mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
EPA SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD REFORM ACT OF 2017
Bill Foster (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-3-30

this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended. prgtoken This amendment is a commonsense and logical addition to this bill. It will help ensure that members of the EPA's Science Advisory Board will act in the best interests of the American people and our environment. prgtoken I think that we can all agree that, now more than ever, we need integrity in government. And this amendment would simply prohibit any member of the EPA's Science Advisory Board from being employed by any entity, corporate or otherwise, which has interests before the Board. This prohibition would be in place during the member's time on the Board and would extend for 3 years after they leave the Board. prgtoken My colleagues have taken up this bill with the stated intent of protecting the scientific integrity of the EPA, and this amendment will go a long way to making sure that they keep their word. prgtoken The underlying bill also includes a similar prohibition on board members applying for a grant or contract from the EPA during their service or for 3 years after. And as the chairman just said, there is nothing wrong with a financial cooling-off period. prgtoken However, the authors of this bill are apparently concerned that members of the Board would be tempted to favor environmental concerns in the hopes of getting an EPA grant. Therefore, it also stands to reason that they should worry equally about a board member tilting the scales in favor of a specific industry in return for future financial compensation or career advancement, the classic revolving door problem. prgtoken So what this motion to recommit does is something that I think we all should be able to agree is a good thing. We have seen too many people in the President's Cabinet who appear to have connections too close to the big interests they regulate rather than the interests of the American people. prgtoken This amendment would ensure that no one can unduly personally profit from their time at the EPA, and that members are there to represent the interests of the American people and our environment rather than their own self interests. prgtoken Finally, I would like to close by bringing up a more general question of why we seem to be having variations on this repetitive theme of whether or not we can pollute our way out of the structural and economic challenges that our country faces. prgtoken , you and your party have been very successful at selling yourselves and your supporters on the idea that if we can just, once again, dump unlimited pollutants into our rivers and streams, into our groundwater, our food, air, lungs, our bloodstreams and those of our children, then everything will be great again in America. prgtoken This week, we saw our President surrounded by earnest and hopeful young coal miners as he gutted environmental regulation
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-3-30

just yesterday, the White House held a forum on empowering women. Sean Spicer said the President made women's empowerment a priority throughout the campaign, but earlier today, Vice President traveled to the Capitol to cast a tie-breaking vote to move ahead on a resolution to undermine women's access to preventive healthcare. That doesn't sound like women's empowerment to me. prgtoken Title X was enacted in 1970. It passed the Senate unanimously at that time and was signed into law by a President. Title X is the only Federal healthcare program dedicated solely to providing comprehensive family planning and other related preventive healthcare services so important to women, as well as preventive services for men. prgtoken Last year alone, 4 million women and men at 4,000 health centers all across our country got basic care because of title X funding--critical Pap tests to head off cases of cervical cancer, counseling to help women plan for a healthy pregnancy, contraception, breast exams, HIV testing, vaccinations. These services prevented 87,000 preterm or low birth weight babies and 2,000 cases of cervical cancer. These health services also save money. The taxpayer saves $7 for every $1 invested in preventive healthcare. prgtoken For more than 2 million people, the title X funded clinic is their only source of healthcare. This matters to small towns and rural communities all across Michigan, as well as all across the country. Title X funds clinics in three-fourths of all the counties in the United States. In Michigan, you can benefit from the services in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where I will be this weekend, where funds support the health department in Iron County, or the Planned Parenthood clinic in Marquette--at the opposite end of the State, down in the southeastern corner--where funds support the health department in Monroe County. prgtoken So what are we voting on today? Plain and simple, this is an effort to take away women's family planning and other healthcare services. Right now, title X funds are awarded solely based on the provider's ability to serve the patient, as it should be. s want to discriminate against certain family planning services, certain providers, and reduce access to this care, frankly, based on politics or their own personal beliefs. prgtoken The vote this afternoon is very simple: It is about basic healthcare for women. A ``yes'' vote is a vote against women in Michigan and all across our country. A ``yes'' vote will take away healthcare. A ``yes'' vote will take away healthcare for millions of Americans. prgtoken I strongly urge my colleagues to vote no.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Catherine Cortez Masto (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2017-3-30

I say to my colleague from the great State of Washington, I do know where Gonzaga is, and I am with you. As a graduate from the Gonzaga School of Law, we are going to the final four, and this time we are going to win. I am very excited. prgtoken Congratulations to the players, the coach, and to everyone at the school. prgtoken , I take the floor today to urge my colleagues across the aisle to stand up for their constituents and vote against the measure on the floor, which will restrict access to safe, affordable, basic healthcare to millions of Americans across this country. This measure will allow States to discriminate against title X family planning clinics for no other reason than petty partisan politics that degrade women's access to healthcare and turn it into a talking point. prgtoken These clinics provide essential family planning and health services to millions of American women, men, and families--many of whom are poor and low-income and in rural areas. This measure will cause these families to suffer by limiting their access to healthcare. prgtoken In my home State of Nevada, there are 23 clinics that risk losing funds as a result of this measure. These clinics are in Nevada's major cities and in our rural areas, like Hawthorne, Lovelock, Pahrump, Tonopah, Ely, Winnemucca, and Fallon. For many families in our rural areas, these clinics are the only healthcare facilities where they can access family planning services, as well as basic primary and preventive healthcare services. prgtoken The votes today empower States to discriminate against providers and, in turn, threaten the health and safety of the men, women, and families who rely on these clinics for basic and, at times, lifesaving services. We should be promoting access to healthcare, especially for our vulnerable communities. We should be expanding access to care, especially for Americans living in rural areas. prgtoken s' actions today are an affront to American women and families. Their political agenda and shortsighted approach will do nothing but cause harm to Americans. It is time for s to stop playing politics with women's health and actually put Americans' health and safety first. prgtoken .
RUSSIA AND TRUMP CAMPAIGN INVESTIGATION
Tom Udall (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2017-3-30

I know several Members are ready to come here and talk on a veterans issue, and they will let me know when they are ready to start. I thought there might be a good chance to get this in. prgtoken Our democracy is under attack. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the Russian Government interfered in the U.S. Presidential election and intervened to help Candidate . Around the same time, Candidate began making flattering statements about Russian President Putin and proposing pro-Russia policy changes while criticizing longstanding U.S. allies, including in Europe. prgtoken President continues to defend Putin and offend Western allies. Now we have come to learn that there are unexplained ties between the President, his campaign staff, his associates, and Russia; that many close to the President had meetings and telephone calls with Russian officials during the campaign and the transition; most critically, that the FBI and the Department of Justice are investigating whether the President and his associates coordinated or conspired with the Russian Government to interfere with the Presidential election--an investigation that began last July and is likely to continue for months. prgtoken The President and his associates keep giving the American people reason for worry--inaccurate denials, evasive answers, explosive attacks they can't back up, scheming with the chair of the House Intelligence Committee on the committee's investigation of the White House. New, very disturbing information comes to light every day. prgtoken A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll showed that two thirds of Americans believe a special prosecutor should be appointed. The American people want answers. What was the scope of the interference? Who knew what, and when? How can we protect ourselves and our allies, who are facing similar cyber attacks? What is the appropriate government response to such an attack? prgtoken I appreciate the work the Senate Intelligence Committee is doing. I believe that is the first step, but I believe we must go further. That is why I am again calling for an independent, bipartisan national commission modeled on the 9/11 Commission to fully investigate Russia's interference with our election and our election processes and to investigate the ties between the President, his family businesses, and his close associates and Russia that may threaten our national security. I am also again calling on the Department of Justice to appoint a special counsel to investigate potential criminal conduct that may jeopardize our security. prgtoken Questions about the President's ties to Russia will divide the country, undermine his Presidency, and distract Congress, unless we take these steps. The American people are right to be concerned. The President's stance on Russia is perplexing, starting when he first denounced the role of NATO last spring, calling it ``obsolete,'' suggest
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-3-30

I rise today in a near empty Chamber. Indeed, there is no colleague here today. Our colleagues have yielded back all their time on this resolution, and the reason they have yielded back all their time is that they apparently have no interest in appearing here and talking about a resolution of disapproval of a rule that is vital to ensuring that women have access to the family planning provider of their choice. It is really that simple. prgtoken Defending Planned Parenthood is what we have done on this side. Defunding Planned Parenthood has been the interest on the other side of the aisle. prgtoken They have also taken an inordinate interest in reinstating gender ratings in health insurance and are now damaging title X networks through this resolution. They have demonstrated an unmitigated desire to cut women's access to healthcare in order, apparently, to win political points. But their actions today show that the politics of this issue and, most importantly, the people of America are not on their side. prgtoken Title X is a critical program delivering important family planning and preventive health services in underserved areas of our great Nation. In 2015 alone, title X programs provided basic primary and preventive healthcare services. We are talking about Pap tests, breast exams, birth control, and HIV testing for more than 4 million low- income women and men at nearly 4,000 health centers across the country. For 40 percent of women, their visit to a family planning health center is the only healthcare they receive annually. Think of that number for a moment. Forty percent of those women have no access elsewhere except at these healthcare centers. prgtoken By overriding this regulation, s will allow States and title X grantees to pick and choose who provides these services based on arbitrary criteria that have nothing to do with the quality of services patients will receive. It is no wonder that none of them is here to talk about it. Now, if they were here--and they have said so in public--they might argue that they support this resolution because they oppose abortion. So let me be clear. This regulation is about access to family planning services, not about access to abortion. prgtoken I know many of my colleagues disagree with me that abortion should be safe and legal. They have shown that disagreement by their repeated attempts to undermine Roe v. Wade and make it harder for women to access constitutionally protected healthcare. prgtoken While they may disagree, it is still the law of the land. In any event, this regulation is not about access to abortion. This regulation is about ensuring that States cannot discriminate against qualified providers that are an essential part of a safety net that serves women who have no place else to go. Those providers are willing to provide necessary, culturally sensitive care to individuals who otherwise would simply be
HONORING FRANK BARBARO
J. Luis Correa (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-3-30

. . I'd like to take a few moments today to honor one my constituents, Mr. Frank Barbaro, for his decades of incredible service to Orange County. prgtoken Mr. Barbaro was born in Detroit, Michigan and arrived in California in 1954. From a young age, it was clear that Mr. Barbaro was bound to be successful. By the time he was a teenager, Frank hosted his own radio show which aimed to find employment opportunities for young people. prgtoken After graduating from Garden Grove High School, Mr. Barbaro went on to graduate magna cum laude from the University of Southern California and then earn his law degree, also from USC. prgtoken As a lawyer, Mr. Barbaro distinguished himself among his peers in several noteworthy cases. Mr. Barbaro won 11 multimillion dollar verdicts for his clients. prgtoken Mr. Barbaro began his career in politics in 1977 as Chair of the ic Party of California. In 2001, Mr. Barbaro was asked by his colleagues to serve as chair once again which he did until his resignation in 2013. Mr. Barbaro also served as the chair for the Orange County campaigns of President Carter and President . prgtoken During his time as party chair and successful attorney, Frank's colleagues praised his ability to inspire and work with others. Above all, Mr. Barbaro sought to be inclusive and bring people together despite their differences. prgtoken Mr. Barbaro also made helping others a personal goal, such as when he organized the ``Front Line Defense Fund'' which delivered food to the United Food and Commercial workers during their strike. prgtoken , Frank Barbaro is an example to all of us of the tremendous importance of hard work and dedication in service to others. I am honored to recognize the accomplishments of Mr. Barbaro and the positive impact he has made on Orange County.
BERTEL SPIER CELEBRATES HER 107TH BIRTHDAY
Derek Kilmer (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-3-30

. Madam , on Thursday, March 31, 1910, Bertel Spier was born, and tomorrow she will celebrate her 107th birthday. prgtoken Just imagine what she has seen: two world wars, technological advancements beyond our wildest dreams. When she sees a video on a telephone, she cannot believe it. prgtoken She has an extraordinary legacy: a loving daughter, four adoring and adorable great-grandchildren, and three grandsons to whom she is a hero. I am proud to be one of them. prgtoken My grandma is someone who is a testament to the greatness of this Nation and of the importance of what happens in this building. prgtoken She immigrated to the U.S. from Holland and was welcomed here and accepted here, built a life here. That is part of the greatness of this Nation. prgtoken A person born 10 years before women's suffrage, she proudly voted herself this past November. That is part of the greatness of this Nation. prgtoken A person who outlived any projected retirement, she has been able to retire and live with dignity because of two of our country's most successful public policies: Medicare and Social Security. That is part of the greatness of this Nation, too. prgtoken Madam , it is such an honor for me to say four of the most extraordinary and almost unbelievable words that I may ever say on this floor: prgtoken Happy 107th birthday, Oma. We love you.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Michael F. Bennet (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2017-3-30

I am pleased to be here with the Senator from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the ranking member of the HELP Committee to address this important issue. prgtoken You would think that after the healthcare debacle last week, the other side would have gotten the message, which is that the American people didn't send us to Washington to take away their healthcare. prgtoken When I think about healthcare in Colorado, I think about sort of a circle that contains healthcare that people in my State are either getting or not getting, and some part of that is Care, that is for sure, but a lot of it has nothing to do with that. They are unhappy with the way our healthcare system works. They want more access than they have. The House bill went at this in exactly the wrong direction from where they are interested in going. prgtoken I would like to work with s and to solve that, but this afternoon we are here once again because the resolution before us would risk funding for vital primary care, preventive and family planning services for more than 4 million Americans across our country, especially women and those who live in rural communities of my State and other States. prgtoken Since 1970, this body has supported title X funding to expand access to affordable healthcare for low-income men and women. We did that because we understood that it wasn't just the right thing to do, we recognized that it was a good investment. Each dollar invested in publicly funded family planning programs saves the government over $7 in Medicaid-related costs. prgtoken The other side rails against Medicaid spending. In fact, last week, they had a bill that cut it by about $850 billion. But if they succeed on this vote today, Medicaid spending will almost certainly rise as a result of what they are trying to do. prgtoken We supported title X funding with both majorities and ic majorities in the Senate. Now a narrow majority is trying to ram this measure through. prgtoken This isn't supported by a consensus of Americans, and you know it is not when Vice President has to drive over here from the White House to cast a tie-breaking vote. Just yesterday, the Vice President was at a White House forum on women's empowerment. It begs the question: Did he learn anything at the forum? prgtoken It is easy for Senators, apparently, to vote against healthcare for struggling Americans. I wonder sometimes whether the reason for that is that we are not affected by this vote. That is doubly true when 50 Senators--overwhelmingly men--vote to cut healthcare for millions of low-income women. prgtoken The vote today has real consequences for Colorado. If this measure passes, it will threaten to cut funding for title X health centers serving over 52,000 men, women, and teens each year. It will also risk funding for the over 20 Planned Parenthood clinics throughout Colorado that provide healthcare servi
ENDING GLOBAL HUNGER WITH RISE AGAINST HUNGER
James P. McGovern (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-3-30

. Madam , Rise Against Hunger, under the leadership of Rod Brooks, is a charitable organization committed to ending global hunger by 2030. They partner with other charities, faith- based organizations, and corporations to host meal-packaging events across the country where volunteers assemble nutritious meals that are sent to over 40 countries. prgtoken On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to participate in a Rise Against Hunger meal-packaging event sponsored by The Kraft Heinz Company. I joined 100 volunteers to package 7,500 meals that will reach hungry families across the globe. prgtoken Last year alone, Rise Against Hunger engaged over 387,000 volunteers at over 3,000 events nationwide to assemble over 64 million meals that reached nearly 1.1 million hungry people. prgtoken I applaud Kraft Heinz and its CEO, Bernardo Hees, for their commitment to packing 1 billion meals over the next 5 years. I appreciate all that Rise Against Hunger does to address chronic malnutrition and alleviate poverty worldwide. prgtoken Working together, we can end hunger now.