mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
I-35W Bridge Collapse Anniversary (Executive Calendar)
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-8-1

I know that later this afternoon, we are going to vote on the nomination of Christopher Wray. I am proud to support him, as I was during the Judiciary Committee, voting for him, as did every other member of the Judiciary Committee. The reason is quite simply that he is a professional, as nonpolitically associated as anyone can be going into this position. prgtoken Like the FBI itself, he is known for his independence and integrity. There are two qualities needed today for the FBI and its Director, and those are independence and integrity. The FBI is prgtoken one of the most important law enforcement agencies and certainly one of the most important in the country. prgtoken The FBI Director doesn't serve the President. He serves the Constitution and the people of the United States. He must be independent of political interference, and his or her integrity must be unquestioned. The FBI deserves a leader with the integrity and strength necessary for that solemn mission, and Mr. Wray has shown himself to be that kind of leader. Those qualities are especially important because never before have the rule of law and our law enforcement been so threatened by political interference, and it begins at the very top. prgtoken The reason Christopher Wray has been nominated to serve as FBI Director is that the vacancy was created by the firing of Jim Comey for reasons that have led to an aspect of the ongoing investigation by the special counsel. prgtoken The reason that position is vacant is because 3 months ago Jim Comey was fired by the President because of ``the Russia thing.'' The Russia thing was very much on the President's mind, more so than any of the reasons given in the memos done by Attorney General Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, according to the President himself. ``The Russia thing'' is the FBI and special counsel investigation into whether the campaign colluded with the Russian Government to influence our election. prgtoken There is no question that there was a campaign of interference and meddling through cyber attacks, disinformation, propaganda, and other means, and there is no question that the Russians will do it again unless they are made to pay a price. Others may well collude or conspire with them--Americans--unless they are compelled to pay a price. prgtoken We have only to look at the morning headlines to see how far-reaching and significant this investigation may be. The news that the President himself wrote a statement to be issued in the name of his son about a meeting with the Russian who promised ``dirt'' on Hillary Clinton and directly misled about that meeting shows what is at stake. prgtoken The misleading words put into the President's son's mouth by himself are potential pieces of evidence relating to criminal intent fitting the mosaic that the special counsel has assembled. They add weight and color to that mosaic; they are not alone pro
150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE JACOB LEINENKUGEL BREWING COMPANY
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2017-8-2

today I rise to recognize the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company on their 150th anniversary. I am so pleased to honor this great Wisconsin company. prgtoken Throughout its history, family has always been at the core of the Leinenkugel business. The family's brewing tradition began well before they came to America. Jacob's father, Mathais, was a brewer and brandymaker from Meckenheim, Germany, who settled with his family in Sauk City, WI. Mathais passed his craft on to his four sons who, in turn, opened their own breweries throughout Wisconsin. Their passion for brewing quality beer remains at the heart of the Leinenkugel family 150 years later. prgtoken While it is now the fourth-largest craft brewer in the United States, the nascent company had only two employees: Jacob Leinenkugel and his partner, John Miller. Jacob brewed the beer, and John delivered it. Their German brewing methods, combined with excellent grains grown in rich Wisconsin soil and the State's pure water, made Leinenkugel's small brewery an instant success. The hard-working lumberjacks in the logging town of Chippewa Falls were Jacob's first loyal customers. Word of Leinenkugel's beer spread quickly, and its popularity expanded rapidly throughout Northern Wisconsin. prgtoken When Jacob passed away in 1899, running the company fell to his son- in-law, Henry Casper, and then to his eldest son, Matt, in 1907. Working alongside his sisters and brothers-in-law, the second generation of Leinenkugel's leadership quickly took the company to new heights. prgtoken The brewery experienced its first major test with the passage of Prohibition in 1919. While many American breweries cut their losses and closed shop during this period, Leinenkugel's adapted to the new American reality and began brewing Leino, a nonalcoholic version of their popular beer. Unfortunately, Leino was no match for the real thing and was soon discontinued. Thanks to quick thinking, they pivoted once again and began bottling soda water. By the end of Prohibition, Leinenkugel's was the largest bottler of soda water in the area. prgtoken After the repeal of Prohibition, Matt Leinkugel's wife, Katherine, and his sister, Rose, mortgaged their homes to finance updates to the brewery's equipment to save the company. Thanks to the resourcefulness of these women, the Leinenkugel family was able to restore the brewery to its pre-Prohibition glory. Leinenkugel's expanded yet again in the mid-20th century to the greater Midwest area and developed new varieties of beer that would meet the diverse needs of its newest customers. prgtoken In 1988, the Miller Brewing Company purchased Leinenkugel's, allowing the brewery to distribute products across the country. Today the brewery is an industry leader that produces 25 different styles of beer. For every 10 shandy-style beers consumed in the United States, nine are produced by Leinenkugel's. prgtoken Despite their national success, the
Venezuela (Executive Session)
Tom Udall (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2017-8-2

this May, a spray of pesticide from a nearby orchard drifted over to a field, exposing nearly 50 farmworkers in California. They soon became sick with nausea and vomiting. Several were hospitalized. The workers described it as a living nightmare. prgtoken The chemical they were exposed to is called chlorpyrifos, a neurotoxic pesticide related to sarin gas. It has been in use since it was developed by Dow Chemical over 50 years ago. Today, it is most often used on fruits and nuts, including strawberries, citrus, apples, and pecans from my home State of New Mexico. It is also used on grains and vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower. prgtoken A few years ago, Bonnie Wirtz also experienced the effects of chlorpyrifos. Bonnie is a farmer in Minnesota. She was exposed when spray drift came into her home through the air-conditioner. Her heart started racing, almost to the point of cardiac arrest, and she couldn't breathe. At the hospital, her nurse practitioner told her she wasn't surprised. She had seen others with similar reactions. prgtoken About 10 years ago, Claudia Angulo--a farmworker in California's San Joaquin Valley--was exposed to chlorpyrifos when she was pregnant. Claudia worked sorting oranges, apples, broccoli, and other produce treated with the chemical. When her son Isaac was born with a mental disability and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, she suspected the pesticides she was exposed to. prgtoken A few years ago, European scientists tested some of Isaac's hair. He had traces of over 50 pesticides in his body, and the highest concentration was chlorpyrifos. It has long been known that exposure to chlorpyrifos can be deadly. After years of study, researchers in the United States and a number of other countries now believe there is a strong connection between chlorpyrifos exposure and mental disability, ADHD, and memory deficit in children. They believe the chemical damages children's developing brains, even if they are exposed before birth. Latino children, whose parents are exposed to the pesticide, and grow up near fields treated with it, are at the greatest risk. prgtoken Scientists believe the pesticide poses a threat even to children exposed to it from produce from the grocery store or through drinking water. The connection is so strong that scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency recommended that the EPA ban all uses of the pesticide in 2015. The agency had already negotiated a ban on household use 15 years ago. prgtoken This March, the EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt ignored his own scientists and the body of scientific evidence that chlorpyrifos is dangerous. Instead, he reversed course and refused to ban chlorpyrifos. That is why I rise to talk about this danger to our children. prgtoken When moms and dads feed fruits and vegetables to their children, they are trying to do the right thing. They shouldn't have to worry that these foods are laced with
REMEMBERING HERBERT NEEDLEMAN
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2017-8-2

I recently received the sad news that Dr. Herbert L. Needleman has passed away. With Herbert's passing, we lost a great man--and the scientific community lost one of its best. prgtoken In the 1970s, Herb undertook groundbreaking studies that revealed the dangers of lead exposure in children. According to the Pittsburgh Gazette, Herb ``had been thinking about the impact lead had on children's cognitive abilities for nearly two decades before he finally came up with a way to test historic lead levels.'' He made powerful adversaries in the lead industry, but true to his research, Dr. Needleman found new and inventive ways to prove the toxic effects of lead exposure. prgtoken As a researcher at Temple University, he developed the ``Tooth Fairy'' approach: a method to test children's baby teeth for lead exposure levels. This method led to pioneering research that found that Black children living in cities had lead levels five times higher than suburban, White children. In the words of Herb's son, ``He just couldn't tolerate injustice and could not stop seeking the truth.'' The results of Herb's hard work and his dedication to seeking the truth today reach from the halls of science to the apartments of inner cities. prgtoken I got to see his determination first hand, working alongside him in fighting the lead paint industry in Rhode Island. When I was confronting the lead industry, over 35,000 Rhode Island children under the age of 6 had elevated levels of lead in their systems. His research was instrumental in the fight for the health of Rhode Island's children. I am deeply grateful for Herbert's help in my home State, and I know Rhode Island families are grateful as well. prgtoken America has lost a beloved pediatrician, psychiatrist, and brilliant scientist. I offer my condolences to the Needleman family and to the many people he taught and mentored through the years. He lives on as a lasting lesson in the power of science to help others.
DACA (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-8-2

many times over the last 6 months, I have come to the Senate to speak out on issues and to disagree with President . It is clear that we have very profound political differences when it comes to the issues that face us, but I come to the floor this morning in an unusual position to express my gratitude to President for a position he has taken, which I think is the right position for America. prgtoken Let me explain. Five years ago, President created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, known as DACA. It enabled approximately 790,000 talented young people to contribute more fully to this country. They are teachers, nurses, engineers, small business owners, and more. DACA, which was an Executive action by President , provides a temporary legal status to immigrant students who arrived in the United States as infants, toddlers, and children. They have to come forward under this Executive action and register with our government. They have to pay a substantial fee for processing. Then they have to submit themselves to a criminal and national security background check. If they are successful, they are given 2 years of temporary relief from deportation. prgtoken This program is based on the Dream Act, a bill that I first introduced in the U.S. Senate 16 years ago--in 2001. That bill would give undocumented students who grew up in this country a chance to become legal and to earn their way to citizenship. prgtoken These young people have come to be known as Dreamers. They came to the United States under the age of 16, some of them 1 or 2 years old. They grew up in the United States, going to our public schools, singing the ``Star Spangled Banner,'' pledging allegiance to the only flag they have ever known, the American flag. They are American in every way except for their immigration status. We have already invested in them, as you can tell--invested in their education, bringing them up in American schools. I can't believe it makes any sense for the future of our country to squander their talents by deporting them to countries that many of them have never known. prgtoken A recent study by the Center for American Progress finds that ending DACA, President 's Executive action, would cost our economy at least $433 billion in gross domestic product over the next 10 years. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates that the 1.3 million young people eligible for DACA pay $2 billion each year in State and local taxes. prgtoken As I said at the beginning, I have had many differences with President , particularly on the issue of immigration in some of the speeches and statements he has made, but I do appreciate-- personally appreciate--that this President has kept the DACA Program in place. prgtoken I have spoken directly to President only two times--three times, perhaps. The first two times--one on Inauguration Day--I thanked him for the k
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2017-8-2

this week, the city I call home lost a great Ohioan, and Connie and I lost a friend, Belle Likover of Shaker Heights. Belle passed away at age 97, and over her extraordinary life, she saw the creation of our country's greatest social insurance programs: Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid--and fought to protect those lifelines for American seniors. prgtoken Ms. Likover was born the same year as my mother and grew up in Beaver Falls, PA. She remembered her childhood as a happy one, with one big exception: the Great Depression. In an interview several years ago, she talked about the lasting effects those memories had on her, saying, ``We saw everybody else suffer. I remember the shantytowns. I remember people living in what used to be packing crates. There was a constant stream of people who came to our backdoor for food. My mother never turned anybody away.'' prgtoken Those experiences would shape her activism throughout her life. In high school and later in college, at the Ohio State University, she said she was ``never bashful about speaking out.'' She joined the high school varsity debate team as a sophomore, as the only girl on the team, and learned how to marshal an argument. She told an interviewer that, ``Every position of leadership I've had, I owe to that debate coach.'' prgtoken In college, she put that training to use, first getting involved in political causes in 1937, when she and a friend helped organize an antifascist group at Ohio State. They saw what was happening in Germany and across Europe and how dangerous that was for the world. prgtoken Growing up in that time of turmoil and as a woman at a time when her abilities would be constantly questioned, Belle faced setbacks. As a child, she asked for chemistry sets instead of dolls, but in college, a chemistry professor told her, ``If you want a Ph.D you better marry one.'' Her first husband laid down his life for our country during World War II, leaving Ms. Likover with a newborn daughter to raise. prgtoken She published papers without the Ph.D. that her male peers had and worked at the Cleveland Jewish Community Center's senior department, where she saw what a difference Social Security made in the lives of the elderly--and later how Medicaid and Medicare would change their lives. She went to grad school on a JCC scholarship. prgtoken Throughout the years, she never ceased in her activism. She joined me at events many times to talk about the importance of Medicare. I interviewed Belle in the summer of 2015, marking the 50th anniversary of the passage of Medicare and Medicaid. She told me she was thrilled when it passed because she remember how poor older people were when she was growing up--``They didn't have Medicare, they ended up in poorhouses,'' she told me. And she added, ``Do you know how many people can't wait until they're 65 to get covered by Medicare?'' prgtoken Just last fall, she joined us on a call with Ohio repor
Veterans Legislation (Executive Session)
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-8-2

sometimes bipartisanship and comity do work. They have in the last 24 and 48 hours on two measures that are critically important to help our Nation's veterans have access to benefits and healthcare that they vitally need, that they deserve, and that they have earned. Those measures relate to appeals reform and to the Choice Program. prgtoken Last night the Senate passed by unanimous consent--which means without any objection--H.R. 2288, the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017. prgtoken I am proud to have worked on this measure with the chairman of the VA Committee, Senator Isakson, when I was the ranking member of that committee during the last session. I thank him for his leadership, his vision, and his commitment to this very important cause. prgtoken This bipartisan measure now goes to the President. It provides a significant step toward securing benefits veterans have earned. Once these reforms are fully funded--and they should be--our Nation's veterans will no longer be bogged down by a cumbersome, time-consuming, irksome, and, in fact, aggravating process that denies them fair and full consideration when they appeal their claim's denial. This reform will begin--it is only a beginning--a better system involving transparency and communication for veterans and their families. prgtoken As ranking member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, I heard testimony that the Department of Veterans Affairs' appeals process desperately needs updating and reform. We all in this body have heard from our constituents again and again and again about the antiquated delay and burdensome process that exists today. The average wait time on an appeal today is 5 years. Let me repeat that. The average wait time on an appeal is 5 years. Nearly half a million veterans are caught in a quagmire--often a quicksand--of repeated consideration, unable to claim benefits because of the VA's existing backlog. prgtoken Between fiscal year 2015 and fiscal year 2017, the number of pending appeals increased from about 380,000 to 470,000. That is an increase of more than 20 percent. The increase in those appeals was the ``bad news'' side of improvements in the process to consider the initial appeal. There were more appeals because more claims were disposed of, but that is no excuse for that kind of delay in appeals. prgtoken We worked with the VA and veterans groups to devise a new appeals system that allows veterans to choose an option that is right for them. The bill that passed yesterday will create three separate paths. They can choose among them for veterans seeking redress from a decision by the Veterans Benefits Administration. This reform is vitally important because it gives Secretary Shulkin the authority to test the new system before its full implementation. prgtoken I know it will take time to implement these changes. It should take less time than is predicted because the Veterans Administra
Cloture Motion (Executive Session)
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-8-2

I come to the floor today to stand up for the workers President is failing. As a candidate running for President, Mr. promised workers that he would put them first and that he would bring back good-paying, respectable jobs to their communities, but since day one, President has done the exact opposite. He has rolled back worker protections and made it harder for families to be more secure. prgtoken Now, this doesn't come as a surprise to me, especially when I look at President 's record as a businessman. I have to say that he has refused to allow even his own hotel workers to organize or join a union, preventing them from having the opportunity to better advocate for safer working conditions and better pay. prgtoken We all know that strong unions have helped to create our middle class, and for many working families in the 20th century, a good union job, or the right to collective bargaining, helped them move up the economic ladder. But over the past few decades, we have seen a decline in unions and union membership across the country. As a result of that, our economy has started to favor corporations and those at the top. This paved the way for President and billionaires like him to take advantage of their workers, with little recourse for everyday people who are the backbone of our country. prgtoken The National Labor Relations Board gives workers the opportunity to file charges against corporations when they are illegally fired or when corporations retaliate against workers for exercising their rights. President should be familiar with the NLRB, as his own businesses have had complaints filed numerous times. That is precisely why it is so important that the Board is independent and is committed to advocating for workers and their right to organize. prgtoken The preamble of the National Labor Relations Act clearly states that it is the policy of the United States to encourage collective bargaining and to give workers a voice, allowing them to speak up for fair wages and safe working conditions. It is the responsibility of the NLRB to ensure that workers are being treated fairly and to resolve disputes between corporate management and workers. prgtoken So it is clear to me that Board members should believe in the core mission that I just stated of the NLRB and should be committed to standing up for workers and their right to collective bargaining, which is exactly why I have very serious concerns about Mr. Marvin Kaplan's record, which has largely been in opposition to the work and mission of the NLRB. prgtoken As a labor staffer in the House of Representatives, Mr. Kaplan prepared and staffed hearings where s consistently attacked the NLRB. In fact, I would be hard-pressed to name a single example of Mr. Kaplan supporting the rights of workers and unions. prgtoken In addition to Mr. Kaplan's opposition to the core mission of the Board, I also have deep