mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IN RECOGNITION OF DR. ED HELTON
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2020-12-15

. Madam , it is my honor and pleasure to extend my congratulations to a gifted educator, great team builder, loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend of longstanding, Dr. Ed Helton. Dr. Helton will retire from Columbus State University (CSU) on Wednesday, December 16, 2020, after a distinguished career that culminated in his selection as Interim Chief of Staff for the University. prgtoken Dr. Ed Helton earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and English and a Master of Arts in Philosophy and Religion from Samford University, and a Doctor of Divinity from Judson College. He has been a student of leadership development and communication throughout his career. In addition to his educational achievements, Dr. Helton completed the Executive Education course, The Art and Practice of Leadership Development, at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in May of 2013. And in March 2015, he attended Minds at Work's Immunity to Change (ITC) instrument training in Cambridge, Massachusetts. prgtoken For almost two decades, Dr. Helton has been a highly trusted leader in the higher education sector. He built quite an impressive career, which began in 2002 when he became an Adjunct Professor in Philosophy at CSU. In 2004, in addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Helton started serving as a consultant with CSU's Leadership Institute, where he became instrumental in promoting the Institute. In May 2005, he assumed the position as Director of the Leadership Institute at the Cunningham Center for Leadership Development. Dr. Helton played an integral part in the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum that brought distinguished leaders to Columbus, Georgia such as Former President , Former First Lady Laura , Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban, and Dr. Mae Jemison, among others. prgtoken A man of many talents, Dr. Helton is certified by several leadership organizations that qualifies him as an expert on team building, conflict resolution, and human behavior. Ed is also an ordained minister whose spiritual insights inform his extraordinary ability to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the human character. He has also lent his time and talents to serve as a consultant and keynote speaker for a wide range of other organizations. prgtoken Winston Churchill once said: ``You make your living by what you get, you make your life by what you give.'' Dr. Ed Helton has given so much to Columbus State University, his community, his friends, and most importantly, his God. Ed has cast a wide net in his service to humankind, and the world is a better place because of his work. prgtoken Ed has accomplished much in his life, but none of this would have been possible without the Grace of God and the love and support of his wife, Lana, and his son, Brett. prgtoken On a personal note, Ed has had a significant impact on my life, both personally and professionally. He
IN HONOR OF ADAM EISEN
Jackie Speier (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-12-15

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Adam Eisen who served on the Half Moon Bay City Council for four years, the last year as Mayor. Mayor Eisen is one of the most energetic and optimistic public servants with whom I've had the honor to work. prgtoken When Adam ran for city council in 2016, he would have never imagined the challenges the year 2020 would present him while he was mayor of this beautiful coastal town of 13,000. He had to respond to a global pandemic not seen in a century, the resulting economic downturn, devastating wildfires ravaging California communities, and a national social justice movement demanding racial equity. prgtoken Adam was a regular presence on weekly county briefings that included more than 200 public officials from school districts, cities, the county, the state and the federal government. In weekly newsletters, Adam relayed much of that information about Covid-19 to residents, from case numbers to testing to business closures, school closures and beach closures. In the early days of the pandemic during the stay at home order, the entire county of San Mateo flocked to the coast to get away and get outside. Local beaches and parking lots resembled Times Square during New Year's Eve. Safety concerns motivated Adam to initiate a five mile from home shelter in place order for the county. As an avid surfer and outdoors enthusiast, this was counterintuitive, but Adam prgtoken saw it as a necessary tool to slow community spread of the deadly virus. prgtoken In mid-August, lightening struck, literally. More than 14,000 lightening strikes set off a series of 650 wildfires, eventually burning over two million acres in California. One of the fires, the CZU Lightening Complex, burned in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, Adam rose to the occasion and responded to this disaster on top of the Covid disaster. He coordinated with other officials to assure emergency vehicles had access to hotspots. He set up Smith Field to assist evacuated fire victims. prgtoken Adam was drawn to public service by three broad and ambitious goals. He wanted community members to be involved, he wanted to engage a younger constituency, and he wanted to have the most qualified staff work for the city. prgtoken Shortly after Adam and his wife Katherine moved to Half Moon Bay from Connecticut, a tractor ran into a bridge that he used to bike to his mother's house. The damaged bridge was demolished and his path to his mom's was gone. He attended multiple council meetings lobbying to fix the bridge. With his typical optimism, he later told the local newspaper: ``The bridge did get fixed; it just took a few years and it's fantastic.'' prgtoken As a devoted father of two young children, Kaleb, 12 and Ezra, 9, Adam wanted to make sure young families and younger people were represented on the council. He created an open channel of communication and made sure their voices were heard. prgtoken During his tenure on the council, Ad
REMEMBERING REVEREND JAMES L. NETTERS
Steve Cohen (Democrat, TN) \u2014 2020-12-15

. Madam , I rise today to remember a giant of the Memphis community--the Reverend James LaVirt Netters Sr who passed on Sunday at the age of 93. Reverend Netters served more than 60 years as the senior pastor of Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Westwood. Reverend Netters graduated from the historic Booker T. Washington High School, which produced other noted alumni such as civil rights activist Maxine Smith and civil rights attorney Judge Russell B. Sugarmon Jr. He went on to graduate from LeMoyne-Owen College, a historically Black college. He was a Memphis City Schools teacher when he responded to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s clarion call for jobs and freedom and attended the 1963 March on Washington. He returned to Memphis galvanized to address integrated public accommodations, getting arrested, like Rosa Parks, and encouraging other ministers to join him, in sitting in whites-only sections of buses in demonstrations that resulted in desegregating the system. Determined to make a difference in the lives of Black people, he turned to electoral politics. He was one of the first three Black City Council members sworn into office in January 1968, along with the Reverend J.O. Patterson and Fred Davis, and worked tirelessly behind the scenes during the Sanitation Workers Strike that led to the assassination of Dr. King that year. After his Council service, he was an administrative assistant and served as a community liaison for Memphis Mayor Wyeth Chandler from 1972 to 1975. He later received a master's degree and a doctorate in Divinity from Memphis Theological Seminary, where a faculty chair in Rhetoric and African American Studies is named in his honor. Reverend Netters was a stand-up pastor whose friendships and influence knew no bounds. He was the longest- serving pastor of a single church in the City of Memphis and was respected for his moral authority. Other pastors and ministers held him in high regard for his leadership, activism, commitment to ministry and the community, and his focus-driven life. Noted for his work outside the church as well, Reverend Netters served on the board and as chairman of the Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division. MLG&W's business center building is named in his honor, as is a portion of Third Street--James L. Netters Parkway. An open-minded leader and a man of impeccable character, he respected all people; there was not a prejudiced bone in his body. He reached across all religious, gender, political and racial groups as a respected bridge that brought all of Memphis together. I appreciated his friendship and his solid support, especially during my early runs for Congress. I was honored to take him as my guest to the annual Congressional Prayer Breakfast where he was pleased to meet with President . I express my profound condolences to his family and to the Mount Vernon Baptist Church community he served so well. He led an exemplary life and will be missed.
Coronavirus (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2020-12-15

it was a hopeful day yesterday as the first COVID vaccines in the United States were distributed to healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID battle, and later this week, the FDA will hold a meeting on an emergency use authorization for Moderna's COVID vaccine, meaning that we could have a second coronavirus vaccine authorized before Christmas. prgtoken If all goes well, we expect to have 100 million Americans vaccinated by March. That is a pretty amazing statistic when you consider that just a year ago, we didn't even know about the virus, and it is a tribute to the innovative power of the private sector and the efforts of Congress and the administration to expedite vaccine development. It has been a long, hard year, but the light at the end of the tunnel is coming. prgtoken But, while yesterday was an encouraging day, we have more work to do on the COVID front. prgtoken First, we all need to keep following the CDC's recommendations. The rollout of Pfizer's vaccine is wonderful news, but cases in the United States are still surging. Until we can get a lot more people vaccinated, we need to do everything we can to slow the spread of the virus and avoid overwhelming our hospitals. prgtoken Second, we need to pass another COVID bill here in Congress to provide additional funding for vaccines and deliver other urgently needed relief to our fellow Americans. s, of course, have been trying to pass additional COVID legislation literally for months, and I am encouraged that, in the past few weeks, a number of have stepped forward to work with the s to develop bipartisan legislation. Just yesterday, a bipartisan group of Senators released legislation along the lines of what the majority leader has advocated-- targeted relief that focuses on our most critical needs in the areas where s and agree. This includes important COVID priorities like vaccine funding, money for schools, and help for the hardest hit small businesses. prgtoken The s and ' ideal COVID bills might look very different, but there are a number of things that all of us agree need to be addressed, and we should--in fact, we must--pass legislation to take care of those priorities. I am thinking about vaccine distribution especially. We have been blessed with not one but two viable vaccines, with more on the horizon. We can't afford to undermine this success by failing to provide the resources that are necessary for widespread distribution. prgtoken The ball is in the Senate ic leader and Pelosi's court. We have bipartisan support for targeted relief to address our most critical priorities. In fact, the ic leader in the House noted on Sunday: I think we need to get an agreement, and we need to get this bill passed. . . . Nobody ever gets everything they want. And . . . it's critically important that we deal with the
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-12-15

over the last 4 years, our country has benefited from a Presidential term filled with major accomplishments. President has repeatedly surprised the skeptics, confounded his critics, and delivered significant policy victories that have strengthened our country. prgtoken Case in point, back in May, when the President set the goal of finding a pandemic-ending vaccine by the end of this year, his timeline was literally dismissed by people who assumed they knew better. prgtoken Here is one quote: `` promises coronavirus vaccine by the end of year,'' scoffed one headline, ``but his own experts temper expectations.'' ``Fact check'' complained another headline, ``Coronavirus vaccine could come this year, says. Experts say he needs a `miracle' to be right.'' prgtoken Well, with the genius of science, support from Congress, and the bold leadership of the administration, that medical miracle arrived right on schedule. Americans on the frontlines are receiving vaccinations as we speak. prgtoken This episode offers a kind of microcosm of the last 4 years. On so many subjects--from economic prosperity to foreign policy, to protecting American families--the skeptics doubted him. The critics derided him. But President has delivered. prgtoken When President ran for office, he promised to help open a new chapter for working families. After 8 years of failed policies that concentrated wealth and optimism among the lucky few, prosperity was going to flow to all kinds of workers in all kinds of communities, he said. And that is exactly what happened. prgtoken Before this pandemic spread from China and the world had to slam on the brakes, the American people had the best job market in living memory. With help from the policies of President and s in Congress, American workers dynamited the stagnation that experts had said was ``the new normal.'' Unemployment hit a 50-year low. Capital markets hit record highs. prgtoken And this time, all kinds of Americans got to share in the gains. We saw earnings grow faster for workers than for managers, faster for the bottom 25 than for the top 25. This success was fueled in part by the policy leadership of President . prgtoken This administration pursued bold regulatory changes. Once-in-a- generation tax reform had eluded prior leaders. This President signed it into law in his first year. prgtoken And together we repealed the worst part of Care. The unfair individual mandate was zeroed out. prgtoken President also took historic steps to strengthen the future of our prgtoken trade with the world. He secured the historic United States-Mexico- Canada Agreement and the bilateral tax treaties with partners in Europe and in Asia. prgtoken A nation this productive needs plenty of energy to keep it going. Fortunately, President and his administration ended the ideological war on fossil fuels and hit the accelerator
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2020-12-15

I am pleased that we've finally agreed on language to enhance penalties for female genital mutilation, or FGM, a truly horrible practice. s in the House who worked with me on this issue. prgtoken More than 200 million women and girls alive today in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the United States have fallen victim to this monstrous practice. Researchers estimate more than 500,000 women and girls in the U.S. have experienced or are at risk of falling victim to FGM. prgtoken I introduced legislation on this subject earlier this year, and, although the final language adopted by the House in H.R. 6100 doesn't include the protections I championed in a legally precise manner, it will send a strong message that Congress condemns the violent and disgusting butchery of young girls and women in this country. prgtoken Federal law bans the practice of FGM. However, in 2018, a district judge in Michigan found unconstitutional under Commerce Clause grounds the Federal statute banning FGM. Rather than appeal, the Department of Justice's Solicitor General wrote a letter asking Congress to amend the law to address the constitutional problem. I ask unanimous consent that this letter be printed in the Record following my remarks. prgtoken The bill I introduced in response to this request, S. 2017, the Federal Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act of 2019, fixes the constitutional defects by adding specific commerce clause-focused language to the current law. It is a straightforward change that would make the existing statute consistent with Supreme Court precedent. prgtoken The House version of my bill will go a long way in protecting women and girls from FGM, but I remain convinced Congress can and should go even further to prevent this barbarity. Because H.R. 6100 only criminalizes FGM acts committed for nonmedical reasons, it creates a loophole in the form of a medical benefits defense. Criminal defendants could leverage this defense against their victims by claiming they performed FGM to prevent infections, inflammation, or sexually transmitted diseases, all common excuses in countries where FGM is widespread. Unlike the old law, the burden is now on the government to prove the act was not done for medical reasons. Previously, it was the defendant's burden to prove the act was not medically necessary, per 18 U.S.C. 116(b). prgtoken While medical issues are commonly contested in FGM cases, the addition of a new element for the government to prove as part of its case-in-chief makes it tougher to prosecute perpetrators. prgtoken Furthermore, section 5 of H.R. 6100 declares that the Michigan district court decision on interstate commerce is erroneous. That language squarely conflicts with the Solicitor General's letter to Congress, which asserts the exact opposite. prgtoken A fix-it law should make a defective law better, not introduce new problems or make it easier for
ORDERS FOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2020
Ben Sasse (Republican, NE) \u2014 2020-12-15

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, December 16; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Crytzer nomination; further, that notwithstanding rule XXII, all postcloture time on the Crytzer nomination expire at 11:30 tomorrow; finally, if confirmed, the motion to reconsider with respect to the Crytzer nomination be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
Save Our Seas 2.0 Act (Executive Calendar)
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2020-12-15

. Let me wrap up here by mentioning that, as we already talked about, the Congressional Research Service has called this the most comprehensive ocean cleanup legislation ever to come out of the Congress. As Senator Whitehouse said, 6 years ago, we were starting at nothing. And then we got Save Our Seas 1.0, primarily about cleaning up our own coastlines. prgtoken There are a lot of funny stories there, but we did have a really interesting--and I thought entertaining--signing ceremony at the White House with the President and Senator Whitehouse. The two hadn't met before. They got along really well, particularly talking about this issue. And it did motivate the administration to start focusing more. You may have seen in the new NAFTA, the USMCA, the first trade agreement has a whole section on ocean cleanup and a whole section on fisheries and sustainable fisheries. This is a really important precedent for the U.S. government, regardless of party. prgtoken As Senator Menendez mentioned, a lot of focus internationally. I want to thank him again, in terms of the Foreign Relations Committee. Our ability to help other countries--we are certainly not perfect, but the big challenge on a lot of the oceans, in terms of cleanup and what comes onto the shores of the United States, what comes onto the shores of Alaska in terms of plastics and pollution, comes from overseas. We need to help there. As Senator Whitehouse also mentioned, improving our domestic infrastructure to prevent marine debris--so we are setting our own example, not just helping other countries--and then enhancing our own domestic response. prgtoken Senator Whitehouse mentioned this Marine Debris Foundation. This is a congressionally chartered private organization. There are not many in the country. This is a big deal. Thank the Red Cross. Thank the American Legion. These are congressionally chartered organizations that will give this effort public-private partnership energy to address the problem. That is exactly what we are focused on here, and that is why we thought it was so important to have a Marine Debris Foundation as an enduring element of the U.S. leadership that is now exemplified by Save our Seas 2.0. prgtoken I will mention one final thing. You know, one of the things that I thought was very important--we are going to keep this together--is we worked hard not to single out one industry or one area: Hey, you are not doing a good job; you need to get your act together. What we said when we put this bill together is we are going to bring in all the stakeholders--, s, the executive branch, Federal agencies, industry, key environmental groups, ocean conservancy, World Wildlife Foundation--and get everybody together--the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, which is an initiative in the private sector, and say: What can we do together to solve this problem? That is what we did. All the stakeholders came together. Everybody wo
RECOGNIZING THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE 389TH FIGHTER SQUADRON
Tom Cotton (Republican, AR) \u2014 2020-12-15

the U.S. Air Force's 389th Fighter Squadron--known, respected, and feared around the globe as the Thunderbolts--flew downrange from the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho to support Operations Inherent Resolve and Spartan Shield from October 2019 until June 2020. Led by Lt. Col. Rod ``Brick'' James, the squadron of F-15E Strike Eagles deployed to the United States Central Command area of responsibility for the fight against the Islamic State. prgtoken During its historic combat deployment, the T-Bolts employed 263 munitions of myriad types during over 2,600 sorties and a record 13,000 combat hours throughout CENTCOM. Demonstrating the rapid, agile, and lethal characteristics of airpower, the 389th executed close air support for troops in Syria and Iraq. In addition to CAS, the Squadron Weapons section loaded the first Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, AGM-158, expended in combat by the 366th Fighter Wing, for just one of a host of special missions. All the while a deterrent, the T-Bolts stood ready to defeat Iranian aggression if the call came. Finally, they stayed in the fight 50 percent longer than planned to ensure COVID-19 did not cause any loss of support to those who needed Strike Eagles overhead. prgtoken Throughout their deployment, the men and women of the 389th Fighter Squadron and Aircraft Maintenance Unit performed exceptionally under intense combat pressures executing a new, highly mobile deployment construct during a pandemic. The Thunderbolts represent the best America has to offer. They ride hard, shoot straight, and always speak the truth. I join all grateful Americans in congratulating this outstanding team on a job well done. Banzai.