mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CONGRATULATING THE RECIPIENTS OF THE 2018 HURST-EULESS-BEDFORD ISD AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
Kenny Marchant (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-3-22

I rise today to congratulate thirty-three outstanding students from the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District who have been awarded the district's Awards of Excellence for the 2017-2018 school year. prgtoken The following students have been selected to receive this award due to their meritorious achievements within their respected disciplines. These students possess unique talents and experiences which have enabled tremendous success within their fields of study. This year's recipients have specialties in a diverse field of subjects which includes visual and performing arts, business and industry, science, mathematics, and communications, to name but a few. Through their hard work and dedication, these young men and women have built a strong foundation on which to continue their growth and education: Mariah Alize Aguirre, Karina Murillo, Michael Gonzalez, Dylan Banfield, Cameron Yount, Ryan Robertson, Bethany Morales, Peyton Cherry, Preston Rice, Mira Caliman, Mikelis Brown, Samantha Tuapen, Reilley Flood, Isabella Page, Lucy Hwang, Kyleigh Prather, Jessie Park, Gillian Swann, Alexis Murphy, Olivia Trusty, Lola Skjolsvik, Michael Youngs, Ruby Villasenor, Elijah Mellish, Tatiana Olalde, Kennedy Carter, Jennifer Blythe, Alex Valtchanov, Telysha Vaenuku, Macy Johnson, William Tran, Dayona Hopwood, Colin Williams. prgtoken In addition to recognizing the students, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the fine educators who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the needs of these students are met and their talents are nurtured. It is with great pleasure that I recognize the following teachers from L.D. Bell, Buinger CTE Academy, KEYS, and Trinity high schools for their unwavering support of these students: Britney Fahey, Holly Gregg, Ken Davis, Lance Moran, Margaret Russell, Scott Harlan, Kathleen Chase, Suzanne Dell, Sawyer Lowe, Allen Matthews, Mike Ladley, Janna Hamm, Debbie Williams, Amy Eiland, Vincent Pugh, Candace , Ricky Balthorp, Sue Traver, Mario Casanova, Michael Dean, Stormee Massey, Nicolle Vertich, Charlotte Banks, Paula Turney, Tammy Brown, Mia Langi, Rachel Seldon, Marci Ward, Kedal Fries, Blanca Diaz. prgtoken , I ask all of my distinguished colleagues to join me in recognizing these outstanding students and teachers, and congratulating the recipients of the 2018 HEB ISD Awards of Excellence.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018--MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2018-3-22

I wish to talk a little bit about election security, but on a day like today, I have to at least mention where we are with the giant omnibus bill that got dropped on us last night at about 8:30--about 2,300 pages of legislative text--to try to deal with all of government spending, all of discretionary spending. prgtoken If people don't know what an omnibus is, it is where we are supposed to pass 12 individuals bills dealing with 12 different topics of our spending. An omnibus is when you take all 12 of those and just do it at once. It is supposed to be the exception to the rule, but for the last 17 years, we have done some version of an omnibus. Today's vote will be the 18th. prgtoken We have 2,300 pages with technical legislative language and less than 24 hours to be able to go through it. There is no way to be able to discover what all is in it. prgtoken There is another historic event that has happened this past week, as well, which I think connects to this omnibus. Last Friday, the Treasury Department announced that we just crossed over $21 trillion in total debt--$21 trillion. prgtoken I have had some folks who have caught me and said: Now that we have gone over $21 trillion and it looks like we could be rapidly approaching $1 trillion of deficit this year alone--which would mean that in the next 12 to 14 months, we will go from $21 trillion to $22 trillion in total debt--gosh, that looks terrible. It has to be this tax plan that is causing it. Well, there will probably be some deficit spending with the tax plan that went in because it will take a couple of years for the income to be able to accelerate with it, but this omnibus alone is $300 billion of additional spending--just this, $300 billion. prgtoken So we go up to over $600 billion in deficit spending this past year, and this omnibus will add another $300 billion to that. The disaster relief funding that was done this year was $140 billion on top of that, and the interest payment increase--just the increase--from last year to this year was $54 billion. prgtoken It is not just some tax plan that made this change. This is a very rapid acceleration in overspending that is happening right in front of our eyes, and the omnibus is not slowing it down. It is accelerating it. We have to change how we are doing budgeting and the trajectory that we face. prgtoken There are 16 of us who have started meeting last month--8 and 8 s, half from the House and half from the Senate--to evaluate how we do budgeting. prgtoken The 1974 Congressional Budget Act that we are currently operating under created this incredibly complicated system that has not worked in a decade. Every year we come up and try to do it again, and every year we end up with some omnibus package, and none of us has an amendment. None of us has an opportunity to be able to see it, read it, or go through it. It is just this: Here is th
RECOGNIZING THE 50TH BIRTHDAY OF PEACE, INC.
John Katko (Republican, NY) \u2014 2018-3-22

I rise today to recognize the 50th birthday of PEACE, Inc a nonprofit, community-based organization in my district in Onondaga County. prgtoken PEACE, Inc was founded on March 26, 1968, with a mission to empower individuals in our community to thrive. Today, this organization plays an integral part in the lives of so many central New Yorkers. From children and families, to teenagers, to senior citizens, PEACE, Inc is dedicated to helping all individuals realize their self-worth and become self-sufficient. prgtoken Under the leadership of Executive Director Joe O'Hara and its board of directors, PEACE, Inc in Onondaga County has such programs as Head Start, Senior Nutrition, the EITC Free Tax Prep programs, and many others. prgtoken Poverty does not just hurt those who live in it; it hurts our entire community. By focusing on stabilizing families, improving living conditions, and developing partnerships with our regional schools, businesses, and other nonprofits, PEACE, Inc has provided thousands of individuals and families in our community with a pathway out of poverty. prgtoken After 50 years of outstanding work, PEACE, Inc deserves our recognition and our gratitude. I join many in our community in wishing the many men and women involved in this great program congratulations on 50 years of serving the community.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018--MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2018-3-22

I thank the distinguished majority leader and the distinguished other Senator from Mississippi for their comments. prgtoken I have often thought that Thad Cochran and I would serve here together straight through whatever time we have in the Senate. Because he is such a dear friend, I have often felt that Senator Thad Cochran was plucked from a central casting to fill the role of a devoted public servant. More than most of us, he looks the part, but more than most of us, he embodies the best of what the Senate can be. Currently, in this body, I have served longer here than anybody else, but I have never felt closer to a Senator than I do to Thad Cochran, my dear friend. prgtoken Our country needs more public servants like Thad. As Congress has become more partisan in recent years, Thad has stood by his values. He brings substance, not sound-bites, to the upper Chamber. His leadership, as has been described, as ``the quiet persuader'' is going to be missed. prgtoken They talk about his being the son of a schoolteacher. So it is no shock that he devoted his life to public service. He joined the Navy after graduating from Ole Miss. He went on to earn a law degree from the University of Mississippi and then became engaged in Mississippi politics, often traveling with his father to help with voter registrations in campaigns around the State. He worked on campaigns from county sheriff to the Governor's race. prgtoken Thad then went to the House in 1972--here to Washington, a couple years ahead of me--and then we became Senate partners in 1978. prgtoken He and I both became chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Today in the committee's hearings room, our official portraits hang together. It is easy to tell them apart. He is the one with the hair and better looking. prgtoken Marcelle and I have joined Thad in Mississippi to visit sprawling cotton farms and fish farms, and twice Thad joined me in Vermont to visit small family dairy farmers. I even introduced him to my mother in Montpelier. prgtoken Now, I have to make a confession here, and I hope this doesn't go out of this room. It was during one of those trips to Vermont--to St. Johnsbury, VT--in 1985 that I had extolled the beauty of Vermont in the wintertime. When we arrived, I think the southern gentleman was not ready for temperatures that dipped down to around 20 below zero. That is cold weather even by Vermont standards. This wonderful southern gentleman turned to me and he said: Pat, this is not Mississippi weather. Then, he made a few other suggestions of what I was trying to do to him, but we had a wonderful visit just the same. We stayed in what is called the Rabbit Inn, with fireplaces going. The next day at our meetings, I think Vermont was ready to elect Thad Cochran as its third Senator, because he was so impressive. prgtoken We also traveled beyond Vermont and Mississippi. We met with leaders around th
REMEMBERING LOUISE SLAUGHTER
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-3-22

I am deeply saddened by the recent death of my friend and colleague, Representative Louise Slaughter. We served together in the House of Representatives and on the Helsinki Commission, which monitors human rights commitments across the globe. Her time on the Commission is one of the many examples of her unwavering commitment to justice and human dignity. prgtoken Louise first became interested in the Helsinki Commission's work in the early 1990s when she joined congressional efforts to address the mass rape of women and girls as a deliberate and systematic part of the ethnic cleansing campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In her calls for justice, she worked to ensure that rape wouldn't be considered as unfortunate violence incidental to conflict, but as a war crime and crime against humanity to be prosecuted as such. Her commitment to peace, justice, and reconciliation in Bosnia and the Balkans extended well beyond the period of conflict. In 2009, she joined a Helsinki Commission delegation I led to Sarajevo, where she championed the efforts of university students who saw the politics of ethnicity and nationalism--and the corruption it perpetuates--as denying them opportunities for a brighter future in a more prosperous Bosnia. She also worked to ensure those guilty of war crimes in the former Yugoslavia were prosecuted and to provide humanitarian relief to victims of the conflict. prgtoken As part of her efforts to promote human rights around the world, we traveled together on a commission delegation to Greece in 1998 to advance the rights of Roma, Europe's largest ethnic minority population that historically faced persecution, were the victims of genocide during the Second World War, and continue to face disproportionate levels of racism and discrimination to this day. prgtoken Few other Members of Congress, House or Senate, matched her ongoing and effective engagement. During her time on the Helsinki Commission, Louise represented the United States at numerous meetings of the Organization for Security and Co-operation In Europe, OSCE, Parliamentary Assembly, an interparliamentary body which has encouraged diplomats to focus on issues of concern and importance to the United States, especially human rights and fundamental freedoms. From 1993 to 2010, she participated in more than a dozen assembly meetings as a member of U.S. delegations, helping to show the depth of our country's commitment to transatlantic relations. prgtoken Louise was born in Kentucky. Her father was a blacksmith for a coal mine. She had a sister who died of pneumonia as a child, which impelled Louise to pursue degrees in microbiology and public health at the University of Kentucky. She moved to New York to work for Procter & Gamble and was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1982 and then to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986. We were House freshmen together. She coauthored the Violence Against Women Act--VA
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Mike Thompson (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-3-22

on March 19 and 20, I was absent due to my attendance at the Celebration of Life for the victims of the Yountville Pathway Home shooting and was unable to cast my vote for Roll Calls 115 through 119. Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner: prgtoken Roll Call No. 115 YES--To update the map of, and modify the maximum acreage available for inclusion in, the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument; prgtoken Roll Call No. 116 YES--Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site Act; prgtoken Roll Call No. 117 NO--On Ordering the Previous Question; prgtoken Roll Call No. 118 NO--Providing for consideration of H.R. 4566, the Alleviating Stress Test Burdens to Help Investors Act; Providing for consideration of H.R. 5247, the Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2018; and for other purposes; and prgtoken Roll Call No. 119 YES--Alleviating Stress Test Burdens to Help Investors Act.
Cloture Motion (Executive Session)
Joe Donnelly (Democrat, IN) \u2014 2018-3-22

. Thank you, , and thank you to the Senator from Wisconsin. prgtoken I echo my support for this legislation. We worked together nonstop to get this accomplished, as has been mentioned. prgtoken This passed the Senate 100 to nothing already. We are hopeful to wrap this up. The House just sent us a vote back, and we will continue to work nonstop to get this done because it is the right thing to do. prgtoken I think of the McLinn family in my home State, and they are a representation of families all over the country struggling with the same challenges. Our job is to try to make their lives a little bit easier, a little bit better, so that all of the people who are struggling with Right to Try challenges can get a chance to live their life to the fullest and for a long time. prgtoken So, the hour is late. I just want to second the efforts of my friend and colleague from Wisconsin, and we will continue to move forward.
TRIBUTES TO THAD COCHRAN
Bill Nelson (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2018-3-22

I would like to take a few moments to recognize my friend and colleague Senator Cochran of Mississippi. On April 1, the Senate will lose a tremendous public servant. prgtoken Between the House and Senate, Senator Cochran devoted nearly 46 years of service to his State, and I am sad to hear it is coming to an end. prgtoken The son of two educators and a fellow 4-H alumnus, Senator Cochran knows the importance of serving his community. In 1973, he answered the call to represent the people of Mississippi and hasn't stopped since. prgtoken As outgoing chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Cochran leaves a legacy of providing many victories to Florida. From funding the restoration of the Everglades, to ensuring our Nation's military has enough funding to defend our country, Senator Cochran's enduring contributions are to be commended. prgtoken I think TIME Magazine said it right when Senator Cochran was selected as one of America's 10 Best Senators in 2006, accurately dubbing him the ``quiet persuader'' after he secured nearly $29 billion for Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts in our Gulf Coast. prgtoken His proven bipartisanship will be remembered by the people of Mississippi and by his colleagues here in the Senate. prgtoken I am proud to have served with Senator Cochran, and we will all miss his leadership. I wish him well on his next endeavor. prgtoken Mr. CARDIN, , while we are all looking forward to the Passover-Easter recess, wrapping up our work this week feels bittersweet because, when we return on April 9, our dear friend and colleague Thad Cochran will not be returning with us. It is fitting, given his retirement, that we passed the fiscal year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Act since the senior Senator from Mississippi deserves so much of the credit for negotiating that package and getting it to the floor. prgtoken Senator Cochran was born and raised in Mississippi in a close-knit family that valued academic achievement, civic engagement, and hard work. Both of his parents were teachers. Senator Cochran was an Eagle Scout. He earned varsity letters in football, basketball, baseball, and tennis at Byram High School, where he gave a piano and voice recital his senior year, and he graduated as class valedictorian. prgtoken Senator Cochran attended the University of Mississippi, where he was student body vice president and earned a bachelor of arts degree with a major in psychology and a minor in political science. After he graduated, he was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve and assigned to duty aboard the USS Macon, a heavy cruiser homeported in Boston, MA. prgtoken After Senator Cochran completed his tour of Active Duty in the Navy, he attended the school of law at the University of Mississippi. While in law school, he won an award for having the highest scholastic average in the first-year class, served on the editorial board of the Mississippi Law Jour
RECOGNIZING IRISH IMMIGRANTS AND IRISH-AMERICANS IN ILLINOIS--
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-3-22

this past Saturday was St. Patrick's Day. The city of Chicago celebrated, as it has every St. Patrick's Day since 1962, by dyeing the Chicago River a deep emerald green. prgtoken In the Windy City and in cities and towns throughout Illinois, across America, and around much of the world, people wore green and attended St. Patrick's Day parades and parties. prgtoken No nation--including Ireland herself--celebrates St. Patrick's Day with as much enthusiasm as Americans do. Whether your ancestors came to this country from Dublin or the Dominican Republic, from Galway or Greece, on March 17, as the saying goes, everyone is Irish. prgtoken But America didn't always love the Irish. From the middle of the 19th century and well into the 20th century, it was not uncommon for employment ads in America to carry the warning: ``No Irish Need Apply.'' In 1857, Harpers Weekly asserted that ``nearly 75 percent of our criminals and paupers are Irish . . . [and] 75 percent of the crimes of violence committed among us are the work of Irishmen.'' prgtoken Irish immigrants had been an integral part of America since our earliest days as a nation. Nine of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence were Irish Americans. They included four men who were born in Ireland. And Irish Americans fought and died in the Revolutionary War to secure America's freedom from England. prgtoken The Irish who came to America beginning in the mid-1840s, however, were different than the earlier arrivals from Erin's shores. These were ``the Famine Irish.'' They fled Ireland to escape one of the greatest catastrophes ever to befall that nation. prgtoken We know it today as ``the potato famine.'' In Ireland, it was called ``the Great Hunger'' or, in Gaelic, the old Irish tongue, ``An Gorta Mor.'' prgtoken In 1845, a fungus, carried to Ireland from America, destroyed all of Ireland's potato crops. All across Ireland, potato fields turned black and rotted from the blight. prgtoken Ireland was not an independent nation then, as it is now. It had been occupied and ruled for hundreds of years by England, and most of the land was owned by absentee English landlords. prgtoken The native Irish were mostly tenant farmers, what Americans would call ``sharecroppers,'' allowed to farm only tiny plots of land. The calorie-rich potato became the subsistence crop for the Irish, the one crop they could grow on their small parcels of land that could feed a family. prgtoken When the potato crops failed, England refused to intervene. Some in England warned that providing emergency food relief to the starving Irish would disrupt with the workings of a free market. Others declared that famine prgtoken and death were God's way of punishing the Irish. prgtoken Starving Irish who could no longer pay their rent were driven off their land and into workhouses. Others died on the sides of roads, their mouths stained green from eating grass. Soon, typhus and cholera we
SENATE RESOLUTION 448--DESIGNATING MARCH 2018 AS ``NATIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH''
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-3-22

I rise today in honor of Women's History Month to reflect on the remarkable contributions women have made to the United States and the challenges we must still face today to ensure women are able to realize their full potential as equal partners in American society. prgtoken For over 30 years, we have set aside this month to pay tribute to the amazing women who have fought tirelessly for themselves, their families, and all Americans. prgtoken I look back on their courage with great admiration and continue to be inspired by those who blazed the trail for women like me. When I first came to Washington in 1992, they called it the ``Year of the Woman,'' with four women being elected to the Senate. Today, we have a record 22 women serving in the United States Senate and 89 women serving in the House of Representatives. prgtoken Even at record levels, women only account for about 20 percent of the 115th Congress, which falls far short of the 51 percent of our nation's population that are women. prgtoken Still, women have proven themselves as true political forces and I have great hope for the next generations of women who will also lead the way in building a better California and United States. prgtoken Women have been and continue to step up as leaders in the forefront of social change efforts, business, science, government, math, art, literature, music, film, athletics, and more. prgtoken Today, half of our workforce is made up of women and more than 10 million American businesses are women owned. prgtoken Where women were once turned away from attending medical and law schools, enrollment numbers are now almost evenly split between men and women. prgtoken Women have risen to the top of Fortune 500 companies and fill the domes of capitols and the halls of universities. prgtoken Women now also have a larger role in the U.S. Armed Forces, with more than 200,000 active-duty servicewomen proudly serving and 2 million veterans representing every branch of service. prgtoken My utmost respect goes out to these women warriors who selflessly answered the call to duty and served with honor, courage, and distinction. prgtoken As a United States Senator proudly representing California, I have seen first-hand some of the millions of outstanding women who achieve greatness. prgtoken As we celebrate the stories of American women who defied all odds to accomplish the unprecedented, we must also honor their legacies by continuing to defend the rights they worked so hard to achieve. prgtoken We have fought together on so many issues that affect women, families, and all Americans. During this month, I invite all women to pledge to continue this fight together and never relent on these important issues. prgtoken Thank you and .