mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
SUNSHINE WEEK
Michael B. Enzi (Republican, WY) \u2014 2020-3-12

I rise to submit to the Senate a statement in support of Sunshine Week, an annual event that spotlights the key need of a government-transparency. Without openness and access to how all levels of government spend tax dollars or make key decisions, accountability and oversight will lack. prgtoken Where transparency is lacking, waste, fraud, and duplication tend to proliferate. The Government Accountability Office-GAO-regularly cites ``lack of transparency'' as a chronic problem across many agencies and programs. This can have serious consequences. This causes increased taxpayer spending and improper payments. This hinders competition. In turn, a lack of transparency can affect everything from public health to our national defense. prgtoken Given the profound and far-reaching impacts of Federal programs and policies, the people need to know how their tax dollars are being spent. prgtoken Without access to reliable, accurate information, how can we be sure good decisions are being made when it comes to spending the tax dollars of hard-working families? Sure that the policies we craft in this Chamber are working as intended? Sure that our limited resources go where they are needed most? Sure that the programs we create aren't causing harm? prgtoken Well that is why, as the chairman of the Budget Committee, I have focused the last several years on enhancing transparency and improving both the quality and quantity of data available for all decisionmakers. I am extremely gratified that my colleagues from both sides of the aisle, along with key organizations and experts, so often join these efforts. prgtoken One step in the right direction is the Senate Budget Committee has started to publish regular scorekeeping reports. These are available for the public on the committee's website and track the budgetary impact of legislation approved by Congress against current spending levels. This helps provide other committees, Members of Congress, and taxpayers with ongoing updates about the fiscal implications of recently agreed upon legislation. prgtoken In addition, there are obviously many unknowns when it comes to agencies implementing the laws and programs already on the books. To address this concern, I led a bipartisan group of 15 Senators last July, along with Senator Lankford, to urge the White House Office of Management and Budget to make a complete list of all Federal programs publicly available in a central, governmentwide website. This would help to identify and eliminate program waste and duplication. Because, believe it or not, there is no comprehensive list of each and every program the Federal Government funds. It still isn't available. prgtoken The fact that legislators and taxpayers don't even know how many programs we have or what they do is troubling, particularly as we continue to create and fund new ones. prgtoken In the past, GAO has identified massive amounts of duplication across the Fed
RECOGNIZING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF NORTHERN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY
Tom Reed (Republican, NY) \u2014 2020-3-12

. Madam , today I rise to recognize the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County. This important organization is providing vital services to the children and families of this area, and it is good to recognize their work. prgtoken The Boys and Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County serves hundreds of youths a year and has six sites throughout Northern Chautauqua County. In 1994, the club was founded as a satellite program of the Jamestown Boys and Girls Club in Southern Chautauqua County. Space in the Masonic building on Central Avenue in Dunkirk was secured for the program and Jim Szwejbka became the first program director. prgtoken In 1996, the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County was incorporated as an independent club with Lynn Dorler as the first executive director for the club. Since that time, the club has provided after school activities and a positive environment that fosters relationship building, confidence building and a focus on healthy lifestyles through a variety of programs. prgtoken The club has had a variety of homes over the years. In 2006, the club moved to former Dunkirk School Number Six on Benton Street, had transitioned to the former St. Hyacinth School on Lake Shore Drive in 2010 and has recently found a new space in the Salvation Army building on Central Avenue. prgtoken The work this organization has done in the Dunkirk community and beyond has been instrumental in the lives of so many children and their families. For the past twenty-five years, this organization has become a cornerstone in youth programming in the area and I can't wait to see what they do in the next twenty-five years. prgtoken Given the above, I ask that this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations and join me to recognize the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County.
HONORING DILLON J. CARR
Sam Graves (Republican, MO) \u2014 2020-3-12

. Madam , I proudly pause to recognize Dillon J. Carr. Dillon is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1376, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout. Dillon has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Dillon has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community. Most notably, Dillon is a Brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow and holds the rank of Firebuilder in the tribe of Mic-O-Say. Dillon has also contributed to his community through his Eagle Scout project. Dillon constructed a butterfly garden, bird feeder, and bird bath outside of Life Unlimited in Liberty, Missouri. Madam , I proudly ask you to join me in commending Dillon J. Carr for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.
AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO MEET
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2020-3-12

I have 5 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. prgtoken Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry prgtoken The Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at 10 a.m to conduct a hearing on pending nominations. Committee on Armed Services prgtoken The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at 10 a.m to conduct a hearing. Committee on the Judiciary prgtoken The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at 10: 10 a.m to conduct a hearing on the following nominations: John Leonard Badalamenti, to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida, William Scott Hardy, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania, John F. Heil III, to be United States District Judge for the Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Oklahoma, David Cleveland Joseph, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana, Anna M. Manasco, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama, Drew B. Tipton, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Stephen Sidney Schwartz, of Virginia, Kathryn C. Davis, of Maryland, and Edward Hulvey Meyers, of Maryland, each to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims, and Vincent F. DeMarco, to be United States Marshal for the Eastern District of New York, Department of Justice. Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship prgtoken The Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at 10:30 a.m to conduct a hearing. Committee on Veterans' Affairs prgtoken The Committee on Veterans' Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at 11:45 a.m to conduct a hearing on the following nomination: James E. Trainor III, of Texas, to be a Member of the Federal Election Commission.
RECOGNIZING SPACE COAST CITY FEST
Bill Posey (Republican, FL) \u2014 2020-3-12

. Madam , on March 28th and 29th, 2020, Brevard County families along with 100 business owners and 190 local church organizations will gather together to celebrate Space Coast City Fest. This uplifting event will take place at Space Coast Daily Park in Melbourne, FL, concluding a year and a half long outreach effort to unite the Christian Community. prgtoken Space Coast City Fest was created as a region-wide campaign to serve churches in the community and promote faith-based works. Over a period of 18 months, CityFest and CityServe have worked to raise the level of involvement of Brevard County churches in serving community needs. The focus of their initiatives include building long term partnerships with public and non-profit groups to help prgtoken serve our schools, meet the needs of children within the foster care system, raise awareness & seek solutions for the Opioid crisis, tackle homelessness, feed the hungry, and revitalize troubled and sometimes forgotten neighborhoods. prgtoken In addition, special events were held to promote unity among church leaders and spread a message of Christian hope. The ReNew gathering drew more than 2,000 people for a night of worship & teaching, a conference for pastors and ministry leaders was attended by several hundred church leaders, an educational forum on community issues, and various training sessions were offered to church members. In the ten days leading up to the final festival event, a Christian message was shared in several smaller settings including a surf camp with Cliff and Damian Hobgood, two presentations in area prisons, a luncheon and a dinner for women, and a business and civic leaders' luncheon. prgtoken The final event is a family-oriented festival at the Space Coast Daily Park next to Viera High School on March 28th and 29th. The festival will host a children's area and an action sports program that includes professional BMX, Free-Style Motocross, and skateboard demonstrations. The event will wrap up with a mainstage program of contemporary Christian music bands from around the county, and will also include a message of hope from international evangelist Andrew Palau. Other featured performers include Adam Agee, Mandisa, Newsboys United, Blanca, Illusionist Jon Michael Hinton, Danny Gokey, and Lecrae. Thousands are expected to attend. prgtoken I would like to recognize the hard work of the local organizing committee chaired by Christopher Burton and Dr. Mike Ronsisvalle in partnership with the Luis Palau Association. Their efforts over the last 18 months of mobilizing events have greatly impacted our community and have brought us all together in a very special way. It's notable that the $800,000 cost of the Space Coast City Fest Celebration was contributed by local churches, individuals, and businesses so that it could be free to the public. prgtoken I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to please join me in recognizing Space Coas
COASTAL Act (Executive Session)
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2020-3-12

I would like to talk for a few minutes today about my favorite subject, which is Louisiana. prgtoken I could talk the rest of the day and through the entire weekend about the good things about Louisiana, but today I want to talk about one of our problems. It is not just a problem for Louisiana; it is also a problem for the United States of America; it is also a problem for the American people; it is also a problem for energy independence for our country. Louisiana is drowning. It is drowning because we are washing away. Our land is washing into the gulf. prgtoken I live about 250, 300 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico--sort of in the toe of the boot, if you think of Louisiana as a boot. If things continue as they are going, I may not be alive then, but my home-- whoever lives in it after I am gone--will be gulf front property. Remember, my home is 250 to 300 miles from the coast. prgtoken Why is that happening? Why is our land washing away into the gulf? There are a number of reasons. I will mention two, in particular. The sea levels in the Gulf of Mexico are rising. We can have a rigorous debate about the reason for that, and I know many smart people think it is for this reason and others disagree and think it is for that reason, but we can't deny the fact that sea levels are rising whatever the cause. In fact, as the gulf meets the southern part of my State, it is rising about 12 to 13 inches every 100 years. prgtoken We have another reason, though, as to why my State is washing away-- our land in southern Louisiana is sinking. prgtoken Why is that? prgtoken The Mississippi Delta, of which Louisiana is a part, is an ecological and hydrodynamic masterpiece. What God did in creating our State is just breathtaking. It used to be the Mississippi River, which runs right through my State, would overflow every year. It would deposit its sediment in South Louisiana. The water would recede and go back into the river channel, but the sediment would remain. After thousands and thousands of years, the land was built up. Then we leveed the Mississippi River. I am not saying we did the wrong thing by leveeing the Mississippi River, for we have increased the quality of life for a lot of Americans and enhanced our economy. When we leveed the river, we prevented it from overflowing so that it would no prgtoken longer deposit sediment, but the sediment that was already there before we leveed the river was slowly sinking. So we have sea levels in the gulf rising 12 to 13 inches every 100 years, and we have the land sinking. You don't have to be a senior at Cal Tech to figure out we have a problem. That is why our land is washing away. prgtoken Now, why is this important? prgtoken It is obviously important for the people who live on the land that is washing away, but it is also important for America's energy independence because underneath the land that is slowly being washed into the gulf--crisscrossing that land and e
USA FREEDOM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2020
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-3-12

now, on another matter, yesterday the House of Representatives did come together around a bipartisan agreement to renew some critical national security tools. The USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act of 2020 will reauthorize key authorities granted to intelligence and national security professionals under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. prgtoken First and foremost, this means ensuring that the men and women tasked with rooting out espionage and stopping terrorist activity on U.S. soil are equipped with the powers they need to be successful. prgtoken Today, the threats these professionals confront are as serious and diverse as ever. Terrorist groups continue to wish us harm. Major hostile powers like Russia and China remain committed to undermining the integrity of American institutions, from our infrastructure to our elections. prgtoken The targeted powers reauthorized by this legislation are a vital part of the efforts to protect American communities. That is a fact. It is a fact that has been reaffirmed time and again by Attorneys General and by the numerous reauthorizations granted by Congress. prgtoken This time is no different. We can't mistake the safety and security that FISA authorities have helped preserve for evidence that they are no longer needed. At the same time, we cannot mistake a vital process for a perfect one. The 2016 election showed us perfectly clearly that the authorities granted under FISA are in need of targeted reforms to improve accountability. That was backed up by the findings of the Department of Justice inspector general. prgtoken That is why this legislation contains a number of specific reforms to address the kinds of failures that embarrassed the system in 2016: more oversight over the practices of the FISA Court, more declassification and more compliance practices, higher level approval for certain sensitive applications, and more. prgtoken Our responsibility here is twofold. We have to continue equipping our national security professionals and the intelligence community to anticipate, confront, and eliminate the threats facing our country, and we also have to respond to the failures of 2016 with real reforms that ensure the public trust is handled appropriately. prgtoken This legislation, passed by a bipartisan majority in the House and endorsed by the Attorney General, strikes the right balance. I am confident that it will pass the Senate as well. It is not a question of if this passes but when. prgtoken I hope that our colleagues who may not choose to vote for this legislation will not deny this body the opportunity to renew these authorities today to prevent any lapse. I hope none of our colleagues choose to force these important national security tools to temporarily lapse for the sake of making a political point, which will not change the outcome. In fact, I hope we can renew these authorities today. prgtoken But if we cannot, if some of our colleagues c
UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 6172
Richard Burr (Republican, NC) \u2014 2020-3-12

reserving the right to object, I want to thank my colleague. He has shown more interest in this bill today than he has ever in the history of tools that keep us safe. prgtoken I remember Paul Harvey on the radio. He always came on and said: ``Now, for the rest of the story.'' prgtoken Senator Lee has never supported this bill, never supported giving any of these authorities to law enforcement. And let me explain what they are--roving wiretap and lone wolf. Lone wolf is that individual out there who pops up, whom we can find, who is not tied to an international terrorist group but is homegrown. On wiretapping, we are going to take roving wiretaps away from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and we are going to take it away for terrorism. But since 1960, they have had roving wiretaps for organized crime--think about that--and then business records and their access to business records to find those clues that we need to keep America safe. prgtoken Senator Lee talked about us holding hostage. No, we are not holding anybody hostage. He is holding the bill hostage to get amendments, some of which shouldn't even be considered under the reauthorization of section 215. They are FISA reforms being taken up by the Senate Judiciary Committee. prgtoken That bill that came over from the House--the one supported by Pelosi, Schiff, and Nadler--is actually a bipartisan bill that 63 percent of the s in the U.S. House of Representatives have supported. It is Leader McCarthy. I will not go down the list of them. But it is easy to make this out as the boogeyman. prgtoken But to my colleagues, we don't play national security risk, boogeyman games against the American people. We err on the side of providing as many tools as we possibly can to make sure that our oath to keep America safe is as robust as it possibly can be. prgtoken Now, why do we need to do this? It is because we need to provide law enforcement the certainty of knowing that they can continue to use these tools. If not, we are going to have cases that they are working on today where they have to stop at midstream and start over at some point later on. The question is, Will they be able to, or will they have lost the coverage they need on a certain individual? prgtoken Now, what happens if they are gone? Well, we have been there. This is the result of trying to create guardrails that these agencies operated in. The President, under 12333 authority, can do all of this without Congress's permission, with no guardrails, with no ability to go in and say: Stay within this. prgtoken That authority exists. prgtoken The thing that I hear the most is that we want the ability for an amicus to go in and represent somebody in front of this foreign intelligence court. Well, let me tell you something that you are never going to be told. The court itself has the authority, today, to assign an amicus to any case that comes before the court. And what better judge
CONGRATULATING KENT FOUNTAIN
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2020-3-12

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Mr. Kent Fountain for being elected the National Cotton Council chairman for 2020. prgtoken Mr. Fountain is an excellent choice for this important role and knows the cotton industry inside and out. prgtoken He is the president and CEO of Southeastern Gin and Peanut and has won numerous awards, including Southeastern Ginner of the Year in 2001 and the Horace Hayden National Ginner of the Year in 2016. prgtoken Additionally, Mr. Fountain works as the director of Cotton Council International, which promotes American cotton abroad. prgtoken With cotton being so critical to Georgia's economy, I am proud that we have someone from our State with so much expertise leading the national cotton industry. prgtoken Kent, congratulations on your election. Keep up the good work.