mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
REMEMBERING MIRIAM STAHL
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2020-10-19

today I would like to honor the life of a woman who made immense contributions to improve the lives of children throughout New Hampshire, Miriam Stahl. prgtoken Originally from the Midwest, Miriam moved to New Hampshire to be near her family, and once here, she began working at a critical community resource and early intervention center called the Richie McFarland Children's Center. prgtoken Founded in 1971, the Richie McFarland Children's Center works to provide social and therapeutic programs for children, including those who experience disabilities. This center helps children learn, grow, and thrive, while also empowering families and working to meet the needs of every child. The center and its remarkable staff are often the first professional resources made available to a family and child grappling with developmental challenges. To say that the center serves as a lifeline is an understatement. prgtoken According to her colleagues, the Richie McFarland Children's Center would not be what it is today without Miriam's vision and leadership. Miriam served as the executive director of the center for a decade, and she believed passionately in the power of early intervention to help children develop. prgtoken During her tenure, Miriam did all that she could to use her talent, energy, and quiet determination to prioritize the needs of children and to provide them with vital support. Her advocacy was clear, no nonsense, and nonjudgmental. She made inroads as a prgtoken result. After she retired, she remained in New Hampshire and remained close with her colleagues at the center. prgtoken Miriam passed away last month at the age of 88, and she will be sorely missed. Her legacy, though, will live on through her family and through the lasting impact she made on children and families throughout New Hampshire. prgtoken I hope that you join me in honoring the life of a champion for all children, Miriam Stahl.
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTION
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2020-10-19

today I am introducing the Rhode Island Fishermen's Fairness Act of 2020 along with my colleague Senator Whitehouse. This legislation seeks to address a longstanding inequity in our Nation's fisheries management system which denies Rhode Islanders a voice in the governance of many stocks that local fishermen catch and rely upon for their livelihoods. prgtoken The Magnuson-Stevens Act granted Rhode Island voting membership on the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), as NEFMC-managed stocks represent a significant percentage of landings and revenue for the State. However, Rhode Island has an even larger stake in Mid- Atlantic fisheries. Yet, it does not have voting representation on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC), which currently consists of representatives from New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. prgtoken According to data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), between 2014 and 2108, Rhode Island accounted for approximately a quarter of the commercial landings by value from stocks under the MAFMC's sole jurisdiction, and its commercial landings were greater than the total landings of all of the states currently represented on the MAFMC with the exception of New Jersey. prgtoken As the rest of the Nation learned during the ic National Convention, the Rhode Island State appetizer is calamari. That is squid. And while squid is our number one landed species, Rhode Island doesn't have a formal say in the management of this stock. prgtoken This legislation offers a simple solution with sound precedent. North Carolina was added to the MAFMC through an amendment to the Sustainable Fisheries Act in 1996. Like Rhode Island, a significant portion of North Carolina's landed fish species were managed by the MAFMC, yet the State had no vote on the council. Similarly, the Rhode Island Fishermen's Fairness Act would create two seats on the MAFMC for Rhode Island: one seat appointed by the Secretary of Commerce based on recommendations from the Governor of Rhode Island, and a second seat filled by Rhode Island's principal State official with marine fishery management responsibility. To accommodate these new members, the MAFMC would increase in size from 21 to 23 voting members. In short, Rhode Island would be guaranteed the same minimum representation as every other State on the MAFMC. prgtoken With mounting economic, ecological, and regulatory challenges, it is more important than ever that Rhode Island fishermen have a voice in the management of the fisheries they depend on. prgtoken I urge our colleagues to join us in supporting this commonsense legislation.
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2020-10-19

I do want to say that we are here at a time when the Party is jamming yet another nominee through bizarre procedural practices onto the Supreme Court. prgtoken We have examined in the Judiciary Committee some of the ways in which the funding for that operation flows from big anonymous donors who use the Federalist Society as a conduit to buy a seat at the table where our Supreme Court Justices are selected, and then, with contributions as big as $17 million, pays for campaign ads for the nominee who has been selected and then sends an entire flotilla of front groups in an orchestrated chorus to go and argue together before the Supreme Court as if they were different. prgtoken What I want to say today is that we have been looking at this captured court problem for a while, and we are releasing this ``What's at Stake'' report on what it means for climate and the environment because who is behind the scheme to capture the court are primarily the big polluters who want protection from courts that will be friendly to their interests. prgtoken I will speak more about this and about why they are willing to spend prgtoken what the Washington Post has calculated as $250 million in dark money to affect this court-capture operation. What is the payback for them? prgtoken I am here for this episode of my ``Time to Wake Up'' series, which has an interesting overlay with what is happening in the Senate because we are considering the nomination of Judge Barrett to go on the Supreme Court. Her nomination completes a series of three nominations to the Supreme Court consecutively, each of which has been distinguished by extremely unusual procedural maneuvering and even rule-breaking within the Senate and the Judiciary Committee to get those nominations pushed through. So we have been looking for some time at what the motivation is behind all of that pressure and what the explanation is for all of those bizarre procedural anomalies that we see over and over and over again. prgtoken As I described in the Judiciary hearing, what we see is an operation that has brought big, anonymous special interests to the table, where Justices are selected by virtue of their writing big checks. The vehicle for this has been the Federalist Society, which has a fine role on college campuses as a conservative discussion and student group and which has a relatively fine role in Washington as a think tank--as fine as think tanks are. Yet it also has this additional role of taking money from big special interests, not disclosing who they are, and giving them a seat at the table when the Federalist Society is selecting Justices, and that is wrong. There is just no doubt about that being wrong. prgtoken Then, once the Justices are selected, guess what. Ad campaigns get launched in support of them, and checks get written as big as $17 million to support the ad campaigns. Again, the donors are anonymous. It is very weird. Then,
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2020-10-19

what is at stake with our climate and the environment? Our planet. Our planet is on fire, literally. Historic wildfires are leaving our forests and rural communities in ashes. Oceans are growing hotter and more acidic, devastating sea life from the shellfish of Oregon to the coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef. prgtoken There is so much damage, not just to the natural world but to our tourists and fishing industries, to our forest industry, and to our farming industry, the pillars of our rural economy both in America and around the world. More frequent and more devastating storms damaging crops, flooding cities, destroying coastal communities--the climate crisis is a clear and present danger. We are barreling headfirst at full speed toward catastrophic, irreversible climate chaos, and these special interests that my colleague just spoke about and which we expose in this report are using every tool at their disposal, especially the courts, not to stop the damage but to accelerate the carnage. prgtoken It shouldn't be too surprising that they should turn to these strategies. They can't turn to the citizens of the United States because protecting our world is popular among the American people. They favor clean air. They favor clean water. They think our government has a responsibility to protect that air and water and land, and, more broadly, to protect our planet. prgtoken In fact, 70 percent of Americans say government is not doing enough to reduce the effects of climate chaos, and they are so right. That is why the fossil fuel companies know that they can't win outright based on their arguments--or certainly not based on their ideas. No one says ``I want more lead in my water'' or ``I want more climate-damaging carbon dioxide or methane in the air.'' prgtoken So what do you do if you can't win fairly? You rig the outcome. You fund bogus research. You spend huge sums with media to publicize that bogus research. You increase your influence through a vast, large legal team. You build a powerful lobbying team on Capitol Hill and every State capital across this Nation. You handpick candidates, and you fund their campaigns. You seek to take over control of an entire political party. prgtoken But Members of Congress come and go, and even when the deck is stacked, there is that possibility of a grassroots uprising of American people to overturn your carefully laid plans to control the American Government. So what do you do? Strategy No. 7, perhaps the most powerful strategy of all--you bias the courts. Once you get someone on the Federal bench, they are there for life. They can't be tossed out by a vote of the people, and they wield immense influence over the laws and regulations, certainly over our environmental laws and regulations. If you control the courts, especially the Supreme Court--even if you lose the White House, even if you lose the House and Senate, even if you lose all three at once
Coronavirus (Executive Calendar)
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2020-10-19

once again, the leadership is circumventing and abusing the rules of the U.S. Senate. In this Congress, this has happened over and over and over again--denying debate on the Senate floor, where we have the opportunity to offer amendments and have a debate, which the Senate is very famous historically for engaging in. I can give you numerous examples. prgtoken There is Justice in Policing. After all of the problems that we have seen around our country, there has been no opportunity on the floor of the Senate to consider legislation, to offer amendments, and have debate. prgtoken As for the environmental challenges that our Nation and world face, there has been no debate on the floor of the U.S. Senate. prgtoken As for gun safety, we have heard from students and communities of all of the tragedies that have occurred during this Congress, but there has been no debate on the floor of the U.S. Senate, where we would have an opportunity to offer amendments and have a full debate. prgtoken As for immigration reform, it is something that has been talked about a great deal, but there has been no real action taken on the floor of the U.S. Senate during this Congress. prgtoken With election reform, once again, there has been no debate on the floor of the U.S. Senate and no opportunity to offer amendments. prgtoken We are not doing what the American people expect us to do, and I can name many, many, many more examples. At last count, somewhere around 400 bills have come over to us from the House of Representatives--many bipartisan--that have not been considered by the U.S. Senate. prgtoken Then, of course, the leadership changes the rules when it suits itself in order to do what it wants to do, particularly with judicial confirmations. We are seeing that right now in the attempt to fill Justice Ginsburg's vacancy. They are changing the rules. The rules that apply to the don't apply to the s. They do whatever they want to do. That is not what we should be doing. Now we see the leadership circumventing and abusing the rules of the U.S. Senate as it relates to our responsibility with COVID-19. prgtoken Everyone knows, including the leader, that we are not going to enact the bill that is currently before the Senate without the amendments being offered by the majority leader. Why are we taking up these issues? There is one simple answer: political cover votes. That is the only reason for it, but there is a consequence to this. It makes it more difficult for us to get relief to those who need it. Whether it be small businesses or whether it be our schools or whether it be our State and local governments or whether it be those who are unemployed or whether it be American families, it makes it more difficult because, as we are taking up these issues, Secretary Mnuchin, on behalf of the administration, and Pelosi are negotiating, from which we hop
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY RELATING TO ``COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT...
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2020-10-19

I am glad to see a Member of the majority saying that Mitch McConnell ought to have us around here doing some work. I appreciate the Senator from Tennessee saying that. prgtoken Senator McConnell said there was no urgency to help unemployed workers. Six hundred thousand unemployed workers in my State in August lost their $600 a week. What are they to do? prgtoken Foreclosures are up. There are no dollars for public education so schools can open safely. prgtoken I appreciate the Senator from Tennessee. Maybe she will talk to Senator McConnell and ask him to do his job so we can do our job. H.J. Res. 90 prgtoken , I rise to speak in support of H.J. Res. 90, the joint resolution of disapproval of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's Community Reinvestment Act rule. prgtoken We know who gets hit the hardest by this pandemic and economic crisis. It is not Wall Street. It is not CEOs. It is not U.S. Senators. It is low-income workers. It is essential workers. It is workers who go to work every day and get exposed to this virus and then come home, anxious about potentially infecting their family. It is the middle class. It is communities of color. Those are the people getting hit the hardest. It is the same story we see over and over and over. Corporate lobbyists and their allies in Washington do whatever it takes--whatever it takes to make sure that Wall Street recovers, and then they say: Oh, no, we can't afford to--we can't--the budget, the deficit. We can give a tax cut to rich people, explode the deficit, but we can't do anything for regular people, for middle-class people, and for low-income people. We just can't afford to help anyone else. prgtoken The stock market is back up, so Leader McConnell and President seem to think that everything is just fine, thank you, in our country. Meanwhile, families don't know how to feed their children and how to make rent. They don't know about family businesses closing their doors and schools can't open for in-person learning. But, oh, yeah, the stock market is up, so Leader McConnell and President seem to think everything is fine. prgtoken Black-owned businesses have closed down at twice the rate--including in the State of Arkansas--closed at twice the rate of White-owned businesses during this pandemic. Black and Latino renters are more likely to be behind on their rent or mortgage. But the stock market is up, so Leader McConnell and President seem to think that everything is just fine. prgtoken Low-wage workers are more likely to remain out of work. There are 600,000 people in my State who can't find jobs. They have lost their unemployment insurance. But the stock market is up, so Leader McConnell and President seem to think that everything is fine. prgtoken Low-wage workers are more likely to remain out of work and more likely to be struggling to pay for food. We prgtoken should--we
CAPTAIN WAYNE MAGWOOD
Joe Cunningham (Democrat, SC) \u2014 2020-10-20

. Madam , I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Captain Wayne Magwood. Captain Magwood was a Lowcountry legend along Shem Creek for many years and his famed boat, the Winds of Fortune, has been a staple of the waters even decades before Magwood. He retired in July after trawling since the age of 12. prgtoken Captain Magwood was featured in an episode of Dirty Jobs in 2005, and made subsequent appearances in Rucker's ``Come Back Song'' video, and on The History Channel, The Weather Channel, and Amazing Race. He is credited with authentically representing the incredibly difficult work of Lowcountry shrimpers and fishermen. prgtoken Captain Magwood was honored in 2011 by the Governor with The Order of the Palmetto award, South Carolina's highest Civilian honor for extraordinary lifetime services. And what an extraordinary life Magwood lived, as a third-generation shrimper and a beloved mentor to the next generation of shrimpers. prgtoken He has now been honored with the renaming of the pedestrian bridge in Shem Creek. While the bridge will carry on Captain Magwood's name, his legacy lives on in the many younger shrimpers he mentored and taught. I am thankful for his service to the Lowcountry and introducing our way of life to so many. My deepest sympathies are with the entire Magwood family and Shem Creek shrimping community.
IN HONOR OF NAUGHTAVEEL FARM RECEIVING THE GREEN PASTURES AWARD
Chris Pappas (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2020-10-20

. Madam , I rise today to recognize the Naughtaveel Farm on West Side Road in North Conway. Run by Justin and Julie Hussey, it opened as a gentleman's dairy farm in 1960, then became Naughtaveel Farm in 2014. This family farm produces quality New Hampshire products and is integral to continuing the Granite State's rural tradition. prgtoken When he moved to the Mount Washington Valley, Justin's grandfather Eugene didn't have much. But with his station wagon and $2,000 in his wallet, he bought properties to create the successful dairy farm Justin and Julie now operate. prgtoken Justin and Julie's grit and determination to keep Naughtaveel Farm open through the pandemic, while many of their customers and institutions closed, is commendable. Although they were provided relief funding to help support their business, it was truly the innovative spirit of the Hussey's that made Naughtaveel Farm successful and the sole surviving dairy farm in Carroll County. The farm is considering a pasteurization micro dairy and has already opened a self-serve stand. prgtoken On behalf of my constituents in New Hampshire's First Congressional District, I want to congratulate Naughtaveel Farm on their well- deserved Green Pastures Award. The farm's commitment to quality Granite State products and its long-held traditions has solidified its status as a landmark in our state. Let us celebrate this occasion by thanking Naughtaveel Farm and its current and former employees for making New Hampshire such a wonderful place to live, shop, and eat.
OPPOSITION TO THE NOMINATION OF AMY CONEY BARRETT AS ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF SUPREME COURT
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2020-10-20

. Madam , as senior member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, as citizen of the United States, as a mother, and as a African American woman I rise in my strong opposition to the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court of the United States. prgtoken I oppose this nomination because Judge Barrett's extreme record on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, along with her ideologically driven writings and speeches, demonstrate that she is incapable of rendering equal justice under law. prgtoken Judge Barrett is hostile to Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), and to Supreme Court cases upholding the Affordable Care Act (``ACA'') and is being nominated to be the decisive vote on the Court to reverse these landmark rulings, so that millions of people can be deprived of access to essential health care services and abortion access. prgtoken One highly respected legal commentator who has studied her record in depth called Judge Barrett's record on the bench ``fundamentally cruel'' and said that she ``has either written or joined a remarkable number of opinions that harm unpopular and powerless individuals who rely on the judiciary to safeguard their rights.'' prgtoken The rush to confirm Judge Barrett is a key part of this impeached and dissembling president's corrupt scheme effort to avoid a peaceful transfer of power and remain in office at any cost. prgtoken Indeed, the President recently admitted that he wanted a ninth justice in place because he believes the Supreme Court will end up deciding the election winner, and he wants another loyalist on the Court to tip the scale in his favor. prgtoken No justice confirmed under these circumstances would have legitimacy in a case bearing on the outcome of the presidential election, so it is troubling that Judge Barrett has not stated publicly that she will recuse herself from participating in any such case. prgtoken By nearly a two-to-one margin, Americans believe that the winner of the upcoming presidential election should fill the current Supreme Court vacancy. prgtoken In this they are in lockstep agreement with the principle enunciated by Senate Majority Leader McConnell on February 13, 2016, when he refused to even confirmation hearings, much less a floor vote, for President nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to succeed Justice Scalia: The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president. prgtoken This principle was echoed by the current Judiciary Chairman Graham who stated in 2016: I want you to use my words against me. If there's a president in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Lindsey Graham said let's let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination. <|p|