mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO WHIT ARMSTRONG
Richard C. Shelby (Republican, AL) \u2014 2019-4-4

today I wish to honor the retirement of Whit Armstrong, a native of Montgomery, AL, from the Alabama Power Company board of directors, effective on April 26, 2019. Whit is an acknowledged leader in the financial and investment arena with over 30 years in the banking industry, including service as a member of the Alabama State Banking Board. He has provided decades of service to improve the quality of life in his community and across the State of Alabama with numerous civic, economic development, educational, and business organizations. prgtoken Mr. Whit Armstrong previously served as president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the board of The Citizens Bank in Enterprise, AL, and of its holding company, Enterprise Capital Corporation, Inc. He currently serves as managing member of Creeke Capital Investments, LLC, also located in Enterprise, AL. prgtoken Whit has earned many recognitions for his contributions, among them a Silver Beaver Award for Outstanding Service to the Boy Scouts and the 1975 Alabama Jaycees' Outstanding Young Man of Alabama Award. He earned his bachelor's degree and master of science in finance with a focus in banking from the University of Alabama. prgtoken At home in the Wiregrass, Whit is married to Dr. Rebecca Brown Armstrong. They have a son, Whit Junior, and four grandchildren, Whit III, Charlotte, James, and Katrina Armstrong. An engaged resident in his community, Whit is an active member of First United Methodist Church of Enterprise. prgtoken His extensive experience in business and civic life, along with his seasoned judgment and knowledge of the Alabama Power Company, have provided great value to Alabama Power's board of directors. prgtoken What is truly remarkable are Whit Armstrong's many accomplishments and contributions to the State. I am proud to take this time to recognize him for his service on the Alabama Power Company board of directors, which has benefitted the customers of Alabama Power, the people of Alabama, and the State. His achievements and dedication to advancing the industry have not gone unnoticed. I join Whit Armstrong's friends, family, and colleagues in wishing him the best of luck as he transitions into a new chapter of his life, and I thank him for his commitment to Alabama.
ORDERS FOR MONDAY, APRIL 8, 2019
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-4-4

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 4 p.m Monday, April 8, 2019, and that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
LIFESPAN RESPITE CARE REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2019
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2019-4-4

today I wish to reaffirm my partnership on the Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2019 with my good friend, Senator Tammy Baldwin, who I would like the record to reflect is an original lead cosponsor of S. 995. As the longstanding coauthors of this legislation, Senator Baldwin and I have been working together to provide the necessary resources to State respite agencies to ensure that caregivers have access to the respite services they need. Following the introduction of the legislation earlier this week, we heard testimony in the Senate Special Committee on Aging that reaffirmed the importance of respite care for the millions of caregivers who are caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's and other dementias. I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Baldwin to advance S. 995.
H.R. 268
Michael B. Enzi (Republican, WY) \u2014 2019-4-4

earlier this week, the Senate debated a disaster relief funding bill that would have provided $13\1/2\ billion in assistance to States and territories that have been touched by recent hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters. I share my colleagues' commitment to provide necessary assistance to get affected Americans back on their feet. prgtoken As chairman of the Budget Committee, I believe we should always consider the budgetary effects of any legislation pending before this body. Supplemental appropriations bills highlight a real challenge in controlling Federal spending. How should we budget for inevitable natural disasters and emergencies? prgtoken Answering this question is important because the Federal Government continues to spend more money than it takes in and will soon confront annual deficits exceeding $1 trillion a year. These surging deficits add to our rising debt, which stands today at $22 trillion, or more than $65,000 per person. That is regardless of age--the baby who was born this morning owes $65,000. By 2029, if nothing is done, the national debt will grow to more than $33 trillion, or more than $94,000 per person. prgtoken Adding urgency to this situation is the surge in autopilot spending, which now represents more than two-thirds of what the Federal Government spends each year. Two-thirds of what we spend is not actually voted on; it happens automatically. prgtoken As our population ages, rising healthcare and interest costs will compound our fiscal problems. In 10 years, nearly 80 cents of every dollar the government spends will be on mandatory programs and interest on the debt. We need to do everything we can to improve our fiscal situation, and that includes improving the way we provide disaster relief. prgtoken Some of my colleagues may not realize that since the passage of the Budget Control Act in 2011, Congress has spent $250 billion outside of the discretionary caps responding to natural disasters and other emergencies. prgtoken This spending has received special designations under the law that exempt it from discretionary spending limits, but such spending still has the very real effect of further increasing the Federal budget deficit--and the Federal debt. One designation that is often used is the ``emergency'' designation, which implies it is for something Congress did not anticipate. But as we all know, natural disasters happen on an annual basis, and in recent years we have had multiple natural disasters in a fiscal year. prgtoken I want to applaud my friend from Utah, Senator Romney, for offering an amendment that recognizes the challenge of budgeting for disasters and emergencies. Disaster relief funding must be built into our base budgets, which is why I have incorporated these costs in recent budget resolutions, including the one that passed through our Budget Committee last week. prgtoken While there is no silver bullet to this problem, I am wil
DIRECTING THE REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM HOSTILITIES IN THE REPUBLIC OF YEMEN THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AUTHORIZED BY CONGRESS
Michael T. McCaul (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-4-4

let me first say that the Yemen resolution before us here today is pro-Iran and anti-Israel. prgtoken I rise today to offer a motion stating that it is in the national security interest of the United States to oppose the global movement to boycott the State of Israel. This motion will not kill the joint resolution or send it back to the committee. If adopted, the resolution will immediately proceed to final passage. prgtoken As we heard from the powerful speech of the Secretary of NATO yesterday, it is in our national interest to work with our allies to counter our shared threats and promote our shared values. prgtoken Since its founding in 1948, the United States has stood shoulder to shoulder with Israel against enemies that want to destroy it. prgtoken Let's be clear about the BDS movement: It is yet another enemy of Israel. It wants to exclude, isolate, and, ultimately, destroy Israel. prgtoken The founder of the BDS movement has stated: ``We oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No Palestinian . . . will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.'' prgtoken The BDS movement is not about equality. It is not about peace. It is about undermining negotiation between Israel and the Palestinians, and it is about placing all of the blame on one party, and that is Israel. prgtoken We do not support a movement that demands concessions from one party alone. We do not stand with a movement that seeks to isolate and shame our strongest ally in the Middle East. prgtoken By weakening Israel, the global BDS movement endangers American security. When foreign entities like the U.N. foster boycotts against Israel, they are interfering with the United States' foreign policy. prgtoken The Senate passed a bill, S. 1, in its wisdom, 2 months ago with overwhelming bipartisan support to tackle BDS, better support Israel and Jordan, and sanction Assad's brutal regime. Sadly, the House ic leadership won't let that bill or a House version of that bill to this floor for a vote. prgtoken , I want to close with this: As the son of a World War II veteran, a B-17 bombardier who bombed the Nazis and was part of the D- day air campaign, it saddens me that we are still struggling here today with the same issues that the Greatest Generation defeated. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to support this motion, and .
TRIBUTE TO JOHN STURGEON
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2019-4-4

it is Thursday afternoon on the Senate floor, and it is one of my favorite times of the week because I get to come down and talk about an Alaskan who has made a difference in my State and in the country sometimes. This one, by the way, is a big one. I think I am being a little bit presumptuous, but the pages, I think, view this as kind of one of their favorite speeches of the week because you learn about Alaska, and I get to brag about my wonderful State. prgtoken Now, I have been hearing a little bit back home that people like to watch this sometimes, but the gentleman I am going to talk about is John Sturgeon. That is him right there in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, and that is him with his hovercraft in Alaska when he is out moose hunting. This is an epic tale--epic, and it just happened. So I am going to be a little bit more long-winded on this ``Alaskan of the Week'' speech because it is actually really important for Alaskans; it is really important for my colleagues; and it is really, really important for Federal judges who rule on things that relate to Alaska. prgtoken We had an epic, huge U.S. Supreme Court case that just came down last week relating to this heroic figure, John Sturgeon, related to the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, ANILCA--that is a mouthful; that is a huge statute that was passed by this body in 1980-- and how that has been interpreted over the years, over the decades. The Supreme Court just last week interpreted this case in a way that we Alaskans think it should have been interpreted, but unfortunately Federal Agencies for 40 years have been interpreting it another way. So I am going to talk a little bit about that. prgtoken I will begin by talking about John Sturgeon and this battle he waged. Literally, they are going to make a movie out of this someday. Trust me. This is an epic--an American classic--12-year legal battle that he waged so he could go hunt a moose off the Nation River, a river in Alaska, and the Feds were saying he couldn't. So he fought and he fought, and he went to the Supreme Court not once but twice. So are we ready? This is one epic story that, again, I guarantee you they are going to make a movie out of someday. prgtoken So let me begin by talking about John Sturgeon, the 74-year-old man right there and what brought him to Alaska. Well, he is from Minnesota, originally and, like so many Alaskans, soon-to-be Alaskans--people watching, we want you to come up and visit, by the way. We want you to come up and live there. He felt the pull of Alaska very early in life. prgtoken John says he remembers dreaming about Alaska as a child. When he was graduating from high school, he applied for a few jobs as a hunting and fishing guide, but like many patriotic Americans--actually, many of my fellow Alaskans--he joined the military instead. My State has more veterans per capita than any State in the country. After he finished two tours
Tax Reform (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-4-4

under President , our economy languished. Recovery from the recession was historically slow and economic growth for his last year in office was an anemic 1.6 percent. Of course, all of that meant reduced economic prospects for American families. Wages were stagnant, and jobs and opportunities were often few and far between. s knew that if we wanted to improve life for American families, we needed to get our economy going again. prgtoken As soon as we took office in 2017, we got right to work. We knew the biggest thing we had to do was overhaul our outdated Tax Code, which was acting as a major drag on economic growth. The Tax Code has a huge effect on economic growth and the kinds of jobs, wages, and opportunities available to American workers. prgtoken A small business owner struggling to afford a heavy tax bill is unlikely to have the money to hire a new worker or expand her business. A larger business is going to find it hard to create jobs or improve benefits for employees if it is struggling to stay competitive against foreign businesses paying much less in taxes. prgtoken Prior to the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, our Tax Code was not helping American workers. It was taking too much money from Americans' paychecks. It was making it difficult for businesses to grow and create jobs. So we passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to put more money in Americans' pockets, to spur economic growth, and expand opportunities for American workers. We cut tax rates for American families, doubled the child tax credit, and nearly doubled the standard deduction. prgtoken We lowered tax rates across the board for owners of small- and medium-sized businesses, farms, and ranches. We lowered our Nation's massive corporate tax rate, which up until January 1 of last year was the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world. prgtoken We expanded business owners' ability to recover the cost of investments that they make in their businesses, which frees up cash that they can reinvest in their operations and in their workers, and we brought the U.S. international tax system into the 21st century so American businesses are not operating at a competitive disadvantage next to their foreign counterparts. prgtoken I am proud to report that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is doing exactly what it was supposed to do. It is growing our economy. It is creating jobs, and it is expanding benefits and opportunities for American workers. Economic growth from the fourth quarter of 2017 to the fourth quarter of 2018 was a strong 3 percent. The unemployment rate dropped to 3.8 percent in February, the 12th straight month that unemployment has been at or below 4 percent. That is the longest streak in nearly 50 years. prgtoken The Department of Labor reports that the number of job openings has exceeded the number of job seekers for 11 straight months. The economy has added more than 5.3 million jobs since President Tr
BUDGET
Kevin Hern (Republican, OK) \u2014 2019-4-4

. Madam , I rise today to discuss our Nation's ballooning debt and the lack of interest across the aisle to address this crisis. We currently face a national debt that exceeds $22 trillion and a deficit reaching $1 trillion. prgtoken President Reagan's chief economic adviser recently called our Nation's fiscal situation ``the most dangerous domestic problem facing America's Federal Government.'' prgtoken The majority party--so, the ic Party--is responsible for producing a budget representative of their values and priorities. Despite our grim fiscal reality, have made the decision to skip their duty of writing a budget, foregoing the only opportunity to look at our entire fiscal picture. prgtoken Pelosi has stated on numerous occasions: Show me your budget, and I will show you your values. prgtoken So, since the refuse to pass a budget, do they truly have any values that represent the American people? These are Pelosi's own words. prgtoken If my businesses spent money like the Federal Government, I would be forced to file bankruptcy. These wasteful habits are encouraged by politicians who do not see Federal dollars for what they are: hard- earned American taxpayer money. prgtoken The failure to produce this budget begs the question: Are our friends across the aisle concerned about our national debt? Again, I refer to the 's words: No budget, no values.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2019
Elise M. Stefanik (Republican, NY) \u2014 2019-4-4

. Madam , in the United States, 1 in 3 women have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner; 1 in 7 women have been injured by an intimate partner; 1 in 10 women have been raped by an intimate partner; and 1 in 7 women have been stalked. prgtoken Let those numbers sink in for a moment. These are more than just numbers. These are our mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, and colleagues in this Chamber. prgtoken Today's motion to recommit would extend the Violence Against Women Act through 2020 in order to continue critical services that protect millions of women, girls, and children across our country. prgtoken I have a proven track record of supporting VAWA, and today I am continuing the fight by standing up for the victims and survivors to make sure their voices are heard. prgtoken Last year, I introduced legislation that would extend the Violence Against Women Act; and then just last month, I introduced another bill that would reauthorize this program. prgtoken We all know, in this Chamber, that the bill Pelosi has put on the floor today will not pass the Senate and be signed into law. However, my bill, this motion to recommit, could pass the House, the Senate, and be signed into law this week. prgtoken This extension gives s and time to work together to pass a truly bipartisan, long-term reauthorization of VAWA, just as Congress has done many times before. prgtoken Sadly, there has been very little effort from my ic colleagues to meaningfully engage in a process to reauthorize VAWA that could pass with broad bipartisan support. prgtoken The ic bill, H.R. 1585, was referred to seven House committees, but was only reported out of the Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote. It politicizes VAWA, and could put women, girls, and children at potential risk in the future. prgtoken Ending violence against women and protecting women and children should not be a partisan issue. But, unfortunately, Pelosi and House have made it a partisan issue. They have refused to work with s in a meaningful way to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act every chance they got, including most recently in February during spending negotiations. prgtoken House are the reason this law has lapsed, putting lives in jeopardy, and leaving victims, survivors, and families at risk. Every single minute that this critical, lifesaving program goes unauthorized is another minute that women who need help can't get it. prgtoken I ask my colleagues today; can we stop playing political games at the expense of vulnerable women? prgtoken We must. Voting ``yes'' on this motion to recommit is the only opportunity to extend current law. Voting ``no'' on this motion to recommit means that you are voting to end the Violence Against Women Act and, instead, knowingly voting for a partisan bill that will never see the light of day in the Senate. This will collect dust in the
REGARDING MY VOTE ON H.R. 1585
Pete Olson (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-4-4

. Madam , today I voted ``Yes'' on H.R. 1585 because we need to advance legislation designed to protect women who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and other crimes that are all too common. While I voted ``yes,'' I have grave concerns with some provisions of this legislation involving Second Amendment rights and due process. It is my hope these concerns will be addressed in Senate negotiations.
TRIBUTE TO CAPTAIN JOHN ``JACK'' FREDERICK WILSON
Mitt Romney (Republican, UT) \u2014 2019-4-4

it is my honor to pay tribute to Captain John ``Jack'' Frederick Wilson, who celebrated his 100th birthday this past Tuesday, April 2. prgtoken Born on April 2, 1919, and raised in Park City, UT, Jack is one of only a small handful of pilots trained at Brigham Young University. He joined the Army Air Corps on December 11, 1941, just 4 days after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. prgtoken After training in the B-24 Liberator bomber, he was made a pilot in the 90th Bombing Group in the Fifth Air Force of the Army Air Corps and was deployed to New Guinea. He and his crew were eventually assigned to reconnaissance missions in the North China Sea tracking the Japanese fleet, and his B-24 was stripped of all bombs, machineguns, and defensive measures to be replaced with extra fuel tanks. Jack said of that time, ``My career as a B-24 pilot basically consisted of long periods of boredom punctuated with moments of terror.'' prgtoken He was a member of the Jolly Rogers and has carried his membership card his entire life, which says, ``Having been assigned to the best damned heavy bomb group, and having paid his dues, Captain Jack F. Wilson is hereby considered a member in good standing of the Jolly Rogers.'' prgtoken As a typhoon threatened the island airstrip where he was stationed, locals from Okinawa showed him a cave that he and his B-24 crew sheltered in, saving their lives. Despite popular opinion at the time, Jack never demonized the Japanese people. He believed ``there are good people everywhere'' and taught his children and grandchildren the same. prgtoken After the war, Jack used his flying skills to help locate wildfires and pioneered the ``interagency'' concept, establishing the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, ID. The main headquarters building bears his name. prgtoken In honor of a native Utahn and one of the last remaining B-24 pilots from World War II, the U.S. Congress extends warm greetings to Mr. Wilson on April 2, 2019, his 100th birthday. We commend him for his life of service and his valor in defense of his country.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2019-4-4

this week I have the honor of recognizing the University of Montana Western women's basketball team for their first ever NAIA Division I national championship. prgtoken The University of Montana Western women's basketball team won the NAIA Division I national championship game 75-59 over Oklahoma City University and finished their season with 30 wins and only 4 losses. These ladies have done an incredible job exemplifying the hard work that all Montanans are known for. prgtoken The team also received several individual awards for coaches and players. Their head coach, Lindsay Woolley, was awarded the NAIA Coach of the Year. The Montana Western Bulldogs also had the NAIA Player of the Year, Brianna King. Ms. King set a University of Montana Western single-season scoring record with 771 points. prgtoken Congratulations to the University of Montana Western women's basketball team on an incredible season and a memorable outcome as the NAIA Division I National Champions.