mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
MIDDLE CLASS HEALTH BENEFITS TAX REPEAL ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed--Resumed
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2020-3-22

I want to caveat what I am going to say by the reality of anyone who has ever worked on legislation; that when you make a deal with the other side on something or any group of people, they are always contingent on your having to see it in writing. Sometimes what you agreed to and what the legislative language that was written says don't align. Oftentimes, it is not out of ill intent or anything of that nature; it happens. So I want to make that point. prgtoken I also want to make a point in saying that because we are dealing almost with the whole of the economy, as we discuss what we are going to do to help this country through this crisis, and you deal, for example, as we have been, with small business, it sometimes interacts with what other parts of the same agreement are also dealing with. prgtoken For example, you might be dealing with a small business sector, but it interacts with what might be happening with the group that is negotiating healthcare spending. And so items like that are things that you are going to continue to work through and have some understanding over. prgtoken But I think what I feel very confident in saying, as you heard a moment ago from Senator Collins, is that a group of us who were tasked, from both sides of the aisle, to come up with what we could do to help small business has come up with an understanding of purpose and outline of measures that I feel very confident every Member of this body should be able to support when its final version is before us. I am very confident that, if, God forbid, we are not successful in these efforts, it will not be because of what we have produced for this body. prgtoken In that endeavor, let me first start by saying that I certainly feel both blessed and fortunate to have had as partners in this, obviously, Senator Collins, who has made a tremendous contribution. It began with her own ideas, and we were able to merge some of the ideas that we had been working on: Senator Cardin, who is someone I have worked with on the Small Business Committee but often on issues of foreign policy, and Senator Shaheen, who, likewise, is a member of the committee, but I have also worked with on foreign policy. prgtoken I would just say that because of the nature of the crisis and the isolation that this building finds itself in, a lot of people weren't able to see it, but I think if the average person were to walk in on the conversations that we had, you would have had trouble distinguishing who the and the was. prgtoken I don't mean that from an ideological perspective. I mean that one of the things that I believe has allowed us to reach this point is that everyone has small businesses in their States--small businesses are not a partisan item--and that everyone understood that this was not a moment in which there was a side or a ic side. This was a moment in which the entire Nation was imperiled economical
MIDDLE CLASS HEALTH BENEFITS TAX REPEAL ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed--Resumed
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2020-3-22

. I say to the Senator, I appreciate your yielding for a question. It is not really a question but a comment to thank you for your support of this on the other side of the aisle. This is a bipartisan effort to ensure that we can be able to do our duty. prgtoken As the legislative branch, article I, we have responsibilities here. This is our duty station. Yet, if we cannot be here, we still need to be able to do it remotely. And with the technology that we now have, we have the ability to do that, as my colleague from Illinois said, in a safe and secure way. So I thank him for his advocacy of this. My hope is that we can have this as a possibility, should we not be able to gather. prgtoken I think what has happened in the last several hours, as we learned about our colleagues who are self-quarantining, one who tested positive, as I understand it, it is very important that we have that ability. So . prgtoken
MIDDLE CLASS HEALTH BENEFITS TAX REPEAL ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed--Resumed
Patrick J. Toomey (Republican, PA) \u2014 2020-3-22

I am here because I am absolutely shocked at what happened on this floor a little while ago, and I am going to try to convey to my colleagues a sense of the urgency that, I think, this moment demands and that they, apparently, don't understand because our ic colleagues all voted to prevent us from considering this legislation. So let me start with the context within which we are operating because it is unbelievable. I wouldn't think I would need to go through this. prgtoken Just to be clear, we have been invaded by a potentially lethal species--a virus that is infecting Americans now by the tens of thousands. It is growing in numbers every day. It is killing Americans, including in my State. We have infected people in every single one of our States, and the numbers are growing rapidly. In response to this threat, we have been taking progressively more serious measures because of the degree of the danger that we fear--the disaster, the illness, the death--if we don't try to stop this virus. We have gone to an extreme that I will just candidly acknowledge that I never could have imagined. prgtoken What I am talking about is, among other things, the fact that my State of Pennsylvania and many other States across America are closed. I could never have imagined my even putting that sentence together. My State is closed. What does that even mean? I will tell you what it means. It means it is not legal to operate a business in Pennsylvania. It is not legal to go to work in the morning. Tomorrow morning, at 8 o'clock, there will only be a very small percentage of Pennsylvanians who will even be allowed to go to work. We have shut down the State. I am not talking about restaurants and bars and nightclubs. I am talking about all businesses except those deemed essential and a very small handful of others. I am talking about prgtoken factories, distribution centers, warehouses--all kinds of producers, manufacturers, and services. Across the board, it is closed. prgtoken What does that mean? It means an awful lot of things, but the most important thing it means is that the guy who wakes up tomorrow morning and can't go to work, what is he supposed to do? How is he going to support his family? It is not that he doesn't want to get a paycheck. It is not that he doesn't want to go to work--he is not allowed. He is going to have no income pretty soon because--guess what--the company that he works for is not allowed to have any sales. It is closed by order of the government. It is not just in Pennsylvania. This is in, I think, more than half of all of our States at this point--more than half of the country--and the number is growing every day. prgtoken So this guy, like almost everybody across my State--men and women--is beside himself. They are all terrified because they know that they still have to put food on the table; that they still have to pay the rent or a mortgage; that they still have to cloth
CORONAVIRUS
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2020-3-22

I bet all of our fellow Senators have been hearing from businesses, hospitals, nursing homes, and local civic business and political leaders about the issues they are facing right now due to the coronavirus health crisis. prgtoken Likewise, I have been talking to family and friends back home in Iowa. I find that they are banding together to support one another. In times of strife, Iowans can count on each other. prgtoken We have to give special attention to the hard work of our medical professionals and first responders. They are under immense pressure and going above and beyond to serve their communities. I believe they are doing God's work, keeping the American people safe and healthy. So I thank our medical professionals and first responders for their dedication to their communities and send my encouragement to keep up their essential work in the days and weeks ahead, as we see ourselves through this virus pandemic we are in. prgtoken . prgtoken .
MIDDLE CLASS HEALTH BENEFITS TAX REPEAL ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed--Resumed
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2020-3-22

before my colleague from the State of Ohio leaves, I would like to note one issue that he did not raise, which we have in common, and that is the issue of votes on the floor of the U.S. Senate in times of national emergency. prgtoken Senator Portman and I have cosponsored legislation to address this issue, acknowledging in our introduction of it a few days ago, that when we face something, as we did this evening, where five of our Senate colleagues were unable to come to the floor of the Senate and vote because they are self-quarantining at this moment, this could grow. Let's be very honest about it. The numbers could grow to a point where it could reach an extreme where there is a question of an actual quorum for the Senate. What Senator Portman of Ohio, a Senator, and I have introduced with him on the ic side, is an effort to establish a verifiable technology procedure so that once the decision is made that we are in a time of emergency, that Members could vote and not be physically present on the floor of the Senate. prgtoken If you notice tonight on my side and even on his side, there are some Members who came to the floor quickly and left. They are genuinely concerned about social distancing and about contagion. I understand that very much. I share that concern. prgtoken So I would just say to my friend from Ohio, that we are certainly not going to call this measure, but I hope we call it soon. It is time for us to have this conversation about how to protect Members and their families, staff and their families, in the way that we vote on the floor of the Senate when we are facing a public health crisis, such as the one we have at this moment. prgtoken for a question.
MIDDLE CLASS HEALTH BENEFITS TAX REPEAL ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed--Resumed
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2020-3-22

I would like to just say a few words about what we are going through and what we are experiencing. I can only give you my experiences back home in West Virginia. prgtoken I have been on conference calls because we are social distancing, as we all are. I have talked to the nurses' association, the medical association, and the hospital association. The main concern we have right now is of our medical providerships' being stable enough and protected enough so, if need be, they can continue to take care of us. Right now, they are scared to death because they are not getting the protective equipment they need. They don't have the personal protection equipment, such as the masks or the shields or the gowns--all of the equipment that a first responder or a medical provider should have. That is what we are fighting for right now. Also, we have rural hospitals and rural clinics throughout all of America--West Virginia is mostly all rural--and they are all scared to death that they are not going to have the finances with which to stay afloat. prgtoken The proposal that we have right now, that they are working on--that both sides are working on--is inadequate and insufficient. Mitch McConnell's proposal falls short of delivering the protection the medical providerships need. They talk about the economy and the recovery of this economy, but we need to find a treatment for the virus as we know it. For the people who do contract it, they will know they have a treatment that can cure them, and then we must find a working vaccine as quickly as possible. We have been told that this could take 12 months or longer. prgtoken The treatment is the most important thing, and protecting our healthcare workers is the most important thing. Keeping our hospitals and clinics and all medical providers vibrant right now and able to survive this economic downturn is the first and foremost thing, and it is the thing that didn't get the attention that we needed. prgtoken I am hoping that between now and before we vote, at 6 o'clock, the two sides can come together. I implore of my colleagues on the side to basically express their concerns to their leader, Mitch McConnell, that we need to have a balanced approach. prgtoken I am concerned about the economy. I am concerned about the workers. Through no fault of their own, we have had workers throughout West Virginia who have been laid off. They have done nothing wrong except to have been in professions, basically, because of the health concerns of our country, that had to lay them off. The businesses they worked for had to stop--cease and desist. They had to stop. It was through no fault of their own. Basically, for the health of this country, it was best if they closed. These people have no control whatsoever over their destinies except to ask: When can we get this thing cured? When do we get ahead of this cycle, or ahead of the curve, so we may get back to normal? <|
MIDDLE CLASS HEALTH BENEFITS TAX REPEAL ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed--Resumed
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2020-3-22

I come to the floor because I have been listening for the better part of well over an hour as my colleagues talk about the vote we had a little earlier and why it didn't pass and why, from their perspective, it should have. prgtoken Let me start off by saying that there is a sense of urgency, but there is also a sense of getting it right and getting our priorities right. The wealth of the Nation will improve only when the health of the Nation improves. This package, as presently designed, falls far short of what is necessary to make the health of the Nation whole. We need a surge at the end of the day to ensure that, in fact, we can have the frontlines--the hospitals, the medical workers, nurses, all of those--be able to achieve the most fundamental goal, which is to make the American people safe from this virus. This, in the first and foremost instance, is a fight against COVID-19. It is first and foremost because if we do not get the health of the Nation right, we will not get the wealth of the Nation right, no matter how much money we spend. prgtoken There is a lot of talk here about markets. I have heard for the better half of the last hour-plus about markets. The markets are important; I don't underestimate that. Yet what is really important is the health of the American people because when they are healthy, we will prosper, but when they are not, we will not prosper. When we meet the challenge of the pandemic, we will prosper. When we don't meet the challenge of the pandemic, we will not prosper. It is very simple. prgtoken First and foremost, this is about having a robust figure for the hospitals and health frontline workers. This package, as it presently is devised, fails to do so. prgtoken Secondly, this is about making sure that not just big corporations get the moneys they need, but that average working families and individuals get the robust assistance they need to get through this period of time. When you have a $425 billion--billion--fund that has total discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury with no guardrails, no guarantees for workers, no guarantees that, despite how much money we spend and give to large corporate entities, they will not guarantee the well-being of workers, then something is wrong. prgtoken I have been through September 11, and I have been through Superstorm Sandy in New Jersey and the Northeast, and I have never seen anything like this. I also remember the errors we made after the great recession on the TARP and other related programs. In our desire to overwhelmingly respond--we still have that desire today--there were great mistakes made. prgtoken How many times are we going to get a shot at a trillion-dollar-plus program? We need to not only have a sense of urgency, but we need to get it right in order to affect the well-being of the American people in their health, in their economic well-being, and in the future economic well-being of the Nation. This r
MIDDLE CLASS HEALTH BENEFITS TAX REPEAL ACT OF 2019--Motion To Proceed--Continued
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-3-22

now, I know the majority leader likes to talk about partisanship, but we are not here for that reason. The bill we are voting on will affect us not just in the days to come but in the months and years to come, and we need the best bill possible. prgtoken We have seen some real flaws in the bill that was put on the floor by the s. What it has is, for instance, a giant, giant corporate bailout fund with no accountability. You wouldn't even know if the loans were made until 6 months later. What we have seen is a cutback in what we asked for, for hospitals, doctors, and nurses-- masks, equipment. We need more money than what the majority has proposed. What we have seen is no money for State and local governments. They are going broke. They have huge, huge, new expenses. We need to make those better. prgtoken The bottom line is very simple. We are fighting for a better bill because this bill will have an effect for a very, very long time. prgtoken I have been working with Secretary Mnuchin and the President's congressional liaison, Eric. They have been in my office about six times tonight. We are making progress, and I think there is a good chance we will have an agreement, but we don't need artificial deadlines. We will get this done. We will come in at 12 noon, and, hopefully, we will have an agreement by then. prgtoken So I object.
MIDDLE CLASS HEALTH BENEFITS TAX REPEAL ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
Deb Fischer (Republican, NE) \u2014 2020-3-23

I wish to thank my colleague from North Dakota for really being a leader and recognizing the needs that we have across rural America, the needs that we are facing in the heartland for farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and rural hospitals. prgtoken When we are looking at this pandemic and the effects it has all across this country, we need to be cognizant of the fact that we are a very diverse nation. We are a nation of condensed urban areas, and we are a nation with extreme vastness. prgtoken I happen to live in a county that is in the middle of cattle country here in the United States, where we have less than one person per square mile and there are over 6,000 square miles in my county. We understand what being rural means. We understand the differences that exist, not just within the State of Nebraska but that exist here in this country. We believe that diversity needs to be recognized when we are talking about providing relief to families, relief to small businesses, and recovery. prgtoken First, we have to get to the relief. We can't get on this bill right now. What I hear from my constituents, and I know all of you do--it doesn't matter if you are a or a . I know all of you are hearing from your constituents about how ridiculous we look because we can't get on a bill for political reasons. prgtoken I hope that, as we move forward, we are able to provide relief to families. People are in need. People are hurting. People are scared. And we are here talking--which is a good thing, if we come to a positive outcome--but we don't have much time. We have small businesses across this country that are hurting. prgtoken I have heard from my dentist. I have heard from my neighbors who are very concerned about what is going on and whether they are going to be able to provide for their employees, their families and have a business to come back to. prgtoken Yet, when you talk about livestock, I think Nebraskans have a good understanding of that because livestock is the economic engine in the State of Nebraska. It is the biggest revenue provider in agriculture in the State of Nebraska. It is a part of that ag economy that drives our State's economy, which is why working on provisions that are going to help producers will help every single person in my State. prgtoken My office reached out to numbers of my friends and neighbors who are family ranchers and family farmers, and we asked them what is going on. The Senator from North Dakota talked about the losses--the extreme losses--that we are looking at. When I talk about farmers and ranchers, I am talking about family farmers and family ranchers and how people are looking at their families, their neighbors, and their communities. The coronavirus is adding another dimension to an already battered agriculture economy. This disease has been driving down crop and livestock prices. Therefore, I am adamant that, in this bill, we have to pro
INTRODUCTION OF THE RENTAL EVICTION MORATORIUM ACT
Jesús G. "Chuy" García (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2020-3-23

. Madam , I rise today to introduce the Rental Eviction Moratorium Act along with my colleague, Barbara Lee. prgtoken No one should lose their home because of this public health crisis. That's why I'm introducing this bill, which will prohibit the eviction of rental tenants for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. prgtoken This bill prohibits landlords from initiating eviction proceedings due to a tenants' failure to pay rent or other causes, and sunsets 6 months after FEMA terminates the emergency declared by the President. prgtoken More than a third of U.S. residents rent their homes, and that proportion is even higher in communities I represent in Chicago. As business closures, reduced hours and layoffs increase throughout the country, working class people, immigrants and people of color are hardest hit and many will miss rent payments. But when our public health officials are telling us all to stay home, this common-sense bill will ensure that more people can do so even as we enter into what may be a deep recession. prgtoken I urge this body to advance this legislation.