mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2020-7-28

I want to talk about the World Trade Organization. I have said what I am going to say now before. So I want to say it again: The United States must reaffirm its commitment to significant reform of the World Trade Organization. The United States must move to revitalize that organization because the World Trade Organization advances the cause of free and fair global trade, and they necessarily do it because of the modern economy we are in. prgtoken It is imperative that we continue to double down on the efforts that demonstrate the United States' leadership at Geneva, the headquarters of the World Trade Organization. That includes our efforts to reform the World Trade Organization appellate body, to work on subsidies that too many countries are using, and to continue ongoing negotiations to accomplish these goals. prgtoken The World Trade Organization can and should play an important role in the global economic recovery from our virus pandemic. I urge the administration and my colleagues here in the Senate to advocate for our interests. I urge the administration to confront trade distortions, and most importantly, this administration must encourage all World Trade Organization members to unite in an effort to lift us out of the nearly unprecedented global downturn we have had in trade because of the virus pandemic. prgtoken
HEALS ACT
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2020-7-28

Senator Durbin and I have worked for months on an issue on rural healthcare. Whether it is in rural Illinois or it is in rural Oklahoma, there is a challenge dealing with rural hospitals and sustaining their viability. prgtoken So Senator Durbin and I partnered together to determine what is the best way to get a solution that is a long-term solution to what they are currently facing with COVID-19. prgtoken While COVID-19 has impacted all types of businesses, rural hospitals have uniquely dealt with some very difficult challenges. Getting PPE early on in the process was much more challenging for rural hospitals than it was for urban--keeping doctors, managing separation, getting airflow areas in hospitals to manage the flow of the virus through areas, and also managing just patient count, where, for many rural hospitals, they just shut down because all elective surgery was stopped and such, and so they lost all of that income, though they still had all the employees. It was an exceptionally challenging thing, but it is challenging on top of the challenge that they have already faced for decades in just surviving in rural America. prgtoken So what Senator Durbin and I have brought is a reasonable, nonpartisan solution to how we can deal with not only COVID-19 but to help rural hospitals long term. prgtoken Decades ago, Congress established something called the critical access hospital and made sure that those hospitals that were designated ``critical access hospitals'' would receive proper reimbursement from the Federal Government for healthcare services. prgtoken Many individuals in rural areas--in fact, the dominant proportion in many rural areas receiving healthcare are receiving it through Medicaid or Medicare. We want to make sure that those providers providing those high-need areas are reimbursed appropriately. prgtoken But, in 2006, Congress shifted the designation for critical access hospitals and took away something called the necessary provider, giving the flexibility to the States. prgtoken As a result of that action in 2006, we have seen the closure of 118 rural hospitals nationwide since that time period. The ``critical access hospital'' designation was created because of a string of hospital closures in the 1980s and early 1990s. Yet we have not responded in the way that we should from the change in statute in 2006. prgtoken Simply what we are trying to do is to give that flexibility back to States again. If they have a hospital in a rural area that is the only provider in that community that is a Medicare-dependent hospital or is a very small hospital prgtoken with fewer than 50 beds, that area has to be an area that is designated as a rural area. It can't just be any suburban area or any other type of hospital. It has to be a rural hospital in particular. It has to have a high percentage relative to the national average of individuals with income below the poverty line. Those hospital
HURRICANE HANNA
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-7-28

over the weekend, as Texans continued to battle COVID-19, those in parts of the State came to face with another disaster at the same time. It just seems like the challenges keep coming. First, we are in a pandemic. Then George Floyd lost his life unnecessarily and raised our consciousness to the racial injustice that still exists in this country. Then we had a natural disaster like a hurricane. Hurricane Hanna made landfall in South Texas and brought heavy rains and high winds to communities that were already grappling with the pandemic, especially the Rio Grande Valley. On Sunday, nearly 300,000 homes were without power in South Texas, and power is still being restored in a number of those communities. Navigating dangerous floodwaters and downed power lines is difficult under normal circumstances, and when you add a highly contagious virus to the mix, as you can imagine, it presents a host of logistical challenges. prgtoken I first thank the first responders and emergency crews who have been working overtime these last few days to get our neighbors to safety and to restore their power as quickly as possible. There is a strong sense of community in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley, and I have no doubt these communities will pull together and come out of this crisis stronger than before. prgtoken I have been talking to a number of the leaders in several of the counties that have been affected, and we will continue working with them to ensure they have the resources they need to sustain their response and recovery efforts in the short term and address those critical infrastructure needs in the long term. prgtoken I have also heard from a number of farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers whose crops have been flooded, and I expect to hear more in the coming days about how we might be helpful, especially, again, in this already challenging time.
Coronavirus (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-7-28

yesterday, after putting the Senate on pause for 3 months and after months of blocking nearly every ic attempt to pass legislation related to the coronavirus, the Senate s finally revealed their long overdue proposal for the next phase of COVID relief. prgtoken In my many years of serving in this Chamber, I have never seen a majority--a Senate majority of any type--respond to a national emergency in such a disorganized and disoriented fashion. Weeks of infighting among Senate s and the White House caused unnecessary and harmful delays. prgtoken Instead of presenting a single, unified bill, the s released several separate drafts last night, and there might be more today. They can't agree on one bill. They can't get 51 votes for anything that is comprehensive and that deals with the very real problems the American people face. Even before the s announced their bills, senior Senators admitted they lacked the full support of the s. Two chairmen have said that probably half of the Senate will vote against their own proposals. Worst of all, the plan falls dreadfully short. It is ununified, unserious, and completely unsatisfactory. prgtoken My friends, this is the greatest crisis America has faced in generations--100 years since the last health crisis of this magnitude, 75 years since the Great Depression--and you are paying attention to your corporate friends and not answering the needs of the people. prgtoken We want a real bill that answers people's needs, that deals with the serious problems we face. That is what we are fighting for. We will keep fighting for it, and our friends are nowhere to be found. prgtoken While the proposal fails to provide crucial relief for families, workers, and the unemployed, it is littered with corporate giveaways, K Street handouts, and Presidential pet projects. The bill includes a $20 billion slush fund for large agribusiness and tax breaks for three-martini lunches, but it doesn't provide a dime in food assistance for hungry kids. It includes an unprecedented, sweeping provision to shield corporations for 5 years from liability for negligent treatment of workers and consumers, but there is no new, sweeping provision to shield Americans from evictions or foreclosures. prgtoken It includes a $30 billion wish list for defense contractors but no funding to make sure Americans can vote safely in November. There are reports that the proposal may include a provision to lower capital standards at the Wall Street big banks but nothing to help State, local, and Tribal governments keep teachers, firefighters, and busdrivers on the job. prgtoken The Senate s managed to sneak in nearly $2 billion in taxpayer funds for a new FBI building, the location of which will increase the value of the
CORONAVIRUS
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2020-7-28

I rise this afternoon to talk about long- term care and a number of related challenges that confront our country, especially at this time. prgtoken One of the most horrific numbers in all of the horror that we have seen in the aftermath of the onset of the virus and COVID-19 disease and the jobs and economic crisis that have followed it is the number of deaths in long-term care settings. prgtoken When you combine the deaths of residents in nursing homes and other similar settings--sometimes called long-term care or even congregate settings--with the deaths of workers, we know that the number now exceeds 59,000 Americans. About 40 percent of all the deaths are either a resident of a long-term care facility or a worker in those facilities. prgtoken So we are talking about those Americans today--those families--when we consider what we do next because no one here, I don't think--I don't care what side of the aisle, what point of view, who you are, what State you are from, no one in this body or in the House would want to accept the idea that, say, 4 months from today, or 5 months or 6 months, another 59,000 or 60,000 people will have died in those settings. prgtoken We know a lot about how to get those numbers down. It is not one of those things where we can throw up our hands and say there is little that we can do. There is a lot we can do because Americans are smart, innovative, and caring, and a lot of smart people have figured out how to get those numbers down. prgtoken So 59,000--more than 59,000--Americans is unacceptable. Also, 40 percent of all the deaths going forward is also unacceptable. About a month ago, I came to the floor with some of my colleagues, and we pressed for a vote on the solutions we need to save lives in nursing homes and also protect the workforce. The majority blocked the vote. Since then, the Senate has done nothing when it comes to this issue that has impacted so many families and so many communities. We have a chance now. prgtoken I realize sometimes when a bill gets blocked that that isn't the end of the story and that the individual or the party blocking might have a different idea, a better idea, a different solution, a better approach. If that is the case with the majority, we need to hear it. I would hope that a solution, a remedy, a strategy to get the 59,000-death number down would include the resources to do it because this isn't a circumstance where you can just wish it away. This isn't a circumstance where you can just move a little bit of policy around. We need resources, and I will talk more about them. prgtoken We know that yesterday Senate s released their plan for the next piece of legislation relating to COVID-19 and the economy. This proposal is 2 months--a full 2 months--after the House passed the Heroes Act to bring relief to the millions of Americans who are suffering, families who are suffering, not only in the context of long- term care
Opioid Epidemic (Executive Session)
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2020-7-28

I thank Senator Capito for not letting this body and this country forget about this terrible addiction crisis that has afflicted her State, my State, and particularly our region of the country, but well beyond that, her work has been particularly important, and I thank her for doing that. prgtoken I think it also points to the importance of our doing, during this pandemic, other things to support local governments that are so stretched with Medicaid dollars and with local public health dollars. That is the importance of the next round of pandemic funding--State and local governments, local communities, and local education. prgtoken We know that Senator McConnell's effort--and I put the word ``effort'' in quotation marks--has fallen so short. He waited and waited and waited and waited and waited. The House passed its bill in May. This body, through Senator McConnell, would not even take it up until--would not even begin negotiations, really, until this week, when unemployment is about to expire and when the eviction moratorium is about to expire. If the opioid crisis, public health crisis, is bad now and we haven't dealt with the coronavirus, well, now imagine what will happen when people lose their unemployment or when it is reduced to $200 a week, causing mass eviction. Moratoria are expiring, and eviction courts are opening up all over the country. Imagine what will happen with the opioid addiction public health disaster and imagine what will happen with coronavirus if people lose their apartments in large numbers. prgtoken I just don't think any of us can quite imagine that tragedy. It is clear that my colleagues on this side of the aisle don't get out very much, don't talk to people very much, and don't listen to people very much and see what these huge needs are for people to continue some semblance of the standard of living they had prior to the coronavirus.
UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 6
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2020-7-28

last month, in a landmark decision, the Supreme Court rejected President 's effort to repeal deportation protections for Dreamers. Those are the young immigrants who came to the United States as children. prgtoken In an opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Court held that President 's attempt to rescind DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, was ``arbitrary and capricious.'' prgtoken Those were the words of the Court. prgtoken More than a month later, the administration has refused to restore the DACA Program despite the decision written by the Chief Justice. The administration is now in open defiance of the Supreme Court when it comes to the DACA Program. The stakes are too high, both for the rule of law and the lives of these young Dreamers, for us to ignore it. s and in Congress need to come together to compel the President to immediately comply with the Supreme Court mandate. prgtoken On June 4, 2019, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6. In 2019, they prgtoken passed H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act. This legislation would give Dreamers a path to citizenship, and it passed on a strong bipartisan vote. The Dream and Promise Act has been pending in the Senate on the desk of Senator McConnell for more than a year. prgtoken Last month, I sent a letter signed by all 47 ic Senators, calling on Majority Leader McConnell to immediately schedule a vote on the Dream and Promise Act. As of today, Senator McConnell has not even replied to this letter. Since Senator McConnell refuses to take any action to address the plight of these Dreamers, I will ask unanimous consent at this point for the Senate to pass the bipartisan Dream and Promise Act. prgtoken , I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 112, H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act; further, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
REMEMBERING JOHN LEWIS
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2020-7-28

today I rise to honor a leader, a fighter, and a hero: Congressman John Lewis. prgtoken A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to travel to Selma, AL, with Congressman Lewis to commemorate ``Bloody Sunday,'' when the then 25- year-old activist helped to lead 600 people across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. prgtoken At the end of the bridge, the marchers were attacked with billy clubs and tear gas. Congressman Lewis's skull was fractured. He bore the scars until the day he died. prgtoken And that weekend, 48 years later, the White police chief of Montgomery handed his police badge to Congressman Lewis and publicly apologized for the police not protecting him and the Freedom Marchers. prgtoken Forty-eight years is a long time for an apology, and it only happened because Congressman Lewis never quit fighting for progress, for civil rights, for economic justice, and for voting rights for every single American. prgtoken It was because of that spirit of persistence and resilience that I will always be in awe of Congressman John Lewis. prgtoken He never lost his faith that this country could be better, if only we put in the work. He never gave up on justice. He never stopped marching toward freedom. prgtoken John Lewis was born to sharecroppers in the Jim Crow South and dedicated his life to the civil rights movement. prgtoken As one of the original 13 Freedom Riders, he took on segregation. Despite being met by angry mobs, beatings, and arrests, Congressman Lewis didn't give up. prgtoken Wise beyond his years, he was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington, which he also helped to organize. His words from that day have become a rallying cry for all those seeking equality. As Congressman Lewis explained, ``To those who have said, `Be patient and wait,' we must say that we cannot be patient. We do not want our freedom gradually but we want to be free now.'' prgtoken In 1964, he coordinated efforts for the ``Mississippi Freedom Summer,'' recruiting college students from around the country, including Minnesota, to join the movement to register Black voters across the South. prgtoken And still, he was far from done. In 1986, Congressman Lewis became the second African-American to be elected to Congress from Georgia since Reconstruction, propelled by the same Black voters he had helped to empower and mobilize. prgtoken Once in Congress, John Lewis never stopped fighting, for voting rights, for basic human rights like healthcare, and for a more just and equal America. prgtoken There are so many reasons that we will miss him dearly, his unwavering persistence being just one. But now, it is up to us. To honor his life and carry on his legacy, we must not quit. So let's pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and let's all try and get in some good trouble
CHILD CARE FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT
Debra A. Haaland (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2020-7-29

. Madam , childcare is a vital part of economic recovery. prgtoken I know what it is like to struggle to make ends meet as a parent. I raised my daughter, Somah, on my own. And as a single mother working my way through law school, it was very hard to find childcare. In fact, I could never afford childcare. prgtoken When she was 2, I found a preschool where I could volunteer in exchange for lower tuition so that she would have a place to learn while I worked. It was helpful and shows just how much New Mexicans are willing to support each other. But that should not be the reality for parents and kids across the country. prgtoken During the pandemic, our State has helped childcare providers stay open by paying licensed providers a premium, but many of them still had to lay off employees because fewer children were showing up. prgtoken As we look to a future when more parents get back to working outside their home, the childcare industry needs Federal support to safely adapt to the new normal and welcome families and employees back. That is why I am supporting the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act. prgtoken This bill funds upgrades in childcare centers that are needed to meet new health and safety measures for the pandemic; it provides refundable tax credits for parents to return to their jobs; and, most importantly, it ensures a satisfactory, affordable, and guaranteed future for the childcare industry. prgtoken Madam , by investing in the childcare industry, we invest in our economic future. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 7617, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2021
Doris O. Matsui (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-7-29

I rise today in support of the rule for H.R. 7617, the second appropriations package. prgtoken The funding included in this bill will advance crucial priorities like increased broadband access, advancing medical research, and supporting police reform. These investments are necessary as we continue to combat the spread of COVID-19 and encourage economic recovery. prgtoken By providing $61 billion in emergency funding to the FCC, we can expand internet access to unserved and underserved households. As schools continue to adjust to distance learning, I believe every student, regardless of their family's ZIP Code or income bracket, deserves a reliable internet connection to participate in the modern classroom. prgtoken The rule also provides consideration of my amendment to advance breakthroughs in medical research. My amendment directs an additional $4.5 million to DOD's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. This program funds high-impact projects, including medical research for rare diseases like bone marrow failure. prgtoken Some of you remember we lost my late husband, Bob Matsui, to MDS, a bone marrow failure disease. Countless other families across the country rely on the Defense program's work to discover and develop new therapies and cures, especially for rare diseases. prgtoken I am also very glad that this program dedicates $400 million in grant funding to help implement needed police reform. This includes pattern and practice analyses and independent investigations of law enforcement departments across the country. prgtoken While there is still much work to be done, this funding will move us closer to an America where all are treated equally under the law. prgtoken This is a strong comprehensive bill, and I look forward to supporting it on the floor soon.
CHILD CARE FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT
Jimmy Gomez (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-7-29

. Madam , today I rise in support of these important pieces of legislation. prgtoken The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the challenges that working families have always faced in the American economy: that the economy is not structured around the needs of working families and that the solutions that do exist, like childcare, are not sufficiently funded. prgtoken As such, our Nation's lack of support for affordable childcare forces many working families to make an impossible choice: either go to work to support your family to put a roof over their head, food on their table, or clothes on their backs, or not in order to stay at home to make sure that they are safe and well taken care of. prgtoken Unfortunately, parents don't face an even playing field when it comes to childcare. For example, Latino and Asian children are most likely to have a lack of childcare options in their communities and face long waits and long lines to get a spot. prgtoken Despite the fact that quality childcare is a cost-effective way to reduce poverty, funding for childcare is simply not enough. I am proud to support this important piece of legislation and these two pieces of legislation. It is a way forward, and I look forward to voting on it later today.