mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018
Heidi Heitkamp (Democrat, ND) \u2014 2018-6-27

first, I want to acknowledge and thank Chairman Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow for their incredible hard work and commitment to draft such a strong bipartisan farm bill. We would not be here today if it weren't for their tenacity. I think, more importantly, we would not be here today if it weren't for their love of agriculture and their love of rural America. Knowing these are challenging times in rural America, the one thing we can do here is to take this important policy and enact it into law so that we can give a 5-year window of certainty to American farmers and farmers in my State. prgtoken Over 90 percent of the land in North Dakota is engaged in the production of agriculture, whether it is farming or ranching. It is the bedrock of what we do in North Dakota. In fact, it is who we are. prgtoken In every given year, 30,000 farmers and ranchers lead the Nation in the production of over 10 different commodities. These agriculture products are sold in every State and exported to every corner of the globe. At a time when farm income is down and commodity prices have declined, it is so important that we, as members of the Senate, work together in a bipartisan way to provide our Nation's farmers and ranchers with a strong farm bill. With disruptions in trade weighing heavily on our agricultural producers, the single most important job right now is to provide certainty to farmers and ranchers by passing this farm bill and reauthorizing it beyond September 30, 2018. prgtoken In fact, it is important to note that net farm income since 2013 has been literally cut in half. When people say: Why do we need a farm bill? Why should we care? I would suggest that if we want food security in this country and if we want to make sure that we have farmers in this country, we need to care. prgtoken How many American families could really support or weather a 50- percent reduction in their income? When I first came to the Senate, I was fortunate enough to receive a committee assignment on the Senate Agricultural Committee, which for North Dakota is, quite honestly, the highest and most important committee assignment. prgtoken Passing a strong, bipartisan farm bill has been my highest priority since coming to the Senate. I helped to write, negotiate, and pass the 2014 farm bill, and as a member of the Ag Committee, I have been working with farmers and ranchers to make sure that the 2018 farm bill is as strong as possible for North Dakota. prgtoken Since 2014, when the farm bill was signed into law, I have heard from countless farmers and ranchers about what programs worked and what didn't work and how we can build a stronger rural America. While the 2014 farm bill addressed a number of key priorities needed to ensure an effective safety net for farmers and ranchers, there were challenges with aspects of the law. Understanding these concerns, I am pleased that members of the committee, the current
AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2018-6-27

I want to indicate I certainly understand the concerns of the Senator from Florida, and we have been looking for the last 2 days to find a resolution. There are multiple interests on various sides of this issue on Cuba that we are trying to work through so that we can move forward on this as well as other amendments. prgtoken As the chairman has indicated, there are two amendments we are trying to get pending so that we can move forward and take the next steps to be able to come to a resolution and get to a final vote on the farm bill, which our farmers, ranchers, and families in rural communities are very anxious to have us do. prgtoken We will continue to work, as we have all day and as we did yesterday, looking for ways to resolve this and to be able to move forward. Hopefully, we can do that because there are a lot of folks really counting on us to come together and get this done.
COMMENDATION OF CSM DOLORES PANGELINAN KIYOSHI
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Democrat, MP) \u2014 2018-6-27

27 years ago Dolores Pangelinan Kiyoshi decided to devote her life to serving her country. She left her home on Tinian, one of the Mariana Islands, and enlisted in the United States Army. Recently, that journey has led her to promotion to the rank of Command Sergeant Major. She is the first woman from the Marianas to achieve that rank. CSM Kiyoshi was introduced to military life and values--as so many are--through the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. In JROTC during high school on Guam, Ms. Kiyoshi achieved the rank of Battalion Commander; and she earned a four-year ROTC scholarship at the University of Guam. She was eager to serve her country, however, and to honor her parents' wishes that she become a soldier. So, she left officer training and in November 1990, joined the Army. Upon completion of basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey the new recruit identified medicine as the area in which she would specialize throughout her Army career. She took advanced individual training as a combat medic at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Subsequently, according to information provided by the U.S. Army, she has served in most Medical Command Leadership positions, including Patient Hold Non-Commissioned Officer In-Charge, Infection Control NCOIC, Birthing Center NCOIC, Intensive Care Unit Wardmaster, Chief Wardmaster, Department of Medicine NCOIC, Operations NCOIC, and Clinical Operations SGM. Her stateside assignments include the 21st Combat Support Hospital at Fort Hood, TX, prgtoken Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C Darnall Army Community Hospital at Fort Hood, TX, 549th Area Support Medical Company at Fort Hood, TX, 28th CSH at Fort Benning, GA, 115th CSH at Fort Polk, LA, United States Army Sergeant Major Academy at Fort Bliss, TX, and the 44th Medical Brigade at Fort Bragg, NC. Kiyoshi's overseas assignments include 560th Ground Ambulance Medical Company in Korea, 549th Area Support Medical Company in Croatia, Wurzburg MEDDAC in Germany, Benincaso Pavilion in Italy, and Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii. She has deployed to Cuba, Croatia, Iraq, and Afghanistan for combat and peacekeeping missions. Her education includes the Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic and Advanced NCO Course, First Sergeant Course, Sergeants Major Academy, Master Resilience Trainer, Deployable Medical Equipment Course, Equal Opportunity Leader Course, Unit Antiterrorism Advisor Level One Course, Deployable Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Airborne School, and the Military License Practical Nurse School. She also has an associate degree in General Studies. Her awards and decorations include Bronze Star Medal (2nd award), Meritorious Service Medal (5th award), Army Commendation Medal (12th award), Army Achievement Medal (10th award), Army Superior Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Citation (2nd award), Army Good Conduct Medal (9th award), National Defense Service Medal (Bronz
AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2018-6-27

first, I wish to thank Senator Blumenthal for organizing this block of time and for his continued leadership in the fight to protect women's healthcare. Today marks the 2-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt. prgtoken That landmark decision struck down two provisions of a Texas law that imposed medically unnecessary, burdensome requirements on abortion providers and reaffirmed a woman's constitutional right to access safe, legal abortion. If the Supreme Court had allowed these provisions to stand, more than 75 percent of all reproductive health clinics in Texas would have been forced to close, leaving many women unable to access the care they need. prgtoken Whole Woman's Health was a significant victory for reproductive freedom, but the assault on a woman's constitutionally protected right to an abortion has continued unabated over the past 2 years. During that time, Iowa passed an outrageous bill that would prohibit women from seeking an abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy, often even before these women knew they were pregnant. prgtoken West Virginia enacted legislation that would prohibit the State's Medicaid Program from covering abortion services for low-income residents. Indiana passed an onerous new law requiring physicians to report confidential patient information to the State if a woman experienced complications from an abortion. prgtoken Louisiana recently passed a law establishing a 15-week abortion ban that includes criminal penalties for any physician who performs the procedure after that time--with only a very narrow exception to save the life of the mother. prgtoken These are the kinds of lengths those who want to limit a woman's right to choose will go to. Advocates have recognized the harm these laws would have on women and have filed suits to block their implementation. Several lower courts have ruled that these restrictions are unconstitutional and could come before the Supreme Court for review in the months and years ahead. These laws are only a few of the hundreds of new restrictions enacted in States across the country that are harming women's health and violating their constitutional right to an abortion. prgtoken To understand the negative impact of these laws on women, I point to a recent report from the Guttmacher Institute that found 58 percent of women of reproductive age in our country live in a State considered hostile or extremely hostile to abortion rights. Only 30 percent live in a State supportive of abortion rights. We are talking about millions and millions of women who are living in States that are extremely hostile to abortion rights. prgtoken Respect for a woman's constitutional rights should not depend on where she lives. Women in Texas, Louisiana, or Iowa deserve the same respect as women living in States like Hawaii, where we have some of the country's most humane, expansive protections for reproductive
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Bill Foster (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-6-27

my straightforward amendment would prohibit the misguided use of taxpayer dollars to attempt to develop a space- based missile defense intercept layer. prgtoken As the Chair knows, the Senate-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 tasks the Missile Defense Agency with developing such a concept. prgtoken , we have been here before. The idea of a space-based intercept layer has gone in and out of fashion for the last 30 years, ever since President Reagan called for defending the United States against a massive first strike by developing a Strategic Defense Initiative system, commonly known as Star Wars. prgtoken But every time technologically competent outside experts have looked at this space-based concept, they deem it unworkable, impossibly expensive, vulnerable to simple countermeasures, easy for an opponent to destroy, easy to overwhelm with a small number of enemy missiles, or all of the above. prgtoken In fact, the former Director of the Missile Defense Agency, Admiral Syring said in 2016, that he had: Serious concerns about the technical feasibility of interceptors in space, and its long-term affordability. prgtoken In order to reach an incoming ballistic missile during the first few minutes of flight, a large number of interceptors must be stationed in low-altitude orbit where they will be very easy for an enemy to destroy. prgtoken A report conducted by the American Physical Society in 2003 concluded that in order to ensure full coverage, a fleet of 1,000 or more orbiting satellites would be required to intercept just a single missile. prgtoken To put that in perspective, the United States today currently has slightly more than 800 satellites in Earth's orbit, and that includes commercial, scientific, and military satellites. prgtoken The National Academy of Sciences estimated that even an austere and limited network of 650 satellites would cost $300 billion, or roughly 10 times the cost of a ground-based system. prgtoken Setting aside the massive cost, a space-based missile defense system has inherent vulnerabilities that greatly limit its effectiveness. Even with thousands of interceptors deployed, only a few would be within range to target an incoming missile, and those could easily be overwhelmed by the launch of several missiles from one location. prgtoken And because interceptors must be stationed in low-altitude orbit, they could easily be detected, tracked, and destroyed. It is these limitations that led Admiral Syring to conclude that: Essential space-based interceptor technologies have been worked on only sporadically over the years and, consequently, are not feasible to procure, to deploy, or operate in the near or midterm. prgtoken There is no doubt that a ballistic missile defense, if technologically feasible and economically justifiable, would be an important priority for our national securit
PROVIDING FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 6157, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019, AND PROVIDING FOR PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PERIOD FROM JUNE 29, 2018, THROUGH JULY 9, 2018
Lloyd Doggett (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2018-6-27

this Congress once provided a check on excessive executive power. But today, in this House, it is all lapdog and no watchdog. Even terrified toddlers torn from their mother's embrace are not beyond the limit of this Congress. prgtoken Until very recently, limitation amendments like those I authored to this bill to protect taxpayers from having funds misused were routinely approved for debate--no more. prgtoken Just as undermines our democracy, so too do these House s refusing to permit even the pretense of a fair debate on key national issues. prgtoken Having enabled 's separation of children from their parents, often with their silence, s have blocked amendments that I and 41 of our colleagues sponsored to prevent our military bases from being converted into internment camps for children and, in some cases, their families. prgtoken Our military bases have an important mission. It is to ensure our national security, to ensure the utmost readiness for our troops, who may be called into action in many different parts of the globe at the same time. It is not their job to take care of 20,000 people, as the administration has requested, on two Texas military bases. The function there is a totally different one from that to which we have committed in this defense bill. prgtoken These are real people, real children. They are toddlers who have been torn from their parents in places like McAllen, which I once represented; real children who cry themselves to sleep every night, held without their freedom and without their loved ones, while some of my former constituents are shopping right down the street. prgtoken My constituents at home now in San Antonio, San Marcos, Lockhart, and Austin care about this. Over 1,000 people have reached out to my office, their hearts breaking for these children. prgtoken is truly testing the waters of dehumanization, seeing how many people blink an eye when he calls for suspending due process, guaranteed by our Constitution, for people who don't look like him. prgtoken I do believe in a no-tolerance policy. The no-tolerance policy that I support is no tolerance for bigotry, no tolerance for the demonization of foreigners which regularly spews forth from this White House, no tolerance for using cages to hold children as hostages. prgtoken No matter how grievous the wrong, how insulting the tweet, my colleagues sit here, idle and silent, silently blocking debate on congressional checks on this authoritarian-loving President who seeks to amass more and more power. prgtoken Perhaps what we need in this House is a strong, professional ENT--an ear, nose and throat physician--because s have lost their voice when it comes to standing up to on much of anything. You could say that 's got their tongue. prgtoken Whatever the reason, they are not there standing up for the children, won't even permit a debate on the issue of whether our military b
AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018
Joe Donnelly (Democrat, IN) \u2014 2018-6-27

I am here to talk about the bipartisan, commonsense farm bill that we are working on in the Senate this week. prgtoken Agriculture is an essential part of the fabric that defines my home State of Indiana. Hoosier farmers are growing the food that feeds our families. Biofuel producers are making the ethanol and biodiesel that drive our economy. Ag students and researchers are developing the technologies of tomorrow. Together, they represent the best of Hoosier values. prgtoken Right now, Hoosiers farmers in our communities are navigating significant challenges. They need us to work together to help provide solutions. Our farmers are dealing with turmoil on the international marketplace, uncertainty in Federal policies, like the RFS, and low commodity prices that, in many cases, are below the cost of production. This farm bill can provide our ag community with some stability, and we need to ensure that we do our part to get it across the finish line. prgtoken Here is how Indiana Farm Bureau president Randy Kron described the situation: Farmers are relying on the Senate to pass a farm bill that will allow them to plan for their operations with some level of certainty for the next five years and provide a safety net in case extreme weather or a natural disaster damages their crops. Indiana's farmers are facing a lot of uncertainties right now. The dairy industry is facing low prices and lost contracts, there are fears over potential retaliatory tariffs and their impacts, there is a grain surplus that has brought commodity prices down drastically as well as the uncertainty of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Net farm income is down more than 50% compared to just five years ago, and the agriculture community is depending on the passage of this farm bill. If our nation's farmers have the programs and assurances they need, all U.S. citizens will reap the benefit of quality, affordable food in our grocery stores. prgtoken Phil Ramsey, a corn and soybean farmer from Shelbyville, IN, and the chairman of membership and policy for the Indiana Soybean Alliance, described the challenges farmers are facing by saying: After a spring that has challenged our farms from nearly every angle, Hoosiers and rural Americans need a Farm Bill now more than ever. With farm income down . . . input costs skyrocketing, the ethanol industry constantly under attack, and disrupted trade relations sharply driving down prices, the stability and safety net provided by the Farm Bill are critical to our farmers and ranchers across the nation. prgtoken Randy and Phil are right. Now, more than ever, farmers need us to do our job, to put together a farm bill that makes sense and gives them the opportunity to succeed. prgtoken A farm bill that gives us the best opportunities to be successful will help farm
COMMERCIAL SPACE SUPPORT VEHICLE ACT
Marc A. Veasey (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2018-6-27

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise to support a robust and successful commercial space industry. In that regard, I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on policies that facilitate the Nation's continued growth and leadership in space. prgtoken The bill before us today, H.R. 5346, known as the Commercial Space Support Vehicle Act, will amend the statute to provide the Secretary of Transportation with authority to license or permit space support vehicles for space support flights such as crew training or research and development that are related to space launch or reentry. prgtoken While I am not aware of any pressing need for this amendment at this time, it may provide the industry with some additional flexibility. prgtoken In addition, , it is very important to point out, too, that the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation is sufficiently resourced to accommodate any additional work so that the office can continue to focus on its core responsibilities of licensing and permitting commercial space launch and reentry vehicles. prgtoken , I support moving the bill out of the House, and .
WOMEN'S HEALTHCARE
Tina Smith (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2018-6-27

I am proud to join my colleagues today in recognizing the anniversary of a landmark Supreme Court decision, Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt. prgtoken Before I talk about that decision, I want to talk today about Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement. This is a pivotal moment in our country. With Justice Kennedy's retirement announcement today, the stakes have never been higher for making sure we choose a Supreme Court Justice committed to the Constitution and to protecting the most fundamental rights of Americans--the right to vote, the ability to organize, and a woman's right to choose. prgtoken Whomever replaces Justice Kennedy will, no doubt, have a say on issues that affect the lives of every American--issues such as the healthcare system, our elections, and the health of our environment. prgtoken In February of 2016, some 9 months before the 2016 election, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement saying: ``The American people should have a voice in the selection of our next Supreme Court Justice.'' He kept his word. He didn't hold a hearing or a vote on President 's nominee, Merrick Garland, during that election year. prgtoken I believe s should be held to the same standard they set themselves. The Senate has a constitutional duty to provide advice and consent. We are a little more than 4 months away from an election that will decide the balance of the Senate. So let us let the American people decide who provides that advice and consent, especially given the close balance of the Senate as it stands today. prgtoken Back to the Whole Woman's Health decision, 2 years ago today, the Court reaffirmed that women have a constitutional right to make their own decisions about their reproductive health and family planning. The Court found that this fundamental right could not be unduly burdened with regulatory restrictions and requirements by the State or Federal Government. This was just one in a long line of Supreme Court decisions that affirm a woman's right to make personal, private decisions about her healthcare and family planning. prgtoken Whole Woman's Health recognized that in order to protect women's constitutional rights, it is not enough that abortion services are theoretically available. They must also be practically accessible. prgtoken It is especially important to recognize the anniversary of this important decision today because just yesterday the Supreme Court issued another decision, one that, unfortunately, threatens to make it harder for women to receive reliable and accurate information about the full range of their reproductive healthcare options. prgtoken As a U.S. Senator but also as a woman who served as a volunteer for Planned Parenthood and then as an executive for Planned Parenthood in North Dakota and South Dakota, I know that the right to access safe and reliable reproductive healthcare has a profound impact on women's lives. prgtoken Women cannot