mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Gun Violence (Executive Session)
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2019-6-19

6 years have passed since 20 beautiful children and 6 wonderful educators were killed in a massacre that gripped the Nation's attention in Newtown, CT. That tragedy, for any of us who lived through it, remains as real and vivid and grief-stricken today as it was then. We have lived with the memories and with the families and with countless others who found their lives changed-- literally, transformed--in ways they never imagined. prgtoken In the day or so after that shooting--it may have been the following day--I was at one of the numerous calling hours I attended, and I spoke with one of the moms of those children. I said to her: When you are ready, we should talk about what can be done about gun violence in America. prgtoken She looked at me, through her tears, and she said: I am ready now. prgtoken Many of the families of Sandy Hook were ready then. Our Nation was ready then. Yet the U.S. Congress proved disastrously and tragically unready--in fact, failing in its responsibility to react not only with prayers and thoughts, as it did, but also with action to honor those wonderful children and educators with action, to honor them before others would die in the same way, the result of massacres that are preventable. prgtoken The Senate came close to acting. More than 50 votes were there for a background check bill, which had bipartisan support, but not the 60 votes that were necessary. From this Gallery vividly came the shout: Shame on you. prgtoken It was well justified. prgtoken Shame on the U.S. Senate for failing to act 6 years ago. Shame on the Congress for being complicit in the continuing massacres that have been added since Sandy Hook: Oak Creek, Blacksburg, Charleston, Chattanooga, Lafayette, Parkland, San Bernardino, Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs. That is just a partial list, not to mention the 90 deaths every day, often occurring singularly or in twos or threes or by suicide or by accident, as claimed the life of Ethan Song in Guilford, CT, when he was playing with a friend and a gun killed him--a loss that Kristin and Michael Song have made positive by their advocacy of commonsense measures to require safe storage of weapons. prgtoken The voices and faces of Sandy Hook have continued to inspire and move us. As of Parkland and all of the other tragedies that have occurred, they have rallied and written, emailed and called, organized and mobilized, and they have created a movement. It is a movement that is turning around this country, and it already has the effect of breaking the vice-like grip of the NRA on Congress. It is moving us forward. It has spawned groups at the grassroots, like Newtown Action Alliance and Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action, CT Against Gun Violence, Brady, and many others, including Sandy Hook Promise, whose dinner we will attend tonight, their annual gathering. prgtoken We have come to the floor of the Senate now to demand action that honors those vict
INTRODUCTION OF THE REWARD WORK ACT
Jesús G. "Chuy" García (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Madam , I rise today to support a bill I have introduced with Congressman Khanna, the Reward Work Act. prgtoken Economic inequality has been spiraling for decades, and since the 1970s, corporate firms have increasingly relied on stock buybacks-- juicing the price of their own stock in order to pay out huge sums to their executives and wealthy shareholders. These buybacks divert investment away from workers, long-term business growth, and research and development. prgtoken Since the tax overhaul in 2017, corporations have spent more than $1 trillion on buybacks, while failing to deliver promised wage increases to workers. Wells Fargo was the single biggest beneficiary of the tax bill. Even as they have laid off workers and been exposed for numerous consumer protection scandals, they have bought back $40 billion of their own stock. prgtoken Starbucks spent nearly $6 billion on stock buybacks in 2018. If Starbucks reallocated money from share buybacks to compensation, every worker could get a $7,000 raise. If Wal Mart ended its stock buybacks and spent $10 billion on increasing wages instead, 1 million low-wage Wal Mart workers would enjoy an hourly wage increase of $5.66. prgtoken Pharmaceutical giants are increasingly diverting money that could be spent on life-saving drugs into stock buybacks. In 2017 and 2018, shareholder payments by the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies increased by 75 percent to nearly $115 billion. Shortly before the tax bill passed, Pfizer announced a $10 billion buyback, then turned around and announced that they were ending research into Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. prgtoken Firms like Wal Mart are so committed to paying out their wealthiest shareholders that they'll even take on new debt to do it. Firms are increasingly doing share buybacks with risky leveraged loans, which have been identified by regulators as a growing threat to financial stability. prgtoken The Reward Work Act will give workers a voice in choosing how their company is run. Instead of enriching executives and shareholders, directors elected by workers can advocate for better wages. Wages in countries that require worker representation on corporate boards are 18-25 percent higher than wages in the United States. prgtoken I am grateful for the support of the AFL-CIO, Communication Workers of America, Americans for Financial Reform, and Take On Wall Street. prgtoken I urge this body to swiftly pass this bill and help curb the growth of runaway inequality.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Madam Chair, I rise in support of Chairwoman Lowey's En Bloc Amendment No. 2, which includes Jackson Lee Amendment No. 19. prgtoken I wish to thank Chairman McGovern and Ranking Member Cole of the Rules Committee for making this Jackson Lee Amendment in order. prgtoken I thank Chairman Serrano and Ranking Member Aderhold for their hard work in bringing Division A, the Commerce-Justice-Science portion of this omnibus appropriations legislative package, to the floor. prgtoken Madam Chair, thank you for the opportunity to explain my amendment, which is simple and straightforward and ensures that our government works to protect our children. prgtoken Jackson Lee Amendment No. 19, reprograms $2 million in the Office of Justice Programs grant funding to support programs to engage adult men and young persons to reduce and prevent domestic violence against children. prgtoken This amendment will help ensure the safety of vulnerable children in at-risk households, who are powerless to getting the help and attention they need from our government. prgtoken To illustrate the need for this amendment, let me share with you the tragic case of Maleah Davis, a 4-year-old little girl who lived in Houston. prgtoken In the past, Texas Child Protective Services removed Maleah and her two brothers from their home over reports of abuse, but returned them to the home in February. prgtoken Maleah's mother dated her boyfriend for years and they shared a toddler son together. prgtoken Maleah's mother had gone out of town when she left her daughter under her boyfriend's care. prgtoken When the boyfriend initially reported that his girlfriend's daughter was missing, he told detectives he had been attacked by unknown men a day earlier and that they kidnapped Maleah. prgtoken However, surveillance video outside of the home shows Maleah never left their apartment after she followed him in, and shows him carrying a laundry basket with a trash bag out of the building a day before he reported her missing. prgtoken Maleah's remains were later discovered in a bag along Interstate 30 in Arkansas. prgtoken Although the case has not been completed yet, there are valuable lessons that we can learn from Maleah's and similar cases. prgtoken There have been similar cases to Maleah where the caretaker initially reports a missing child but we later learn that the caretaker is actually the suspect and perpetrator of the crime. prgtoken Similar cases include 5-year-old AJ Freund from Illinois, whose father confessed to hiding his body in the basement, and 7-week-old Shaylie Madden from North Carolina, whose mother has been charged with first-degree attempted murder. prgtoken The nation has learned from Maleah and other similar stories that we must do everything in our power to protect at risk children. prgtoken Maleah Davis should be alive today. prgtoken Horrible cases such as this should not be happening in America; we need to make sure our checks and balances are keeping ou
INVESTING IN GUN VIOLENCE RESEARCH
Lucy McBath (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2019-6-19

I rise today to urge action to end the public health crisis of gun violence. prgtoken Every day, nearly 100 people are killed in suicides, homicides, and accidents involving guns, but we have not invested nearly enough in preventing these deaths. Of the top 30 causes of death, 29 received more research funding than guns. But today, this body will vote to invest in gun violence research at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health. prgtoken I recently visited the Centers for Disease Control Injury Center which is in my district. With this critical funding, they will learn how we can prevent gun tragedies. This investment is long overdue, and I was proud to lead my colleagues in asking for this funding. prgtoken We have the responsibility to pursue life-saving research, and today we vote to end gun violence. prgtoken As a survivor of gun violence, I could not be more proud of the measures that we have taken to save the countless numbers of lives that may be affected by gun violence in the future. The time has passed for my son. The time has passed for others like my son who was killed unnecessarily due to gun violence, but I am so grateful for this day. prgtoken I am so grateful for the funding for the research that will save many, many lives for generations to come.
ORDER FOR ADJOURNMENT
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2019-6-19

there is a reason Article I of the Constitution is about the structures around the legislative branch and Article II of the Constitution imagines structures around the executive branch. It was the legislative branch that was most important to the Founders. It was rooted in the desires and dreams and priorities of the people. The way in which we structure ourselves and how we have become chosen to these bodies has changed over the years, but we are Article I for a reason. prgtoken The division of labor between the Article I branch and the Article II branch was not limited only to domestic policy. The Founding Fathers spent a lot of time talking about making sure that the Article I branch had a significant say, a dispositive say over foreign matters as well. That is why we have the power to declare war, not the executive. That is why we have the power of the purse when it comes to funding overseas activities, and it is the reason Congress gave itself the power to have oversight over the arms that we sell to the rest of the world. It is because these arms and the relationships that surround the sale of these arms are amongst the most important foreign policy decisions that we make. prgtoken We don't have to look far to understand how arms sales can go wrong very quickly. It was the arms that we sold either overtly or covertly to the rebel forces in Afghanistan that ended up becoming the arms used by some of the most vicious terrorist groups that eventually attacked the United States. It was arms that we sold to Syrian rebels that ended up in the hands of the extremist Sunni Muslim groups there that we were, in fact, fighting. So we have good reason for historically coming together, s and , to ask these questions about arms sales. prgtoken I agree with Senator Cardin in that, if we let this emergency declaration go without protest, without a vote, I don't know whether we are ever going to get the power to oversee arms sales back as body, and it will be just another mechanism by which we fritter away our coequal responsibility to determine the course of America's role in the world to a growing imperial Presidency, especially when it comes to matters of foreign affairs. prgtoken I want to be clear with my colleagues and the Presiding Officer that I didn't just adopt this view when I became a member of the minority party. I didn't just decide that this was important when became President. prgtoken In fact, I brought a resolution of disapproval of this very similar arms sale under President . prgtoken I note there were 24 Members of this body--20 or so of them --who voted to maintain our prerogative to vote against that arms sale. There were 20 members of the ic Party who were willing to vote, in a sense, to cancel out a sale that had been proposed by a ic President. So, on this side of the aisle, we have been willing to hold to this princi
Gun Violence (Executive Session)
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2019-6-19

I rise to echo the comments of my colleagues on these bills that are pending here in the Senate. prgtoken I hold up the Calendar of Business for the Senate for Wednesday, June 19, 2019, which is today. On page 15 of the calendar, item 29 is H.R. 8, ``An act to require a background check for every firearm sale.'' The status, which is listed in every Senate calendar, is ``Mar. 4, 2019.-- Read the second time and placed on the calendar.'' It is pending here before the Senate. prgtoken The next item, No. 30, is H.R. 1112, an act to amend chapter 44 of title 18, U.S. Code, to strengthen the background check procedures to be followed before a Federal firearms licensee may transfer a firearm. On March 5, 2019, it was read the second time and placed on the calendar. prgtoken In this body, we are not asking for something that isn't before us. No. The Senate calendar for today says these bills are before us. Yet one individual, the Senate majority leader, is keeping us from having a debate and a vote on these two matters. We could vote on it. Maybe we wouldn't have the votes, but we ought to be able to at least vote and be accountable to the American public for the positions on these issues. prgtoken I rise in the shadow of yet another tragedy in Virginia. Every Senator in this body has had tragedies like these. I know the Presiding Officer has suffered multiple tragedies in Orlando and Parkland. I was the mayor of Richmond when we had one of the highest homicide rates in the United States, which had been driven by gun violence. I was the Governor of Virginia when the shooting happened at Virginia Tech. I was in the U.S. Senate when two Virginia journalists were murdered on live television by a disgruntled ex-colleague. Then, three Fridays ago, on May 31, in Virginia Beach, just as I had left the city after giving a talk there to a local bar organization, the news came about the shooting of 12 innocent people--11 city employees and 1 contractor who was at the city just to get a building permit--who had been gunned down, in this case, by an individual who had used weapons that had massive magazines--the 30-round magazines. They were the kind of magazines that were also at issue in the shooting in Parkland. This is why I take to the floor today. prgtoken In thinking about these tragedies in Virginia and the repetitive nature of them, when the shooting happened at Virginia Tech when I was Governor, I had always hoped that it would have been the worst shooting in the history of the United States. It is a weird thing to say about your own State. What a bizarre thing to say about your own State--that this tragedy had happened on April 16, 2007, and that I had hoped it would have been the worst shooting in history whereby there had been 32 people killed. Yet, at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, 49 people were killed. In Las Vegas--and my colleague from Nevada is here--over 50 people were killed, and hundreds we
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2019-6-19

I thank the gentlewoman from New York, our appropriations chairman, for yielding. prgtoken , I rise in support of H.R. 3055. As the chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I am pleased to highlight the national priorities that are funded in this bill. prgtoken First, I would like to thank our ranking member, Mr. Fortenberry. He shares a deep passion for rural and farm communities that he so eloquently communicates often through stories of his childhood and his family. It has been a true pleasure to get to know Mr. Fortenberry better during this process. We have had many frank discussions about the priorities in our bill, and he has made it very easy to continue the bipartisan spirit of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. prgtoken I also want to thank the members of the subcommittee, both majority and minority, for a thoughtful and collaborative effort. None of this, of course, would be possible without the outstanding work of the subcommittee and full committee staffs, and our personal staffs, so I give accolades to all of them. prgtoken Few people may recognize the far-reaching jurisdiction of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, from food safety and agriculture research to rural development and nutrition assistance. The programs in this division touch the lives of every citizen on a daily basis. prgtoken We rejected the administration's draconian cuts to programs that assist our rural communities and our vulnerable populations. The FY 2020 allocation for the agriculture bill is 4 percent above the FY 2019 enacted level and more than $5.1 billion above the budget request, totaling $24.3 billion. prgtoken There is over $38 billion in loans and grants for rural housing, community facilities, and water and wastewater infrastructure, including $680 million for broadband programs to continue bridging the digital divide between urban and rural America. prgtoken Additionally, during a time of great uncertainty due to tariffs, low commodity prices, and natural disasters, this bill provides $1.8 billion for farm programs, including $30 million to assist the implementation of the 2018 farm bill. It also prohibits the closure of county-level Farm Service Agency offices to ensure that our farmers, ranchers, and producers receive high quality customer service. prgtoken The bill includes $829 million for the Natural Resources Conservation Service to maintain its core conservation mission. There is almost $167 million for infrastructure, for watershed and flood prevention, and watershed rehabilitation projects. prgtoken The bill provides $3.3 billion for agriculture research to ensure America retains its role as the leader of global agriculture science. prgtoken In addition, to protect the integrity of two
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Madam Chair, I thank Chairwoman Lowey for yielding and for her hard work and leadership during this entire legislative process. prgtoken The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies division of the bill highlights our continued commitment to our servicemembers and their families and to our veterans. prgtoken Constructing the barracks, bases, and facilities that our military needs and ensuring safe, adequate housing for military families is crucial to our Nation's military readiness. prgtoken Properly funding the Department of Veterans Affairs is how we deliver on the promise of medical care and other benefits that our veterans have earned through their service to our Nation. prgtoken The Related Agencies division, including the American Battle Monuments Commission and Arlington National Cemetery, demonstrate to the world how we honor the contributions and sacrifice of those who served. prgtoken That is why I am proud that this bill includes $108.4 billion in discretionary funding, $10.4 billion above the FY19 enacted level. For military construction, it provides $10.5 billion; and, for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the bill provides $94.3 billion in discretionary funding, a $7.7 billion increase above the FY19 enacted level and $1.3 billion above the FY20 budget request. prgtoken The bill we are considering today makes smart investments in critical projects and programs that make a real difference in the lives of servicemembers, veterans, and their families. prgtoken The bill includes an additional $140.8 million to address housing issues that have come up recently and have really festered for far too long, like mold, vermin, and lead, that really have devastated our military families and that must be corrected. This bill ensures there are the resources and the language in our report to ensure that the military makes sure that they are not leaving our military families to deal with the fallout over this disgusting situation on their own. prgtoken It provides $2.3 billion in emergency funding to address hurricane damage in North Carolina and my home State of Florida. prgtoken We have also put an additional $40 million toward energy resilience at our military bases and provided an additional $60 million to clean up PFOS and PFOA contamination at installations across the country. prgtoken For the VA, the bill will improve the quality of veterans' healthcare by making significant investments in women veterans' health. prgtoken I am proud to be the first woman in American history to chair this appropriations subcommittee, making sure that our women veterans actually know that they are veterans. And, in fact, I know it will come as a shock to most, as it was to me, that some women veterans don't even realize that, if they serve a couple of years, even if they didn't actually fight in a war zone or were deployed to a war zone, they are actually veterans, entitled to services at the VA. prgtoken Carv