mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DIRECTING THE REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM HOSTILITIES IN THE REPUBLIC OF YEMEN THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AUTHORIZED BY CONGRESS
Gary C. Peters (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2018-12-12

I rise to condemn the Saudi military campaign in Yemen, which is causing the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. prgtoken Tens of thousands of young children have already died of starvation, and millions more in Yemen remain threatened by famine and disease. Yemen is experiencing the worst cholera outbreak in history with there being over 1 million cases. In recent months, the crisis has accelerated and grown at a rate of 10,000 cases each and every week. prgtoken The air campaign in Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia, is now in its third year, and every day, it makes the humanitarian crisis in Yemen worse. Bombs dropped by Saudi Arabia are killing women and children, destroying roads and bridges, disabling electricity and water services, and leveling schools, hospitals, and mosques. prgtoken Meanwhile, the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman stand credibly accused of ordering the murder of a U.S. resident journalist known for his critique of the regime. prgtoken Currently, we are debating a resolution that directs the President to remove the U.S. military from hostilities in Yemen and end our Nation's unauthorized participation in this conflict. prgtoken I am proud to be a cosponsor of S.J. Res. 54. I voted to bring it to the floor because the United States should not be providing aerial refueling to Saudi jets bombing Yemen indiscriminately. prgtoken The U.S. Senate should pass this resolution and send a clear message that our military will not prolong and will not worsen a humanitarian tragedy led by an increasingly brutal regime. prgtoken This is also why I voted against arms sales of additional air-to- ground munitions to Saudi Arabia. More arms sales and more military support for Saudi Arabia are not how we are going to end this crisis. We need meaningful, diplomatic, and political solutions to alleviate human suffering in Yemen. prgtoken This is an issue that is deeply personal to me and many Michiganders. I am proud to represent a vibrant and dynamic Yemeni community in Michigan, and I share their heartbreak over the tragic situation impacting innocent Yemenis. prgtoken Our Nation must show real leadership and take action to ensure that food, water, medicine, and all necessary humanitarian supplies are made available to those who so desperately need them. prgtoken I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting S.J. Res. 54. prgtoken .
TRIBUTE TO BILL NELSON
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2018-12-12

I rise to honor our friend Bill Nelson. prgtoken As a member of the Commerce Committee, I have been able to see firsthand his leadership, and I have learned a lot from him. prgtoken I think we all heard his heartfelt remarks about what he loves. He loves his service. He loves Grace up there and his family. He loves his staff, and he loves everything about the State of Florida. prgtoken Service for him was, of course, service in the Army, service as an astronaut, service in the State government, service in Congress, and service in the U.S. Senate. prgtoken I first met Bill in Minnesota. I am not sure he remembers this, but I do because he was one of the first Senators I met other than a Minnesota Senator. He came to help my good friend Paul Wellstone. I remember what struck me immediately about him was how kind he was and how warm he was. prgtoken Part of that, of course, was the warmth he was bringing from Florida. Maybe you wouldn't think our States have a lot in common, but what you might not know is that there are entire beaches in Florida filled with Minnesotans in the winter months, perhaps even entire towns--but at this point, he had come to our State. prgtoken It was no surprise, then, when I first was elected and we got to Washington, that Bill and Grace were so welcoming to our family. They got me involved in the Prayer Breakfast, which has meant a lot to me through my years in the Senate. It has been such a comfort. I have gotten to know so many people, really, because of their encouragement. prgtoken I have gotten to know Bill's leadership firsthand, as I mentioned, on the Commerce Committee. I was talking to his staff about all of the things we did on that committee. I see Senator McCaskill here who also served with us and Senator Thune, the chairman. prgtoken I remember when Bill took on lead in toys. We both did that together. I remember him taking on all kinds of consumer issues, time and again-- the 9-1-1 system, fraud and abuse--taking on the issues that matter to people in their daily lives. Then the bigger things--modernizing our space program, our aviation policies, responding to disasters, and climate change. I remember once he said: ``I have seen the blue brilliance of the Earth from the edge of the heavens and I will fight on to save this planet.'' prgtoken What I will most remember Bill by is his incredible marriage to Grace at a time when it is not easy to be in the Senate and make sure you keep your relationship strong. Grace, of course, was in leadership in her own way in the Senate's spouse club. When I was down there a few months ago, Grace told this really nice story, when we were in Jacksonville, about how my daughter had played piano at Grace's encouragement. They had the spouse event, and they smartly decided to have kids of Senators perform. prgtoken I remember it a different way. I remember the kids who were performing were, of course, their own daughter, Nan Elle
RECOGNIZING BRAD D. SMITH ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM INTUIT
Anna G. Eshoo (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-12-12

I rise today to honor a highly respected Silicon Valley leader, a friend and a constituent, Brad D. Smith, on his retirement as President and Chief Executive Officer of Intuit, Inc. During his 11 years at the helm of the company, Brad's exceptional leadership doubled Intuit's customer base and tripled the company's earnings. His commitment to Intuit's employees and workplace culture has made Intuit one of the best companies to work for in America according to Fortune. prgtoken Brad D. Smith was born in Huntington, West Virginia, on April 6, 1954, and grew up in the nearby town of Kenova, a community of 3,500 that Brad credits with teaching him integrity, humility, and teamwork during his formative years. He graduated from Ceredo-Kenova High School and was accepted by and entered the United States Military Academy at West Point. He ultimately decided to return to West Virginia and enroll at Marshall University where he graduated in 1986 with a degree in Business Administration. prgtoken Brad has been a very generous benefactor of Marshall University over the years, and in November, 2018, Brad and his wife, Alys prgtoken Smith, made a $25 million gift to the University's Lewis College of Business. Brad and Alys also established the Brad and Alys Smith Family Scholarship at Marshall University for West Virginia and Ohio students, with a preference for first-generation college students. prgtoken Brad joined Intuit in 2003 as Vice President and General Manager of Intuit's Accountant Central and Developer Network in Plano, Texas. Intuit is headquartered in Mountain View in California's 18th Congressional District and is the highly successful maker of TurboTax, QuickBooks, and related tax preparation and accounting software. Over the next five years, Brad held a number of executive positions and headed each major division of Intuit before being named President and Chief Executive Officer in 2008. While serving as Intuit's CEO and President, the company grew to 9,000 employees worldwide, its revenue doubled, and its stock rose from $31 in January 2006, to $205 as of December 2018. In January 2016, Brad cemented his legacy with the company when he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors. prgtoken Brad Smith is a trusted friend who has informed my thinking and my understanding of a number of important public policies and as he prepares to begin a new chapter of life, I congratulate him on a job done exceedingly well and wish him every success in his future endeavors.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2, AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018
Ro Khanna (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-12-12

Americans around this country are wondering: What does a farm bill have to do with the war in Yemen? And the answer is absolutely nothing. prgtoken You wonder why people are frustrated with Congress, why they think Congress lacks common sense. It is because no one understands why you would have a vote on a farm bill and you would tie it to a vote on war and peace in Yemen. prgtoken The only reason the leadership is doing this is because they know that there are dozens of s who will stand with to stop the killing in Yemen. prgtoken How do they know this? Because Senate s are voting to stop the killing in Yemen. prgtoken I came to Congress because of my grandfather, who inspired me. He spent 4 years in jail in Gandhi's independence movement. I came to Congress to say that America should always stand for human rights. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to look at the pictures in The New York Times and Huffington Post: 5-year-old kids, 7-year-old kids starving to death, a Yemeni child dying every 10 minutes. prgtoken They tell us to wait until January. That would mean thousands more Yemeni kids dead. prgtoken I don't think this is a partisan issue. This is an American issue. Let's stop the killing in Yemen. Let's end the famine. Let's have a vote in this House so we can stop the civil war in Yemen and save lives.
DIRECTING THE REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM HOSTILITIES IN THE REPUBLIC OF YEMEN THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AUTHORIZED BY CONGRESS
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-12-12

. Thank you, . prgtoken I take this time to support the passage of S.J. Res. 54. I commend my colleagues who have brought this resolution forward. The impact of this resolution would be to end the U.S. military engagement in Yemen, and I believe that military engagement should end for several reasons. prgtoken First, let me comment on what others have already pointed out, and that is that the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is one of the worst, if not the worst, in the world. That is saying a lot because there are a lot of areas around the world where we are seeing humanitarian challenges. prgtoken In Yemen today, 10,000 people have been killed due to the war, and 22 million-plus--75 percent of the population in Yemen--are at grave risk today. It is estimated that there are 400,000 children under the age of 5 who are at the risk of starvation due to hunger and malnutrition, and 85,000 children have died, according to Save the Children, from starvation. prgtoken The U.S. military engagement has really not assisted in ending this humanitarian crisis. There are 1 million people with cholera and 8.4 million people on the verge of famine. For a long time, we have been, focused on the Port of Hodeidah, saying that it had to be opened in order to be able to deliver humanitarian assistance. I think many of us thought that because of our military involvement in Yemen, at a minimum, we could get the port open. We find we are not able to have safe routes for the delivery of humanitarian assistance, so through our military we have not been able to impact the horrible tragedies that are taking place because of this humanitarian disaster. prgtoken Secondly, I think most experts will tell us there is no military solution to the war that is taking place in Yemen that dates back to 2014. The warring sides are not going to end as a result of the military. It is going to take diplomacy, and our military involvement has not assisted in a diplomatic answer. We have not made the progress I think many of us would have expected. So, yes, I do believe America needs to be engaged in Yemen, just not from our military. Let's do an all-out press on diplomacy and bring the parties to the peace table and end this horrible conflict. prgtoken Yes, make no mistake about it, the Houthis are not nice people. I understand that, but we are not going to win this by our military. So let's concentrate on diplomacy. I think many have pointed out that, yes, we have been in this region since the attack on our country on September 11. Nothing in this resolution would affect our ability to fight against al-Qaida and its associated forces. prgtoken The resolution specifically exempts--specifically exempts--from the withdrawal of American military our campaign against al-Qaida and associated forces. prgtoken There is also no question that since the Saudis have engaged in this conflict, there have been many violations of human rights. Yes, we are facil
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2, AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018
James P. McGovern (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2018-12-12

I hope people will vote ``no'' on the previous question so we can debate this and vote on keeping our government open. But I would just close by again saying to my colleagues that this farm bill is not a great bill, but it is a good bill. It is the result of bipartisan negotiations at a conference committee that produced something that I think both and s can come together and support. prgtoken I am supporting this bill because it is good on the nutrition title. As you know, I have spent a lot of time in this Chamber talking about the issues of hunger and food insecurity in this country. prgtoken There are 40 million Americans who don't have enough to eat, who are hungry, and this is in the richest and most powerful country in the world. I am ashamed of that fact. Every Member of this House should be ashamed of that fact. prgtoken Hunger is a political condition. We can fix it, if we had the political will. prgtoken This farm bill is not as robust as I would like it to be under the nutrition title, but it does no harm. It doesn't increase hunger. It doesn't throw people off of SNAP. It doesn't make hunger worse in this country. It is deserving of bipartisan support, so I hope all of my ic colleagues will vote in favor of this farm bill. prgtoken , again, I want to thank all those who came together to construct this compromise. It is a much, much better product than what came out of this House, and this is a vote that we can be proud of. I hope that everybody will support it. prgtoken Finally, I regretfully have to say I urge my colleagues to vote against the rule, because the s couldn't help themselves and had to insert this Yemen issue into this rule. prgtoken This issue has been going on for years. This is not a new phenomenon, what is happening in Yemen. It is a tragedy that has gone on for years. We know it is happening. We know it is long time past since we should act. prgtoken , we should defeat the rule, have another rule that is just on the farm bill, and we ought to be debating this issue of Yemen. prgtoken , vote ``no'' on the previous question, vote ``no'' on the rule, and vote ``yes'' on the farm bill. prgtoken , .
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY TO RETURNS BY EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS AND RETURNS BY CERTAIN NON-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-12-12

today, the Senate is voting on a resolution of disapproval that would rescind a dangerous decision made by the Treasury Department and restore a vital tool in the fight against illegal spending in U.S. elections. prgtoken In July, the Treasury decided to reverse decades of precedent and eliminate a requirement that certain tax-exempt organizations must report the identities of their major donors to the Internal Revenue Service as part of their annual returns. prgtoken Why is this important? Because the 501(c)(4) ``social welfare organizations'' and 501(c)(6) business leagues that now are no longer required to disclose their donors to the IRS are the very same groups that have poured nearly one billion dollars of dark money into U.S. elections since 2010. prgtoken Dark money makes it nearly impossible for the public to find the true sources behind the shady attack ads and political campaigns that these organizations fund. But by at least requiring these groups to disclose their major donors to the IRS, the rule ensured that the government could monitor the groups' compliance with campaign finance laws, such as the ban on foreign contributions. Now that this enforcement tool has been lost, it will be much easier for foreign powers to illegally funnel money into our elections through dark money organizations. prgtoken At a time when we know the U.S. remains under threat of foreign interference in our elections, why would we make it harder for the IRS, law enforcement, and our nation's intelligence organizations to monitor the movement of money in our political system? The answer is clear--we shouldn't. The Senate must act to rescind Treasury's misguided decision and restore an essential tool in the fight against illegal money in politics and ward off the threat of foreign funds influencing U.S. elections. prgtoken I am proud to join Senators Tester and Wyden in support of this resolution and urge my colleagues to cast their vote in support of today's CRA. Tribute to Bill Nelson prgtoken , I would like to enter into the Record a tribute to my colleague and friend Bill Nelson of Florida. prgtoken Bill is leaving the Senate after an amazing career. We served together on the House for 8 years, 17 years in the Senate--a quarter of a century working together. He is an extraordinary man who has represented the State of Florida so well, served as one of the few congressional astronauts in 1986 when he was on the Space Shuttle Columbia. prgtoken He is a courageous, hard-working man. With his wife Grace by his side, they have done so many good things. They went to Haiti together, and I respect his commitment to public service and his commitment to the people of Florida. prgtoken Senator Nelson and I go back a long ways. We served together in the House for 8 years--and 17 years in this Senate. A quarter-century together in the arena. I remember then-Congressman Bill Nels
ONE DAY AT A TIME
Al Green (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2018-12-12

once again I rise, and still I rise, a proud American, always proud to have the preeminent privilege of standing in the well of the Congress of the United States of America. prgtoken , I rise today reflecting upon the words, the lyrics, if you will, of a song that many of us have heard. The lyrics, as I paraphrase them, are: One day at a time, one day at a time, sweet Jesus. One day at a time. Just help me to make, just help me to take, one day at a time. prgtoken Many of us who are sons of the segregated South survived, to a certain extent, understanding the lyrics of ``One Day At a Time,'' knowing that, if you just take one day at a time, it can become a lifetime. prgtoken Sons of the segregated South learned early that they had to compromise. prgtoken I saw something on television yesterday that caused me to reflect on all of these things, , when I saw a President who was born into plenty, not poverty, a President who was born with a pat hand, a President who was born into a life unlike that of the sons of the segregated South who were African American, who understand how to prgtoken negotiate and what negotiation is all about--of necessity they do. Not all, but generally speaking they do. prgtoken I saw a President yesterday, , who proclaims himself to be a great negotiator yesterday it was revealed to many of us that what he sees as negotiation is dictation, a President who sees compromise as capitulation for the other side, who has always walked into his opportunities, if you will, knowing that the other side would have to give in or he would muscle his way over them. prgtoken Well, I am proud to say that two Members of the Congress of the United States of America, the House and the Senate--it is what the Congress consists of--two Members stood their ground. Pelosi-- and I say Pelosi because once you are a , you are always a --and Minority Leader Schumer did not allow themselves to be dictated to. They understand that compromise is the methodology by which we can realize significant change. prgtoken I am proud of the two of them, and I am proud to say to you that, as a son of the segregated South, I saw hope when I saw them take a stand for the American people, take a stand for justice, take a stand for the great ideals that we all stand upon. prgtoken One day at a time, , one day at a time, and we will have dealt with all of the great issues of our time. prgtoken But I am proud to know that you will find, , that negotiation is more than your being a dictator, that you are going to have to compromise if you want to realize some of the great things that we have to accomplish. prgtoken , I thank you for the time, and I thank the creator of all of creation for giving me this one more day, and I pray that I will do better today than I did yesterday because I still see life as one day at a time.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2, AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2018
Peter Welch (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2018-12-12

I thank the gentleman, and I rise today in support of the farm bill conference report. prgtoken It is absolutely no secret that rural America, our farming communities, from Franklin County and Addison County in Vermont to the plains of Kansas and Iowa, to the Central Valley in California, are facing a crisis. This conference report contains a number of positive changes that will help in Vermont. prgtoken First, nutrition: Thankfully, we are acceding to the Senate position. We have an economy where profits are up, record incomes for many people, and increased poverty and nutrition challenges for children. This makes certain that our kids are going to get the nutrition they need. prgtoken Second, dairy: This farm bill revamps the existing dairy insurance program, known as Margin Protection, for a more effective and affordable insurance tool that is going to help our family farmers hang on. I still believe we need supply management. It is the only sustainable way to go, but this will help, and no one in Vermont needs more help and is deserving of more help than our dairy farmers who have done so much for our State. prgtoken Third, maple: Maple syrup is really an important component, including for our dairy farmers. This bill halts a misguided FDA effort to require an ``added sugar'' label to pure maple syrup. This is a pretty stupid FDA regulation. It is now dead, gone forever, and it is really helpful to our maple industry. prgtoken Fourth, organics: This farm bill doubles funding for Federal research into organic protection methods, improves oversight of the global organic trade, and funds the organic certification cost-share program. More organics, better nutrition, more local agriculture, that is a very good thing. prgtoken Fifth, hemp: This legislation legalizes industrial hemp production.