mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO DARREN WALKER
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2019-7-31

on Sunday, May 19, 2019, I was honored to attend the 218th commencement ceremony at the University of Vermont, where my wife Marcelle was presented with an honorary doctorate degree and recognized for her many years of public service. The commencement speaker, Darren Walker, made this wonderful day even better when he delivered a truly moving address. By recounting his personal story, examining the challenges our Nation faces, and celebrating the achievements of the recent graduates, Darren implored us to view our differences as a strength and our division as a liability to our collective futures. It is with great appreciation that I recognize Darren for his commitment to social justice and thank him for sharing such an eloquent and unifying message with us on that day. prgtoken As the president of the Ford Foundation, Darren oversees a $13 billion endowment and $600 million in annual grant making for international social justice philanthropy projects. He has served as the vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation, as the chief operating officer of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, and has spent more than a decade working in the fields of international law and finance. Prior to all of this success, however, Darren was raised in the humblest of conditions by a single mother in rural Texas, where he attended public schools, and battled racism and homophobia, to set himself on a path toward what he says is the great honor of serving as president of the Ford Foundation. prgtoken I ask unanimous consent to have Darren Walker's Address to the University of Vermont Class of 2019 printed in the Record. I encourage all Senators to read these moving remarks, with the hope that we can transcend our differences and focus on the shared values and aspirations that unite us.
Introductory Statement on S. 2361
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-7-31

today I am introducing the Closing the Credit Gap Act to make the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Community Advantage program permanent. prgtoken SBA created Community Advantage in 2011 to provide capital and support to small businesses that have been historically underserved by SBA's highest volume loan program, 7(a). prgtoken Community Advantage allows nonprofit mission lenders like SBA microlenders, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) and SBA 504 lenders to make 7(a) loans of up to $250,000 to small businesses. prgtoken The program has shown year after year that it is more capable of getting capital into the hands of minority, women and veteran entrepreneurs than the 7(a)program. During Fiscal Year 2018, the most recent year for which complete data is available, only 4.5 percent of 7(a) approvals went to Black business owners compared to 12 percent of Community Advantage approvals; 9 percent of 7(a) approvals went to Hispanic borrowers compared to 17 percent in the Community Advantage program; women-owned businesses received only 18 percent of 7(a) approvals while receiving 30 percent of all Community Advantage approvals; and veterans, who only received 4 percent of 7(a) approvals, received 10 percent of approvals in the Community Advantage program. prgtoken Capital is the lifeblood of small businesses, so for many women, minority, veteran and other underserved entrepreneurs, Community Advantage is a lifeline, because the program fills a gap in traditional credit markets. prgtoken Minority-owned business are two to three times more likely to be denied credit; more likely to avoid applying for loans, based on the belief that they will be turned down; and more likely to receive smaller loans and pay higher interest rates on the loans that they do receive. Rural businesses owners often face an uphill battle to secure funding for their startups. And women are significantly less likely than men to be approved for a business loan and are more likely to experience funding gaps. prgtoken My bill will make this vital program a permanent loan product administered by SBA, and it will allow SBA to lift the cap up to $350,000 from $250,000 to help borrowers in more expensive regions and industries, as well as victims of abusive loan products. prgtoken My home State of Maryland has the highest concentration of minority- and women-owned businesses in the country. That designation makes me proud, but it also makes me think of the countless entrepreneurs whose dreams of business ownership or growth remain unfulfilled because they could not get financing. prgtoken If we pass the Closing the Credit Gap Act, we can empower more entrepreneurs who have the ideas but not the networks or capital needed to start and grow their businesses and create jobs.
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-7-31

I rise today to speak about the introduction of the Protection from Robocalling Act of 2019. This bill would address the problem of illegal robocalls and spam calls. I thank Senators Klobuchar and Blumenthal for cosponsoring this legislation. prgtoken Last year, I introduced this legislation to address the nuisance of illegal robocalling. prgtoken Since then, these calls have become even more prevalent. For example, last month alone, an estimated 4.7 billion robocalls were placed in the United States--nearly one billion more than the year prior. That amounts to 153 million calls per day, or nearly 2,000 robocalls placed each second. Some of these calls are organized scams. prgtoken In one case, one robocall company called people offering to help lower their credit card interest rates. Instead, it tricked them into giving up sensitive personal information, including their Social Security numbers. prgtoken Another company dialed millions of phone numbers on the Do Not Call registry trying to find new customers for a third-party service, contacting a single number more than 1,000 times in the same year. Robocall companies are also engaged in credit card and loan scams. prgtoken What's worse, robocalling is now endangering the health and safety of Americans by tying up emergency service lines. Tufts Medical Center in Boston received more than 4,500 illegal robocalls in the span of two hours last April. Each time the medical staff had to answer one of those robocalls could have been an instance when someone who needed life-saving help was unable to get through to a medical professional. prgtoken One reason the problem is increasing is because the cost of making and deploying these calls is decreasing. Advances in software make it possible for one person to send out thousands of identical prerecorded messages every second, more quickly and more cheaply than employing scores of human telemarketing agents. prgtoken In addition, technology is making it even easier for illegal robocallers to hide their true identity and location. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology enables robocallers to launch their call campaigns from anywhere in the world. And new technology allows illegal robocallers to disguise where they are actually calling from. This technique, known as ``spoofing,'' tricks consumers into thinking they are receiving a local call. prgtoken The Federal Trade Commission now receives nearly 10,000 robocall complaints every day. With its broad consumer protection authority, the Commission plays a critical role in stopping illegal robocalling. But due to an historic exemption, the Commission has no enforcement authority over telecoms. prgtoken When the FTC Act was enacted in 1914, this exemption was put in place because telecoms were monopolies and subject to heavy regulation so FTC enforcement was not needed. In the decades that followed, that regulatory oversight was rolled back, while the exemp
VOTE EXPLANATION
Mark R. Warner (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2019-7-31

I was unavoidably absent on Tuesday, July 30, 2019, for rollcall votes 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250, and 251 due to a commitment in Williamsburg, VA, related to the events surrounding the 400th commemorative session of the Virginia General Assembly. prgtoken Had I been present I would have voted nay on confirmation for Sean D. Jordan, of Texas, to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas--rollcall vote 241, PN205; nay on motion to invoke cloture: Mark T. Pittman to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas--rollcall vote 242, PN207; nay on motion to invoke cloture: Jeffery Vincent Brown, of Texas, to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas--rollcall vote 243, PN510; nay on motion to invoke cloture: Brantley Starr, of Texas, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Texas--rollcall vote 244, PN512; yea on motion to invoke cloture: Stephanie L. Haines, of Pennsylvania, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania--rollcall vote 245, PN453; yea on motion to invoke cloture: Ada E. Brown to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas--rollcall vote 246, PN524; yea on motion to invoke cloture: Steven D. Grimberg, of Georgia, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia--rollcall vote 247, PN566; nay on motion to invoke cloture on Jason K. Pulliam, of Texas, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas-- rollcall vote 248, PN454; yea on motion to invoke cloture on Martha Maria Pacold, of Illinois, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois--rollcall vote 249, PN780; yea on motion to invoke cloture on Steven C. Seeger, of Illinois, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois--rollcall vote 250, PN782; and nay on motion to invoke cloture on William Shaw Stickman IV, of Pennsylvania, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania--rollcall vote 251, PN727.
BIPARTISAN BUDGET ACT OF 2019
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2019-8-1

later today, the Senate will move to consider the measure on the floor, probably pass it, and then leave town. There will be efforts to describe what we have done as a reason for satisfaction and pride. There have been accomplishments, but on one critical issue--really a range of issues--involving our national security, we have only abject failure to show for the months we have been here. prgtoken I am proud to come to the floor of the Senate today to advocate for that cause--election security--with colleagues like Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, who have been tireless champions, articulate, and eloquent advocates for this cause. prgtoken Election security is national security. The testimony from Robert Mueller, whatever you think about his verdict on the President, clearly called for action. prgtoken Robert Mueller is a modern-day Paul Revere, sounding the alarm about the Russians and many other nations--as he put it--who are mounting a renewed attack on this country. prgtoken In the next election, this attack will make 2016 look like child's play, a dress rehearsal, because the tools and techniques they will bring to bear in attacking our democracy are so much more sophisticated. Already, in 2016, Robert Mueller called that attack sweeping and systematic. It was the reason he first spoke about it in his statement and in May closed that statement with a severe and dire warning about the ongoing interference in our democracy. prgtoken Those many other nations already include Iran, which just last week the Washington Post reported to be mounting its own disinformation campaign using social media and misinformation--disinformation--to distract, divide, and sow discord here and in other democracies around the world. prgtoken There is nothing unknown to many of us about the Russians' intent and the designs of these other nations. It is hiding in plain sight. prgtoken From all of the classified briefings that we have received over these months, the Russians know what they are doing, we know what the Russians are doing, and we know what we are failing to do. The ones in the dark are the American people, and that is why Senator Klobuchar, Senator Warner, and I are on the floor today--to make sure that when we leave today, it is not the end of this topic. It is the beginning of a drumbeat, a cry of outrage, and unhappiness around the Nation. prgtoken There are a number of measures that we have championed that involve more funding for the States to do election security, paper ballots by the States to provide backups, auditing standards, and cyber security criteria. These measures are a matter of common sense. That word ``common sense'' is overused these days, especially in a city where it is on display so infrequently, but common sense is the reason we are here. prgtoken I want to talk specifically about the Duty to Report Act. It is based on a very simple idea: If y
BIPARTISAN BUDGET ACT OF 2019
Mark R. Warner (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2019-8-1

first of all, I want to thank my friend, the Senator from Minnesota, Ms. Klobuchar, for her leadership and passion on this issue. prgtoken This shouldn't be that hard. I know we addressed some of the legislation she has talked about, and also earlier Senator Blumenthal came to the floor as well. I think the theme you are going to hear from all three of us is that while we may have made some progress, the truth is, we are simply not doing enough to secure our election infrastructure. prgtoken There is a series of bills that I think are common sense and, if they got to the floor, would get 75 votes and maybe even more. prgtoken Over the past few weeks, I have come to the floor a couple of times to try to move by unanimous consent my legislation known as the FIRE Act. I am not going to do that this morning, but I do want to highlight this bill as one more example of commonsense, bipartisan election security legislation that unfortunately is not getting its chance to be debated on the floor of the Senate. prgtoken The FIRE Act would simply require Presidential campaigns to do the right thing and report offers of foreign assistance--offers which are already spelled out as illegal--to the FBI. Anyone who says it does anything else, such as limiting contacts with the foreign press or limiting contact with foreign diplomats--somebody said it might eliminate communications with Dreamers--is just flat wrong. prgtoken If there are ways to improve the bipartisan legislation, I am wide open to that. I don't know how anyone could be against the idea of putting our country over narrow interests or putting our national security concerns over political advantage. In fact, a new poll last week found that 87 percent of Americans support this idea. The same poll found that an extraordinarily large majority of Americans believe that it is wrong for campaigns to accept foreign assistance and that Congress should pass legislation to secure our elections. prgtoken Unfortunately, in the nearly 3 years since we uncovered Russia's attack on our democracy, this body has not held a single vote on stand- alone legislation to protect our election security. It is true that we did approve some additional funding to secure the 2018 midterm elections, and I commend the folks at DHS for the job they did. I am proud of that. But we would be making an enormous mistake if we simply patted ourselves on the back and said that because the Russians or others didn't launch a full-frontal attack in 2018, we are safe on a going-forward basis. prgtoken Please, don't take my word for it. Let's look at what Special Prosecutor Bob Mueller said last week. He said that the Russians are continuing to attack virtually every day. The bipartisan Intelligence Committee election security report said that we have made progress, but there is more that needs to be done. Christopher Wray, the Director of the FBI, in recent testimony said this is an ongoing
EBOLA ERADICATION ACT OF 2019
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2019-8-1

I rise today to draw attention to the growing risks of an Ebola epidemic in Central Africa and to urge the Senate to take up and pass S. 1340, my bipartisan bill authorizing USAID to combat the Ebola outbreak in the ic Republic of the Congo. This legislation passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in June, and it is time for the full Senate to act. prgtoken On July 17, the World Health Organization declared this Ebola outbreak a ``public health emergency of international concern,'' with experts predicting the outbreak will last well into 2020. prgtoken The ic Republic of the Congo, or the DRC, as it is known, has been battling an Ebola outbreak for exactly 1 year as of today. Despite the best efforts of the Congolese, the World Health Organization, and international partners, this outbreak is now the second worst in history. More than 1,800 people are dead and more than 2,600 confirmed and probable cases have been identified. prgtoken It took just over 7 months to reach 1,000 cases of Ebola, but only 2 months to reach 2,000. According to the World Health Organization, up to 25 percent of all infections may be going unreported. prgtoken The scope of the outbreak continues to grow. Just today, press reports indicate that there is a third case in the city of Goma, home to over 1 million people. prgtoken Imagine the consequences of an unrestrained outbreak in a city of over 1 million people. Under the best of circumstances, it would be difficult, but not impossible, to control the outbreak. However, we are not dealing with ideal circumstances. Today's Ebola outbreak is unfolding amid a noxious mix of political mistrust and overall insecurity. prgtoken Consider that eastern Congo has been plagued for years by armed opposition groups and militias. Dozens of armed groups opposed to the government operate in the areas most affected by Ebola, periodically preventing health officials from reaching communities in need of treatment and prevention. Likewise, criminal gangs operating with near impunity have made it dangerous for healthcare workers to travel to Ebola-affected villages without security. prgtoken To complicate things further, we have witnessed community resistance specifically to the Ebola response. Long marginalized by the capital of the DRC, Kinshasa, communities in eastern Congo remain skeptical that the crisis is real. They fear the government is using the disease as another tool of disenfranchising them, especially after the former government canceled elections. Some actors even oppose medical interventions and promote disinformation and conspiracy theories questioning the existence of the Ebola outbreak. prgtoken To date, there have been more than 100 attacks on health facilities, severely hampering the response of the DRC and the international community. Misinformation, mistrust of the government, and fear of violence at health centers has resulted in between 25 and 50
200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CRAWFORD PATH
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2019-8-1

I rise today to recognize the Crawford Path on its 200th year of continuous operation. As the first trail to the summit of 6,288-foot Mount Washington, the Crawford Path has provided adventure, physical challenge, and fantastic alpine views of the White Mountains for two centuries of hikers and travelers. prgtoken Ethan Allen Crawford, for whom the trail is named, first proposed the idea for a path to the peak of Mount Washington. Ethan and his father Abel operated the Crawford House, a modest wayside inn which provided shelter and accommodations for travelers at the inception of the tourism industry in the White Mountains. As an early entrepreneur, he realized he could make a little extra money serving as a mountain guide to these travelers. After seeing and hearing how difficult it was to move through the thick mountain brush, Ethan and Abel set out to cut some trees and build a footpath that offered better access to the Northeast's highest peak. Their path snaked through the woods, eclipsed the tree line, and traversed ridges and peaks on its way to the summit. The finished product as among the first hiking trails in the United States and established Ethan as an early mountain guide. prgtoken The Crawford Path capitalized on growing interest in the wilderness, and more and more travelers viewed the mountains as an outlet for recreational experiences. On one of Ethan's guided treks to the top of Mount Washington, he led a group that named the surrounding peaks-- Mount Adams, Mount Jefferson, Mount Madison, Mount Monroe, Mount Franklin, and Mount Pleasant, now famously known as the Presidential Range. prgtoken The family continued to cut trails on the mountain, including a bridle path in the 1840s that led horse riders to the summit. Abel--by then in his seventies--became the first person to ascend Mount Washington on a horse. Years later, the mountain pass where they worked was renamed ``Crawford Notch'' as a tribute to the family's contributions to the region. prgtoken Generations of hikers have walked along the path first forged by the Crawfords, and generations of trail crews have maintained the 8.5-mile route for the enjoyment of the public. The Crawford Path carries day hikers as well as thru-hikers tackling the Appalachian Trail. Each is instantly connected to 200 years of experiences and adventures. prgtoken The White Mountains are now a thriving, well-known, four-season tourist destination, where travelers in numbers Abel and Ethan could not have imagined come to observe unparalleled natural beauty. prgtoken On behalf of the people of New Hampshire, I ask my colleagues and all Americans to join me in recognizing the Crawford Path on its 200 year anniversary and in thanking its many stewards for preserving the oldest continually-used mountain trail in the United States.
RECOGNIZING THE WALT WHITMAN HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1969
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-8-1

on Saturday, June 29, 2019, more than 125 members of the Class of 1969 of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, MD, held their 50th graduation class reunion celebration. Over the years, Walt Whitman High School has been recognized as one of the best high schools in the Nation. The WWHS class of 1969 is an outstanding representation of that excellence. prgtoken The Mighty Sixty-Niners, as they call themselves, have earned the characterization of ``mighty.'' From its beginning in 1962, Walt Whitman High School was experimental and forward-looking. The original school setting included a Buckminster Fuller-type geodesic dome that served as the school's main gymnasium and auditorium and as its unique visual focal point. For years afterwards, WWHS was locally and proudly known as ``The Home of the Dome.'' prgtoken The WWHS class of 1969 contributed much to the rich history of the school. In 1968, a time of heightened racial tensions throughout the country, Whitman students and faculty established an exchange program with several high schools in the District of Columbia. Participating Whitman students lived for a week and attended classes at DC's McKinley High School and Cardozo High School. The following week, the McKinley and Cardozo students spent a week at WWHS with their Whitman counterparts. Those exchanges helped develop greater understanding between the participants. prgtoken The WWHS class of 1969 also instituted a weeklong Experiment in Free Form Education. This novel educational program gained nationwide media attention and accolades, including a tribute on the floor of the U.S. Senate on April 25, 1969, by then-U.S. Senator Joseph Tydings of Maryland. prgtoken The Mighty Sixty-Niners have served our Nation in many productive ways, and they continue to do so, excelling in many fields--the arts, politics, government, education, literature, engineering, law, business and publishing, among others. prgtoken I ask my colleagues to join me in sending our very best wishes and congratulations to the Walt Whitman High prgtoken School class of 1969 on the occasion of its 50th reunion.