mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
REMEMBERING VEL PHILLIPS
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2018-4-26

today I wish to honor Vel Phillips, who was born Velvalea Hortense Rodgers in 1923 in Milwaukee and passed away on April 17, 2018, at the age of 95. Vel was a civil rights leader and a pioneer in social justice and fair housing who left an indelible mark on the State of Wisconsin. prgtoken Vel earned a national oratory scholarship from the Black Elks to attend Howard University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1946. She returned to her home State of Wisconsin to attend the University of Wisconsin--Madison Law School, becoming the first Black woman to graduate from the school, just one in a long series of significant firsts for Vel. prgtoken Following law school, Vel made it her life's work to advocate for social justice and equal rights. She became actively involved in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, working for political, social, educational, and economic equality for people of color. prgtoken Vel was elected to the Milwaukee Common Council in 1956, not only as the first African American, but also as the first woman. Her election sent shockwaves through the all-White, all-male council. Rather than welcoming her to her new position, her colleagues refused to share an office with her and suggested she join the aldermen's wives club instead of the council. A firm believer in polite persistence, Vel took her seat quietly but proudly. She quickly went on to become an advocate not only for the people in her district, but for every African American in the city. She later said, ``No matter where they lived, I was their alderman and they called me.'' prgtoken Vel would go on to accomplish many more firsts. In 1971, she became the first woman judge in Milwaukee County, as well as the first African-American judge in the State of Wisconsin. In 1978, she made history again as the first woman and minority elected secretary of State in Wisconsin. prgtoken In spite of all these significant firsts, Vel Phillips is perhaps best known for initiating the long but ultimately successful fight to outlaw housing discrimination in Milwaukee. Until the late 1960s, landlords freely refused to sell or rent property to people of color. Even if homeowners wanted to sell property to people of color, banks routinely rejected their loan applications. As a result, African Americans lived almost exclusively in one run-down neighborhood on Milwaukee's near north side. prgtoken In 1962, Vel introduced the city's first ordinance to prohibit discrimination in housing. The council promptly rejected it by a vote of 18 to 1. She tried three additional times over the next 6 years with the same result. The Milwaukee NAACP Youth Council and The Rev. James Groppi took up her cause in 1967 and organized 200 consecutive nights of protests in support of her ordinance. When her colleagues adopted a watered-down version of an open housing ordinance in an attempt to make the protests stop, Vel told t
SNAP CUTS
Gwen Moore (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2018-4-26

I rise again today to decry the majority's war on the poor, especially those women who get up every single day and struggle as mothers, often are caretakers for elderly parents, who are juggling two and three minimum wage jobs at $7.25 an hour to take care of their families, and then being told that they are welfare cheats because they need assistance from programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in order to meet basic food needs. The last time I checked, , food was not a luxury, but a basic life necessity. prgtoken In a few weeks, this House will take up a bill which has been designated H.R. 2, an enumeration which reflects the majority's priorities. Now, as you recall, , H.R. 1 was reserved for the over $1 trillion tax giveaway we gave to corporations and to the wealthy. And as has been noted earlier in our morning hour, we are facing a sovereign debt crisis because that bill will thrust us into trillions of dollars of debt in the future. prgtoken So what does H.R. 2 do? prgtoken H.R. 2 makes very harmful changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, cutting $23 billion in funding, reducing eligibility, and to generate resentment against the poor so that these draconian cuts will be tolerated by the public. After all, we have to pay for H.R. 1 some kind of way, so H.R. 2 is the solution. The numerous ideological and unproven policies that simply stigmatize and punish the poor are what constitutes H.R. 2, along with the $23 billion cut. prgtoken Now, just let me say, , I want to remind you that the majority of SNAP participants are children, seniors, and people with disabilities. These are individuals who will not be part of any workforce. No matter how mean-spirited you decide to be, , and no matter how many of these ill-advised work policies you put in place, a 7-year-old cannot work; someone disabled cannot work; someone 68, 69 years old may not be able to find a job that an employer will provide for them. prgtoken And of the rest of those who receive SNAP, let's talk about the facts. More than half of SNAP households have at least one working age disabled adult in it while receiving SNAP. More than 80 percent work in the year before or after receiving SNAP. Work rates are even higher for families with children where more than 60 percent work. Work, Mr while receiving SNAP. prgtoken Yet, we have H.R. 2, which requires work requirements. And yet, we talk about how to extend and make the prgtoken safety net better for farmers in our farm bill. But here comes more proposals to restrict eligibility, reduce benefits, cap or reduce funding, and alter SNAP's core purpose--to help struggling Americans when tough times hit--and tough times are right now, . prgtoken The fact is that for low-income families, every single dollar counts, no matter where these families live. If they are urban families, they are rural families, tens of millions of Americans who are old and young
HONORING THE LIFE OF JENNIFER RIORDAN
Michelle Lujan Grisham (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2018-4-26

I rise today to honor Mrs. Jennifer Riordan, who tragically lost her life on Southwest Airlines flight 1380 on April 17. prgtoken Mrs. Riordan was an incredible leader and an advocate in our community who loved out loud. I join her family and loved ones in celebrating her life and her commitment to building strong and loving communities. prgtoken Through her work at Wells Fargo and her philanthropic efforts, she was able to reflect the positivity of her beaming smile onto every community she touched. Her devotion to serving others made our city a better place and is both her lasting legacy and an example to all of us. prgtoken Our hearts break for her family and for everyone who had the good fortune of being in her presence. prgtoken I want to extend my heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Riordan's husband, Michael, and her two children, Averie and Joshua. prgtoken I hope that we can all honor Mrs. Riordan's memory by embodying her personal philosophy: be kind, loving, caring, and sharing.
DEMOCRATS HAVE A BETTER DEAL ON HEALTHCARE
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-4-26

this week, are highlighting our ``Better Deal'' that we are offering the American people. prgtoken One area where this Congress has given the American people a bad deal is healthcare. Because of their repeated attempts to repeal and undermine the Affordable Care Act, uncertainty has plagued our health insurance markets, leading insurers to flee and premiums to go up. prgtoken s included in their tax law a provision that will take coverage away from 13 million people and hike premiums by more than 10 percent annually. prgtoken The administration is also making every effort, , to unravel vital consumer protections through rulemaking. Now many who were finally protected under the Affordable Care Act will again be vulnerable to discrimination and to higher costs for comprehensive coverage. prgtoken That is the approach, unfortunately, to healthcare: higher costs, lower coverage, and, yes, an age tax, and a return to the days when insurers could deny coverage based upon preexisting conditions. prgtoken are offering a better deal: stabilizing markets, bringing down premiums, making prescription drugs more affordable, and protecting Medicare and Medicaid, which are the s' next targets.
Special Counsel Legislation (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-4-26

I watched the President on TV this morning, and like most Americans, so many Americans, I was aghast. The President seems to live in an alternative reality. He says things that are patently false, and he thinks that just by saying them, they become true. With the number of 180-degree turns--direct contradictions to what he has said before--the name-calling, and blaming, if you watched the President this morning and the way he acted, it was so unbecoming of a President, unbecoming of a democracy. prgtoken We believe in truth. People may have different value systems, but to just make up things as he goes along and to, without blinking an eye, contradict things that he said that were exactly the opposite a few hours, a few days, a few weeks ago is not who any President of any party of any ideology should be. prgtoken What the President said this morning was embarrassing to America, to democracy, and to any American who prizes truth. prgtoken One of the things the President said this morning was that he has decided not to be involved in the Russia probe but may change his mind. That is why it is so good this morning that the Judiciary Committee is marking up bipartisan legislation that will protect Special Counsel Mueller from political interference. prgtoken From the very beginning, Special Counsel Mueller's investigation has been about following the facts of how a foreign, hostile power interfered with our free and fair elections--the wellspring of our democracy. That investigation must be allowed to proceed safely from the President's heavy hand. The President can't make this go away by name-calling. He can't dispute facts. He can't dispute the fact that Russia's interfering in our election is very dangerous and must be investigated no matter where it leads. prgtoken It is so abundantly clear from the President's remarks this morning and from so many other things he has said that he has little regard for the rule of law. He seems to have this view that the purpose of the Justice Department is to protect his interests and persecute his enemies. That is not a democracy. The purpose of the Justice Department is to defend the rule of law, and no man or woman is above the law. It is not, simply, to go after his friends. He is angry when the Justice Department does something he doesn't like even though it is following the law. Again, that is not the hallmark of our democracy. prgtoken I am so proud of our Judiciary Committee and Chairman Grassley in their rising to the occasion--proposing and hopefully passing legislation that says we will protect the rule of law and that we will protect our democracy by not allowing the President to fire the special counsel at will because he simply doesn't like the results he comes up with. prgtoken Again, the Judiciary Committee, this morning, makes us proud. It rises to the occasion to tell the President that he cannot tamper with the very wellsprings of our democ
FARM BILL AND SNAP
Emanuel Cleaver (Democrat, MO) \u2014 2018-4-26

I want to begin by saying that there are a lot of things in this farm bill that I actually agree with, and I would like to be supportive of such components of this bill. I agree with and would like to be a partner in getting this bill passed. However, there are some things I need to mention. prgtoken For the last 50 years, and s have worked together to combine food and farming programs in a bipartisan effort. However, when discussing the 2018 farm bill, which will come up for a vote very soon, I want to shed some light on some things that don't quite add up, some things that aren't what I would call common sense. prgtoken In essence, this bill aims to restrict eligibility and reduce benefits of the Nation's most effective antihunger program, SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. Moreover, this proposed bill dumps a massive burden on State governments. Therefore, although I intend to be an active partner in the final passage of this legislation, I cannot and will not support the 2018 farm bill until the necessary changes are made. prgtoken If enacted, this bill, as it is currently designed, will deal damaging blows to the very heart of America by cutting nearly $20 billion from SNAP, resulting in higher levels of hunger, poverty, and critical health problems. prgtoken I want to take just a minute to remind my colleagues and those who are watching at home who the SNAP recipients are. prgtoken In my home State of Missouri, SNAP reached 759,000 residents, more than 10 percent of the population. That is 1 in every 10 Missourians. SNAP kept 221,000 people out of poverty in Missouri, including 109,000 children, which reminds me--and this is the painful part of being in a body that has now become tribal in the way we conduct business, and it is so sad that we have come into this situation. prgtoken Over and over and over there is this theory that is floated out in America that people are stealing food stamps and living in luxury homes and all of this; and it is just so sad because, when you hear something like this for decades, people actually believe it. There is no proof to what they say when they make these allegations. prgtoken It may be important to know that 82 percent of the places where food stamps or SNAP are redeemed, there is 0.5 percent fraud. prgtoken But if you listen to people, they are not going to say it on the floor. They could go and say it out in the world, but they won't say it on the floor, because they know that it is inaccurate, but you would come to believe that, boy, these people are ripping these hardworking Americans off. prgtoken Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. That is from Macbeth, and it is exactly what is happening. We are deceiving the American public. prgtoken I read somewhere that says the generous will themselves be blessed for the food they share with the poor. That is something that we should remember, particularly those of us who
Introductory Statement on S. 2773
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-4-26

I am pleased to introduce the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act. This legislation updates the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to phase out the use of harmful drift gillnets and replace it with more sustainable fishing gear. prgtoken Drift gillnets, which are approximately one to one and a half miles long, are intended to catch swordfish and thresher shark. Tragically, nearly 60 other species are accidentally caught and killed in the nets, including dolphins, porpoises, whales, sea lions, and sea turtles. These are known as bycatch. prgtoken While some of these species can be sold, most are wastefully thrown back in to the ocean either dead or injured, making survival unlikely. prgtoken According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, gillnets account for 90% of whale and porpoise species killed in West Coast Fisheries. prgtoken In the 1980s, Congress enacted legislation to end the domestic use of driftnets approximately 1.5 miles long. Under President George H.W the United States entered binding international agreements banning such nets worldwide. Driftnets are prohibited or not utilized off the United States Atlantic and Gulf coasts or in Washington State, Oregon, Alaska, or Hawaii. Mexico permanently banned the use of these nets in 2017. prgtoken However, neither domestic nor international law, as currently written, captures the drift gillnets used along the West Coast to catch swordfish and thresher shark, despite their significant impact on protected marine life. The California-based fishery is the last place in the United States where these deadly driftnets are allowed. prgtoken The Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act would completely phase out the use of drift gillnets by 2020. The bill also authorizes a program, directed by the Department of Commerce, to assist fishermen in transitioning from driftnets to more sustainable gear types which studies have shown actually increase profitability. prgtoken Updated fishing gear that could replace driftnets is available and has been successfully deployed in the Atlantic Ocean and in trials in the Pacific Ocean as well. Deep-set buoy gear, for example, allows fishermen to more accurately target swordfish and other marketable species in deep, cold water. The gear alerts fishermen immediately when they have fish on the line, so the fish can be retrieved and delivered to market quickly, fetching a higher price. prgtoken In a 2016 poll, California voters overwhelmingly supported ending the use of drift gillnets to catch swordfish, with 87 percent of those surveyed in a poll commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts agreeing that fishermen should use less harmful gear. prgtoken The Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act enjoys support from a wide group of stakeholders. I ask unanimous consent that a list of 40 supporting organizations and letters of support be included in the record. Th
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FACE A CLEAR CHOICE
Hakeem S. Jeffries (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-4-26

the American people face a clear choice about the way forward: the raw deal or the ic better deal. prgtoken House s want to take away healthcare from more than 23 million Americans--raw deal; want to strengthen the Affordable Care Act and dramatically lower the cost of prescription drugs--better deal. prgtoken House s have a fake infrastructure plan that will do nothing to repair our Nation's crumbling bridges, roads, and tunnels-- raw deal; have a real infrastructure plan that would invest $1 trillion and create 16 million good-paying jobs--better deal. prgtoken House s passed a tax scam where 83 percent of the benefits went to the wealthiest 1 percent in America simply to subsidize the lifestyles of the rich and shameless--raw deal; want a permanent tax cut for working families so we can put more money into the pockets of everyday Americans--better deal. prgtoken House s want to cut more than $2 trillion from Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid--raw deal; want to strengthen Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid so that senior citizens from throughout the land can live out their golden years with grace and dignity. That is A Better Deal. prgtoken House s are all about chaos, crisis, and confusion; are working to deliver better jobs, better wages, and a better future. prgtoken The American people deserve A Better Deal.
GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY
Donald M. Payne, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2018-4-26

last weekend was the 30th anniversary of Global Youth Service Day. I spent Saturday morning at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey to meet with around 50 young people who had volunteered their day to serve others. prgtoken Of course, young people have always been great leaders, but with social media and other technologies connecting people like never before, the power of diverse young minds coming together has taken on a new dimension. prgtoken Young people are comparing notes across the country and around the world, and they are doing something to change the course of history. Young people are leading marches, they are running for office, and they are putting their minds and bodies to the service of others. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and the young people across this country who participated in the 2018 Global Youth Service Day.
FAA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2018
Steve Cohen (Democrat, TN) \u2014 2018-4-26

I would just like to take my remaining time to thank Mr. Shuster for his work on this bill, and Mr. DeFazio for his work, too. They did bring about an excellent bill that I am proud to support. prgtoken I have been proud to be a member of the committee with Mr. Shuster as the chair. He has done an outstanding job and done his father's memory as a great chairman even greater honor. prgtoken , .
GOP TAX SCAM
John A. Yarmuth (Democrat, KY) \u2014 2018-4-26

I rise today to offer a real-life account of the raw deal s gave the American people with their GOP tax scam. prgtoken Dennis, a retired constituent of mine from Louisville, who still works part time, recently wrote a letter to the Courier-Journal newspaper. He stated: ``The so-called tax cut for the middle class is going to cost me an estimated $600 more in taxes in 2018.'' prgtoken Dennis pays his taxes quarterly, which is why he did these calculations now. He added in part: ``I urge people to look into this so-called great tax break for the middle class. This might change your mind on the current Members of Congress that have been misleading you to thinking they are actually working to help you, unless you are one of the big donors!'' prgtoken Dennis isn't alone. By the time this scam is fully implemented, more than 80 million middle class families will see their taxes increase. That is not progress. That is a ripoff.
REMEMBERING HESTER GOODENOUGH CALDWELL
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2018-4-26

I want to take a moment to remember a Vermonter who, with seemingly boundless energy and enthusiasm, devoted her life to her family, her students, her friends, and her community. Hester ``Hep'' Caldwell, who died on April 10, 2018, will be forever remembered and admired for a life well lived. prgtoken Hep, who lived to be 89, was one of those people who just about everybody liked immediately. She loved people, she loved sports, she loved the outdoors, and she loved living on West Hill in Putney, VT, with her husband, John, whom she first met when they were both just 10 years old. prgtoken For decades, Hep taught history and John taught mathematics at the Putney School. Besides challenging her students in the classroom, Hep's many passions--hiking, skiing, gardening, classical music--inspired all who knew her. She set an example for generations, young and old, in her home, in the classroom, in woods, fields, and on the slopes and summits of mountains in all seasons of the year and by her many years of community service. prgtoken Putney will not be the same without Hep, but she has left her mark there and in her children and grandchildren in ways that will live on for generations. prgtoken I ask unanimous consent that Hep Caldwell's obituary in the Valley News be printed in the Record.
FAA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2018
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2018-4-26

. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his very special efforts for this reauthorization. prgtoken Perhaps our entire committee and subcommittee are due some self- congratulations for reaching a bipartisan agreement for a long-term reauthorization for the FAA, but the lion's share of the appreciation belongs to Chairman Shuster. I thank the chairman for his leadership, especially as he is retiring from the House, and I am grateful for the considerable efforts of Ranking Member DeFazio. prgtoken Mr. Chair, there was only one major disagreement, and that was, of course, on privatization of air traffic control operations. prgtoken This bill includes many areas that demonstrate the importance of bipartisanship. It is almost impossible to help and not s, and vice versa, when it comes to matters affecting aviation. prgtoken I appreciate my own amendments in the bill addressing airplane noise, many of them embedded in the bill. And I am sure, given the complaints throughout the country, that my noise provisions, too, are bipartisan. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I ask that the House oppose the Cuellar amendment. This is a special destinations amendment for San Diego and San Antonio mainly to benefit the House Members from those districts so they can fly into Reagan National Airport nonstop rather than Dulles, which is nearby, and Baltimore-Washington, which is also very close to the District of Columbia. prgtoken The Congress has spent billions of dollars to expand Dulles, which is still very underutilized because it is a little further from D.C. than Reagan.