mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
THOMASINA E. JORDAN INDIAN TRIBES OF VIRGINIA FEDERAL RECOGNITION ACT OF 2017
Mark R. Warner (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2018-1-11

let me join my friend and colleague Senator Kaine. We and some of the folks who are in the Gallery today were not sure if this day would ever come. Even in the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Senate, occasionally we get things right. And, boy oh boy, this is a day where we get things right on a civil rights basis, on a moral basis, and on a fairness basis. prgtoken To our friends who are representatives of some of the six Tribes who are finally going to be granted Federal recognition, we thank you for your patience, your perseverance, and your willingness to work with us and others. prgtoken This has become an issue over the last 20-plus years. and s alike in Virginia have acknowledged the fact that these six Tribes, whose history predates any European settlement in this country, whose history goes back, as Senator Kaine mentioned, where they were recognized by the United Kingdom and recognized by the British Government when they controlled our country--but through a series of circumstances, in many cases abetted by a backwards-looking government earlier in the 20th prgtoken century in Virginia that discriminated against these Native Americans in ways that were outrageous, where in many ways records that told of their proud history in our Commonwealth were destroyed after the Civil War in fires and courthouses--these Tribes have persevered. prgtoken Today, finally, they are going to be granted Federal recognition and the respect that goes with that Federal recognition, and they will be granted certain additional opportunities in terms of special education, housing grants, affordable healthcare services, and most importantly, the ability to recover important artifacts in their history. prgtoken As has been mentioned, this bill has already passed the House. Rob Wittman, a Member, has been a champion. prgtoken Senator Kaine and I, both as Governors--in that role of Governor, one of the things that happen every day--every Thanksgiving day, these Tribes come in and, in effect, pay their taxes to the Commonwealth of Virginia. While Virginia has recognized these Tribes for some time, every year when we would have this ceremony--one of the most moving ceremonies that I know I have participated in as Governor, and I think Senator Kaine and Senator Allen, who was also a champion on this issue before us--these Tribes would come in and say: When will the U.S. Government recognize our existence, our history, and our legacy? Well, that wait is finally over. prgtoken In a moment, I am going to be asking for unanimous consent, and the long, long wait will come to an end. prgtoken As in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Indian Affairs Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 984 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017
Nancy Pelosi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-1-11

I am proud of the House of Representatives for coming together on the floor of the House and in our various caucuses and conferences to discuss the important challenge that we all face: the balance that we have to protect the American people. That is the oath we take: to protect and defend. As we defend the Constitution, we defend the privacy and the civil liberties of the American people. prgtoken It is difficult. prgtoken Over 20 years ago, I was on the Intelligence Committee for the purpose of protecting civil liberties and privacy, and also to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, two really important overarching issues. So I come to the floor today as one who has worked on this issue for a very long time. prgtoken I thank our men and women in the intelligence community for the work they do. We are so proud of what they do. prgtoken In those days, almost 25 years ago, when I was first on the committee, it was about force protection and trying to have enough intelligence to avoid conflict, but if we were to engage, we would have the intelligence to protect our forces. It was about force protection. In the nineties, it became more about fighting terrorism and other overarching issues as well. prgtoken We live in a dangerous world and force protection on the ground, in theater, is still an essential part of what the intelligence community does. Again, I thank the men and women in the intelligence community for their patriotism and their courage. prgtoken The issue that relates to fighting terrorism is one that sometimes has a frightening manifestation on our own soil. But as we protect and defend the American people and the Constitution and their rights, we have to have that balance. It was Benjamin Franklin who said: If we don't fight for security and freedom, we won't have either. prgtoken I want to particularly thank our ranking member on the Intelligence Committee. He has made us all proud in going across the country to honor our Constitution, talking about undermining our election system, talking about protecting the American people in ways that is consistent with our Constitution. I thank Mr. Schiff and I support him today in his support of the bill that came from his committee. prgtoken Is it perfect? prgtoken I have never voted for a perfect bill in this House. prgtoken I also thank Mr. Nadler, a genius on all of these issues that relate to our Constitution. I also thank the members of the Judiciary Committee. prgtoken We have very few members on the Intelligence Committee who are deputized by the and by the leaders of each party to go to the Intelligence Committee to deal with issues that relate to the balance between security and privacy. prgtoken With all the respect in the world for the magnificent members of the Judiciary Committee, all of whom I respect, it is not right to say there is nothing in this bill that protects the privacy of the American people. prgtoken In fact, when I
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017
Pramila Jayapal (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2018-1-11

I rise in strong opposition to this bill that does nothing to stop the unconstitutional collection of Americans' international communications without first obtaining a warrant, and it codifies the practice of indiscriminately sweeping up massive amounts of domestic communications. prgtoken What makes us different from those who would harm us is our commitment to our constitutional values: that we are innocent until proven guilty and that our government must obtain a warrant and show probable cause that there is a legitimate reason to listen in on our conversations. prgtoken This bill will further expose people to warrantless prosecutions or detention and deportation in cases that have absolutely no connection whatsoever to national security. prgtoken I hope we reject this bill, unless we approve the Amash-Lofgren amendment.
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT ABOUT TAX BY HOLDING TAX TEACH
Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2018-1-11

. Madam , I rise to set the record straight about the - tax scam recently signed into law. prgtoken Middle-income and working people in Georgia would see a minimal gain, and eventually they will see their taxes go up, while the richest 1 percent of Georgians will get an annual tax cut of $83,000. prgtoken In fact, Georgia millionaires could receive a cut of more than $130,000 a year. In fact, the - tax cut bestows 83 percent of the $5.5 trillion tax cut to the wealthiest 1 percent who don't even need it, while blowing a $1.5 trillion hole in the Nation's debt. prgtoken That is obscene, and that is why I am holding a tax teach this Saturday in my district to communicate with my constituents about what this tax scam means to them, what it means for their families, and what it means for jobs and economic growth.
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017
C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-1-11

I rise in opposition to the amendment being offered and in support of the underlying bill and the increased oversight in transparency it provides to the body of the intelligence community and the American public that it protects. prgtoken I thank the ranking member and also Chairman Goodlatte for allowing me to have this time. prgtoken , I want Americans at home to know what this program is not. It is not a dragnet surveillance program; it is not a program that could ever be used to target Americans; and it is not an unchecked intelligence tool. In fact, it may be one of the most heavily overseen programs that we have. This bill strengthens that accountability. prgtoken As former ranking member of the Intelligence Committee and Representative of the district that is home to NSA, I have taken many of my colleagues in this Chamber on trips to NSA so that they can see firsthand how these programs work to protect Americans and also to protect our freedom and civil liberties. prgtoken This is not a debate on constitutionality. The Federal courts have affirmed that this program's current authorization and operation are legal and consistent with the Fourth Amendment. This body has voted several times with bipartisan majorities to reauthorize it.
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2018-1-11

I have been consistently voting against cloture motions to proceed to debate on judicial nominations, and I would like to take this opportunity to explain why. The Senate has a constitutional obligation to provide advice and consent on judicial nominees, and I take this obligation very seriously. prgtoken The American people depend on the Senate to fully consider and vet each judicial nominee because throughout the course of their lifetime appointment, judges will issue rulings and opinions that touch each of our lives. The process of nominating, considering, and confirming judges should be a deliberate one. Its purpose should not be to confirm as many judges as quickly as possible. Senators should be able to provide input on who should sit on the Federal bench; Senators should have an adequate opportunity to hear from third-party experts about the records and qualifications of each nominee; and Senators should have enough time to question and examine a nominee during a confirmation hearing. prgtoken Insisting on a deliberate and comprehensive process is not, as some of my colleagues might argue, an effort to deny the President his prerogative to nominate judges to lifetime appointments to the Federal bench. Instead, this process is essential in determining whether each nominee is qualified for the job and can separate their personal ideology from the decisions he or she renders. For a lifetime appointment to the Federal bench, this shouldn't be too much to ask. prgtoken Over the past year, we have observed a number of concerning issues in the nomination and confirmation process for Federal judges that need to be corrected. The President has essentially outsourced the judicial selection process to two organizations with strong, ideologically driven agendas--the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation. prgtoken The Federalist Society, for example, describes itself as ``a group of libertarians and conservatives dedicated to reforming the legal order.'' This is a group that has supported legal efforts to undermine environmental protection, erode the constitutional right to choose, and blur the lines between church and State. prgtoken The Heritage Foundation describes its mission as one to ``promote conservative public policies.'' Over the past few years alone, this organization, this group, has fought to undermine the Affordable Care Act, oppose LGBTQ rights, and erode the ability of Federal agencies to issue lifesaving regulations. It is not unreasonable to assume that these organizations, through their close association with the White House, expect their ideologically driven agendas to be reflected in the nominees they recommend. prgtoken While I concur with Justice Rehnquist's assertion that no judge joins a court tabula rasa, or as a blank slate, we should have a baseline expectation that lifetime appointees should be able to render justice free from their own personal ideolog
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017
Zoe Lofgren (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-1-11

like the ranking member, I oppose this bill. It does not meet the standards that we should have for adhering to the Constitution. prgtoken Now, this is a confusing debate in some ways because what is it we are talking about? prgtoken We are all against terrorism, and we have authorized the collection of data of terrorists communicating with each other. In section 702, if they communicate with somebody here, we can collect that, too. prgtoken But because of the architecture of the internet, we are collecting vast amounts--we can't go into the numbers here in open session--vast amounts of data. It is not metadata; it is content. It is the content of your phone calls, content of your emails, and the content of your text messages and video messages. Under section 702, you can search that for Americans for crimes that have nothing to do with terrorism. We should change that. prgtoken As Judge Poe has said, you need a warrant to go after Americans for a nonterrorism crime. There is a reason why a left-right coalition--the NAACP and FreedomWorks, Color of Change and Gun Owners of America--has joined together on the same point of view. We should stand up for the privacy rights of Americans and reject this bill and have a warrant requirement for searching for the information of Americans that is in this vast database. prgtoken Just one further point: The very weak predicate criminal investigation trigger for a warrant which is at the end of the investigation would apply only to the FBI. So if you are the ATF, you would never have to get a warrant. If you were the DEA, you would never have to get a warrant. This bill is inadequate, and it ought to be defeated.
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017
Ted Lieu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-1-11

let me make this issue really simple for the American people: spying on foreigners without following the Constitution, that is okay; spying on Americans without following the Constitution, that is not okay. prgtoken The Fourth Amendment does not have an asterisk that says our intelligence agencies don't have to follow it. The Constitution applies to all of government. That is why I support the USA RIGHTS Act. prgtoken Support this amendment.
VOTE EXPLANATION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-1-11

I was necessarily absent for votes relative to the nominations of Michael Lawrence Brown to be a U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Georgia and Walter David Counts III to be a U.S. district judge for the Western District of Texas. prgtoken On vote No. 7, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on confirmation of the Brown nomination. prgtoken On vote No. 8, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on the motion to invoke cloture on the Counts nomination. (At the request of Mr. Schumer, the following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record.)
RECOGNIZING VETRI VELAN AND KATHY SHIELD
Barbara Lee (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-1-11

I rise today to recognize and celebrate the tremendous advocacy of two UC Berkeley students whose diligent work mobilized graduate students around the country against the greatest tax scam in American history. prgtoken When President and Congressional s introduced legislation to reform the tax code, many of us recognized it for what it was--a blatant attempt to provide millionaires and billionaires with large tax breaks, while eliminating many of the provisions that provide the working class and the poor with means to improve their standing in society. prgtoken This terrible bill, passed without proper debate and process just before the holidays, will permanently stack the deck in favor of the rich and well-connected. In fact, we know that 83 percent of the bill's benefits go to the richest 1 percent of our society. To pay for these unnecessary tax breaks for the rich, the bill adds more than $1 trillion to the national debt--a debt that our children and generations to come will continue to bear. prgtoken In the face of this immoral redistribution of wealth to the rich, people around the country were rightfully outraged, and many of my constituents were strongly opposed to its passage. prgtoken In particular, I would like to recognize two of my constituents for their efforts to highlight a particularly damaging section of the original bill, and commend them for their actions to have it removed from the final package. prgtoken Soon after the horrible GOP tax bill was introduced, Vetri Velan, a physics PhD student at UC Berkeley, developed an analysis of the bill. With the majority of doctoral and master students receiving institutional or fee waivers, Vetri realized that if tuition remissions were deemed taxable, graduate students could see their tax bill grow by 200 percent. It would also make it harder, and even impossible, for low or middle-income students to attend graduate school. prgtoken Vetri partnered with Kathy Shield, a fellow Cal student pursuing a Nuclear Engineering PhD to develop a tax calculator allowing any graduate student to determine their new tax liability under the House proposal. This allowed students to write and call their elected officials with specific information about the negative impact of the new tax bill. prgtoken And they didn't stop there. Vetri and Kathy then organized graduate students at UC Berkley and around the country to contact 87 offices in 18 states to express outrage over this provision. prgtoken Because of their great work this harmful provision was removed from the final bill. Vetri & Kathy have saved thousands of dollars for graduate students across the country, and have ensured many hard working students will continue to have access to graduate school. prgtoken On behalf of California's 13th Congressional District, I'd like to thank Vetri and Kathy for their exceptional work to ensure all students have equal access to higher education, and most impo
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2018-1-11

I would have joined Senator Sullivan in a round of applause. I thank him for sharing that inspiring story. Funding the Government prgtoken , I come to the floor this afternoon just to talk very briefly about the real-world impacts of the decisions we are going to make in the next week or so regarding the future of the budget and to really implore my colleagues here, most especially the leadership, to get this job done and not put us on another continuing resolution. This is not a theoretical or a rhetorical exercise; this is about people's lives and our failure to do our job-- our failure to pass a budget and to extend lifesaving programs, like the Children's Health Insurance Program. It is not about politics, and it is not about headlines. It is not about point scoring. It is about making people's lives better. prgtoken I really just want to share three stories from Connecticut to talk about the impact of the decisions that we are going to make with respect to the Federal budget. Let me first talk about this often esoteric-sounding concept of parity. One of the most important things that we are discussing is how many additional dollars are going to be in the budget for 2017 and 2018 versus in the prior fiscal year. prgtoken There seems to be fairly widespread agreement that we are underresourced when it comes to the Department of Defense. We have a multitude of kinetic challenges that are presented to the United States. A group of us just got briefed, once again today, by our military leadership on the scope and extent of the North Korean threat. I agree with many of my colleagues that we need to increase funding for national security, but national security is not just housed in the Department of Defense. National security is also about making sure that our families are secure and that our communities are secure. prgtoken We believe that we should increase funds for the Department of Defense, and we should also make sure that our schools have teachers. We should also make sure that we have cops on the streets. We should also make sure that our bridges aren't falling down. That is national security as well. It is not too much to ask to make sure that our security is taken care of internationally and domestically as well. prgtoken Let me give you a perfect example of how you can't just plus-up defense spending and leave the rest of the budget unattended to. We love defense spending in Connecticut. Why? Because we make a lot of big ticket items for the Department of Defense. We make the helicopters at Sikorsky. We make the jet engines at Pratt & Whitney. We make the submarines at Electric Boat. prgtoken We are proud of all of them, but let me tell you what happens at Electric Boat if you plus-up the Defense Department at the expense of all of the other discretionary accounts. We are going to be building a lot more submarines o
RAPID DNA ACT OF 2017
James A. Himes (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2018-1-11

members of the Intelligence Committee, on which few of us have an opportunity to serve, lead very odd lives. Every single day, we descend in the bowels of this Capitol, four floors down. We surrender our iPhones, we surrender our BlackBerrys, and we go into windowless rooms where, on a daily basis, we hear about some of the most grotesque threats to American safety and interests that you can imagine: threats to American lives, threats to American interests, and threats to our very way of life. prgtoken We see, every day, how essential 702 authorities are. The intelligence that we gather under this authority is critical to our safety, our security, and our lives. It saves lives. This program cannot be interrupted, and, if it is, God forbid, we will have much to answer for. prgtoken Even if this motion fails, the base bill, to those of you with substantial civil liberties concerns--and I count myself amongst you-- the base bill makes important and meaningful civil liberties improvements over the status quo. prgtoken I deeply appreciate the efforts of many in this Chamber that oppose this bill, the efforts that they have made. Each and every one of us swears an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, and no one should ever be criticized for working hard to make sure that that process is served; not Mr. Nadler, not Ms. Lofgren, not Mr. Amash, not Mr. Poe. prgtoken , I have spent much of the last several days trying to improve this bill with respect to civil liberties. I presented amendments to the Rules Committee which were, sadly, not made in order. prgtoken But the fact is that these protections exist. There are strict processes and procedures in place at the FBI as to how exactly U.S.- person information can be queried and used. On top of that, the entire 702 program is reviewed by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the PCLOB, and is subject to meaningful congressional oversight by each and every one of us. prgtoken To authorize this program each year, a Federal judge must find it has met all statutory requirements and is consistent with the Fourth Amendment three district courts and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals have deemed this program constitutional. prgtoken But, , no bill is perfect, and so the motion I offer would encompass all FBI matters--not just predicated investigations, but all FBI matters not related to national security--and require court orders founded on probable cause before the FBI could access U.S.-person information under 702. prgtoken , this is a critical national security asset. It is as important as our best operator, as our best technology, as our most powerful weapons, and I appreciate the efforts that have been made to secure our civil liberties. This motion to commit pushes this bill slightly in that direction, building on the meaningful improvements to the status quo, and I urge its passage. prgtoken , .