mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DACA (Executive Calendar)
Tom Udall (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2020-9-16

thank you very much for the recognition as a former New Mexico attorney general and assistant U.S. attorney, I have worked closely with law enforcement for many years. I have worked hard to prosecute violent crimes in my career, including crimes where law enforcement officers were the victims. I have been privileged to work with law enforcement in New Mexico, and we are all thankful for the tremendous work of the Capitol Police here in our Nation's Capital. prgtoken The Senate is united in our respect for law enforcement. Just 5 months ago, in May, the Senate passed a number of bills and a bipartisan resolution during National Police Week in support of those who serve our communities in the face of risk. prgtoken We all agree that deadly violence targeting law enforcement is appalling, and we all have expressed gratitude for the brave men and women who serve in law enforcement. The recent shooting of two law sheriff's deputies in California was heinous. Our prayers go out to the officers and their families, and the perpetrator must be brought to justice. prgtoken Like many of us here on both sides of the aisle, I am also dedicated to embracing a moment before our Nation where we confront the very real issues of systemic racial injustice. We have policy disagreements on how to do that, but I hope that we can all agree the Senate should be a place for coming together and making progress to respond to this moment in our country, not fanning the flames of division and anger. prgtoken The initial draft of this resolution has some vague but divisive language that I do not think belongs in a Senate resolution, and a number of other Members agree. Our side is asking for some reasonable changes in good faith. To reflect the public safety and trust between law enforcement and communities is fundamental to the security and prosperity of our Nation. I hope that the Senator from Florida and his colleagues are willing to accept those changes, which I will offer in response to his request. Then the Senate can prgtoken speak with a united voice and set a good example for our Nation at a time like this. prgtoken As if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of my resolution at the desk; further, that the resolution be agreed to; that the preamble be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
Unanimous Consent Request (Executive Calendar)
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2020-9-16

I rise in support of this resolution offered by the ic leader. We are calling for an end to a horribly flawed congressional investigation. The foreign threats to our democracy--attempts to poison it with disinformation and to sow distrust--are an established matter of fact. prgtoken It is especially troubling because for periods over the last year, two Senate committees have conducted an investigation involving Ukraine, former Vice President , and his son Hunter: the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, led by our colleague from Wisconsin, Chairman Johnson; and our colleague from Iowa, Chairman Grassley, of the Finance Committee, in which I am the prgtoken ranking . My staff has joined in interviews and received documents pertinent to the investigation. prgtoken Given my Finance Committee role and my position on the Senate Intelligence Committee, I am unable to discuss classified information or details of an ongoing inquiry. However, I can discuss public information about the spread of Russian propaganda and the pathway it is following from Russian agents, through the U.S. Senate, to the American people. prgtoken The Russian Government is again interfering in our election. This has been confirmed by our intelligence community. Its interference campaign includes disinformation about Vice President and the work he was doing to fight corruption in Ukraine. prgtoken To spread this disinformation, Russia enlists the help of characters like Andriy Derkach and Andriy Telizhenko. Derkach has been identified by American counterintelligence as an active agent for Russian intelligence. This agent, instead of being treated as a foreign enemy, has met personally with the President's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to further his task of undermining elections in America. I am not sure, colleagues, what you should call an American who aids a Russian agent, but counselor to the President is certainly not it. prgtoken In August, the Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center issued a threat assessment on foreign threats to our election. It identified Derkach as a Kremlin-linked actor involved with attempting to denigrate former Vice President . prgtoken On September 3, Senator Schumer and I wrote a letter, along with several of our ic colleagues, urging the Treasury Department to issue sanctions against Derkach. It did so the following week, describing his role in what it called ``a covert influence campaign centered on cultivating false and unsubstantiated narratives concerning U.S. officials in the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election.'' prgtoken Telizhenko is yet another Giuliani associate who, according to press accounts, American counterintelligence has identified as a conduit for Russian attacks on our elections. He has also been a star witness in the Johnson-Grassley investigation prgtoken Derkach and Telizhenko have released what appears to
Issues Facing America (Executive Calendar)
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2020-9-16

I am pleased to join my colleagues Senator Menendez and Senator Durbin in urging the U.S. Senate to do the right thing and grant protected status to Venezuelans in this country. At this moment, I thank them for their continued leadership on this issue and for making sure we have immigration policies that live up to what this country has always stood for. prgtoken As my colleagues have pointed out, Venezuela is suffering a dire humanitarian crisis under the dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro. Its economy has collapsed, and its medical system is in free fall. They are governing through a reign of terror. prgtoken Even before COVID-19 struck, Venezuelans were facing shortages of food, of water, of gasoline, and other lifesaving items. The pandemic has taken a very bad situation and made it much worse--in fact, desperate. An estimated two-thirds of physicians in Venezuela lack access to basic sanitary equipment, like gloves, masks, soap, or goggles, and only 25 percent of the doctors have reliable running water in their hospitals and clinics. prgtoken On top of this desperate economic situation, you have the political tyranny and terror that has been imposed by the Maduro regime. In fact, as my colleagues pointed out just this morning, U.N. investigators found that Venezuelan security forces and allied groups have committed systemic human rights violations, including killings and torture, amounting to crimes against humanity. Reasonable grounds exist to believe that President Maduro and his Interior and Defense Ministers ordered or contributed to these crimes against humanity, which are documented in the U.N. report. The U.N. factfinding mission has said that other national jurisdictions and the International Criminal Court should consider prosecutions. So you have a desperate situation. prgtoken President claims to support the people of Venezuela who are facing this tyranny and this desperation. In fact, as Senator Durbin said, he has on numerous occasions said he was sympathetic and that he wanted to help. prgtoken Here is what he said last year: ``To the Venezuelans trapped in this nightmare, please know that all of America is behind you.'' prgtoken That is what President said. Yet he has refused to use his authority to take action to grant Venezuelans here in the United States that temporary protected status. He wants to send them back to what he describes as a nightmare--a nightmare that is getting worse by the day as documented by the U.N. report. He wants to send them back to a place where the U.N. has just implicated the government in crimes against humanity. prgtoken Because the President refuses to do what he says--refuses to actually take action to help--the House has passed legislation to grant Venezuelans TPS. My colleagues Senator Menendez and Senator Durbin have introduced that legislation here in the Senate, and I am proud to cosponsor it. Yet, as we are saying here today, the
HONORING VETERANS COMMUNITY LIVING CENTER AT FITZSIMONS
Jason Crow (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2020-9-16

I rise today to recognize the staff and residents of the Veterans Community Living Center in Aurora, Colorado. This Colorado veterans home has cared for veterans, veteran spouses, and Gold Star parents for over 18 years. prgtoken The staff at Fitzsimons has acted heroically during this pandemic, risking exposure, facing fears, and continuing to show up for their residents and coworkers. Since March, 26 employees have tested positive, and most have returned to work. prgtoken This dedicated team has pioneered new ways of connecting veterans to their communities, including drive-by vintage car shows and coordinating phone calls and Skype visits with family and friends. prgtoken We do mourn the loss of 25 veterans who lost their lives to the virus and celebrate the lifetime of selfless service all veterans who live at Fitzsimons have made. prgtoken It is with pride that I recognize the staff and residents at the Veterans Community Living Center at Fitzsimons. Recognizing Salud Family Health Centers' 50th Anniversary
WILDFIRES
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2020-9-16

apocalypse, fire, fueled by wind coming over the top of the Cascade Mountains, turning into a blowtorch that races down the western slopes of those mountains, incinerating the towns in its path--that is what is happening in my home State of Oregon. prgtoken Imagine suddenly waking up at 4:30 in the morning to a house filled with smoke. You realize you have to clear the area before the situation gets a lot worse. You and your partner race to pack up some essentials, load them and your pets into the car in your garage, and then you can't get the garage door open because there is no power. The power lines have been taken down by the winds and by the power poles being burned and falling over. So you open the garage door by hand, and just as you are about to lift it, you look out a little window, and you see an inferno engulfing your neighbor's home. So you make a desperate dash in the other direction and out the backdoor--the fire at your heels. You race toward the river at the bottom of the hill, hoping--praying--there will be some kind of safety. prgtoken It is a terrifying scenario, but it is not out of some movie. For Larry Tripoli and Fran Howe, of Gates, OR, it was a reality just a few nights ago when the Beachie Creek fire roared through Santiam Canyon, incinerating homes, businesses, and entire neighborhoods. They got to the river, and they waded knee deep in the water as the trees burned around them on both banks. prgtoken Fran recalled: ``I thought we were going to die.'' prgtoken Fortunately, help arrived late that night, just before 12 midnight. The firefighters and emergency workers risked their lives and safety to come and rescue those who were fleeing the fire. Many folks worked to help their neighbors get noticed even as the fire was descending on the town. prgtoken At this moment, all across Oregon, people are facing similarly terrifying experiences as historic wildfires have burned more than a million acres--more than twice those burned in a normal year. They burned in a small period of time--most of them over this past week. There are 10 citizens who have lost their lives, and dozens are missing. We are afraid there will be more bad news to come. prgtoken It is hard to imagine. I mean, I have seen the results of a fire near John Day that came down a valley, and there were widely spaced homes in the forest on both sides of the river, and I have seen that those homes were burned. But I have never seen anything like this--neighborhood after neighborhood, the commercial district, the apartment complexes, the mobile home housing parks, completely scorched--every building you can see. prgtoken When I toured this last Friday, the only thing I could compare it to were pictures I had seen of Hiroshima after the bomb; cities in Europe that had been firebombed, like Dresden--massive devastation, incinerating everything. prgtoken This is what has just happened in my home State. In one town of
JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS (Executive Session)
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-9-16

I rise today in support of four highly-qualified California nominees to the U.S. District Court: John Holcomb, Mark Scarsi, and Judge Stanley Blumenfeld to the Central District of California, and Todd Robinson to the Southern District of California. (These four nominees know the districts where they will serve if confirmed, and I believe they have demonstrated in their legal careers the skills needed to serve as fair and impartial judges. All four of these nominees received Well Qualified ratings from the American Bar Association, and all have significant legal experience in California. prgtoken John Holcomb, who has been nominated to the Central District of California, is currently a partner at the law firm Greenberg Gross. Mr. Holcomb has spent more than 25 years in private practice, focusing on intellectual property issues. He also served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy. I understand that if confirmed, Mr. Holcomb will be sitting in the Riverside Courthouse, which is badly in need of judges. prgtoken Mark Scarsi, nominated to the Central District of California, is currently managing partner of the Los Angeles office of the law firm Milbank, Tweed. Mr. Scarsi joined that firm in 2007 after spending more than a decade with other California-based law firms, including O'Melveny & Myers and Christie, Parker, & Hale. Mr. Scarsi specializes in patent cases, with a focus on intellectual property. He has tried some 28 cases to verdict, judgment, or prgtoken final decision, including 20 cases in which he served as lead counsel. prgtoken Judge Stanley Blumenfeld, nominated to the Central District of California, currently serves on the Superior Court for Los Angeles County, where he has presided over some 200 trials since his appointment to the bench in 2006. Prior to that, Judge Blumenfeld spent nearly two decades as a practicing attorney, including 7 years as an Assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California. prgtoken Todd Robinson, nominated to the Southern District of California, is currently a Federal prosecutor in that district, where he has served since 1997. Mr. Robinson has significant experience litigating in Federal courts, including in the Southern District of California. He has tried more than 40 felony cases to verdict, including 35 as sole or lead counsel. prgtoken In closing, , these four nominees are highly qualified, they have extensive practical experience, and they are ready to hit the ground running. It is my hope and expectation that these nominees will receive broad bipartisan support. I will be voting in favor of these nominees, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
HONORING THE BRAVE SERVICE OF CHARLES E. COOPER OF TENNESSEE
Mark E. Green (Republican, TN) \u2014 2020-9-17

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Army Private First Class Charles E. Cooper for his distinguished service to this nation. prgtoken PFC Cooper served honorably in the United States Army during World War II, beginning in 1942 at the age of 25. He was sent to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division, participating in rigorous training exercises that included amphibious assaults that would later be employed for the D-Day assault. On that fateful day, June 6, 1944, the 4th Infantry Division crossed the English Channel to the front lines of the War, assaulting a German-held beach under heavy enemy fire. prgtoken PFC Cooper's regiment was one of the first surface-borne Allied units to hit the beaches at Normandy, providing much-needed relief to the 82nd Airborne Division. The division's advancements took the Cotentin peninsula and resulted in the capture of Cherbourg. They also slowed the German Seventh Army's march toward Avranches, ultimately leading to the liberation of the Paris. prgtoken The 4th Division later crossed into Belgium and broke through the Siegfried Line, slowly progressing through the heart of Germany. On November 6, 1944, a severe, month-long battle broke out at the fortified Hurtgen Forrest, resulting in PFC Cooper being mortally wounded by enemy fire. He died of his wounds on November 19, 1944, at the age of 27. prgtoken PFC Cooper will forever be memorialized as an American hero. We remember him for his exemplary service and courageous spirit as he modelled for servicemembers everywhere what it means to sacrifice. As a monument of gratitude to his service, Wayne County in Tennessee has chosen to dedicate a bridge in his honor. On behalf of the United States Congress, I wish to pay tribute to this American hero who made the ultimate sacrifice in our nation's hour of need.
COMMEMORATING THE 100TH SEASON OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (NFL)
Bob Gibbs (Republican, OH) \u2014 2020-9-17

. Madam , I rise today, with my fellow Representative Tim Ryan (OH-13) to wish the National Football League a happy 100th birthday. One hundred years ago today, 15 people met in an automobile showroom in Canton, Ohio to form what would become the National Football League. From these humble beginnings, the NFL has grown into a preeminent American sports league, comprised of 32 teams from 22 states across the country. prgtoken Over its first 100 years, the NFL has become a fixture in American life. The league is an American institution that brings together individuals of all ages, races, and backgrounds through a common enthusiasm for and appreciation for the game of football. Through good times and bad, the NFL has consistently reflected the spirit of the American people, displaying resilience, optimism, and resolve through periods of war, economic distress, natural disasters, and the current pandemic. Last season, the NFL concluded the celebration of its 100th season with a thrilling Super Bowl championship that was viewed by over 100 million Americans. prgtoken Although the league celebrated its 100th season in 2019, the League's 100th birthday is a historic day as well. Today, in an effort to commemorate this momentous occasion, the Cleveland Browns will host the Cincinnati Bengals in a classic rivalry game, known as the ``Battle of Ohio''. The game will highlight the formation of the league and its humble roots in Canton, honor the more than 25,000 players who have played in the league, and showcase the work the NFL is doing to ensure its second century is just as successful as the first. prgtoken We, therefore, recognize the National Football League on its 100th birthday, and wish the league all the best as it embarks into its second century as the foremost steward of ``America's Game.''
Wildfires (Executive Calendar)
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2020-9-17

I am going to be talking about a bill of mine that is, I think, very appropriate and very timely, the Protect Our Heroes Act, which will federalize certain violent crimes against public safety officers across the country, like the police and first responders, in order to deter these kinds of crimes and show the men and women in our law enforcement community that we have their backs. prgtoken Before I get into the details of my bill, I want to talk a little bit about a very moving event. prgtoken I was back home last week in Alaska. I was at the American Legion Post No. 15 in Palmer, AK, and it was on the commemoration of September 11. It was a wonderful remembrance dinner. There were tons of veterans, patriots. My State is blessed with more vets per capita than any State in the country. prgtoken But it was focused on law enforcement. We had the Palmer police chief there. We had members of the police department from Anchorage there because we were focused on so many things that came out of that day--9/ 11. prgtoken But honoring our first responders is something that I think America learned--that we need to respect the men and women epitomized by the police and firemen who went up the Tower. Many of them knew they were going to die, and they did that. They did that to protect us, and there was this newfound respect for our first responders that came out of the tragedy of 9/11. prgtoken Now, in my remarks to my fellow veterans in Palmer at the American Legion post last Friday, I did mention that one of the elements of what is happening in our country, unfortunately, is that these memories are fading. They are fading, and in some ways the respect for the police is not just fading. It is being reversed. prgtoken You see these movements, these national movements of defunding our police--a horrible idea, in my view. My State needs more law enforcement, not less. We have seen on our TV screens and our social media channels that there are people--criminals--who are focused on harming the police, killing the police, attacking the police, and even taking glee in the killing and the violence against law enforcement. prgtoken So we have all seen in the past few years a dramatic increase in killings, in ambushes. In Iowa, New York, Massachusetts, Texas, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Georgia this has been happening. It certainly hit home in my State. prgtoken In Anchorage, in 2016, we had a brave police officer, Arn Salao, who was the victim of a cowardly ambush in 2016. Thankfully, he survived, barely. What was the result of the arrest of the individual who tried to kill him? He ended up being a serial killer, killing five others in Anchorage. But this brave police officer found him, stopped him, and almost lost his life. prgtoken Unfortunately, another officer in a shooting in Alaska the same year, 2016, in Fairbanks, wasn't so fortunate. On October 16, 2016, Sergeant Allen Brandt, an 11-year veteran
Agriculture (Executive Session)
John Hoeven (Republican, ND) \u2014 2020-9-17

. I would like to thank the Senator from Iowa. Again, she directly brings that experience from the farm, growing up in agriculture. prgtoken Somebody else who is here represents Mississippi, so you can see we are going from North Dakota to Mississippi to Iowa to Nebraska. This is the whole country we are talking about. prgtoken The Senator also is somebody who has a long background in agriculture. I would like to turn to the good Senator from Mississippi.