mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2019-2-26

think about what we just heard, first from Senator Markey talking about a fossil fuel lobbyist in the year 2019 being chosen to head the EPA--a fossil fuel lobbyist--when there has not been a bill on this floor or any motion coming from Senator McConnell to deal with climate change, to deal with one of the greatest if not the greatest moral issue of our times--nothing on this floor. You heard what Senator Markey said. This administration has done nothing to address this issue, and President selects a fossil fuel lobbyist to be head of the EPA. It is the same thing over and over again. prgtoken We have to take aggressive action to protect our planet and protect our future now. That means accelerating our transition to carbon-free power. It means investing in technologies that make our manufacturers the most energy efficient in the world. It means creating jobs in clean energy all around the country. prgtoken I have always, as a House Member living in Lorain, OH, and as a Member of the Senate--for years, I have always refused to accept the idea that you have to choose between good environmental policy and good-paying jobs. We have proved that is simply not true. We have proved it in my State, where we have lots of wind turbines, made usually with American-made steel. We have proved it in Toledo, where we have one of the biggest solar energy manufacturers in the country. We proved it in the auto industry, where the auto industry has generally had a pretty good decade making more fuel-efficient cars. We put Americans to work, and we can change course on climate change before it is too late. prgtoken Mitch McConnell and President seem to think climate change-- that is notwithstanding what Senator Whitehouse said--is a joke. I have news for them. Climate change is not something to play political games with; it is a crisis we need to confront and set an example around the world. It is a crisis we need to confront and to set an example for our partners around the world. prgtoken It would be shameful enough to have no ideas and no plan to confront our biggest threats. But not only do President and Leader McConnell have no plan, not only are they denying the problem, and not only are they standing in the way of solutions, but they are actually working to make climate change worse. It is just despicable. prgtoken They are spreading lies and stacking the administration with shills for the fossil fuel industry. They stacked the administration with Wall Street cronies to do bank regulation. They stacked the administration with fossil fuel cronies and shills to do energy and climate and environmental regulation. prgtoken We got news this week that the White House is going to use your taxpayer dollars to set up a panel to promote junk science and spread the debunked conspiracy theory that climate change is a hoax. prgtoken This week we will vote on the President's nominee to head the EPA, a
SENATE RESOLUTION 79--SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION MONTH
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2019-2-26

our Nation's continued economic progress and the social mobility of our citizens are contingent on the education and skills of the American workforce and its ability to adjust and fulfill the needs of the 21st century economy. Career and technical education (CTE) programs are an essential piece of every student's education, providing them access to the important knowledge, skills, and credentials needed to obtain careers in rapidly growing, high- demand fields. Today, approximately 12.2 million students across the Nation are enrolled in CTE programs offered by thousands of career academies, comprehensive high schools, CTE high schools, community colleges, and CTE centers. Through intentionally designed applied learning, these students gain workplace skills and technical training that mirror in-demand positions in the workforce. prgtoken In the coming decade, a projected 3 million skilled workers will be needed to fill infrastructure positions in the United States, including jobs related to designing, building, and operating transportation, housing, telecommunication, and utilities facilities. CTE programs intentionally match employability skills with workforce demands, lowering the probability of students dropping out of high school and increasing their likelihood of graduating on time. These skills-based training programs will help fill the estimated 30 million U.S. jobs available with an average income annual income of $55,000 that do not require a bachelor's degree yet necessitate some level of postsecondary education. prgtoken Across Virginia, I hear from manufacturers frustrated by the shortage of qualified skilled production employees--roles that require the training and instruction provided in CTE classrooms. It is essential that we elevate the important role of CTE in the country's ability to meet the interconnected challenges of economic development, student achievement, and global competitiveness. Last year, Congress affirmed the importance of CTE by passing the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act which supports CTE programs in secondary and postsecondary education. prgtoken Today, with my Senate CTE Caucus co-chairs Senator Portman, Senator Baldwin, and Senator Young and 47 colleagues in the Senate, I am pleased to introduce a bipartisan resolution to designate February as Career and Technical Education (CTE) month. CTE Month encourages students, parents, counselors, educators, and school leaders to learn more about the diverse educational opportunities offered in their communities, and recognize the valuable role of CTE in developing a well-educated and highly skilled workforce in the United States. prgtoken By formally recognizing CTE Month through this resolution, it is our aim to raise greater awareness of the importance of improving access to high-quality CTE for millions of America's students and our nation's ongoing economic competitiveness.
North Korea (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-2-26

I listened to the statements of my colleague from South Dakota. I would like to make a suggestion. prgtoken Since the s are in control of the U.S. Senate, since there is a chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I would suggest to my colleague that perhaps we have a hearing on this bill he just described. You see, it came to the floor yesterday without any hearing. And the reason why we need a hearing is that many of us--many of us--voted for an infanticide law, which is currently on the books--a law that says that a child needs to be protected and that those who don't protect that child are subject to criminal penalties, as they should be. prgtoken Now, if this is a different approach to it, doesn't it at least merit a hearing from the majority before it comes to the floor for a vote? There are many questions I would like to ask of those who propose this. I want to understand why the law that has been on prgtoken the books now for 17 years, as I remember, is inadequate to the challenges it faces. prgtoken I supported the infanticide law. I will continue to. If there are any changes that the s want to make, is it too much to ask them to have a hearing in their own committee, which they chair, on this subject matter? I hope they will take it seriously enough to do it. Critics have said this has nothing to do with changing the law. It is just a ``gotcha'' vote on the floor--an amendment which may be used against candidates in future elections. prgtoken When it comes to children, something as serious as life and death should be taken much more seriously by the majority.
Declaration of National Emergency (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-2-26

today, the House of Representatives will take up a motion to terminate the state of emergency proclaimed by President . For many reasons, the measure should pass with bipartisan support. prgtoken First, Members of both parties know there is no actual emergency at the border. Nearly 60 former national security advisers-- and , bipartisan--including former Secretaries of State and Defense, have written a statement saying there is ``no factual evidence of an emergency at the border.'' The President himself said, when announcing the state of emergency, that he ``didn't need to do this.'' prgtoken An emergency, by definition, is something you need to do. It is an emergency. In the President's own words, this is not a state of emergency. prgtoken If we let Presidents, whomever they be-- or -- willy-nilly, because they want to get something done, just declare an emergency when it is clear it has been a long-term prgtoken condition, a long-term issue, this country is a different country. prgtoken That leads to my second point. Members of both parties should be concerned about the President diverting money away from military construction projects in their districts. prgtoken Again, the President doesn't like you for some reason. He says there is an emergency and takes money away from a project in your State that you have worked hard for. That is no way to govern. prgtoken But at the top of the list is this: the Founding Fathers looking down upon this Chamber and upon these United States of America. They set up an exquisite balance of power. They were worried about an overreaching Executive. They knew what King George was all about. So they named the Congress, the House and Senate, the article I--article I, not II, III or IV--part of the government. Second, they gave the Congress one of the greatest powers any government has, which is the power of the purse. prgtoken When the President tries to take these powers away, which clearly he is doing in this case--he called for an emergency when he couldn't get his way in Congress, not because some new facts came on the scene--it is a change in the fundamental, necessary, and, often, exquisite balance of power. prgtoken I know many of my friends on the other side of the aisle understand that. In fact, true conservatism worries about too much power being centralized in any place because conservatism exalts the freedom of the individual. prgtoken So to look the other way because wants this--because he is almost sometimes in a temper tantrum about this issue--is so short- sighted and is so detrimental to the long-term health, stability, and viability, even, of how the balance of power works. prgtoken So I implore my friends on the other side of the aisle to contemplate what it might portend for our democracy to allow this emergency declaration to stand. What would stop any future President from claiming an emergency ev
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.J. RES. 46, TERMINATION OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED BY THE PRESIDENT ON FEBRUARY 15, 2019
Norma J. Torres (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-2-26

political theater, political posturing for 2020, that is what we are hearing. prgtoken This is the law. This is the Rules Committee moving forward a piece of legislation that will prevent the President from calling a bogus national emergency, from stealing money from our troops, from taking from those who don't have and those who are giving everything that they have to protect our Nation. Political posturing for 2020. prgtoken , .
Nomination of Eric D. Miller (Executive Calendar)
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2019-2-26

I am here joining my colleagues on the floor to sound the alarm because right now, this Senate is being steered down a very dangerous path. I spoke last night about this and laid out my case, and I am here again to make it one more time. prgtoken leaders are now barreling toward a confirmation vote on a Ninth Circuit nominee--a flashpoint that, if it succeeds, will mark a massive departure from the longstanding bipartisan process that has been in place for generations. It is a bipartisan process that has helped this Senate put consensus nominees on the bench for as long as we have all been here. This is wrong, and it is the American people who we represent who will be hurt. prgtoken Let's recap the facts. Neither I nor my colleague Senator Cantwell returned a blue slip on the nomination of Eric Miller to serve on the Ninth Circuit court. I have deep concerns about Mr. Miller's work fighting against Tribes. Despite our objections, s went ahead with Mr. Miller's confirmation hearing during a Senate recess when just two Senators--both s--were able to attend, and the hearing included less than 5 minutes of questioning. It was a sham hearing. It was simply done to check the box. prgtoken For this Senate to go ahead and confirm this Ninth Circuit court nominee without the consent of or true input from both home State Senators and after a sham hearing--that would be a dangerous first for this Senate. prgtoken This is not a partisan issue; this is a question of this Senate's ability and commitment to properly review nominees. prgtoken The only logical conclusion I can draw as to why we are here at these crossroads is that leaders are hoping that most Americans won't notice, that they are doing everything in their power to pander to President and in doing that are trampling all over Senate norms in order to move our courts to the far right. prgtoken We are standing here today because this is too important and because the short- and long-term consequences of letting any President steamroll the Senate on something as critical as our judicial nominees are far too important. prgtoken Abandoning the blue-slip process and instead bending to the will of a President, by the way, who has demonstrated time and again his ignorance and disdain for the Constitution and rule of law is a mistake. At a time when we have a President whose policies keep testing the limits of the law--from a ban on Muslims entering the United States, to a family separation policy at our southern border, to declaring a national emergency without a real emergency--it is now more important than ever that we have well-qualified, consensus judges on the bench. prgtoken This new precedent of my colleagues turning a blind eye to the blue slip and shunning longstanding bipartisan processes should stop every one of my colleagues, or ic, in their tracks because today the two
Nomination of Eric D. Miller (Executive Calendar)
Christopher A. Coons (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2019-2-26

I rise today to offer brief remarks on the nomination of Eric Miller to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. prgtoken I have concerns about Mr. Miller's controversial record--some of his ideas and his jurisprudence--which I have spoken to on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which informed my vote against him on the committee. prgtoken But today, I want to speak about my reservations about this body's moving forward with his confirmation, given that neither of his home State Senators have returned a blue slip. prgtoken Let me briefly talk about what a blue slip is and why it matters. It is not in the Constitution. It was not something imagined by the Founders. It was something developed by the Members of this body to put one further bumper on the power of the President to nominate Federal judges and then for the Senate to carry out its constitutional advice and consent role. For a long time, it worked fine, and I actually had a terrific experience with the blue-slip process. Don McGahn, as the White House Counsel, and my senior Senator, Tom Carper, and I, when we had a vacancy--two vacancies, actually, in the Federal district court in Delaware--went to our local bar and asked for them to put together a committee to interview potential candidates. prgtoken We went to the White House Counsel and spoke about the importance of the Delaware district court and the process we were following, and, in the end, out of a very wide pool of initial candidates and the folks who were interviewed by a broad and nonpartisan selection committee of our local bar, we advanced three names to the White House. The White House picked two, and they were ultimately nominated, and Senator Carper and I both returned the blue slips on them. They proceeded. They were both confirmed. They are now seated as district court judges. prgtoken That is the way this ought to work. Why does it matter? It matters because our States are different. We are the United States, and each of our States has slightly different cultures, traditions, and communities. The point of having a Senate made up of 100 representatives of our 50 States is for each of us to come here and carry forward some of the values and traditions of our States. prgtoken I am a member of the Delaware bar. It is a bar with a great and proud tradition. It is a bar with a somewhat different culture--a much more collegial culture, I would argue, than many States around us, and it was important to me to be able to advocate to the President, to the White House, for the nomination of folks who would represent the best of our bench and bar. prgtoken Look, the President and I are in different parties. I understand that we will have different policy positions, but in order to get the absolute best and brightest of the American bar and to have them reflect the values and priorities of the State Senators are elected from, the blue slip was developed. prgtoken We h
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 8, BIPARTISAN BACKGROUND CHECKS ACT OF 2019, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1112, ENHANCED BACKGROUND CHECKS ACT OF 2019
Jamie Raskin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-2-26

as much time as I might consume. prgtoken , first, to clarify one thing, this is bipartisan legislation. We have at least five s who are cosponsoring and supporting this legislation. I assume my friend doesn't mean to read those five Members of the House of Representatives out of her caucus. prgtoken I am not quite sure what happened in Maine, but I know that there are around a dozen States and the District of Columbia that have already gotten rid of the loopholes that we are going to get rid of today in this Federal legislation. prgtoken My friend also invokes Second Amendment rights. I thought that we had put that red herring to rest in 2008 in Heller v. District of Columbia. Justice Scalia said that reasonable regulation to screen out felons and fugitives and the mentally unstable is perfectly consistent with the Second Amendment. prgtoken Everybody on both sides of the aisle favors the Second Amendment, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights. If you are going to oppose this legislation, you have to base it on some public safety rationale and not pretend like anybody has made a constitutional argument, because nobody has made a constitutional argument. prgtoken Finally, on the question of the domestic violence amendment, I would invite my friend to come on over, and we would gladly have unanimous consent to have her added to the amendment, which is the broader amendment she is talking about. Of course, her amendment was the narrow one, which required you to have a civil protection order before there would be an exception from the provisions of the legislation. prgtoken She said she was misdirected by the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. All I can say is the legislative process is a treacherous place and a rocky road for people in the minority. I have been dealing with that for several years. In any event, we would love to have you join the amendment now I make that offer to my friend. prgtoken , I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), who is the great and distinguished chairman of the Committee on Rules.
Nomination of Eric D. Miller (Executive Calendar)
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2019-2-26

we are in the midst of a stealth campaign. Normally, we think about ``stealth'' as associated with bombers or submarines, weapons platforms designed to go, in effect, under the radar, to avoid detection, to escape public notice or the notice of our adversaries. prgtoken This stealth campaign is really hiding in plain sight. It is a campaign to remake our Federal judiciary in the image of the far-right extreme of the Party, the far-right extreme ideologically and politically, a campaign, in effect, to outsource selections of judges to groups that reflect those extreme points of view--the Heritage Society and other such groups. prgtoken Shortly, we will consider the nomination of the latest individual nominated by the President, outsourced to those groups: Eric Miller, of Washington, to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The effort here is to drastically reshape our judiciary but, in the process, also dismantle the norms and practices critical to the health of our democracy. The judiciary is essential to the health of our democracy. prgtoken In the future, when we look back on this era--a dark and dangerous time for our democracy--the heroes will be our free press and our independent judiciary because they have been selected in the past by both and ic Presidents based on qualities of integrity, intelligence, and independence. prgtoken That norm, common to both and ic administrations in the past, has been broken by this one. One of the norms that has been broken in the U.S. Senate relates to the use of blue slips. Most of the public has no idea what blue slips are. They are the traditional mechanism used over decades to afford home State Senators the opportunity to express their approval or disapproval for fitness, a basic quality of a President's judicial nominee to a court that has jurisdiction over their State. prgtoken What is the reason? Well, Senators just happen to spend a lot of time talking with folks at home. We talk to farmers, businesspeople, lawyers. A lot of those lawyers know fellow lawyers. Of course, we receive the ABA qualified or unqualified ratings, but they are single words based on fact gathering that may or may not be as reliable as our colleagues--the lawyers who appear in front of judges, who go to court every day, who have settlement conferences, who rely on the word of their colleagues, which is either good or bad, who know their integrity and intelligence, who know whether they have the temperament to sit in judgment of cases that will have enduring and irreparable ramifications for the litigants who appear in front of them. prgtoken Respecting the blue-slip tradition ensures that when there is a Federal judicial vacancy--for Connecticut, for example--that the President nominate a qualified candidate from Connecticut with the advice and consent of Connecticut Senators. The same is true for the Presiding Officer's home