mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 6, AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2019
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-6-4

. Madam , I thank the gentlewoman for her courtesy. prgtoken He came from Lufkin, Texas. He loved Texas football and country music. He had fundraisers for any manner of needs in his area. prgtoken When he saw the devastation and the people in water in County, and we were in 51 trillion gallons of water, he came, with a little boat and a friend. He didn't ask whether they were immigrant or nonimmigrant, Dreamer or non-Dreamer, what their background was. As they were in the water, as they were on their rooftops, as they were desperate without food, he came. prgtoken Tragically, his family had come to, ultimately, find him floating in the water, when his boat had toppled and, we believe, had been impacted by the wires in the water. prgtoken This is the face of Dreamers. This is the face of those who would benefit from temporary protective status coming from Nepal, from El Salvador, and from countries that are under major devastation. prgtoken Many times, there is crime in America, and I understand that. But people don't imagine what it is to flee from the natural disasters that these individuals have fled from, to have no relief from the government, and to compound that with the violence that is going on, knowing so much violence. prgtoken I stand here today to ask for rational thought. With a multitude of organizations, I want to raise up one, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It doesn't come lightly to this question. I would argue that, had we passed comprehensive immigration reform 10 years ago, 15 years ago, the question of surging across the border would not be an issue. prgtoken Let me also be clear that we have built barriers across the border for more than a decade. I remember giving huge sums of money to ensure it, in certain spaces. prgtoken What we are saying now is that that is not a sole solution. The solution is regularizing individuals with the safeguards of this legislation. prgtoken I would hope my colleagues, s and , as Americans, understand that this Nation was built with the sweat and tears and love of immigrants. Every American, except Native Americans, can point to coming from somewhere else, no matter what condition they were in when they came. prgtoken I ask our colleagues to support this legislation, H.R. 6, because it is the American thing to do. prgtoken Madam , as a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary and on Homeland Security, and a representative of a state on the southern border, I rise in strong support of the rule governing debate of H.R. 6, the ``American Dream and Promise Act of 2019,'' and the underlying legislation. prgtoken The American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 establishes a roadmap to U.S. citizenship for (1) immigrant youth and (2) current or potential holders of (a) temporary protected status (TPS) or (b) deferred enforced departure (DED). prgtoken Ensuring a path to earned citizenship is a non-negotiable principle for me and the sine qua non
AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2019
Jesús G. "Chuy" García (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-6-4

I thank Chairman Nadler and Chairwoman Lofgren for their leadership on this important bill. This moment has been years in the making, thanks in no small part to the advocates, the allies, and the young people who fought hard for their right to stay in a country that they call and consider home. prgtoken Let me be clear, the American Dream and Promise Act is not perfect, but there is a lot of good in it. This is a big step forward. prgtoken That is why I offered amendments to, first, prohibit juvenile adjudications from being used to determine a public safety risk, and, two, to eliminate all references to gang databases or presumed gang affiliation from H.R. 6. It didn't make it, but it is still a great compromise. prgtoken We cannot afford to turn our backs now. We must pass H.R. 6 today, a significant precedent by the House of Representatives to create a pathway to citizenship for millions. prgtoken , I thank everyone responsible for their contributions to this piece of immigration reform.
AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2019
Judy Chu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-6-4

I rise today in support of H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act. prgtoken This is a historic day. H.R. 6 provides a long-awaited pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, to temporary protected status recipients, and deferred enforced departure status individuals. prgtoken A floor vote on this bill could not have come soon enough. More than 2.5 million immigrants currently living in fear that they would be torn from their families could find relief in this bill. prgtoken Losing them would be disastrous to our communities, and it would harm our economy. It would be devastating to so many. This includes 130,000 Asian American Dreamers and 9,000 TPS recipients who urgently need relief from the President's xenophobic threats to tear apart immigrant families. prgtoken The Dream and Promise Act unites us around the shared ideal that anybody can live the American Dream if they are willing to work for it. That is the lesson that has inspired generations of immigrants to build this country, and that is the lesson we cannot afford to forget. prgtoken , I urge passage of this bill. Parliamentary Inquiry
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: ACT NOW TO STOP GUN VIOLENCE
Bradley Scott Schneider (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-6-4

. Madam , June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, a time for extra reflection on the immeasurable cost of lives lost and destroyed in senseless shootings. And it is another chance to demand that Congress act to stop the bloodshed. prgtoken Once more, last Friday, a gunman attacked a local government building in Virginia Beach, killing 12 and wounding many more. prgtoken This was the 150th mass shooting in America since the start of the year, on the 151st day of the year. Let that sink in: 150 days, 151 mass shootings. Enough is enough. prgtoken But it is not just mass shootings. This past weekend, in Chicago alone, at least 52 people were shot, and eight people died. Enough is enough. prgtoken It is long past time for the Congress to take concrete action to reduce gun violence. As a House, we did that this year, passing H.R. 8, a bipartisan universal background check bill, but it has been more than 100 days since we sent that legislation to the Senate and, still, no vote. prgtoken How many more shootings, how many more lives lost, before Leader McConnell ends the obstruction and allows a vote on this commonsense bill? Congress is not powerless. Congress has the ability to save lives. Let's act now.
AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2019
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2019-6-4

the treatment of the Dreamers, brought to this country by their parents and others with unsettled status, is un- American and must be set right by the rational process outlined by H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019. The Dreamers have come to symbolize the entire group of individuals who have been left in the shadows, where they experience the fear of the hunted. The Dreamers have lived among us for almost their entire lives. I have invited Dreamers who live in the District of Columbia to a public meeting to talk about their lives. They are fulfilling their own dreams going to college and working in good jobs. prgtoken The shame of our failure to permanently settle the Dreamers question will not go away as long as we leave them and others living without settled legal status twisting in the wind. H.R. 6 does not pretend to settle this issue. Rather, it establishes a path to citizenship not only for Dreamers but also for Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure holders. prgtoken Never before in American history have we left any group of people in our country in legal limbo. H.R. 6 presents the ordered and predictable process this issue has long needed. These issues and these people will not go away. The House has an obligation to use our new majority to set this issue on the path to resolution.
HONORING THE WORLD WAR II, KOREAN WAR, AND VIETNAM WAR VETERANS OF ILLINOIS
Mike Quigley (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-6-4

. Madam , I rise to honor the World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans who traveled to Washington, D.C. on June 5, 2019 with Honor Flight Chicago, a program that provides World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans the opportunity to visit their memorials on The National Mall in Washington, D.C. These memorials were built to honor their courage and service to their country. prgtoken The American Veteran is one of our greatest treasures. The Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen who traveled here on June 5th answered our nation's call to service during one of its greatest times of need. From the European Campaign to the Pacific Asian Theatre to the African Theater, these brave Americans risked life and limb, gave service and sacrificed much, all while embodying what it is to be a hero. We owe them more gratitude than can ever be expressed. prgtoken I welcome these brave veterans to Washington and to their memorials. I am proud to include in the Record the names of these men and women for all to see, hear, and recognize, and I call on my colleagues to rise and join me in expressing gratitude. prgtoken Rudy L. Aguirre, Alva H. Allen, Robert Archibald, Douglas A. Askren, Werner J. Baeckelandt, Charles R. Bakutis, Jerome E. Barton, Edward J. Beck, Todd A. Bennett, Patrick R. Bergeron, Bernard W. Brogan, Daniel L. Brown, Robert J. Bruzek, Anthony T. Buckun, Edward D Kenneth Cali, Miguel A. Camacho Jr Thomas E Carls, Richard A. Carrigan, Jr Raymond A. Carucci, Daniel R. Chiarito, Charles Louis Clark, William J Collins, Robert D. Copp Jr, Louis P. Covelli, George A. Cridland, John M. Decillo, Ralph DeSanctis, Harry E. Diezel, Salvatore C. DiPrima, Ronald L. Edgecomb, Philip Givens, Robert J. Goettert, Gordon N. Grassle, Alex H. Grayes KWV, E. Barry Greenberg, Gregory A. Grigas, John R. Hanson, Stephen Hier, George E. Hoganson, Anthony Isadore Sr. prgtoken John C. Jacobson, Paul Johnson, John C. Judge, Robert I. Kedzior, Anthony W. Kernagis, Patrick M. Kidd, Kenneth King, William F. King, Norbert Knight, Kenneth R. Knoll, Alan S. Kravits, Edmund J. Krupiczowicz, Joseph E. Lamy, Daniel E. Leimberer, Jim W. Lukas, Raymond S. Malinowski, Paul E. Marietta, Joel Martin, John M. Martinez, John McCarthy, Joseph Medina Jr, Alan Mendelssohn, Ronald C. Messner, John E. Miller, Maurice M. Misner, John F. Molenda, Robert Morales, Willard Muth, Terry Nelson, Raymond Nosal, Frank J. Notariano. prgtoken Stanley W. Olenjack, David C. Patterson, Donald J. Patterson, Ronald E. Pearson, Benjam in Pennacchio, Chester A. Perczynski, Joseph L. Perez, Kenneth Phillips, James L. Popik-Fiore, Peter A. Prosiliakos, Ralph W. Reetz, Carl J. Roback, Luis Obed Rodriguez, Alan W. Rolla, Richard J. Ruggiero, Terrence F. Ryan, R. William Ryden, Frank J. Schuster, Robert Seeger, David L. Sewnig, Charles A. Siefert, William J. Skowronski Jr Donald B. Smith, Joseph A. Stupec, Richard L. Vachata, Anthony Jam
Job Corps (Executive Calendar)
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2019-6-4

everywhere I go in Montana, I hear the same thing from my State's business owners and job creators of the State; that they need more workers. They need more highly skilled welders, bricklayers, heavy machine operators, and laborers. The list goes on and on. I will tell you that I think the biggest limiting factor to moving our economy forward is a well-trained workforce. These businesses give living-wage jobs to the folks who are able to fill them, if they have the skills to fill them. prgtoken That is why I was so appalled when the administration recklessly and cluelessly moved to close so many successful Job Corps programs across this country. prgtoken While we have heard there is some sort of reprieve for the Anaconda Job Corps, we have not received word that actually means it is going to stay open or any of the other Job Corps across this country--16 of which were scheduled for privatization and 9 of which were out-and-out closures--will stay open. prgtoken In Montana's case, we have two successful Civilian Conservation Corps programs: the Anaconda Job Corps and the Trapper Creek Job Corps. The Anaconda Job Corps, of course, is in Anaconda, MT. The Trapper Creek Job Corps is in Darby. These two job training centers play an active role in our State's economy. prgtoken We have a foundry in Butte, MT. It is called Montana Precision Products. Mike Robbins is a co-owner of that. This company has hired more than 50 Job Corps graduates in recent years alone--more than 50-- most of whom, if not all, were from the Anaconda Job Corps. He has promoted these folks--some of them--from entry level to mid-level managers. prgtoken So when Mike and his brother Burt need high-skilled employees, the first place they look is the Job Corps. Why? Because these folks come out with a skill set that fits their needs. prgtoken Now, you may ask: Who is going into the Job Corps? These are at-risk folks. These are folks who are having a hard time with life and a hard time getting a job, and they go in the Job Corps--young people--and they give them a skill, a skill they can use in the private sector, a skill that if the administration has their way, they will no longer be able to receive. prgtoken They will be at risk. They will not be well trained. They will, in fact, probably end up in some sort of government program instead of contributing to our economy, and this is what the Job Corps allows them to do. (Mr. LANKFORD assumed the Chair.) prgtoken Needless to say, they also provide incredible work in our forests, fighting fires, helping clean up our forests. prgtoken It is just amazing to me--it is amazing the shortsightedness of this decision to privatize 16 and close 9 Job Corps across the country. We have heard from one of its graduates--I have heard from many of its graduates, by the way--of the Job Corps in Anaconda and down in Darby at Trapper Creek. One of the graduates is named Zoey Huff. Zoey told
ACKNOWLEDGING CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM WORKERS
Karen Bass (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-6-4

May was National Foster Care Month, a time for our country to come together to acknowledge the half million people in our child welfare system, the hundreds of thousands who work within the system day in and day out, and the millions of adults who have exited the system and are no longer in care. prgtoken No one knows the child welfare system like the foster youth who have grown up in the system. Today, the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth and the National Foster Youth Institute have brought more than 100 young people from every corner of the country here to Washington, D.C to shadow their Member of Congress. I would like to take a second to thank the nearly 100 Members of Congress who are spending this morning learning from a constituent and delegate of this program about their personal experiences and ideas to make impactful change in the child welfare system. prgtoken The delegates of this program have been in town since Saturday and have been learning about community activism and successful movement building. Yesterday, we held a forum right here in the Capitol where our delegates were able to ask Members of the leadership of Congress questions about changes to the child welfare system. I can't wait for the participants of this program to be up here serving in Congress, making their voices even louder than they are now. prgtoken Each year, our participants have a real hand in making change. From the Chafee Grant extensions to the passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act just last year, this group's voices have changed our child welfare system forever. prgtoken The reality is this: When the government removes children from their parents, the government becomes that child's parent. Too often, the government forgets this commitment and life goes on for those not in the child welfare system; but for those in it, they come to feel trapped and forgotten. prgtoken These young people here today have traveled thousands of miles to share their stories of their challenges with abuse, trafficking, overmedication, or homelessness. In addition, they are sharing their successes with mentorship, adoption, family reunification, community activism, and independent living. Their goal is to leave Congress with a better understanding of the reality faced day in and day out by our Nation's youth in care. prgtoken Today, , I would like to share the stories of four former foster youth who are here shadowing me today. prgtoken Yeshi Vaughan graduated in the top 10 of her high school class. In May 2019, she graduated with honors from Saint Martin's University with a bachelor's in social work and a minor in sociology. She hopes that as a social worker she can share her story to encourage other youth. prgtoken Fonda Williams is a former foster youth from California, born and raised in the city of Watts. She is 27 years old and the sixth child of eight. Her current occupation is a public safety dispatcher. She atte
Border Security (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-6-4

too much of our conversation about migrants seeking to enter at the southern border has to do with what happens when they get here. Not enough of our conversation concerns how we deal with the problems in the countries from which the migrants are coming. Many of these migrants are fleeing vicious gang violence, corruption, domestic abuse, drug cartels, and economic hardships that are so severe that they would risk a journey of 1,000 miles on foot rather than to stay where they are. prgtoken We simply have to do more to help the countries from which these folks are coming to fix the problems that are causing their people to flee. That is getting at the root causes here, not at just putting on a bandaid after they get to the border, and that may be the most effective way to deal with the overall issue. Unfortunately and as usual, the administration has done the opposite. Its policies are exacerbating the vicious conditions in these Central American countries. prgtoken President has cut $450 million in security assistance to Central American countries and has provided no information about why the cuts have taken place and where the money will go. As usual, it seems it is sort of on a whim. He gets this idea in his head and spews it out without checking it and without explaining it even when it has the consequence he doesn't want, which is more people coming to our southern border. prgtoken Now what the President has proposed are tariffs on Mexico that would be massively destabilizing to our economy and theirs--a policy that will only lead to more migration. These whimsical and erratic proposals by the President that seem to pop into his head and with which he goes forward without prgtoken checking are making a mess of what is going on at the southern border. prgtoken So I would say to the President: There is a much better way to address the migration issue than with tariffs. Deal with the problems in the Central American countries that are causing the migration in the first place. prgtoken The have proposed legislation that would do just that--stem the tide of migrants and help to reduce the backlog of cases. How? prgtoken First, allow asylum seekers to apply for asylum in their home countries. If the people under all of this gang violence and viciousness and economic hardship would be able to apply for asylum in Honduras or in Guatemala or in El Salvador instead of having to take a dangerous and often expensive 1,000-mile trek, they would do it. Why don't we do that? Let's increase the number of immigration judges so there could be adjudication rather quickly, and let's build the capacity of Central American countries to crack down on the violent gangs and vicious drug cartels. prgtoken Our bill would provide $1.5 billion in security assistance to these countries, which is far more than the administration has cut, but it is still nonsensical to have cut this money. This
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2019-6-4

, Senator Capito from West Virginia, who, in the spirit of today, has allowed me to take her place, and she will go next. prgtoken I rise to join my colleagues to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment. I thank Senator Collins and Senator Feinstein for taking the lead in bringing us together today. prgtoken Just think. One hundred years ago today, the Senate voted to guarantee and protect a woman's constitutional right to vote, marking an important milestone in our democracy. My home State of Minnesota was the 15th State to ratify the 19th Amendment, and women like Dr. Mary Jackman Colburn, Sarah Burger Stearns, Clara Ueland, and Sarah Tarleton Colvin fought to make it happen. prgtoken By the way, on a historical note, when President Wilson refused at first to support a constitutional amendment to grant women equal voting rights, suffragists like Sarah Colvin of Minnesota chained themselves to the fence of the White House and burned an effigy of the President. After weeks of similar protest fires and intense pressure to support equal rights, he announced his support of a constitutional amendment. prgtoken We also must remember, in addition to people like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Susan B. Anthony, the African-American suffragists who were in the league--Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, and Margaret Murray Washington. prgtoken The women's suffrage movement encountered strong opposition. It doesn't feel like that would have happened now, but it did back then, and those who opposed equality came up with creative reasons to keep women from voting. prgtoken The National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage was a real organization and published a pamphlet full of propaganda. The pamphlet read that if women were granted the right to vote, some States would be under ``petticoat rule.'' The pamphlet also provided a list of household cleaning tips for women, such as not needing a ballot to clean out your sink spout and that there is no method known by which a mud-stained reputation may be cleaned after bitter political campaigns. Posters were scattered across cities that depicted men at home taking care of babies and cooking and cleaning because they had been abandoned by their voting wives. prgtoken One hundred years later, I think we can safely say that none of the dire warnings described in the propaganda came to pass and that the United States of America did not perish under the ``petticoat rule.'' What did happen is, in 1920, in the first Federal election in which women could vote, the total popular vote increased dramatically from 18.5 million to 26.8 million by 1920. prgtoken When I arrived in the Senate, there were only 16 women, led by the dean of the women Senators, who is here with us today, Senator Barbara Mikulski. As noted by my colleagues, we now have 25 women Senators. That is an alltime high because, when