mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2017-3-30

instead of focusing on bipartisan reforms to improve access to healthcare for the American people, s are again pursuing divisive policies that jeopardize women's health and put politics, politicians, and the government between a woman and her doctor. This measure that we are debating this afternoon attacks a critical healthcare program known as the Title X Family Planning Program. prgtoken The Title X Family Planning Program provides basic healthcare, like cancer screenings, contraception, and HIV testing to more than 4 million women and men. This politically motivated provision that we have before us today would allow States to discriminate against trusted health providers like Planned Parenthood. In eight counties in Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood is the only health clinic that provides the full range of publicly funded contraceptive services. prgtoken I met with Laurie from Bristol, WI, who told me that as a young teacher, she went to Planned Parenthood and they discovered that she had cysts and tumors in her ovaries. The providers immediately helped her get the care she needed. She had quick surgery and was able to recover, which allowed her to eventually have a family. prgtoken s are playing doctor and telling women they can't access basic primary and preventive healthcare services at the health center of their choice. This would cut off access to care for millions of men and women, prohibiting access to high-quality, preventive services just because of the sign on the door. They would prevent women like Laurie from accessing lifesaving services when they need it the most. prgtoken We have already seen too many States enact record numbers of laws and regulations that restrict a woman's access to reproductive health services and the freedom to make her own healthcare decisions. In my home State of Wisconsin, our Governor has signed a number of laws that target healthcare providers and simply have left far too many Wisconsin women out in the cold. He signed a law that forces women to undergo unnecessary and invasive medical procedures, and he has imposed unreasonable requirements on the doctors that deliver care to women. He has worked to close health clinics, including several Planned Parenthood clinics. But he hasn't stopped there. He also signed two laws that would effectively defund Wisconsin Planned Parenthood, which could leave thousands of Wisconsinites without access to critical health services. prgtoken The threat in Wisconsin and in States across the country--and right here in Congress--is clear: Politicians across the country are playing doctor, and this is a dangerous game for women and their families. The millions of Americans who rely on title X for primary care and their trusted providers are being held hostage. They are being used as a political punching bag by congressional s. Their agenda is to attack women's health. prgtoken Women's
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Gary C. Peters (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-3-30

I rise to express my opposition to the resolution of disapproval that is currently before the Senate, which would decimate Federal title X funding for healthcare providers across our Nation who provide vital preventive care and family planning services. prgtoken Let me put it in simpler terms. s in Congress are once again rushing to advance legislation that will make it harder for Michiganians to get the healthcare they need. Just last week, we saw Ryan and President in their efforts to take away healthcare from 24 million Americans and to defund Planned Parenthood, but this is a new week, and we are seeing a new assault on healthcare. prgtoken Today's resolution is just the latest in a long series of attacks against Planned Parenthood. A vote for this legislation is a vote to make it harder for millions of Americans to access birth control, cancer screenings, and testing for sexually transmitted infections. ``Title X funding'' sounds arcane, but it is actually pretty straightforward. It is a bipartisan program which was established more than 40 years ago and which provides individuals with family planning and preventive health services. Not one penny covers abortion. Let me say that again. Not one penny covers abortion--not one. This is established Federal law, and anyone who says otherwise is simply lying to you or has no idea of what he is talking about. prgtoken We should take a step back and ask, what can we agree on here? I think every Senator would agree that we want to reduce unintended pregnancies and teen pregnancies and save money and prevent cancer. Today, unfortunately, we are voting to do the opposite. prgtoken Right now, we have the lowest rate of teen pregnancies in our Nation's history, and we are getting ready to heavily restrict a successful program that saves $7 for every public dollar invested. Preventive screenings are quick, affordable, and save lives. Cancer devastates families, ends lives, and is expensive to treat. Historically, low teen pregnancy rates have not happened in a vacuum; they have happened because of concerted efforts to promote education and prevention and give women a say in their own health. prgtoken The pain inflicted today will not be felt uniformly; it will disproportionately hurt people in rural and underserved areas in which these clinics are more often than not the primary sources of healthcare. Michigan has 19 Planned Parenthood clinics, and half are located in areas that are federally designated as ``rural and medically underserved.'' As a direct result of title X funds, Michigan family planning clinics prevent over 18,000 unintended pregnancies and over 1,000 cases of sexually transmitted diseases and cervical cancer each and every year. prgtoken Every woman has a fundamental right to make her decisions about her reproductive health. The government has absolutely no right to stand in her way. I strongly oppose this resolution
EPA SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD REFORM ACT OF 2017
Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2017-3-30

. Madam , I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 1431, the EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act. prgtoken Madam , H.R. 1431 is a blatant attempt to cripple the important mission of the EPA by stacking the EPA Science Advisory Board with industry insiders. prgtoken When Congress established the Science Advisory Board in 1978 to review the scientific data that informs the EPA's regulatory process, they did that with the requirement that the Board be balanced with representatives from industry and academia. The legislation we are considering today would skew that balance in favor of industry, with the intent of slowing down the EPA's regulatory process. prgtoken With a significant respect for the vice chair from Oklahoma, it makes no sense to suggest that the representatives of regulated corporate interests, however expert, can be credibly described as ``defenders of scientific integrity.'' prgtoken I am particularly concerned about the double standard mandated by this bill. On the one hand, the bill makes it easier for industry representatives to serve on the Board by only requiring that they disclose their conflicts of interest. There is no recusal requirement for industry insiders, no matter how deep their financial ties may go or how much their industry is regulated by the EPA. But, astonishingly, on the other hand, the same scientists and researchers who received EPA research grants or contracts are automatically disqualified from service. Any scientists or researcher would be precluded from accepting any grant or contract for 3 years after their service. prgtoken So the scientists who spent their whole career becoming the world's top experts on a given topic must choose between advising our public health or continuing their research. They can bring their knowledge to the EPA and give up that work or continue. prgtoken Why oh why would we make it more difficult for the scientists and academic experts to participate in the Science Advisory Board while at the same time making it easier for industry experts to participate? Why would we want less science on the Science Advisory Board? prgtoken This proposal does nothing to advance science or protect public health. Instead, it creates senseless hurdles, burdensome red tape for the Science Advisory Board, and makes it more difficult to achieve its mission. We need to let scientists and researchers do their jobs by opposing this legislation.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2017-3-30

I come to the floor to join my colleagues in opposing this misguided measure, which would leave millions of women and families with fewer healthcare options, and it would drastically decrease women's access to basic primary and preventive health services, including lifesaving cancer screenings and HIV testing. prgtoken Make no mistake about it, as my colleagues have said, the primary target of this legislation is Planned Parenthood. For years now, we have seen leaders in Congress attempt to defund this essential healthcare provider, which serves millions of women nationwide, including nearly 12,000 women in New Hampshire, most of them with incomes below or near the poverty line. The sad irony of these attacks is that study after study has shown that restricting access to birth control and other family planning methods actually increases the number of abortions. prgtoken The authoritative Guttmacher Institute estimates that in 2014 alone, contraceptive care provided under title X helped women avert more than 900,000 unintended pregnancies and 326,000 abortions. Without contraceptive care provided by title X funded centers, the U.S. rates of unintended pregnancy and preventable abortions would be an estimated 33 percent higher, and the teen pregnancy rate would be 30 percent higher. prgtoken At the end of the administration, teen pregnancy in the United States was at its lowest point since we have been keeping track. As Senator Hirono said, these services don't provide abortions. Federal law expressly forbids the use of Federal funds to pay for abortion, except to save the life of the mother. prgtoken So the real issue here is not about abortion. This is about ensuring that American women have access to the basic healthcare they need, where they want to receive it. This is just a mean-spirited effort to keep women from seeing the provider they want to see and getting care at rates they can afford. For 40 percent of women, their visit to a family planning center is the only care they receive annually. prgtoken In 2015 alone, title X provided basic primary and preventive healthcare services such as Pap tests, breast exams, birth control, and HIV testing to more than 4 million women and men at nearly 4,000 health centers. Planned Parenthood plays an essentially important role in delivering health services to low-income, uninsured, and vulnerable individuals, including in rural areas. prgtoken I am sure that every person in this Chamber has received letters and emails and phone calls from constituents on this issue. They are pleading with us: Don't take away our access to healthcare from Planned Parenthood. prgtoken I received a letter from Sandra Sonnichsen of Goshen, NH. She writes: Planned Parenthood was my only affordable source of gynecological healthcare for most of my life. I received good, wise, and thoughtful care. I think it is not extreme to say the
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-3-30

we are here today because s' discrimination against women knows no boundaries. They think a woman's right to choose is still up for discussion. It is not. prgtoken Let me be clear. A woman's right to choose is a discussion for a woman and her doctor. That is it. A healthcare provider receiving Federal funds should be judged on their ability to serve a patient. That is it. prgtoken Today, s are voting on a measure that would allow States to discriminate against family planning providers simply because they do not like the populations they treat or the services they provide. It would embolden a State to restrict Federal funding for only health centers that serve primarily minority populations or patients who identify as LGBTQ, and it would allow a State to strip away Federal investments in family planning prgtoken clinics that serve women's reproductive health needs. prgtoken These are not hypothetical concerns. Women's reproductive care is under attack by extreme rightwing s across this country. State politicians introduced more than 500 bills restricting access to reproductive healthcare in 2016, enacting more than 60 new abortion restrictions last year. prgtoken Let's be clear. The result of today's vote means that there will be less access to care for women and families across this country. Health centers receiving title X funding provide basic primary and preventive healthcare services, such as HIV testing and contraception, to more than 4 million women and men at nearly 4,000 healthcare centers nationwide. It is because of the work done at these centers that we are now at a 30-year low in unintended pregnancies, a historic low in teen pregnancies, and we have the lowest rate of abortions since the Supreme Court ruled that abortion was legal in 1973. We are a healthier Nation because of family planning clinics that receive title X funding. prgtoken Now, more than ever, we need to stand and raise our voice against the Party's agenda of discrimination. It is about fighting for the freedom to make decisions in our personal lives without the fear of interference from our own government. It is about the access to opportunity that comes from quality, affordable healthcare and making sure that access is never restricted, no matter what gender you are. But with as President and both Chambers of Congress now controlled by the GOP, national s are in the best position in decades to enact a radical agenda that rolls back women's rights. Today is just one step in their massive plan to take women's rights right back to the 19th century. prgtoken I know they will not back down from enacting their radical agenda, but I also know that we who want to protect women's rights will not back down from this fight. It is a historic battle. This vote is a historic vote. prgtoken I urge all Members to vote no. prgtoken .
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-3-30

today I wish to pay tribute to a dear friend, honorable servicemember, and dedicated public servant. On March 3, Gary Petersen retired from over a half-century career of private and public service supporting scientific achievement and advocacy for the people of my home State of Washington. Gary has worked tirelessly to support the Hanford cleanup and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, PNNL, and has undoubtedly bolstered our Nation's security during the 52 years that he has lived and worked in the Tri- Cities. prgtoken Gary and I have collaborated closely many times over the years on many projects. Most recently, he played a key role in organizing the energy workforce roundtable held at PNNL with Department of Energy Secretary Moniz in August of last year. Gary has been a steadfast advocate for cleaning up the Hanford site, funding for the world-class research and development at PNNL, and for the continued growth of the Volpentest HAMMER Training Center at the Hanford site. I am confident that Washington State, and especially the Tri-Cities, would not be as well positioned to tackle our Nation's future energy challenges if not for over 50 years of Gary Petersen's tireless work. prgtoken Originally from Omak, a small city located in Okanogan County, Gary joined the Army and was stationed in the Tri-Cities in January 1960. After a duty station transfer to Korea, Gary returned and graduated with a communications degree from Washington State University. Shortly after graduation, Gary started with Battelle, a company that had a contract for a research and development lab located at Hanford. That lab provided crucial services during the Cold War and is now known as PNNL. Gary went on to work for Westinghouse on the Fast Flux Test Facility, the Washington Public Power Supply System, and spent time with the International Nuclear Safety Program, a cooperative nuclear energy safety effort between the U.S. and Soviet Union. After retiring from Battelle in 2002, Gary served on the Tri-City Development Council, TRIDEC, an organization dedicated to improving the economic health of the Tri-Cities area. prgtoken During his 14 years at TRIDEC, Gary has been a relentless supporter for DOE's missions at Hanford and PNNL and a champion for the larger Tri-City community and our State by ensuring important projects received needed Federal resources. Gary is the type of constituent every member hopes to have in their communities back home--a very involved citizen. He has been a strong advocate for the issues that matter to the people of Washington while also understanding the importance of communicating with his political representatives. My relationship with Gary has been invaluable, and he has been instrumental in many of my proudest career accomplishments. prgtoken Gary shares my vision for why establishing the Manhattan Project National Historical Park was so important. We worked together for many years
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2017-3-30

I rise to join my colleagues in speaking about the harmful effects of this resolution of disapproval. prgtoken from Michigan for his words and for the very important point that we are seeing the lowest number of teen pregnancies that we have seen for a long, long time. Why would you want to mess with something that is finally reducing the number of teen pregnancies? prgtoken I thank Senator Murray, who has been here diligently leading in this effort, because rolling this rule back will result in something very simple: It will result in less access to care for women and families. prgtoken Title X funding supports vital family planning and related preventive care for low-income, uninsured, and young people across this country. Every year, more than 4 million people, including many who are living in rural and medically underserved areas, go to the over 4,000 health centers that rely on this funding. This includes 41 service sites in Minnesota that provide access to cancer screenings, birth control, and testing for sexually transmitted infections. In fact, 40 percent of women who receive care at title X clinics consider it to be their only source of healthcare--40 percent--which is incredibly important in rural areas. prgtoken One thinks of, just recently, in the last few years, the Zika scare. People wanted to go and get birth control. They wanted to know what they could do to prevent themselves from getting Zika in order to save the lives of their babies. This is true, and this is what will be happening if they make these cuts. prgtoken The regulation we are voting on today should be common sense. It simply makes clear that funds will be awarded solely based on a provider's ability to serve a patient, and it guarantees that women have access to the care they are entitled to under Federal law. prgtoken We should be strengthening our efforts to provide better and more affordable care that best serves patients. Instead, repealing this rule will take essential services away from women when they need them most. By overriding this regulation, States will now pick and choose who provides these services, which will be based on arbitrary criteria that has nothing to do with the quality of services patients will receive. That should be our benchmark--the quality of services. prgtoken When States have done this in the past, it has blocked access to critical family planning and healthcare services for many women, including those in rural areas who rely on the health centers that need these funds. prgtoken As Senator Murray said this morning, women across the country have made it clear that restricting women's access to the full range of reproductive care is unacceptable. prgtoken We have a situation in which this existing rule has yielded the lowest number of teen pregnancies in years. We have a situation in which two of our colleagues have joined us in opposition to this repeal. We
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-3-30

. I thank the gentleman for that information. prgtoken As the majority leader knows, after today we will have 8 legislative days left before the CR runs out on April 28. We will be gone, as the gentleman knows, for 2 weeks, or a few more days than that, for the Easter break. We have not enacted any appropriation bills except for the MILCON-VA and the Defense Appropriation bill we passed through this House in a bipartisan vote and that is pending in the Senate. prgtoken Given the limited number of days in session before April 28, we are going to require relatively quick action if we are to fund the government for the balance of the year past April 28. prgtoken Mr. Leader, can you tell me--because no appropriation bill or CR or omnibus was on the schedule for next week, can the gentleman tell me when he expects some form of continuing to authorize expenditures for the balance of the year between now and September 30 will occur? prgtoken , I yield to my friend.
RUSSIA'S INTERFERENCE IN OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESS
Salud O. Carbajal (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-3-30

. Madam , I rise today because the American people have the right to know the truth regarding Russia's interference in our democratic process. prgtoken I am a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and the message I hear from our military leaders is consistent: Russia is a top threat to the United States and our interests. prgtoken Russia has not only used its military to destabilize regions around the world, but it has completely undermined and disrupted the democratic values of this country. prgtoken This is unacceptable. And yet my colleagues from the other side of the aisle refuse to do their job as an oversight body and establish a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate Russia's egregious behavior. prgtoken We have a responsibility to be transparent with the American people. I strongly urge my colleagues to not only immediately establish an independent investigation into Russia's interference in our election, but I also call for the release of President 's tax returns. prgtoken America's security and values are on the line. Any treasonous and unlawful relations with Russia cannot be tolerated.