mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
FAMILY SELF-SUFFICIENCY ACT
Emanuel Cleaver (Democrat, MO) \u2014 2018-1-16

let me, first of all, state the obvious. I am rising to support H.R. 4258, the Family Self-Sufficiency Act. prgtoken I would like to thank Chairman Duffy for the spirit of bipartisanship that he has demonstrated on this and on other legislation as well; and Mr. Himes, the gentleman from Connecticut, who is managing this piece of legislation. It is also appropriate to thank the chair and the ranking member of the committee for giving their support to this piece of legislation. prgtoken H.R. 4258 would make important updates to the Department of Housing and Urban Development Family Self-Sufficiency program, the FSS program, which is a voluntary program that encourages residents who use housing vouchers or who live in public housing to connect with program coordinators to create self-sufficiency plans, obtain educational resources, and pursue work opportunities. prgtoken This program also creates an interest-bearing escrow account for participants that can be accessed upon graduation from the program. Money from this account can be used for job-related expenses or as savings for a home. prgtoken I deviate from my written comments to say that there are a number of great stories like Tanya's that Mr. Duffy shared. As a 5-year resident of public housing when I was growing up, during that time my father was working on three jobs trying to save money for a house and to buy what became his first car. Our first car was an Oldsmobile Rocket 88--Rocket 88 I want emphasize--and it was the pride of our family and our community, frankly, when that happened. But it would have been infinitely easier if there had been some kind of escrow account that my father could have moved money into to save so that when he found that lot and the house that he lives in today, that would have been money right there available for him to pay down on it or pay it off. It seems like a lot of money then, but the lot was $5,000, and the money that he could have saved over that period of time could have been so significant. We managed to do it anyway. prgtoken This program would help countless numbers of people who want to take advantage of the help that the Federal Government can give them with housing but at the same time work and strive toward independence. That is what I think the great value of this program is. prgtoken I don't want to repeat what has already been said, so I want to just give you a list of the organizations supporting this legislation: the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Preservation of Affordable Housing, the National Leased Housing Association, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Compass Working Capital, National Association of Housing Redevelopment Officials, Housing Partnership Network, the National Housing Trust, and Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future. prgtoken A similar version of this bill was introduced by Senator Reed and Senator Blunt from my home State of Missouri over in the Senate, and
EXPANDING INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES ACT
Bill Foster (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-1-16

at this point I have no further speakers, so I would like to close with a few words here. prgtoken This bipartisan bill will increase options for investors and savers while ensuring that the protections appropriate to a WKSI are applied to closed-end fund and interval funds. It is my hope that we can do more bipartisan work like this in our committee and in our Congress for the remainder of this term. prgtoken , .
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2018-1-16

I find myself in strong agreement with the comments of the senior Senator from New York State. prgtoken He talked about 702. Let me refer to that a bit. Section 702 is in S. 139, the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017. We are going to vote very soon on whether to cut off debate and block any amendments on a fundamentally flawed piece of legislation that fails to reform one of our most important surveillance tools. prgtoken Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act was intended to provide for vast and powerful surveillance of foreigners overseas who might do harm to us, and it does, but the fact that it is an effective surveillance tool used against foreigners abroad is not the concern you will hear about today. prgtoken Today, you are going to hear concern that Section 702 has also become an unexpected and powerful domestic surveillance tool--not one directed at those abroad who might do us harm, but potentially directed at every single American in this room and throughout this country, allowing the government to search for Americans' emails and other substantive communications without a warrant--the so-called backdoor loophole. prgtoken If we put through here legislation saying- this legislation will allow our government to search all our emails without a warrant, s and will be jumping up saying: Wait a minute. That violates the Fourth Amendment. prgtoken Well, the legislation we are voting on today--authored by the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes--contains what his supporters portray as a fig leaf of reform, but, in fact, the legislation makes a bad problem even worse. prgtoken I will oppose cutting off debate on this bill, and I strongly urge my fellow Senators to do the same--not to kill the bill but to afford us, on such a critical surveillance tool, the opportunity to debate the constitutional implications and offer amendments to improve the bill and to protect Americans in every single State in this country. The Majority Leader has provided no such opportunity. He doesn't want us to offer any amendments--even amendments we know could pass with a bipartisan majority. prgtoken Senator Lee and I are filing several amendments to improve this bill, including our USA Liberty Act. That is a Senate companion to a bill that was reported out of the House Judiciary Committee in a strong and very bipartisan vote. Our amendment offers a sensible compromise. It would protect national security--something we all want to do--but it also protects American civil liberties, which I would hope we also want to do. prgtoken I strongly support a warrant requirement based on Senator Feinstein's amendment in the Senate Intelligence Committee that would close the backdoor loophole. These amendments, and others offered by Senators Paul and Wyden and others, deserve a vote. And that is what I am asking for today. Senator Lee and Senator Paul have spoken so strongly on
IN RECOGNITION OF THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIERRA SACRAMENTO VALLEY MEDICAL SOCIETY
Doris O. Matsui (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-1-16

I rise today to recognize Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society (SSVMS) as it celebrates its 150th anniversary. As the members of SSVMS gather today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Society's long history of service to the Sacramento region and beyond. prgtoken The Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society, originally known as the Sacramento Society for Medical Improvement, has been in continuous operation since the 1860s. It was founded by physicians from different areas of expertise dedicated to providing quality medical care for our community. Throughout its history, the Society has benefited from the leadership of dedicated public servants such as council members, a mayor, senators, and presidents of the American Medical Association, to name just a few of the preeminent individuals who have played a role in the Society's growth and development. prgtoken As the oldest medical society in California, SSVMS is a vital part of our region's history. The Society helps understand and fight disease, promotes community education, advocates for local physicians, and supports the principles of the medical profession. The Society is committed to increasing access to health-care services and providing scholarships to medical students. In 1947 it founded the Sacramento Medical Foundation, which so many of us in Sacramento now known as BloodSource. And its Joy of Medicine program seeks to relieve physician pain and help to reclaim the joy of practicing medicine through education, advocacy, and program services designed to nurture individual well-being and collegiality. prgtoken , as those who value the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society's many contributions celebrate its 150 years of invaluable service to Sacramento, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this prestigious prgtoken group. The health and well-being of untold numbers of my constituents in Sacramento are better thanks to the Society's vision, leadership, and efforts.
FUNDING THE CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM
Suzanne Bonamici (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-1-16

I am a Member of Congress, but I am also a mom. And as a mom, I am puzzled and, frankly, dismayed because Congress has not found a bipartisan way to provide long-term funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program. prgtoken More than 9 million children and pregnant mothers, including thousands in Oregon, receive basic health care through CHIP. In the past, this popular program has always had broad bipartisan support. prgtoken We must do better than the stopgap Band-Aid that is forcing States to rely on short-term funding and, importantly, leaving vulnerable families with uncertainty and with distress. prgtoken Recently, I met a wonderful family in Oregon that relies on CHIP for the health of their two kids. Their story pulled at my heart. prgtoken This is David. David is 5, and his brother, Jacob, is 20 months old, and both children have neurological conditions. Both require long-term medical care. David battles a life-threatening form of epilepsy that requires expensive medications as well as regular physical and occupational therapy. prgtoken Their mom, Renee, fears the worst. I spoke with her and their pediatrician, and she told me that, without long-term funding to support Medicaid and CHIP, she said: ``David could die. It's that simple.'' prgtoken , this is about real people, and their lives are on the line. Funding CHIP is a good investment. In prgtoken fact, the Congressional Budget Office recently predicted that a 10-year reauthorization of CHIP would actually save the Federal Government $6 billion. It turns out preventing illness not only saves lives, it saves money. prgtoken There is no excuse for leaving CHIP unfunded. Working families like David and Jacob's family need to know that they will have health care when their kids need it. David and Jacob are children whose lives are at stake, but there are millions more like them in Oregon and across the country. prgtoken , David and Jacob deserve better. All of our Nation's children deserve better. It is that simple, and we must not let them down.
REMEMBERING THE REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-1-16

today I wish to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr whose birthday the Nation celebrated yesterday. Dr. King once said: ``The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.'' These words are a specter, speaking to us now as though written for political moments precisely like the one we find ourselves in today. These words reflect the wisdom and tenacity of a man who deftly shaped his own moment and made our country better, fairer, and more just in the process. prgtoken Dr. King was a remarkable figure, perhaps most of all because he was an ordinary man--a husband and a father like so many others--who made extraordinary choices. In the face of a society that told him he must sit down, he chose to take a stand. In the face of evil and systemic bigotry, he chose to embody the tenets of love and peace. In the face of improbable odds, he chose to fight. As a result, his legacy of tolerance, respect, and equality is forever cemented in the very foundation of this country, and we are all the better for it. prgtoken Right up until the moment his life was taken from him, 50 years ago this year, Dr. King fought for an equal society, an equitable society, wherein we would judge one another not by the color of each other's skin, but by the content of our character. He was a shining beacon for all those who had come before him and all those who would come after, who, at tremendous risk to their own lives and livelihoods, have fought ceaselessly in the name of civil rights, fair wages, the eradication of poverty, and the right of all Americans to vote. prgtoken His wisdom still guides us even now, so many decades removed from his time here. When, in the 2013 case Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court dismantled the Voting Rights Act that Dr. King was instrumental in passing, many of us vowed to persevere, to pass new legislation, knowing that is what Dr. King would have expected and would have done himself. Discriminatory practices such as voter identification requirements have made a resurgence in recent years, making it more difficult for citizens to exercise their most basic, fundamental right. Bigoted, hateful rhetoric has sadly continued into our lifetime, threatening the livelihoods and the dignity of people of color all across America. Misunderstanding of those from other countries or backgrounds all too often guides our politics, and fringe groups are all too often successful in stoking that fear into hate. prgtoken Despite all of this, I am optimistic about our future because, as Dr. King put it best, ``The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'' That is the other half of Dr. King's legacy: hope-- pure, undiluted, undeterred. We have tremendous challenges before us, just as he did then. I am hopeful when I watch Dreamers march on the U.S. Capi
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2018-1-16

. Thank you, . prgtoken Thanks to Senator Schumer and my colleagues, who will join us in the course of the evening, for coming to the floor tonight to shine a light on the more than 1 million workers and retirees all over this country who are on the verge of facing massive cuts to the pensions they have earned. This crisis affects thousands of Ohioans--perhaps more than 60,000 is our count. It affects the massive Central States Teamsters Pension Plan, the United Mine Workers Pension Plan, the Ironworkers Local 17 Pension Plan, the Ohio Southwest Carpenters Pension Plan, the Bakers and Confectioners Pension Plan, and others. It has an impact on workers, retirees, and businesses in every single State in the United States. prgtoken It is bad enough that Wall Street squandered workers' money; it is worse that the government--that this body, that the House--hasn't yet stepped up. The government is supposed to look out for these folks and is so far turning a blind eye to the promise made to these workers. prgtoken The Senate found the time to pass a massive tax giveaway for corporations that shipped jobs overseas. We know that the tax bill made it even more likely for manufacturing companies to shut down in Mansfield or Limerick or Chillicothe or Portsmouth or Springfield, OH, and move overseas. They shut down production here and move overseas, set up production there, and sell their products back into the United States. The Senate's bill does that, but it did nothing for hard- working Americans who worked their whole lives to earn their retirement. It is disgraceful, and time is running short to make these pensions whole. prgtoken I urge my colleagues in this body--colleagues with healthcare and retirement plans paid for by taxpayers--to remember that. My colleagues--all of us have our healthcare and pensions paid by taxpayers. I urge my colleagues of this body to think about these retired workers and the stress they are facing. It is an expensive time of year for people with fixed incomes. Their heating bills go up. They try to scrape together what they can for the holidays for grandkids. They have loved ones who are sick, and some of them are sick themselves. prgtoken Remember, this is about more than just these retirees and their families; hundreds of thousands of workers give up money from each and every paycheck to fund a pension they expect to be there when they retire. Think about that. Those who haven't really looked at what happens in union negotiations, where workers sit at the bargaining table, and they give up income today to put money aside for the future for their pensions--that is what they did. They gave up income 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, even 40 years ago, put it aside--often matched by employers. That money then comes back to them in the form of a pension when they retire. prgtoken If we don't protect those pensions, how do any workers know their retirement is safe? Ho
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017
Joe Donnelly (Democrat, IN) \u2014 2018-1-16

my colleagues and I are on the Senate floor tonight on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of Americans whose pensions are at serious risk. prgtoken For generations, there has been an expectation in our country that if you worked hard and earned a pension, that pension would be there in retirement. Unfortunately, that promise is now in question. prgtoken Due to corporate bankruptcies, the financial crisis, and underfunding, among other reasons, some of the largest pension funds in this country are at risk of insolvency, potentially leaving retirees with pennies on the dollar. I know firsthand the value of a pension. My late father-in-law was a teamster. His pension allowed him to help support his family and it provided him with the dignity of a decent retirement. prgtoken Hundreds of thousands of Americans will go to sleep tonight uncertain about their financial security. I have met these retirees. I have stood with them at rallies. I have attended their meetings. prgtoken Just 10 days ago, back home in Indiana, I joined roughly 300 teamsters, both active and retired, from all corners of Indiana. They met in Indianapolis to try to learn what the future would hold. They simply want the pensions they worked so hard for and spent so many hours laboring for--and that they earned. They simply want what was promised to them and what their hard work earned for them. prgtoken Unless Congress acts soon, in Indiana alone, 22,000 teamsters and 2,700 mine workers are at risk of significant pension cuts. That is why I cosponsored the Butch Lewis Act and the American Miners Pension Act. These bipartisan bills would ensure retirees receive their pensions. Both bills create a loan program that extends the solvency of at-risk pension plans. prgtoken I also continue to work with Senators in both parties to build support and to find a solution. Conversations need to turn into that solution before the pension shortfall grows even worse. If we don't act, the solution becomes more costly every day. prgtoken The Department of Labor lists 144 multi-employer plans as being in critical or endangered status. The at-risk plans include ironworkers, roofers, machinists, fishermen, plumbers, bricklayers, and carpenters, among others. prgtoken We need to shore up our pension system before the problem grows worse. The failure of these plans would not just devastate the impacted retirees, it could be economically damaging to impacted communities and could lead to the insolvency of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation--the PBGC--which provides pension insurance. prgtoken Last year, we similarly stood on this Senate floor together--not as s, not as , but as Americans--to fight for health benefits for the retired mineworkers. We solved that issue. We reached a compromise by working together, s and together, and passed a permanent solution that was signed into law. Let's do it again here. <|p|
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2018-1-16

I rise to speak as well about the issue of pensions, as many of my colleagues have been speaking about tonight. First of all, I want to outline a series of what I believe to be promises that the Senate and the House must keep with large segments of the American people. prgtoken Last year at this time, we were in a long debate, which had transpired over months, and the main issue there was healthcare for retired coal miners and their families. This was a promise made to coal miners across the country--thousands of them across the country and thousands in Pennsylvania alone--who were promised they would have healthcare in their retirement. That promise went unfulfilled despite the fact that we got a bill through the Senate Finance Committee, as we were instructed to do, to follow so-called regular order--have a hearing, have a vote, get it through the committee--but it was held up month after month, really from the fall of 2016 until April of 2017. That promise almost went unfulfilled, and it took far too long, but eventually we got it done. prgtoken At that time, we made another promise to those same coal miners that we would work on the pension issue for them. That was the second half of the original legislation. prgtoken When it comes to promises, we have promises to keep to those Americans who worked so hard in the most difficult job in the world. prgtoken We also have some promises that must be fulfilled. I would hope that the leadership and Members of the House and the Senate, along with the administration--one party in charge of two branches of government--would keep their promise to 9 million American children. The Children's Health Insurance Program is more than 100 days overdue from being reauthorized. Everyone says they are for it, but it is not done. It was set aside to get a tax bill done, which, in my judgment, was a giveaway to the superrich and big corporations. Even if you wanted to support the tax bill, why couldn't you carve out some time by the end of the year, I asked the majority, to get the Children's Health Insurance Program reauthorized? Nine million kids; one hundred eighty thousand in Pennsylvania. Why couldn't you get it done? prgtoken Here we are now in the middle of January facing yet another deadline, and the Children's Health Insurance Program is not yet reauthorized. That is a promise. We will see by the end of the week whether the majority keeps its promise to those 9 million children. prgtoken The pension issue is the one I am going to talk about tonight, but there is also a promise that was made to approximately 800,000 young people, the individuals in the so-called DACA Program, the Dreamers. That is another promise. prgtoken The promise we are talking about tonight, at least on this side of the aisle in the Senate, is the promise of pensions. Why do so many pension plans face the obstacles, the burdens, and the crisis they face right now?