mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CLOTURE MOTION
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-10-16

in reserving the right to object, I have some sympathy for the motion that Senator Brown made because he just came from a meeting with people who are very interested in getting this multiemployer pension issue straightened out. prgtoken It was 3 or 4 years ago that I spoke to a big delegation of people who were mostly from the Central States Teamsters, and they were very much lobbying for a solution to this problem. They treated me like a hero because at that time we were probably in the middle of a Government Accountability Office investigation of the mismanagement of these funds. We thought we were going to get a GAO report that would show the mismanagement, reap the benefits of that mismanagement, and recoup a lot of funds. Quite frankly, that Government Accountability Office study of about 2 years didn't prove what I thought and what the Central States Teamsters people thought was wrong. We still think the mismanagement was there, but if you don't have an authority like the Government Accountability Office to justify that, it doesn't give you much of a leg to follow up on. prgtoken Now we have the Butch Lewis Act for which Senator Brown is asking unanimous consent. We also have other proposals that the Senate Committee on Finance, which I chair, has been working on--and not only under my chairmanship. The biggest part of this work was probably done when Senator Hatch was still the chairman of the committee. prgtoken I also want to give people the reasons I have asked to reserve the right to object. prgtoken The Butch Lewis Act doesn't provide long-term solvency to the Central States' plan or to other critical and declining multiemployer pension plans. It is a costly and incomplete attempt to fix the multiemployer system. prgtoken According to the Congressional Budget Office, many plans that would be eligible for loans under this legislation couldn't pay these loans back, and most of the plans taking the loans prgtoken would become insolvent even if they were able to pay back the loans. The bill acknowledges this failing by providing for direct Federal assistance for plans that go insolvent even after they receive loans. prgtoken Most critically, the Butch Lewis Act makes no reforms to the system in order to secure its long-term solvency. That is not the way we ought to be working to help retirees. prgtoken In getting back to the work of the Committee on Finance, since last year, both under Senator Hatch's leadership and mine, the committee has been working on a bipartisan basis to address the issues facing the multiemployer system. I emphasize the necessity of bipartisanship in the U.S. Senate. When you have a division of 53 to 47 and you have to have 60 votes to get something done in this body, bipartisanship is very, very important. prgtoken The committee is nearing its completion of a comprehensive proposal that will include financial assistance to the critical and declining multiemployer pen
PRESIDENTIAL ALLOWANCE MODERNIZATION ACT OF 2019
Jody B. Hice (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-10-16

I thank my friend from Arizona for yielding. prgtoken I rise in support of H.R. 1496, the Presidential Allowance Modernization Act of 2019. prgtoken As has already been mentioned, in 1958, Congress passed the Former Presidents Act, and that was at a time period where Presidents did not have the same financial opportunities that they have today. prgtoken Recent former Presidents have earned millions of dollars after leaving office from speaking fees, book deals, and other endeavors. For example, President Clinton earned more than $100 million in speaking fees between 2001 and 2013. President received $10 million for a book deal. President and the former First Lady reportedly signed a joint book deal worth over $65 million. prgtoken It is just a fact of the modern Presidency that these financial opportunities are now available to former Presidents. prgtoken Given these financial benefits, it is no longer necessary to provide the level of taxpayer-funded support that was envisioned back in 1958. prgtoken So, H.R. 1496 is an important step to saving taxpayer dollars by amending the law to reflect the financial realities of the modern Presidency. prgtoken This bill reforms the pension amount for former Presidents and surviving spouses. This bill also changes the amount and the way that additional benefits to former Presidents are allotted. Currently, former Presidents are prgtoken eligible for benefits paid through annual appropriations for things like office space and leases, furniture and supplies, staff salaries, and so forth. prgtoken This bill would cut the allowance for those type of expenses to $200,000 to each former President. This allowance will further be reduced, dollar for dollar, based on the former President's income over $400,000. prgtoken So, in this era of massive Federal deficits, I believe it is important that our former Presidents lead the Nation by example in cutting unnecessary spending. prgtoken I want to, again, assure my colleagues that this bill does not affect security in any way. prgtoken I want to thank Senator Ernst for a companion bill in the Senate and, also, Chairman Cummings and my colleagues on the other side for supporting this bill.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1815, SEC DISCLOSURE EFFECTIVENESS TESTING ACT, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3624, OUTSOURCING ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2019
Rob Woodall (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-10-16

the amendment is going to prioritize the work that we all know America wants us to do. I went through some of those items earlier: work for the chronically ill, for our seniors; folks struggling with prescription medications; folks who were concerned about congestion; folks--go right on down the list of all the priorities that we all hear from our constituents on a regular basis. prgtoken If we defeat the previous question, it will amend the rule to allow an opportunity to move forward on these priority issues. I don't mean priority from a perspective; I don't mean priority from a perspective. I mean priority from an American perspective. prgtoken I serve on the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress here, . In fact, we just had a hearing upstairs in the Rules Committee, and it is a different dynamic. prgtoken Mr. DeSaulnier and I serve on a committee of 13 people. There are no time limits on discussion in our committee. That committee has a majoritarian tilt--nine members in the majority, four in the minority-- so you know where the vote is going to go. But because it is a small committee, because it allows for open debate, it creates a relationship among the members that isn't possible, say, for the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, on which I sit, that has more than 70 members on it. prgtoken I have a chance to listen every day to the opinions and the concerns of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, as well as on my side of the aisle. prgtoken What we concluded, as we were working on scheduling issues in the Modernization Committee--because we have so many young families here, folks who are trying to balance their obligations as a mother or a father with their obligations as a Member of Congress, and we all know how taxing that can be. prgtoken And one of our witnesses, who has vast experience trying to work on House schedules, cautioned us against believing that you could wave a scheduling wand and suddenly create a more productive institution, that productivity comes from those relationships, productivity comes from that sincere effort to do better. prgtoken We are here on financial services today. I cannot tell you that, in my time on Capitol Hill, the Committee on Financial Services is the committee I would pick out as the single most collegial committee on Capitol Hill. prgtoken I think back to some of the discussions that have happened over the years there. It is a committee that takes on difficult issues and often divides along partisan lines. prgtoken We have two Members from Georgia on the Financial Services Committee, : a gentleman from the metro Atlanta area (Mr. Scott) and a gentleman from farther west in Georgia (Mr. Loudermilk). One is a . One is a . prgtoken And, odds are, when we get into the real issues that are really going to make a difference for families across the district, they vote the same way. prgtoken
TRIBUTE TO DR. ANDREW REHFELD
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-10-16

today I wish to recognize Dr. Andrew Rehfeld, who will be inaugurated as the 10th President of Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion on Sunday, October 27, 2019. prgtoken Founded in Cincinnati, OH in 1875, Hebrew Union College--Jewish Institute of Religion, or HUC-JIR, is today a premier institution of higher Jewish learning and the center of academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development for Reform Judaism. Over the past 144 years, HUC-JIR has grown into one of this Nation's most distinguished Jewish seminaries, and literally thousands of its rabbinical and cantorial alumni have been leading a Jewish renaissance in North America, Israel, and around the globe. HUC-JIR is also internationally recognized for teaching and mentoring students to serve as Jewish educators and communal leaders in synagogues, schools, Hillel's, hospitals, camps, the U.S. military, and Jewish organizations worldwide. For more than 70 years, HUC-JIR's Pines School of Graduate Studies has been conferring Ph.D. degrees on scholars of all religious traditions who have gone on to teach in colleges, universities, and seminaries around the world. Today, HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York, all of which are vital centers for educational and cultural outreach to those of all faiths and backgrounds. prgtoken Dr. Andrew Rehfeld, the new president of HUC-JIR, is a leading political scientist and distinguished Jewish communal leader. Dr. Rehfeld's career has bridged both the academic and professional worlds as associate professor of political science at Washington University and as president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. Elected on December 18, 2018 by the HUC-JIR Board of Governors after a national search, he began his tenure on April 1, 2019, succeeding the late Rabbi Aaron Panken. prgtoken Dr. Rehfeld is married to Dr. Miggie Greenberg, a board-certified psychiatrist and director of outpatient psychiatry at St. Louis University. They have two children: Emma, who is the music and T'filah coordinator at Larchmont Temple in Larchmont, NY, and Hoben, who is an artist currently working in St. Louis. prgtoken I salute HUC-JIR on this milestone occasion, and I congratulate Dr. Rehfeld and wish him all the best.
OPPOSING THE DECISION TO END CERTAIN UNITED STATES EFFORTS TO PREVENT TURKISH MILITARY OPERATIONS AGAINST SYRIAN KURDISH FORCES IN NORTHEAST SYRIA
Will Hurd (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-10-16

for yielding. prgtoken I am proud to rise today in support of this bipartisan resolution that opposes this disastrous decision to remove U.S. Forces from northern Syria and abandon our allies, the Kurds, to a Turkish invasion. prgtoken Since 2014, the U.S. and our allies in the global coalition to defeat ISIS have fought side by side with the Kurds to end the caliphate and degrade the threat of terrorism to our homeland. prgtoken Today, ISIS is beaten, but it is not broken. They remain a threat that requires continued engagement by both the United States and our partners. prgtoken Just as the Kurds had our backs against ISIS, we need to have theirs. Instead, we are abandoning not just the Kurds but also our coalition allies in Syria. We are eroding all the progress we have made. We are showing our friends and our enemies that a partnership with America means nothing. prgtoken We are providing ISIS with the opportunity to reemerge and once again threaten the United States. We are allowing Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin to play the role of humanitarian saviors in Syria. prgtoken As an undercover CIA officer, I chased terrorists around the globe and saw firsthand the threats facing our Nation from the Middle East. One of the things I learned when I was in the CIA was to be nice with nice guys and tough with tough guys, not the other way around. prgtoken Because of this decision, and all the actions and inactions that led up to this decision, we have let our friends down; we have hurt our national security; and we have ceded leadership in the region to Russia and Iran. prgtoken I hope we can change our course, but I fear it may be too late.
OPPOSING THE DECISION TO END CERTAIN UNITED STATES EFFORTS TO PREVENT TURKISH MILITARY OPERATIONS AGAINST SYRIAN KURDISH FORCES IN NORTHEAST SYRIA
Matt Gaetz (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-10-16

if Turkey is not acting like a NATO ally, perhaps the sensible solution is to remove Turkey from NATO, rather than keeping the United States inserted in Syria, presumably forever. This is why I oppose this resolution. prgtoken I have heard my colleagues say we should not leave Syria without a strategy. Perhaps it is equally logical that we should not stay in Syria without a strategy, because in Syria we have tens of Americans stuck between armies of tens of thousands who have been fighting each other for hundreds of years and who will likely be fighting each other hundreds of years from now. prgtoken Our mission to deprive ISIS of caliphate land has largely been accomplished with the help of the Kurds and with over $9 billion being paid to the Kurds. The Kurds have been fighting bravely where they live, but they have been trained, funded, and equipped by the United States. And we cannot accept the proposition that if we support a group of people because our interests align in one case that this somehow morally binds our country to every conflict that they have past, present, or future; to do this would constrain the utility of America's future alliances, not strengthen them. prgtoken The blood of America's patriots is among our Nation's most sacred currency, and it must be spent only when absolutely vital to protect American interests. We are not the world's police force. We are not the world's piggy bank. I support an America first foreign policy, and I oppose this resolution.
BUDGET SCOREKEEPING REPORT
Michael B. Enzi (Republican, WY) \u2014 2019-10-16

I wish to submit to the Senate the budget scorekeeping report for October 2019. This is my first scorekeeping report since I filed the deemed budget resolution for fiscal year 2020 on September 9, 2019, as required by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019, BBA19. The report compares current-law levels of spending and revenues with the amounts agreed to in BBA19. In the Senate, this information is used to determine whether budgetary points of order lie against pending legislation. The staff of the Budget Committee and the Congressional Budget Office, CBO, prepared this report pursuant to section 308(b) of the Congressional Budget Act, CBA. The information included in this report is current through October 11, 2019. prgtoken Since I filed the deemed budget resolution, only one measure with significant budgetary effects has been enacted. That measure, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020, and Health Extenders Act of 2019, PL 116-59, provided continuing appropriations for discretionary programs through November 21, 2019, Division A, and extended several expiring health programs, Division B. Division A was charged to the Senate Appropriations Committee, while Division B was charged to the Senate Finance Committee. As the direct spending and revenue components of the measure were offset over the 2020 to 2024 and 2020 to 2029 periods, a deficit neutral reserve fund was used to accommodate the budgetary effects of this measure pursuant to section 3005 of H. Con. Res. 71--115th Congress--the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018, as updated by BBA19. prgtoken Budget Committee staff prepared tables A-D. prgtoken Table A gives the amount by which each Senate authorizing committee exceeds or is below its allocation for budget authority and outlays under the fiscal year 2020 deemed budget resolution. This information is used for enforcing committee allocations pursuant to section 302 of the CBA. I am pleased to report that for this reporting period, all authorizing committees have complied with their allowable spending limits for each enforceable period. prgtoken Table B provides the amount by which the Senate Committee on Appropriations is below or exceeds the statutory spending limits. This information is used to determine points of order related to the spending caps found in sections 312 and 314 of the CBA. The table shows that the Appropriations Committee is also compliant with spending limits for current the fiscal year. Those limits for regular discretionary spending are $666.5 billion for accounts in the defense category and $621.5 billion for accounts in the nondefense category of spending. As no full-year appropriations measures have been enacted for fiscal year 2020, the amounts shown on the table reflect the budgetary authority effects of advanced or permanent appropriations made available in prior law. prgtoken The 2018 budget resolution contained points
ADAM SCHIFF CENSURE
Andy Biggs (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2019-10-16

today, I will make the motion regarding H. Res. 630, a motion to condemn and censure the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff. prgtoken I am going to let some of my colleagues explain further, but I want to explain to you what the rules are designed to do in the body that we serve in. They are designed to protect the voice and the rights of the minority. That is the way it is. prgtoken The majority does not need the rules to protect its rights because it has the power to vote at any time what it wants to happen. But we follow rules so that all Americans can be represented, even when they are represented by the minority party. prgtoken That is not happening today. That is why we have to introduce this motion to censure. No more secret proceedings. No more Soviet-style proceedings. prgtoken , I urge all to vote for my motion to censure.
HONORING DR. ANNE FRIESEN AS MOORE COUNTY WOMAN OF THE YEAR
Richard Hudson (Republican, NC) \u2014 2019-10-16

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Dr. Anne Friesen as the recipient of the Moore County Woman of the Year Award. prgtoken The Woman of the Year Award is a prestigious honor presented annually by the Moore County Community Foundation to individuals that have impacted Moore County through charitable works and community service. Dr. Friesen has more than 20 years of professional experience in human services and serves as Executive Director of Friend to Friend, a Moore County non-profit whose mission is to help survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking rebuild their lives. During her tenure at Friend to Friend, she quickly responded to a devastating fire and oversaw the creation of a new, state-of-the-art shelter within one year. prgtoken In addition to this important work, Dr. Friesen serves on the boards of The North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and The North Carolina Coalition Against Human Trafficking. In 2018, she earned her prgtoken Doctorate of Education in Leadership and Professional Practices from Trevecca University and holds graduate and undergraduate degrees from the University of Kansas. prgtoken Dr. Friesen has made an immeasurable impact on our community and is deserving of this distinction. I would like to offer my sincerest appreciation and wish her success as she continues to serve our community. prgtoken Madam , please join me today in honoring Dr. Anne Friesen for her service to our community and being named the Moore County Woman of the Year.
Nomination of Barbara McConnell Barrett (Executive Calendar)
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2019-10-16

a few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to come to the floor and talk about the outstanding public service of some senior U.S. marines: Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Secretary of Homeland Security General Kelly, and the outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Joseph Dunford. The service these gentlemen have given to their Nation includes almost 140 years of combined Active-Duty military service in the Marine Corps but also at the highest levels of government at a critical time in our Nation's history. prgtoken Men and women who are committed to the service of our Nation are continuing to follow in the footsteps of these three very impressive U.S. Marine generals who brought the Marine Corps ethos of honor, courage, and commitment to our Nation's military and to their work in government. We should all be thankful for that. prgtoken At the end of September, I had the privilege of attending the swearing-in of a member of the new team that President is putting together in terms of national security, GEN Mark Milley, as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, now in the position succeeding General Dunford. At the Department of Defense, we have Secretary Esper, Secretary McCarthy, the Secretary of the Army, and General Milley who have all served their country with honor and will continue to do so. prgtoken Now we are considering the nomination of Ambassador Barbara Barrett to be the next Secretary of the Air Force. In fact, we are going to be voting on her nomination in a few moments. prgtoken I want to talk about her experience and her qualifications, which are diverse and very impressive. I think she is extremely well qualified to be the next Secretary of the U.S. Air Force. prgtoken Let me provide just a bit about her background and exceptional experience. She is a private pilot, astronaut, Deputy Federal Aviation Administrator, past CEO of the Aerospace Corporation, past member of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services and Defense Business Board. Importantly, she is a former U.S. Ambassador to Finland. That is a very impressive resume, a very impressive background. prgtoken I first met Ambassador Barrett in 2015 when I had the opportunity to share dinner with her and the late Senator John McCain. Prior to that dinner, I was talking to Senator John McCain, and he told me how highly he thought of Ambassador Barrett. I can state--and I think many of my Senate colleagues will agree--that there can be no better an endorsement than that from Senator McCain. prgtoken Ambassador Barrett will be taking over from Dr. Heather Wilson, who did an outstanding job as Secretary of the Air Force. Secretary Wilson's leadership was critical in rebuilding the U.S. Air Force, which had shrunk to its smallest level ever just a few years ago since the Air Force was created in the late 1940s. We had to start bringing it back. She did a great job on that, and I know Ambassador Barrett i
IN RECOGNITON OF THE RETIREMENT OF MIKE ROLLINS
Mike Rogers (Republican, AL) \u2014 2019-10-16

. Madam , I ask for the House's attention to recognize the retirement of Mike Rollins after 40 years of service with Coosa Valley Youth Services. prgtoken Coosa Valley Youth Services works with the juvenile court systems of Calhoun County. Rollins has been involved at the facility in some form or another since it opened its doors in 1974. Rollins even spent time as a detainee when he was in his teens and several years after that, he applied to work at the center part-time in maintenance. prgtoken Over the years, he worked his way up to guard, manager and all the way to the top as Executive Director. The center has grown and now has 70 employees and 90 plus program participants and detainees. Rollins has a heart for the children and has helped so many of them get back on the right path. prgtoken Madam , please join me in recognizing Mike and congratulating him on his retirement after a wonderful career.