mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-6-13

I rise today in support of Senator Reed's amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. prgtoken The Reed amendment would restore congressional oversight of the development of new, low-yield nuclear weapons. prgtoken Since 1994, Congress has limited the Department of Energy's work on low-yield weapons. We have done so for two reasons. prgtoken First, many of us believe the true purpose of low-yield nuclear weapons is not to deter nuclear attack, but rather to fight unwinnable nuclear wars. We are only fooling ourselves if we believe nuclear wars can be won. prgtoken Second, we already have sufficient low-yield capabilities. They include nuclear cruise missiles and the B-61 gravity bomb. In fact, today, we are modernizing both. prgtoken We are developing the LRSO, a nuclear cruise missile, at a cost of nearly $20 billion, and we are modernizing the B-61 gravity bomb at a cost of $8 billion. That is nearly $30 billion toward new, low-yield capabilities; yet some in this body would go further. prgtoken During the Senate Armed Services Committee's markup of the NDAA, Senator Cotton offered an amendment to eliminate all existing restrictions on the development of new, low-yield weapons. His amendment, which passed on a party line vote, would allow the Secretary of Energy to develop new weapons simply by requesting funding to do so. prgtoken That is an abdication of our constitutional responsibility to oversee spending on the world's most dangerous weapons. I cannot support this action and will oppose this NDAA if Senator Cotton's amendment is retained. prgtoken It was not long ago that we debated this very issue. We would be wise to recall what happened. In 2002, the administration's Nuclear Posture Review urged Congress to loosen congressional restrictions on low-yield weapons. I worked with Senator Kennedy to stop those efforts. With the help of Senator John Warner, we decided that we would allow basic research, but advanced development of new low-yield nuclear weapons would require congressional authorization. That position carried the day by a vote of 96-0 here in the Senate. prgtoken Senator Reed's amendment before us today would preserve Congress's existing role to oversee the development of new nuclear weapons. prgtoken I believe it is absolutely critical that we retain our authority, and I urge my colleagues to support the Reed amendment. Amendment No. 2366
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-6-13

I don't want to make this a cake-tossing contest, but I also want it understood that my colleague from Oregon has done an invaluable service to the country by showing the importance of what is happening at the border, where there is an effort in effect to traumatize children and separate kids from their parents. I look forward to working with my colleague when we do some work on it in Oregon. I certainly don't want to hold up my friend from Virginia, and I appreciate Senator Murphy. prgtoken Before I came to the Congress, I was codirector of the Oregon Gray Panthers, a senior citizens group, for about 7 years. Back then, we were talking about ways in which to move forward on healthcare, to advance the rights of our people, to improve the quality of life in this country. There was often a bipartisan coalition to do that, to make those advancements. prgtoken In the last year, however, there has been an unprecedented effort to turn back the healthcare clock. We see it with the effort to sell junk insurance, which, in effect, involves the Health and Human Services Department saying to States: Well, it is really pretty much OK to discriminate; just don't be too obvious about it. Then we saw the effort to strip away the Medicaid guarantee of nursing home coverage for older people. prgtoken Now, Senator Murphy, Senator Kaine, and my colleagues are here on the floor to talk about the administration's efforts to unravel the current law that bars insurance companies from beating the stuffing out of people with preexisting conditions. That is the way it used to be, folks. If you had a preexisting condition and you weren't healthy or wealthy--and that is what you face if you have a preexisting condition--you were really in bad shape. If you are healthy, you pay your bills--and you don't have bills. If you are wealthy, you pay the bills. But millions who have preexisting conditions would just get clobbered with premium hikes, so they couldn't get coverage at all. prgtoken Finally, we said in the Affordable Care Act: We are actually going to start moving the clock forward, and we are going to bar insurance companies from discriminating against those with preexisting conditions. This is particularly important for the 67 million women under 65, an enormous number of women in this country who have a preexisting condition, and they have, over the last few years, counted on the healthcare protections I just described in the Affordable Care Act as a healthcare safety net, as a backstop--protections that say they can't be charged more because they need maternity care and other essential services, protections that say they can't be denied coverage due to a preexisting condition, and that means everything from ovarian cancer to asthma. Every year, those who switch jobs or stop working, perhaps to take care of a loved one--and women often perform those roles--now have the assurance that they can have th
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2018-6-13

I have always said our Nation's current healthcare system is in need of repair. That is why we keep coming back to try to fix it and make it better. Every West Virginian deserves access to quality, affordable healthcare, and I am very concerned our country is at risk of moving backward instead of forward. prgtoken When people ask why I voted against repealing the healthcare law, I always say it is because we need to make sure those with preexisting conditions don't go bankrupt paying for basic healthcare. Most people today, if they don't have insurance, and especially those who have had preexisting insurance, are one healthcare crisis away from bankruptcy. What is happening today is an unfortunate political move. The only reason this lawsuit is moving forward is because my friends on the other side have failed more than 50 times trying to repeal it. On top of that, the tax cut bill that just went through had this in it, repealing basically the mandate on healthcare, which throws it into turmoil and is why we are in a lawsuit right now. prgtoken Right now, 20 State attorneys general, including the attorney general of West Virginia, are suing to allow insurance companies to once again deny coverage to West Virginians with preexisting conditions. Every single time they voted for repeal, this is exactly what they were trying to achieve. prgtoken What makes this worse is we have a bipartisan compromise, led by Senator Alexander and Senator Murray, with 12 s and 12 . This bill includes important steps that will prgtoken help reduce healthcare costs for West Virginia families, and this agreement shows what is possible when we put people before politics. What we did is, after the last repeal on the floor failed, we got together and put a fix in. We have a reinsurance program. We have a way to maintain and try to educate people on how they would use their healthcare, their newfound wealth in healthcare, in a more effective and efficient way. prgtoken This is what we should be doing, but, no, there is a political promise to repeal so we keep fighting every angle there is that is being thrown at us. Now there is this last one going through the court system--and having also the judicial system being involved to stop this horrible scourge on the people of my State and all across the country. prgtoken Let me tell you how many West Virginians are impacted. In a State with a little over 1,800,000, this one move right here affects 800,000 West Virginians. We are talking with people who have all types of things that could exist. They could have a child with a heart defect, asthma, you name it. They are going to be able to say: I am sorry, preexisting. We are not going to insure you or the cost will be so high you can't afford it. prgtoken We are impacting too many West Virginians. On Monday, I asked them to share their stories with me and my office--people, real people with whom you can put a fa
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2018-6-13

I rise to speak in favor of the Reed- Warren amendment. prgtoken For months, I have been voicing concerns about the administration's dangerous plans to develop new, more usable low-yield nuclear weapons. Specifically, this Defense bill authorizes the Pentagon to begin developing a new low-yield warhead, which the administration wants to put on our Nation's submarine-launched ballistic missiles. I think this decision is strategically unwise for many reasons. prgtoken I am concerned about discrimination and the risk of rapid escalation into a nuclear conflict. As many experts have publicly suggested, Russia may not be able to distinguish between an incoming Trident missile that poses an existential threat to their nation and a low- yield nuclear missile that is intended to serve as more of a warning. That may be a risk this administration is willing to take, but it is not one I can support. prgtoken I am also not convinced that additional low-yield nuclear weapons are necessary for deterrence. Let's be clear. Together with our allies, the United States brings overwhelming nonnuclear coercive power to the table, but beyond that, the United States already possesses a significant low-yield nuclear arsenal. In fact, we are in the process of spending billions of dollars to upgrade our delivery systems in order to ensure that our flexible deterrent is capable of reaching anyplace, anytime. prgtoken I am troubled by the message that developing new nuclear weapons variants sends to the world about America's commitment to nonproliferation. Our credibility to negotiate with other countries, like North Korea, to demand that it reduce its nuclear arsenal, depends, in part, on the fact that we have long been committed to reducing our own. We must not do anything to jeopardize that progress. prgtoken That is not what this amendment is all about. In fact, I offered an amendment in committee to fence the funding for low-yield SLBM until we can better understand the impact of this new weapon on our Navy and on our obligations as a steward of nonproliferation around the world, but my amendment was not successful. prgtoken I understand that some of our military leaders, and some Members of my own party, genuinely believe this new low-yield weapon is necessary. I know my colleagues approach this seriously, and I know people with good intentions can disagree, but that is exactly the purpose of this Reed-Warren amendment. The point is, we should be having this debate right here in Congress. That is where the debate belongs. prgtoken The impact of the underlying provision currently in the Defense bill is that the Pentagon will not need to come to Congress to ask for permission to develop a new low-yield nuclear weapon in the future. Instead, they can merely notify that they intend to do so and then proceed on their own. If this Defense bill passes in its current form, Congress will have lost our best opportuni
SCOTT PRUITT
Jared Huffman (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-6-13

the administration is the most corrupt in our country's long history. They are enriching themselves and rewarding special interests and campaign donors like nothing we have ever seen. If you need proof, look no further than our polluter in chief, Scott Pruitt. prgtoken Every day brings another Pruitt bombshell. Just today, news broke that, last year, he enlisted a top EPA aide to ask big donors to help his wife find a job, eventually securing her a position with a conservative political group, Judicial Crisis Network. We have learned about similar efforts involving Pruitt's attempt to secure a Chick-fil-A franchise for his wife using EPA resources. prgtoken He raised millions of dollars as attorney general of Oklahoma from oil, gas, and coal companies for his campaign. He chaired a dark-money group that organized State challenges to clean water and clean air protections. He sued the EPA 14 times as Oklahoma AG to block public health protections while raking in campaign contributions from his polluter co-litigants. prgtoken He is facing more than 12 Federal investigations into his corruption, influence peddling, and waste of millions in taxpayer dollars on his lavish lifestyle. prgtoken , in any other administration, at any other time, he would have been fired long ago. It is time for Pruitt to go, and it is time for Congress to do something about the toxic corruption in the administration.
HONORING THE CAREER OF ROBERT C. GAINES, MD, LEAD PHYSICIAN
Salud O. Carbajal (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-6-13

today I rise to celebrate the completion of a prodigious thirty-six-year federal career of Dr. Robert C. Gaines of the VA Santa Barbara Community-Based Outpatient Clinic. prgtoken Following his rigorous medical studies and Residency at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Dr. Robert Gaines joined staff of the prgtoken Santa Barbara VA on July 1, 1982. In 1995, as the youngest primary care physician on staff, Dr. Gaines was promoted to Chief Medical Officer by the VA Greater Los Angeles System, and remained the clinic's leader and advocate for twenty-three years. prgtoken During his decades with the VA, Dr. Gaines has remained unsinkable, despite relentless and conflicting demands, perpetual resource shortages, and high leader turnover within the Los Angeles VA system, and the VA Central Office. prgtoken Despite the persistent challenges of his career, in the last decade Dr. Gaines became a volunteer with the Doctors without Walls and provided weekly ``street medicine'' to the homeless in our community. He also volunteered to be trained for the Federal Employee Response Team, serving victims of disasters in our country. In 2005, along with his VA team, the Santa Barbara Independent honored Dr. Gaines as a ``Local Hero''. prgtoken , I am honored to join with the VA Santa Barbara and the VA Greater Los Angeles in celebrating the exemplary thirty-six-year career of Dr. Robert Gaines as he retires. His leadership and commitment to our Veterans has been both exceptional and unprecedented.
SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2018-6-13

I wish to also talk about an issue that has not made it into the Defense authorization bill, unlike the amendment that Senator Tillis and I support. prgtoken Sadly, help for the Afghans who aided our troops in the war in Afghanistan is not included in this Defense authorization bill. As most of us know in prgtoken the Senate, the Afghan special immigrant visa program allows Afghans who supported the U.S. mission in Afghanistan and who face threats of harm to themselves or their families because of their service--we allow them to apply for refuge in the United States through the special immigrant visa program, or SIV program. prgtoken Over the years, there has been strong bipartisan support for this effort to bring those Afghans in harm's way back to the United States. I am pleased to have worked with Senator Tillis, Senator Wicker, Senator Leahy, Senator Graham, and, of course, Senator McCain, who has been the champion in the Senate to address this issue. I am proud to partner yet again with these Senators, and we have introduced legislation to authorize 4,000 SIVs for 2019 so that we can continue to bring to the United States those people who are at risk. prgtoken Even as the administration sharply restricts immigration and refugee programs, President has made an exception for those who serve alongside our soldiers and diplomats. He has included 4,000 Afghan SIVs in his budget request for this upcoming fiscal year. The support for this program truly is bipartisan. prgtoken I am here on the floor with Senator Tillis today to try to put a face on this important program. prgtoken Afghan civilians who have assisted our military as interpreters, firefighters, construction workers, and community liaisons are being targeted by the Taliban for their willingness to work with the United States. Without congressional approval, our military and our diplomats will be powerless to help those Afghans. Moreover, U.S. officials in Afghanistan will be powerless to help themselves. Unless Congress acts, this program will lapse, and our Embassy and military will unnecessarily suffer the devastating effects of this decision. prgtoken We cannot afford to break our promises to the Afghan people, to those who serve our mission with such loyalty and at such enormous risk, particularly at this time. U.S. forces--our military--and our diplomats have always relied on local people to help accomplish our mission. As we think about our future engagements, we will need this kind of support in other places in the future. What does it say to people if we renege on our promises to the Afghans? We must be aware of the message we are sending to partners around the world when we don't fulfill our duty to protect them after they have protected us. This is exactly why countless military commanders and Ambassadors have pleaded with Congress to extend the Afghan SIV program. prgtoken Behind me is a quote from Senator John McCain, a
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2851, STOP THE IMPORTATION AND TRAFFICKING OF SYNTHETIC ANALOGUES ACT OF 2017; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5735, TRANSITIONAL HOUSING FOR RECOVERY IN...
Jared Polis (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2018-6-13

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , our Nation is in the midst of a devastating opioid crisis that is spiraling out of control. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioids are responsible for 6 out of 10 overdose deaths in the country. More than 115 Americans die each day from opioid overdose. prgtoken The house is on fire; yet, with these bills today, unfortunately, the s are not addressing this problem in a meaningful way. The American people need strong action from Congress to stem the tide of the opioid scourge and save lives. prgtoken , if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up Representative Lujan's legislation, H.R. 3495, the Opioid and Heroin Abuse Crisis Investment Act, which would make a difference by extending badly needed funding to combat the growing public health crisis of opioid-related addiction and deaths. prgtoken , I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.
TEARING IMMIGRANT CHILDREN AWAY FROM THEIR PARENTS
Zoe Lofgren (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-6-13

I thank Mr. Correa for yielding, and I thank him for organizing this Special Order. prgtoken It is a part of immigration law--it is not a violation of immigration law, it is a part of immigration law--that people fleeing for their lives can come to the United States and apply for asylum. Not only is that in our statutes, but it is also in a treaty that we ratified. People concerned about the rule of law ought to realize this is part of our law. prgtoken Here is what is happening. People fleeing for their lives, primarily from Central America, are going to the ports of entry. In some cases, we have received reports that they make their claim and their children are taken away from them, I believe in violation of law. prgtoken In other cases, even though they are there to make an application, they are turned away by Border Patrol. They then go down the road and find a Border Patrol agent to turn themselves in to, to make their claim for political asylum. And when that happens, their children are then taken away from them. prgtoken , there is a report today from the Department of Health and Human Services, which says that since this policy was adopted by the administration, 1,329 kids have been taken from their parents in this cruel policy. I think that this is not the American way. prgtoken , I saw a report from CNN today. Here is what it says: ``The undocumented immigrant from Honduras sobbed as she told an attorney Tuesday how Federal authorities took her daughter while she breastfed the child in a detention center . . . when the woman resisted, she was handcuffed. . . .'' prgtoken The Catholic church has spoken out again today from CNN, and this is what Cardinal DiNardo said: Families are the foundational element of our society and they must be able to stay together. While protecting our borders is important, we can and must do better as a government, and as a society, to find other ways to ensure that safety. Separating babies from their mothers is not the answer and is immoral. prgtoken We are here today to say: America, we need to take a stand. The President and his administration has decided to terrorize children in an effort to deter people from availing themselves of the opportunity provided for under immigration law. That is simply wrong. prgtoken America, now is the time to be heard.