mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
EXPOSITIONS PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES ACT OF 2019
Dean Phillips (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2019-10-29

. Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam , I rise today to support the Expositions Provide Opportunities Act, or the EXPO Act of 2019. prgtoken When I took the oath of office on January 3 of this year, my extraordinary team and I set an ambitious goal: To visit every city and town in Minnesota's Third Congressional District within the first 6 months of my prgtoken service; and to listen and learn from the local leaders who know our communities best, and bring their voices to Washington, because representation begins with listening. prgtoken In Bloomington, Minnesota, we heard something unexpected, and I knew we had to help. The city of Bloomington is determined to bring the eyes of the world to Minnesota by bidding for host city of the 2027 World Expo. prgtoken For generations, the United States has showcased our leadership, innovation, and industrial advancement through brilliant displays called pavilions at world expos around the world. But for the past 3 decades, the U.S. has fallen short of its historic leadership role and fundraising for 7 of the last 10 American pavilions has been paltry. prgtoken In fact, the United States is the only G7 country that relies on private donations to guarantee its presence at world expos, and the only country that relies entirely on private funding for the creation of its pavilion. prgtoken Madam , that has left a vacuum, which our strategic competitors, like Russia and China, have been all too happy to fill. prgtoken As a result, American cities like Bloomington, Minnesota, and Houston, Texas, have been overlooked for hosting rights; missing important opportunities to build strong international relationships, showcase the strength of American ingenuity, and boost local economies. prgtoken A critical component in competing for host city status is a country's pavilion at the current world expo. In this case, the next opportunity to make the case for an American host city is the Dubai 2020 World Expo, happening next October. prgtoken That is why I am honored to stand with the city of Bloomington, Global Minnesota, the entire Minnesota House delegation, and a group of like-minded colleagues from both sides of the aisle, like Ranking Member McCaul, and Representatives Pete Olson, Lizzie Fletcher, and my colleague, Ted Yoho to change all of that with the Expositions Provide Opportunities Act, the EXPO Act of 2019. prgtoken Our bill does three things. First, it provides authorization for the State Department to use funds to build a pavilion for the 2020 Dubai World Expo, so that cities in the U.S like Bloomington and Houston, can compete to be the host city at the 2027 World Expo. prgtoken Next, it requires the State Department to seek out matching funds from the private sector in order to alleviate the cost burden. prgtoken Finally, it requires a series of reports from the State Department which shall contain the following items: prgtoken One, an estimate of t
CELEBRATING KINDNESS MONTH
Mary Gay Scanlon (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2019-10-29

last week, we celebrated the life of service of our colleague Elijah Cummings. He always said our children are the living messengers we send to a future we will never see. Nothing could be truer. prgtoken In addition, students and young advocates inspire me every single day, so I want to share with all of you an initiative that students in my district launched this month. Students at the Interboro School District are wrapping up their celebration of Kindness Month, a program inspired by Sandy Hook Promise in an effort to reduce bullying and reduce school violence. prgtoken Since the beginning of October, Interboro students have been encouraged to say a simple ``hello'' to students they might see every day but not usually speak to or to hold the door for someone they don't know. prgtoken In honor of Kindness Month, I, too, have committed to reaching across the aisle to say hello and strike up conversations with colleagues I may not know that well. prgtoken We all have something to learn from the Interboro students as we work together to create a world that is more respectful, fair, and kind for this generation and the next.
EMERGENCE OF AMERICAN HEROES
Steve Cohen (Democrat, TN) \u2014 2019-10-29

we are in interesting times. I think it was Confucius who said to live in interesting times is a great opportunity. It is. prgtoken Unfortunately, the rule of law and democracy are at stake. And as they are and as the Intel Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Oversight and Reform Committee have hearings--and later, there will be public hearings--we are seeing American heroes emerge. prgtoken Today, an American hero, a lieutenant colonel who earned a Purple Heart, will be testifying. Colonel Vindman listened to the conversation between President Zelensky and President , and he will testify as to what happened. It won't be a memorandum; it will be what really took place on that call and why it alarmed him so much. prgtoken The administration doesn't want Colonel Vindman to testify, but he is testifying because he is a patriot, because it is his duty, and because he knows what is at stake. prgtoken What is at stake is democracy. What is at stake is our Constitution. What is at stake is our Republic. prgtoken We have had other people testify, the Ambassador who was removed 2 months early because she refused to go along with what was taking place, and Ms. Fiona Hill. These are heroes. These are patriots. prgtoken Unfortunately, on some news networks that are mouthpieces for the administration, they have had their patriotism questioned, and they have been vilified. prgtoken This is the beginning of despotism. When heroes who come forth with proud careers of service in the State Department or the military, without a blemish on their record, and without trying to benefit financially from anybody at all, except doing their job for the United States of America, are questioned because they come forth to testify as to information that threatens our Constitution, that shows abuse of power and an effort to not comply with our Constitution and carrying out congressionally-mandated spending to protect a country fighting Russian aggression in their own territory. prgtoken These are not people like Manafort, and Flynn, and Carter Page, who wanted and got money from Ukrainians, and Turks, and Russians, and others to benefit themselves from countries that do not have our interests at heart. prgtoken So, as we live through these interesting times, let us appreciate the heroes that are emerging, giving testimony, and putting their jobs and their future security and their reputations at risk because, unfortunately, rather than being hailed as the heroes that they truly are, they are being vilified; and that is dangerous, and it is concerning to me. prgtoken Some of the people that vilify them praise people like Flynn and Manafort, who sold our country out for their own personal advancement and riches. prgtoken America, beware, and honor those who stand up for you.
HELP AMERICA RUN ACT
Katie Porter (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-10-29

the legislation provides an opportunity and a choice for each candidate to decide, in their own campaign and from their own donors, whether or not they want to use these funds for childcare. prgtoken Many people will choose not to, just like many of us choose as candidates not to seek reimbursement for pizza or not to seek reimbursement for any number of allowable FEC expenses. But this bill is also going to stop the FEC from having to again and again and again--every time a parent of young children wants to run, from having to make that expensive and time-consuming appeal to the FEC and waste its resources when this simply should be a clear, straightforward policy.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY AND THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES...
Christopher A. Coons (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2019-10-29

I come to the floor as a proud Member of this Chamber of the Senate and as someone who believes earnestly in our role in our country's constitutional order. I am on the floor because a real and significant challenge to this body and each of our Members is potentially in the very near future. prgtoken Right now, the House of Representatives is holding an impeachment inquiry, focused on grave and significant charges against our President related to the very threats to our democracy of foreign interference that our Founders feared the most. I am not here to argue over whether President 's actions deserve impeachment or perhaps even removal from office. It is, I think, inappropriate to reach that point. Instead, I am here today, as the inquiry proceeds in the House, to urge my colleagues in the Senate--s, Independents, and -- to take seriously the moment we are in and the tests we may have soon ahead as a Senate when we will need to uphold and defend the role of this institution. prgtoken I am on the floor to issue a challenge to all of my colleagues. If an impeachment trial does take place in the Senate, all of us must decide to approach it as Americans--less as people representing any parochial or partisan or particular interest, less as or s or Independents, and instead as Senators. If we are called to serve as jurors in an impeachment trial, all of us must show our Nation and the world that this body--that this institution--has not been completely overtaken by the divisive political era in which we live. Nothing less than the Senate's very legitimacy will be at stake. prgtoken Our Founders warned about the challenge of this moment. They warned specifically that foreign powers improperly influencing our American Government were, in the words of Alexander Hamilton, ``the most deadly adversaries of republican government.'' This is why our Constitution entrusts Congress with the enormous power of potential removal through impeachment. prgtoken James Madison called impeachment ``indispensable . . . for defending the Community [against] the incapacity, negligence or perfidy of the chief Magistrate''--a reference to the President. Alexander Hamilton argued that the Senate was the proper body to hold an impeachment trial. The Founders entrusted us to protect our country from ``the misconduct of public men'' and ``the abuse or violation of some public trust.'' prgtoken George Mason put forward the precise language that appears in our Constitution, the language of ``high crimes and misdemeanors'' and urged that impeachment must be a remedy to remove even a President, asking: ``Shall any man be above Justice?'' Our Founders insisted that no one--no one--in our Nation, in our constitutional order, not even our President, is above the law. This fundamental principle remains the very linchpin of our government. prgtoken Based on what we know today from press repor
MEASURE READ THE FIRST TIME--H.R. 4334
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2019-10-29

I rise tonight to talk about healthcare, which is an issue that obviously commands a lot of attention, but lately, frankly, not enough attention here in the Senate. I will focus, in particular, on one report that we are issuing today that will talk about one aspect of some of the problems we are having in our healthcare system right now that a lot of Americans might not be aware of. They probably will be more aware when they hear more about the report that I have. prgtoken I think we should start from the basic premise that we have made tremendous progress in the last number of years in access to healthcare, in healthcare coverage. We know, for example, that between the years 2010, the year that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed, and the end of 2016--so, basically, just a matter of 6 years--something on the order of 20-plus million Americans gained health insurance coverage. We went from roughly the number of uninsured in the country being a little more than 47 million in 2010 to a little more than 27 million in 2016. prgtoken Over the course of just 6 to 7 years, 20 million fewer people were uninsured. That is a great measure of progress on an issue where most people said there was no way you could get 20 million more people insured. Very few Americans thought that was possible until it actually happened. prgtoken Unfortunately, that progress--the progress being the diminution or the reduction of the uninsured population--is, unfortunately, not just flattening out, but it is actually getting worse. The number of uninsured Americans is actually going up now. That is a giant step backward in a country that not only reduced the uninsured number by 20- plus million but provided, in the same bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. prgtoken The patient protection part of that ushered in all kinds of reforms for those with insurance--those who had insurance before 2010 and those who were paying their premiums but had their lives and their coverage in the hands of insurance companies that had power over their lives, to the extent that an individual with a preexisting condition would not be treated and would not be covered because of that preexisting condition. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act changed that for tens and tens and tens of millions of Americans, in addition to the coverage gains that I just mentioned. prgtoken Just for a point of reference, I will mention the recent numbers. The Census Bureau, back in just September of this year, said--and I am quoting from a report from Kaiser Health News, by Mr. Phil Galewitz, who is talking about the census report. He said the following: For the first time in a decade, the numbers of Americans without health insurance has risen--by about 2 million people in 2018--according to the annual U.S. Census Bureau report released Tuesday. prgtoken This ``Tuesday'' means a day in Septemb
RECOGNIZING BIANCA MADERAL
Donna E. Shalala (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2019-10-29

. Madam , I rise in honor of Bianca Maderal. A young adult undergoing cancer treatment, Bianca founded Fight Like a Kid, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children with cancer. prgtoken Bianca was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016 when she was a senior in high school. Since then, she has been a constant source of inspiration and support for other children battling cancer. She continues to receive treatment at the Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami. Between chemotherapy sessions, she can be found putting together care packages for pediatric cancer centers across the country, donating funds to pediatric cancer research, and helping other children with their diagnoses. prgtoken As Fight Like a Kid puts it, sometimes real superheroes live in the hearts of small children fighting big battles. Bianca has become a superhero not only to the other children at Nicklaus Children's Hospital but also to their families and to cancer patients across the country. prgtoken Fight Like a Kid is an incredible organization created by a truly inspirational young woman. It really is cancer's turn to be afraid.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN...
Mark R. Warner (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2019-10-29

I am going to speak on another matter in just a moment, but I want to thank my friend the Senator from Louisiana. prgtoken There are a number of subjects that are debated on this floor that I may know a little bit about, may not know much at all about, but on the subject he was just addressing, the question of spectrum and the challenges and the threats around 5G--I can still claim this--I am proud of the fact that I spent a longer time in business than I have in politics. My whole career was spent in the business of mobile communications, wireless communications. I spent the last 3 or 4 years on the Intelligence Committee in a bipartisan way looking at both the challenge and the opportunity in 5G, and let me assure you that some of the items the Senator from Louisiana has raised in terms of the security threats that will be posed if we end up with the wrong vendor in 5G are an enormous problem. prgtoken I don't always agree with this President. On this item, he is right. My hope is that he will stick to his guns and not trade that away in a trade negotiation with China. prgtoken I also know that getting spectrum aligned the right way has been one of our challenges because other nations have been able to, frankly, in Asia and elsewhere, align spectrum better, so the underpinnings are better positioned than we are. So how we do this is 100 percent right. prgtoken Let me also say that whether it is Louisiana or Virginia, one of the issues I hear the most--I am not talking far world; I am talking small towns and midsize cities in Virginia, and I am sure the same is the case in Louisiana--the issue is--, , and Independent--when am I going to get broadband in an accessible way? prgtoken If we don't make sure that we think this through on spectrum and recognize the national security implications and also recognize that if we roll out 5G and leave, in my State, 18 percent of the population behind who doesn't even have broadband, their ability to compete in the 21st century is going to be dramatically undermined. prgtoken So I hope I will have a chance to visit with my friend the Senator from Louisiana and see if we might be able to work together on some of these issues. prgtoken For a while, at least before the FCC auctioned off that spectrum, it was left in other hands, and suffice it to say that I know how much that spectrum is worth. prgtoken I thank my friend the Senator from Louisiana for his comments.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY AND THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES...
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2019-10-29

since President was sworn in, he has made it his mission to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Last Congress, time and again, we saw the House and Senate majorities try-- and fail--to repeal the law of the land, the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken After their attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act failed in the Senate, the administration made it abundantly clear that they would do everything possible to sabotage the act through regulations and administrative action. Through this sabotage, the administration has undermined the critical protections healthcare provides for people with preexisting conditions. prgtoken I just want to reiterate my support for the Congressional Review Act disapproval resolution that I worked on with Senator Warner, and I congratulate him for his leadership. What that resolution points out is that preexisting conditions and short-term insurance plans, also known as junk plans, are inconsistent. I am proud to support the disapproval resolution that we will vote on this week that would reverse this administration's so-called 1332 waiver rules. prgtoken Those rules allow for the use of taxpayer dollars to subsidize junk insurance plans. These waiver rules are part of the administration's ongoing attempt to make an end run around Congress and dismantle the Affordable Care Act through the regulatory process. prgtoken I think it is important to understand the shortcomings of these junk plans that the administration is promoting. These plans are allowed to deny coverage to someone who has a preexisting condition. They also allow insurance companies to charge higher premiums if somebody has a preexisting condition. They are not required to cover the Affordable Care Act's essential benefits, such as maternity care, substance use disorder treatment, or prescription drugs. In New Hampshire, where we have a real challenge with the opioid epidemic, without coverage for substance use disorders, we have thousands of people who would not be able to get treatment for their substance use disorders. prgtoken These plans are allowed to place arbitrary limits on the dollar value of services that will be covered annually, and they also don't have to comply with the Affordable Care Act's caps on how much insurers can require that patients pay out of pocket. In short, these junk plan policies are often not worth the paper they are written on, but for some reason, these are plans that are favored by this administration. prgtoken The administration's 1332 waiver rules effectively rewrite the law to allow the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits to be used to purchase junk plan coverage. So rather than help subsidize comprehensive healthcare coverage as was intended in the act--coverage that will actually allow people to get the healthcare services they need--what the administration waiver does is have those taxpayer subsidies cover junk plans that generally do not provi
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN...
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-10-29

I want to start by thanking our colleague, the Senator from Minnesota, Ms. Smith, for her steadfast support for this group of Federal contract employees who were left behind, and I plan to address my remarks to that subject in one moment. prgtoken Before I do that, I just want to call on every Senator to stand up against the vicious character assassination that is taking place against patriotic Americans testifying under oath in the House. prgtoken Today we are hearing, in the House, the testimony of Lieutenant Colonel Vindman. Here is an individual who served as an officer in the U.S. Army, an infantry officer overseas, including in South Korea and Germany and a deployment to Iraq for combat operations, where he was wounded in an IED attack and awarded a Purple Heart. prgtoken Just a little while ago, the House heard sworn testimony from Ambassador William Taylor, who is currently our Acting Ambassador to Ukraine. He also served in the U.S. Army. He served in Vietnam; he served in Germany. Later, in a different capacity, he served in Baghdad as the director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office. He served in Kabul, Afghanistan, coordinating international assistance. He was selected by Secretary Pompeo to be our Acting Ambassador in Ukraine. prgtoken So we can disagree on a whole lot of things. We can also reach different conclusions based on the facts. But I hope every Member, including, importantly, our Senate colleagues, will stand up against the character assassination being launched at these witnesses who are giving testimony under oath and under penalty of perjury. prgtoken It is absolutely disgraceful--this kind of character assassination, impugning people's motives. These are patriotic Americans. prgtoken At the very least, we should agree on that. Amendment No. 1044 prgtoken , I also believe we should agree on this important initiative that has been brought before this body by Senator Smith to do justice and be fair to contract workers who perform a lot of thankless and often unnoticed tasks for the Federal Government but who are essential to its workings. These are cafeteria workers. These are janitors. These are folks who work in Federal offices not just in Washington, DC, but all over the country. prgtoken When we had that unnecessary and shameful 35-day government shutdown, we not only locked out a lot of Federal workers from doing their jobs, not only did the Small Business Administration freeze approvals of small business loans, which were important to many businesses around the country, not only did the Department of Agriculture shutter the farm service centers in rural communities, not only did thousands of homeowners face long delays prgtoken in loan processing approvals from the FHA, but these Federal contract workers who, in many cases, are living paycheck to paycheck, went without pay for 35 days, and they never recouped