mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
MR. PRESIDENT, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO HIDE?
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2019-12-11

yesterday, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin must have been consumed with delight. President chose to invite to the White House Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the right arm of Vladimir Putin. prgtoken The American people should be on red alert, asking themselves what the President has to discuss with a senior leader of an adversary, in a meeting closed to the press and closed to the American people. prgtoken , what do you have to hide? prgtoken Importantly, Mr. Lavrov is the individual that first concocted the Ukraine false narrative on December 1, 2016, that hid Russia's involvement in our elections, blaming it on Ukraine. prgtoken It seems that this meeting is a part of a pattern of President 's disturbing behavior to cozy up to dictator Putin and his oligarch cronies, many of whom have invested heavily in properties. prgtoken Astoundingly, President welcomed Russia's intervention in our 2016 elections, and then he invited Russia back to the Group of Seven. prgtoken He shamelessly kowtowed to Putin at the Helsinki Summit. prgtoken And additionally, President withheld critical military assistance and a White House meeting from the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, urging him to investigate false conspiracy theories about President 's political opponents here at home. prgtoken Meanwhile, the President publicly and continuously derides our closest allies, and questions the value of NATO, for heaven's sake, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the bulwark of our security as free people. And he embraces dictators from around the world. prgtoken Yet, again, need I remind the President that Russia seeks to destroy liberty. Putin seeks to destroy critical democratic alliances, forged at great sacrifice, such as NATO, that have brought unprecedented peace, security, and prosperity to the free world, which includes us. prgtoken In 2019, Russia illegally invaded the independent nation of Ukraine, leading to already over 14,000 deaths and the displacement of millions. Ukraine is the scrimmage line for liberty in the Transatlantic Alliance. Russia has been working hard to destroy that alliance, which is freedom's bulwark. prgtoken Russia has sided with the barbarous Assad regime in Syria, and Russia conducts constant cyberattacks and misinformation campaigns to meddle in democratic processes, including here in our 2016 presidential election; and she is intent to do it again next year. prgtoken Simply put, the enemy of liberty will stop at nothing to weaken the United States and our allies. prgtoken When the American people elect their President, they expect a leader to champion liberty on the world stage. prgtoken The world is watching, and so are our children. How should they interpret the United States rolling out the White House red carpet for corrupt Russian leaders, while freedom-seeking Ukrainian President Zelensky is still waiting for his invitation to the Whit
FARM WORKFORCE MODERNIZATION ACT OF 2019
Eddie Bernice Johnson (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-12-11

. Madam , I rise today in support of H.R. 5038, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. This bipartisan piece of legislation will go a long way in addressing the shortage of labor in our agriculture sector. This bill will also provide a pathway to citizenship for agricultural workers who have spent many years working in the fields helping to ensure we have a safe and affordable food supply. prgtoken Thanks to the leadership of Chairwoman Lofgren and Congressman Newhouse, we have finally started to look at immigration as a solution to some of our labor shortages. Farmers and ranchers rely on foreign seasonal agricultural workers largely because it's difficult to find a reliable source of labor domestically for this sector. It's a fair compromise that these workers be offered a pathway to citizenship so that they can one day live the American dream just like the rest of us. prgtoken It is my hope that this bill can serve as a blueprint for other sectors of our economy where labor shortages persist. Construction is a prime example of this. My district, along with the rest of North Texas is in the process of seeing rapid population growth. This means construction workers are in high demand to build new homes, schools, roads, and hospitals for the thousands of people moving to the region every month. Similar reforms in the construction industry would help in making sure the economy in North Texas can continue to prosper. prgtoken Madam , we have a unique opportunity here today to pass legislation that would benefit both farmers and the agricultural workers they employ. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill.
Tax Reform (Executive Session)
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2019-12-11

and my friend for his leadership, and I thank him for yielding the floor to me. prgtoken I have been here 19 years. It is pretty hard to believe. Some of my detractors say it seems longer. It has gone by pretty fast. In the past, I have been privileged to have been a naval flight officer for many years and retired as a Navy captain. I am the last Vietnam veteran to serve in the U.S. Senate today. prgtoken I have been privileged to serve as treasurer, Congressman, Governor, and Senator for my State. I loved being Governor. I love being a Senator. I am really lucky. There are 1,900 people in the history of our country who have had the privilege of serving here, and we get to be among them. prgtoken Before I came here, I was Governor for 8 years and got to be chairman of the National Governors Association as well. It was a huge honor to work with Governors. There are a bunch of former Governors here whom I get to work with today. I like that a lot. prgtoken During the 8 years I was Governor, we had 8 years of balanced budgets. In 7 out of those 8 years, we actually cut taxes, but we always balanced our budget. We paid down some debt, and we earned an AAA credit rating for the first time in State history. More jobs were created in those 8 years--in the 8-year period in the history of the State of Delaware. I don't say that to be boastful. I didn't create one of them. As Governor, I tried to provide some leadership and to work with stakeholders in our State and in our government and outside of government--people from all walks of life and businesses large and small. I tried to create a nurturing environment for job creation and job preservation. That is what we tried to do, and we were pretty good at it. We were pretty good at it. We are still pretty good at it in Delaware. prgtoken That nurturing environment is made up of a lot of different things. Among the elements are our workforce, people who are educated, trained, and have the experience to work to contribute in the workplace, whether it is agriculture, tourism, financial services, manufacturing, technology, you name it. prgtoken Right now, we have a big challenge in filling all of these holes in jobs around the country. We just got a jobs report last Friday that shows how the job market was going in the country in the month of November. One of the things we learned in the jobs report was that maybe about 156 million or 157 million people went to work in November every day, but there are 5 million or 6 million jobs where nobody showed up. Nobody showed up because they didn't have the skills, the education, or the training, or they didn't live in the right part of the country, they didn't want to do that kind of job, or maybe they couldn't pass a drug test. prgtoken A lot of jobs are going wanting in this country. That has to be a concern as we try to provide a nurturing environment, work on the workforce side of preparing t
Tribute to Johnny Isakson (Executive Calendar)
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2019-12-11

I come to the floor this afternoon to pay tribute to our good friend Senator Johnny Isakson of the great State of Georgia. I say ``ours'' because I know he is a friend to everyone in this Chamber. It was a real blow to me and, I know, to all of the Senators to hear that Senator Isakson wouldn't be seeking another term and that he would be leaving early. prgtoken Over the years, Johnny and I have had a chance to partner on a number of bipartisan initiatives. He has established a reputation in this body as an honorable and hard-working Senator who cares deeply about his constituents. Beyond that, he is just a kind person. As we think about the accolades we could say about somebody, somebody who is kind to everyone they meet, that is about as nice a thing, I think, as you can say. prgtoken What Johnny does has been demonstrated time and again in Congress. He develops trust and good working relationships, and he gets things done. prgtoken As chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and a veteran himself, Johnny has taken on the difficult but critical task of making reforms to the VA to better deliver care to those who have fought for our country. Having been through some of those challenges with veterans in New Hampshire and seeing what they are facing with getting the care they need, to be able to go back to them and say that because of the work of Senator Isakson and Senator Tester, we now have the MISSION Act--which is bipartisan legislation to expand care and services to veterans--has been very reassuring. prgtoken We also know that Senator Isakson is a fierce advocate for local priorities in his home State. I have a sister in Georgia, in Atlanta, and when I ask her about Senator Isakson, she speaks very positively about what she has seen that he does in Georgia. prgtoken Of course, many of us here have been reminded time and again of the importance of the Port of Savannah and its dredging needs. I can especially identify with those since we have small ports--much smaller than Savannah's--in New Hampshire, but they consistently have dredging needs, so I know how important it is to have an advocate who is there all the time, making sure that the needs of those ports are being seen to. prgtoken One of the many areas where Senator Isakson and I have found common ground is reforming our budget process. I think it is not a secret to anybody in this body that the Federal budget process is broken. Since 2011, I have worked with Senator Isakson, who had been working on trying to get a biennial budgeting process for the Federal Government. That is something that I think makes sense. Nineteen States, including New Hampshire, operate on a biennial budget. We believe that taxpayers would be better served by a process whereby Congress budgets for 2 years rather than 1 and is able to use the second year for oversight. prgtoken As we know, it is not easy to change things in Washington. I couldn't have asked
CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 1790, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
Joe Courtney (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2019-12-11

. Madam , I rise in strong support of the final conference version of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. prgtoken As chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, I worked closely with my colleague and friend, Ranking Member Wittman, to produce a strong bill that invests smartly in the defense priorities under our jurisdiction. prgtoken This year, we also benefited greatly from the contributions of our freshman members of the subcommittee, whose collective experience and intelligence were extremely helpful. prgtoken The bill authorizes a $23 billion shipbuilding budget for 12 battle force ships, including two Virginia-class submarines, three Arleigh Burke destroyers, the first frigate, two amphibious ships, two T-AO oilers, and two salvage and rescue ships. prgtoken The final shipbuilding budget also contains adjustments necessary to support the new Block V Virginia-class submarine contract and fully funds the Navy's number one acquisition priority, the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine. prgtoken This bill will, by law, reverse the administration's misguided proposal to cancel the refueling of the carrier USS Harry S. Truman. prgtoken Our subcommittee also focused on sealift recapitalization, an area that has been overlooked for far too long; legislating reauthorization of the Maritime Security Program; establishing a new-build domestic sealift vessel program; and restoring funding cuts by the administration for a critical training platform, the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel. prgtoken It also provides strong support for our air projection forces, including the KC-46 tanker, the B-21 long-range bomber, and the B-52 reengining program. prgtoken Finally, we continued Congress' oversight duties as they relate to the Navy's surface fleet readiness by requiring any shipboard system program of record to have formal associated training to ensure our sailors are competent operators of the equipment they use at sea every day. prgtoken Outside of seapower, I am extremely pleased that my amendment that reverses last year's awful DOD order blocking longer term servicemembers' ability to transfer their GI Bill educational benefits to eligible dependents is in the conference report. prgtoken I am also pleased about the fix to widow's tax, which we wrestled with for 20 years, and also the monumental task of providing 12 weeks of paid family medical leave for all Federal employees. prgtoken I thank the committee leadership, Representatives Smith and Thornberry, for their tireless work. I also thank Phil MacNaughton, Dave Sienicki, Kelly Goggin, and Megan Handal, and Lieutenant Claire Wardius of the Navy, my Navy fellow, for their great work supporting this bill.
WE NEED BOLD ACTION TO LOWER THE COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Andy Kim (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2019-12-11

I rise today to call for bold action to lower the cost of prescription drugs. prgtoken Over the last year, I have held 15 townhalls across Burlington and Ocean Counties, and the number one issue I continue to hear about is the high cost of drugs and healthcare. prgtoken We have a real chance right now to pass critical legislation that will have a tangible and real impact on the lives of the people we serve: prgtoken By passing H.R. 3, we can help lower the cost of critical drugs like insulin for the tens of thousands of New Jersyans struggling with diabetes. prgtoken By passing H.R. 3, we can save lives by making cancer medication more affordable. prgtoken By passing H.R. 3, we can finally deliver comprehensive dental, vision, and hearing benefits for seniors under Medicare, including over 130,000 people in our district. prgtoken And by passing H.R. 3, we can expand access to the Medicare Savings Program, a provision I was proud to introduce and champion to help 3.5 million seniors afford quality healthcare. prgtoken , we must take big, bold action because the challenges that our neighbors face in affording their healthcare is critical. I hope my colleagues will join me in passing this bill and making an impact we can all be proud of.
Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act (Executive Session)
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2019-12-11

I rise today because far too many of our veterans feel like they have run out of options when it comes to dealing with the physical and mental scars of war. These are folks who have served in defense of our freedoms and who often suffer tremendous invisible wounds of war. prgtoken I can't tell you the number of times I have heard from men and women in uniform, in Montana and across this country, who feel helpless, and they feel as though they have been abandoned by their own country. The facts tell us that we are not doing enough here in this body to help. The reality is that our country loses as many as 20 Active-Duty or veteran servicemembers each and every day due to suicide. Regardless of political party, we can all agree that one life lost to a suicide is too many. prgtoken That is why, as ranking member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, I have been working with my colleagues across the aisle-- colleagues like Senator Sullivan--to make sure that our vets have the access to the help and the care they need. prgtoken The bill that we are going to consider here shortly--our Support for Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act--is a bipartisan effort to help tackle the suicide epidemic by ensuring that we take a comprehensive approach to connecting veterans with urgent, lifesaving care. This bill starts by identifying and addressing staffing needs for VA employees and suicide prevention professionals who are our Nation's first line of defense when it comes to combating veteran suicide. prgtoken It is clear that we have much more to do to prevent this national health epidemic, and it starts with understanding the scope of the problem. If we don't have the tools in place to take care of these folks when they return home, then, we should think twice before we send them in the first place. prgtoken I urge the Senate to vote for this bill when it comes up and to get it passed out of this body quickly so the President can quickly sign it into law. prgtoken It is not something that can solve our suicide problems among our veterans by itself, but it is certainly one of the tools in the toolbox that can help folks when they need help and to ensure that no veteran slips through the cracks. prgtoken I want to thank the Senator from Alaska for everything he has done to make sure that this bill becomes a reality. prgtoken .
LOWER DRUG COSTS NOW ACT OF 2019
Kurt Schrader (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2019-12-11

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise today to speak on behalf of H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019. prgtoken The bill before us today will finally allow Medicare to negotiate the price for prescription drugs to get a better deal for our seniors, a task that has long been successful by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Medicaid, the Department of Defense, and, frankly, in commercial insurance plans. prgtoken Why not allow our seniors to negotiate the best price for their costly drugs? It can save the taxpayers a lot of money. Americans support negotiation. prgtoken I will point out that while I appreciate the efforts to expand service, the Medicare trustees report has shown that the Medicare hospital insurance trust fund is projected to be depleted by 2026, a mere 6 years from now. At the same time, Medicare per capita spending is supposed to grow at a rate of over 5 percent a year. prgtoken The savings from the drug negotiation portion of this bill, at least a big portion of it, should be put toward ensuring that our seniors will continue to have access to Medicare. prgtoken We cannot keep spending money we do not have. As we continue to have conversations around expanding access to healthcare and lowering costs of prescription drugs, I urge my colleagues to be mindful that they need to address the solvency of our healthcare safety net systems. prgtoken This is a good bill. I urge support.
Tax Reform (Executive Session)
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-12-11

I join my colleagues on the floor today to point out that 2 years ago, we had an opportunity in the Congress to reform the Tax Code. The Tax Code, basically, was the one enacted in 1986. In 2017, we had an opportunity to reform that Tax Code, and that opportunity was missed. prgtoken What the s did, instead of engaging in a truly bipartisan process that would have used the expertise of all Members of Congress, they went on a partisan mission in order to help big corporations and wealthy taxpayers at the expense of middle-income taxpayers and fiscal responsibility. As a result, our children and grandchildren will pick up the tab for this bill, and those who are going to benefit will not be middle-income families. They are the losers. The ones who are going to benefit will be big corporations and wealthy taxpayers. prgtoken Let me just talk about some things that should be the basic ingredients for tax reform. prgtoken First, it should be fair to the taxpayers of this country. The tax bill that was enacted 2 years ago was certainly not fair. It failed in that test. As I pointed out, who benefited? Large corporations benefited dramatically by this bill, but they said: Look, we will pass it on to the workers. Yet did they pass it on to the workers? In 2018, $1.1 trillion was used to repurchase stock to make the wealthiest even wealthier, and it did not go to the benefit of the workers. The benefit was the greatest on the personal income tax side as it went to the highest income taxpayers. They are the ones who benefited the most, and it was not fair to middle-income taxpayers. prgtoken Secondly, a tax reform bill should be fiscally responsible. After all, we have taxes in order to raise revenue, in order to pay for services so we don't borrow from the future--from our children and grandchildren--to pay for what we are doing today. The administration said this would be a fiscally responsible bill. The verdict is back, and $2 trillion has been added to the national deficit--$2 trillion. It has certainly failed on fiscal responsibility. Corporate taxes have gone down 40 percent. So we have given a break to corporations at the expense of our deficit. Who is picking up the bill? Middle-income taxpayers are picking up the bill. prgtoken Thirdly, the Tax Code should be efficient, and we should try to make it as simple as possible. No one can argue that the 2017 tax bill has simplified the Tax Code or has made it more efficient. To the contrary, we are now told we are going to need technical corrections because of the mistakes that were included in it. I can say, in my talking to many individuals who had the plan based upon the Tax Code, that there is prgtoken so much more uncertainty in the Tax Code now than there was prior to the passage of the 2017 tax bill. prgtoken Who is going to pick up the tab? Middle-income taxpayers are going to pick up the tab, and let me just give you some examples. <|p|