mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF DRUG DISCOUNTS AND REAL-TIME BENEFICIARY DRUG COST ACT
Greg Gianforte (Republican, MT) \u2014 2019-10-28

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken Far too many Montanans can't afford the prescription drugs they need. They shouldn't have to leave the pharmacy counter empty-handed because costs are too high. Montanans need access to affordable medications, which is why reducing drug prices is one of my top priorities. prgtoken To lower costs, we need more transparency in our healthcare system. We need to shine a light onto the opaque drug pricing process. Our commonsense, bipartisan bill before the House today will shine that much-needed light. prgtoken The Payment Commission Data Act gives Congress' nonpartisan think tanks MedPAC and MACPAC greater access to drug pricing data. Armed with this data, they can better advise Congress about who is being a bad actor in the drug supply chain. It will help Congress address prescription drug prices more effectively. prgtoken We all want to ensure the American people can buy more affordable prescription drugs. I believe the bipartisan approach we have here should be a working model for how to move forward, not simply ramming through partisan bills. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this commonsense reform to lower drug prices.
NOTICE TO AIRMEN IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2019
Pete Stauber (Republican, MN) \u2014 2019-10-28

before I begin, I want to thank Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves for their great leadership on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. prgtoken I am pleased to rise in support of my bipartisan legislation that improves the safety of air travel. I would also like to thank my colleague, Mr. DeSaulnier, for his support and leadership on this legislation as well. prgtoken Notice to Airmen, or NOTAMs, are extremely important to safety in our skies. NOTAMs are critical as they relay safety information to pilots that allow them to understand the possible hazards and conditions of airports and runways before actually getting to the destination. The current system simply is not working as well as it should. NOTAMs are often buried in lengthy reports conflating important safety information with more common alerts. These inefficiencies have the potential to create life-threatening situations. prgtoken My bill creates a task force at the FAA with important input from safety experts and industry professionals to address what changes need to be made to NOTAMs to make air travel even safer than it already is. prgtoken , I am looking forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on future legislation that directly helps the American people, and I urge support for my bipartisan bill, the Notice to Airmen Improvement Act.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN...
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2019-10-28

I encourage my colleagues to pass this amendment that has been called up and that we are going to vote for here in just a few moments. Senator Cortez Masto and I worked together on this. She has been the lead on this whole issue. I am proud to cosponsor it with her. prgtoken This is a basic study of how we can make sure that the food benefits the USDA is choosing to provide and that together we are providing as Federal taxpayers to Indian reservations is actually getting to people who need it the most. prgtoken At this point, the USDA program is set up so that people have to come to a central distribution area to get access to food. Many elderly and disabled cannot go to a central distribution area to get access to food. If we are going to have a food program like this, let's make sure we are actually getting food to where people need it the most. prgtoken There are other programs that are in the Federal program right now, like Meals on Wheels and other programs that are designated, where we can partner with groups to make sure food gets there, but there are other programs, like this program, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, that may not be getting to where food is needed the most for the most number of people. prgtoken I think other programs will need a study like this as well. We have other child nutrition programs, for instance, that happen in the summertime, where children, just as in this program set up on Indian reservations, have to come to a central location to get access to food. Many children don't have the ability to get transportation to get food. So those individuals and those families who need the most help are facing yet another hurdle to get help. prgtoken This is a study, and I think it is the first step to make sure that what we do is done well, is done efficiently, and that the intended outcome to help people is accurately occurring. prgtoken I thank Senator Cortez Masto for stepping up and for her leadership for this. I am proud to be a cosponsor with her. prgtoken I look forward to our colleagues voting for this, getting the results of this study, and actually making sure that in the days ahead, food assistance is getting to places where people need it the most. prgtoken With that, .
PAYMENT COMMISSION DATA ACT OF 2019
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-10-28

I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken , I rise to speak in support of my bill, H.R. 1781, the Payment Commission Data Act. prgtoken Last year, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, MedPAC, and the Medicaid and CHIP Payment Advisory Commission, MACPAC, who serve as nonpartisan advisory panels to Congress, came to us with a problem: They did not have the data needed to fully study prescription drug rebates. prgtoken This bill ensures MedPAC and MACPAC have access to the data they need to make informed recommendations to Congress. This increase in transparency is extremely helpful in allowing MedPAC and MACPAC to analyze how competition in our drug market is currently working and how part D plans are managing the growth in drug prices. They will be able to turn that new knowledge into improved policy recommendations on how we, as Congress, can bring down the price of drugs for patients. prgtoken Simply put, this bill is just good governance. prgtoken Importantly, I think this bill, as well as the bill we just spoke about, H.R. 2115, are shining examples of what is possible when s and are working together to lower the cost of drugs for patients. prgtoken In the Energy and Commerce Committee, we have worked all year to advance a number of good, bipartisan drug policies that could make a difference for patients. prgtoken Looking across the Capitol, there are dozens more bipartisan reforms that I think could get robust support here in the House. prgtoken The issue of prescription drug costs is simply too important to be sacrificed in the name of electoral politics. Today is proof that we can, in fact, pass bipartisan drug pricing reforms. prgtoken So I call on my colleagues on the other sides of the aisle: Let's build on today and continue advancing the bipartisan policies we know can become law and actually make a difference for patients in the country. prgtoken I want to thank my friend and colead, Representative Tom O'Halleran, as well as Representatives Rice, Panetta, Gianforte, and Welch for their leadership on this bill. prgtoken I urge my fellow Members to support transparency in our drug supply chain and to support H.R. 1781.
WELCOMING DR. DEREK W.H. THOMAS
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2019-10-28

. Madam , the Reverend Dr. Derek William Henry Thomas is the senior pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, South Carolina, and the Chancellor's Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary. prgtoken A native of Wales in the United Kingdom, Dr. Thomas completed his ministerial training at Reformed Theological Seminary and received his Ph.D. from the University of Wales, Lampeter. He served as a pastor for 17 years in Belfast, Northern Ireland, before returning to the United States to serve as the minister of teaching at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi. He was called to his present position in 2013. He has written or edited 25 books becoming editorial director for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and the editor of its e- zine, Reformation 21. prgtoken He and his wife, Rosemary, have been married for 43 years, have two adult children, and are naturalized citizens of the United States. prgtoken The First Presbyterian Church was the first church organized in the capital of South Carolina and will celebrate its semisestercentennial next year. It is the largest congregation in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Synod with 3,000 members. prgtoken The historic First Presbyterian Churchyard was established in 1798 with Federal legislators interred along with Ann Pamela Cunningham who founded the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association in 1853 saving President George Washington's home from collapse. Also interred are President Woodrow Wilson's parents, Reverend Joseph and Jessie Wilson.
ORDERS FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2019
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-10-28

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m Tuesday, October 29; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in day, morning business be closed, and the Senate resume consideration of H.R. 3055; finally, that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the caucus meetings.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN...
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2019-10-28

I don't see the Senator from Kentucky on the floor, but I will speak briefly in opposition to it as I know many others feel the same. prgtoken His amendment will slash spending below the Bipartisan Budget Act, which we all negotiated, by over $14 billion. prgtoken To give you some examples, the U.S. Census Bureau would be $3.8 billion below the fiscal year 2020 bipartisan level, making it impossible to hold an accurate and complete count. It would severely compromise the Federal Government's ability to fight wildfires and safeguard people's lives and property. All you have to do is look at the tens of thousands of acres in California, Arizona, and Colorado to see what that would do. We have $3.6 billion to fight wildfires. He would reject those increases and then cut them by $1.6 billion. It would cut available funding for our Nation's roadways and bridges by over $1.5 billion. It would eliminate the potential of there being 19,500 new jobs and a whole lot of other things. prgtoken , the Paul amendment would slash spending below the Bipartisan Budget Act by over $14 billion. prgtoken Under the Paul amendment, the Bureau of the Census would be $3.8 billion below the fiscal year 2020 funding level in the Senate bill. At this funding level, it would not be possible to hold an accurate and complete count. prgtoken The Paul amendment would also severely compromise the Federal Government's ability to fight catastrophic wildfires and safeguard people's lives and property at a time when tens of thousands of acres in California, Arizona, and Colorado are ablaze. The fiscal year 2020 Senate bill provides $3.6 billion to fight wildfires and access. The Paul amendment would reject those increases and reduce the amounts provided for fire suppression by $1.6 billion. prgtoken The Paul amendment would cut available funding for our Nation's roadways and bridges by over $1.5 billion, eliminating the potential for 19,500 new jobs and exacerbating the $123 billion backlog of bridge repairs and replacement of 47,000 structurally deficient bridges. prgtoken These are just a few examples of the real world implications of the Paul amendment. I urge all members to vote no. prgtoken , if nobody seeks time, all time.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN...
Catherine Cortez Masto (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2019-10-28

I rise to support this amendment, which is an amendment that supports our Native-American communities who face food insecurity. prgtoken The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, commonly known as FDPIR, provides food assistance for 90,000 people in 276 Tribes across this country. Often, on Tribal lands--and certainly in the rural parts of my home State of Nevada--people live miles from a SNAP office or a grocery store. So FDPIR provides a crucial source of nutrition. prgtoken But many enrollees in the program still have to pick up the FDPIR benefits in person, and for elderly or disabled Tribal members, it is too difficult to make that trip. So I urge my colleagues to vote for this important amendment to study ways to improve access to the program for the homebound and the elderly. prgtoken and fellow member of the Indian Affairs Committee, Senator Lankford, for his support on this important effort. We want to ensure that no one is going hungry when there is food waiting for them just a few miles away. prgtoken I thank the Senate leadership for allowing open debate and discussion of the issue facing Indian Country on the floor of this Chamber. prgtoken I look forward to continued conversations on how to help members of Tribes to thrive and to grow their communities and to chart a more vibrant future. prgtoken Thank you.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN...
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-10-28

the Scripture tells us that ``the Lord is close to the brokenhearted,'' in Psalm 34:18. I pray those words are true, because we lost a Member of the Senate family today and many of us have lost a dear friend. We are brokenhearted at the news that Senator Kay Hagan passed away at the age of 66. prgtoken I spoke to her husband Chip a few hours ago, and I told him that from the prgtoken first moment I met Kay Hagan, she was special. She remained that way every day since. She was an amazing force--never loud but always strong, effective, hard-working, dedicated, principled, and just a kindhearted person. prgtoken He told me that he and Kay had just had a wonderful weekend, a dinner, a wedding, surrounded by friends and family. She even got to spend some time with , who was in town. Chip said she was just beaming. prgtoken I take some comfort in knowing that. In fact, it reminded me of how Kay lived her life. She was never one to let the sometimes painful realities of life in politics get her down. I knew Kay for over a decade, as a State senator, a candidate, a brilliant Senator, and a former Senator who returned to private life without an ounce of regret or ill-will. prgtoken In all that time, I never heard her once--never heard her once-- complain. She was never sour, sarcastic, or dejected. She remained always to her last day a cheerful optimist, a happy warrior. prgtoken It is only one of the many reasons that Kay Hagan was beloved by Members on this side of the aisle and I believe by a great number of those on the other side as well. Boy, do we miss her. prgtoken My heart goes out to Chip, to their three kids--Jeanette, Tilden, and Carrie--and their wonderful grandchildren, of whom Kay was so proud and loved. Death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi prgtoken , on another subject, yesterday morning it was announced that U.S. Special Operations Forces killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State. The death of al-Baghdadi is a great victory for the safety of our country and the safety of our allies and partners. All Americans salute the Special Operations Forces who executed this mission, the intelligence community of professionals, whose work helped to enable the mission, and our allies and partners, particularly, the Syrian Kurds, who have contributed to the global coalition to defeat ISIS. prgtoken Despite this great victory, however, we must not confuse the death of this one very evil man with the defeat of ISIS. There are still potentially hundreds of ISIS prisoners and sympathizers who have escaped in recent weeks as a result of President 's abrupt decision to withdraw American troops from northern Syria and green- light Erdogan's invasion. We cannot allow ISIS to regroup or gather strength. New Yorkers know all too well the destruction a small group of terrorists can cause from half a world away. prgtoken Make no mistake, we still need a plan
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN...
Doug Jones (Democrat, AL) \u2014 2019-10-28

this amendment will continue a process that was started last year in the farm bill to correct one of the grave injustices to the African-American population here. prgtoken This bill deals with heir property--property that has gone down through generations without clear title. These landowners have been denied access to USDA programs and other instances. This amendment deals with heir property. African Americans have long been denied property based on the fact that so much of it has been passed down through the generations without clear title. prgtoken They have been denied access to the USDA programs and also have lost property. Between 1910 and 1997, an estimated 90 percent of land owned by African Americans in this country was lost due to heir property issues. Last year we began the process in this Senate with the farm bill to correct that, part of which was creating a program at USDA to loan money to help get these folks back on their feet, to get them into the programs they need. This amendment provides $5 million to start that program. It is the same amount of money that is in the House bill. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to continue this opportunity to correct this wrong and right this injustice. prgtoken , I yield.
PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE JOHN CONYERS
John Lewis (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2019-10-28

. Well, you are still very young--for bringing us together to honor John Conyers. prgtoken The former dean of the House of Representatives and the cofounder of the Congressional Black Caucus, John Conyers, was born at a time when we needed someone to stand up and to speak up and speak out and to get in the way of getting what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. prgtoken As a matter of fact, John Conyers and Martin Luther King, Jr. were born prgtoken the same year, so maybe history, faith, and maybe God Almighty placed the two of them here to work together. prgtoken Before being elected to Congress, Mr. Conyers served in the Korean war and on the staff of Representative John Dingell. When the people of Michigan elected Mr. Conyers in 1964, he brought Congress to the front lines of the civil rights movement, and he took civil rights, voting rights, labor rights, and human rights to the United States Congress. prgtoken John Conyers, perhaps more than any other Member of Congress, made trips over and over and over again to the South to identify with the struggle going on in the South. He came to Alabama, to Georgia, Mississippi, and other parts of the Deep South. prgtoken , Representative Conyers was one of two Members of Congress, both from Michigan, who voted on the original and every single reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. He could give us the backstory of every major law from the Civil Rights Act of 1968 to the 20-year effort to establish a National Day of Service honoring my friend and leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. prgtoken When Rosa Parks, a person I got to know so well, was forced to leave her home State of Alabama after the Montgomery bus boycott, Mr. Conyers more than anyone else gave her a position on his staff, and she was very proud and pleased to work in the office of John Conyers. She served in his district office for 23 years. prgtoken The record should be clear: John Conyers loved music, but he loved jazz. He loved jazz more than any other form of music. prgtoken He loved this institution, and he dedicated his life to realizing the dream of what our Nation could be. He was of the people, and he was for the people. prgtoken On this difficult day, I offer my deepest condolences to his beloved wife, sons, family, and the people of Michigan who mourn his loss. prgtoken May he rest in peace and in power.
FEDERAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE COORDINATION ACT
Scott H. Peters (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-10-28

I thank Chairman DeFazio, and thank Congressman Meadows, for working with me to improve the federal government's transparency on disaster assistance spending and the government's efficiency on providing communities with relief funding. prgtoken As fires burn across California and hurricanes continue to hit the Southeast, it is clear that disasters are becoming larger, more dangerous and frequent, and significantly more expensive. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), there have been more than 2,400 federally declared disasters since 2000, totaling hundreds of billions of dollars in federal relief aid. prgtoken Multiple federal agencies help communities recover from these disasters. However, they do not coordinate when conducting damage assessments, which creates duplicative work across agencies. prgtoken That's why I joined Congressman Meadows in introducing the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act. This bill is commonsense: it requires FEMA to create an interagency working group to determine any areas of overlap across agencies when conducting assessments used to administer disaster assistance. It also requires the working group to assess new technologies that may accelerate damage assessments following disasters. prgtoken This bill, in coordination with two other disaster assistance bills Mr. Meadows and I introduced together--the DISASTER Act and the Post- Disaster Assistance Online Accountability Act--allow the federal government to efficiently provide communities with disaster relief aid. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to pass this legislation today, and I look forward to the Senate acting on all three of our disaster transparency bills.
PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF DRUG DISCOUNTS AND REAL-TIME BENEFICIARY DRUG COST ACT
Janice D. Schakowsky (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-10-28

. Madam , I am prepared to close now just by saying the cost of prescription drugs is an issue on the minds of all of our constituents, in a bipartisan way, all across the country, and this bill will provide much-needed transparency around the activity of pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. prgtoken You heard very eloquent statements from our colleagues on this issue. I am going to close now and just say I hope that all of our colleagues will vote for this legislation. prgtoken Madam , .