mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
David E. Price (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2017-9-6

I rise in opposition to the amendment. prgtoken Truck crash deaths in this country have increased significantly in recent years. That should be the backdrop of this discussion. 4,067 people were killed in crashes involving large trucks in 2015 alone. That is a 20 percent increase since 2009. And studies show that driver fatigue--that is what this amendment is all about, driver fatigue--is an important part of the problem. prgtoken The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board repeatedly have recommended that all trucks and buses be equipped with ELDs. prgtoken In 2012, Congress decided to take strong action to address this problem and passed a requirement for the use of ELDs with bipartisan support as a part of the MAP-21 legislation. prgtoken Supporters of this amendment say that the enforcement community is not ready to begin enforcement by December 18. That is really not the case. prgtoken And it is also true that inspectors aren't going to pull truckers out of service for noncompliance until April 1 of next year. That is a considerable grace period. It will give the trucking and the enforcement community ample time to adjust to the mandate. prgtoken The Department of Transportation has estimated that the benefits adopting ELDs to be over $1 billion. So implementing the mandate makes financial sense, and it certainly makes sense in terms of the safety of our people, the safety on our roads. prgtoken , I urge opposition of this amendment, and .
MONTANA WILDFIRES
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2017-9-6

today I rise to talk about a different natural disaster. It is happening in the great State of Montana, and every corner of our State of Montana has felt the impacts of wildfires. prgtoken In Montana, we are experiencing a historic drought. As you can see from the map, the red indicates it is very severe, and it gets less from there. But the fact is, there is a large portion of land along our northern tier that is experiencing incredible drought, and Montana is in the middle of it all. Nearly all of our great State is under historic drought conditions. prgtoken With dry grass, high winds, and dry lightning storms, it is no wonder that currently in our State we have nearly 30 high-priority fires raging as I speak today. Just last week, we had over 40 new fires spark in Montana. That isn't counting the ones that are currently in existence; there are over 40 new ones. prgtoken Over the last month, I went across my State and saw with my own eyes the fires across Montana. All Montanans are dealing with smoke-filled air, often in highly hazardous conditions. You can see here the chart of the smoke. It has been incredibly debilitating, quite frankly. prgtoken I have heard stories of ranchers in eastern Montana--in fact, I am talking about the eastern two-thirds of Montana--who took the shoes off their horses for fear that the metal clicking on rocks might spark and light up dry grass. prgtoken Hikers in Glacier National Park frantically parked their cars and fled due to evacuation notices. prgtoken Families in Whitehall, MT, left their homes with keepsakes and the sprinklers on the roof, just in case the fires crept closer to the only homes they have ever known. prgtoken Children in Seeley Lake, a little town in western Montana, saw their first day of school canceled due to fire danger. I might add that the smoke was incredible in Seeley Lake and has been for about the last month. prgtoken More than 900,000 acres across Montana have already burned. To put that in context, the State of Rhode Island is about 777,000 square miles. More than 900,000 acres in Montana have already burned. One fire alone--the Lodgepole Complex--burned 270,000 acres. That is larger than the city of New York. As I stand here today, more than 600,000 acres continue to burn. There are active fires on 600,000 acres. Firefighters have spent $220 million to try to get a handle in Montana alone. prgtoken Nationwide, we have seen a 70-percent increase in acres burned this year than last year, when the Federal Government spent $1.9 billion fighting fires. Let me put that in perspective. We have 70 percent more fires burning this year than last year, and last year we spent $1.9 billion fighting fires. The bill is going to be huge this year. prgtoken In Montana, we have tragically lost two brave firefighters--Trenton Johnson and Brent Witham. These two young men selflessly and courageously put their lives on the line protecting our great Stat
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
José E. Serrano (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-9-6

I thank Ranking Member Lowey. prgtoken I wish we could be here under other circumstances. The process to consider the CJS portion of this bill as part of an omnibus package is not in keeping with how the appropriations process should work. Each bill should be given individual consideration under an open rule. prgtoken Some on the other side are cheering this floor process, which is ironic given their years of opposition to such a lumped-together package. prgtoken I am not sure what has changed their minds today, and at this point we don't even know if Members will be allowed to offer amendments that are necessary to improve half of the bill and rein in this out-of- control administration because the Rules Committee has not yet provided us with that information. prgtoken I also wish that the substance of what we are considering this week were better. As the ranking member of the CJS Subcommittee, I can say that the CJS portion of this bill received an inadequate allocation. After scorekeeping adjustments, the bill includes an approximately 1 percent cut below fiscal year 2017. This is far below the level needed to adequately fund the programs in this bill which are crucial to economic development, scientific innovation, and protecting our Nation's cherished constitutional values. prgtoken Before we touch upon these serious problems, let me mention some areas where both sides agree. I do want to commend Chairman Culberson for rejecting several of the worst ideas in the administration's budget. This includes rebuffing proposals that would have reduced research funding at the National Science Foundation and eliminated the Minority Business Development Agency. This bill also rejects cuts to educational efforts in the NSF, NASA, and a proposed cut for the FBI. prgtoken Unfortunately, far too many of the President's terrible proposals are given credence by this legislation. The Legal Services Corporation, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program, and the Economic Development Administration all absorb significant cuts below the current funding level. The Census Bureau is greatly underfunded and will be unable to complete the important and necessary work that must be done now to prepare for the 2020 Census. prgtoken A number of other programs are shortchanged, including climate change research programs at NSF and NOAA, several National Weather Service initiatives, and a number of DOJ grant programs, like the COPS Hiring Program and several police reform grant programs. and s, alike, support most, if not all, of these programs, but we simply cannot fix these problems under this allocation. prgtoken I am also troubled that this bill allows many of the administration's most disturbing priorities and initiatives related to immigration and civil rights to move forward without the necessary congressional oversight. In the wake of Charlottesville and Tuesday's DACA decision, there ar
DACA
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-9-6

we are here to stand this afternoon for close to 800,000 young men and women--10,000 of them are living in Connecticut--who have relied on a promise, not just any old promise but a promise from the United States of America. prgtoken The promise to them was that they could come forward, share information about their cell phones, their addresses, their relatives, their workplaces, their tax information, and they would be permitted to live here, study here, work here, and give back to their communities. prgtoken Now America is breaking that promise and betraying its values in the decision by the President of the United States to end the DACA Program. This decision is repugnant to the basic ideals of America. It is repulsive to the values that underlie the rule of law. prgtoken I heard a commentator last night saying: You know, these DACA people, when they came here, they broke the law. Think of it for a moment. A 2- year old, a 3-year old brought by their parents, maybe by a stranger, maybe by other relatives, is breaking the law because that relative then failed to go through the steps necessary for documentation. Or there may have been a variety of other circumstances, such as persecution, threatened death and injury in the country where that young man or woman was born. prgtoken But we know--because it is part of the DACA Program--that they were minors when they came here. They made no decision to break the law. They have been here for their entire lives, except for a few months or years. prgtoken We know also that, for almost all of them, this country is the only one they know, and English is usually the only language they speak. Their lives are here. Their friends are here and families as well. But most important for the United States of America that made that promise, their futures are here. They are, as the President of the United States said, terrific people. We love them, as he also said. prgtoken The announcement that he would end their legal status here, that they would be deported, that they would be ejected from this country is the height of hypocrisy and inhumanity. It is cruel and irrational, it will deprive our economy of hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 10 years, it will mean disruption in workplaces, and that is why employers are protesting the decision. It will mean schools will be uncertain about how many students there will be, and that is why university presidents and administrators are condemning it, but, most importantly, it will betray who we are as Americans--a nation of immigrants, a nation that keeps its promise. prgtoken Now, let's be very clear. When the Attorney General of the United States says there will be an orderly wind down--I think those are the terms he used. There is no such thing as an orderly wind down of DACA. There is disruption and destruction, already chaos and confusion, terror among the young people who are living their lives now seemingly
DACA
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-9-6

first, I want to thank my colleague from Hawaii for her outstanding words. She comes from a State like mine that thrives on diversity, welcoming people from all over the globe and making us stronger, and she has been a symbol of that herself as well as all the millions of wonderful people she represents in Hawaii. prgtoken I rise this afternoon alongside my colleague from Hawaii, my colleague from Washington State, and others to make a case for the swift passage of the Dream Act. There are 800,000 Dreamers living in our country today, hard-working folks who came to this country through no fault of their own. To many, America is the only country they have ever known. More than that, they contribute so much to our country. They work in our companies, go to our schools, even serve in our military. All they want is to live and work and contribute to our great country. Why wouldn't we want them to? prgtoken The President's decision yesterday to end DACA threw their futures in doubt, threatening to rip apart families and telling people who have worked so hard to become Americans that they have to leave the country. The President's DACA decision is also bad economics. It would deprive thousands of employers that rely on these hard workers. prgtoken The Libertarian-leaning Cato Institute estimates that ending DACA would cost employers over $2 billion in 2 years alone. The Center for American Progress found it would drain $433 billion from our GDP over 10 years. That is why more than 500 business leaders--some of the leading business people in our country--have signed on to a letter in defense of DACA. That is why Microsoft recently said that protecting the Dreamers was their No. 1 legislative goal, greater than a cut to the corporate tax rate. That is how much Dreamers mean to them personally and to their bottom lines. prgtoken The economic consequence of ending DACA would be far-reaching and likely devastating. There would also be a devastating moral cost if we didn't pass the Dream Act to protect these kids. prgtoken I am reminded of a young woman, Kirssy Martinez, who was brought to this country from the Dominican Republic as a very young child and grew up in my city, in the borough of the Bronx. After graduating high school in New York City, Kirssy was stuck in the shadows. She worked small jobs as a waitress and as a babysitter. Though she was a good student coming out of high school and even had a few scholarship offers, she couldn't attend college because she didn't have a green card. prgtoken The DACA Program granted her temporary legal status. She worked hard to scrape together enough for loans and enrolled in Bronx Community College. A few years ago, I spoke at her graduation, where she was the covaledictorian of her class. I watched her. What a wonderful young lady. She had a perfect GPA, 4.0. prgtoken Kirssy represents what we think of as the best of our country. She is part of what makes Ame
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2017-9-6

. Since President ordered Federal agencies to comply with E-Verify back in 2007, this amendment, if it only applies to hiring at Federal agencies, would do absolutely nothing. I am not aware of any effort by the administration to undo President 's order, so it is a needless use of the House's time. prgtoken I believe the gentleman's language would also require every one of the local county employees or local folks to be E-Verified. Wouldn't this add another burden on USDA when it has to implement the new farm bill? prgtoken If so, I would like to ask the gentleman what he expects would happen in an emergency, such as we experienced from Hurricane Harvey, when USDA may need to bring on employees quickly. They would have to wait for E-Verify clearance. prgtoken I would also submit that it is not clear whether the language also covers every single person who receives any of the funds in this bill as a grantee. I think it is unclear and would risk requiring every single one of the thousands of grantees to go through E-Verify. Then you would impose a truly undue burden on many small farmers, ranchers, and businesses that receive grants in this bill. I would strongly oppose that. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and .
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-9-6

. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Initially, I want to say that I hope that very soon, in a bipartisan way, we will bring a DACA bill to this floor. prgtoken Let me quote what President said last night. tweeted that he wanted to ``legalize DACA,'' another call to action, and further muddled where the administration stood and what it would do. prgtoken He said: We need to come together and do this, and we really have no choice. prgtoken Now, I want to speak about this bill. As the chairman knows, and as the ranking member knows, I served on the Appropriations Committee for 23 years, so I have taken leave of absence because I am one of the leaders on our side of the aisle. prgtoken For most of those years, we worked in a bipartisan fashion. This is a partisan bill. It is sad, and it is not regular order at all. Regular order is doing one bill after another until you have passed the 12 bills. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen this process done in this fashion. prgtoken When I was the majority leader, the first year we passed all 12 bills individually, discretely, separately, and sent them to the Senate before the August break. prgtoken Hal Rogers, the former chairman of this committee, said of the President's budget: ``While we have a responsibility to reduce our Federal deficit, I am disappointed that many of the reductions and eliminations proposed in the President's skinny budget are draconian, careless and counterproductive.'' I think the same could be applied to the budget that is before us. prgtoken The omnibus appropriations package the House is considering this week is, as all of us here recognize--all of us recognize--the chairman, I have great respect for, and I am not going to ask him publicly whether he thinks the Senate is going to adopt any one of these bills, but I know his answer.
DACA
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-9-6

I want you to imagine for a moment that you are an 11-year-old child. Your mother tells you to pack some things because you are going on a trip. So you pick out four or five of your favorite toys and you put them into a backpack. You put in a bottle of water and some rosary beads as well. prgtoken You walk out through the door of your home into the night with your mom. You don't know what is going on. You are just doing what you were told. You hold your mother's hand, and you walk in silence. prgtoken Soon you are walking with 20 others through the Mexican desert. You are tired and hungry and carrying everything that matters to you on your back. The sweat is pouring off. The prickly bushes scrape your body. You are overcome by dehydration, and you faint. prgtoken Someone comes to your aid. They give you some water from their canteen. You come to and you keep going. Eventually, on this journey, you make prgtoken it into the United States of America, into Arizona. prgtoken Then, out of the blue, the years pass and you grow up. Fourteen years pass and now you are 25 years old. You have spent more than half your life in the United States of America. You are studying and going to college to get your degree in economics or working full time at the local bank to save money. prgtoken You have made friends and built a life for yourself, and things are going well. Then, all of a sudden, your future--everything you had planned for in life--is thrown into doubt. The President of the United States has just said that he views you as a criminal because of the decision your mother made well more than a decade before. Just remember what you did. You followed what your mom said: Put some things into a backpack, and we are going out into the night. prgtoken It doesn't matter to President that you had no choice in that decision. It doesn't matter to him all you have had to overcome. It doesn't matter how you have invested so seriously in being a productive part of your community. In the eyes of the President of the United States, you are a criminal. prgtoken It really shouldn't be too hard to imagine that story because the story close to that is the story of some 800,000 people living in the United States--young men and women who came here as children, having nothing to do with the decision themselves. prgtoken This particular story that I have read to you is the true story of an Oregonian. It is a story that belongs to Hugo, one of 11,000 Dreamers living in Oregon today. Like the hundreds of thousands of others brought to this country as children through no fault of their own, Hugo's future was thrown into complete chaos by the President--thrown into chaos when Attorney General Sessions, acting on orders from President , announced the cruel and heartless decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, or the DACA Program. We know this program best as a program for Dreamers, those young me
WILDFIRES, HURRICANES HARVEY AND IRMA, AND HEALTHCARE REFORM
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2017-9-6

over the last several weeks I have spent a lot of time traveling around my home State of Wyoming, and the Presiding Officer may have in his home State of Arkansas as well. We all do. We talk to a lot of people and hear from a lot of people as we travel around to the rodeos, the fairs, and the parades. prgtoken One of the things I have been hearing more and more about because I am seeing it daily in Wyoming--I know both Senator Daines and Senator Tester, both Senators from Montana have talked about it--has been the incredible forest fires that have been raging in the West. There are more than 1 million acres of land burning in the West. Smoke is spreading all around the West, certainly in Wyoming--fire as well as smoke--impacting people, impacting land, impacting the soil, air, water, and impacting life, as well as property. prgtoken The damage that is happening is dramatic, and in many ways it is similar to the kinds of comprehensive damage and destruction we are seeing with the big storms hitting, like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which is on its way to Florida. These are incredible storms, and the people of Wyoming want to express and share their sympathy for the people who have lost family members, who have lost property, and those who are still in danger. We also know in Wyoming that people are wanting to volunteer, wanting to go to help by collecting food, supplies, clothing, taking up collections, as well, in churches, schools, and communities because that is the American spirit. prgtoken Today I come to the floor to express my admiration for the resilience of the people of the West, as well as the resilience of the people of Texas, Louisiana, and all Americans who are today dealing with the disasters they are facing in their homes. prgtoken The other things I heard a lot about--and this will not surprise us-- are the concerns still out there regarding the healthcare law. A lot of people in the media seem to think the discussion about that healthcare law is over. I can tell you, for the people of Wyoming, they are still very concerned about what we are seeing in terms of the collapse of the healthcare system, fewer choices, and higher prices. For them, the conversation is not over, and they want to make sure it is not over in Congress either. Care is still failing, and the American people are certainly still suffering, so we need to do something about it. We need to act. prgtoken There was an article by the Associated Press in the paper on Monday that summed up the situation. The headline was ``Millions who buy health insurance brace for sharp increases.'' prgtoken The article goes on to say: ``Millions of people who buy individual health insurance policies and get no financial help from the Affordable Care Act are bracing for another year of double-digit premium increases, and their frustration is boiling over.'' prgtoken The article says that these are mostly middle-class folks--h