mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO MATTHEW SHUMAN
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2019-3-7

today I wish to honor the service and career of veteran and dedicated advocate Matthew Shuman. prgtoken The American Legion is a cornerstone in countless American communities, helping our veterans get the care, benefits, and recognition they earned while giving back through prgtoken youth programs, scholarship assistance, and grassroots efforts. The American Legion's membership is robust and active, and they have been well-served by Matthew. prgtoken Matthew has been a tireless legislative advocate for American Legion members and the veteran community as a whole. In his role overseeing the American Legion's legislative efforts, Matthew has been instrumental in improving VA healthcare and benefits for our more than 22 million veterans, including 2 million Legionnaires around the world. prgtoken Matthew served in the U.S. Army from 2008 to 2012. He served as a military police officer and concluded his military career as a member of the Arizona Army National Guard Honor Guard, memorializing our fallen soldiers by providing military funeral honors. prgtoken Following his military service, Matthew attended Grand Canyon University and participated in the Reserve Officer Training Corps, ROTC, at Arizona State University. He graduated from Marymount University in Arlington, VA, with a B.S. in criminal justice. He established his passion for public service by working for two different Members of Congress, as well as working on the 2012 election cycle. prgtoken Matthew's career with the American Legion began in 2015, when he started as an assistant legislative director focused on veterans' employment and education in their Washington, DC, headquarters. In January 2017, Matthew began his tenure as the director of the American Legion's national legislative division. In that role, Matthew has been the American Legion's chief advocate before Congress, the White House, and the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Matthew has helped lead an organization that has always been at the forefront of advocating for veterans and securing the resources, healthcare, and benefits veterans have earned. prgtoken As ranking member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, it has been a joy to work with Matthew and the American Legion on important legislation like the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act, the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act--also known as the Forever G.I. Bill--several reforms and subsequent overhaul of the VA's healthcare system, and the current implementation of the VA MISSION Act. All the while, I have been impressed with Matthew's charisma, kindness, and humor. prgtoken These bipartisan bills, all of which were signed into law, serve as a testament to Matthew's dedication and leadership on behalf of veterans. Future generations of veterans will be able to look at these bipartisan reforms as examples of Matthew's advocacy o
FOR THE PEOPLE ACT OF 2019
Jason Crow (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2019-3-7

. Madam Chairwoman, I rise today in opposition to the amendment. prgtoken This amendment would strike a critical provision of H.R. 1 that cracks down on organizations that are flooding our elections with dark money. In the 2018 cycle, $150 million was spent by groups that did not have to disclose their donors. Voters had no idea who was spending this money to influence their vote. prgtoken What it does is create a system in Washington that leaves elected officials beholden to mega-donors, rather than the needs of their constituents. This is a direct threat to our democracy, and it is coming from within this Chamber. prgtoken This is a problem that is only getting worse. Since Citizens United, dark money spending has gone up by more than 8,000 percent. Part of the problem is the law isn't being enforced. Some so-called social welfare organizations are devoting too much of their time to political activity, yet they are allowed a tax-exempt status and don't have to disclose their donors. And the IRS can't do anything about it. prgtoken We must allow the IRS to move forward on the 2013 rule to define acceptable levels of political activity by these organizations. This will create a clear standard. If a group violates this standard, and it fails to adhere to its social welfare mission, then it should lose its tax-exempt status, and it should register as a PAC. prgtoken If you are going to spend millions of dollars to influence someone's vote, then you better have the courage to stand behind your words. Instead, mega-donors have taken advantage of a loophole that allows them to donate to a tax-exempt welfare organization while hiding their identity. prgtoken All Americans should care about the abuse of social welfare organizations. It undermines the sanctity of so many other valuable and necessary organizations. prgtoken Let's be clear about what is happening here. This amendment serves one purpose: to hide mega-donor support for campaigns. Let's pull back the prgtoken curtain and let Americans see who is really behind those negative ads. prgtoken Madam Chairwoman, .
Title X (Executive Session)
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2019-3-7

since day one of the administration, the s have done everything they can to cater to an extreme rightwing base by undermining women's access to the healthcare they need and the healthcare providers they trust. prgtoken They have moved to roll back requirements that insurance companies include birth control as an essential health benefit, which would mean millions of women would go back to paying extra for birth control on top of their coverage. They have held votes on extreme abortion bans that would get in between a woman and her doctor. They have jammed the courts, even the Supreme Court, with partisans who have made clear they share prgtoken the extreme and frightening goal of overturning Roe v. Wade and of taking away a woman's constitutional right to safe, legal abortion in the United States of America. prgtoken Most recently, the administration has put forward a deeply harmful rule that would jeopardize access to affordable reproductive healthcare for the millions of men and women who depend on title X, our Nation's family planning program, which historically has had bipartisan support. If this rule goes into effect, providers at health centers that receive title X funding will be blocked--gagged--from even telling patients about where and how to get a safe, legal abortion as part of a discussion of reproductive healthcare options. prgtoken The rule would also impose new, medically unnecessary requirements that would make it impossible for Planned Parenthood centers, which serve 41 percent of the title X patients, to continue to participate. Four million people--disproportionately young people, low-income women, and women of color--go to title X-funded centers, including to Planned Parenthood centers, for birth control, for lifesaving cancer screenings, for STD tests, and more each year, and this rule puts the care they depend on in jeopardy. prgtoken The s here in the Capitol may have no idea what it would mean for patients to lose access to the providers they trust and the affordable care they need, but that is not because those patients and their doctors and their communities have not been speaking up--they have been. People across the country--women and men, doctors, city and county health officials, religious groups, advocates--told this administration as it was developing this rule that they did not want to see providers at title X barred from giving them medically sound information or have patients be denied access to providers they trust at Planned Parenthood because the s think they know better. prgtoken The final rule the administration released shows it ignored those who personally know how much it matters to have unbiased, quality care at title X centers, including at Planned Parenthood. The s might have ignored those voices, but we are not going to. So I am releasing a memo today that will highlight statemen
IN HONOR OF THE AMERICAN PEANUT SHELLERS ASSOCIATION'S 100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2019-3-7

. Madam , it is my great honor to extend a heartfelt congratulations to the American Peanut Shellers Association (APSA) as it celebrates 100 years in leading the effort to expand and advance the American peanut industry. The APSA will be celebrating this great milestone on Friday, April 5, 2019, during the Industry Spring Conference at the Bindery at Oakland Library in Leesburg, Georgia. prgtoken The APSA was established by commercial peanut shellers and crushers from Georgia, Alabama, and Florida who began operations in early 1918 as the Southeastern Peanut Association (SPA). Approximately a year later, on April 5, 1919, a group of commercial peanut farmers representing their home states convened in Atlanta to officially charter the Southeastern Peanut Association. On November 30, 1993, the Southeastern Peanut Association officially changed its name to the American Peanut Shellers Association to incorporate other shelling companies from other states. The current APSA headquarters in Albany, Georgia was completed in 1986 and has been the official hub of this renowned association since it's relocation from Americus, Georgia in the early in 1960s. prgtoken For the past 100 years, Georgia peanut farmers through the APSA have been successful in improving the profitability of peanuts and peanut products by working to promote and increase consumption. In 1965, the APSA co-sponsored first USA Peanut Congress--the largest meeting of all segments of the peanut industry. Today, the APSA is the oldest organized group in the peanut industry boasting 10 active member shelling companies and 145 associate members who handle 90 percent of the peanuts grown in the United States. prgtoken I take much pride in the fact that Georgia leads the nation in production of peanuts with nearly 50 percent of the annual peanut crop. Georgia has 14,000 farms with peanuts and about 4,500 active farmers. Approximately 200 businesses in Georgia are peanut-related. Two million bags of peanuts are distributed annually and the industry contributes more than 50,000 jobs and an estimated $2 billion to the economy of the state of Georgia. prgtoken Since George Washington Carver discovered the many uses for the peanut in the early twentieth century, peanuts have become a household food staple and a source of dietary fiber, protein, and other healthy nutrients. Although peanuts are produced in other parts of the country, I am a firm believer that no peanuts are of higher quality or more delicious than Georgia peanuts. prgtoken On a personal note, I would like to thank John Powell, Executive Director of the American Peanut Shellers Association, and the rest of the wonderful staff as well as Chairman Ralph Johnson and all those who serve on the Associate Board of Directors. Their hard work and dedication have contributed to the success of the APSA in many ways. prgtoken Madam , on behalf of the residents of Georgia's Second Congressional District, the
CONDEMNING ANTI-SEMITISM AND ANTI-MUSLIM DISCRIMINATION
Eliot L. Engel (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-3-7

I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken , I am going to vote ``yes'' on this measure today, but I do have concerns about how we are dealing with these issues. Obviously, all forms of hatred and bigotry are intolerable and we should go on the record as saying so. prgtoken I am voting for this because when I read the resolution, I agreed with everything it says. But let me say this to the criticism that the ic majority won't condemn anti-Semitism. A few weeks back we took the virtually unprecedented step of accepting a motion to recommit, the procedural tool the majority never supports because it condemned anti-Semitism. We were proud to set aside precedent to condemn anti-Semitism then, and in today's resolution, we are doing so again today. prgtoken So contrary to what some are saying, that is twice in the course of a month that the ic majority is condemning anti-Semitism on the floor of the House. prgtoken But I must say, the words spoken by our colleague from Minnesota last week touched a very real, very raw place for me. My desire for the House to go on record again, specifically condemning anti-Semitism, wasn't a desire to single the gentlewoman out or to stifle debate on U.S. policy towards Israel, but it was a desire and need to say that certain words, no matter who utters them, have no place in our public discourse and, indeed, can be very dangerous. prgtoken When a Member of our body speaks the way the Representative from Minnesota spoke, then we need to single it out and say we will not tolerate it. In the last week, these problems have been compounded. prgtoken Since the comments that sparked this controversy, the gentlewoman from Minnesota has become the target of vile, racist Islamophobic smears and threats. One begets another. And we have got to put a stop to it now. That is horrific. Islamophobia has no place in this body or anywhere in the United States, and anti-Semitism certainly doesn't either. prgtoken I wish we had had a separate resolution about anti-Semitism. I think we deserved it. I think it was wrong not to have it. I don't think we should mix everything. But I want to say very clearly and very loudly that anti-Semitism will never be tolerated by me, never be tolerated by this body, and no Member of Congress should be making anti-Semitic statements. prgtoken No Member of Congress should be saying hurtful things and then not apologizing for them. So I hope we can put everything together to support this resolution. It condemns all kinds of hatred, whether it is Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, any kind of hatred that is what we need to do. And any time that anti-Semitism rears its ugly head, we need to stop it. prgtoken This resolution is a fine resolution, and I will support it. But I am very disappointed that we weren't able to have a separate resolution to specifically condemn anti-Semitism and what our colleague said that really was a very hateful term.
Introductory Statement on S. 726
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-3-7

I am introducing bipartisan legislation with Senator Collins today to improve safety standards on products that affect every single American household. Most people assume that the personal care products they use every day, whether it is shampoo or shaving cream, lotion or make-up, hair dye or deodorant, have up-to-date Federal oversight. prgtoken In reality, however, the Food and Drug Administration's authority to do so is sorely outdated. In fact, even though research continues to better inform us on the safety of ingredients used in products that we absorb through our bodies, skin and even our nails, regulation of these ingredients have not kept up and little has changed over the past eight decades on how we conduct oversight of these products. It is time to modernize our safety oversight and correct this problem. prgtoken Over the last several years, Senator Collins and I have worked with a wide group of stakeholders that represent both industry and consumer groups. Together, we have drafted the Personal Care Products Safety Act with the support of many companies, health experts, and consumer organizations to put commonsense measures in place. prgtoken One of the most critical components of this legislation is a process for the FDA to review the safety of ingredients in personal care products. The FDA may limit the quantity of an ingredient, require specific screening protocol to ensure dangerous contaminants aren't present, or require warning labels when needed to alert consumers. If an ingredient is simply unsafe for use under any conditions, the FDA can require that it be banned from use in all personal care products. prgtoken Just this week, the FDA announced finding asbestos in several different types of make-up marketed to children and teens at the popular store, Claire's. This is a serious concern that highlights the need for Congress to move quickly to give FDA the tools they need. prgtoken Under our bill, the FDA could implement new screening protocols for contaminants like asbestos. Companies would be required to register, so it would be easier to know where products were coming from. FDA would have mandatory recall authority for personal care products like they do for food, and companies would finally be required to report adverse health events. prgtoken The Personal Care Products Safety Act is the result of many diverse groups working together with the common goal of modernizing the Federal oversight system to ensure the safest products possible are on the market. These stakeholders include small and large companies, doctors, consumer advocates, patient advocates, scientists, and the Food and Drug Administration. prgtoken This legislation recognizes the needs of businesses of all sizes to support their growth while not sacrificing high safety standards that will keep consumers safe and raise the bar for industry standards. Many companies are taking voluntary steps to do the right th
DEMOCRATS ARE LIVING UP TO OUR COMMITMENT
Ben Ray Luján (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2019-3-7

I am proud to stand before you today in strong support of H.R. 1. prgtoken , I want to start by thanking Congressman Sarbanes, Pelosi, Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, and my colleagues for their work on this issue. prgtoken H.R. 1 is historic legislation. It will restore transparency in our government and put the power back in the hands of the people. prgtoken It will reduce the role of dark money in politics and make it easier to vote. prgtoken Perhaps most importantly, it will reaffirm that this is the people's House and our work here is for them. There could be nothing more fundamentally important than that. prgtoken Too many have lost faith in the process; too many have lost faith in their government. They look around and wonder who is on their side, who is fighting for them. They see rules rigged against them, and every day it gets harder and harder for their neighbor to buy insulin or for their daughter to shake off the incredible burdens of student loan debt. prgtoken This legislation, H.R. 1, is an important step in how we stand up for our communities and for the people. It is a tool that allows us to act on the many issues impacting working men and women, the family that I was raised in. prgtoken It will also give Americans a greater voice in their government. This legislation will allow automatic voter registration and create a national holiday for election day. prgtoken I am also proud to submit an amendment to H.R. 1 that will expand election infrastructure grants to promote voter participation, secure our elections, and increase funding for these efforts to engage all parts of our society in our democracy. prgtoken Looking ahead to next week, I am looking forward to reintroducing with my colleagues the Native American Voting Rights Act. This legislation will make sure that communities are not left behind as we strengthen our democracy. prgtoken House committed to the American people that we would fundamentally change Washington if elected to the majority; we committed that our work would be for the people. This week, we are living up to that commitment.
CONDEMNING ANTI-SEMITISM AND ANTI-MUSLIM DISCRIMINATION
Doug Collins (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-3-7

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I don't know where to begin. I really don't. As Members of Congress duly elected by a constituency to serve in this body, who come here with the hope and the thought that we exchange ideas and come to this body to actually participate, for the second time in 8 weeks, I am here with my friend from New York debating a resolution that all of us should have learned in kindergarten: Be nice; don't hate. prgtoken This resolution doesn't need to be seven pages. It is just wordy. I agree with it. We don't need to hate, no matter where it comes from. But what prgtoken bothers me the most, , is what I am finding right here. prgtoken Just the other day on this floor, we celebrated the institution of this body with the dean of the House. We spoke of Mr. Dingell. We spoke of Don Young. We spoke about the institution of this House. What is becoming more and more concerning for me about this process and what breaks my heart as much as any anti-Semitic thought, any anti-Muslim thought, any anti-anybody thought, is that we have broken down in this House. prgtoken Last week, we brought to the floor a bill that was supposed to be about firearms, which my friends across the aisle mistakenly didn't understand the penalty associated with the bill. prgtoken Yesterday, I was just on the floor of this House talking about a bill that really, because they rushed it through committee, came to the floor of this House in which, if you keep a 4-year-old from voting, you are a criminal. This is what happens when we rush. prgtoken This week, the entire week almost, has been taken up by sentiments of a Member that were anti-Semitic, repeating, as Rahm Emanuel said, some of the ugliest stereotypes that we have had. prgtoken But it goes back, again, to my concern here. At 3:20 this afternoon, I was handed, or at least it was printed, one of the resolutions. I have three more of this resolution that has taken all week. How long does it take to figure out ``just don't hate''? How many times, how many, you know, pages does it take to cite evil is evil? prgtoken My heart breaks, . My heart breaks for this institution when we say that we see something that is anti-Semitic, but we say, well, they may not have known it was. It is anti-Semitic. It is anti- Muslim. It is whatever you want to call it. It is just wrong. My heart breaks. prgtoken Then I find out that we changed it now lately as to add other groups in here who undoubtedly saw they weren't a part of the group, so we added in new groups to the list. I guess since we are at it, why didn't we add Mormons? Why didn't we add Jehovah's Witnesses? They have been attacked. Mormons have many times been accused of dual allegiance. Ask a former Presidential candidate. prgtoken , I wish the Chair and I could engage in a colloquy. He is a good gentleman from North Carolina. Explain this to me, why it took a whole week to figure out to say, ``Hate is hate