mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF WOODBURY, MINNESOTA
Betty McCollum (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2017-3-8

I rise today to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Woodbury, Minnesota. Located east of Saint Paul on the picturesque high ground between the Mississippi and St. Croix River Valleys, Woodbury has quickly grown from a small farming community to a bustling suburb of 68,000 residents. The city of Woodbury enters its 50th year as a thriving community for all ages, with excellent schools, vibrant businesses and beautiful neighborhoods, lakes and parks. prgtoken In the 1840s, settlers primarily from the eastern U.S. and Germany arrived to the area, then called Red Rock by the native Dakota. Settlers soon incorporated the area as a township and named it after former U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy and Treasury, and Supreme Court Justice, Levi Woodbury. Much of the wooded land was converted into farmland, and agriculture dominated the area over the course of the next century. As development pressures increased, in 1967 residents chose to incorporate as the city of Woodbury to retain local control over rapid development of the community. prgtoken Today, Woodbury is one of the fastest growing Minnesota communities and is currently the state's ninth largest city. Twenty-thousand new residents flocked to the city between 2000-2016 and many more are expected to arrive in the coming years, attracted by its tremendous amenities and easy access to freeways and planned transit connections. Woodbury is home to a flourishing health and wellness industry, and has also drawn countless other businesses to the area, which benefits from one of the most highly educated workforces in the nation. It is no surprise that Woodbury is regularly rated one of the ``Best Places to Live'' in national rankings. prgtoken Since its founding, residents of Woodbury have always demonstrated a giving spirit to improve their community and welcome newcomers. As Woodbury grows and thrives, new residents are bringing diversity, creativity and energy that ensure the city will be an even better place in the next 50 years. I encourage all residents to recognize this special anniversary year and share their memories and their vision for the next half century. prgtoken , as residents of Woodbury prepare to gather on March 27, 2017 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the city, please join me in honoring this milestone.
TRUMPCARE
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-3-8

the House s have finally unveiled their healthcare plan after nearly 8 years without a plan of their own. prgtoken Care is finally public, and each hour that goes by brings a new set of concerns and new groups that oppose the bill, from all places along the ideological spectrum. Even a growing number of conservatives are expressing their distaste for the legislation. prgtoken The fact of the matter is that Care is a mess. It will mean higher costs and less care for most Americans. When you look at the details, you can see that Care amounts to two separate systems of healthcare in America: cheaper healthcare for the rich, more expensive healthcare for everybody else. prgtoken Under Care, if you make more than $250,000 a year, you will get a huge tax break. The average is $200,000 a year, because most people are way above that $250,000. If you are in the middle class, the cost will increase by $1,500 annually, and by 2020, over $2,000 a year. prgtoken Let me repeat that. If you make over $250,000, your average tax break is $200,000. If you are in the middle class, your average increase in costs is $1,500 up. What kind of plan is that? prgtoken has talked about helping working America. The plan he has embraced, Care, helps the rich and hurts the average American. That is not surprising given all the other things they are doing the same way. This administration continues--and healthcare is part of that--to talk like populists but act like those helping the wealthy special interests time after time. prgtoken Let me repeat that. Under Care, if you make more than $250,000, you will get a tax break on average of $200,000 a year. If you are in the middle class, the cost will increase by about $1,500 annually, and after 2020, by $2,000 a year. prgtoken Care is a healthcare handout for the wealthiest Americans and fake healthcare for everybody else. Under Care, if you are a member of the Cabinet--stocked with billionaires--you are going to get a tax break, but if you are 60 years old, on the cusp of retirement but still waiting because you are not yet eligible for Medicare, Care would allow insurers to charge you more simply because of your age--discrimination against the elderly, against those 50 to 65, who have worked so hard but don't yet have Medicare. That is wrong. prgtoken If you are between 55 and 64, the total cost for you will increase $5,269 a year. Let me repeat that. If you are between 55 and 64, the total cost would increase by $5,269 a year. That is only the next 2 years. By 2020, it goes up to $6,000 a year. prgtoken For a working family, they can't afford that. What is this all about? They said it would be better care and cost less. It is worse care and it costs more. prgtoken How about this? Under Care, a wealthy insurance executive making over $500,000 a year is allowed a tax break. If you are struggling to make it
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 725, INNOCENT PARTY PROTECTION ACT
Alcee L. Hastings (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-3-8

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I have great respect for the chairman of the Rules Committee and he knows that. prgtoken I just heard him say his insurance went up under Care. Mine did, too. I also want to remind him that, if this measure as offered yesterday were to become law, his and my insurance is going to go up again. prgtoken So we weren't doing all of the things that you said you were going to do by bringing the price down. In addition, we don't even know what CBO's score is with respect to this matter. prgtoken You said that you are reading it to understand it now, yet Members are in the Energy and Commerce Committee, as you explained, marking it up, and they don't even know what CBO's score is. I will get back to that in a few minutes about all these people we pay over there to do that work, and then we are not utilizing them. prgtoken I also want to address my friend from Colorado and have him understand that I am not precluded from presenting to the American public what legislation we wish to prioritize. prgtoken As the gentleman knows, we are currently debating the rule. This is a tool used to set the House agenda and to prioritize consideration of legislation. For that very reason, this is, in fact, the appropriate time for us to explain to the American people what legislation we would like to prioritize and what agenda we would like to pursue in this House. I won't reiterate it, in the interest of time. prgtoken I will have a previous question that will demonstrably show what legislation we think we should be addressing. I will do that for as long as I am given the opportunity to manage rules. I will come down here and present the position of the ic Party so that they understand our priorities and not necessarily am I hidebound by this rule. prgtoken , .
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-3-8

I thank Senator Durbin, Senator Menendez, and Senator Coons for joining on the floor today to talk about the threat that Russia poses. prgtoken Senator Durbin is absolutely correct, and I thank him for his leadership on this. The only way the American people will have a full accounting of what Russia's intentions were and what they did in attacking our country is to have an independent commission. prgtoken We had such a commission after the attack on 9/11. and s came together. There was no controversy about that. We wanted to find out what and how we were attacked, how they got through our intelligence network, how they put together the horrific attack on our country, and then we wanted to know how we could get recommendations to protect us moving forward. prgtoken I am going to tell you, that commission served a very important national security function because we learned a lot. We learned that we were stovepiping too much information. We weren't sharing it. The way the agencies were set up, it was more over turf than it was over mission. Congress acted on the recommendations, and we are safer today as a result of it. prgtoken We don't know what Russia's intentions are all about. We suspect that they are trying to undermine our democratic system of government. We suspect that Russia is interested in regaining its reputation of the former Soviet Union. They are looking for a greater geographical footprint. We see prgtoken that in their military operations, not just on their border countries such as Ukraine or what they are doing in Georgia or Moldova, but we see that also in the Middle East where they have a military presence today, and they want to have a footprint there. prgtoken We believe they want to become a greater Russia. We know they don't like democratic systems of government. Their government stays in power through making sure that there is no effective opposition. They have quelled any opportunity for a ic opposition and for the free press. prgtoken We know those--but what are their ultimate aspirations? What do they intend to do with the transatlantic partnership? We talked about that. We are safer today because of the transatlantic relations. NATO has made our Nation safer. The strength of the EU has made our Nation stronger. prgtoken We know Russia is trying to interfere with that. They interfered with the Montenegro election in an effort to prevent Montenegro from agreeing to join NATO. We know they are trying to pull other nations out of Europe. We know that. prgtoken What we need to have, though, is a full accounting as to what happened in the attack on our country and how we can prepare ourselves to defend ourselves. By the way, it might also give us a blueprint for what we need to do to show Russia we will not tolerate that type of activity. prgtoken Senator Durbin is absolutely right. We have responsibilities in Congress. The committee I serve on, the
TRIBUTE TO JOHN MEDINGER
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2017-3-8

today I wish to honor John Medinger on his retirement from Federal and public service. John has dedicated his career to improving the lives of individuals in the La Crosse community and across the State of Wisconsin, most recently as my southwestern Wisconsin regional representative. I am so pleased to celebrate John's legacy of dedicated public service and positive social change. prgtoken John was born in La Crosse, WI, and has been the community's strongest advocate ever since. He graduated from Aquinas High School and went on to receive his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. prgtoken John's public service career began in 1972 with his work at Volunteers in Service to America, VISTA to combat poverty and racial inequality in Virginia. During his time in Virginia, John developed a passion for social justice that guided his future work as a public servant. prgtoken In 1976, John was elected to represent the 95th district in the Wisconsin State Legislature, where he ultimately served as assistant majority leader of the assembly. As a State representative, John became known for fighting domestic abuse. He authored one of Wisconsin's first domestic violence bills to create safe houses for victims and worked with Wisconsin police departments to make combating domestic abuse a top priority. He was also known for his early leadership on gay rights issues, fighting for marriage equality, and proudly participating in La Crosse's first PRIDE Fest. prgtoken I have known few public servants as dedicated as John in serving the people he represents. He embodies the true meaning of public service. No request was too small for his devoted attention. In fact, John was famous for coming to work on Monday after a weekend of local events with a fist full of paper scraps covered in scribbled notes from people he ran into, describing their concerns. John remembered every one of those concerns as he advocated for his constituents on the assembly floor. During a time of increasing partisanship, he had a knack for bringing opposing sides together in the interest of bettering the lives of Wisconsinites. prgtoken After 16 years, John left the State legislature. Although he claimed his departure was to get away from long legislative speeches, it was clear he wanted to be closer to the people he cared so much about in his hometown. Unable to stay out of public service for long, John announced his campaign for mayor in the Spring of 1997. As mayor of La Crosse, John adhered to his fundamental belief that he was there to serve all residents of La Crosse--not just those who supported him. Guided by his VISTA experience, John created the city's first anti- racism task force and encouraged people of color to run for local office. He is especially well-loved by the African-American and Hmong communities in La Crosse. prgtoken Three U.S. Senators, myself included, had the privilege of ha
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2017-3-8

I rise to join my colleagues in this important conversation on the Senate floor and, once again, to demand answers to the many questions raised about Russia's interference in our elections. prgtoken Not so long ago, I came to the floor to speak out against a belligerent act from an adversarial nation, an attempt to undermine American democracy and foment chaos and uncertainty on the world stage, an effort that we now know from our own intelligence community's assessment was ordered by President Putin himself, a campaign that senior intelligence officials have concluded ``blend[ed] covert intelligence operations--such as cyber activity--with overt efforts by Russian Government agencies, state-funded media, third-party intermediaries, and paid social media users, or `trolls,' '' to undermine our 2016 Presidential elections. prgtoken In recent weeks, the American people have been confronted by a daily drumbeat of headlines regarding Russian interference with our elections and possible ties to President 's campaign. They have learned that the President's former National Security Advisor, LTG Michael Flynn, was not truthful about the nature of the conversations he had with the Russian Ambassador shortly after President sanctioned Russia for meddling in our elections. prgtoken They learned that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the highest law enforcement officer in the land, did not fully disclose at least two meetings he had with the Russian Ambassador during his nomination hearings. prgtoken They have learned, through reporting in the news media, that U.S. law enforcement continues to investigation Russian agents' contacts with President 's inner circle. prgtoken Yet despite these revelations, the American people now face more questions than answers. Has anyone else on the President's team been in contact with the Russian Government? What were the nature of these conversations? How credible are reports of business dealings between Russian oligarchs and the organization? prgtoken But here is the reason I came to the floor today, as serious as those questions are. Getting answers to these questions, whether it be through a special prosecutor, or an independent commission--on which Senator Cardin has legislation and which I strongly, strongly support and believe it is the ultimate vehicle--or the Senate Intelligence Committee's own investigation--those efforts are not about President . It is about the American people. It is about protecting our free and democratic way of life and our time-tested system of self- governance. It is about showing our constituents that, when the stakes are high, when the allegations are this startling, when the implications are this alarming, we are capable of setting politics aside and getting to the truth. prgtoken Time and again, the President has dismissed the significance of Russia's interference in our elections, and he derides reports about
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2017-3-8

I rise to talk about the replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act that is being considered by the House. prgtoken In December, I was informed that I was going to get one of my dreams to come true in the Senate. I had asked to be on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee when I came in, in January of 2013, and I was not on the committee. I had no complaints because I had other good committees, but I was told in December that, for this Congress, I would be added to the committee, and I am thrilled to serve on it. prgtoken When I found that I was going to be added to the committee, I knew one of the first issues we would be tackling is what to do about the Affordable Care Act. So I have started to pay visits around the State to as many stakeholders as I can, including patients, doctors, medical students, hospitals, behavioral health facilities, allied health training programs in regions all across the State, military families in Hampton Roads just last Friday, as well as patients and their families in Chesterfield County last Friday. In all of these visits, my question has been: We are going to be tackling the Affordable Care Act; tell me what works, what doesn't work, and what we can do better. That has been the goal. prgtoken Today's committees in the House, two committees, are considering a plan that House s have put on the table and are touting as a replacement of the Affordable Care Act. I just want to talk about what it would mean, if passed, to Virginians and Americans. prgtoken This plan will reduce the number of Americans with insurance. We dropped the uninsurance rate to a historic low, but the gains that we made would be reversed and the numbers of Americans with insurance would go down. prgtoken It would raise healthcare costs, particularly on seniors, which I will discuss in a minute. prgtoken It would dismantle the Medicaid Program at the service of tax cuts for the wealthiest. prgtoken It is not an adequate replacement; in fact, it would be a dramatic retreat, and it would be a retreat that would violate promises that had been made by the President and other leaders. prgtoken s--and I will get into this--have made a number of promises about what a replacement would look like, but this plan falls far short of that. That is why, within 36 hours of it being put on the table, stakeholders across the spectrum, including the American Hospital Association, AARP, the American Medical Association, nurses, nursing homes, and Governors have come out to either dramatically and flatly oppose this plan or suggest significant concerns with it. prgtoken The bill has yet to be scored by the Congressional Budget Office, but the House is trying to push it through committee, and even through the floor, if they can, before the CBO tells the American public what this plan would cost and, every bit as importantly, what it would cost Americans in terms of the numb
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY STRIKE
Barbara Lee (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-3-8

I rise today in strong support of International Women's Day, A Day Without a Woman strike. Today we are here and are joined by many of our sisters around the Nation to declare, once and for all, that women's rights are human rights. We are here to stand in solidarity with women across the country to send a clear message: We will not rest until we create a society where all women--all women-- have equal rights under the law. prgtoken We are resisting and letting President and the s know that we will not go back. We stand with the millions around the Nation who have walked out today, and today we are walking out for them. We are raising our voices for the millions of women who can't because they might get fired or because they can't afford to lose their meager wages. prgtoken I encourage all of my ic colleagues to join us, along with Leader Pelosi, the ic Women's Working Group, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, and so many others, for a walkout following these 1 minutes and attend the press conference on the House steps right outside in solidarity and in honor of all of the women in the world who are marching today and striking today for equal rights.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
Cheri Bustos (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-3-8

it is an honor to join so many of my women Members of Congress to recognize and celebrate International Women's Day. In my lifetime, women have made so much progress, but our journey toward full equality still has so far to go. prgtoken More than five decades ago, a half a century, we began the work to achieve equality in the workplace when President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act. We took another important step forward when President signed his first bill into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Even with those laws, women in my congressional district still only make 72 cents on a man's dollar. For women of color, the wage gap is even worse, 63 cents for African-American women and 54 cents for Latinas. prgtoken When you consider that women make up almost half of the workforce, and women are either the sole or primary breadwinner in 40 percent of the homes, this isn't just a women's issue; it is a family issue. This is why we must pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to give every woman additional tools to fight for equal pay they earn on each and every payday. prgtoken In a country as great as ours, we must guarantee that our daughters have the same opportunity to earn a fair and equal wage.