mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
FACT-CHECKING THE INACCURACIES
Cedric L. Richmond (Democrat, LA) \u2014 2018-1-22

I come to the mike tonight just in a way of fact-checking all of the inaccuracies that we hear. prgtoken If Members listen to the White House, if Members listen to my colleagues on the other side, they pretend that this whole shutdown was over illegal immigrants versus American citizens. prgtoken Our DREAMers, who came here as children through no fault of their own, were legal until the President decided to withdraw their legality and their documentation. He made them here undocumented. prgtoken The second part of all of this is they are saying: Oh, we are funding our troops. prgtoken It was General Mattis who said that funding the troops with a continuing resolution was debilitating for our armed services. prgtoken So there are a lot of things that we hear, but on the House floor in this United States Congress, the one thing we owe to the American public and to our citizens is the truth, whether it is on our side or whether it is not. prgtoken The truth is they have well over 230 Members. They could pass a budget if they wanted to. If they would work with both sides, then we could continue to do what the Congressional Black Caucus has done since the beginning of time, which is make this country a more perfect Union.
DAY THREE OF THE SHUTDOWN
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2018-1-22

day three of this shutdown, thousands and thousands of Federal employees not working. The leader of the s in the Senate has moved with some offer that would hopefully be something to start with, but I applaud the ic leadership in the other body because they have been focusing on what we want, and that is parity, national security parity for children's healthcare and federally qualified health clinics and veterans. prgtoken But the people who have imploded this, of course, are the President and his staff, with vulgarity and then breaking up a deal last Friday. prgtoken So, if we are serious, we need to be able to work on what the issues are, and that is domestic spending to have parity to ensure that the families of our soldiers are, likewise, provided for. prgtoken I support the national security needs of this Nation, as a Homeland Security member since the tragic and heinous terrorist act of 9/11. I believe national security goes with providing for their families. When are we going to do that and provide for innocent DREAMers who have done nothing but come to this country to be able to do what is right? prgtoken , I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 4872, the End the Shutdown Act of 2018, a continuing resolution that would immediately open and reopen the government with a clean CR while negotiations continue on a budget agreement that adheres to the parity and on other critical issues so that we can end the shutdown.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2018-1-22

I wish to pay tribute to my friend, Shawn Brimley. Earlier this month, Shawn was stolen from this world at the tender age of 40, after being diagnosed with colon cancer in early December. What Shawn Brimley accomplished in 40 years was simply breathtaking, and the story of the life he lived, brimming with passion for his family, his friends, his vocation, and his country, is one that this U.S. Senate should hear. prgtoken Shawn was eulogized correctly as one of the leading American national security intellectuals, but he didn't start off as an American. He was born outside of Toronto, Canada, and served for 5 years in the Canadian Army before attending Queen's University in Ontario. After college, he traveled to Tokyo to teach English, and there met the love of his life, Marjorie Clark. They relocated to Washington, where Shawn quickly became one of the founding members of the Center for New American Security, CNAS, a defense and foreign policy think tank that gave rise to many of the top security staffers of the administration. prgtoken At CNAS, and then during two stints in the administration, first as a special adviser at the Pentagon and then as director of strategic planning at the National Security Council, Shawn helped develop the Pentagon's ``third-offset strategy,'' which foresaw a future military conflict with Russia or China that would heavily depend on technology and robotics. Shawn's out-of-the-box focus on the future of military conflicts pushed our national security leadership to innovate and adapt. America is safer for his contributions. Shawn's enthusiasm for this work was driven by a sense that America could be a true force for good and order in the world. His boss at the White House, Derek Chollet, said: ``Maybe because he was an immigrant, he really believed in the power of American leadership and America's unique role in the world. There was that idealism about him.'' prgtoken Both in the administration and at CNAS, Shawn was renowned for his mentorship of younger national security professionals. The day after his passing, staffers who had worked under Shawn remarked on social media how Shawn often went out of his way to befriend and guide newer entrants to the field. So many young national security professionals in Washington attended his funeral, a testament to the reach of his influence and generosity during his short 20 years in the field. prgtoken But as his wife remarked during her beautiful eulogy, Shawn knew that ``work was work.'' Home, for Shawn, was his center of gravity. This is the setting in which I came to know Shawn over the past few years. Our home in Washington is just a few blocks from the Brimleys in northwest Washington. Our children are schoolmates, and I got to see up close over the past several years how utterly devoted Shawn was to his family and friends. My son regularly reports that his oldest daughter is the nicest, most gener
REFUSAL TO GOVERN
Donald M. Payne, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2018-1-22

the chaos Presidency has spawned a chaos Congress. Now that they control the White House as well, they still can't govern--no more excuse, no more bogeyman in the White House. prgtoken Instead of governing, my esteemed colleagues have spent the last year trying to rip healthcare away from children and families in order to give their billionaire friends a tax break. That is the only thing that they have accomplished: giving to the rich. prgtoken Then, at 12:01 Saturday morning, s told the American people that the United States is closed for business. prgtoken This is the fifth time in 30 years that s have shut down the Federal Government. It is the first time ever that a single party has controlled the entire Federal Government but still refused to keep the country running. prgtoken , let us govern. Let them govern. If my colleagues want to enter into good faith negotiations for a budget that fully funds the Federal Government and pursues bipartisanship priorities, such as funding community health centers, permanently reauthorizing CHIP, providing disaster relief, and protecting DREAMers, then you know where to reach me.
IN CELEBRATION OF JOHN HARTIG'S DISTINGUISHED LEADERSHIP AT THE DETROIT RIVER INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Debbie Dingell (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2018-1-22

I rise today to recognize John Hartig on the day of his retirement from the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, the only International Wildlife Refuge in North America. His distinguished leadership has helped shape a new future for the Detroit River and surrounding wildlife. prgtoken A longtime Michigan resident, Mr. Hartig fondly recalls childhood vacations up north and weekends spent fishing on Belle Isle. His exposure to Michigan's wildlife and understanding of intense lake and river pollution inspired him to receive his Doctorate in Limnology, the study of inland waters, from the University of Windsor and begin what would become a lifetime of work restoring and transforming the Great Lakes states through cleanup and public education. Mr. Hartig has held various positions over the years including serving as an environmental scientist at the International Joint Commission, as an adjunct professor at Wayne State University, and as River Navigator for the Greater Detroit American Heritage River Initiative before being named Refuge Manager at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, a position he has held since 2004. In these positions, Mr. Hartig has overseen the transformation of the Detroit River, which was one of the most polluted waterways in the country in the 1960s, the revival of various animal populations including the bald eagle and lake sturgeon, as well as increasing public access to Michigan's beautiful natural lands. prgtoken Mr. Hartig is a leading voice nationwide due to his conservation work, and Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge was singled out at the 2006 White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation as a national model in public-private partnerships for conservation and sustainability. In addition to being a long time board member of the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy, Mr. Hartig is a prolific writer on the Great Lakes and has received many awards including the John Muir Association's 2015 Conservationist of the Year and the 2013 Conservation Advocate Award from the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. He was recently selected as a Fulbright scholar and will spend the next three years in that capacity traveling the Great Lakes region and continuing his lifetime's work of addressing pollution and reviving public lands. Mr. Hartig has been an invaluable leader, and we look forward to his continued work protecting our precious natural resources. He will be greatly missed at the Wildlife Refuge, but his legacy will provide a solid foundation for its future. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring John Hartig for his lifetime of conservation work and invaluable contributions to our state. He has forever changed the Great Lakes ecosystem through his passion, hard work and ingenuity.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-1-22

I thank the gentleman for that information. prgtoken Today, both Chambers have passed the CR that takes us to February 8. That leaves 17 calendar days. I was going to say it did 6\1/2\ legislative days, but the gentleman has now given up probably half a day, as I understand it, which is Wednesday of the retreat. So, essentially, , we have 6 days between now and February 8 in which we will be in session. That makes it incumbent upon us that we come together, cooperate with one another, compromise, and send legislation from here to the Senate that the Senate can agree to. prgtoken I want to say, I did not know the gentleman was going to mention that, but I want to see the Defense Department fully funded. But I also want to see fully funded departments that take care of the health of our people, the education of our children, domestic law enforcement, and relations between ourselves and the rest of the world in the State Department, and so many other agencies of government that are in the nondefense part of the budget. prgtoken , I would tell my friend that I would hope we would come to an agreement very, very shortly on the overall spending levels so that we can pass both defense and nondefense priority issues. And I would say to my friend, all we are asking for in that context, as the gentleman knows, is what we have done over the last 4 years as a result of agreements between Ryan and Senator Murray, so I would hope that we can proceed on that. prgtoken Secondly, and there is so much to bring up, but the second thing I want to mention is, clearly, one of the issues that we have been so concerned about has been how we are going to treat the DREAMers in our country. As the gentleman knows my view, based upon polls that I have read, 85 percent of Americans essentially agree that we ought not send those young people, for the most part, out of the country away from their home to places they do not know, particularly when they are making such a positive contribution to our country. prgtoken Now, while I said there were some 5\1/2\ days left between now and the 8th, there are 10\1/2\ days--actually, I guess, now, 9\1/2\ days in which to deal with the issue of the DREAMers. prgtoken The gentleman and I, Senator Cornyn, and Senator Durbin have been working. I look forward to working on that, and I hope that we work on it every calendar day that we have available--we won't be in session, but we will work on that--so we can, in fact, come to an agreement so that those young people who the American people think ought to stay here and continue to be productive citizens, contributing individuals to our country, would be allowed to stay here, given a path to citizenship. I would hope that we could work toward that end. prgtoken I yield to my friend.
OPERATING UNDER A CONTINUING RESOLUTION IS UNWISE
Peter A. DeFazio (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-1-22

think back to school. You go to your teacher and say: My term paper is not done yet. Can I get an extension? prgtoken Well, okay, as a reasonable teacher, you can give them an excuse maybe once. Twice, not very many. Three times, I never knew a teacher like that. Four times, no way. prgtoken You are 114 days late with the budget for the government of the United States of America, which includes the military and everything else that you are carrying on about. prgtoken Let's listen to Secretary Mattis talking about your continuing resolutions running the government bit by bit: Operating under a continuing resolution is unwise as can be. It makes us rigid. We cannot deal with new and revealing threats. prgtoken We know our enemies are not standing still. prgtoken You are bragging about funding the government for 30 days? prgtoken You have not done your most basic function as a ruling majority of the House, the Senate, and the White House, and that is, to give us proper funding for the entire government. prgtoken In transportation, we have lost $1.4 billion. That is 21,000 jobs. prgtoken Do your job.
THE TRUMP SHUTDOWN
Adriano Espaillat (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-1-22

this is day three of the shutdown. How many more extensions are s going to ask for before passing a long-term budget? Yes, as we speak right now, the Senate is getting ready to pass yet another temporary continuing resolution until February 8. At the end of this month, we will hear from the President at the State of the Union without having addressed the critical needs of the American people. prgtoken The White House and the s in Congress are failing the American people by kicking the can down the road and not passing a budget that will reauthorize CHIP while also funding community health clinics and teaching hospitals, not ensuring protections for 800,000 DREAMers, and not providing disaster relief. prgtoken Finally, , let me take a strong opposition to the racist comments made previous to me by a Member who is one of my colleagues from California. He tried to equate immigration with violent criminals. prgtoken Shame on him. Shame on him. DREAMers are not violent criminals. They are members of our Armed Forces, they are teachers, they are workers, and they are aspirations to our Nation. prgtoken Shame on him for equating DREAMers with violent criminals.
FEDERAL REGISTER PRINTING SAVINGS ACT OF 2017--Continued
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2018-1-22

I rise today to urge Senate ic leadership to end their reckless government shutdown. prgtoken It is no secret that over the years I have made clear that I don't like funding our Federal Government from one shortsighted, bandaid bill to another. We must establish a path forward to responsibly fund our government for the long term. It is the responsible and right thing to do for our military, for future generations, for our veterans, and for the American people. prgtoken But rather than finding a long-term funding solution to ensure stability in our military, the Senate ic leadership has decided to shut down the government. What does that mean for our military? Well, for starters, critical defense projects have come to a halt. We could also see delays in maintenance of our critical aircraft, ships, and weapons systems at a time when our adversaries are becoming more aggressive and more advanced. Our servicemembers, who put their lives on the line every day for our country, don't know when they will receive a paycheck. prgtoken I have an adviser right now who is deployed to the Middle East. I received an email from him this morning. He said: It is really hard for all of us here knowing that our government is shut down. But every day it is the same for us here in Afghanistan. We will do what we need to do. prgtoken God bless him for that. prgtoken Iowa National Guardsmen are deployed overseas right now. One of my former units, the 248th Aviation Support Battalion, is spread out through the Middle East, doing their mission while we struggle to find a way forward for them here in Washington, DC. prgtoken Military schools have been canceled. I spoke to an Active-Duty Army officer this morning. She was scheduled for her precommand course this weekend, and her orders were canceled. She told me: I will not be able to go to that precommand course before I deploy. She will head overseas not having had a vital course to instruct her on leadership in the military. The likelihood of her picking up that course again in the future is near zero--near zero. prgtoken Additionally, having served as a battalion commander in the Iowa Army National Guard during our last government shutdown, I can tell you that these shutdowns have a significant impact on our National Guardsmen. A shutdown prohibits our citizen soldiers from participating in drill and training exercises essential to our military readiness. prgtoken Our public affairs officer sent out this notice this morning from the Iowa National Guard. The headline:
DACA
Keith J. Rothfus (Republican, PA) \u2014 2018-1-22

yesterday, I said, at this podium, that the resolution to the Schumer shutdown is simple: Senate need to vote ``yes'' on the short-term funding bill, and the government reopens, paychecks get processed for our troops, and the Children's Health Insurance Program is up and running. It is that simple. prgtoken Understand this: the Senate chose to shut down the government because they have more interest in creating a false deadline to address the DACA issues. The fact is the legislative process is already underway to address DACA. prgtoken I'm cosponsoring the Securing America's Future Act which not only addresses DACA but actually takes measures to make sure we actually solve the problem in the long term, including securing our borders, which is a big part of addressing the heroin crisis we have in our country. prgtoken Let's end the Schumer shutdown, reopen the government, and continue our work to address the critical issues facing our country.
TRIBUTE TO EMILY PATROLIA
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2018-1-22

today I recognize Ms. Emily Patrolia, a Knauss Sea Grant fellow on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and other members of the committee over the past year. Ms. Patrolia has used her scientific expertise to inform public policy. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Ms. Patrolia for all of the fine work she has done. prgtoken Ms. Patrolia has had a significant impact during her time as a fellow. She has worked on several pieces of legislation that have passed the Senate and several others being considered by the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Her contributions have helped ensure the proper management of our natural resources and the continued protection and prosperity of our Nation. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Ms. Patrolia and wish her success in the years to come.
PAIN-CAPABLE UNBORN CHILD PROTECTION ACT
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2018-1-22

before I got involved in politics, I spent 28 years in the private sector--small businesses, medium-sized businesses, a Fortune 25 company. The Fortune 25 company was Proctor & Gamble. I spent 14 years with that company, and one of our assignments took us to mainland China. prgtoken I remember when we were offered the assignment and we took the job. At that time, we had a little boy, David, our first child. He was about 18 months old. Our second child, Annie, was just born, a new baby, several weeks old. We moved to Guangzhou. That was in January of 1992. prgtoken We were part of leading the team that pioneered the operations for Proctor & Gamble back in the early days of the expansion of the company. Today, that geography, in fact, I think is P&G's second largest geography as it relates to sales in the world. prgtoken I remember we spent some time with other American families from around the world. There were American families. There were families from virtually every continent. These expats living over there would spend time going to orphanages. prgtoken We would go to these orphanages, usually on a Saturday, and we would hold these babies. Sometimes they had disabilities. Some of these babies never received human touch except for when these families-- oftentimes American families--would go and hold them. On a positive note, it built in a conscience at that orphanage. They knew the Americans were coming on Saturday. Things got cleaned up, the babies were getting a little better fed, and that was a good thing, but we were fighting on behalf of those who had life and weren't being treated very well. prgtoken I want to tell a couple of stories about things that happened while we were over there in China. I was running a large organization. I had many Chinese employees who were working for me. I remember one day one of my key managers came and he said: Steve, I need to go to the police station this afternoon. prgtoken I said: Oh, my word. Is there something wrong? Do you need some help? prgtoken He said: No, not really. My wife is pregnant, and we did not have permission from the authorities to get pregnant. prgtoken I said: Well, what does that mean? prgtoken He said: Well, that might mean they would terminate the pregnancy, require it. prgtoken At that moment, I looked at that employee--one of my key managers-- and I said: I will do all I need to do, all I can, to ensure that we protect that baby, assuming you want to keep that baby. prgtoken And he said: My wife and I do want to keep that baby. prgtoken I said: What does help look like? How can I help you? prgtoken He said: Well, can I get a case of shampoo? prgtoken Now, we were making some well-known brands, including Head & Shoulders shampoo, Vidal Sassoon, Pantene. We were making Crest toothpaste then and Tide. We had these world-class brands. prgtoken So I gave him a case of shampoo, and he went downtown to see the authorities. That case of shampoo saved t
LET'S GO ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF THE COUNTRY
Louie Gohmert (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-1-22

we finally had a vote to ensure that the prgtoken military gets the money that they need and deserve. They deserve to be paid even better, but they certainly do not deserve to have their funding cut, not holding our military hostage in demand for people who had come into the country illegally. prgtoken The American public made clear that they did not want the whole country to suffer because they were being held hostage, while some folks demanded legality for people who came in illegally. Let's keep things separately. Let's keep our military going forward, and now let's go about the business of the country.