mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Net Neutrality (Executive Calendar)
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-7-12

I come to the floor this afternoon with my colleague, the Senator from Hawaii, who has been leading our efforts on coordinating a very loud and resounding voice on trying to stop the FCC from running over an open internet, and I thank him for his organization for today. I know we will be joined by our colleague, Senator Wyden from Oregon--and perhaps the other Senator from Oregon and several others--to talk about this important issue. prgtoken We are here today to try to draw attention to one of those important economic issues before us: the need to preserve an open internet with strong net neutrality laws. prgtoken We are facing a pivotal moment in the fight to preserve an open and fair internet. A strong and open internet is, without question, one of the great innovations of our time and one of the great job creators of our time. Yet the administration stands poised to undo the bedrock principle of net neutrality in the face of evidence it would undermine our economy and undermine future job growth. prgtoken The FCC has announced its intention to go against the demands of 5 million American consumers and reverse what is an existing rule so that big cable companies and telecom providers can erect toll lanes; that is, if you want fast internet speed, you have to pay more. This would threaten the fundamental nature of our internet and the innovation economy. prgtoken Last week, FCC Commissioner Clyburn and I held a townhall meeting on net neutrality in Seattle. More than 300 people attended, and not one was in favor of paying higher prices to their cable company for worse or inhibited internet services. prgtoken Many people shared their personal stories about how an internet with toll lanes would affect them negatively. We heard from many small businesses and startups that they were afraid of losing business because they might have to charge higher prices to their customers if these important protections were reversed. prgtoken I heard from people with health problems and their concerns about health emergencies while away from home. The absence of net neutrality rules would mean that a doctor in their small hometown could not get critical information to the medical practitioners who are dealing with a patient in an emergency so that they could get important lifesaving treatments. Whether you are a doctor examining a patient via telemedicine or in an emergency room in Seattle or a student in a rural community trying to access the prgtoken internet to get information, take a test or do research, a fast connection is necessary. Your ability to have a fast connection is something you are more than just a little concerned about. Being artificially slowed down in favor of big companies that buy faster lanes would turn our economy in the wrong direction. prgtoken Our economy is in the midst of a massive technological transformation. As technology advances, incredible opportunities and new jobs are c
FDA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2017
Frank Pallone, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2017-7-12

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise in support of H.R. 2430, the FDA Reauthorization Act, a bill that would allow the FDA to continue its critical mission of reviewing and approving drugs and medical devices that save lives and improve the quality of life for many Americans. prgtoken The legislation before us today is the product of compromise and almost 2 years of work between FDA, Congress, industry, and other stakeholders. The FDA Reauthorization Act reauthorizes FDA's medical product user fee agreements, providing FDA with the resources the agency needs to continue its critical public health work and hire the necessary scientists and review staff, and improve the certainty and efficiency of the drug review process. prgtoken The sixth reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act will maintain current review timelines, modernize the user fee structure, and build on the work of 21st Century Cures Act by investing resources in the development of biomarkers and innovative clinical trial designs. prgtoken The fourth reauthorization of the Medical Device User Fee Amendments includes some important new policies that will help to increase the consistency, efficiency, and effectiveness of drug and medical device reviews. prgtoken The bill advances the use of the patient perspective and the risk- benefit assessment of medical devices. It establishes a system utilizing real world data for pre-market approval of new uses and post- market safety monitoring, and it improves presubmission communication with manufacturers in an effort to expedite the review process. prgtoken This legislation also reauthorizes two of our newer user fee programs for generics and biosimilars. Both of these programs strive to expedite access to high-quality, lower-cost drugs for American families. prgtoken The FDARA will also allow the agency to undertake new initiatives to create a category of over-the-counter hearing aids, advance the development of pediatric cancer treatments, and provide greater assistance and incentives to encourage additional competition for generic drugs. prgtoken Since this is a bipartisan compromise--and I want to stress that--as my colleague Mr. Walden said, it really is important and people should take note that this is a major piece of legislation that is being done on a bipartisan basis by our committee. But it does not address every issue that I would have liked. It also includes troublesome language prohibiting the FDA from making the investments the agency needs as part of future user fee agreements. It is important that the FDA maintain a work environment that allows the agency to recruit and retain the world's best and brightest. I am concerned that this final agreement preserves language advanced in the Senate bill that will make it difficult in the future for the FDA to make the investments needed to recruit personnel and meet performance goals set out in the user fee reauth
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Earl Blumenauer (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-7-12

. Mr. Chair, the question is how to get Russia into compliance. Walking away from our obligations? I think not. prgtoken The amendment allows going ahead if the Department of Defense certifies to Congress that it has completed a new nuclear posture review to make sure this program fits in the overall strategy; that it certifies that it prefers this program to ensure that NATO's overall deterrence and defense posture remains credible; that the Department of Defense certified it prefers this missile for maintaining strategic stability; that State certifies the program of record is necessary to help verifiably return Russia to compliance; that at least one NATO member state has proven it is serious about hosting the missile; and State certifies that the full Atlantic Council has endorsed deployment of this missile. prgtoken Those are the conditions in the amendment, and I would think they are reasonable conditions that the gentleman should not object to. If he truly believes in the merit of his argument, there is no reason that that cannot be complied with. And if not, it should not proceed.
Healthcare Legislation (Executive Calendar)
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-7-12

the most important three words in our Constitution are the first three words: ``We the People.'' prgtoken Our Founders chose to write those words in supersized font so that we could, from some distance away, know exactly what the mission statement was. Their goal wasn't to write a structure for government that would repeat the governments of, by, and for the powerful of Europe but to pursue differently a vision in which the will of the people would be enacted; that government would work not just for the benefit of the citizens at large but also empowered by the citizens at large. This is a vision we have been very concerned about as we see the influence of the concentration of money in American politics. prgtoken Indeed, we have five members of the Supreme Court who don't understand the basic, fundamental nature of the first three words of our Constitution. They adopted a court case, Citizens United, which was the opposite of the vision of our Constitution. That vision was articulated by Thomas Jefferson, who said that the will of the people will be enacted only if each and every citizen has an equal voice. But Citizens United gives a dramatic, stadium-sized megaphone to the individuals who are the richest and most powerful in the country, at odds with that fundamental vision that Lincoln so well summarized as government of, by, and for the people. prgtoken We have certainly seen the case of government by and for the powerful in the context of the recent Care bill--the Senate version thereof--crafted in secret by 13 of my colleagues from across the aisle, hiding from the press, hiding from the healthcare stakeholders and experts, hiding from their own citizens. In fact, during this last break, of the 52 Members of the caucus, apparently-- reportedly--only a couple had townhalls because they were terrified of what their citizens would say about the bill they have been crafting in secret--the secret 13. prgtoken This bill is also known as the zero, zero, zero bill--zero committee meetings, zero amendments considered in committee, zero months of opportunity for Senators to go back and consult with their citizens back in their home States. prgtoken Then what do we find as a result of this secret process of government by and for the powerful? A bill to rip healthcare from 22 million Americans in order to deliver hundreds of billions of dollars to the richest Americans. In fact, if you want to summarize it, you can say that this bill gives $33 billion--not $33,000, not $33 million but $33 billion--to the richest 400 Americans while ripping healthcare away from 700,000. That is the number who could be funded by that same $33 billion. That would cover all of the Medicaid recipients in Alaska and Arkansas and West Virginia and Nevada. This has incredibly grave consequences for the peace of mind and the quality of life for these millions of Americans. It rips $772 billion out of Medicaid.
GAINING RESPONSIBILITY ON WATER ACT OF 2017
Jim Costa (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-7-12

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I would like to first, again, thank the Rules Committee chair and Ranking Member Slaughter for making my amendment in order, as well as acknowledge my colleague from California, Congressman LaMalfa, for his work on this amendment. prgtoken , a record drought and the most destructive wildfire seasons on record have brought renewed attention to California's headwaters. These forests, meadows, and other source waters play a vital role in California's water supply and management system, and they are under threat from a host of factors, including wildfires, climate change impacts, and poor management policies. prgtoken More effective forest and headwaters management practices, such as increased use of forest thinning and watershed restoration, have demonstrated the potential to provide a measurable increase in water supply to the Central Valley Project reservoirs that receive runoff generated by these headwaters in the Sierra Nevadas, the beautiful mountains that we have in California. prgtoken The Sierra Nevada mountain range, many people don't realize, generates nearly 60 percent of California's developed water supply--60 percent. And that is why the abundance of snow on the mountains during the wintertime is so critical. prgtoken Some estimates indicate that simply by instituting more effective headwaters management policies, that up to 300,000 acre-feet of additional water supplies--300,000 acre-feet--could be generated each year. prgtoken Now, that is a significant yield of water when you look at the overdraft crop problems that we have and some of the other authorization of surface storage that we have made last year during the WIIN Act. prgtoken As a matter of fact, the Bureau of Reclamation has analyzed that some of the projects that I support, such as raising Shasta Dam 18 feet, would generate anywhere from 75 to over 100,000 acre-feet of water annually. So if we can generate an additional 300,000 acre-feet by better managing our headwaters, this is almost three times that yield. prgtoken Simply managing our forests better could, in many instances, quadruple our water supply and better produce environmental outcomes for our forest ecosystems. prgtoken To put this in context, this is enough water to irrigate over 100,000 acres, of which we have significant overdraft of land, or provide daily water for an additional 500,000 homes in California for an entire year. prgtoken My amendment would authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to enter into partnerships to determine the amount of water that could be untapped by doing these kinds of efforts. prgtoken Fixing California's broken water system, as I have said repeatedly, means using all of the water tools in our water management toolbox. Included in this amendment, we would be having the opportunity to improve our headwater management in an integrated and multidisciplinary approac
FDA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2017
Gene Green (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-7-12

I rise in support of H.R. 2430, the FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017. prgtoken For many months, we have worked on a bipartisan basis to negotiate and prepare for the four FDA user fee agreements for reauthorization, across party lines, and you are seeing that. That is why I am proud to be a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. We will fight when we have to, but we also can work together on things that are really important to our country. prgtoken These programs must be reauthorized in a timely manner to avoid a meltdown of the medical product development pipeline. We have had great collaboration and strong bipartisan working relationships throughout the process, from the publication of the goals letters, to the hearings, and the markups in the Health Subcommittee, all the way through the unanimous vote out of the Energy and Commerce Committee last month. prgtoken Since the first PDUFA was established in 1992, Congress has created additional user fee programs for medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilars. In this cycle, we see shortened review timelines and have given the FDA new tools to harness the latest science and streamline the review process. prgtoken FDARA would build on previous success by reauthorizing the user fees and make improvements in the review process like advancing the use of biomarkers and patient experience data. The bill includes additional provisions beyond the underlying agreements that are worthy of support. prgtoken To give some examples, it will promote generic drug development and competition, establish a category of over-the-counter hearing aids, crack down on counterfeit drugs, and foster innovation in medical imaging. prgtoken FDA approval is the global gold standard and reauthorizing the user fee programs will ensure the agency has the resources--particularly capable, qualified staffers--to fulfill this mission. prgtoken I look forward to working with my colleagues to establish a user fee program for over-the-counter products and reform the monograph systems once we have reauthorized the existing user fee programs that will soon expire. prgtoken I want to thank Ranking Member Pallone, Chairman Walden, and the chair of the Health Subcommittee, Congressman Burgess, for their work and commitment into timely user fee reauthorization. prgtoken I also want to thank the staff, Kim Trzeciak and John Stone, and my own staff, Kristen O'Neill, for the countless hours of work they did to get us to this place. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2430.
Healthcare Legislation (Executive Calendar)
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-7-12

I have had the good fortune of being in both the House and the Senate during the period of passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act and now the debate over repeal, and I have heard consistently from my colleagues two things. One is that they did not think the Affordable Care Act was the right approach to fixing the problems of America's healthcare system. There were 60-some odd times that the House or the Senate voted to repeal all or parts of the Affordable Care Act. The second thing I heard consistently over that period of time, dating from 2009, is that the s were prepared to offer a replacement to the Affordable Care Act that would be better, that would be an improvement over the Affordable Care Act--indeed, over the status of the American healthcare system when the Affordable Care Act was passed. The ground has shifted mightily since then. prgtoken The Congressional Budget Office tells us that, under the plan either passed in the House or in the Senate, a humanitarian catastrophe will result in this country. Tens of millions of people would lose their healthcare. That is not what s said their replacement would do. They said their replacement would be better than the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken The CBO says that rates will go up immediately by 20 percent on almost everybody. Then, after that, if you are young and healthy, rates will probably go down, but for everybody else, the amount of money you have to pay in premiums, copays, and deductibles will go up. There is nothing in the s' bill about cost--nothing that addresses the underlying issues with an American healthcare system that, procedure by procedure, costs twice as much as in most other countries--and nothing about quality. There is not a single provision in the bill that encourages higher quality. prgtoken As we get ready for repeal bill 3.0 or 4.0--whatever this next version will be that will be released secretly to s tomorrow--I think it is just worth reminding everybody what s said would happen. I will just use our President's words. I understand that many of my colleagues here do not ascribe to all of the beliefs and statements of our President, but he is the leader of the Party. All of my colleagues did support him, and they stood with him in the House of Representatives, arm in arm, when they passed the House's repeal and replacement bill. prgtoken President wrote this: I was the first and only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Huckabee copied me. prgtoken So no cuts to Medicaid was the promise. Yet the bill that the President has endorsed and is trying to help Leader McConnell push through the Senate involves debilitating cuts to Medicaid--$700 billion to $800 billion worth of cuts to Medicaid--resulting in
Net Neutrality (Executive Calendar)
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-7-12

I join with the Senator from Hawaii, the Senator from Washington State, and I know the Senator from Oregon is going to be joining us very soon and taking this long, hot summer day in Washington and turning up the heat on the administration and the big broadband companies. prgtoken Today the internet is having a protest. More than 80,000 websites are participating in today's national day of action on net neutrality to stand up for the fundamental right for a free and open internet. prgtoken Today's action involves some of the internet's biggest names: Netflix, Twitter, Amazon, Snapchat, Mozilla, Yelp, Airbnb. It also includes many others. My own website and other ic Senators and House Members have joined in today's protests. prgtoken Earlier today, right outside on the Capitol lawn, I gathered with many of my Senate and House colleagues, along with businesses and advocacy, consumer protection, nonprofit, and political organizations to send a singular message: We will defend net neutrality. prgtoken Net neutrality is the basic principle that says that all internet traffic is treated equally. It applies the principles of nondiscrimination to the online world, ensuring that internet service providers--AT&T, Charter, Verizon, Comcast, among others--do not block, do not slow down, do not censor or prioritize internet traffic. prgtoken Yet today, the internet--this monumental, diverse, dynamic, democratic platform--is under attack. President and his FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, are threatening to disrupt this hallmark of American innovation and democracy by gutting net neutrality rules. They have put internet freedom on the chopping block. We are facing a historic fight. prgtoken If 's FCC gets its way, a handful of big broadband companies will serve as gatekeepers to the internet. We cannot let this happen. That is why millions of Americans are standing up and making sure their voices are heard at the Federal Communications Commission. prgtoken They know the internet--the world's greatest platform for commerce and communications--is at stake. It is net neutrality that ensures that those with the best ideas, not merely the best access, can thrive in the 21st century economy; that a garage-based startup in Malden, MA, can have the same online reach and scope as a major tech firm in Silicon Valley. prgtoken It is net neutrality that has made the Internet an innovation incubator and job generator for the entire Nation. It is net neutrality that has been the internet's chief governing principle since its inception. prgtoken Consider that today essentially every company is an internet company. In 2016, almost half of the venture capital funds invested in the United States went toward internet-specific and software companies. That is $25 billion worth of venture capital funding in our country. Half of all venture capital went into that sector, this innovation sector that continues to transfor