mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING THE LEADERSHIP AND ACTIVISM OF LESLIE DIANE HIATT
Lucille Roybal-Allard (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-11-14

as we observe American Education Week, I rise today to recognize Leslie Diane Hiatt, a remarkable teacher and social activist in my 40th Congressional District of California. As a teacher at Bell Gardens Elementary in the Montebello Unified School District, Ms. Hiatt has inspired her students to act on injustices in their community and in the world overall. prgtoken Born in Whittier, California, on December 10, 1960, to James and Jean Hiatt, Ms. Hiatt was raised in a loving family that encouraged activism and equality. From a young age, her commitment to social justice and service to her community was apparent. In high school, where she organized the first girls' track team, she often spent her lunch break at the local elementary school organizing intramural sports for the younger students. She also spent her free time writing letters to politicians about air pollution and the Vietnam War, trying to right the wrongs of the world. In 1979, Leslie graduated from Monte Vista High School in Whittier, and went on to attend the University of Southern California, from which she graduated in 1983. prgtoken Subsequently, Leslie started her teaching career at Bell Gardens Elementary School In 1988, she pursued her Master of Arts at California State University, Fullerton. She also received a Math Authorization from Center X at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2001. prgtoken Throughout her 34-year career as an educator, Ms. Hiatt has worked with immigrant and Latino communities. This has positioned her perfectly to help inspire students to believe they cannot be bystanders, and that in order to bring change in the world, they must use their voice to speak up about injustices. To encourage these conversations, she has her students write letters to government representatives and emphasizes the importance of persistence and collaboration. These experiences have empowered her students. Here are some of their particularly important efforts over the years. prgtoken In 1989, one of Ms. Hiatt's classes refused to have grapes from the school cafeteria after learning about the United Farm Workers movement and the dangers that grape workers faced as they were being exposed to pesticides. As a result of the ongoing struggle of grape workers, her students wrote letters to their school board, and after a lengthy debate, the district honored the grape boycott. The students' actions later received attention from labor leader Cesar Chavez. prgtoken In 2015, as her students learned about the history of immigration in California and the unconstitutional ``Mexican Repatriation'' deportations of the 1930s, her students were dismayed at the complete absence of information on the deportations in their history textbooks. They were also astounded to know that there has never been a federal apology for those 1930s deportations, which expelled over 1.2 million United States citizens and over two million Mexican nationals who were
TAX REFORM
Thomas R. Suozzi (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-11-14

I just want to point out that in the State of New York, there are many s who have come out against this tax bill because of the fact that it will hurt so many middle class families. prgtoken Eliminating the State and local tax deduction is completely and patently unfair. This State and local tax deduction has been in place for over 100 years. Why should someone pay taxes on taxes they have already paid to their State and local governments?
Tax Reform (Executive Calendar)
Tammy Duckworth (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-11-14

, the Senator from Rhode Island, and I join him in strong opposition to the nomination of Mr. Steven Bradbury to be the general counsel of the U.S. Department of Transportation. prgtoken Mr. Bradbury is a deeply flawed nominee for many reasons, including his unwillingness to recuse himself from issues involving his former clients and dodging commitments to forgo accepting waivers for recusals. However, my opposition to his nomination is rooted in his troubling record while serving at the Department of Justice during the administration. prgtoken As we know, Mr. Bradbury was Acting Attorney General at the Department of Justice from 2005 to 2007 and led the Office of Legal Counsel there from 2005 to 2009. When he was nominated by President to be Assistant Attorney General in 2004, his nomination was so unacceptable that the majority leader at the time offered to confirm 84 stalled nominees in exchange for the withdrawal of his nomination. prgtoken Let me repeat that. The Senate majority leader at the time was willing to accept 84 other nominees in exchange for President withdrawing Mr. Bradbury's nomination. prgtoken What Senators objected to then--and the reason I am so strongly opposed to Mr. Bradbury's nomination now--is that Mr. Bradbury is the chief architect of the legal justification that authorized waterboarding and other forms of enhanced interrogation techniques we used to hear a lot about during the last Presidency. For those who might not be familiar with the term ``enhanced interrogation,'' there is another term for it that most Americans probably are familiar with. It is called ``torture.'' prgtoken The ``torture memos,'' as they are commonly referred to today, represent a dark period in our Nation's recent history that we must never repeat. In my opinion, his connection to these memos alone should disqualify Mr. Bradbury from government service. I understand he is nominated to serve at the Department of Transportation and not the Department of Justice, but his very willingness in the past to aid and abet torture demonstrates a failure of moral character that makes him dangerous to the American people and to our troops regardless of which agency he is nominated to serve in. Those torture memos displayed a disturbing disregard for the intent of Congress and flouted both international and U.S. law. prgtoken If confirmed, Mr. Bradbury will swear a solemn oath to serve the interests of the American public by providing honest and objective legal analysis to the Department and the administration. I doubt he can carry out that oath. prgtoken The American Government would, once again, rely on his counsel to make sure Department of Transportation employees do not subvert the law, the intent of Congress, or the U.S. Constitution. Unfortunately, he has let both the government and the American people down before, and I have no confidence that
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR--Continued
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2017-11-14

I am here to respond to the nomination of Steven Bradbury for a senior legal position in the U.S. Department of Transportation. I have had some experience with Mr. Bradbury, and in my experience, he is disqualified from serving in a legal government position of trust, such as he has been nominated for. prgtoken The administration pursued a policy of detainee mistreatment that since has been acknowledged to include torture of detainees. The process that got the United States of America into a place where it was torturing detainees was a legal process that was full of mistakes and failures by the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice-- by Mr. Bybee, by Mr. Yoo, and, following them, by Mr. Bradbury. prgtoken Let's start with just a word on the Office of Legal Counsel. Within the Department of Justice, the Office of Legal Counsel is seen as being the best of the best. The Department of Justice prides itself on attracting, training, and perfecting the skills of the best lawyers in America. prgtoken As a U.S. Attorney, I had the privilege of serving with a lot of absolutely spectacularly skilled lawyers and trial advocates just in the small Rhode Island U.S. attorney's office and working with others from the Department of Justice, and I have a very, very high opinion of Department of Justice lawyers and Department of Justice lawyering. But even within the expectation that the Department of Justice lawyering will be first rate, the Office of Legal Counsel is supposed to be a cut above. These are people who go into that office with the possibility that they will become U.S. Supreme Court Justices. These are people who come out of clerkships on the U.S. Supreme Court--one of the highest academic achievements a law student can have--and end up joining the Office of Legal Counsel. The Office of Legal Counsel ought to be held to a very high standard. prgtoken What happened when the Office of Legal Counsel was asked to take a look at the CIA torture program in the administration was that it fell down or rolled over in virtually every respect. The factual investigation into what the CIA was actually doing was weak and ineffectual. The legal investigation into the past, into precedents, was--as I said in previous speeches at the time--fire-the-associate quality legal work. It is particularly bad coming from the Office of Legal Counsel because the Office of Legal Counsel is supposed to be the best of the best. prgtoken It is hard to say that these guys failed having tried their best. They just weren't smart enough to figure it out. They just weren't working hard enough. They just didn't know enough about legal research or scholarship. So, you know, nice try but you blew it, but no harm in it because we don't expect much of you to begin with. prgtoken That is certainly not the case with OLC. The array of memos that the OLC wrote--the Bybee, Yoo, and Bradbury memos--were calamitous failu
Yemen Humanitarian Crisis (Executive Session)
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2017-11-14

I rise today to oppose Steven Bradbury's nomination to serve as general counsel at the Department of Transportation. prgtoken The general counsel position at DOT oversees and makes critical judgments about legal work that impacts public safety, development, and innovation that drives our economy. Unfortunately, Mr. Bradbury's previous actions during his time at the Department of Justice showed that he lacks the judgment and commitment to our shared values that are a prerequisite for any lawyer privileged to serve the people of the United States of America. prgtoken During his time as the acting head of the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel, Mr. Bradbury was one of three primary lawyers who helped lay the groundwork for the administration's defense of what they described as ``enhanced interrogation techniques.'' The so- called torture memos that Mr. Bradbury helped write were used to justify the administration's decision to use torture that included extreme sleep deprivation, cramped confinement, and waterboarding. Mr. Bradbury helped find legal loopholes that were an affront to our American values. And he failed to fulfill the special responsibility all lawyers have to the quality of justice in our legal system. prgtoken Mr. Bradbury's past government service reflects a lack of sound legal judgment. In fact, a 2009 review by the Department of Justice raised questions about the objectivity and reasonableness of the conclusions found in the memos he authored. Rather than standing up for our values and laws, Mr. Bradbury deferred to the wishes and pressure of the President he was serving. prgtoken Furthermore, during his confirmation hearing, when referring to his legal justification for these so-called enhanced interrogation techniques, Mr. Bradbury stated: ``If I had my druthers, I wouldn't have engaged in having to address those issues.'' prgtoken If Mr. Bradbury preferred to not engage in tough legal questions at the time, then he should not have been serving in the Office of Legal Counsel, and he should not be confirmed for a general counsel position now. By definition, the job of general counsel is to deal with difficult legal questions. prgtoken It is clear Mr. Bradbury is unwilling to provide the sound legal judgement and impartiality necessary for this role. He has demonstrated, in the past, that his legal analysis is flawed, he lacks a commitment to America's values, and his actions have had truly dangerous implications for our Nation. prgtoken I will oppose this nomination, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. prgtoken .
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2810, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Niki Tsongas (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-11-14

I thank Ranking Member Smith and Chairman Thornberry for their leadership. I would also like to thank Chairman Turner for his partnership and leadership this year on the Tactical Air and prgtoken Land Forces Subcommittee and for maintaining the spirit of bipartisanship that is the tradition of this committee. prgtoken , the fiscal year 2018 NDAA takes significant steps to support and protect military members and their families. However, I share Ranking Member Smith's concerns that this year's bill authorizes a level of defense funding that is wholly unrealistic. prgtoken The numbers included in this bill are well above caps placed on defense spending by the Budget Control Act, and prioritize defense spending at a devastating cost to important Federal agencies and other investments that are critical to maintaining our national competitiveness and the future of our country. They are being put forward at the same time that we are considering a tax reform bill that will significantly cut revenues and, by the latest estimate, add $1.7 trillion to the Federal deficit. Accordingly, the increased spending included in this bill are hollow numbers and we are failing to deliver a credible or sensible long-term plan to the Defense Department. prgtoken Throughout my tenure on this committee, I have been guided by our moral obligation to ensure that the men and women that we send into harm's way are properly equipped and the best protected in the world. I would never deny them the tools they need to defend themselves and our Nation, which is why I will be voting for this compromise. prgtoken I understand the necessity of many of the programs that are funded each year in this bill and believe its passage is needed to maintain American military superiority against a variety of threats while supporting our men and women in uniform. But ongoing budget negotiations need to get realistic. We owe it to our servicemembers to find a responsible, balanced path forward that works for both our national and economic security.
Tax Reform (Executive Calendar)
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-11-14

I want to begin by thanking the Senator from Illinois. Not only did she serve this country, she sacrificed for this country. I for one, as I see her rolling up and down the aisles and through the halls, am just so proud and so thankful for her, for her family, for her work, and particularly I thank her for these comments. I think the Senator is very worthy, and I am delighted to be her colleague. prgtoken , I, too, rise in strong opposition to the confirmation of Steven Bradbury to serve as general counsel in the Department of Transportation. prgtoken Steven Bradbury has a troubling history of disregard for United States and international law and seems unable to offer objective legal analysis. Both of these troubling characteristics were on display when he helped justify the CIA's torture program. prgtoken I was on the Intelligence Committee during this period of time--and still am--and one of the things we wanted to see were the Office of Legal Counsel memoranda. The OLC memos were never given to us, although individuals from the Department came and spoke to us about them. prgtoken Steven Bradbury was head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel from 2005 to 2009. During that time, he wrote four legal memos--finally declassified, finally here--and this is what they look like. Those memos provided the legal foundation for waterboarding and other interrogation techniques that were tantamount to torture. prgtoken The first memo, written on May 10, 2005, concludes that the use of so-called enhanced interrogation techniques was lawful. This memo, which addressed torture techniques including waterboarding, was written to replace the previous classified Office of Legal Counsel opinions. prgtoken The second memo, also written on May 10, found that the use of multiple interrogation techniques would not violate U.S. law because there would be no severe mental pain or suffering, just physical distress. prgtoken The third memo, written on May 30, 2005, reaffirmed a previous OLC opinion that the CIA's use of torture, such as waterboarding, was not prohibited by the Convention against Torture, so long as it was done overseas. That memo also concluded that constitutional prohibitions against cruel, unusual, and inhumane treatment or punishment did not apply. prgtoken The fourth memo, written on July 20, 2007, concluded that the continued use of six enhanced interrogation techniques by the CIA, including forced nudity and extended sleep deprivation, did not violate the Detainee Treatment Act or the War Crimes Act or the Geneva Conventions. prgtoken By writing these four memos, Bradbury not only provided the feeble foundation upon which the CIA violated well-established law and military doctrine, he also endangered U.S. troops--as the Senator from Illinois has pointed out--betrayed our country's values, and compromised our standing as a world leader. prgtoken The tactics used by the CIA were
TAX REFORM
Jerrold Nadler (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-11-14

. I do have one more point to make, and the gentleman reminded me of it. prgtoken In 2004, when we had the repatriation, we told the big corporations they could bring all the offshore money home and pay only a fractional tax on it; they were going to create jobs and so forth. And what happened? They didn't create jobs. They had buybacks. They enriched their executives. They didn't create jobs. prgtoken The fundamental problem with this analysis is not that corporations don't have enough money to invest, and, therefore, if you give them lower taxes they will have more money to invest; they have plenty of money to invest. They don't see the investment opportunities, and that is a different problem. There is plenty of money to invest. They are rolling in cash. There is not a dearth of investment opportunity. There is not a dearth of investment cash. prgtoken So if you give them more cash, they will pay their CEOs higher. They will put more money into stock buybacks. The shareholders may benefit, but they won't hire more workers. The economy won't benefit; and we will be taking money away from the middle class and lower-income people, and we will be taking money away from the governments, local governments, that have to spend the money on schools, housing, health, roads and bridges, and so forth to build up this country.
RECOGNIZING THE EMPLOYEES OF THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
Peter J. Visclosky (Democrat, IN) \u2014 2017-11-14

I rise today to congratulate all of the award winners from the U.S. International Trade Commission who were recognized last week, on Tuesday, November 7, 2017, at their annual Career Service Awards Ceremony. The employees at the U.S. International Trade Commission are on the front line of enforcing our U.S. trade laws and addressing a wide variety of trade-related issues. U.S. trade laws protect American workers from unfair trade practices and support communities that manufacture and produce the products that power our national economy and that are essential to supporting our national security. The dedicated employees at the U.S. International Trade Commission investigate allegations of unfair trade practices against countries from around the world, and their work is essential to defending good jobs throughout our country, including steel and manufacturing jobs in the First Congressional District of Indiana. Last week, I was pleased to be able to attend their 2017 Career Service Awards Ceremony, which recognized the outstanding accomplishments of the International Trade Commission staff from the past year. For example, the ceremony presented Quality Step Increase Awards to individuals that received a permanent increase in their rate of pay in recognition of high quality performance above that ordinarily found. The ceremony also presented Superior Accomplishment Awards based on an act, service, or suggestion that contributes to the efficiency or other improvement of government operations. I would note that under this category, an award was presented to the Carbon and Alloy Steel Cut-to-Length Plate team for providing high quality work products, meeting aggressive statutory deadlines, and adroitly overcoming numerous analytical challenges with a high-profile case that involved the greatest number of countries for a single case in more than a decade. Additionally, the ceremony presented employees with Length of Service awards, including 40 Years of Service awards for Judith M. Bryant, Deborah A. Daniels, Jean H. Jackson, Myra D. Lay, and Deborah A. McNay, 45 Years of Service awards for William W. Gearhart, Jr and Linda D. Powell, and a 50 Years of Service award for Tyrone F. Coward. I also would like to call attention to the Distinguished Service Award winners, Karen Attardo, Attorney-Adviser in the Office of Administrative Services, and Vu Q. Bui, Investigative Attorney in the Office of Unfair Import Investigations. This award is the second- highest honor that can be conferred upon an employee and recipients are chosen by senior management in recognition of notable contributions. Further, I would like to recognize Jennifer Rohrbach, Program Manager in the Office of Operations, as the recipient of the Commissioners' Award for Exceptional Service. This is the highest honor that can be conferred upon an employee and recipients are chosen directly by the Commissioners in recognition of disti