mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IN SUPPORT OF COVERAGE FOR PREEXISTING CONDITIONS
Lisa Blunt Rochester (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2019-1-9

one in two, the number of Delawareans living with a preexisting condition, including cancer survivors and those with chronic diseases. prgtoken Before the Affordable Care Act, having a preexisting condition meant your access to healthcare was in jeopardy. You could be charged unaffordable premiums with limited benefits or denied coverage outright. Because of the ACA, the fear of not being able to find coverage has been replaced with the guarantee of lifesaving protections. prgtoken To those who want to roll back those protections, I ask you to think about the Delawareans caring for a newborn with congenital heart disease, those struggling to overcome substance use disorder, or the many monitoring their blood sugar up to 10 times a day. prgtoken Just 9 years ago, this body rightfully promised to protect those very people. I urge my colleagues to stand with me in defending strong protections for people with preexisting conditions and reject efforts to turn back the clock on millions of Americans and their families.
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed--Continued
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2019-1-9

I rise today to set the record straight on the President's border wall--quite frankly, something he didn't talk about much last night during his speech to the country. But the truth is, this is where the problem is. So I want to talk about it a little bit today. prgtoken The President made it crystal clear--dozens of times, in fact--that he was prepared to shut down the government in order to get the $5.7 billion for the wall, leading up to that speech last night. So here we are today, day 19 of President 's shutdown. Political gamesmanship? Well, that is nothing new in Washington, DC, but the fact is, our debates need to be grounded in facts. So here are the facts: prgtoken The President's demand for $5.7 billion for a border wall is tall in hyperbole and wide on theatrics but short on facts. prgtoken Last night, the President said that Congress has refused to provide the resources needed to secure the border. That is not true. In fiscal year 2018, Congress gave the President $1.3 billion to construct fencing and other fixed structures along the southern border. I know so because I worked side by side with my colleagues to write that bill. Today, not one of those projects is under construction--not one. prgtoken Strong border security is much more than physical barriers. Congress appropriated $21 billion for immigration enforcement and border security in last year's Homeland Security Appropriations Act. That includes money to expand manpower, increase technology, and utilize communication services and resources on top of funding for physical barriers. prgtoken Here is another fact: Hard narcotics likes meth and cocaine and opioids are not coming over the border in backpacks; they are coming through our ports in cars and trucks. We have the technology to fix that, so let's appropriate the money toward real solutions at our ports to stop the drugs from entering our country, not $5.7 billion for a wall. prgtoken So, again, let's stick to the facts. Despite having more than $21 billion in border security and immigration enforcement funding, including funds for physical barriers, the President has shut down the government to demand another $5.7 billion exclusively for a wall. prgtoken One would think to ask, what would you possibly spend $5.7 billion on, especially after already having $21 billion to spend on border security and immigration enforcement? And we did ask him that. We asked him for a plan. We told the President and Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen that if they are going to break their promise to have Mexico pay for the wall and use American taxpayer dollars, they ought to produce a plan of action. prgtoken The plan we received in late December was incomplete--no analysis of alternative technologies, no analysis on the impact to communities, to landowners, to wildlife. And that plan only asked for $1.6 billion, not the $5.7 billion the President is now demanding. prgtoken
ADOPTING THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE 116TH CONGRESS
James P. McGovern (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2019-1-9

. Madam , I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Shalala) for yielding me the time. prgtoken It is an honor to serve with her on the House Rules Committee. As the longest serving HHS Secretary in U.S. history, she spent much of her life leading on the issue of healthcare. prgtoken Madam , the American people have been living in fear for years, worried that Washington s would make good on their promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act and that the President and his allies in Congress would take away their ability to see a doctor or afford care, including for preexisting conditions from asthma to domestic abuse. prgtoken Who can blame them? prgtoken When the minority controlled this institution, they voted 69 times to undermine the Affordable Care Act. Sixty-nine times they tried to take away healthcare from more than 23 million Americans. Thankfully, the Senate thwarted these efforts, and s weren't successful. prgtoken Now the administration is using the legal system to try to do what the Congress could not: strike down the Affordable Care Act. Its Justice Department has asked in a legal filing for the courts to invalidate this law and, in doing so, erase protections for preexisting conditions. prgtoken Now, I have heard my colleagues on the other side of the aisle try to pretend that they are somehow champions of this provision, despite working relentlessly to abolish it and voting nearly 70 times to undermine the ACA. prgtoken Madam , who are they kidding? prgtoken This ic majority doesn't deal in alternative facts. The American people are smarter than that. prgtoken Thankfully, it is a new Congress, and this majority isn't trying to abolish preexisting condition coverage. Instead, we are moving swiftly to protect it on the opening days of this Congress. prgtoken This measure will allow this House to legally intervene to protect preexisting condition coverage in the Affordable Care Act. If you support coverage for preexisting conditions, then you will support this measure to try and protect it. It is that simple. prgtoken Enough with the sound bites. It is time to vote. I urge all my colleagues to vote for this measure.
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed--Continued
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2019-1-9

. It is now day 19 of the shutdown, 19 days that the Federal Government of the oldest democracy and the world's only superpower has been functioning on only half of its cylinders. prgtoken I have spoken multiple times about the devastating impact this reckless and unnecessary shutdown is having on the Federal workforce at domestic departments and agencies--departments like Homeland Security, Agriculture, Transportation, Justice, Interior, and Commerce, agencies like Customs and Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the National Park Service. prgtoken These departments and agencies have furloughed and stopped paying hundreds of thousands of employees who, as a result, are idle and no longer able to do the jobs that millions and millions of Americans depend on. Hundreds of thousands more are working without pay until the shutdown ends. prgtoken The President, a billionaire who has never had to worry about not being able to pay the rent, says he can relate. If he actually believes that, he is alone. prgtoken Programs are on hold, and contracts are being cancelled, for which the Federal Government is liable for penalties. Government shutdowns don't save money; they cost billions of dollars and have lasting consequences. And who pays? American taxpayers. prgtoken This is a disgrace, and it is made even more so by the fact that it is entirely avoidable were it not for the intransigence, indifference, and obsession of one person, President . prgtoken An obsession not with border security--we are all for that, and there is more than a billion dollars in prior appropriations for border security waiting to be spent. In fact, we have offered another $1.3 billion for fiscal year 2019. The White House never says anything about that. prgtoken No, the President's myopic obsession--repeated on national television last night--is with building a 30-foot-high wall--mostly on desolate land that the government will have to seize from private owners--along our southern border. The price tag to U.S. taxpayers would be at least $18 billion and likely more, a price tag that at campaign rally after campaign rally he promised Mexico would pay. prgtoken There are multiple reasons why that is a terrible idea, why it won't stop illegal migration, why it won't stop illicit drugs, and why it would be a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars, which I have discussed before and will again. prgtoken Today I want to speak briefly about the impact the shutdown is having not on the Federal Government's domestic programs and workforce, but its impact on U.S. national security and global leadership. prgtoken It is worth asking: What made the United States the world's superpower and a global leader in the first place? prgtoken Of course, one reason is our superior Armed Forces. That, I suspect, is the answer President would give, but he would be only partly correct. prgtoken Even more important are the ideals enshrined in our
TRUMP'S GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
Yvette D. Clarke (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-1-9

. Madam , I rise today to discuss the impact of 's government shutdown. prgtoken Today marks the 19th day that the United States has been in a partial government shutdown. How did we get here? prgtoken Let's be clear: This government shutdown is not about a border wall. prgtoken Our country is in the midst of a government shutdown because a man who has fashioned himself after a banana republic dictator, a con man engaging in the proverbial bait and switch, has decided to pickpocket the American people for an immoral border wall policy that the American people do not support. prgtoken This billionaire bully is intentionally imposing pain, anguish, and anxiety on 800,000 Federal workers, including over 14,000 New Yorkers, holding them and their families hostage in order to extort billions of dollars from the American taxpayer to satisfy a broken promise to his supporters that Mexico would pay for his wall. Meanwhile, real lives are at stake and hang in the balance. prgtoken On Friday, our Federal workers will face a clear uncertainty without a paycheck. Families are struggling to pay for their basic needs, their mortgages and rent, groceries, life-sustaining medications, and more due to this cruel, vindictive, and senseless shutdown. prgtoken Due to this absurd, mean-spirited government shutdown, many hardworking Americans will not receive their tax refunds in a timely manner, because the Department of the Treasury and IRS are closed. prgtoken Due to this irrational government shutdown, many families that rely on SNAP will struggle to put food on their tables. prgtoken Due to this malicious government shutdown, Federal contractors and their employees may never recover from the loss of their investments in doing the business of service to our Nation, their employees facing an economic crisis that could lead to unemployment, all because is running for reelection and he has no regard for the very people that he swore to protect and defend. prgtoken Our national parks and monuments are consumed by trash. prgtoken Our Transportation Safety Administration is stretched, with personnel on the job unable to afford their meals or the cost of travel to our Nation's airports to report for duty. prgtoken This reckless shutdown has placed us all in harm's way by impeding the mission of the EPA, lacking the requisite personnel to complete critical activities that protect the public health and environment. prgtoken Due to this pointless government shutdown, thousands of hardworking Americans all over this country residing in government-funded or subsidized properties risk eviction from their homes. prgtoken On our first day in the 116th Congress, House immediately got to work by introducing and passing a complete funding package to reopen the government for the people. House passed legislation that honors our responsibility to keep Americans safe while securing our borders. prgtoken Let's be clear:
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-1-9

I rise today to reintroduce legislation that prohibits the sale, transfer, manufacture, and importation of assault weapons. prgtoken I will keep doing this every Congress. This legislation must constantly be before us until s finally decide to join me in the effort to stop mass shootings. This legislation is not perfect. But it is part of the solution. We must start with reducing the supply of the weapons of war that are used to take the lives of our loved ones. prgtoken These last years have seen some of the worst gun-violence tragedies in our Nation's history. For example, on October 1, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada, a gunman opened fire with multiple semi-automatic assault rifles that he had legally transformed into automatic weapons. He killed more than fifty people and left more than 500 wounded. Among the victims were mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters. prgtoken There was Kelsey Meadows, 28 years old, who after graduating from the University of California, Fresno, returned to her hometown of Taft, California to be a substitute teacher at her alma mater, Taft Union High School. She was described by the high school principal as ``smart, compassionate, and kind'' with a ``sweet spirit and a love for children.'' Her entire family and community were completely devastated. Kelsey could have been any of us, attending that concert. prgtoken My own daughter told me after the Las Vegas shooting that she was supposed to be in the city that evening, but her plans had to change. It was only a little more than a year before the Las Vegas shooting that we experienced what had then been the worst mass shooting in our nation's history. That was when 49 people, who were enjoying an evening of dancing with friends and loved ones, were massacred in Orlando, Florida. Victims in Orlando included 22-year old Luis Velma, who was working at Universal Studios on a Harry Potter ride. prgtoken There was also Eddie Justice, a 30-year old accountant who texted his mother from the shooting, telling her: ``Mommy I love you.'' ``In club they shooting.'' ``He has us.'' I encourage every member of this chamber to imagine receiving those text messages from their son or daughter. prgtoken And just six months before that, 14 people were killed and more than 20 were injured in San Bernardino, California at a work holiday party. Among the victims was a father of six. A mother of three. A woman who was eight when she and her mother left Vietnam for a better life in America. The youngest victim was 26, and the oldest was 60. prgtoken And we should never forget that on December 14, 2012, 20 children had their lives taken at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Children. This issue could not be more important for our children's future. prgtoken This past year we saw young men and women begin an incredible movement after the shooting that took place on February 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida
SHUTDOWN AFFECTING FEDERAL WORKERS
Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2019-1-9

. Madam , I rise today for our veterans and government employees out of work due to the shutdown. On day one, House took steps to restore certainty to people's lives by passing a complete funding package to reopen the government. prgtoken Now we are preparing further action to reopen government, so that we can meet the needs of the American people, protect our borders, and respect our workers. prgtoken In fact, one of my constituents who works for the IRS and specializes in helping hurricane victims told me that he and his wife, who is also a Federal employee, both are affected by the shutdown, and they cannot pay this month's mortgage and their other bills. prgtoken Madam , he worked 12 hours a day in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. He was there for the people of Georgia. It is past time we reopen the government and be there for our Federal workers.
ADOPTING THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE 116TH CONGRESS
Gwen Moore (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2019-1-9

. Madam , being sort of last in this debate gives you an opportunity to hear all of the arguments. prgtoken The question has been asked: Why should we allow Pelosi to intervene? Well, she authored the bill. We need her to defend this bill, and we believe that she has standing. prgtoken Another question that was raised was about an initiative that was offered last week and that this is just a theater here today. Well, I was here the 60-plus times that we tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act. That is the true theater. prgtoken And let me tell you something, Madam . Why do we think that there was such a strident effort to destroy the Affordable Care Act? Because our colleagues have told us it cost a lot of money, and we have tried to prevent insurers from maximizing their profits. prgtoken And how do they maximize their profits? By denying the sickest people with preexisting conditions--like the people I met today, the kids with neurofibromatosis, a serious illness that causes tumors all through your body and causes you to wake up in pain every single day--if you can get rid of them, then you won't have to pay much money; to impose lifetime limits on coverage not just for people under the ACA, but for everybody, including those folks who get employer-based insurance. prgtoken Why have they tried to deny health coverage to consumers, to provide essential health benefits? Because they want to provide these skeletal benefits, this fig leaf of provisions for folks. prgtoken So I think that we need someone like Pelosi to intervene, and I think that she should have standing, and this body ought to authorize it.
``ENOURA MARU'' ANNIVERSARY
Brian Schatz (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2019-1-9

today, we remember the 400 American and Allied prisoners of war who died 74 years ago from friendly fire aboard the Japanese hell ship Enoura Maru docked in Takeo Harbor, Formosa-- modern-day Taiwan. prgtoken Among the dead were men who left their homes in America, Australia, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Norway, and Czechoslovakia to fight an enemy they did not know, in places few of them had heard of, all in pursuit of a common cause: freedom, justice, and equality. These heroes were part of the infamous 45-day odyssey of the last transport of prisoners of war from the Philippines to Japan--captive since the American territory fell to Imperial Japan in the spring of 1942 after fighting to defend the Philippines. prgtoken On the morning of January 9, 1945, dive bombers from the USS Hornet attacked the unmarked freighter holding 1,300 prisoners of war docked in the Japanese colony's harbor. Two hundred died instantly. Nearly everyone else was wounded. For 2 days, the men were left in the floating wreckage before the Japanese permitted the dead to be removed. Their remains were buried ashore in mass graves. prgtoken After the war, the 400 victims of the bombing of the Enoura Maru were exhumed and eventually brought to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. They rest in 20 mass graves marked only as ``Unknowns January 9, 1945.'' Their families did not learn the final fate of their loved ones until 2001. prgtoken This past August, we remembered these brave men with a memorial stone on the Memorial Walk at the Cemetery honoring the prisoners of war aboard the hell ship Enoura Maru. The American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Memorial Society, an organization that represents the American prisoners of war of Imperial Japan and their families, organized the commemoration in Hawaii. prgtoken That memorial stone is a monument to their courage, suffering, and sacrifice. It commemorates their tragic death 74 years ago and marks their final return home. Let that stone and our remembrance of the prisoners of war on the Enoura Maru remind us of our sacred commitment to veterans of all eras to ``never forget.'' May they rest in peace.
ADOPTING THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE 116TH CONGRESS
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-1-9

in 2010, after a century of trying, under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi and our nation's 44th President, , the Affordable Care Act became the law of the land. prgtoken Before the Affordable Care Act, untold millions of Americans lived with the reality that they did not have access to Affordable Care Act. prgtoken Before the passage of the Affordable Care Act, 17.1 percent of Americans lacked health insurance; today nearly nine of ten (89.1 percent) are insured, which is the highest rate since Gallup began tracking insurance coverage in 2008. prgtoken Because of the Affordable Healthcare Act: insurance companies are banned from discriminating against anyone, including 17 million children, with a preexisting condition, or charging higher rates based on gender or health status; 6.6 million young-adults up to age 26 can stay on their parents' health insurance plans; 100 million Americans no longer have annual or life-time limits on healthcare coverage; 6.3 million seniors in the ``donut hole'' have saved $6.1 billion on their prescription drugs; 3.2 million seniors now get free annual wellness visits under Medicare, and 360,000 Small Businesses are using the Health Care Tax Credit to help them provide health insurance to their workers; Pregnancy is no longer a pre-existing condition and women can no longer be charged a higher rate just because they are women. prgtoken This bill was fiercely debated for over a year. It passed both houses of Congress and was signed by President on March 23, 2010. prgtoken The bill did many things--it improved access to quality care; made care more affordable, and improved the quality of the law. prgtoken It also advanced several pillars that will undoubtedly advance healthcare in America. prgtoken For example, the Affordable Care Act: prgtoken Lowers the uninsured rate. Gallup recently estimated that the uninsured rate in Texas in 2015 was 22.3 percent, down from 27.0 percent in 2013. In 2017, the number was at 16 percent. prgtoken Prohibits coverage denials and reduced benefits, protecting as many as 10,694,840 Texans who have some type of pre-existing health condition, including 1,632,475 children. prgtoken Eliminates lifetime and annual limits on insurance coverage and establishes annual limits on out-of-pocket spending on essential health benefits, benefiting 7,536,000 people in Texas, including 2,771,000 women and 2,094,000 children. prgtoken Allows states to expand Medicaid to all non-eligible adults with incomes under 133 percent of the federal poverty level. If Texas expands Medicaid, an additional 1,107,000 uninsured people would gain coverage. prgtoken Establishes a system of state and federal Health Insurance Exchanges, or Marketplaces, to make it easier for individuals and small-business employees to purchase health plans at affordable prices. During the open enrollment period for 2016 coverage, 1,306,208 people in Texas selected a plan through the Marketp