mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CONGRATULATING EAGLE SCOUT NATHAN MATTIAS
Jefferson Van Drew (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2019-10-16

I would like to take this time to congratulate Nathan Mattias of Woolwich Township in south Jersey. He achieved the honor of being an Eagle Scout. prgtoken For his Eagle Scout project, Nathan built benches with an improved design to accommodate those in wheelchairs for easier access when gardening for the Sisters of St. Francis, a retirement facility for nuns in the Philadelphia area. prgtoken Through this project, Nathan discovered his passion of engineering and plans on continuing his interest when he is in college. It is people like Nathan who enact change by listening to the needs of those in our local communities. prgtoken Keep up the good work, Nathan. I thank him for all he does for south Jersey, and for the United States of America. He is truly our hero and we are truly proud of him.
HONORING GURU NANAK
Jim Costa (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-10-16

I rise to celebrate a beloved member of the Sikh community in my home of Fresno, California: Ms. Jasbir ``Guddi'' Sidhu. prgtoken Guddi lived an admirable life and made so many, countless contributions to our communities. For 25 years, she produced a weekly television show and was a founding member of KBIF 900, a local radio station. prgtoken Her weekend programming featured interviews with community members and cultural figures. She was a role model and a leader to all, especially young girls and women. It not only aired in Fresno, but also halfway around the world, in India. It was also streamed by thousands on social media. prgtoken Guddi was a member of numerous local organizations and worked hard to preserve the Punjabi culture and Sikh religion for children and families in her community and helped those assimilate who came from Punjab. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the service of Jasbir ``Guddi'' Sidhu, a beloved member of our community, who had a passion for people and made a difference. Syria Crisis
MAKE IT EASIER TO GET MENTAL HEALTHCARE
Seth Moulton (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2019-10-16

I rise today to ask my colleagues to make it easier to get mental healthcare. We should pass the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act and make 988 the national number for mental health emergencies. prgtoken When your house is on fire, you don't have to look for a phonebook to know who to call. You just dial 911 it ought to be the same way for mental health emergencies as well. And that is just the beginning. prgtoken Let's lead by example and change our culture so getting a mental health checkup is just part of routine life. prgtoken Deployed servicemembers can set an example by getting a mental health checkup within 2 weeks of returning home from their deployments. That bipartisan requirement is in the House version of the NDAA. prgtoken Let's start a conversation in this country so that getting mental healthcare is a regular part of life.
Trump Administration (Executive Calendar)
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2019-10-16

the most sacred, the most important, and the most profound responsibility that a President of the United States has is to keep Americans safe. Everything else that we care about--the citizens of this great Nation, the best Nation in the planet--matters very little if our physical safety and the physical safety of our families and our loved ones aren't assured. That is job No. 1 for the President of the United States. prgtoken I believe the President has likely committed offenses that are worthy of impeachment, and I think it is likely that information is going to emerge from the House's inquiry that would present s with clear evidence that the President's abuse of office has been serious. prgtoken Obviously, we need to wait for the articles of impeachment to arrive in the Senate--if they do arrive--before any of us decide our vote on removal, but the publicly stipulated facts already surrounding the President's shadow foreign policy designed not to advance the national interests but his personal political interests are damning. prgtoken So far, my friends have rallied to the President's side, despite public opinion moving pretty quickly against the President and in favor of an inquiry in the House. So today I want to use my time on the floor to ask just a simple question of my colleagues. I want to ask what the costs are to the physical safety of the Nation of continuing to protect the President from the consequences of his misdeeds because as we gather in the Senate for our fall session, we are watching American national security policy go completely and fully off the rails. Our global reputation and our credibility have been shattered to pieces, and no one knows whether they can be reassembled. Our Nation's defenses have never been weaker. Our enemies are gathering strength by the day. Fear of American power is waning. Our global system of alliances is falling apart. Our friends are turning away from America because we are a demonstrably unreliable partner, and those friends may never come back. prgtoken Right now, before our eyes, American power is in a free fall, and our Nation's safety is at risk. American citizens are looking to this place for leadership, but when they lift up the hood looking for steely-eyed patriots, all they are finding are blind partisans. What is the cost, I ask my colleagues, of letting America continue to slide into global irrelevancy? How many American lives are going to be ultimately lost because we sat on the sidelines and we let American influence fade as our President becomes a toxic commodity, the butt of jokes, and an international pariah? What must it take for this body to put aside party and come together to salvage our shrinking American security? prgtoken I want to take a few moments--a few more than I normally take when I come down to the floor--to take my colleagues on a tour of the world right now just so everybody unde
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (Executive Calendar)
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-10-16

I come to the floor to talk about S.J. Res. 53. We will have a chance to vote on that tomorrow. I am joined by my colleague from Maryland, Senator Van Hollen, and my colleague on the Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Whitehouse from Rhode Island. I also want to thank Senator Carper for his leadership as the senior on the Environment and Public Works Committee in regard to this resolution. prgtoken This resolution will be voted on tomorrow. It deals with the CRA-- Congressional Review Act--vote in regard to the administration's affordable clean energy rule. That is probably a misnomer. It is what I call the dirty powerplant rule. The CRA would repeal that so that we can go back to the Clean Power Plan that was promulgated under the administration in 2015. prgtoken Let me explain what the -era rule would do. First, it would repeal the Clean Power Plan that was issued in 2015. That plan had real results in it. It set limits on a powerplant's production of dangerous carbon. It made meaningful progress. The rule promulgated by President 's administration would repeal that and substitute it with a plan that would be a powerplant judgment in each powerplant--coal-burning only--and would not take into consideration the powerplant mix of individual States. prgtoken The previous rule allowed the States to figure out how to reach those goals. So a State could do a mix. They could start using natural gas. They could start using renewable energy. They could meet their goals that are set with a reduction of about one-third of these dangerous carbon emissions but with local discretion on how to reach those goals. prgtoken The rule that was promulgated that I am seeking to reverse allows only efficiency per coal powerplants, does not allow the mixing of the different technologies, and prohibits the States from pursuing market- based plans. prgtoken I am going to tell you, in my region of the country, we have what is known as REGI, which is a compact to reduce carbon emissions. We do it by energizing market forces so that we can get to friendlier sources of energy, which, by the way, has helped our region not only reduce carbon emissions but create green energy jobs, which is in our interest. prgtoken Let me point out from the beginning that the powerplants are the largest stationary source of harmful carbon emissions. Why should everybody be concerned about it? We know its impact on climate change. We have seen the harmful impacts of climate change in America, from the wildfires out West to the flooding here in the East. We have seen the problems not only in our own community but throughout the world. In my own State of Maryland, we have had two 100-year floods within 20 months in Ellicott City, MD. The list goes on and on about the impact of climate change. We see the coastal line changing in our lifetime. We are seeing regular flooding. We are seeing habitable land b
VOTE EXPLANATION
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2019-10-16

I was necessarily absent, but had I been present, I would have voted yes on rollcall vote No. 239, the confirmation of James Wesley Hendrix, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present, would have voted no on prgtoken rollcall vote No. 240, the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Sean D. Jordan to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present, would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 241, the confirmation of Sean D. Jordan to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present, would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 242, the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Mark T. Pittman to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present, would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 243, the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Jeffery Vincent Brown, to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present, would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 244, the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Brantley Starr, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Texas. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present, would have voted yes on rollcall vote No. 245, the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Stephanie L. Haines, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present, would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 246, the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Ada E. Brown to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present, would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 247, the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Steven D. Grimberg to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present, would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 248, the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Jason K. Pulliam to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present, would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 249, the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Martha Maria Pacold to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present, would have voted yes on rollcall vote No. 250, the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Steven C. Seeger to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present, would have voted no on rollcall vote No. 251, the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of William Shaw
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Christopher A. Coons (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2019-10-16

today I wish to honor the service and dedication of a distinguished Delawarean with a track record of putting service before herself. She is a thoughtful friend, not just to me, but to hundreds of Delawareans up and down the State. prgtoken Ronni K. Cohen of Claymont, DE, is a well-known educator and civic leader in Delaware and recently retired after 50 years of public service. She taught thousands of students--children and adults-- financial planning, problem-solving, entrepreneurship, and so much more. A Delaware school official once described Ronni as ``one of the most dedicated teachers that I have ever met.'' prgtoken In total, Ronni spent 33 years in the classrooms of Delaware's Brandywine School District and in 2000 was recognized as Teacher of the Year by the Delaware Department of Education. She was an economics and entrepreneurship teacher at elementary schools like P.S. duPont, Marguerite H. Burnett, and Claymont. During her time with her third, fourth, and fifth graders, Ronni instilled in them an industrial spirit and deployed hands-on lessons about the crucial role that finances play in our everyday lives. prgtoken Ronni earned many accolades during her career, including the Delaware Chamber of Commerce Superstars in Education Award, the Small Business Administration Women in Business Champion Award, the Consortium of Entrepreneurship Education Leadership and Advocacy Award, the Delaware Library Partnership Award, and a Freedoms Foundation Leavey Award for private enterprise education. prgtoken In 1992, Ronni and her principal opened the first bank within a Delaware public school. This innovative program, in partnership with Wilmington Trust, expanded to 20 other schools across Delaware. prgtoken In 2001, when the Delaware Financial Literacy Institute--DFLI--was born, Ronni was the obvious choice to lead it. This not-for-profit organization set out to promote financial education through its Delaware Money School and help individuals gain a better understanding of the consumer marketplace while providing them with the necessary instruments to improve their financial health. prgtoken For the next 17 years, Ronni served as DFLI's executive director. She taught classes while recruiting a battalion of volunteer instructors to multiply the efforts of the Delaware Money School. Under her leadership, thousands of adult students completed DFLI coursework and gained the knowledge they needed to take control of their financial futures. prgtoken Ronni also served on the Governor's Task Force for Financial Independence and the Delaware General Assembly's Joint Committee on Financial Literacy. In 2016, when the State was developing its financial literacy standards for K-12, she was hand-picked as cochairperson of that committee. prgtoken From ``EconoM&Mics'' to ``Purses to Portfolios'' and ``Investing for Your Future,'' Ronni's unique classes have impacted many Delawareans over the years and made o
Nomination of Frank William Volk (Executive Calendar)
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2019-10-16

I rise today in strong support of the nomination of Frank W. Volk to be the U.S. district court judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. prgtoken I want to thank my colleagues in the Senate for putting partisanship aside and recognizing the importance of confirming qualified judges to our Federal courts. prgtoken Frank Volk's cloture vote earlier today cleared this body by a 90-to- 0 vote without a single dissenting vote. Let me repeat that--90 to 0. How many times have we seen that happen in this body? That is a testament to Judge Volk's judicial experience, stellar record, and his qualifications to become a U.S. district court judge. prgtoken I would also like to acknowledge Frank's work in West Virginia as a tireless public servant to both our State and the Nation. He has conveyed time and again his love and desire to serve our Nation and particularly our great State of West Virginia. He has served with honor throughout his career and is willing to step up to the plate one more time. He shows the country how West Virginians act and serve. prgtoken I would also like to thank his family, including his wife, Angie, and his two children, Garrett and Lauren, for their tremendous support of Frank and his continued work as a public servant. He is a proud Italian person, like myself. prgtoken He is currently the chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, where he has worked since he was appointed in October of 2015. prgtoken As a WVU College of Law graduate and editor-in-chief of the West Virginia Law Review, Frank's resume is extremely impressive. prgtoken He continues to give back to his education. He has taught part time at WVU College of Law for almost 15 years. He has taught courses in Federal civil rights, advanced torts, bankruptcy, and advanced bankruptcy. It is great to see a fellow Mountaineer succeed in their profession, and I look forward to seeing his career continue. prgtoken He has also authored a number of bankruptcy articles and spoken at national and regional conferences on bankruptcy matters, along with being a faculty member for the Federal Judicial Center. prgtoken Judge Volk is admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of West Virginia, the West Virginia bar, and the Pennsylvania bar. prgtoken During his career, Frank has worked with a number of esteemed judges: Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge M. Blane Michael, district judges Charles H. Haden II and previously John T. Copenhaver, Jr. Frank is also a permanent member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. prgtoken Frank has contributed volunteer service to the American Bankruptcy Institute for many years. He served most recently as the coordinating editor for the ABI Journal, focusing on the ``Problems in the Code'' column. prgtoken Even with all of those accolades, Frank
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Adam B. Schiff (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-10-16

. Madam , I rise today in strong support of H.R. 95, the Homeless Veteran Families Act, which I am proud to cosponsor. I regret that I was unable to cast my vote in support of this legislation, but I am pleased that it passed with strong bipartisan support. prgtoken The issue of homeless veterans in the greater Los Angeles area is a pressing one, and this legislation is an important step to help address the crisis. Specifically, the bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay a partial per diem to the VA's Homeless Grant Per Diem service providers supporting our nation's homeless veterans with children, making sure that veterans and their prgtoken families receive housing and supportive services. I commend the sponsor of the legislation and hope that it can swiftly be enacted. prgtoken Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 557.
WE ARE IN A NATIONAL SECURITY CRISIS
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-10-16

the headline of The New York Times yesterday said: ``Syrian Forces Rush Into U.S. Void. Battle Lines Shifting to the Benefit of Iran, Russia and ISIS,'' to the negative impact of the national security of the United States of America, because of one simple phone call of this President to President Erdogan, and within minutes, the release of vital U.S. troops to the slaughter of the heroic Kurdish troops who lost their lives and those remaining, and the release of ISIS family members and ISIS. prgtoken We are in a national security crisis. I believe we should be asking for a no-fly zone of Turkey over northern Syria, and we need to find a way to rebuild Humpty Dumpty's house. prgtoken Let me also indicate that there is no indication that anything is awry in the investigation that is proceeding. It is proceeding in a manner where and s are able to ask questions of witnesses, along with their staff. This is not an independent counsel, and so our committees are doing the investigation. prgtoken All parties are able to be part of that investigation. And as well, there is no preclusion to what ultimately may be open hearings. prgtoken Let us be patient. Let us be sober and somber for this important responsibility under the Constitution of the United States of America. That is the way this Congress should behave.
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Tom Udall (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2019-10-16

I rise today to introduce the Reduce Impaired Driving for Everyone Act of 2019 or RIDE Act of 2019. I would like to thank my co-sponsor, Senator Rick Scott of Florida, who joins me on this important bill--a bill that will help end drunk driving and prevent thousands of fatalities and injuries across the nation. prgtoken While we have made progress over the last several decades to reduce drunk driving on our roads, it is still a national tragedy. In 2017, the latest year for which we have statistics, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 10,874 person were killed on American roads by a drunk driver. That's one death every 48 minutes. And most tragically: every single one of those 10,874 deaths could have been prevented. prgtoken Traffic fatalities due to drunk driving account for one-third of all such fatalities. Yet, drunk drivers have only a two percent chance of being caught. And one study found that the average drunk driver has driven drunk 87 times before being arrested. The RIDE Act aims to make sure these drivers do not hit the road in the first place. prgtoken I'm not new to this fight. When I was Attorney General of New Mexico in the 1990's, our State had one of the highest DWI rates in the Nation. Then, on Christmas Eve in 1992, a drunk driver killed a mother and her three young daughters as he sped down the highway the wrong way going 90 miles per hour. That tragedy galvanized me and many others in our State. I worked to impose stronger penalties for repeat offenders, impose a lower legal limit for intoxication, and close drive-up liquor windows. Those efforts and the efforts of many others across New Mexico helped bring down the number of alcohol-related fatalities from 460 in 1992 to 131 in 2017. But that's 131 too many. And so we have more work to do in New Mexico and across the Nation. prgtoken I've worked many years to fund development of the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety or DADSS technology--technology that prevents drivers impaired above the legal limit from ever taking the wheel. When I first started advocating for this technology, it seemed far-fetched to some, out of reach. But, now--it's being road-tested and within our grasp. prgtoken The RIDE Act builds on the $50 million dollars Congress has appropriated since 2008 by appropriating $5 million per year toward drunk driver detection technology during fiscal years 2021 and 2022. The bill will fund the technology transfer of this software to ready it for installation and testing in vehicles. prgtoken At the same time the Federal government has moved to introduce this technology, some private automobile manufacturers are also developing technology of their own for installation in their vehicles. They are to be applauded. prgtoken NHTSA and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, of which every major automobile manufacturer is a member, have engaged in a decade- long public-private partne