mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
SECURE ELECTIONS ACT
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2018-8-22

I come to the floor this evening to spend a couple of minutes talking about the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. prgtoken We know that the debate has been engaged now for a number of weeks and that the American people are part of that debate. I have already expressed my views about the process that led to his nomination. I have very strong views about it. I think it was a corrupt bargain between at least two--if not the only two--far-right organizations and the administration to choose from a list of only 25 individuals to serve on the Supreme Court. In other words, if you are not on the list of 25 chosen by those groups or at least certainly ratified by those groups, you cannot be nominated to the Supreme Court. prgtoken But tonight I am here to talk about a different set of questions. One is more specific and one is broader, but both are important. I will deal with the broader question at some length, but I will raise the more specific question first; that is, the question of a particular aspect of the Judge's record. prgtoken I happen to serve as the ranking member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and I am alarmed at some of the judge's opinions regarding older Americans and Americans with disabilities. I will be walking through some of those cases at a different time, but I have a series of questions that I think are important to have answers to as they relate to his views and the potential opinions he would write that affect older Americans and individuals with disabilities. prgtoken Because there has been a failure so far to turn over records of his tenure in the White House--documents that some believe number in the millions of pages--it is very difficult to ascertain or even to formulate questions that relate to just these two topics, among many, the two topics being his views on Americans with disabilities and the laws that protect Americans with disabilities and, of course, his views on programs and policies that relate to older Americans. prgtoken Today I have written to Chairman Grassley, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Ranking Member Feinstein, to demand that the Judiciary Committee obtain and share with me and my staff all documents related to older adults and people with disabilities. The Judiciary Committee is attempting to move forward with Judge Kavanaugh's hearing before--before--we have seen and had a chance to review his entire record. Without Judge Kavanaugh's full record to review and without all of the documents being made available to the committee and, therefore, to the Senate, no Senator can fulfill his or her constitutional duty to provide meaningful advice and consent about this nominee for the highest Court in the land and, I would argue, the most powerful--or at least the most important--Court in the world. prgtoken This duty could not be more important than it is at this moment. prgtoken Yesterday, as so many Ameri
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Joe Donnelly (Democrat, IN) \u2014 2018-8-22

as a parent, I know there is nothing more important than the health and safety of our children. It is the most basic desire of any mom or dad to watch their child grow up happy and healthy and to achieve his or her God-given potentials. Sadly, for too many children in this country, the chance at a healthy life and a bright future is stunted by external environmental factors beyond their control. prgtoken In some communities, in States like my home State of Indiana, with a long history of commercial and industrial manufacturing, the potential for exposure to hazardous contamination is a reality that must be constantly monitored and carefully managed. For that reason, I would like to talk about why our work on this appropriations bill that would fund agencies, including the Department of Labor, as well as Health and Human Services, is so important. prgtoken Last week, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, also known as ATSDR, held a community meeting in East Chicago, IN, to discuss the ongoing impacts of lead exposure in particular neighborhoods built over an old U.S. Steel lead smelter. prgtoken At the meeting, ATSDR released a report which indicated that in these neighborhoods 30 percent of children tested between 2005 and 2015 had blood lead levels above the CDC's reference level. That is 12 times higher than the national average of 2.5 percent. prgtoken The impacts of lead exposure are dangerous and irreversible. Even low levels of lead have been shown to affect a child's I.Q the ability to pay attention, and academic achievement. Think about what that means for these children, for their families, for the community, and for our country. prgtoken In East Chicago, the fight to combat lead exposure is a team effort, and it also includes partners from the city, the State department of health, and IDEM, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services at the Federal level. prgtoken It is critical that our Federal partners continue to support these efforts by providing the best science, research, and resources to help identify and remediate contamination, as well as educate our impacted communities. That is why I am pleased that this appropriations bill more than doubles the current level of funding for CDC's efforts to reduce childhood lead poisoning. This funding is critical for lowering blood lead levels and preventing future harm. It also helps educate healthcare providers and the public about lead poisoning, monitor childhood blood lead levels, and provide funding to States for childhood lead-poisoning prevention. prgtoken Another important tool we have to protect the health and safety of our communities is Trevor's Law. Authored by my good friend Senator Mike Crapo and passed as part of the bipartisan Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act in 2016, prgtoken Trevor's Law was des
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2018-8-22

included in the underlying appropriations bill are funds to continue the U.S. support for the Saudi-led bombing campaign inside Yemen. I will speak about an amendment I have that would stop the U.S. support for this campaign pending a determination by the administration that we are in compliance with U.S international, and humanitarian law regarding the targeting of civilians. prgtoken At this point, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment and call up amendment No. 3793.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2018-8-22

earlier I talked about what has happened on the Manafort and Cohen matters yesterday. I understand the great amount of consternation there is at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Having been a prosecutor, I can understand why there is consternation. prgtoken I note for my colleagues that we passed in the Senate Judiciary Committee a bipartisan bill-- and voted for the bill--to protect the special prosecutor. There prgtoken are those of us who are old enough to remember when Richard Nixon fired the special prosecutor in the Watergate matter and the great constitutional problems that followed. It was something the country suffered over for years, and we want to make sure we don't have another firing like we did in the Watergate matter. So we wrote this bill. Again, s and voted for it. It could be brought up anytime by the leadership, if they wished. I am hoping that it will be brought up. I am hoping we can bring it to the floor and we can have a vote. I know we had a good debate--again, s and --in the Judiciary Committee, and I would like to see it voted on. prgtoken I notice we are at the hour of 3:30, and I know the Presiding Officer has a ruling to make, so I will withhold.
SECURE ELECTIONS ACT
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2018-8-22

I thank Senator Whitehouse for his unwavering commitment to elevating the urgent need for all of us to take action on climate change. prgtoken Since 2012, Senator Whitehouse has given over 200 speeches on climate change--faithfully, passionately, intellectually--and has warned us of what is to come if we don't get our act together. So I thank Senator Whitehouse. I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with him in the fight to save this Earth. This is on all of us. prgtoken The facts are in. The science is irrefutable. Climate change is real. It is real, and it is happening every single day all around us. It is not made up. It is not a Chinese hoax. It is the most existential threat our world has ever known, and we are not doing enough to stop it. That is why I wanted to be here tonight to stand with my friend and my colleague Senator Whitehouse to ring the alarm. It is time for us to wake up. prgtoken As I think about the consequences of inaction, I can't help but reflect on the financial crisis that nearly destroyed our global economy 10 years ago. Millions of hard-working people lost their jobs, millions lost their homes, and millions lost their savings. The financial crisis nearly tore apart the global economy for a whole variety of reasons, but the failure to act on credible, verifiable data is what nearly destroyed our economy. prgtoken It didn't have to happen. We could have prevented it. Yet here we are again, ignoring clear and blatant warnings of another financial disaster in the making. The evidence is mounting every single day with fires blazing out of control, extreme storms and hurricanes, rising sea levels, and warming oceans. Our planet is in danger, which means our economy is in danger. prgtoken Recent data show that a major climate-related disaster could trigger a global financial crisis, the likes of which our economy has never seen. Now, I don't say that to predict some kind of doomsday disaster. This is a real and present threat to our global economy, and here is why: The driving cause of climate change is emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases from humans in their burning of fossil fuels. We are causing this every day. prgtoken Scientists estimate that humans can only burn so much more carbon before causing a global temperature rise of 2 degrees. A 2-degree rise in temperatures would be devastating--rising sea levels, droughts, famine. Yet, as of today, the worldwide oil and gas industry has carbon reserves that already far exceed the amount of carbon we can burn to stay under the 2-degree temperature rise. prgtoken So what does that actually mean? prgtoken All of these carbon resources will become less and less valuable as the environmental costs of burning carbon become more and more severe. That will devastate the global coal, oil, and gas industries. One estimate is that 82 percent of all coal reserves, 49 percent of global gas reserves, and 33 p
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-8-22

what the administration is doing to sabotage healthcare in our country is a monumental scandal in slow motion. What the President promised was better care for all Americans at lower cost. What he and his officials have delivered is special deals for special interests and rewards for rip-offs. prgtoken It is almost as if you took the clock above the Chamber and turned it back. What Americans want--and I heard it at townhall meetings last weekend at home in Oregon--is to move forward on healthcare. They want, for example, to have strong measures, not empty rhetoric, to hold down the cost of their medicines--lifting the restrictions so that Medicare can bargain and hold down the cost of medicine and use the smart principles of negotiating power that the private sector uses all the time. They want to move forward on healthcare, not backward. prgtoken There is no clearer example of the administration's trying to take the country back on healthcare than its efforts to give a green light to junk health insurance. Junk health insurance represents all of the unsavory insurance industry tricks and abuses that the Affordable Care Act sought to eliminate. Junk plans exist, literally and figuratively, so that companies can prey on the vulnerable and the people with preexisting conditions, such as if you have asthma or diabetes, or prey on women, prey on older people, or prey on the less fortunate. They certainly don't exist to cover the healthcare that Americans actually need because that is where they always fall short. prgtoken The centerpiece of the Affordable Care Act was an ironclad, loophole- free guarantee that no American would ever face discrimination over a preexisting condition. prgtoken I note that my friend, the President of the Senate, has joined the Chamber. He knows this pretty well because he worked with me on our bipartisan effort to ensure that there would be loophole-free, airtight protection for Americans from discrimination against those with a preexisting conditions. For all practical purposes, we got what we worked on in a bipartisan way, when we had eight and eight s. We got that into the Affordable Care Act. Essentially, now what the administration seeks to do is to undo that guarantee of airtight, loophole-free protection for people who have these preexisting conditions. prgtoken I am going to read a question that appears on an application for one of these plans that are being marketed now. Under a bold headline that says ``Important: You must answer the questions below as they apply to You and all other family members applying for coverage,'' the question reads: ``Within the past 5 years, have you or any other person to be insured been aware of, diagnosed, treated by a member of the medical profession or taken [medication] for: cancer or a tumor, stroke, heart disorder, heart attack, coronary bypass or stent, peripheral vascular disease, carotid ar
TRIBUTE TO STEVEN HILDRETH
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-8-22

I wish to speak in order to honor the achievements of Steven A. Hildreth, Specialist in Missile Defense, Congressional Research Service, CRS, on the prgtoken occasion of his retirement from the Service on August 31, 2018. prgtoken Steve Hildreth served Congress with distinction for more than 32 years at the Library of Congress as a Specialist in U.S. and Foreign National Security Programs for the Congressional Research Service. He earned a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, a master's degree in international relations from Georgetown University in Washington, DC, graduate work at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC, and a master's degree in national security strategy from the National War College in Washington, DC. prgtoken Steve is recognized throughout Congress, the military services, the defense community, and the arms control community as an expert in U.S. nuclear weapons and ballistic missile defense, arms control, military space, and nonproliferation issues. He wrote extensively on missile defense programs, from the Strategic Defense Initiative in the 1980s through the current guided-missile defense and Aegis programs. He also assisted the House Armed Services Committee, after the first gulf war, with assessments of the effectiveness of the Patriot system in taking down Iraqi scud missiles. In that capacity, he assisted Congress in 8 hours of testimony, leading a group of CRS researchers in providing open source analysis of the international aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks before the 9/11 Commission. Halfway through, the staff director for the Commission told Steve, ``I never believed in open source analysis until today.'' prgtoken Steve also exercised true leadership at CRS. For 9 years, he led the Central Research Unit in the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division of CRS, where he created and managed an extensive internship program and oversaw many of the research experts of the Service. prgtoken Steve published many influential CRS reports on such subjects as challenges to the United States in space, Iran's ballistic missile and space launch programs, long-range ballistic missile defense in Europe, ballistic missile defense in the Asia-Pacific region, ballistic missile defense, and offensive arms reductions, cyber warfare, and the Strategic Defense Initiative. prgtoken Long before I thought of running for office, I worked on national security issues for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In that capacity, I always found Steve's expertise valuable. As a Senator, I have continued to utilize Steve's analysis and insights. I am grateful for his service and wish him the best as he begins a new journey.
SECURE ELECTIONS ACT
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2018-8-22

I am so grateful to join my colleague today, Senator Warren, to discuss the financial and economic risks that are posed by climate change. prgtoken You have just heard the Senator from my neighboring State of Massachusetts lay out a powerful case. Given the gravity of these risks and given our recent experience of the 2008 financial crisis, we should be doing everything we can to prevent another economic meltdown. prgtoken We know exactly what we need to do to mitigate these economic threats. We need to transition from polluting fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy. We can do this simply by giving renewables a fair market chance against the gigantic public subsidies on which the fossil fuel industry float. Put a price on carbon emissions so the price of the polluting product reflects its pollution costs to society. That is the economics 101 answer. prgtoken The problem is that fossil fuel behemoths are desperate to duck the costs of their pollution. They want to protect this massive market failure. Why do you suppose they are the biggest special interest political force in the world? It is to do that work. Look over in the House, where just recently an army of fossil fuel lobbyists and front groups pushed through an industry-scripted resolution and declared, falsely, that pricing carbon would be bad for the American economy. All but eight House s voted the way the industry instructed--for a resolution that was, for them, politically correct in a polluter- obedient kind of way but was factually false. prgtoken Today, in my 217th ``Time to Wake Up'' climate change speech, I am going to relate recent testimony by a respected Nobel Prize-winning economics professor, Joseph Stiglitz. Unlike all of that cheap political chicanery around the House resolution, Professor Stiglitz' report was presented under oath and was subject to cross-examination. Fat chance the climate deniers would ever let themselves get cross- examined under oath. Truth is kryptonite for them. prgtoken Stiglitz' report came out in Juliana v. United States--a case in which the plaintiffs were children who sued the U.S. Government for violating their constitutional rights through a knowing failure to protect them from the costs of unlimited carbon emissions. prgtoken Here is what Stiglitz' testimony states: [The U.S. Government's] continuing support and perpetuation of a national fossil-fuel based energy system and continuing delay in addressing climate change is saddling and will continue to saddle Youth Plaintiffs with an enormous cost burden, as well as tremendous risks. prgtoken Obviously, when Stiglitz talks about ``youth plaintiffs,'' his testimony actually covers all of the children and future generations who will bear the terrible, foreseeable costs of climate havoc. prgtoken In particular, Stiglitz notes that ``rising sea levels will lead to massive reductions in property value,'' just as S
TRIBUTE TO CAPTAIN MIGUEL COSIO
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2018-8-22

today I wish to honor a great American and steadfast Air National guardsman. prgtoken Capt. Miguel ``Mike'' E. Cosio has distinguished himself through his professional character and dedication by serving this Nation in uniform. A leader and expert communicator, he has provided distinguished service to our country while assigned to the National Capitol Region. prgtoken As an Air legislative liaison in the National Guard Bureau Office of Legislative Liaison from May 2016 to August 2018, Captain Cosio performed his duties well and without reservation. His strategic thinking and foresight contributed to the completion of numerous high- level tasks and engagements between Congress and the National Guard. During this assignment, Captain Cosio conducted more than 50 congressional engagements to provide Members insight into the worsening trend of substance misuse and the critical role of the National Guard's counterdrug program in effectively combating this epidemic. He also actively engaged Members of Congress regarding the growth of the State Partnership Program, a vital driver in strengthening our alliances overseas. In addition to those meetings, he organized dozens of direct engagements between Air National Guard senior leaders and Members of Congress, which were essential in conveying important information on behalf of the Department of Defense and building trust and understanding. prgtoken After serving in this vital role for the past 2 years, Captain Cosio will move to his next assignment: deploying in support of our Nation's defense as a true citizen-airman. Mike, his wife, Traci, and their two children have sacrificed much as a family in service to our Nation. I am thankful for Mike's service and his work with my office over the past 2 years on issues important to the State of New Hampshire and the country. I salute this American patriot whose selfless service has kept our country safe and strong. prgtoken Thank you.