mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF JOHN D. MILLER
Rodney Davis (Republican, IL) \u2014 2019-6-4

I rise today to congratulate Coach Jim Ott and the men's golf team at Illinois Wesleyan University on their NCAA Division III national championship win last month for the 13th straight year. prgtoken Illinois Wesleyan University has made it to the national championship, but this year, they took home the trophy. When asked about the win, Coach Ott said: ``The nice thing is it was such a team effort.'' prgtoken During the 3-day tournament, the Titans had led the scoreboard until the final nine holes, when the second-place team caught their lead and tied them. prgtoken Thanks to a 12-foot par putt on number 18 by junior Skylar LeVine and a 15-foot par putt on the final hole by senior Drew Pershing, the team secured their first-place ranking, earning them the title of national champions. prgtoken Illinois Wesleyan's win also earned Coach Ott the Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award, presented by Golf Pride Grips. He has been the men's golf coach for the Titans since 2000 and led Illinois Wesleyan to eight wins in 11 tournaments this season. After coaching the Titans for 19 years, he can finally boast a national championship win. prgtoken Coach Ott has a lot to be proud of. I congratulate him and the entire Titan golf team. Remembering the Life of Terry Todt
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2019-6-4

I thank all of my colleagues, particularly my colleague from Maine, Senator Collins, for her leadership on this issue and many others. prgtoken It is great to be here with our former colleague Senator Mikulski, who taught me how to be tough on the Appropriations Committee--if I could only be that tough. prgtoken I join my colleagues today to commemorate and celebrate the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment. We all know the history-- at least we should--and we have talked a lot about it today. We have heard the names in documentaries and have read about them in history books--Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, and so many others. These suffragists, these leaders paved the way for women to exercise their right to vote, changing history and the fabric of our Nation in the process. I think it goes without saying that this was no small or easy feat. In fact, it was a pretty tough fight, and it wasn't won overnight. It took a total of 9 years for the amendment to reach the Senate floor. prgtoken In 1887, the vote for suffrage was actually defeated--hard for us to imagine. I think experiencing legislative defeat is something we all have experience with in this body. But that was not the end. It certainly took too much time, and things started to really heat up around 1916. That year, the people of Montana made the monumental move of electing Jeannette Rankin to the House of Representatives. Interestingly enough, with a woman finally serving in Congress, it didn't seem so crazy that a woman should be able to have a say when it comes to who serves. prgtoken Eventually, the Senate passed the resolution proposing the 19th Amendment. The date was June 4, 1919, exactly 100 years ago. I am proud to say that both of West Virginia's Senators at the time, Senator Howard Sutherland and Senator Davis Elkins, voted in favor of the resolution--I would expect nothing more from tough mountaineer men--and that language was adopted and ratified to the Constitution on August 18, 1920, marking the moment that women were given the opportunity to have their voices heard at the ballot box. prgtoken Finally, our country was acknowledging that women had a voice and that their voice was needed to be a part of this democracy. Don't get me wrong--women were not instantly made political equals of men overnight, at least not in practice. Even today, despite making up more than half of the population, women do not make up half of the Congress, and that is something we are working hard on every day. Over the years, thanks to the pioneering efforts of the suffragists and others who came before them, we have made progress, yes, and we have celebrated many victories, from the very small to the very significant. prgtoken Just think, when I first came to Congress in 2001--I saw my colleague from Tennessee, but I don't believe she was here then--we had to work to just get a woman's restroom put in off the
Remembering Thad Cochran (Executive Calendar)
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2019-6-4

I come to the floor today as part of our national celebration of the 100th anniversary of U.S. women's suffrage. prgtoken Now, 100 years ago today, on June 4, 1919, Congress passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution giving women the right to vote. This hard-fought legislative victory would ensure women's full participation in our democracy. prgtoken On August 18 of 1920, women's suffrage became U.S. law. Now, some of the people watching may not know that Wyoming was actually more than 50 years ahead of the Nation when it came to women voting. That is a fact. prgtoken This year, people back home in Wyoming are celebrating both the 100th anniversary of the U.S. women's right to vote and the 150th anniversary of Wyoming women's right to vote. Wyoming truly is the Nation's trailblazer when it comes to women's equality. prgtoken Many people think of Wyoming as the Cowboy State, and that name honors our State's great western heritage, but Wyoming is also known as the Equality State--the first State in the Nation to grant women the right to vote, long before statehood, actually, because, on December 10, 1869, the Wyoming territory passed the first law in the United States granting women the right to vote and to hold public office. The law meant full civil and judicial equality with men. prgtoken The following year, on September 6, 1870, Louisa Ann Swain, of Laramie, WY, became the first woman in the United States--in the history of the entire country--to vote in a general election. prgtoken Twenty years later, Wyoming reaffirmed its commitment to women's rights as we sought statehood. Wyoming, categorically, refused to enter the Union without the right for women to vote. When standing on principle became a major sticking point, Wyoming stuck to its guns on women's equality. prgtoken In fact, retaining women's right to vote was so essential that Charles Burritt, of Johnson County, a delegate to the Wyoming Constitutional Convention, famously declared: ``If we cannot come into the union of states with a platform of right, why then we will stay out and willingly remain in a territorial form of government until all of us have passed away to the grave.'' That is how important this issue was to the people of my home State of Wyoming. prgtoken In Congress, Joseph Carey was here as a Wyoming delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. He presented the case for statehood in the House of Representatives. He emphasized the strong values of the people of Wyoming, values that included political parity between men and women. Members of Congress opposed to women's suffrage meanwhile argued strongly against Wyoming becoming a State. One Representative opposed to statehood even remarked--and I will quote him from the Record of the House of Representatives. He said: `` , I do not hesitate to say that in my judgment the franchise has been too liberally extended.'' It is a Member of the House of Representatives argu
REMEMBERING THAD COCHRAN
Michael B. Enzi (Republican, WY) \u2014 2019-6-4

today I wish to honor the life and legacy of the late Senator Thad Cochran. prgtoken I appreciate having this opportunity to celebrate the life and accomplishments of Senator Cochran. His loss will be deeply felt by all of us here in the Senate, not only by those of us who served with him, but also by the many staff and individuals he has worked with over time. Elected to the House of Representatives in 1972, Senator Cochran touched many lives in his 46 years faithfully serving his State of Mississippi in Congress. prgtoken As the son of a school principal and a math teacher, Senator Cochran understood the value of hard work and dedication. He emerged as a leader among his peers from a young age. He was an Eagle Scout who helped establish a new troop and valedictorian of his class in high school where he earned varsity letters in football, basketball, baseball, and tennis. At the University of Mississippi, Senator Cochran was a fraternity president, student body vice president, and a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national honorary leadership fraternity. Senator Cochran began his service to our country while at the University of Mississippi as a company commander in the Navy ROTC and, once graduated, was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve and assigned to duty aboard the USS Macon. prgtoken As a fellow Eagle Scout, Senator Cochran demonstrated core scouting values like trust, loyalty, courtesy, and reverence. He displayed these values not only in his nearly five-decade-long career in Congress, but also as a father to his two children, Kate and Clayton. prgtoken Described as gentle and soft-spoken, Senator Cochran was a defender of Senate procedure and often worked across the aisle. Senator Cochran was known to hold strong opinions; yet he developed close working relationships with members of both parties. Senator Cochran was determined that, if you look hard enough, there is common ground to be found with everyone. He earned his nickname of the Quiet Persuader through a determined yet respectful approach to negotiations. prgtoken I had the honor of working with Senator Cochran in his role as chairman of the Appropriations Committee while I was chairmen of the Budget Committee. He was a hard worker and always guided by his core values. As a good statesman, he didn't let party politics get in the way and always did what he thought was right. prgtoken In a nearly five-decade-long career in Congress, it is difficult to pinpoint Senator Cochran's single greatest achievement. Following Hurricane Katrina's devastation, Senator Cochran played a central role in security relief funds for Gulf States, especially for his home State of Mississippi. During his tenure as chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Senator Cochran was a champion of the farm bill's nutrition programs. Senator Cochran served as a tireless advocate for farm families and America's agricultural industry. prgtoken Senator
AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2019
Glenn Grothman (Republican, WI) \u2014 2019-6-4

our immigrants have always been our future. Wave after wave of moral, patriotic, hardworking, and law- abiding immigrants have kept America vibrant. Today, the majority party intends to put another 2 to 3 million people on the path to citizenship. prgtoken I think it is accurate to say that America does want some form of relief for some DACA folks and some way to make them made legal, but this bill would do a lot. This bill, in my mind, would ruin America. prgtoken First of all, I think America would want to restrict this bill to the law-abiding, including law-abiding DACA folks. This bill does not do that. You can commit two crimes and still be here. You can be on a list of gang members and still be here. prgtoken As far as self-supporting, this bill doesn't begin to deal with the problem of people who are already taking advantage of our generous welfare safety net. They are going to be staying here under this bill. prgtoken Like I said, you can already be on a variety of public assistance programs; it is not dealt with. You can be a bad role model for your kids; it is not dealt with. You don't have to learn English. prgtoken People always say: Oh, all the DACA members all know English. That is not true. You do not have to learn English and you are set on a path to citizenship. prgtoken We can continue the divisive policy of having people who come here illegally and once made legal get preferences over people who are here native born. prgtoken I was in Texas last week, . As you know, we have over 100,000 people streaming across our border every month. The majority party does nothing about this. prgtoken Yesterday, we passed another welfare bill continuing another, to a large extent, failed welfare program, but we do nothing in that bill to make sure the current welfare programs aren't being abused by illegal or legal immigrants. That is what we should be focusing on at this time. prgtoken A lot of people have been trying to destroy America over many years. Go back 100 years, and people realized America is the light of the world. America is the hope for civilization. If I wanted to destroy America, I would craft a bill like this. I would craft a bill saying that we have got people here on the welfare system, path to citizenship; criminal background, path to citizenship; and we put these folks ahead of so many wonderful, hardworking people who are trying to do the system the right way and trying to come here legally.
Election Security (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-6-4

before I begin, I would like to take just a second to mention the resolution the Senate will be passing this week celebrating the 100th anniversary of the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment. prgtoken This was a landmark moment in the history of freedom in our country-- a major step forward in realizing America's promise of liberty. It is an important moment to celebrate, and I look forward to voting for this resolution this week and honoring all the women whose courage resulted in the 19th Amendment's passage.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 6, AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2019
Debbie Lesko (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2019-6-4

. Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam , again, s, too, want to have a DACA solution for the DACA recipients, but this bill isn't it, because it goes way above the DACA recipients and basically lets millions more people in, people who could be gang members, who have DUIs, and so on and so forth. prgtoken Madam , if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to provide for additional consideration of H.R. 3056 authored by Representative Rogers. prgtoken Madam , I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.
Nominations (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-6-4

. Before the Senate adjourned for Memorial Day, I laid out seven more nominations for our consideration when we returned--four to fill important vacancies in the administration and three to the Federal bench. So this week, the Senate will continue our work to confirm more well-qualified nominees and finally let the American people's President have more of his team on the job. prgtoken Yesterday we began by voting to advance the nomination of Andrew Saul, of New York, to be Commissioner of Social Security. Mr. Saul is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and has spent decades building a successful career in business and in public administration. In addition to his experience in financial management, Mr. Saul has previously served as vice chairman of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority and as Chairman of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, where he oversaw programs relied upon by literally millions of Americans. prgtoken It is no surprise that our colleagues on the Finance Committee voted unanimously to favorably report Mr. Saul's nomination to the full Senate. I hope Members will reach the same conclusion and support his confirmation. prgtoken Later, we will turn to the consideration of David Schenker, of New Jersey, to be Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; Heath Tarbert, of Maryland, to be Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; Susan Combs, of Texas, to be Assistant Secretary of the Interior; and three nominees to preside in a district court and the Court of Federal Claims. prgtoken In each case, the President has put forward impressive and uncontroversial individuals who, I might add, in a previous era, would have been candidates for a voice vote. They are thoroughly qualified for public service. Their nominations should not have been delayed even this long. prgtoken In the case of Mr. Schenker, for example, our colleagues have forced the top Middle East job at the State Department to remain open for 1 year. This is the top job at the State Department for the Middle East, and they have kept it open for 1 year--a year that brought no shortage of crises in that region. prgtoken So I am glad we are continuing to get things back on track. I hope our colleagues will join me in voting to put each of these public servants to work for the American people. 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment prgtoken , on another matter, today, June 4, 2019, marks a historic anniversary for the U.S. Senate. It was 100 years ago today that this body passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution and sent it on to the States for ratification. It was 100 years ago today that this institution finally recognized that American women deserved the right to vote just the same as men. prgtoken Of course, this victory for equality and fairness had been a long time in the making. The very same text that would become the 19
AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2019
Andy Biggs (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2019-6-4

. Madam , I thank the gentleman from Georgia. prgtoken I can't help but to be struck here as I reflect on the markup that we had, as we have listened to the Rules debate earlier, plus this debate. prgtoken I can't help but be struck by the very notion of this is kind of what happens whenever you start moving the goalposts on what a law should be. prgtoken So under the Administration, deferred action was provided for children who were brought into the country by a certain date and time, through no fault of their own, and that number was about 800,000 people applied for that. prgtoken Now, the estimate is somewhere in the neighborhood of an additional 1 million who might have qualified who didn't file the requisite application. And now, this particular bill, as several of my colleagues across the aisle have said, will apply to anywhere from 2.2 to 2.7 million people. prgtoken You can see the number starts creeping as we go forward here, as we change laws, and we acknowledge certain ideas about what the law should be. prgtoken So this actually is not about DACA. We left DACA a long time ago. And, quite frankly, there is no age limit here. So even an alien who entered the U.S. illegally 30 or 40 years ago, could be granted a green card under this bill. So we see that it has other problems as well. prgtoken So then we start talking about gang members, and we say, Oh, yeah, no, no, this is really tough on gang members. prgtoken But in fact, the denial provision is written so narrowly that it will almost never exclude gang members. In fact, it actually prohibits the use of gang databases to establish gang participation in order to deny green cards to gang members. prgtoken You got that? You can't use gang databases. prgtoken And moreover, only the Secretary of Homeland Security--and he or she cannot delegate that authority to other officials--can provisionally deny an applicant. prgtoken And what makes this particularly intriguing is if there is a denial, we are charging a fee, so that free attorneys can be hired on to represent these gang members who are provisionally denied. So they can challenge the Secretary's determination, and that is done by a de novo review. prgtoken So this is a real problem. It is too narrowly crafted in this area. And there are some other areas--and some of my colleagues have talked about it--but ultimately, we get to the heart of this, and it is just this: There is a border crisis. This bill does nothing to stop that border crisis. It will do nothing to slow the number of people who are entering this country illegally. In fact, it will do just the opposite, because it provides an incentive. prgtoken People respond to incentives. I respond to incentives. You respond to incentives. prgtoken We also respond to deterrence. We remove deterrence here. Instead, we buttressed incentives. prgtoken And so we will have a year where we are going to apprehend about 1.2 million people, at the low end. We kno
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Deb Fischer (Republican, NE) \u2014 2019-6-4

I, too, would like to thank the senior Senator from Maine and the senior Senator from California for organizing the colloquy we are having on the floor today in recognition of a very historic moment. prgtoken To have Senator Collins be a leader here in the U.S. Senate has been just a wonderful experience for me and to share with her the last 7 years that I have been here. She is truly a leader, and she is a mentor to both men and women here in the Senate. I always tell people, if you want to see a true legislator, you need to watch Susan Collins. prgtoken , I rise today with great honor and pride to join my colleagues in recognizing the 100th anniversary of prgtoken the Senate passage of the 19th Amendment, which did pave the way for women's constitutional right to vote in this country. Today we celebrate this historic milestone, and we honor the suffragists, women of courage who were pioneers and leaders. prgtoken These women who fought for their God-given right to vote in the greatest democracy the world has ever seen must be remembered. Nearly 100 years ago, with picket signs in hand, Alice Paul led hundreds of brave suffragists to the White House to advocate for the essential role of women's right to vote in this Republic. prgtoken Today, almost a century later, women make up half of the electorate. According to the Pew Research Center, more women voted than men in the 2018 elections. prgtoken As I stand today in this Chamber alongside the women of the Senate, I am so grateful for the strength of the women who came before us. On this historic day, I would like to reflect on some of Nebraska's strong and very influential women who have made a difference. Susette LaFlesche Tibbles served as a translator for Chief Standing Bear during his famous speech when he fought for Native Americans to keep their land. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather is renowned for her work chronicling life on the Great Plains. And biographer, historian, and teacher Mari Sandoz invested in the next generation of creative writers. prgtoken I also think of women in politics from my home State of Nebraska who inspired me to serve my community, my State, and my country. I think of Kay Orr, Nebraska's first female Governor and the first female Governor in the United States. I think of Virginia Smith, my congressional Representative and the first woman from Nebraska to hold a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. prgtoken Let's not forget the stories of the suffragists and all of the women throughout our Nation's history whose courage and brilliance changed the world. It is because of them that we stand today in the hallowed Chamber of the U.S. Senate, with a record number of women serving in Congress and record numbers of women exercising their constitutional right to vote. We will never forget the path that brought us here today and the pioneers who fought for the rights of millions of wom