mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IMMIGRATION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-8-1

we know that President during the course of his campaign made immigration a major issue. Almost from the beginning, he made it clear that he would take a different approach to immigration than previous Presidents of either prgtoken political party. We can remember when he referred to those coming to the United States from Mexico as murderers and rapists. We can remember when he called for the construction of a 2,000-mile wall between the United States and Mexico, and quickly added: And Mexico will pay for it. prgtoken We can remember all of the statements that were made during the course of the campaign about immigration and terrorism. We knew we were in for a change in policy with this administration. Some of the things that have occurred have been stunning, and some of them have been horrible. One of those things was the subject of a hearing this week in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which I serve on. It was about the zero tolerance policy. Some may remember that last year President decided to eliminate and abolish the DACA Program. That was a program for those young people brought to the United States as children-- infants, toddlers, and children--who grew up in the United States and believed they were part of this country and future. They learned, probably about the time they became teenagers, that this wasn't true. They didn't have legal status. They weren't documented in the United States. prgtoken They have lived their whole lives here. They have gone through our schools, and some of them have been amazing students. They had planned to go on with their education and their lives, and they learned they had an obstacle in their path. prgtoken President created an opportunity for them to continue to live in the United States without fear of deportation and to be able to work here. So 790,000 of them stepped up and paid a $500 filing fee, went through a criminal background check, and were given, on a temporary renewable basis, this protection under President 's Executive action. prgtoken President eliminated that order. In doing so, he eliminated the protection they had to stay here. Their fate and their future were in doubt because of the President's unilateral action. He challenged Congress to pass a law to save them. prgtoken We tried. At the last minute, a bipartisan bill, agreed to here in the Senate by a majority of the Members, was rejected by President . It also included massive construction of his wall, but he rejected it nevertheless. prgtoken Today, the only thing protecting those young people--the 790,000--are court orders, which can change any day or any week. The President's effort on immigration and children didn't end with his elimination of the DACA Program. Just a few months ago, they announced something called zero tolerance. Here is how it would work. At our border, any person who presented themselves between ports of entry and wasn't a l
DISCLOSURE OF CORPORATE POLITICAL SPENDING
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2018-8-1

I rise today because Senate s have blocked a vote on my amendment, No. 3532. My amendment is really quite simple. It would have struck language in the underlying bill that prohibits prgtoken the Securities and Exchange Commission from requiring corporations to tell their investors and the public how they spend money in politics. prgtoken It has been 8 years since the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, a decision which gave corporations the right to spend unlimited, unchecked, and--more often than not--undisclosed money on our elections. prgtoken For 8 long years, more and more money has flowed from corporate coffers into campaign ads and political expenditures, and s have defended the dark money poisoning our politics every step of the way. prgtoken In the 2016 elections alone, outside groups spent more than $1.4 billion, much of it funneled through trade associations and nonprofits, and much of it undisclosed to the public. prgtoken This is elementary; shareholders don't invest in political agendas or candidates. They invest in companies, and they deserve to know whether the corporate executives of those companies are using their money to grow their businesses or to advance political outcomes that are contrary to investors' values. prgtoken With no requirement to disclose how this money is being spent, shareholders and the public are left in the dark with no way to know if corporations are spending their money to defund Social Security and Medicare, keep the cost of prescription drugs high, dismantle environmental protections, undermine education programs, or eviscerate rules on Wall Street. prgtoken This information is material to how shareholders decide to invest their money and vote in corporate elections. Even setting aside the case for this disclosure as a matter of corporate governance and investor protection, this issue gets to the very core of our democracy. prgtoken Corporations can secretly funnel money to organizations that have no requirement to report on their contributions, and then the American public is left with no way of knowing who is advancing what causes. prgtoken All of this secret cash and dark money undermines the ability of the American people to hold their government accountable. prgtoken Disclosing corporate spending in our elections is the least we can do to help ensure that voters and not dollars set the agenda in Washington. prgtoken That is what Americans want. The Securities and Exchange Commission has received a record 1.2 million comments from investors and members of the public in support of requiring corporations to disclose how they spend money in politics. prgtoken Moreover, a May 2018 University of Maryland study found that Americans, both liberal and conservative, overwhelmingly support a constitutional amendment that would overturn Citizens United. Seventy- five percent of those surveyed support such an amendment. Even more, 88 percent
NOMINATION OF BRETT KAVANAUGH
Tina Smith (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2018-8-1

I rise to talk about my strong opposition to Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. I want to specifically focus on what his confirmation could mean for the future of voting rights in this country. prgtoken The right to vote is our most sacred responsibility as citizens of this great Nation. Martin Luther King, Jr called voting ``the foundation stone for political action.'' That is because when the right to vote is restricted, it undermines the very foundation of our democracy. If certain groups are barred or discouraged from voting, then our elected representatives cannot be held accountable for protecting the rights and interests of all of us. prgtoken When you cast your vote, you decide who should be entrusted to protect all of your rights--your right to make private decisions about how and when to start a family, your right to organize and advocate for fair pay and safe working conditions, your right to affordable healthcare, and your right to breathe clean air and drink clean water. Yet, if Judge Kavanaugh is confirmed to the Supreme Court, there is no doubt he will help his friends in far-right special interest groups continue their coordinated campaign to make it harder for millions of Americans to vote. These are the very same groups who recommended his nomination to the President. prgtoken These special interest groups have helped to pass State laws that have been designed to create obstacles at every step of the voting process, like making it more difficult to register to vote, to cast your vote, and to have your vote counted equally. These groups also know that they can count on Judge Kavanaugh to uphold these discriminatory laws. prgtoken As a judge on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Kavanaugh has a record of supporting laws that perpetuate voting discrimination, particularly against communities of color. In 2012, he wrote an opinion for a three-judge panel that upheld South Carolina's stringent voter ID law even though the Department of Justice had determined that the law would violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965. prgtoken Unfortunately, discriminatory voting laws, like the one Judge Kavanaugh upheld, have a long and shameful history in this country. When this country was founded, generally only property-owning White men had the right to vote. It took 80 years to expand the franchise to all male citizens regardless of their race or color. It took another 50 years to grant women the right to vote and another 4 years after that to grant that right to all Native Americans. Yet the expansion of the legal right to vote did not always translate into access at the polls. It took us over a century to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed discriminatory poll taxes, literacy tests, and other voter intimidation tactics. This landmark civil rights legislation finally put real teeth in the promise of the 15th Amendment--that no one should be denied th
INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2018-8-1

our intelligence community unanimously agrees that Russia interfered in the 2016 elections and that there is an imminent threat to the 2018 elections. Our country, our democracy, is under attack, and we should respond. Let's heed the warnings of our intelligence agencies. The lights are blinking red. Let's listen to our State attorneys general and Secretaries of State. prgtoken My amendment does provide $250 million for State election security grants to protect our upcoming election. It helps States improve election cyber security, replace outdated election equipment. We did provide, as the distinguished Senator said, $380 million in fiscal year 2018. That was the first new funding for election security in years, but more is needed. prgtoken The President is not going to act. The duty has fallen to us. Let's not, after an election, find out that this country was defenseless against attacks from Russia, and then say: Oh, gosh, we should have done something. prgtoken This is not a partisan issue. s and have to be concerned. I urge an ``aye'' vote on my amendment to secure our elections.
NOMINATION OBJECTION
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-8-1

today I am placing a hold on the nomination of Justin Muzinich to be Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. I will maintain that hold until the Treasury Department provides the Senate Finance Committee information and documents related to Russia and its financial dealings with President and his associates, as well as outside organizations Russia used to help elect him. I originally asked for these documents on May 10, 2017, and have yet to receive an answer of any kind. prgtoken I have stated repeatedly that we must follow the money if we are going to get to the bottom of how Russia has attacked our democracy. That means thoroughly reviewing any information that relates to financial connections between Russia and President and his associates, whether direct or laundered through hidden or illicit transactions. prgtoken The Treasury Department for which Mr. Muzinich is nominated to serve as the No. 2 official is responsible for much of this information. The Treasury Department authorities include intelligence and enforcement functions to combat financial crimes and threats, including money laundering. prgtoken For these reasons, I will object to any unanimous consent request concerning the nomination of Mr. Muzinich.
INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-8-1

I am glad to be here following my colleague who is the ranking member of the subcommittee and who has done such excellent work, as well as with the Senator from Alaska, in undertaking and really bringing together a vision for their subcommittee that we have needed on this floor for a long time--well done. prgtoken I stand here as the ranking member of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee. I am very pleased to be able to pass this bill today--or we will hopefully soon do so--with strong bipartisan support. Appreciation to the chairman of the subcommittee, Senator Hoeven, and his excellent Appropriations Committee team, including Carlisle Clarke, Elizabeth Dent, Patrick Carroll, and Carlos Elias. They worked hand in hand with my team of Dianne Nellor, Jessica Schulken, Bob Ross, and Teri Curtin. I came to the floor the other day to speak to the excellent work Jessica Schulken has done over her career, serving for nearly two decades on the committee and just being a powerful, intelligent, persuasive, and insightful force in agricultural policy. I think, together, we have produced a very good bill. It provides funding for programs that are important to every American in every community, from the smallest rural town to the biggest city. And we rejected draconian cuts proposed in the President's budget. prgtoken Some of the essential items that we find in the Ag appropriations bill include rural development, which is very important to my State and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle--we have so much going on in our rural towns. It is important to fund our rural business, rural utility service, and rural broadband. Rural business and rural broadband, by the way, were zeroed out by the President and faced draconian cuts. I am so pleased we were able to reach a bipartisan decision to support these rural development programs. prgtoken We also support nutrition for Americans. In our country, there is no reason Americans should be going hungry. prgtoken We also maintain international assistance, which largely means buying American food and shipping it overseas to places in the world that are desperate. I had the chance to visit some of those areas in Africa and see firsthand how important our contribution to the World Food Program is. prgtoken Our environmental programs assist farmers in the stewardship of the land. It is something they have in their hearts, and it is helpful to have the EQIP program and the NRCS to support them. prgtoken The Agricultural Research Service is essential and so important to the great diversity of crops we have in my State and the unending list of potential pests, problems, and diseases that occur. We have to continue that research. I recently visited, for example, a wheat research station, and it was fascinating to see. From a distance, you would say: Well, that is just another field of wheat; what could be the issues? Well, it turns out there are all kinds of im
INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES, AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-8-1

for several weeks, our colleagues have been stonewalling our efforts to gain access to Judge Kavanaugh's full record on behalf of the Senate and, more importantly, on behalf of the American people. In doing so, they have discarded a tradition of bipartisan cooperation when it comes to requesting a nominee's record. prgtoken Whether or not you have been for a nominee, we used to all agree that the Senate should be able to review their prgtoken full record for the sake of transparency and openness, for a vote, to advise and consent on one of the most important jobs in the country and in the world, a lifetime job of tremendous power, not abstract power. The decisions the Supreme Court makes affect the daily lives of Americans. So this is just incredible. prgtoken For Justice Kagan, joined with the minority to request all of her records. For Justice Sotomayor, did the same. We could have come up with some fake reasons why you couldn't get the records. We didn't. We believe in transparency and openness. But s are doing a 180-degree reverse now that they are in charge, which leaves a very bad taste in our mouths and in the mouths of the American people. They are saying that what is good for the goose is not good for the gander; that transparency is fine when are in charge and nominating nominees but no transparency when s are in charge. prgtoken s are breaking from the bipartisan precedent, and they are requesting only a subset of Judge Kavanaugh's records from his time in the White House. Chairman Grassley has asked for documents pertaining to Judge Kavanaugh's time in the White House Counsel's Office but none from his 3 years as Staff Secretary--arguably a more important and more revealing job. prgtoken Now, adding insult to injury--and this is utterly amazing--we have just learned that even when it comes to the documents concerning Kavanaugh's time in the White House Counsel's Office, the Senate is not likely to get the full picture even on that limited group of documents. prgtoken Chairman Grassley has written to the National Archives and the Library to request documents from when Kavanaugh was White House Counsel, and both are working to produce them. But, unlike at the National Archives, the Library--and we know President . I have a great deal of respect for him. I think he is a good man even though I disagreed with him on a whole lot. But he is a close friend of Kavanaugh's, who worked for him, and he is a loyal guy. prgtoken So what have they done? The Library has hired a legal team--led by a lawyer with close ties to President and President --to prescreen the documents from Kavanaugh's time in the White House Counsel's Office. They are doing the screening--this lawyer who worked for Bannon and who worked for Priebus and so many other s. Pejoratively, you might say
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019--CONFERENCE REPORT
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2018-8-1

I concur entirely with the comments of my colleagues about the dangers and challenges presented by China in many different dimensions. prgtoken I am not going to try to defend President 's decision to overrule his administration's penalties on ZTE for violating our sanctions, but the President's actions created facts on the ground. One of the principal facts was that part of that arrangement was a billion- dollar payment by the Chinese Government to the United States Treasury, creating for the conferees the issue of trying to find a billion-dollar offset if we reimpose this penalty. That billion-dollar offset could come only from military programs of our jurisdiction, end strength of the military, platforms we might acquire; we found it difficult to work our way through that issue. prgtoken More important, I think, is the notion that we did not simply drop this issue. In fact, we imposed, by legislation, a government-wide prohibition on the acquisition of ZTE and Huawei products going forward. It is now the law that we prohibit the Federal Government and government contractors from buying or using or providing grants and loans to entities buying or using telecommunications equipment and services provided by the Chinese companies, ZTE and Huawei. Huawei is not ignored here. It is legislatively a prohibition in the bill for future purchases. prgtoken We understand, also, that there are some Chinese companies in the video surveillance equipment business that also are threats. They also have been banned going forward with respect to government acquisition or government contractor acquisitions. So we have recognized this issue, and we have done, I think, what we could do to ensure that our national security is not compromised in the future by ZTE or Huawei equipment. prgtoken With that, I suggest that we move forward and pass this legislation, which does a remarkable job of helping the men and women of our Armed Forces. prgtoken I will save my further remarks for later.
RECOGNIZING THE 107TH BIRTHDAY OF ELEANORE SIMON
John H. Rutherford (Republican, FL) \u2014 2018-8-3

I rise today to recognize a very special person, Eleanore Simon, who on July 25, 2018, celebrated her 107th birthday. prgtoken Eleanore is a native of Amelia Island, Florida, where she still lives today. Even at 107 years-old, Eleanore drives her golf cart to and from water aerobics several times a week. She is always on the move, and from what I have learned about her, she has no plan to slow down any time soon. prgtoken At her birthday party, Eleanore enjoyed cake and a glass of champagne surrounded by her family and friends. She has brought much joy to those around her, and those who know her say her smile and genuine spirit lights up every room. prgtoken Today, I honor Ms. Eleanore Simon's noteworthy longevity and tremendous life in our Northeast Florida community. I ask this entire body to join me in celebrating Eleanore's 107th birthday. May we all aspire to live as long and full a life.
RECOGNIZING THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT TYLER PATRIOTS 2018 NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL BASEBALL CHAMPIONS
Louie Gohmert (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-8-3

it is a great honor to celebrate with my fellow east Texans today the success of the University of Texas at Tyler Patriots on capturing the 2018 NCAA Division III National Baseball Championship, the first championship title in program history. prgtoken Although the Patriots team was unranked and had no idea if it would even participate in the NCAA postseason, the undeniable bond between these teammates resulted in an unprecedented comeback after receiving an at-large bid to participate in the NCAA Baseball Championships in Appleton, Wisconsin. prgtoken The Patriots swept the best of three series against Texas Lutheran University with scores of 8-1 and 9-6 to claim the national title. prgtoken It is with great pride that all east Texans extend our heartfelt congratulations to the national champion Patriots: Josh Bums, Jared Pauley, Blake Wilson, Alex Bishop, Benjamin Romines, Henry Sanchez, Jordan Antley, Zachary Pavelock, Zane Wilkinson, Brandon Saddler, Evan Kissinger, Tanner Roach, Landon Shofner, Bowie Farris, Simon Sedillo, Blake Maddox, Kolton Forsythe, Christopher prgtoken Stodolka, Alexander Masotto, Ryan Cheatham, Sam Sitton, Nate Imig, Austin Schneider, Turner Givens, Graham Welch, and Dayton Loyd. prgtoken Praise is also extended to reserve Patriots: Cole Clinton, Adam Nelson, Adam Biesiadny, Justin Olivarez, Braden McMahan, Colston Lloyd, Tyler Hollingsworth, Christian Reeves, Ethan Cherry, Max Page, Raby Hampton, Caden Ledbetter, Tyler Johnson, Jeremy Moore, Sam Plotkowski, Patrick Rogers, Joey Gennusa, Brady UsherWood, Cameron Jacobs, and Blake Ross. prgtoken Credit is owed not only to the talented athletes, but to the dedicated faculty and staff of the University of Texas at Tyler, including: Brent Porche, Head Coach; Erik Grafton, Assistant Coach/ Recruiting Coordinator; Wade Pope, Assistant Coach; Cade Bowen, Pitching Coach; Kody Gautreaux, Assistant Coach; Sam Lane, Assistant Coach; Dalton Smith, Assistant Coach; Connor Green, Strength & Conditioning Coach; Andrew Cage, Athletic Trainer; and Dr. Howard Patterson, Director of Athletics. prgtoken Enough cannot be said regarding the support the Patriots received from the entire Tyler community. The love and support from people all around the area surely served as an inspiring force behind this incredible run. prgtoken It is also amazingly fitting that the last season Robert and Mary Irwin, the benefactors for whom the team's home field is named, got to experience together before Robert's passing was the team's first national championship. prgtoken With the support of coaches, teachers, administrators and their entire east Texas community, these young men bear witness that anything is achievable through hard work and determination. prgtoken These are guiding principles that lead to success not only on the field, but will undoubtedly resonate through every endeavor these valiant championship players undertake throughout their lives.