mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PUBLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
Glenn Thompson (Republican, PA) \u2014 2019-3-26

this week, our Nation celebrates Public Schools Week. It is a time when we acknowledge the diversity and success of our public schools and the sound education that they provide. Strengthening America's public schools is the best way to ensure our children's future success and our country's prosperity. prgtoken Ninety percent of American children attend public schools. This week, supporters across the country will share stories of the many schools, students, and professionals who make public schools such vital components of our communities. This includes parents who are working hard to improve educational outcomes for children. Advocates nationwide will share scores of stories about public school students and their successes. prgtoken , public school teachers truly make a difference in the lives of our students. They prepare them for bright and successful futures. It is prgtoken their dedication to our students that builds strong public schools and, therefore, strong communities. prgtoken As a senior member of the Education and Labor Committee and a product of public schools, I know the incredible role our schools play in communities across the Nation. prgtoken Public schools today have much good news to share, from increasing graduation rates and reduced dropout rates, to improved ratings given by communities on school performance. prgtoken Public schools welcome every child, regardless of ability, race, wealth, language, country of origin, or needs. By strengthening the public school system, we strengthen the democracy of our country. prgtoken Supporting public schools today will build a stronger workforce for tomorrow. The future of our Nation to produce in the manufacturing industry, the farm, and the information age will be based on the investment we make today in supporting public schools. Schools today are integrating the new ideas that are being explored by businesses and industry. prgtoken Strong public schools are vital to our national security. Our military's success is dependent on members who can apply their knowledge and skills to navigate the increasingly complex tools that keep our country safe. prgtoken In many communities, the school district is the largest employer. Teachers, bus drivers, administrators, cafeteria workers, coaches, and facilities management all depend on the school district, and all these jobs contribute to the fabric of a community. Communities are stronger and schools are better when we all work together to support public education. prgtoken Public schools also make sure kids receive at least one nutritious meal a day. More than 30 million school lunches are served each day, including 20 million free and 2 million reduced priced lunches. For some students, the only meal that they receive will be the one that they get at school. prgtoken , a child's opportunity for success should not be left to chance. Every child needs a quality, well-equipped school right in their neighbo
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
David Perdue (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-3-26

I rise tonight to talk about something we don't see very often in this body. We saw a bipartisan effort today to move to regular order, to actually put a bill on this floor, to debate its merits, to make amendments to it, and to try to find a compromise position to do the right thing for the people across many States in our country that have been devastated by untoward disasters just in this last year. prgtoken As many of us know all too well, our country suffered a series of unprecedented natural disasters over the last year. Actually, it is a trend that has gone on over the last couple of years. We have had a series of unprecedented disasters. prgtoken In July, August, and November 2018 alone, wildfires in California displaced hundreds and even thousands of people and destroyed thousands of homes in a very short period of time. These fires were the deadliest and most destructive in California history. prgtoken In August 2018, Hurricane Lane dropped 52 inches of rain over 5 days, causing heavy flooding and mudslides. It ranks as the second wettest tropical cyclone in U.S. history, behind Hurricane Harvey in 2017. prgtoken In September of 2018, Hurricane Florence caused catastrophic damage in North and South Carolina. It flooded homes, schools, and businesses. A week after the hurricane, major highways were still underwater. prgtoken In November 2018, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Alaska and damaged highways and buildings and displaced hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals. prgtoken Earlier this year, an EF-4 tornado flattened Lee County, AL, and took 23 lives, including 3 children, and injured hundreds of others. prgtoken Today, our friends in the Midwest are suffering from devastating flooding. Roads have been washed away, fields look like lakes, and many cattle have been drowned. As a matter of fact, this flood happened just at the wrong time--during calving--and we know that thousands of calves have been lost. prgtoken My home State of Georgia has not been immune and is indeed at this moment reeling from a natural disaster as well. prgtoken On October 10, 2018, Hurricane Michael made landfall on the Florida Panhandle with a category 4 hurricane. It was one of the strongest storms to ever hit the United States. Over the next few hours, Hurricane Michael barreled through Florida, tore through southwest Georgia, and moved on to North Carolina and South Carolina, doing immense damage. In a matter of hours, homes were flattened, tracts of timber destroyed, crops were ruined, and people's lives were radically changed forever. This hurricane hit exactly at a time when most crops were ready to be harvested. Cotton, peanuts, pecans, timber--it was devastating. Nothing was spared. prgtoken Today, agriculture is Georgia's top industry and our No. 1 economic driver. Before the hurricane, farmers in my State were expecting a record harvest in many commodity categories. Instead, just at the time when ha
HONORING THE LAKE HAVASU CITY VETERANS TREATMENT COURT
Paul A. Gosar (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2019-3-26

. Madam , I rise today to honor the Lake Havasu City Veterans Treatment Court located in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. My district is home to 90,000 veterans and the Lake Havasu City Veterans Treatment Court has proven to be one of the most effective programs in improving the lives of our nation's veterans. prgtoken The Lake Havasu City Veterans Treatment Court was awarded a SAMHSA grant of almost a million dollars over a three-year period, beginning in September 2017, one of four Veterans Treatment Courts in the country to receive this grant. The grant aims to benefit veterans who are participants of the Veterans Treatment Court and those who are ineligible to receive local VA treatment services. The grant also merged the Lake Havasu City and Kingman Veterans Treatment Courts in order to benefit all the veterans of Mohave County. prgtoken The success of the program speaks for itself. Over a five year period, the program has only experienced a 6.5 percent recidivism rate amongst graduates. When the graduates were asked what they felt was most helpful in the program, 87.5 percent of graduates felt it was their positive interaction with the judge, 73.6 percent felt it was their community service. prgtoken I want to especially commend Judge Mitchell Kalauli, Veterans Treatment Court Coordinator Colene Lowery, and Court Administrator Jennifer Harrold for their incredible work in leading this program. They truly represent what is great about this country and the state of Arizona. The veterans of Mohave County and the entire state of Arizona are incredibly grateful for their hard work.
TERMINATION OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON FEBRUARY 15, 2019--VETO MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Mike Rogers (Republican, AL) \u2014 2019-3-26

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for the time. prgtoken Today I rise in strong support of securing our borders. There is a crisis at the southwest border that can no longer be denied. prgtoken Changing demographics have created unprecedented challenges for Border Patrol agents. Today, record large groups of women and children from Central American countries are overwhelming Border Patrol facilities and undermining the safety of migrants and staff. prgtoken Family apprehensions for fiscal year 2019 are already 800 percent higher than fiscal year 2013. prgtoken Customs and Border Protection statistics indicate that border apprehensions are on pace to hit a 10-year high. prgtoken Human smugglers are exploiting loopholes in our broken immigration system and using children as visas to gain entry into the U.S. prgtoken Further, drugs are pouring through our porous borders. As you just heard the gentleman mention, in fiscal year 2018, Customs and Border Protection seized almost 900,000 pounds of drugs at the border, the majority of which were seized between the ports of entry. That includes approximately 2,000 pounds of fentanyl, which equals a lethal dose for the entire United States population. prgtoken To address this crisis, we need an all-of-the-above solution to border security that includes manpower, 21st century technology, and a barrier. With this approach, we will stem the flow of drugs that are devastating our communities. We will stop human smugglers and others from crossing hundreds of miles of open desert with innocent children. prgtoken Border security used to be a bipartisan issue. I have been on the Homeland Security Committee since it was established as a select committee after 9/11. prgtoken Not one time in the history of that committee has there been any partisan dispute about the need for a barrier, the wall, until became President, and now it is a toxic issue. prgtoken I stand by President 's actions to keep Americans safe, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. Vote against the effort to override the President's veto.
The Green New Deal (Executive Session)
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2019-3-26

. for that. prgtoken I want to acknowledge the support and partnership I have had with Senator Cantwell. She and I come from differing views on certain issues, but throughout our time as the chair and the ranking on the committee, we really did work to try to advance some of these solutions, where--I think we would both agree--there is common ground. Again, advancing that is important. It is important for the progress we are making. It is making a difference. It is helping to reduce the emissions. It is helping to move us toward greater efficiency. prgtoken So let's not pooh-pooh the small things. Let's acknowledge that building things together, you do elevate yourself--but we have to start. If we keep dividing ourselves, then we are not going to come together to build these bridges. prgtoken I thank my friend from Washington State who has worked hard on the committee to advance this and continues to do so. prgtoken .
TERMINATION OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON FEBRUARY 15, 2019--VETO MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Eric A. "Rick" Crawford (Republican, AR) \u2014 2019-3-26

. Madam , I thank the gentleman from Missouri for his leadership on this issue. prgtoken Madam , today the House will vote on whether or not to override the President's veto preserving the emergency declaration regarding the ongoing crisis at the southern border, and I am glad we finally acknowledged on a bipartisan basis that there is, in fact, a crisis on the southern border. My friend from Oregon mentioned that this humanitarian crisis exists, and I couldn't agree more. prgtoken There is also another crisis at the border. There has been a 295 percent increase in apprehensions of illegal immigrants crossing our southwest border from beyond Mexico--particularly Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador--over the last 10 years, roughly. There have been 266 arrests of criminal aliens in the last 2 fiscal years alone, and these include criminal aliens charged or convicted of assaults, sex crimes, and killings, and those are hardly victimless crimes. prgtoken In 2017, more than 70,000 Americans died of drug overdoses as methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl are flooding across the border, and I would say that probably the families of those 70,000 would argue that we certainly do have a crisis attributed to the problems at our southern border. Since fiscal year 2012, CBP has seized more than 11 million pounds of drugs between ports of entry, that is compared with only 4 million pounds at ports of entry. prgtoken Make no mistake, there is a crisis at our southern border. Since October of last year, illegal crossings have spiked. In February alone, the month President declared the emergency, 76,000 people illegally crossed the border. Just yesterday, the Border Patrol took the highly unusual step of closing inland border checkpoints in response to abnormally high apprehensions. All of this goes to show that we need a border wall. prgtoken The Customs and Border Protection Commissioner put it best when he said that this is clearly both a border security and a humanitarian crisis. The President attempted to remedy this crisis by declaring the emergency, an action well within his statutory authority and constitutional obligation to protect our country. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues to oppose this veto override.
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
Deb Fischer (Republican, NE) \u2014 2019-3-26

I rise to speak to the historic flooding that has devastated hundreds of communities throughout my home State of Nebraska. prgtoken After a long, cold, and snow-filled winter, the catastrophic storm known as a bomb cyclone struck Western Nebraska with extreme blizzard conditions, while the central and eastern portions of the State were ravaged by record-setting floods. What were small streams became raging rivers, pouring over the banks, and breaching levees to flood towns and farmland. prgtoken The floods, which carried car-sized blocks of ice in some areas, isolated entire communities and deposited sand, mud, and debris over large areas of our land. prgtoken Homes have been destroyed, roads and bridges ripped apart, businesses and schools forced to close for an uncertain period of time. It is with a heavy heart that I say that three Nebraskans have lost their lives as a result of this storm: James Wilke, a farmer from Columbus; Aleido Rojas Galan of Norfolk; and Betty Hamernik of Columbus. I send my sincere condolences to their families. Their loved ones will not be forgotten. prgtoken Cities like Fremont and farms across the State became islands, leaving people and livestock stranded. The bomb cyclone has demolished thousands of acres of family farmland and ranchland, resulting in a devastating number of livestock deaths and demolished farms, grain bins, hay supply, and farm equipment. prgtoken One farmer recorded that he lost 700 of his hogs after 7 feet of floodwater swept through his land within minutes. A top concern for our ag producers is how do we replace ruined feed and the countless miles of washed-out fences. prgtoken The Nebraska Department of Agriculture initially projects that the damages will total a loss of $440 million in crop losses and another $400 million in cattle losses. The devastation continues to grow as our farmers and ranchers across Nebraska assess lost land use and more livestock deaths. prgtoken I heard from ranchers in Central and Western Nebraska who fought through this blizzard during calving, and what I heard most was that even though they suffered losses, they knew of others who were worse off. prgtoken Farmers stood looking at once fertile land now covered with sand, mud, and unimaginably huge slabs and chunks of ice. They are worried what the future will bring. prgtoken I agree with Gov. Pete Ricketts, as he has called this catastrophic weather ``the most widespread disaster we have had in our state's history.'' prgtoken Water from the Missouri River and Papio Creek has overwhelmed the southeastern side of Offutt Air Force Base and rendered some parts of the base as inoperable. I welcomed Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson to survey the flood damage at the base. Some buildings were filled with nearly 8 feet of water. Offutt leadership provided us with a preliminary damage assessment and discussed the response efforts that were successfully taken by the
HONORING THE CABLE-SATELLITE PUBLIC AFFAIRS NETWORK
Kevin McCarthy (Republican, CA) \u2014 2019-3-26

. Madam , I want to thank the for yielding, and I also want to wish her a very happy birthday. prgtoken Madam , I rise to celebrate a milestone in the history of open and accessible government. Now, many of us here and across the country were first introduced as a child to how government works through our Saturday morning cartoons in Schoolhouse Rock's ``I'm Just a Bill on Capitol Hill,'' but giving life to the animation, C-SPAN has taken the education and turned it into experience. prgtoken Over the last 40 years, C-SPAN has ensured the country experienced some of the most consequential and memorable moments that transpired right here in this body. prgtoken On the 50th anniversary of the Selma civil rights march, John Lewis reminded us of the quiet dignity of the 600 Americans who put their lives on the line that this Nation might live up to the promises made in its founding documents. As John Lewis said, Our country will never, ever be the same because of what happened on this bridge. C-SPAN was there. prgtoken At the height of the Iraq war, Sam Johnson, a Vietnam veteran and POW, gave a powerful salute to our soldiers and taught us an important lesson about patriotism and service before self. We are better as a country because of the example Sam Johnson set. C-SPAN was there. prgtoken Throughout these 40 years of experiences that have changed the culture of history, from the Contract with America to the election of the first woman , even capturing the lighthearted moments of humor that can make their way in to times of very serious debate, C- SPAN captured it all. prgtoken This is important because the rise of the internet and the new media environment has only reinforced the need for C-SPAN's unfiltered coverage and unbiased programing. Now more than ever people must be able to form their own opinions. They need objective coverage, access to balanced analysis, and the opportunity to debate their views with others in good faith. C-SPAN does just that. prgtoken Madam , James Madison believed that representative government did more than cater to individual interests. He said that one of its key advantages was that it refined and enlarged the public view about the common good. For the last 40 years, C-SPAN has been an irreplaceable tool for accomplishing Madison's vision. prgtoken I know I speak for the whole House in congratulating C-SPAN for four decades of coverage.
RECOGNIZING CLARK COUNTY'S BICENTENNIAL
John Shimkus (Republican, IL) \u2014 2019-3-26

. Madam , Illinois' Clark County was formed in 1819 out of Crawford County. At the time of its formation, Clark County included about a third of Illinois and extended as far north as the present state of Wisconsin. Clark County was so large that it gave birth to many of its sister counties: Pike County and Fayette County in 1821, Edgar County two years later, and Coles County in 1830. prgtoken Clark County enjoys an illustrious history. The county was named for George Rogers Clark, the older brother of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. George Rogers Clark was an officer of the army of Virginia that captured the Northwest Territory from the British during the Revolutionary War. prgtoken Clark County's first courthouse was a log house located in Aurora, and the county seat was in Darwin Township, but by popular vote Marshall was designated the new seat in 1839. In the late 1800s, county leaders believed they were outgrowing their latest building, so a fourth courthouse was built in 1887. The current courthouse, which is the county's fifth, has been in place since 1903. prgtoken The people of Clark County have planned many festivities to celebrate their bicentennial this year. The celebration began on January 9th with Clark County Trivia Night, and commemorative activities will extend to October. I am honored to be a part of that celebration. prgtoken Madam , I ask that we pay tribute to those hearty people who first settled in Clark County, and to the pioneering spirit that lives today in all its citizens. I stand today to salute Clark County on its 200th anniversary and to wish it the very best in the future.
TRIBUTE TO TERRY DUPREE
James M. Inhofe (Republican, OK) \u2014 2019-3-26

today I wish to recognize Terry Dupree, a gentleman who has worked diligently serving the people of Oklahoma throughout his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 38 years. prgtoken Terry began his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service performing work involving the conservation, propagation, management, protection, and administration of wildlife species. Terry dedicated his life to implementing and advancing practices necessary for the conservation and management of wildlife resources and habitats. His experience and expertise has proven invaluable to the fish and wildlife community throughout his career. prgtoken This hard work eventually led him to become a leader within the Partner for Fish and Wildlife Program, which provides technical and financial assistance for the restoration and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat on private lands. I am incredibly proud of the work he has put in over the years for the people of our great State of Oklahoma. prgtoken I want to thank Terry Dupree on his years of service and wish him well in his retirement. prgtoken Well done, Terry.
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2019-3-26

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.