mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DACA (Executive Calendar)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-1-10

I come to the floor today to speak about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, known as DACA. That was an Executive order of President 's which provided temporary legal status to immigrant students and young people if they registered with the government, paid a fee, and passed a criminal and national security background check. It was for 2 years and renewable. prgtoken Young people who are protected by DACA are known by some as Dreamers. They came to the United States as children. They grew up singing the ``Star Spangled Banner'' and pledging allegiance to our flag. They believed that they were Americans, but legally, they are not. The average DACA recipient came to the United States at the age of 6 and has been here for approximately 20 years. prgtoken It was 7 years ago that I sent a letter to President . I was joined in that letter, incidentally, by Senator Dick Lugar, a from Indiana. In that letter, I asked President : Can you find a way to protect these young people? prgtoken We passed the Dream Act on the floor of the House. We passed it on the floor of the Senate. We have never managed to pass it in both Chambers in the same year. And the President created the DACA Program. prgtoken The DACA Program has been a success. Approximately 800,000 Dreamers have come forward and received DACA protection. Let's allow them to be part of America as teachers, as nurses, as engineers, as first responders, and even serving in the U.S. military. prgtoken But on September 5 of this last year, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the administration was setting out to repeal DACA, to put an end to it. That same day, President called on Congress to come up with a solution to legalize DACA. He challenged us. He said to the U.S. Senate and House: Pass a law. If this is a good idea, pass a law. prgtoken It has been more than 4 months since the President issued that challenge. The leadership of Congress has not proposed any legislation to legalize DACA as the President asked. prgtoken The deportation clock is ticking for these young people who are protected. Already, 15,000 have lost their DACA status. Beginning on March 5--the deadline that initially was imposed by President -- every day for the next 2 years, 1,000 DACA young people will lose their ability to work legally in the United States and will be subject to being deported from this country. prgtoken Who are they? Some 20,000 of them are teachers in our schools who would lose the right to work legally and have to leave their classrooms. Nurses would leave their patients. First responders would leave their posts. And 900 soldiers would lose their ability to volunteer to risk their lives for America's future. prgtoken This isn't just a looming humanitarian crisis; it is an economic crisis. More than 91 percent of DACA Dreamers are gainfully employed and paying taxes. Many of th
AMENDING THE WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHE TRIBE WATER RIGHTS QUANTIFICATION ACT OF 2010
Mark Pocan (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2018-1-10

I rise to oppose the bill before us that takes away National Labor Relations Act protections for hundreds of thousands of workers. prgtoken I support Tribal sovereignty. In my home State of Wisconsin, I am proud the Ho-Chunk Nation is in my district. Potawatomi, Oneida, Menominee, St. Croix, Stockbridge-Munsee, Lac du Flambeau, Lac Corte Oreilles, Red Cliff, Bad River, and other Tribes all reside in my home State, and I am glad to support the autonomy of those Tribal nations. But this bill isn't about Tribal sovereignty. It is about going after workers' rights. prgtoken Look at the track record of the majority in this Congress. The s have continued to go after workers' rights, as they have so far. They have repealed the rule that required companies seeking large Federal contracts to disclose violations of labor law. They made it harder for people whose jobs are shipped overseas to get unemployment insurance. They have made it harder for workers whose employers don't offer retirement plans to save for retirement. They have repealed an OSHA rule requiring employers to maintain accurate records of serious workplace injuries for 5 years, while the administration drastically reduces the number of OSHA inspectors. prgtoken This bill isn't about meaningful sovereignty. It is about selective sovereignty, because it only goes after labor rights. prgtoken If this were a bill about sovereignty, it would include a number of other areas that Tribes are compelled to follow in addition to the National Labor Relations Act: the Occupational Safety and Health Act; the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, ERISA; the Family and Medical Leave Act; and the public accommodations of Americans with Disabilities Act, just to start. prgtoken If this bill was about sovereignty, it would exempt OSHA and ERISA and the FMLA and the ADA, for starters. But it doesn't do that. This bill only exempts labor protections for hundreds of thousands of workers, Tribal members and nonmembers, because the majority in this Congress isn't really worried about sovereignty. It is concerned prgtoken about taking away the rights of workers, and that is what this bill is really about. prgtoken , if this body wants to help Tribes, I am here to help. Bring a bill to the floor that covers all exempted areas, and that is a bill that I could support. But that is not what is in front of us today. prgtoken , I include in the Record letters of opposition from the International Union of Operating Engineers, the United Auto Workers, United Food and Commercial Workers, and Unite Here. International Union of Operating Engineers, Washington, DC, January 8, 2018. Hon. Paul D. Ryan, Washington, DC. Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Washington, DC. Dear Ryan and Leader Pelosi: The International Union of Operating Engineers
Funding the Government (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-1-10

we have barely over a week to negotiate a broad package of must-pass items, including an extension of government funding, a deal to lift the spending caps for both defense and urgent domestic priorities, a healthcare package, disaster aid, an agreement to protect the Dreamers, and to provide additional border security. prgtoken The path forward on some of these issues is very clear. There are significant bipartisan majorities that would vote to extend CHIP, or the Children's Health Insurance Program, and community health centers. There seems to be a growing consensus on how we can pass the 702 FISA Court program. prgtoken I am also confident that we could assemble a disaster aid package that addresses the needs of all of the States and Territories--Texas, Florida, Louisiana, California, the Western States that have been plagued by fires, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands--as well as modifying what the Forest Service does so they don't spend all of their money simply fighting forest fires and not do the job they are intended to do, which is to prevent future forest fires by careful forestry programs. prgtoken Even where the path is murkier, the outlines of a deal exist. If we don't lift the spending caps in short order, the sharp ax of sequestration will fall on the military side of the budget and on the domestic side of the budget. That is a scenario everyone wants to avoid. prgtoken The majority leader continues to insist that we should raise the budget caps unequally, sparing our military but not critical domestic programs that create jobs, grow our economy, and help the middle class. We believe we absolutely must provide the resources our men and women overseas need to protect our country. We believe that strongly, but we also know that there are many important issues here at home--combating the opioid crisis, improving veterans' healthcare, shoring up pensions for millions of hard-working Americans who are approaching retirement, and dealing with rural development and rural broadband. These items are all crucial to the middle class. prgtoken The deadly scourge of opioid addiction has contributed to the first consecutive-year decline in life expectancy in the great United States of America since the early 1960s. That is an astounding and alarming fact that should rouse everyone in this Chamber to action. It is not occurring in most of our Western country allies. prgtoken Some of our veterans have been waiting in line for healthcare at veterans hospitals for over a year. These men and women served our country bravely. We have a solemn responsibility to serve them when they come home, and we are not living up to that responsibility right now. prgtoken Over a million Americans paid into pension plans with the expectation that they could retire with basic dignity. For so many of them-- teamsters, miners, food workers--pensions have fallen short, and a lifetime of careful savings m
DACA (Executive Session)
Martin Heinrich (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2018-1-10

I rise today to stand up for the hundreds of thousands of young immigrants known as Dreamers, whose lives President has thrown into terrifying uncertainty. prgtoken Immigrant communities have long helped write the economic, social, and cultural story of my home State of New Mexico and, for that matter, the entire Nation. That is certainly true for Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children and are vital members of communities across New Mexico. prgtoken Over the years, I have had the privilege of meeting many of New Mexico's estimated 7,000 Dreamers. I have met with students who grew up here and are now striving to become doctors, scientists, teachers, and even serve in our military. These young people are our children's classmates. They are our next-door neighbors. They are our colleagues. They are family members, and many are truly rising stars. In fact, I would argue that these Dreamers are the future of a great America. prgtoken Every day these young people add to the strength of our economy, to the vitality of our country. More than 97 percent of DACA recipients are in school or in the workforce. prgtoken The DACA Program allowed them to work legally, to get driver's licenses, to go to college, to serve in our military and give back to their communities. DACA helped almost 70 percent of recipients secure a job with better pay, and better pay leads to real investments in our communities and our economy. prgtoken After their DACA applications were approved, nearly two-thirds of recipients reported buying their first car, and almost one in six reported buying a new home. DACA recipients also paid billions of dollars in Federal, State, and local taxes. Why on Earth would prgtoken we kick out these contributors to our economy and our country? prgtoken The economic impact of removing nearly 700,000 workers from the U.S. workforce would be staggering. It would cost our economy nearly half a trillion dollars in GDP loss over the next decade. But passing the Dream Act could add an estimated $281 billion to the U.S. economy over the next 10 years. That, to me, sounds like putting America first. prgtoken I stand with these Dreamers, and I always have. One of my first actions when I was in the House of Representatives was to sign on as an original cosponsor of the Dream Act, which would create a pathway to legal status and citizenship for Dreamers who pursue higher education or serve our Nation in uniform. This commonsense, compassionate, and responsible policy is long overdue for a generation of young Americans. prgtoken Since President made the heartless decision to end DACA, I have held his administration accountable for their mishandling of renewal applications for DACA recipients. My office has assisted Dreamers in New Mexico through the DACA renewal process and is actively participating in meetings with communities and local advocacy groups throughout t
DACA (Executive Calendar)
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2018-1-10

. Thank you, . prgtoken I rise as many of my colleagues have this afternoon, and I have risen on the same topic often to talk about our Dreamers. prgtoken Usually, when I have risen in the past, I have told stories about Virginia Dreamers. We have about 13,000 Dreamers in Virginia. I have highlighted stories of Dreamers from Latin America, Africa, Sweden, and Asia. One of the students I talked about, Gloria Oduyoye, just graduated from William & Mary Law School within the last month and thus became the first Dreamer to be a law school graduate in Virginia and one of the few Dreamers who attained a law degree in the United States. I talked about her story. prgtoken Today I decided not to talk about stories of individuals again but to try to put it in context, with the message really being that the time is now to make a decision. We don't need more information. We just need the will to act and do what I think is the right and the fair thing to do because we have been at this discussion now--it is hard to believe we have been at this discussion for 16 years. prgtoken The American public--, s, and Independents-- overwhelmingly support a permanent solution for Dreamers. It is not that we need to know anything more to solve this. We have been talking about it for a very long time. prgtoken I want to encourage Members of this body and in the House who are involved in the negotiation to come to an agreement and provide permanent protection for the Dreamers before next Friday so that we can protect this community, which is frightened because prgtoken they are so worried about being deported or losing their ability to work, to go to school, losing the ability to protect their families. But it is more than just protecting people because they are frightened; it is protecting them because, as I have seen in Virginia and in every State, they so enrich this country. prgtoken The first version of the DREAM Act, it is hard to believe, was introduced in 2001. The Senator from Illinois, Mr. Durbin, who has been a champion of this and has my deepest admiration for his persistence in this endeavor, introduced the first version of the DREAM Act together with the senior Senator from Utah, Mr. Hatch. prgtoken The bill has evolved since then. It wasn't exactly the same as we are contemplating now, but it was the first version of the bill. It sought to repeal a provision of the 1996 immigration reform that prohibited undocumented immigrants from eligibility for higher education. Instead, what the bill, in its original version, did 17 years ago was to grant permanent resident status to young, undocumented immigrants with a high school degree or equivalent GED who fulfilled certain residence requirements and did not have criminal records. That was the start of this discussion. We are still looking for the permanent answer. prgtoken The DREAM Act first almost passed in 2007. It attained more than a majority vote in
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF S. 140, AMENDING THE WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHE TRIBE WATER RIGHTS QUANTIFICATION ACT OF 2010
Jared Polis (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2018-1-10

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I thank the gentleman for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. prgtoken , over 3 months ago, the funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, expired. Today, families throughout the country, including 90,000 children in my home State of Colorado, face great uncertainty about the future of their healthcare. prgtoken When CHIP was first passed, over 20 years ago, it was done in a bipartisan manner, and, until recently, CHIP has always been a bipartisan, nondivisive issue. It is unfortunate to see that, today, here, we are in this body under leadership and, somehow, even children's health insurance has become a political football while we while away our time, our precious legislative time, on bills that have passed this body before and don't go anywhere. prgtoken In our most recent Band-Aid for government funding, House s made a claim that CHIP was extended until March 31, but that wasn't the case. By some reports, States could run out of funding in the next few weeks. In fact, in Colorado, our own budget experts predict the State will run out of children's health insurance money by the end of February. Cancellation letters are literally scheduled to go out at the end of this month. prgtoken , this simply isn't a way to govern, crisis to crisis, ignoring the real issues people care about in order to consider special interest legislation. leadership and the administration continue to refuse to work on finding a bipartisan solution for the hundreds of thousands who have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival--or DACA recipients--who are in limbo. We can simply put that bill on the floor today, the Dream Act, and I feel it would pass. prgtoken We have the votes to do so, . Let's simply have a vote. It is a purely manufactured crisis. prgtoken I am happy to say we will be giving the opportunity for Members of this body to defeat the previous question and move to a vote on the Dream Act, shortly. My colleague, Mr. Correa, has joined us to offer that motion in a few minutes. prgtoken Many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle often say that the real deadline for a DACA solution isn't until March, but, in reality, every day, already over 100 Deferred Action recipients lose their protected status, are unable to work with their situation unresolved. prgtoken For those DACA recipients, the deadline isn't March. The deadline has already passed, hence, the urgency. Now is the time to pass the Dream Act, to allow these DACA recipients to continue to live and work and serve in the only Nation that many of them have ever known their whole lives. prgtoken All the while, congressional s still refuse to work with on a long-term government funding solution. Here we are less than 10 days from another government shutdown. The Federal Government continues to move from quick spending patch to quick s
HONORING CARRIE STUART OF PENNSYLVANIA FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS OF SERVICE TO HER COMMUNITY
Scott Perry (Republican, PA) \u2014 2018-1-10

today I extend my sincere congratulations to my constituent, Carrie Stuart, on more than 20 years of service with the Gettysburg Adams Chamber of Commerce. prgtoken Carrie began her tenure at the Gettysburg Adams Chamber of Commerce as a temporary employee, but later became the full-time Office Manager. In 2008, she was named the organization's president. prgtoken During her tenure, the Chamber created a dialogue with other economic organizations in Adams County to attract new businesses and grow the local economy, instituted new programs to benefit Chamber members, invested thousands of dollars back into the local community, and worked with the business and education community to identify critical workforce development needs. prgtoken Carrie also has been an active member of many community service organizations, including the United Way of Adams County, Main Street Gettysburg, the Adams Economic Alliance, and many others. prgtoken Carrie Stuart's tireless dedication and professionalism has touched the lives of countless people and challenges all with whom she serves to be the best. She continues to build an impressive legacy of service to our community. prgtoken On behalf of Pennsylvania's Fourth Congressional District, I thank and congratulate Carrie Stuart on her 20 years of service and look forward to working with her in the years ahead.
AMENDING THE WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHE TRIBE WATER RIGHTS QUANTIFICATION ACT OF 2010
Stevan Pearce (Republican, NM) \u2014 2018-1-10

I thank the gentleman from California for yielding and for his work on this bill. prgtoken As he mentioned in the opening statements, there is a provision in the bill that allows the Santa Clara Ohkay Owingeh 99-year leasing program to move forward. That is in resolution to the long-standing problems that we face there. So just a significant provision that affects these two units but also the underlying concept that we are going to recognize the sovereignty of our Tribes. prgtoken As many people know, some of the Tribes are faced with just very difficult poverty conditions throughout the history of their Tribes since they have been on the reservations, and I work with close friends of mine who are trying to solve these problems and to find resolution to long-term prosperity on the Indian reservations. prgtoken So when the National Labor Relations Board reversed its long-standing status of recognizing the sovereignty of our nations--70 years they had recognized that. In 2004, they simply reversed it without much explanation, without any warning, and certainly without precedent. prgtoken It has caused things to be much more difficult, especially in States like New Mexico. So the Tribal leaders are saying: We should be sovereign. We should be allowed to make these sorts of decisions ourself without the Federal Government coming in and putting the bureaucracy there. prgtoken The underlying concept of the bill is one that simply says we want prosperity on Native American lands, we want their sovereign actions to take care of themselves, to move themselves forward. That is what the entire Nation says is the American Dream. Let's let that occur for the Native Americans in this country. I think the provisions of the bill are very important. prgtoken We have been working for 6 years now in Native American housing, another way to help move prosperity into Native American lands. Again, I support the concept of the bill.
REMEMBERING MATT HILLYARD
Orrin G. Hatch (Republican, UT) \u2014 2018-1-10

today I wish to pay tribute to a remarkable man whose smile and beautiful soul touched the lives of everyone he met. Matthew Hillyard passed away peacefully at his family home on January 4, 2018, to the grief of not only his family and close friends but to everyone who knew him in the Utah Legislature. prgtoken Matt, the loving son of Lyle and Alice Hillyard, was born with Down syndrome. His parents were told he would not live past adolescence; yet he defied the odds and packed a lot of life into 42 years on Earth. Matt never let his disability define him; instead, he shared his special light with everyone who caught his eye. prgtoken Matt's father, Lyle, has served as a Utah lawmaker since 1981. The father-and-son duo became a fixture of the Utah Legislature. When things got tense on the senate floor, Matt's innocence stood as a light to other lawmakers, defusing tension and stress during the most heated debates. He made friends with people from all walks of life--be they legislators, security guards, or schoolchildren visiting the capitol. Matt's smile and his big hugs were legendary, and people would often line up to be the recipient of his affection. prgtoken I had the privilege of enjoying Matt's hugs and greetings on many occasions, and I never left his side without feeling I had been in the presence of a truly remarkable son of our Heavenly Father. Legislative bodies across our country would be well-served with the steady presence of someone like Matt, a kind soul who gives love and unwavering friendship to all. prgtoken I believe there is a special place in Heaven for Matt, who personified the pure love of Christ. He lived a life of sweet innocence, friendship, and love. His warm embrace and sweet smile will be greatly missed by all. It is my greatest hope that his family and all who knew him will find joy and peace in the memories we have shared with this extraordinary man.