mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
NOMINATION OF BRETT KAVANAUGH
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-7-11

the most important words of our Constitution are its first three, ``We the People.'' It is the mission statement of our Constitution, the mission statement of our country, a nation ``of the people, by the people, for the people,'' as President Lincoln so eloquently stated, not a nation by, for, and of the powerful and the privileged. prgtoken Critical to that vision of ``we the people'' is a strong and independent judiciary, particularly a strong and independent Supreme Court, since all the decisions from the lower courts can be appealed right on up to the very top. prgtoken Today, there is a vacancy on the Supreme Court with Anthony Kennedy's announced retirement. On Monday night, President announced his nominee to fill that seat--Judge Brett Kavanaugh. prgtoken A single vote can make all the difference in the world on the Supreme Court in protecting the freedoms we hold dear. A single vote can tip the scales toward the vision of our Constitution, the ``we the people'' vision of our Constitution, or it can tip the scales away from that vision toward government by and for the powerful. prgtoken We can see the impact of the single vote when we look at Justice Kennedy's own legacy, his own record of 5-to-4 decisions. Time and again during his three decades on the Court, he made the deciding vote in a critical decision--a single vote making a big difference. prgtoken In 1992, he wrote the majority opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, not only reaffirming Roe v. Wade but protecting a woman's fundamental right to make decisions about her own healthcare. As Justice Kennedy wrote, ``These matters, involving the most intimate and personal choices a person may make in a lifetime . . . are central to the liberty protected by the Fourteenth Amendment,'' the amendment prohibiting States from depriving a person of liberty without due process. prgtoken In 2005, he wrote the ruling in Roper v. Simmons, which barred the execution of juveniles, declaring it cruel and unusual punishment banned by the Eighth Amendment, highlighting the ``evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society.'' Justice Kennedy said that even when a child commits the most heinous of crimes, ``the State cannot extinguish his life and his potential to attain a mature understanding of his own humanity.'' prgtoken In Boumediene v he appealed to the better angels of our nature and channeled the sentiment behind Benjamin Franklin's adage that ``Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety'' when he wrote the majority opinion that detainees at Guantanamo Bay had the constitutional right of habeas corpus to challenge their detention. prgtoken Certainly, in looking at Justice Kennedy's legacy and the importance of a single vote, it is worth noting cases that involve the rights of opportunity for our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. Because of
ACA SABOTAGE
Bradley Scott Schneider (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-7-11

another week, another two blatant attempts by this administration to sabotage the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken On Saturday, the administration announced it is ending payments that help insurers meet the requirement to cover individuals with preexisting conditions. These risk adjustment payments pool risk for insurers so all Americans can be covered, not just the healthiest few. prgtoken Just yesterday, the administration announced it is slashing funds for healthcare navigators by 70 percent. These navigators are the individuals trained to help Americans compare and enroll in plans. Without navigator assistance, more Americans will struggle to enroll, and more people will go uninsured. prgtoken These changes and other actions previously announced by this administration will result in higher premiums for millions of individuals and small businesses. prgtoken Remember this: the 130 million Americans, those of us with preexisting conditions, will pay the heaviest price. prgtoken This cynical effort to diminish access to quality, affordable care has to stop. The administration needs to abandon its effort to undermine the ACA and instead start working with those of us who want to improve, rather than tear down, our healthcare system.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2018-7-11

you all know where I stand on section 232 steel tariffs. I strongly support them because thousands of steelworkers across the country have lost their jobs due to Chinese steel overcapacity. Tough trade enforcement against prgtoken China cheating has long been overdue. These tariffs are a tool to bring China to the table and to get long-term structural changes to support American jobs. prgtoken My colleagues know I strongly oppose the Corker-Toomey legislation, which would undo China's tariffs, let China off the hook, and gut the section 232 status. That is why I stood on the floor 2 weeks ago to block that. prgtoken What we are considering today is different. With this motion to instruct, the Senate will reaffirm that it has a role in section 232 determinations. Of course, we should. That is why I have talked regularly with Secretary Ross and Ambassador Lighthizer throughout this process. prgtoken I will vote for the motion to instruct not because I think it makes sense to consider trade policy on an appropriations bill that has nothing to do with tariffs but because, of course, Congress should have a role in 232 determinations. It should have a role in all trade policies. I have been saying that for years. I am glad my colleagues finally agree.
TRIBUTE TO BETSEY HEDRICK
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2018-7-12

this week I have the honor of recognizing Betsey Hedrick of Dawson County for her contribution to the community through Betsey's Badlands Catering. prgtoken Betsey was born and raised in Bozeman. After graduating from high school, she attended culinary school in Portland, which led her to work at a local country club and eventually run a steakhouse back in Bozeman. She and her husband, Phil, moved to Glendive 14 years ago, had their son Sam, and shortly after, she opened Betsey's Badlands Catering. prgtoken Fixing food has always been Betsey's passion. Her favorite part about cooking is not what she is cooking or who she is cooking for; it is the impact that food has on people. No matter people's backgrounds or history, food brings them together. She loves being a part of something that brings joy to people's lives, and that is why she continues to do it daily. prgtoken I congratulate Betsey on her significant contributions to Glendive and the greater Dawson County. I look forward to seeing her business grow and trying some of her famous seasonal dishes soon.
RECOGNIZING COLONEL JOHN WAGNER
Mike Coffman (Republican, CO) \u2014 2018-7-12

it is my honor to rise today to acknowledge the exceptional career of Colonel John Wagner, United States Air Force. Colonel Wagner is retiring after a dedicated career of military service to our nation. Colonel Wagner exemplifies the qualities of a great leader with a culminating assignment as the United States Air Force Chair and Military Professor at the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy. His truly outstanding leadership has contributed greatly to our nation, and it is no doubt that Colonel Wagner's retirement is well earned. prgtoken Colonel Wagner's career began at the United States Air Force Academy where he graduated with a degree in Astronautical Engineering in 1991. Subsequently he has had a distinguished career dedicated to our nation's space operations. He is also a graduate of the United States Air Force Institute of Technology, the School of Advanced Air & Space Studies, the Air Command and Staff College, the Air War College and the National War College. prgtoken I had the good fortune to meet Colonel Wagner during his tenure as dual commander of the 460th Space Wing and Buckley Air Force Base. Buckley Air Force Base is located in Aurora, Colorado, which I have the honor of representing here in the United States House of Representatives. Colonel Wagner performed exceptionally as the base and wing commander. Some of his key accomplishments include completing the new Block 10 Ground Control System for the Space-Based Infrared System and Defense Support System. Colonel Wagner also worked tirelessly to enhance the health and welfare of those serving on the base by obtaining the funding and approval to develop adequate on base primary medical care facilities. In particular, Colonel Wagner's command time is notable for his broad vision and implementation of the ``Team Buckley'' concept where the needs of all of the many tenants on the base received his full attention. Most emblematic of this was his support for the Colorado Air National Guard's Compatible Use Buffer Project which plays a key role in protecting the base's flying mission from the threat of encroachment. prgtoken , Colonel Wagner has led by example throughout his career as a space operator, as a commander and as an instructor. His career as a military leader can serve as an inspiration to all Americans. I thank him for his contribution to the security of our nation and I wish him all the best as he retires from the United States Air Force.
CONGRATULATING JUDGE CINDY LEDERMAN ON HER RETIREMENT
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Republican, FL) \u2014 2018-7-12

I rise today to congratulate my friend, the Honorable Judge Cindy Lederman, upon her retirement from the Miami-Dade juvenile court. prgtoken Upon starting her work in a juvenile court in 1994, Judge Lederman quickly discovered a child welfare system in turmoil. She witnessed the voices of the children coming in and out of the court being lost in the maelstrom of domestic violence and endless custody hearings. Cindy campaigned to tie the science behind child psychology to the law, making it her mission to transform the system into one that focuses on the well-being of the children. prgtoken In her career, Judge Lederman has tirelessly and gracefully presided over some of the most important cases of our State, including striking down the State's discriminatory gay adoption ban. prgtoken , Cindy has my appreciation for her transformative impact on the Miami-Dade children's court. Her retirement marks the end of an era, and she leaves an impressive legacy. I truly wish Judge Cindy Lederman all the best in the next chapter of her life.
RECLAMATION TITLE TRANSFER AND NON-FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE INCENTIVIZATION ACT
Doug Lamborn (Republican, CO) \u2014 2018-7-12

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I think I may have heard, and I think it could be a misstatement to say, that this could have been a bipartisan bill. It is a bipartisan bill. Now, it may not be unanimous, but it is a bipartisan bill. And for that, I am glad. prgtoken I also thought I heard an emotional criticism of President . This was an idea first proposed by Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton administration in the 1990s, so it is not a new idea, by any means. This is an idea that has been around for a while; Congress just hasn't acted on it. We are using the same old, case-by-case basis of doing transfers, which is cumbersome and works a hardship on the local people and communities out in the West. prgtoken Now, for the allegation that this in some way shortchanges the taxpayer, that is simply not true. I don't call it a giveaway when someone gets title to something they have already paid for. prgtoken When my colleague goes to the car lot and buys a car and they give him a prgtoken car, that is not a giveaway; he has paid for that. He should receive title. He should receive ownership. prgtoken Facilities eligible for transfer under this process would be subject to an agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation that would require these projects to be fully paid off, based on the fair market value of any outstanding obligation to the taxpayers. That is in the language of the bill. prgtoken The bill specifically requires a qualifying entity to repay any outstanding obligation to the Federal Government and compensate the U.S. for any other income stream derived from the transferred facilities. prgtoken Furthermore, Congress routinely authorized title transfers that have already met many of the standards and financial safeguards established by this legislation. prgtoken There is nothing new here. All the bill does is gets Congress out of the way, and it removes a layer of bureaucracy. prgtoken In reality, any title transfers conducted under the authorities of this act would relieve the American taxpayer of associated liability, so it is a service to the taxpayers when they don't have to have liability for an already paid-off project that the local community takes over and assumes responsibility for. prgtoken In short, title transfers are already designed to recoup taxpayer investment, and this bill would further protect the long-term financial interests of the public. prgtoken , I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa).
IN HONOR OF THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF LIU XIAOBO AND IN RECOGNITION OF PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE IN CHINA
Barbara Comstock (Republican, VA) \u2014 2018-7-12

I rise to recognize the one-year anniversary of the death of Liu Xiaobo, Chinese writer, human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Renowned as a freedom fighter, he is praised for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. prgtoken Mr. Xiaobo was instrumental in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, one of the most significant protests of communist rule in China. prgtoken Throughout his life, his works were banned and censored by the communist Chinese government. Mr. Xiaobo drafted some of the most influential literature to protest Chinese communism including The Monologues of a Doomsday's Survivor and the October Tenth Declaration and created the Independent Chinese PEN Centre, a nongovernmental, nonprofit and nonpartisan organization offering free association for Chinese writers. prgtoken Mr. Xiaobo was formally arrested four times by the Chinese government under such charges as ``inciting subversion of state power.'' His works were deemed subversive by the Chinese Communist Party and actively censored. On June 26, 2017, Mr. Xiaobo was released from his prison sentence on medical parole after being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Mr. Xiaobo died on July 13, 2017 in Shenyang, China. Many believe his imprisonment greatly contributed to his deteriorating health. prgtoken Throughout his life, his work received international recognition as a defender of freedom from groups such as Reporters Without Borders, the Nobel Prize Committee, Hong Kong Human Rights Press, and many others. As a Member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, I feel especially motivated to bring to light Mr. Xiaobo's work. prgtoken Today, many others like Mr. Xiaobo are detained by their government as prisoners of conscience--a person who has been imprisoned for holding political or religious views that are not tolerated by their own government. We are grateful to live in a nation where our freedom of religion, press, speech, right to assemble and petition the government are protected at the highest level. With these remarks, I would like to commemorate a wonderful life dedicated to human rights and political freedom and bring attention to the many others who are threatened with becoming prisoners of conscience.
Colorado Forest Fires (Executive Session)
Cory Gardner (Republican, CO) \u2014 2018-7-12

I come to the floor today to talk about fires that Colorado faces right now--some of the most devastating fires in Colorado history. As of the writing of our comments this morning, there were 40 fires so far in 2018. This is one of them. I think this is the 416 fire, which I had the opportunity to visit just a couple of weeks ago. prgtoken This past week I was in Colorado, where we were able to see the Sugarloaf fire. I drove by the Weston Pass fire. This is some distance away from the Lake Christine fire, and obviously, the Spring Creek fire in Colorado. As a result of these fires, over 355,000 acres in Colorado have burned. That is simply devastating right now. prgtoken Congress has not been inattentive to the needs of our forests. Over the past several months, we passed legislation that would fix the fire borrowing crisis that had gripped the Forest Service. That was something that was forcing them to cannibalize dollars that could be used to reduce the next year's forest fires on this year's forest fires. We fixed that. We put fixes in place for that. prgtoken We also passed legislation to give our land managers more tools to help address dead trees and insect- and disease-ridden forests so we could have healthier forests. I hope the work we do on healthy forest policies, which we have already made progress on, will continue in this Congress. These fires are certainly devastating. prgtoken These communities remain open. No matter where you are in the country, if you have a summer vacation in Colorado, I hope you will still come. These communities need you now more than ever. They need your dollars. They need your resources. They want you to come and visit. prgtoken In the meantime, we have to make sure that we provide our firefighters--the great men and women on the frontlines of these fires--the tools they need to protect our communities and the tools our land managers need to make sure they can prevent these fires from happening. prgtoken In this Congress we have also considered policies addressing categorical exclusions. That is a fancy way of saying that it gives line managers tools to reduce the fire risks in certain areas. We have helped to provide tools in fire regimes I, II, and III. There are five fire regimes: fire regimes I, II, III, IV, and V. They are defined by how likely they are to burn and how frequently they are to burn in certain conditions. Much of the West, though, is what is called fire regimes IV and V. You can see the colors of fire regimes IV and V, the orange and reddish color, and the purple color. The green, the light green, the yellowish colors are I, II, III. prgtoken We have been able to provide new tools for fire regimes I, II, and III, but we haven't provided as many tools in fire regimes IV and V. That happens to be a significant portion of the West. That is where most of the beetle and other insect kill has occurred in Colorado. When a tree is killed by a
AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO MEET
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2018-7-12

I have 5 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. prgtoken Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs prgtoken The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 12, 2018, at 10 a.m to conduct a hearing entitled ``An overview of the credit bureaus and the fair credit reporting act.'' Committee on Energy and Natural Resources prgtoken The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 12, 2018, at 10 a.m to conduct a hearing. Committee on Foreign Relations prgtoken The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 12, 2018, at 10 a.m to conduct a hearing entitled ``Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy and the International Economy.'' Committee on the Judiciary prgtoken The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 12, 2018, at 10 a.m to conduct a hearing on pending legislation and the following nominations: Britt Cagle Grant, of Georgia, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit, David James Porter, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, A. Marvin Quattlebaum, prgtoken Jr of South Carolina, and Julius Ness Richardson, of South Carolina, both to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit, Roy Kalman Altman, and Rodolfo Armando Ruiz II, both to be a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, Raul M. Arias- Marxuach, to be United States District Judge for the District of Puerto Rico, and Maria Chapa Lopez, to be United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, and Richard E. Taylor, Jr to be United States Marshal for the Northern District of Texas, both of the Department of Justice. Select Committee on Intelligence prgtoken The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 12, 2018, at 2 p.m to conduct a closed hearing.
CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS HURT THE MILITARY
Vicky Hartzler (Republican, MO) \u2014 2018-7-12

. Madam , I thank Congressman Taylor for hosting this very important, special event tonight. prgtoken As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have heard too many testimonies after testimonies talking about the dangerously low level of our military's readiness. prgtoken Years of budget cuts, coupled with continuing resolutions, have prevented and delayed the modernization of our airplanes, ships, and basic equipment, while at the same time reducing the readiness of our troops around the globe. prgtoken Here is the stunning and sobering reality: Today, we have the smallest Army since before World War II, the smallest Navy since before World War I, and the smallest Air Force we have ever had. Only 50 percent of our Nation's fighter and bomber forces are able to fly, fight, and decisively win a highly contested fight, much like our forces would encounter with China and Russia. prgtoken Get this: Less than half of the Navy's aircraft can fly due to maintenance and spare parts issues. Think about that. Less than half of the Navy's aircraft can fly due to maintenance and spare parts issues. prgtoken Budget cuts and increased operations have depleted America's supply of precision ammunitions. Simply put, we are running out of bombs. prgtoken Two Navy destroyers were involved in collisions that will take years to repair, resulting in the tragic deaths of 17 sailors--17 sailors of the 80 that my colleague from California, Representative Duncan, just shared about, where we lost 80 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines in training accidents last year. prgtoken We lost 17 in this accident dealing with the two Navy destroyers. I saw the impact of this accident personally in September when I toured the USS Fitzgerald as part of an Armed Services fact-finding mission. I stood in the room where seven sailors died when their ship collided with a commercial freighter a little after 1 in the morning, tearing a huge hole in the side of the ship and flooding their room where they were sleeping with water in a little under 2 minutes, giving them very little time to escape. prgtoken It was heart-wrenching to see, and it was heartbreaking to think about the pain that the families will feel for years to come. prgtoken Sadly, these accidents were not due to an enemy attack. They were due to training lapses and poor leadership, which was exacerbated by high demand of services, combined with lack of funding for needed ships and lack of training caused by defense cuts and sequestration. prgtoken In some cases, we found out sailors are working 100 hours a week just to keep up with the training requirements and the current operations. prgtoken Our men and women in uniform deserve better. We cannot expect our sons and daughters to volunteer for the military only for them to be placed in harm's way without the proper equipment or adequate training to ensure they return home to us safely. prgtoken Congress must work to fix this problem. The