mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING THE LIFE OF ANDREA CASTILLA
Ruben J. Kihuen (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2018-2-5

today I rise to remember the life of Andrea Castilla. Andrea was a daughter, sister, and a friend. She went to the Route 91 music festival in Las Vegas to celebrate her 28th birthday with her friends, her family, and her boyfriend, prgtoken Derek. Derek had planned to propose to Andrea that night. prgtoken She had a passion for makeup and hoped to use this passion to help cancer patients feel beautiful. Andrea will always be remembered for her free spirit and positive outlook. prgtoken I would like to extend my condolences to Andrea's family and friends. Please note that the city of Las Vegas, the State of Nevada, and the whole country grieve with you.
CONGRATULATING THE ROSELLE PARK PANTHERS
Donald M. Payne, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2018-2-5

I rise to congratulate the Roselle Park High School wrestling team for reaching the milestone of 1,000 varsity wins after beating Scotch Plains last week. The Roselle Park Panthers became only the fourth program in the country and just the second in New Jersey to reach this milestone. prgtoken The entire community played a part in propelling the Panthers to this milestone. The Panthers have always had strong support from local businesses, community groups, and, of course, their loyal fans and neighbors. prgtoken , Head Coach Ryan Rooney and his team have worked hard to get to this point, but they aren't letting the record distract them from their ultimate goal: winning another State championship. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Coach Rooney and the Roselle Park Panthers for their 1,000th win and wish them continued success on their way to another State championship. prgtoken Go Panthers.
A BETTER DEAL
Eric Swalwell (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-2-5

in this Chamber last week, the President came and touted that the stock market was roaring and the unemployment rate was down. Today, he called us traitors for not applauding those numbers. prgtoken A couple of days later, Ryan said a secretary at a public high school noticed that her pay had gone up $1.50 a week because of the GOP tax cuts. prgtoken , the economy is not the stock market. It is not the unemployment rate. It is us. It is how we are doing. The stock market only matters if you are able to invest in it; and the unemployment rate only counts if you have a job you can count on, where your paycheck grows and you can plan for retirement and save for a better future. prgtoken , the measurement of the economy is how we are doing. If you are only getting six quarters from a tax cut that gives millions to the richest among us, you are not doing very well. You deserve a much better deal.
TRIBUTE TO JOHN BREWER
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-2-5

today I wish to recognize John Brewer and his excellent service as a part of our team. Going into my first term as Senator, I was proud to be the first Maryland Senator in almost 100 years to serve in the Senate Agriculture Committee. Understanding the importance of this role, John hit the ground running as our USDA fellow. With his past experience in both public and private sectors, John leaned into every project, from advocating on behalf of land grant universities to funding nutrition programs, with great enthusiasm that stemmed from his dedication to serve the needs of Marylanders. Besides his vast expertise, we will miss his kindness and dedication. Although we wish we didn't have to give him back to the Department of Agriculture, my whole staff and I know he will continue to achieve great things.
DEMOCRATS SHOULD NOT BE LOCKED OUT OF THE FUNDING NEGOTIATIONS
Daniel T. Kildee (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2018-2-5

here we are again. On Thursday, the government runs out of funding because the majority has not yet been able to reach across the aisle and negotiate a long-term budget agreement that reflects the priorities of the American people. prgtoken One party controls the House, the Senate, and the White House, but there is not a functional majority in the hands of one or another party. The majority is comprised of thoughtful Members who, on both sides of the aisle, if we chose to, could sit around the negotiating table and work out the differences that we bring to this Congress in a way that moves the country forward and adopts a budget that is reflective of the priorities that we were sent here to address. prgtoken So long as one party takes the approach that all of the votes necessary to pass any measure must only come from one party, we are not going to be able to move forward as a country. prgtoken Being in the minority, I understand we don't get to set the agenda, but we ought not be locked out of the conversation, especially when it is by coming together that we can get a long-term budget and not continue to kick the can down the road.
HONORING HOMETOWN HEROES ACT
Nancy Pelosi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-2-6

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me, and I commend her for her extraordinary leadership on the Appropriations Committee, where important decisions are made about how to allocate the resources of our country to invest in the aspirations of the American people, to respect the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, and to honor the vows of our Founders for a country that is making the future better for every generation to come. prgtoken The distinguished chairman of the committee, Mr. Frelinghuysen, opened his remarks by saying he came to the floor to introduce the fifth continuing resolution. And the gentleman who followed him talked about this being the fifth continuing resolution. prgtoken The more is not the merrier. It is like golf: the lower the score, the better. To have five continuing resolutions is a statement of incompetence and ineptitude. prgtoken The s control the House, the Senate, and the White House; yet they are pressing forward on their fifth stopgap, short-term spending bill, demonstrating their failure to govern. prgtoken Since President Reagan was mentioned, I will mention our very first President, our patriarch, George Washington. President Washington, when he was leaving office, cautioned against political parties who were at war with their own government. prgtoken Does that sound familiar to you? prgtoken Here we are again, 2 days from another shutdown, careening toward another manufactured crisis, demonstrating the failure to govern. prgtoken We don't want to go to that place. As Members of Congress, we take a solemn oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and to protect the American people. prgtoken support a strong national defense. We, too, want our men and women in uniform to have the resources they need to keep them safe and to keep the American people safe as they accomplish their mission. prgtoken But we will not allow s to use this continuing resolution, the fifth time they had to come to the floor because they could not govern, to hollow out our Nation's commitment to the health, education, and economic security of America's working families. prgtoken We all know that our military might is part of our Nation's strength, but the health, education, security, and well-being of the American people is also a source of that strength. prgtoken Instead of working constructively with to meet the needs of the American people, s are trying to starve the domestic budget. I just want to remind our colleagues: One-third, 34 percent-- one-third--of the nondefense domestic budget goes to national security. When you starve the domestic budget, you are not making us stronger. One-third of the domestic budget is about security; Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, the State Department, and antiterrorism activities of the Justice Department. prgtoken But s refuse to give our patriots funded
CHILD PROTECTION IMPROVEMENTS ACT OF 2017--Continued
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-2-6

I want to thank my colleague from Hawaii for a very eloquent statement. I so appreciate her leadership and miss her on the Intelligence Committee. I also want to express my appreciation to the organizers of this effort--Senator Whitehouse and Senator Blumenthal--who have been tenacious in pursuing these issues. Both of them serve on the Judiciary Committee, and I serve on the Intelligence Committee. prgtoken It is quite obvious what has been going on in the last few weeks. The President, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and others are working hard to get the American people just to forget that our country is in the middle of an ongoing national security crisis. Russia has attacked our democracy; Russia has intervened in our election; and there is every reason to believe that they are just going to keep doing it. prgtoken In the year since the assessment I mentioned was conducted by the intelligence community, virtually everyone has come to see it this way. obviously disagrees. The only change has been the extent to which 's protectors are willing to go out and throw dust in the air to prevent America from focusing on this direct threat to the people of this country and our very system of government. prgtoken Congress has to get to the bottom of what has been done to our democracy, but the fact is, the Senate has been stonewalled, particularly when it comes to the crucial issues of following the money. It began when refused to do what every other Presidential candidate has done now for four decades; that is, release his tax returns. It continues on other fronts. I have repeatedly asked the Secretary of the Treasury to provide the Senate Finance Committee with Treasury Department documents that would allow investigators to follow the money between Russia, , and his associates. The committee has been given nothing. Secretary Mnuchin has simply refused to cooperate with congressional oversight conducted by members of the committee that has direct jurisdiction over his agency. prgtoken So the question is, , what are you hiding? What is in those tax returns and those financial documents that you don't want revealed? What would be so damaging? prgtoken It seems to me that if you are to understand Russia's ability to undermine our democracy, it is essential to follow the money. 's family has acknowledged its financial ties to Russia. In fact, in 2008 and 2009, when it was pretty hard to get money for investment, the family said--their words, not mine: Much of our portfolio comes from the Russians. prgtoken The special counsel included extensive information on money laundering and tax evasion in his recent indictment of Paul Manafort. There have been dozens and dozens of press stories--it seems there are several every week--about the finances of the President and his associates that warrant real congression
CIVILITY AND TRUST
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2018-2-6

I rise today to discuss something extremely important to each one of us in this wonderful body, which is called civility and trust. I rise to discuss them because they have been lost in Washington. I look around and we are all friends, and for some reason we lost trust in each other. We don't seem to spend enough time with each other. prgtoken I can remember Senator Robert C. Byrd, who was the longest serving Senator in the history of the U.S. Senate, and he always told me what a place this was. He said that the Senate is something special. He even wrote a book about it, about how the Senate was to operate, what the Founding Fathers' intent was for the bipartisan, bicameral body that George Washington explained so eloquently, and what our role was as the most deliberative body in the world. The whole world depends on us kind of cooling things off and making things work. But as we have seen, it hasn't done what it is supposed to do, and it is not to blame one person or the other or one party or the other. I guess we can all say that it is all of our fault for letting it denigrate to this point. prgtoken Several years ago, I took a personal pledge. I just knew something was wrong. When I first got here, I looked around and I saw that we were all expected to make phone calls raising money every day to our respective parties, and that money would be used for a couple of purposes. The purpose was basically to set an agenda or explain your priorities and your policies, but a lot of that money was directed toward defeating colleagues on the other side. So being in the ic caucus, the ic money was supposed to be raised and, if any one of my friends on the side was up in this cycle, that money was supposed to be used against them. I thought that was wrong, and I know a lot of my friends feel the same way-- that they are supposed to be making phone calls to raise money to be used against me and everybody else who is up in this cycle. I am sure they feel the same as I do. prgtoken I have often said that I come to work in a hostile work environment, and I try to explain that in terms of how we in West Virginia would look upon this. If you go to work every day in my State of West Virginia and your colleague or some person with whom you are working is trying to undermine and undercut you to get you fired, and every day you go to work they are nice to your face but behind the scenes they are doing all they can to denigrate your work or to make your supervisors believe that you are not doing your job, back home in West Virginia, sooner or later, they are going to want a little talk. Can we talk in the parking lot? Can we have this disagreement worked out? That is just the way it would be settled, and, maybe, that is the way it should be settled here too. I don't know. I don't think so. prgtoken I have met too many wonderful people with whom I have been serving for the las
CHILD PROTECTION IMPROVEMENTS ACT OF 2017--Continued
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2018-2-6

today I rise to address an issue that probably is not of great concern to the citizens of Arizona, but, certainly, it is of a lot of concern for people who happen to live on the east coast and the west coast of our Nation. prgtoken I join my colleagues on both coasts in opposition to the administration's recent proposal to open up parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico to more oil and gas drilling. For a long time, I have advocated for an ``all of the above'' strategy to meet our country's energy needs, as we move our country toward greater energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy and to energy independence. In my view, the administration's recent proposal to expand drilling off of our coasts into new areas is not necessary at this time. It is unnecessary at this time. prgtoken Just 8 years ago, we saw very clearly with the Deepwater Horizon disaster that oilspills do not respect State boundaries and that severe environmental and financial costs of oilspills last, in some cases, not just for years or decades but for generations. A spill anywhere along the east coast could easily affect the pristine beaches of Delaware and the vibrant coastal communities that rely on fishing, tourism, and recreational activities to drive their local economy. prgtoken Delaware's coast isn't all that long. It is about 25, 30 miles, from the Maryland line to just north of Lewes, DE. Each year, Delaware's coasts generate almost $7 billion. Our beach communities in places like Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, and surrounding areas support nearly 60,000 jobs in a little State with not quite 1 million people. It supports $711 million in tax revenues. Again, the State budget is right around $4 billion. Delaware may be a small State--I like to say we are the 49th largest State--but we have a lot of coast-related activities, and they are a big business for a little State, providing more than 10 percent of the First State's total employment, taxes, and business production. Jeopardizing the environmental and economic health of the entire Atlantic coast is the wrong move, and we simply think it is not worth the risk. prgtoken You don't just have to take my word for it. Experts, scientists, and residents living in communities along the coast that will be most impacted by this decision agree, especially since the threat of climate change continues to grow. prgtoken Delawareans are similarly concerned about the dangers posed by oil and gas exploration activities, including the use of seismic-testing air guns to search for offshore oil and gas deposits. In August 2016, roughly 18 months ago, over 40 State and local elected officials in Delaware sent a letter to the Department of Interior--this was in the last administration--expressing their opposition to proposed seismic surveys. prgtoken Their concerns, in my view, are well-founded. The negative impact of the oil and gas industry's seismic t
DACA
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-2-6

I come to the floor today to speak of an issue which really defines America. With the exception of Native Americans who preceded us, with the exception of many African Americans who were brought here in bondage, virtually all of the rest of us are the sons and daughters of immigrants to America, immigrants from literally all over the world who have come to this Nation and made us different--different in a positive way. They have given life to this democracy. They have given hope when it comes to our future. They have inspired us. prgtoken I will be the first to admit that I do not come to this debate without strong personal feelings. Like millions of Americans, I am the son of an immigrant. In 1911--107 years ago--my grandmother came to this country with three little kids. One of those kids was my mother. She was 2 years old when their ship landed in Baltimore. My grandmother didn't speak a word of English, but somehow she managed to take those three kids and make her way to join my grandfather in East St. Louis, IL. prgtoken On the credenza behind my desk in the Capitol is my mother's naturalization certificate. I keep that as a reminder of my heritage. That is my story. That is my family's story. That is America's story. Because of my family history, I really believe in immigration. I believe it has been a positive force in America. prgtoken I remember going to Jurbarkas, Lithuania, which was a tiny village in 1911, and being taken on a tour of my mom's birthplace. She never made it back there, but I was able to see the church where she was baptized. They pointed out the well in the town square which people used. I thought to myself what it must have been like that evening when my grandparents called their friends and relatives together to tell them the news: They were leaving their home in Lithuania. They were leaving the church that had served their family for generations. They were leaving all of their friends and relatives. They were leaving behind every stick of furniture, the dogs, the cats, the chickens-- everything--to go to a place where they didn't speak the language. They were going to this place called America. They had heard great stories about the land of opportunity, and they had heard about some Lithuanians who had gone to the city of East St. Louis, IL, and that is where they were headed. prgtoken I am sure those friends and relatives, walking away from that meeting, turned to one another and said: What ever got into their minds? They are giving up everything to go to a place where they don't even speak the language. They will be back. prgtoken Well, they never returned. Like millions and millions of Americans, they had the courage to come to America and to weather crisis after crisis in our family and to build a future. I stand here because of that decision. prgtoken How can you tell when a country is in decline? When immigrants stop wanting to come to that country, when the
HONORING HOMETOWN HEROES ACT
Peter J. Visclosky (Democrat, IN) \u2014 2018-2-6

the first observation I would make is: When I was raised by my parents, I was taught not to whine and not to blame others for problems that arose, but, rather, to work hard to solve them. prgtoken I think it is long past time for people in this body to blame people in another body for the collective inability of the Congress of the United States to make a decision about something so important as the budget of the United States of America. prgtoken It is a leadership issue for the ic leadership and the leadership of the House to come to an agreement to overturn the caps of the Budget Control Act. It is time for the ic and leadership of the Senate to do the same and for those two bodies to come to an agreement collectively to meet our constitutional responsibilities. prgtoken A few days ago, I was on this floor and said that we were confronted with a number problem. That is, what is our total spending for this fiscal year? We are in the 129th day of it for the Department of Defense. What is the total budget number for all of our domestic spending so that we can have a strong and vibrant economy and people? prgtoken We still have a number problem. For the sake of the country, for the sake of prgtoken this institution, for the sake of our committee and the good work that Chairman Frelinghuysen, Mrs. Lowey, and the members of our committee have done repeatedly, please let us have some leadership. prgtoken Lewis Carroll wrote ``Through the Looking Glass,'' and there was an interchange in that story: `` `Well, in our country,' said Alice, still panting a little, `you'd generally get to somewhere else--if you ran very fast for a long time, as we've been doing.' '' `` `A slow sort of country!' said the Queen. `Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.' '' prgtoken In September, we did the first CR to December 8 because it was going to be different then, but we are in the same place. Then we did a CR for December 22 because it was going to be different then, but we are in the same place. Then we did a CR for January 19 because it was going to be different and a new year, but we are in the same place. prgtoken Today, we have February 8 because it was going to be different on February 8, and now it is going to be the fifth time we have done a continuing resolution to March 23 because it is going to be different next month. That is fine. prgtoken We did our Defense Appropriations bill. We did it in July; then we did it in September; then we did it in December; then we did it in February--four times between CRs, repeatedly doing the same Defense Appropriations bill. We have done it nine times. If we go through this sequence one more time, , I am not going to be able to keep track of my numbers anymore. prgtoken This is a numbers problem, and I would conclude by noting that I, for one, did not vote for the Budget Control Act, and I would note th