mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING DEPUTY ANDREW JENKINS FOR BEING AWARDED CONGRESSIONAL BADGE OF BRAVERY
Tim Walberg (Republican, MI) \u2014 2018-4-12

I rise today to recognize Deputy Andrew Jenkins of the Eaton County Sheriff's Department for being awarded the Congressional Badge of Bravery. He is only the second law enforcement officer from Michigan to ever receive this high honor. prgtoken On the evening of December 20, 2016, Deputy Jenkins was the first emergency responder to a Delta Township residence which was already in flames. Although he had no protective clothing or equipment, he immediately entered the home, finding three family members, two of whom were disabled and unable to walk. prgtoken He subsequently rescued all three occupants, carrying the disabled individuals to safety as the fire continued to spread, putting himself in great danger. All three residents and Deputy Jenkins were hospitalized and treated for smoke inhalation, and one person was subsequently treated at the University of Michigan burn unit. prgtoken If Deputy Jenkins had not acted so quickly that night, three lives may have been lost. His heroism and selfless actions that night clearly established why Deputy Jenkins is so deserving of the Congressional Badge of Bravery.
TRIBUTE TO JOHN ACTIVE
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2018-4-12

every week I come to the floor to talk about my great State and a person in my State who has made a difference in their communities and in the State and sometimes throughout the entire country. I call this person our Alaskan of the Week, and it is actually one of the best things I get to do each week here in the U.S. Senate. prgtoken There is a lot to brag about with regard to Alaska. Frankly, while I love my job here, I wish I were home right now. My wife is there. Although the temperatures are still only in the single digits in some places in Alaska, particularly up north, springtime, which we call breakup in Alaska, has hit much of our State. prgtoken I will admit, breakup is not always pretty. The State gets a lot of snow--dirty, melting snow. There is sloshing through the slush and big, huge puddles everywhere. But the sun is now high in the sky and staying up longer and longer every day. Birds are migrating back by the tens of thousands, and the excitement of spring is everywhere. You can feel it and sense it. prgtoken The changing of the seasons is no more extreme and no more profound than in Alaska, where the weather, hunting, and passing on of traditions and culture are literally a way of life for many. prgtoken Today, what I would like to do is take you to Bethel, AK--a town of about 6,000 people about 400 miles west of Anchorage, which is in the full throws of breakup--in order for the Presiding Officer and everyone watching to meet our Alaskan of the Week, Mr. John Active. prgtoken John is an extraordinary Alaskan who has spent decades, season after season, on the radio, telling stories and passing on traditions helping to keep the Yup'ik culture of Alaska alive. prgtoken John, who is 70 years old, has lived a storied life, which began in a village outside of Bethel. Unfortunately, after he was born his mother passed away, and his father couldn't care for him, so he was adopted by James and Elsie Active and brought to live in Bethel. His grandmother, Maggie Lind, was a well-known storyteller, and John's childhood was filled with stories about Yup'ik legends, wisdom, and culture. John's experiences as he grew up led him to an incredibly important vocation-- translating his native language into English. prgtoken You might ask: Translating? Well, yes, that is actually very important in Alaska. You see, we have about 20 different indigenous languages still spoken by the Native peoples of my great State, and throughout my great State thousands of Alaskans literally speak these languages. prgtoken During John's senior year of high school, he worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He was able to travel to different villages translating the Yup'ik language and helping applicants fill out paperwork for housing, which was great training for the rest of his life. prgtoken He also became passionate about the news and spreading the news. In the 1970s, KYUK--Bethel's new local public radio and televis
BUDGET SCOREKEEPING REPORT
Michael B. Enzi (Republican, WY) \u2014 2018-4-12

I wish to submit to the Senate the budget scorekeeping report for April 2018. The report compares current-law levels of spending and revenues with the amounts the Senate agreed to in the budget resolution for fiscal year 2018, H. Con. Res. 71. This information is necessary for the Senate Budget Committee to determine whether budget points of order lie against pending legislation. The staff of the Senate Budget Committee and the Congressional Budget Office, CBO, prepared this report pursuant to section prgtoken 308(b) of the Congressional Budget Act, CBA. prgtoken The enforceable levels included in this report reflect all of the numerical adjustments made to the resolution since its passage. The information contained in this report captures legislative activity from passage of the budget resolution through April 9, 2018. The only law enacted with significant budgetary effects since my last filing, on February 28, 2018, was the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, P.L. 115-141. prgtoken Budget Committee staff prepared tables 1 to 4 of this report. prgtoken Table 1 gives the amount by which each Senate authorizing committee exceeds or is below its allocation for budget authority and outlays under the most recently adopted budget resolution. This information is used for enforcing committee allocations pursuant to section 302 of the CBA. For this reporting period, 10 of the 16 authorizing committees are in compliance with their allocations. As previously reported, the Senate Veterans' Affairs; Energy and Natural Resources; Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; Finance; and Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committees are in breach of their allocations. Since my last report, several committees' allocations were affected by changes in the nonappropriations provisions included in the omnibus appropriations bill. Still, the only new committee creating a breach was the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which spent $100 million more in both budget authority and outlays through Division P of the omnibus, Ray Baum's Act of 2018, than allowed under the budget resolution. prgtoken Table 2 gives the amount by which the Senate Committee on Appropriations is below or exceeds the statutory spending limits. This information is used to determine points of order related to the spending caps found in sections 312 and 314 of the CBA. Appropriations for 2018 are consistent with the statutory limits as modified by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. prgtoken The budget resolution contains two points of order limiting the use of changes in mandatory programs in appropriations bills, CHIMPS. Tables 3 and 4 show compliance with fiscal year 2018 limits for overall CHIMPS $17 billion, and the crime victims fund CHIMP, $11.2 billion, respectively. This information is used for determining points of order under sections 4102 and 4103 of H. Con. Res. 71, respectively. CHIMPS included i
REGULAR ORDER IN THE REGULATORY RELIEF PROCESS
Scott R. Tipton (Republican, CO) \u2014 2018-4-12

the regulatory relief bill that passed the Senate just a few short weeks ago was crafted to get past the 60-vote cloture threshold. Our Senate colleagues are now asking the House to pass that deal without amendment because they don't have an interest in voting on the measure again. prgtoken That is not the legislative process envisioned by the Framers of the Constitution and demonstrates a disregard for the policy work of the people's House. prgtoken The House Financial Services Committee has worked tirelessly to pass bipartisan bills that will provide necessary regulatory relief to Main Street America. prgtoken Chairman Hensarling has identified 15 commonsense bills that passed out of the Financial Services Committee with broad bipartisan support and have the support of the ranking member. Yet some in the Senate continue to insist that any amendment to legislation is inadmissible. prgtoken While I support the goal of providing much-needed relief to our community banks and credit unions, I believe we should take a more thoughtful and inclusive approach that considers the will of the people as represented in this body. prgtoken , I would like to thank the leadership in the House, as well as Chairman Hensarling, for fighting for the bipartisan policy initiatives of the Members of this Chamber in the regulatory relief process.
PROPOSING A BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION
Barry Loudermilk (Republican, GA) \u2014 2018-4-12

I thank the chairman for the time. prgtoken Let's make no mistake today. The only reason that we are here, today, talking about an amendment to the Constitution to force Congress to balance a budget is because of the lack of fiscal responsibility of this body over the past several years. prgtoken Throughout the history of the United States, the United States has gone into debt during times of national crisis or war, but both parties understood the danger to our national security and our economy by sustaining a debt and, therefore, worked together to pay off that debt. But not in the modern era of Congress, no. We continue to print money, and we continue to go deeper and deeper into debt. prgtoken Make no mistake, the American people understand that this enormous debt that we have accrued in this country of $21 trillion is a responsibility of Congress, and it is our responsibility to fix this problem. Now, a lot of people don't understand how much money $21 trillion really is. That is part of the problem. Our debt is so big that no one really understands how big this debt is. Let me put it into perspective. prgtoken Regardless of your background or your religious beliefs, if you know what today's date is, you know historically when Jesus was born. If you were to go back to the moment that Jesus was born and put $17,000 into the bank, and you waited 60 seconds and put another $17,000 into the bank, you waited another 60 seconds and deposited another $17,000 into the bank, and you continued to put $17,000 into the bank every minute since Jesus was born, you still wouldn't have enough money to pay off our national debt today, and that is an atrocity to the American people. prgtoken There is one way to fix this. We can either pass this amendment and have it ratified, or we can actually have the fortitude to pass a balanced budget. prgtoken The Study Committee will bring to this floor a balanced budget, as we have many times in the past. And if my colleagues who are calling us hypocrites are serious about balancing this budget, then they will come together and vote for a budget that balanced. We have the authority, we have the power to do that, it is just we don't have the fortitude or willingness to do what is hard. We owe it to our grandchildren, and we owe it to our children.
PROPOSING A BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION
Don Bacon (Republican, NE) \u2014 2018-4-12

I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 2, which proposes a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and I am proud to be a cosponsor. prgtoken For too long, the United States Government has overdrawn its checking account, and we must stop or we leave our children, our grandchildren and great-grandchildren saddled with debt. prgtoken In Nebraska, we balanced our budget and even have a cash reserve on hand of around $500 million. This is the Nebraska way, and we need to make it the American way. Our State law forbids the carrying over of a deficit from one year to the next. This has resulted in Nebraska being ranked sixth for best fiscal condition in the Nation. prgtoken We need a forcing function that balances the Federal budget like we have in Nebraska. What Nebraska does, so can we with our Federal budget. prgtoken While H.J. Res. 2 will require the President to submit a proposed budget to Congress where spending does not exceed receipts, there are some safeguard measures in the event spending would need to exceed revenue. A requirement for a three-fifths vote of both Chambers would be required to raise the debt ceiling, but Congress can waive that three-fifths requirement for any fiscal year the U.S. is engaged in military conflict that causes an imminent and serious military threat to national security and is declared by a joint resolution of both legislative bodies. prgtoken If I could balance my checkbook at home, why can't the United States? prgtoken If the State of Nebraska can balance their budget and have a cash reserve, why can't the United States? prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.J. Res. 2 to put our great Nation on the path to debt recovery.
HONORING THE LEGACY OF THE AIR FORCE RESERVE ON ITS 7OTH BIRTHDAY
Glenn Thompson (Republican, PA) \u2014 2018-4-12

Saturday marks the 70th anniversary of the Air Force Reserve. prgtoken Since President Harry S. Truman called for the formation of the Air Force Reserve in 1948, it has been a critical part of our Nation's defense. Its mission is to provide combat-ready forces to fly, fight, and win. prgtoken Operating in various locations around the world, the Air Force Reserve has evolved from a ``stand by'' force for emergencies into a major command of the Active Duty Air Force. prgtoken The Air Force Reserve currently performs about 20 percent of the work of the Air Force, including traditional prgtoken flying missions and other more specialized missions, such as weather reconnaissance, modular aerial firefighting, and personnel recovery. prgtoken The Air Force Reserve is part of every Air Force core mission function and performs the same missions as the Active Duty partners. On Saturday, we will remember where the Air Force Reserve has been, where it is now, and where it is going. prgtoken Great men and women have sacrificed to give all Americans a better tomorrow. On Saturday, we honor their legacy. Happy birthday to the Air Force Reserve.
FARM BILL AND NUTRITION
Vicky Hartzler (Republican, MO) \u2014 2018-4-12

I appreciate so much Chairman Thompson's leadership on this to provide just a wonderful, wonderful program to help people have that onramp to opportunity. I also appreciate the chairman's heart because I know in the meetings and the opportunities I have had to have conversations with the gentleman how much he cares about people, and he has provided that care to many people. prgtoken This is just a wonderful package. The chairman just mentioned that community colleges are going to be involved in this. I just had one of my community colleges in my office this afternoon. We were talking about this very proposal. They are so excited about this because they were emphasizing the point that so many of my colleagues prgtoken here tonight have made in that the businesses and the manufacturers in my district and everywhere across this country cannot find enough skilled, able people who can fill these jobs that are out there. prgtoken They were sharing that the salaries are really good--really good. As I visit with some of the manufacturers, they say a welder can start at $60,000 or a truck driver can start at $60,000 or $70,000. I was a teacher. I went into education, and I have a bachelor's degree and then went on to get a master's degree. When I was teaching, I never got near close to that. So there is so much opportunity out there. There is such a need. prgtoken That is why I am excited about the plan that we have here to help expand the current program we have to give individuals the personalized training that they need to be able to connect with the job. prgtoken It is a wonderful, wonderful opportunity. As has been said, as the chairman said, there are 5.9 million jobs sitting there waiting for individuals, yet we have people at home right now who want to fill them, but they just don't have those skills. So we are going to provide that. prgtoken I want to share a little bit about what we have done in Missouri so far with this program. The SNAP employment and training in Missouri has operated as a partnership between the University of Missouri Extension, community colleges, and local job boards. MU Extension provides the most extensive interactions with each applicant by providing a coach, training, and wraparound services to support the individual in building the skills necessary to fill open positions in Missouri. Those have included and are including nursing, over-the-road trucking, warehouse logistics and management, and welding, just to name a few. MU Extension's niche component is coaching, helping those with the most barriers like homelessness, lack of transportation, or having no high school diploma to gain the necessary skills to fill the jobs in their community. prgtoken MU Extension has focused their efforts on short-term certificate programs or vocation programs to ensure success of those who may not have been successful in the past and who face the greatest challenges to education and employment. Thi
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2018-4-12

this week, I have the honor of recognizing Philipsburg Brewing Company in Philipsburg, MT. prgtoken Philipsburg Brewing Company opened in August of 2012. What started as a four-person team has since grown into a 16-person operation. With the expansive growth in their business, their product now reaches almost the entire State. Recently, they were named the Best Brewery in Montana by Montana Mint. prgtoken While their business has expanded tremendously, it is their impact on the community that stands out most. Before they opened, the community did not have a gathering place. With the opening of the Philipsburg Brewing Company, folks now have a great atmosphere to be together with their friends, families, and dogs. prgtoken I congratulate Philipsburg Brewing Company on their tremendous success and thank them for their positive impact on the community. I look forward to seeing their business grow and visiting the brewery again soon.
Recognition of the Majority Leader (Executive Calendar)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2018-4-12

yesterday, the Senate confirmed John Ring to the National Labor Relations Board. Now the NLRB is, once again, fully staffed and ready to call balls and strikes fairly for America's workers. prgtoken This morning, we confirmed Patrick Pizzella, the President's highly qualified nominee, to fill the No. 2 job at the Department of Labor. Mr. Pizzella brings a sterling reputation and an impressive resume. It includes time at the GSA, the Small Business Administration, the Department of Education, the Federal Housing Finance Board, and OPM. prgtoken Even with 8 years as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Administration and Management and 4 years as a Senate-confirmed member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, this dedicated public servant saw his confirmation process play out in a manner that has become all too familiar--months of waiting on the Senate calendar, months of obstruction by our ic colleagues, months of needless vacancy in this critical agency position. After this morning's vote, Mr. Pizzella can finally get to work, but the same story of obstruction applies to the next nomination on the slate as well. prgtoken Andrew Wheeler is ready and waiting--and waiting and waiting--to clock in as Deputy Administrator of the EPA. His qualifications are beyond question. He has won the support of the American Farm Bureau Federation and has won praise from both sides of the aisle. Mr. Wheeler's former boss, our colleague Senator Inhofe, said, ``There is no one more qualified.'' Our former colleague, Senator Lieberman, called Mr. Wheeler ``fair and professional'' and said, ``I hope his nomination will receive . . . fair consideration by the Senate.'' prgtoken Delaying key executive nominees does not come cost-free to the country. The Deputy Administrator is the EPA's chief operating officer. He plays a major role in protecting America's air and water, while minimizing unnecessary obstacles for workers and job creators. The American people deserve to have him and other key officials in place. prgtoken I mentioned yesterday that our ic colleagues are literally setting records. Just 15 months in, they have chosen to force--listen to this--84 cloture votes on President 's executive and judicial nominees. Eighty-four. That is more than three times as many nominee cloture votes as happened in the first 2 years of Presidents , President , and President Clinton combined. Combined, 84 cloture votes is more than 3 times as many cloture votes as happened in the first 2 years of President , , and Clinton altogether. Many of the nominees were then confirmed nearly unanimously. prgtoken I hope these stalling tactics will end soon because the personnel business isn't going anywhere. Today, in fact, CIA Director Mike Pompeo is appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the first time as the President's nominee for Secretary of State. He is yet another qual
The FBI (Executive Calendar)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-4-12

I want to say a few words about the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI--our Nation's premier law enforcement agency--and to speak about the men and women who distinguish it. prgtoken First, I want to refer to an opinion piece in the New York Times that talks about the former Director of the FBI, James Comey. As the article is entitled, ``The Tragedy of James Comey,'' the story has both positive things to say about Mr. Comey--well deserved--but also some criticism, which I would suggest is also well deserved. Perhaps all of us exhibit both positive and negative attributes. All of us make mistakes, and I don't mean to pick on Mr. Comey unnecessarily, but it sort of lays the foundation for what I want to say. prgtoken In the April 8, 2018, New York Times article, the first line is, ``James Comey is about to be ubiquitous.'' In other words, he is going to be everywhere with his book, published next week. Of course, he will be on an ``epic publicity tour, including interviews with Stephen Colbert, David Remnick, Rachel Maddow, Mike Allen, George Stephanopoulos, and `The View.''' So he will be everywhere. prgtoken Of course, we expect him to tell his story from his perspective. As a preface for what I want to say about the rank-and-file men and women in the FBI, let me just read a couple of paragraphs. prgtoken The writer says: [Director Comey] was the F.B.I. director overseeing the investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server. He and his team decided that she had not done anything that warranted criminal charges. And [Director Comey] knew that s would blast him as a coward who was trying to curry favor with the likely future president. So he decided to go public with his explanation for not charging Clinton and to criticize her harshly. He then doubled down, releasing a public update on the investigation 11 days before the election, even as other Justice officials urged him not to. Department policy dictates that investigators aren't supposed to talk publicly about why they are not bringing charges. They especially don't do so when they could affect [the outcome of] an election. prgtoken That, as people will recall, is one of the primary reasons why Rod Rosenstein, the current Deputy Attorney General of the United States, recommended to the President that he dismiss Mr. Comey--for violating Department of Justice guidelines when it comes to talking about an investigation, which should remain confidential, particularly when there is a decision not to charge the person being investigated, and usurping the role of the prosecutor, recognizing that the role of the FBI as a primary investigator is very different. When it comes to the charging decision, that is left to the Department of Justice, not to the FBI. prgtoken But, as the article goes on to say: Comey, however, decided that he knew bette