rose last Saturday in Hawaii, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. People on Kauai were getting ready to participate in the local march to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Families were sitting around the table eating breakfast. Others were sleeping in after a long week of work. prgtoken At 8:07, everything changed. Mobile phones throughout Hawaii received an emergency alert in all capital letters informing them of a ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii and that this was not a drill. The terror and panic were real, and people's reactions reflected that. Parents passed their children through manhole covers into the sewers, seeking safety for them. Separated family members took to the highways, driving as fast as 100 miles per hour to get home. Some had to decide whether to rush to be with their spouse or their children. prgtoken Then 38 minutes later, an emergency alert came through saying that there was no missile threat--false alarm. The relief was palpable. This relief gave way to real, visceral anger. Anger that there was a false alarm. Anger that it took 38 minutes to alert the public. Anger that we faced a missile threat at all. prgtoken This incident has undermined the public's faith in our State government's ability to provide timely and accurate information about a potential crisis. At a time when we face heightened tensions around the world--and particularly with regard to North Korea--it is crucial that the people of Hawaii have confidence in the government to provide accurate information. That is why I am calling for a thorough, transparent investigation into what occurred. We need a full accounting of the human and system failures that occurred, and we need to identify and put in place specific steps to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. prgtoken What we do know is that the incident was a result of human error. An operator mistakenly triggered the alert. Although the error was discovered quickly, we need to better understand the circumstances that led up to the incident. We need to understand how the operator was trained. We need to identify and understand any other potential issues that resulted in this specific human error. prgtoken The State has appointed an investigator to get to the bottom of this, and the State legislature is scheduled to be briefed on preliminary findings this Friday. Once the circumstances that precipitated this error are identified, we, of course, need to correct them as quickly as possible. prgtoken Concurrently, we need to understand the system failures that resulted both in the false alert and in the 38-minute delay before the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, or Hawaii EMA, issued a correction. Why did Hawaii EMA officials believe they needed approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, to issue a correction? The Secretary of Homeland Security told me at a hearing yesterday that no such permiss