mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Coronavirus (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-5-21

over the past couple of months, our country has gone into a lockdown but then slowly but surely has begun to adjust to the new normal brought on by COVID-19. prgtoken Many of us have been working safely from home, as kitchen tables have been transformed into makeshift office spaces and, in many cases, classrooms as parents and students navigate the challenges of remote working and learning. But many of the most critical jobs in our country can't be done with a laptop and an internet connection--defense contractors, for example, the intelligence community, law enforcement agencies, and, of course, our heroic healthcare workers. They have to be on the frontlines doing their job each and every day no matter what the risk is because their work is considered to be essential. prgtoken Our healthcare workers continue to fight this virus on the frontlines, delivering lifesaving care and comfort to those isolated from their loved ones. Our farmers and ranchers are producing the food, truckers are transporting it, and grocery store employees are stocking shelves so that amidst all of this uncertainty, we don't have to worry about not having enough to eat. Then there are the postal workers, the delivery drivers, the waste collectors, and an entire network of people we depend on who are keeping the cogs of our society running. prgtoken Whether working from home or heading out the door each morning, these men and women are doing their jobs, even when it isn't easy or convenient, and they expect their elected officials to do the same thing. prgtoken Just because a pandemic has brought our society to a screeching halt doesn't mean the U.S. Congress should pack up shop. Just as the men and women across the country continue to show up for work each day, Congress should do the same. After all, our responsibilities during this crisis have become more important, not less. That is why we moved quickly to pass four coronavirus response bills, totaling nearly $3 trillion--something none of us imagined we would do just a couple of months ago--and provided vital support for our country amidst so much uncertainty. prgtoken This, of course, came in the form of additional resources, including equipment for our healthcare workers and funding for ongoing research into vaccines and treatments. We also sent aid for what I consider to be a lifeline to those workers who, through no fault of their own, had no job and no paycheck, and then we have also provided serious resources to help small businesses and their workforce stay afloat. prgtoken A financial investment in our fight against this virus was desperately needed, and that is precisely what we delivered on a bipartisan basis, but our response to this crisis cannot begin and end with blank checks. We need to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly and that we are making the changes needed to recover from this crisis. prgtoken Every day I hear--usually throug
BUSINESS BEFORE THE SENATE
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-5-21

. All month, the Senate has been on the job attending to the needs of our country. We legislated, we confirmed nominees, we held major hearings, and conducted oversight on the historic response to COVID-19. prgtoken Yesterday, we learned that our Senate action will continue to contrast with our absentee neighbors across the Rotunda. While essential workers across the country continue to clock in, the ic House of Representatives has essentially put itself on paid leave for months. Since the early days of this crisis, the self- described ``People's House'' has been suspiciously empty of people. I understand they have convened for legislative session a grand total of 2 days in the last 8 weeks. At this point, I am wondering if we should send Senators over there to collect their newspaper and water the plants. prgtoken It is not just their physical absence; it is House absent from any serious discussions at all. About the only product to emerge from their lengthy sabbatical has been a 1,800-page, $3 trillion messaging bill that couldn't even unite their own conference. prgtoken Yesterday, the announced this arrangement will continue for another 45 days at least, but there is a new wrinkle. House jammed through a precedent-breaking remote voting scheme that will let 1 Member cast 10 additional votes--1 Member cast 10 additional votes. Actually, 1 person, 11 votes. Remember, these are the people who want to remake every State's election laws. prgtoken There are several problems with this. One of them happens to be article I, section 5 of the U.S. Constitution, prgtoken which says a majority of each House shall constitute a quorum to do business. For about 231 years, Congress has managed to fulfill this job requirement. They worked through a Civil War, two World Wars, terrorist threats, and a major pandemic without trying to shirk this duty. The 12th Congress endured the War of 1812, including the occupation of Washington and the burning of this very building that we are in right now without abandoning in-person meetings. prgtoken The Constitution requires a physical quorum to do business. Normally, both Chambers may presume one. But any House Member has a right to demand an in-person attendance check. The ' new rule says one person may mark himself and 10 others present, even if they are nowhere in sight, which is a flatout lie. prgtoken There will be enormous constitutional questions around anything the House does if they fail to demonstrate a real quorum, but plow ahead anyhow. They have had 2 normal workdays in 8 weeks and one absurd, unserious proposal. And now they are playing games with the Constitution so they can continue their never-ending spring break well into July. prgtoken Let's come over here to the Senate. In the past 3 weeks, we have filled crucial posts at the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Department of
Senate Accomplishments (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2020-5-21

the minority leader just got up and attacked the Senate for not doing anything and then proceeded to announce that we are going to be voting today on the Director of National Intelligence. It seems like a pretty important position--the person who is in charge of all the intelligence activities that we conduct around the world to make sure that we keep our country safe. prgtoken So if the Senate is here and not doing anything, it seems like a real contradiction to suggest that we are actually going to vote today on a position that is important to America's national security interests. prgtoken It is just one of many that we are going to be voting on and have been voting on over the past several weeks. prgtoken The other thing the leader forgot to acknowledge is that last week we passed reforms to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a piece of legislation that is also important to national security, that authorizes and funds all our intelligence activities and also included reforms--reforms that many in this body on both sides of the aisle wanted to see adopted. That was an important piece of legislation and one that I think has tremendous consequences--I would add grave consequences--for the United States of America and our national security interests. prgtoken The Senate has also been very involved--I would suspect maybe to the ic leader's chagrin--in examining and looking at all the coronavirus legislation that we have already passed and the impact it is having and whether it is being effective and where we need to do more and where we need to fix things or refine or tweak things in a way to make those programs that we funded and authorized work better. prgtoken But to suggest that the Senate hasn't done anything on the coronavirus--really? Really? My gosh, we passed four bills--four bills--totaling almost $3 trillion through the U.S. Senate, through the House of Representatives, on the President's desk, and signed into law--$3 trillion, four pieces of legislation, and it was done in a bipartisan way. and s cooperated because it is important to our country to make sure that we are responding to an enormous crisis, an extraordinary crisis that required an extraordinary response, and the response, I would argue, has been extraordinary. prgtoken Never in my lifetime or certainly my time in the Senate--or, for that matter, I would argue anybody else's time in the Senate--has the U.S. Senate done anything of that scale, scope, or consequence. And in many of those programs that we authorized and funded, those four pieces of legislation which passed as recently as a couple of months ago, the dollars are still getting out there. They are in the pipeline. They are going out to State and local governments. They are going out to healthcare providers, hospitals, nursing homes. They are going out to small businesses. They are going out to workers, employees, peop
MEMORIAL DAY
Cindy Hyde-Smith (Republican, MS) \u2014 2020-5-21

due to the coronavirus pandemic, Memorial Day commemorations will be different this year. The coronavirus may force us to continue Memorial Day traditions virtually or privately with our families. Nevertheless, it is important for us to take time this weekend to honor those who bravely gave their lives for all of us. prgtoken Throughout our Nation's history, courageous and patriotic men and women have gone into battle and lost their lives to protect the freedoms that make being a U.S. citizen such a blessing. I am proud that Mississippians throughout our history have readily committed to serving our Nation. Likewise, we are equally committed to honoring the fallen and their families. prgtoken It was Mississippians who helped initiate the solemn act of commemorating those lost in battle. Columbus, Mississippi, proudly claims rights to originating Decoration Day, when women began decorating the graves of the all casualties not long after the Civil War. prgtoken This year, despite all precautions we must take, there are ways we can remember and honor the fallen. For my part, I honor the brave Mississippians who have dedicated their lives to protecting our citizens, and I pray for the prgtoken families who share in their sacred sacrifice.
Coronavirus (Executive Session)
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2020-5-21

we have seen things in the pandemic crisis that nobody in living memory has dealt with. In so many ways we are writing the book and trying to read the book at the same time, trying to figure out how we get to where we need to be. prgtoken Clearly there has been an incredible strain on the American economy and an incredible strain on the American healthcare system and everybody involved with that. prgtoken Public health experts told us we had to flatten the curve, and the economic cost of flattening the curve was pretty great. On the other side of that equation, the impact on hospitals was significant in that many of them have been ready and waiting for whatever they needed to do, and because we flattened the curve, the worst-case scenarios didn't occur, and in most cases they were prevented, and we had plenty of hospital beds. Before it was over, we had ventilators and all those things we will have later. prgtoken But the crisis, because of flattening the curve, has certainly lasted longer and will last longer than it would have otherwise. I am not saying that is a bad thing; I am just saying measures like closing businesses and sending people home from work, practicing social distancing, putting people on the unemployment rolls have really created serious problems for people who have cause to have challenges to their mental well-being. prgtoken I think the impact is that nearly half the adults in the United States say that the coronavirus has impacted their mental health. This is on top of the statistic we traditionally believe from the National Institutes of Health and other places that one out of four or one out of five adult Americans has a diagnosable--and I wouldn't hesitate to add an almost always treatable behavioral health problem--mental health problem. But coming through the coronavirus, again, one half of all adults say that their mental health has been impacted by that, whether that was social distancing or everybody trying to do everything that you normally do at other places than home. Maybe it was economic uncertainty, which, along with the isolation, can certainly create depression and anxiety. prgtoken It is, in almost all cases, likely to be worse for people who had a prior mental health problem or a prior mental health diagnosis, but those aren't the only people who have been affected. prgtoken Addiction issues have become a bigger problem, again, than they were 6 months ago. People who don't have access to their support system, people who were moving with great focus on the part of the Federal Government and many State governments away from opioid addiction are in a situation where they are isolated; they are depressed; they are concerned about job or family or health and beginning to think: What was that one thing that really made me feel good? Well, maybe I can just do that one more time and have that great feeling, and I wouldn't get addicted again prgtoken It turns out
Nomination of Major General Scott Spellmon (Executive Session)
Kevin Cramer (Republican, ND) \u2014 2020-5-21

first of all, I just want to associate myself with the words of my colleague Senator Blunt. I couldn't say it as eloquently. I certainly couldn't improve upon it. I am just going to say I completely agree. Thank you. prgtoken The real purpose for my coming to the floor today is to demonstrate my support for MG Scott Spellmon of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. prgtoken General Spellmon is up for a promotion to Lieutenant General and has been nominated to become the Chief of Engineers and Commanding General to replace General Semonite as he retires. prgtoken Since coming to the Senate, General Semonite and I have become well acquainted with each other. While we haven't always agreed, I do appreciate his service, his very hard work, and his accessibility, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic. prgtoken His retirement is well earned, and I thank him for his service and wish him well. prgtoken As a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee, I serve on two of the Army Corps committees of jurisdiction. As many of my colleagues can attest, it is a rare occasion that I compliment the Corps. It is an agency that is the epitome in many cases of cumbersome bureaucracy. prgtoken I am not unique in my frustration. During our last EPW hearing with the Corps, criticism was both bipartisan and tangible. From Rhode Island to North Dakota to Oregon, each of us expressed frustration with a seemingly tone-deaf bureaucracy, which either doesn't do what it is supposed to do or does what it is not supposed to do. prgtoken That frustration brings me here today: Major General Spellmon's pending nomination and promotion. Throughout this process, I have worked closely with General Spellmon on numerous issues important to North Dakota and other Western States. prgtoken Early on, I spoke with him regarding the Spring Creek embankment in Central North Dakota. Due to the poor maintenance of relief wells, the Corps was going to move forward with a water control plan that could potentially devastate water supply and irrigation needs in eastern parts of my State. prgtoken As per usual, the Corps' decision matrix was overly complicated and did not adequately reflect the needs and realities of rural America. When I brought the issue to General Spellmon, he promised to take a fresh look and reassess the economic impacts of the project. He then worked with me to craft legislation supporting these efforts, which was added to the water infrastructure legislation we unanimously passed out of the EPW not too long ago. He listened to the problem and is working with me to help solve it. prgtoken I also challenged General Spellmon on Western State water rights--a problem that has plagued Western States that operate under the prior appropriation doctrine. On a bipartisan basis, and s from Western States have been frustrated by an Army Corps that either ignores States and Tribes o
NOMINATION OF CHRISTOPHER HANSON
Jacky Rosen (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2020-5-21

I rise in opposition to the nomination of David Wright to be a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for 5 more years. Amidst a global pandemic that has caused the greatest public health crisis in a century and the worst economic catastrophe since the Great Depression, we are spending our time in the United States voting on a nominee for the NRC who will likely take actions that put the lives and livelihoods of Nevadans at even further risk. prgtoken David Wright has a long history of working to advance the failed and fiscally irresponsible proposal to dump our Nation's nuclear waste at the Yucca Mountain site. In his previous work as chairman of the Public Service Commission of South Carolina, he supported continuing licensing of Yucca Mountain. Additionally, in 2005 he founded the Yucca Mountain Task Force and criticized local opposition to the project, calling it ``myopic resistance.'' That is how he characterizes the people of Nevada fighting back against the injustice of having no say in whether or not we are to become the Nation's nuclear dumping ground. prgtoken For these reasons, in August 2018, the State of Nevada filed a formal petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit challenging now-Commissioner Wright's refusal to disqualify himself from participating in NRC Yucca Mountain licensing decisions. According to the State of Nevada at the time, Wright's participation in any licensing decisions would violate Nevada's constitutional right to unbiased decision makers at the NRC. prgtoken Numerous studies have since shown that Yucca Mountain, only 90 miles from Las Vegas, is a physically unsuitable site that would threaten the health and safety of Nevadans and would take half a century to complete. Notably, Yucca Mountain is located above an aquifer in an area of moderate to high seismic activity and is subject to oxidizing and corrosive elements. In fact, just this week, only days before we have been asked to vote on this pro-Yucca nominee, two earthquakes--one of which was of 6.5 magnitude--struck Nevada less than 150 miles from Yucca Mountain and less than a dozen miles from one of the proposed transportation routes for shipping nuclear waste to Yucca. In addition to threatening the health and safety of Nevadans, transporting all of our Nation's nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain would threaten our national security, as the site is directly adjacent to the Nevada Test and Training Range, NTTR, the largest air and ground military training space in the contiguous United States. Establishing a nuclear waste repository in such close proximity to NTTR could therefore directly jeopardize the readiness of our Air Force. prgtoken Most importantly, Nevadans have never consented to storing other States' waste at Yucca Mountain. With thousands of Nevadans dying of COVID-19 and jobless claims in the State at unprecedented levels, today, among the numerous actio
Coronavirus (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-5-21

one unfortunate side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is that we have become accustomed to the recitation of grim statistics. prgtoken The United States now leads the world in the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus with more than 1.5 million. Another 2.4 million workers filed jobless claims this week, joining the more than 38 million Americans who have applied for unemployment assistance since the crisis began. prgtoken Very soon, our country will reach another grim milestone. We are fast approaching the day when more than 100,000 American lives will be lost to COVID-19--the size of a small city erased from the map. prgtoken Pelosi and I sent a letter to President this morning, requesting that the American flag be flown at half-mast on all public buildings on the day the toll reaches 100,000. As families all across this great country mourn the loss of friends, colleagues, and loved ones, flying the flag prgtoken at half-mast would be a national expression of grief. prgtoken Of course, this weekend is also Memorial Day, when we commemorate the so many Americans who, through the centuries, have lost their lives for our country, and we never forget them. We never forget them. I hope, on Memorial Day, every American will take a minute amidst this crisis to remember our veterans who have served and made great sacrifice and to remember their families as well. prgtoken Now, in a flash, this disease has washed over our country like a flood, changing nearly every aspect of American society except, perhaps, the Senate. If you looked at our activity in the last 3 weeks, you would hardly know that there was a COVID crisis. prgtoken Leader McConnell called the Senate back into session 3 weeks ago. In that time, the leadership has not put one bill on the floor of the Senate related to COVID-19--not one vote on legislation having to do with COVID-19 in the entire month of May. prgtoken The House has not been in regular session, but it has voted on many more COVID-related bills this month than the Senate. For Leader McConnell to say that the Senate is working and the House is derelict is the opposite of what happened. prgtoken The House has passed a major bill dealing with COVID. We have done nothing on this floor to vote on anything about COVID. prgtoken For Leader McConnell to think we are doing our job by voting for some rightwing judges, by engaging in some sort of show trials to go to pursue conspiracy theories from the far right and even from Russia to besmirch political opponents past and present--that is not what we should be doing. prgtoken When Americans look at what the House has done over the last 3 weeks and what the Senate has done over the last 3 weeks, they will see that the House has done far more on COVID than the Senate because Leader McConnell is not allowing the Senate to focus on the issues we should be focusing on. prgtoken What little business w