mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Recognizing the University of Michigan's Bicentennial (Executive Calendar)
Gary C. Peters (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-10-25

I rise today to recognize the bicentennial of the University of Michigan. The university has adopted the motto ``Always Leading, Forever Valiant'' for its bicentennial year--a motto that captures its 200 years at the forefront of American academic excellence. prgtoken The genesis of the University of Michigan predates the founding of my home State of Michigan. prgtoken On August 26, 1817, Lewis Cass, Governor of the Michigan territory, enacted a charter to create the University of Michigania, aligned with territory judge Augustus Woodward's envisioned System of Universal Science. prgtoken In 1852, the university's first president, Henry Philip Tappan, pioneered a model of higher education in which scholars do not settle for existing knowledge but actively pursue new knowledge through rigorous science. This approach solidified the university's enduring legacy as a center for scientific research and discovery. prgtoken The university has paved the way for future innovation with many firsts throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. It was the first university with a chemical laboratory, the first to own and operate a hospital, the first to teach aeronautical engineering, the first public university with dental and pharmacy schools, and the first with a program in human genetics. Perhaps the most game-changing first--it was the first large State university to open its doors to both men and women. prgtoken Today, faculty and students continue to reach new firsts by answering important research questions that will affect future generations. Take, for instance, how the university has laid the groundwork for breakthroughs in American mobility. prgtoken In 2015, Mcity, a public-private partnership led by the University of Michigan, became the world's first controlled environment designed to test connected and automated vehicle technologies. The 32-acre simulated urban and suburban landscape is designed to support rigorous, repeatable testing of self-driving car technologies before they are tested on public roads and highways. This hub of innovation reflects our State's legacy as the heart of the American auto industry and will help lead our country into the next era of transportation. prgtoken A similar nexus between our past and future is true across nearly every discipline that U of M's research touches--engineering, medicine, social sciences, humanities, and more. Students and faculty are developing new cancer treatments, creating energy-efficient batteries, engaging in cutting-edge environmental science to protect the Great Lakes, and building prototypes of engines to take us to Mars. That is just to name a few. prgtoken Tied with the University of Michigan's drive to pursue knowledge is its drive to put that knowledge into action for the greater good. At its core, the university's mission is to serve society. This has been demonstrated by its history of activism and civic engagement. prgtoken The univers
MIDDLE CLASS AMERICANS ARE SICK AND TIRED
Marc A. Veasey (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-10-25

middle class Americans are sick and tired; sick and tired of footing the bill so that rich-folk millionaires and billionaires can get another tax break. prgtoken The s' proposed tax reform plan is nothing but a tax cut for rich folks. It translates to increasing taxes for the poor and middle class families in our country. That means that families already struggling to make ends meet will have a tougher time making that car note, that mortgage, and gaining nothing in return. prgtoken As a country, the GOP billionaire tax cut plan steals hundreds of billions of dollars from the U.S. Treasury. That means that we can't make crucial investments in infrastructure, job training, or research and development that would help give people a good-paying job. prgtoken Reducing our tax base also translates into cuts to popular programs like Medicare. You know how much everybody likes that. prgtoken The American people want tax reform, but not a plan that would literally jeopardize families' livelihoods. We must put middle class families first in this country, and the GOP tax plan fails to do that. We can and must do better for the American people.
Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis (Executive Calendar)
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-10-25

I appreciate the comments of my colleague and the opportunity for us to work together to help shine a light on this moment of great atrocities in the world. A great deal of what we are calling for is for America to do more to shine a light on it and for the world to work together, not just to shine a light on it but to end it and to proceed to have as much healing as can possibly take place. prgtoken from Indiana for being deeply in this conversation. It is a real pleasure to work on the Foreign Relations Committee together. prgtoken We must address this situation. According to a report from the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, ``government forces and Buddhist extremists in Burma have carried out `a well-organized, coordinated and systematic' campaign of human rights violations against the Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar's Rakhine State,'' with a strategy to ``instill deep and widespread fear and trauma--physical, emotional and psychological--among the Rohingya population.'' This comes after the commissioner's statement that this ``security operation,'' as they refer to it, in Burma was ``a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.'' prgtoken As we ponder international relations, we see from time to time that one group, somewhere in the world, will respond to deep tribal impulses and prejudices and seek to wipe out another group. These are horrific moments in history, and we have seen this movie--this situation--occur time and again. After such atrocities, the world has said ``never again''--``never again,'' meaning that we will respond when we see this happening. We will apply great pressure. We will coordinate with the world to make sure it stops, because such effort to wipe out another ethnic group is so unacceptable and it is such a crime against humanity. prgtoken But here we are, and it is happening right now in Burma. It is happening with a Buddhist nation. prgtoken We normally associate the Buddhist religion with a main emphasis on peaceful conduct. Yet this tribal impulse--these deep prejudices are so powerful that they overcome whatever peaceful impulse there is, and they have resulted in a massive effort to wipe out the Rohingya people. In the course, there have been a massive number of rapes. There have been children killed right in front of their mothers. There have been villages surrounded by soldiers and then the village huts set on fire, and then they have been shot as they flee. This is about as inhumane as it can get. prgtoken Something close to 300 villages have burned to the ground. By some estimates, 3,000 civilians have been killed. A few weeks ago, we were talking about 400,000 refugees pouring into Bangladesh. Now, the number is 600,000 Rohingya refugees. prgtoken Roughly half the Rohingyas live in Burma, and those refugees include 300,000 children. Think about the type of trauma those children have just experienced and the challenges they will have re
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2017-10-25

it is nice to see the distinguished Senator in the chair presiding. I am not sure, in my 183 ``Time to Wake Up'' speeches, I have yet had the pleasure of speaking while the Senator was presiding. prgtoken I am here to once again call for us to wake up to the corporate capture of Congress and this administration--the capture of governance by the fossil fuel industry that keeps us from honestly addressing climate change. There is a saying that ``personnel is policy.'' Well, the personnel for positions at the Environmental Protection Agency reflect a policy to undo the public welfare mission of the Agency and align it with the special interests of the fossil fuel industry. prgtoken There is a word for that. It is called corruption, at least as the Founding Fathers knew the meaning of that term. It starts at the top. named Scott Pruitt head of the EPA. Pruitt has a long record of dark money fundraising and long, cozy relationships with Big Energy industry political donors. In effect, he is a tentacle of the fossil fuel climate denial operation, wiggling and wriggling in the Administrator's chair, near his new $25,000 ``cone of silence'' secret communications booth that he built so no one would hear him checking in with his masters. prgtoken Results are as expected. The New York Times has reported: ``How Rollbacks at Scott Pruitt's EPA are a Boon to Oil and Gas.'' No surprise. In the 4 months that followed his appointment, Pruitt moved to undo, delay, or otherwise block more than 30 environmental rules benefiting his fossil fuel friends. This regulatory rollback, larger in scope than any over so short a time in the Agency's near-half century history, went straight into the pockets of the fossil fuel industry. prgtoken Longtime Pruitt benefactor Devon Energy is cashing in dividends on its investment in Scott Pruitt's political career, as Pruitt is working to eliminate rules on the leaking and flaring of methane, and has rescinded requirements for reporting methane emissions. Devon, as you may recall, is that company whose letter to the EPA Pruitt put on his own Oklahoma attorney general letterhead to mask Devon's hand and submit their work as his own official work as attorney general of his State. prgtoken So this hand-in-glove relationship between Devon as the hand and Pruitt as the glove goes back a long way. The EPA has career scientists and legal experts who bring decades of experience in environmental law and science to the EPA who are all being cut out as the Administrator takes drastic steps to undo environmental protections. Just this week, EPA scientists were yanked from a conference in Rhode Island where they were going to talk about climate change. The matter of climate change on Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island is pretty significant. This is the day's Providence Journal, our leading newspaper in Rhode Island. Headline: ``Will climate change negate Bay cleanup?'' It has a big
SUNSHINE FOR REGULATIONS AND REGULATORY DECREES AND SETTLEMENTS ACT OF 2017
John Conyers, Jr. (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-10-25

my amendment would exempt from H.R. 469 settlement agreements and consent decrees intended to prevent discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, or other protected category. prgtoken Given the often systemic nature of discriminatory conduct, settlement prgtoken agreements and consent decrees provide an invaluable means to provide for general relief for non-identifiable victims and to prevent future discriminatory acts. prgtoken In particular, they are instrumental in enforcing critical civil rights protections in a wide variety of cases, including voting rights violations and predatory lending practices based on race. Other examples include the use of consent decrees by the Justice Department to address unconstitutional police pattern or practice activities. prgtoken For example, in 2003, the City of Detroit entered into a consent decree with the Justice Department concerning the inappropriate use of force and arrest practices by the city's police department. As a result of this decree, the police department implemented vastly improved practices that have substantially reduced the incidence of fatalities caused by law enforcement activities, a goal that the Judiciary Committee Chairman Goodlatte and I very much endorse. prgtoken According to the department's civil rights division, these decrees facilitate institutional reforms, such as improving systems for supervising officers and holding them accountable for misconduct, as well as ensuring officers have the policy guidance, training, equipment, and other resources necessary for constitutional and effective policing. prgtoken Unfortunately, H.R. 469 would make the use of such remedies exceedingly difficult by subjecting them to numerous procedural and potentially meritless court challenges. prgtoken A particularly concerning provision of this bill is its broad and ill-defined authorization allowing virtually anyone to intervene with respect to a proposed settlement agreement or consent decree. prgtoken For example, imagine a proposed settlement agreement intended to restrict a city's school district from discriminating against Muslims. Under the bill, any anti-Muslim or neo-Nazi organization could petition the court to intervene for the purpose of opposing such agreement on the ground that it ``would affect'' such person. prgtoken This is just one of the many fundamental problems presented by this thoroughly flawed and, I think, harmful measure, and, so, accordingly, I ask my colleagues here to join me in opposing H.R. 469. prgtoken , .
Opioid Epidemic (Executive Calendar)
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2017-10-25

I rise today to discuss an issue that is devastating families and communities in my home State of New Hampshire and across the United States: the fentanyl, heroin, and opioid crisis. This crisis is the most pressing public and safety challenge that New Hampshire faces. It does not discriminate. It affects people in every community and from every walk of life. prgtoken In 2016 alone, 485 people in New Hampshire lost their lives as a result of this epidemic. The rising use of synthetic drugs like fentanyl is making matters worse, killing people faster with smaller amounts. Last year, 72 percent of drug-related deaths in New Hampshire involved fentanyl. Behind those numbers are real people--moms and dads, sons and daughters who are dying. Their loss reverberates in pain and suffering for the family and friends whom they have left behind. prgtoken The people of my State have a longstanding tradition of sharing their stories and their priorities with their elected officials who represent them. Everywhere I go, I hear stories from those families and friends of people who have been affected by this crisis. Granite Staters are stepping forward and explaining what they have gone through, all in an attempt to break down the stigma of addiction, push for solutions, and hope that they can help others by making their voices heard. prgtoken Earlier this year, Greg and Linda of Derry, NH, reached out to my office to share the story of their son, who was also named Greg. They wrote to say: If you were to put a name and face to this disease, it would be that of the devil. Let's change that. Let's put a face of hope and humanity to the disease of addiction. If by doing so, even if just one life is saved, it is worth it. prgtoken I would like to share some of Greg's story today. Greg was born on November 16, 1985. He and his younger brother Neil were raised in a caring and loving home, where their parents did their best to teach them right from wrong, stressing the importance of being considerate, polite, and kind. prgtoken When Greg was 15, his parents moved to Derry, where he attended Pinkerton Academy and graduated with honors in 2004. During his senior year, like so many other students his age, he applied for college, eventually deciding on Keene State College, pursuing a major in biochemistry. He had a dream of becoming a physician. prgtoken He excelled academically, but his mom Linda said that during his transition between his freshman and sophomore year, something began to appear off. She wrote: I saw firsthand that something was off about him. He was very quiet and withdrawn. He was showing obvious signs of depression which runs in both sides of the family. prgtoken Even as his depression progressed, Greg battled through. He graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry. After graduating and moving back home, his parents urged him to seek help, but Gre
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF SENATE AMENDMENT TO H. CON. RES. 71, CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Lloyd Doggett (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-10-25

. A zombie of supply-side economics is returning from the dead. We know it didn't work for President . We know it didn't work in the Reagan era. They are bringing it back again, saying, if you just give a little more to those who have so much already, it will benefit everyone else. The data does not show that. prgtoken This is a tax bill that needs to be rejected because it is so unfair and inequitable to the American people. This is much worse than the healthcare repeal because its ramifications in leading to cutting Medicare and Social Security will be far-reaching. There will not be a family in America that goes untouched. prgtoken Reject this budget. Reject this awful tax bill.
WILDFIRE DISASTER FUNDING ACT
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-10-25

across the West, 2017 will be long remembered as the year when fire was seared into our collective consciousness and ash rained down on homes and cars. There were mass evacuations, and scores just lost their hopes and dreams. prgtoken Devastating fires have hit my home State of Oregon, but Idaho, California, Washington, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, and more all were hit by fires that always seemed bigger and hotter and more powerful than what we have seen in the past. prgtoken These are not our grandfathers' fires. There are a whole host of reasons behind this, and today I just want to talk a bit about what happened, what it has meant, and at least a commonsense approach that Senator Crapo and I have advocated for moving forward on a bipartisan basis. prgtoken The fact is, in the West, dozens of lives have been lost. Entire communities have been wiped out. An iconic national treasure in my home State, a place that Oregonians have always regarded--a special love for our Columbia River Gorge is practically in our chromosomes--it was burned over this year. prgtoken This month, a huge part of Northern California was burned. We talked to our colleagues Senator Feinstein and Senator about that. It is not just rolling hills and unoccupied land; the fires swept through entire cities. Some of the stories about those whose lives were lost in California just break your heart. School has been disrupted for more than a quarter million children. In some cases, it could be weeks before classes are back up and running. prgtoken In my home State, more than 600,000 acres were burned, nearly a third of that in the Chetco Bar fire that burned through southwestern Oregon. I was there to visit with folks in the community and the volunteers. There were volunteers from all over the country who were stepping up to help us deal with these fires. It sure was needed because, nationwide, almost 9 million acres burned. It is an area bigger than the size of eight States in our country--all of it up in flames. Compare that to the 1980s and the 1990s, when an average of around 3 million acres burned per year. prgtoken A brandnew report is out from the Department of the Interior forecasting how much the cost of fighting these fires is going to climb in the near future. The agency predicts a jump of 20 percent from fiscal year 2018 to 2019, and they believe that is a conservative estimate. If conditions are dry and temperatures are high, it could be even worse. prgtoken I am of the view--and it is something Senator Crapo and I have worked on prgtoken together for years now. Sometimes we believe it is the longest running battle since the Trojan War. It is based on the proposition that Congress should no longer sit back and accept that these fires can only get larger, cost more, and that somehow the Forest Service is not all that big a problem. We just call it the fire service, which is the way a lot of people describe it in ou
Healthcare (Executive Calendar)
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-10-25

I come to the floor today to talk about what my bipartisan healthcare bill with Chairman Alexander means for the people we are all here to serve, what it means for patients and families in my home State of Washington and across the country who are worried about being able to afford the healthcare they need, and what it means for States and communities and hospitals that are administering and providing care. prgtoken Negotiations of this magnitude are always tough. There are some things you agree on, and sometimes there is common ground that emerges early, but there is no question that you also find areas of strong disagreement. You have to work your way to each answer step by step. prgtoken One issue that Chairman Alexander and I agreed on from the very start of our negotiations, where we worked our hardest, and what we had the most discussions on was the goal of putting patients and families first and that it would be families who would benefit as much as possible from our efforts to restore stability to our markets. That was the crux of our debate. It was our guiding star. prgtoken I am very proud to say that our bipartisan bill does just that. Here is what is at stake. Here is what we know. Patients and families across the country are looking ahead to next year. They are rightly worried about their healthcare--premiums, benefits, and coverage--and they are realizing that they are about to pay the price for the uncertainty and partisanship we have seen on healthcare over the last 9 months. prgtoken Like all of my colleagues, I have listened and I have talked with many of these families in my home State, at hospitals, schools, roundtables, and in meetings with patients, doctors, providers, and veterans. They have all made it very clear that enough is enough with playing politics with people's healthcare. prgtoken Here is how our bipartisan bill would protect those families and restore certainty to the markets. I will not go into all of the details, of course, but I do want to focus on some really important points. prgtoken First of all, this bill would restore the out-of-pocket cost reduction payments that President has announced he will be ending for this year as well as for 2018 and 2019. This means that some serious sabotage--something that experts say would raise premiums by double digits for millions of families--would be off the table. prgtoken Second, this bill would make significant investments when it comes to healthcare outreach and enrollment to make sure that families know about their insurance options. prgtoken Third, this bill makes some changes to give our States more flexibility when it comes to developing plans and offering options while maintaining essential health benefits, like maternity care and protecting people with preexisting conditions or protecting the elderly--and all of this while making sure that costs go down for families and preventing insurers from doubledipp