mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CLOTURE MOTION
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2019-1-10

I come to the floor today to talk about Larry Weinberg, who was beloved by many Oregonians, one of the original owners of our wonderful basketball team, the Portland Trail Blazers-- the owner who won eternal gratitude from the people of my State as he guided our Trail Blazers to their first title. He passed away last week at the age of 92. He was a soft-spoken man who was never one to drone on, so in that spirit, I am going to keep these remarks brief. prgtoken The first thing we want everybody to know about Larry is that he was a wonderful family man. I met him for the first time in the early 1980s. I was a young Member of the other body, the House of Representatives, and Larry could have made our first conversation about politics. We were very interested, for example, in ways to promote a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. There were plenty of things we could have talked about with respect to politics, but he made the conversation about basketball, which was one of the great loves of his life, and I think people know around here that my great hope was to play in the NBA. Larry knew that. prgtoken Because Larry was a family man, that first conversation we had was about family, and he had an enormous family. If you look at the family photo on the holiday cards that Larry and his wife Barbi sent each year, you would think about half of the 320 million people in our country were actually Weinbergs. The cards were wonderful, and they just seemed to go on and on and on. prgtoken During that first conversation, Larry asked me about my family. I told him about my great-uncle Max, who was one of last Jews to be murdered in Auschwitz. I told him about my parents, who fled Nazi Germany as refugees and settled in America before they pitched in to the war effort during World War II. prgtoken That was one of the first bonds I had with Larry Weinberg, and I think that was true of many of his friends. We had family who were veterans themselves, loved ones who had wanted to make sure the United States prevailed in World War II, and that was Larry. He served in Europe during the war and sustained serious injuries in France. Throughout his life, he carried that dedication to service that was so characteristic of so many of his generation. prgtoken Larry Weinberg applied the lessons of the war to his leadership of the American Jewish community. He worked to promote understanding between religious groups while demonstrating a firm commitment to the Jewish tradition of tikkun olam--improving the world. That is something Jews feel very strongly about. Whether it is healthcare or foreign relations, whatever, we want to be part of making the world a better place, perfecting the world. That is what tikkun olam means. prgtoken Larry and Barbi Weinberg supported the development of concrete scholarship on issues that face not only Israel but the entire Middle East, understanding that the difficulties affecting one's neighbor
CLOTURE MOTION
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2019-1-10

. Thank you, , and happy new year. The new 116th Congress brings new hope for the Senate to face up to the clear and present danger of climate change. The House of Representatives being in ic hands augments that hope. prgtoken The Senate majority has failed to address climate change. This is no accident. This is the Senate in the Citizens United era. I was here before Citizens United, and for years we saw Senate climate bipartisanship, before Citizens United. After Citizens United, what we see is immensely powerful climate-denying, dark-money front groups for the fossil fuel industry, all likely funded by fossil fuel interests, and we see no Senator willing to cross them. The spending they do in politics--and the more silent threat of spending--is a blockade. It reeks. prgtoken Here is a case study on how dark and unlimited money play in Senate elections. In 2016, in Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin, three ic Senate candidates stood a good early chance of winning -held seats in 2016. All were solid, experienced candidates who had been Senators before. All were ahead in early polling. Then the big influencers came in hard, launching attack ads, in some cases, well more than 1 year before the election. It is a little like strafing the other side's planes while they are still on the airfield. prgtoken The pile-on of so-called outside group spending against these three candidates came to almost $70 million. All three ultimately lost their races, and their losses meant s kept majority control of this Chamber. prgtoken Let's look at that $70 million that acquired the continued majority control of this Chamber. Of that $70 million, only about $11 million came from donors and PACs that appear unconnected to the fossil fuel industry. At least two-thirds of that outside spending--more than $46 million--can be directly traced to groups that received significant funding from fossil energy, and $12 million, the remainder of that 70, came through dark money channels. In this day and age in America, powerful influencers can obscure their identities by running their political spending through these dark money channels so it is impossible for us to know whether or how much of this remaining $12 million was from polluter dollars--fossil fuel dollars. I strongly suspect all of it was. In any event, when one industry can deliver that kind of political artillery, the vast majority of a $70 million barrage against three specific candidates, that gives that industry remarkable political power with the side that is advantaged--climate action stopping political power, it would seem. prgtoken As the mounting effects of climate change have grown ever more dire and the scientific understanding has grown ever more clear, what has the Senate done? Nothing. Let's look at what we learned and what we witnessed and what we failed to do in 2018. prgtoken ,
TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Nita M. Lowey (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-1-10

the shutdown is now in its 20th day. More than 800,000 Federal employees are going without pay, many while they are still working, and the American people are being denied vital services all because of President 's demands for a wasteful border wall. prgtoken The bill before us today would reopen the Department of Transportation, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other critical agencies like the National Transportation Safety Board and U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. prgtoken Frankly, it is outrageous that safety-critical personnel who are ensuring our trains operate and air traffic runs smoothly cannot count on a paycheck. They and the thousands of furloughed Federal employees cannot afford this kind of financial uncertainty and missed paychecks. prgtoken The shutdown has also had dangerous housing implications for many hardworking families. For example, HUD's project-based Section 8 housing assistance program, which covers tens of thousands of low- income renters, is in trouble. Payments have been made for tenants this month, but due to staff furloughs, HUD contracts with landlords that expired since the shutdown began have not been renewed. This could lead to evictions of senior citizens and the disabled, displacing the most vulnerable among us. prgtoken House want to open the government, but the President and the Senate s continue to obstruct instead of working with us to get the people's work done. prgtoken The solution to this crisis is simple: Pass the bills where we can agree, and extend funding for Homeland Security for a month to allow time for negotiation on border security and immigration policy. prgtoken I do hope that my colleagues across the Capitol come to their senses and stop this ridiculous shutdown.
TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Katherine M. Clark (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2019-1-10

I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for yielding. prgtoken , I have to agree with my colleagues today. This is not the bill that the House approved or that has everything that we have worked on our subcommittee to get into law to help fund those programs that are so vital to families at home and across this country, but we are here today trying to get the Senate to accept ``yes'' for an answer, because what is critical is that we reopen government. prgtoken President is holding 800,000 Federal employees hostage, and that ripples out to millions of Americans who rely on government not just for a paycheck, but for those critical services, whether they are border security or TSA agents, the FBI, food programs, or vital housing and transportation services. prgtoken Specifically, the Federal Housing Administration has stopped processing loans and mortgage approvals, putting families trying to buy a new home or refinance an FHA-insured mortgage into financial limbo. prgtoken I heard a story of one woman who is battling cancer. She has not been able to earn an income, and refinancing her home was the key way that she could continue to have this battle and get the treatments that she needs and give her family the money to survive and meet their basic needs. With the closing of FHA, she is unable to get those documents and be able to refinance her house. prgtoken This shutdown is also threatening to destabilize more than 4 million households that depend on HUD's rental assistance programs. prgtoken The phones are ringing off the hook in my office in D.C. and back home in Massachusetts. We heard just this week from a retired Federal employee from Natick who called because she lives in affordable housing and is required to prove her income to renew her lease.
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-1-10

I rise in support of this special order to speak against the devastating cuts being proposed for the Farm Bill's Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP). prgtoken The $20.5 billion cuts would remove 2 million Americans from the food assistance program, and 210,000 children would lose access to free school meals. prgtoken The House ' bill, is virtually identical to legislation that has already passed the Senate on a 92-6 vote, will reopen these agencies and stop some the worst impacts of the Shutdown on families, businesses, and communities. prgtoken It provides $23.235 billion in discretionary funding, $225 million above the FY2018 enacted level. In addition, it provides the latest estimates for mandatory programs required by law--including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Child Nutrition Programs. It will ensure that the Department of Agriculture and the FDA are both able to operate through September 30. prgtoken This bill rejects President 's proposed budget cuts to agriculture, rural development, and conservation programs. It includes funding for rural broadband that President had proposed eliminating. prgtoken Finally, the bill rejects President 's proposed elimination of Food for Peace and the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, both which provide lifesaving food assistance overseas. prgtoken For one in six Americans hunger is real and far too many people assume that problems with hunger are isolated in small pockets of the country. That is not the case--hunger is persistent and the impacts real for millions of people who struggle to find enough to eat. prgtoken According to Feeding America: prgtoken In 2016, 46.2 million people were in poverty, 1.1 million people are food insecure in the Houston area, 2.4 million rural households face hunger; prgtoken Three-quarters of the counties with the highest rates of food insecurity are in rural areas; prgtoken 86% of the counties with the highest rates of child food insecurity are rural; prgtoken In 2017, there were 39.7 million people in poverty. prgtoken There are 3.7 million Texans at risk of losing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits if the Shutdown does not end. prgtoken The more important statistic is how many other Americans will have their local grocery store put at risk of closing or having reduced supplies of groceries to serve their customers because of the economic chaos that will ensue if SNAP benefits across the nation are ended due to the shutdown. prgtoken Most Americans have no idea how SNAP, Women, Infants and Children's (WIC) Food and Nutrition Service and other federal food subsidy programs contribute to the affordability of food found in grocery stores. prgtoken For grocers, convenience stores and other food retailers, the suspension of funding for the food-stamp program, or SNAP, comes at a time when they cannot afford to lose s
TRIBUTE TO DAVID ARIAN
Alan S. Lowenthal (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-1-10

. Madam , on January 2, 2019, David Arian, a widely-respected community, labor, and city government leader, passed away at the age of 72. prgtoken I'm proud and honored to join so many others in celebrating his life. We all know about Dave the union leader--a man carrying on in the footsteps of Harry Bridges. We also know Dave the port commissioner--a man who fought for workers as he was laying out a vision for the future of our ports. prgtoken I would like to add Dave the thinker and mentor--who challenged not only me, but many of us, to rethink our positions, learn to defend them, and never give in when we know we are right. prgtoken Dave's life, like the man himself, was built on determination and conviction. prgtoken Born December 4, 1946, Dave was 18 years old when he took a job at the Wilmington waterfront in 1965. He often joked that at just 130 pounds, union supervisors weren't sure he'd be able to do the physically demanding work of a longshoreman. But like many aspects of his life, Dave proved his skeptics wrong. That first day unloading bananas into boxcars was just the first of many that he would spend working, organizing and leading union workers and causes important to the workers and the San Pedro Bay community. prgtoken A proud and fiercely loyal member of the International Longshoreman and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 13, Dave would eventually hold many leadership positions over the years, including three terms as local president. In 1991, at the age of 44, he was elected international president of the ILWU. After his service at the top of the union, Dave returned to the docks at the Port of Los Angeles, eventually retiring in 2009. Within a year, he was appointed to the Los Angeles Harbor Commission by then-Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa and reappointed by Mayor Garcetti in 2013. prgtoken During his tenure on the Board, the Port of Los Angeles broke all- time cargo volume records while reducing air emissions, two goals on which Dave was particularly focused. prgtoken Concern and support for the community, local workers, and residents were woven into everything Dave did. A tireless community activist from the start, Dave and his family helped found the San Pedro Community Action Center in 1966. Over the years, he was also an active supporter of many local service organizations, including the Toberman Neighborhood Center, Harbor Interfaith Services and the San Pedro Boys & Girls Club, the latter where he played as a youth. prgtoken Dave founded the Harry Bridges Institute, an organization dedicated to educating younger workers about the labor movement's rich history and community organizing. He had served as the organization's president since its founding in 1993. Dave also captured the spirit of the Institute in his book ``The Right to Get in the Fight,'' which focused on the ILWU and its philosophies and culture that have kept it alive and relevant over the decades. prgtoken His involvement in non
MR. PRESIDENT, YOUR WALL WILL NOT WORK
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2019-1-10

a wall is not remotely capable of dealing with the magnitude of our continental challenge to civil order. The forces of commerce, greed, addiction, and lawless cartels and gangs are too insidious. They will surmount any wall. They already have. prgtoken The President's demand for $5 billion for a wall, whether concrete or steel, simply won't work. Why? Because most illegal narcotics are already shipped here hidden in cross-border commercial cargoes fueled by the flawed and underfunded NAFTA and CAFTA continental trade deals. Millions of trucks, autos, ships, railcars, and planes carry massive and increasing shipments of cargo traversing over our borders as continental trade increases exponentially. prgtoken Recall that NAFTA and CAFTA sucked out millions of living-wage jobs from our country, depositing them in Mexico and Central America to exploit penny-wage labor south of our border. Finished goods were then U-turned back north. prgtoken NAFTA and CAFTA negotiators promised higher wages for all. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even laborers south of our border earn less now than before NAFTA passed. There is more poverty here and there as the transnationals shipped our jobs out to earn higher profits by gutting our workforce and while exploiting workers in Mexico and Central America. On both sides of the border, workers lose and investors win. prgtoken This is a map of the Laredo checkpoint. There are 16 lanes of traffic just at that one point on our border. The problem is the drugs are often hidden in those commercial cargoes. We need more agents to check cargo, but we also need technology to find the hidden narcotics that are there. prgtoken In addition to that, we see China shipping fentanyl and carfentanil into our country, including through the U.S. mails. We have no scientific way of detecting those killer drugs. prgtoken So, if you really want to look at solving the problem, it is important for the President to know that legal ports of entry are the primary route through which illicit drugs arrive here in our country. There are 48 such crossing points, plus 330 points of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, the most frequently crossed border in the world. Approximately 350 million documented crossings occur there annually. prgtoken We need to regularize that entry into the United States. We need more manpower and technology. There is no way we can solve this problem with a wall.
TRIBUTE TO ROBERT KRAFT
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2019-1-10

today I recognize Robert Kraft of Massachusetts, the 2019 Genesis prize laureate. Recognized as the ``Jewish Nobel'' prize, organizers grant the award each year to an extraordinary person recognized for their outstanding professional achievement and making a significant contribution to improving the world and inspiring young Jews through their dedication to social justice and philanthropy. I believe the Genesis prize committee made an excellent choice in selecting Mr. Kraft. prgtoken While known to most as the owner of the New England Patriots, Mr. Kraft, along with his late wife Myra, has for decades spoke out and donated generously to organizations combating prejudices, including anti-Semitism. Most recently, Mr. Kraft announced that all proceeds of the match between his Major League Soccer team, the New England Revolution, and the Chelsea Football Club will benefit initiatives to combat the disturbing trend of rising anti-Semitism and hate crimes in the United States and around the world. Upon receiving the Genesis prize, Mr. Kraft announced he would donate the $1 million monetary award to efforts to combat anti-Semitism. prgtoken Mr. Kraft is a true ``patriot'' in all senses of the word. The Commonwealth, country, and global community owe much gratitude to Mr. Kraft. I congratulate my dear friend Robert Kraft on his lifelong efforts to further the Jewish value of tikkun olam, to heal the world.
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-1-10

I was happy to yield to the Senator from Virginia because I know this issue of the government shutdown is particularly acute in Virginia and in the State of Maryland, but we feel it all across the United States of America. prgtoken Just a few minutes ago, I was on the phone with Dr. Scott Gottlieb of the Food and Drug Administration, and I asked him: What is the impact of the shutdown on the Food and Drug Administration? Dr. Gottlieb was very explicit. He said that the area that was hardest hit was food safety. prgtoken Food safety is a responsibility that was assumed by the Federal Government over 100 years ago after publication of the novel ``The Jungle'' by Upton Sinclair. We decided to create a Federal Agency with the responsibility of inspecting food so that people across America would not suffer foodborne illness or worse. prgtoken We have a great Agency, and it does a great job when it is fully funded operationally, but the fact is, over 40 million Americans will end up with a food illness in any given year, and over 3,000 will die. The responsibility of this Agency is not some bureaucratic function; it is quite literally a life-and-death responsibility. prgtoken I asked Dr. Gottlieb: What does the government shutdown do to the Food and Drug Administration when it comes to food safety? He said: We have had to suspend operations at the highest risk food operations. prgtoken I asked him for an illustration, and he said: For example, the facilities that make baby food, high-risk food inspection responsibilities at the FDA. He said: We decided we had to call back 150 employees to make sure that we resume inspections at these high- risk facilities, such as those that make baby food. prgtoken Thank goodness. prgtoken He told me he has a problem. Here is the problem. The people he is going to call back are in the lower income categories of Federal employees. Many of them are making a decent wage, but only a decent wage, and, certainly, they are not wealthy by any stretch, nor do they have savings to turn to. prgtoken He said: I have to call back these folks who are literally out of work because of the government shutdown--some of whom have applied for unemployment compensation--and tell them they have to come to work. Commissioner Gottlieb said: When I declare them essential, that is the law. They have to return to work and come here for no pay. prgtoken We have an important responsibility of the government, food safety, which is now being ignored--or I should say diminished--because of the shutdown, and as they try to resume some part of it, Commissioner Gottlieb has the awful responsibility of trying to pick those employees who will be hurt the least if they are called back to work. prgtoken This is America. This is the U.S.A. This is a great country, perhaps one of the greatest in the history of the world, and this is where we stand when it comes to making certain that baby food is safe for A
END THE CHARADE AND REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT
Joe Neguse (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2019-1-10

I rise today as the son of refugees, and the first Eritrean American to be elected to the House of Representatives. prgtoken My father, who immigrated to this country 35 years ago, sat in this same Chamber up there in the gallery only a week ago to watch his son be sworn into the people's House. prgtoken , I rise today with a simple, solemn, and serious request: that this administration stop its demonization of immigrants and reopen the government. prgtoken The administration has manufactured a crisis based on fear and is now holding our government effectively hostage, blatantly causing harm to the economic security of American families across the Nation. prgtoken Bruce, a constituent in my district, had to close down his small business in Estes Park as a result of the shutdown. As Rocky Mountain National Park remains closed, small businesses have continued to struggle under this burden. prgtoken Countless workers in my district--Federal lab workers, national park employees, national firefighters, weather forecasters, and many others--have been furloughed or are working without pay, and $700 million in national parks' revenue in Colorado has been threatened. prgtoken , enough is enough. prgtoken , end the charade and reopen the government now.