mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CHILD PROTECTION IMPROVEMENTS ACT OF 2017--Continued
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2018-2-6

I come to the floor to speak against the administration's egregious attack on our pristine coastlines in the Pacific, the Atlantic, Alaska, and the eastern Gulf of Mexico. prgtoken Dramatic increases in oil and gas development offshore pose a direct threat to our coastal economies in the United States, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. I know many of my colleagues are going to join me on the floor this afternoon to talk about this and about the specific impacts in their areas. prgtoken The draft leasing plan, which is what has been put forth by the Secretary of the Interior, is an unprecedented attempt to allow offshore oil and gas drilling in over 90 percent of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, including in Washington and Oregon. prgtoken The truth is that instead of creating new jobs in the oil and gas sector, the administration is poised to choose big oil jobs over the ocean-dependent industries like fishing, shipbuilding, and tourism on our coasts. I know this because I just traveled to many of our coastal communities in the State of Washington, which make their livelihoods off of fishing or tourism, that are very concerned by this proposal. And just yesterday, a public hearing was supposed to take place in Tacoma, WA, which was canceled. The administration failed to account for the value of the existing robust coastal and ocean economies that could be jeopardized by expanding offshore drilling in those areas. prgtoken Our ocean-related economy is so important to our State that expanding drilling directly threatens the ocean environment and marine resources that support millions of jobs in construction, fishing, shipbuilding, tourism, recreation, and maritime transport. The ocean-related industries in the areas targeted by the administration's plan contribute over 2.2 million direct jobs, nearly $75 billion in wages, and over $150 billion in GDP. The reason I bring this up is that the economic benefits of these industries cannot be overstated: nearly $8 billion from fishing and seafood, nearly $70 billion from marine transport, and over $125 billion from tourism and recreation. prgtoken We know that oilspills or other natural disasters related to oil and gas activities, such as the Exxon Valdez or the Deepwater Horizon disaster, can disrupt entire coastal economies. For example, if you took just the Deepwater Horizon spill in size and compared it to the coastal areas of Washington and Oregon, the impacted area would cover all of Washington and a big chunk of Oregon. We know that these can be devastating. prgtoken The shore-adjacent counties in the targeted areas host over 39 million jobs and contribute over $2 trillion in wages. The economies of the shore-adjacent counties represent 65 percent of the affected coastal States' GDPs. That is just one way of saying that coastal States and their economies are big drivers in our U.S. economy and that they are extremely dependent
HONORING HOMETOWN HEROES ACT
Barbara Lee (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-2-6

I want to thank the gentlewoman for yielding and, once again, for her tremendous leadership on so many issues as our ranking member. prgtoken As a member of the Appropriations Committee and the Budget Committee, I rise in strong opposition to this continuing resolution. This bill kicks the can down the road for the fifth time--mind you, fifth time-- since October. It also shamelessly includes the stand-alone defense spending bill of $659 billion to an already out-of-control Pentagon budget. prgtoken This bill breaks the budget caps. It includes $75 billion for wars that Congress has never debated or voted on. It also includes more than $1 billion in funds to increase troop levels in Afghanistan by 3,500, not to mention the millions--the billions, actually--in waste, fraud, and abuse that taxpayers have already lost by irresponsible Pentagon spending. prgtoken This is outrageous. s control the House, the Senate, and the White House. The least they could do is keep the government open. Yet here we stand, once again, with no deal on DREAMers and no agreement on a long-term spending bill. prgtoken Clearly, s have no strategy on funding the government. They would prefer to pass CR after CR after CR after CR. This is beyond irresponsible, . prgtoken How long will s govern from crisis to crisis? Nobody can manage their household or their business like the s are managing our government spending. prgtoken This short-term resolution once again ignores urgent bipartisan priorities the have been fighting for for months with s, the most urgent of which is passing a clean Dream Act. DACA recipients are American in every way except on paper, and right now their lives are hanging in the balance. We have less than 1 month until DACA expires, a deadline that the President, himself, created. prgtoken This continuing resolution is really irresponsible, and it is morally bankrupt.
CHILD PROTECTION IMPROVEMENTS ACT OF 2017--Continued
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-2-6

first, I thank Senator Whitehouse for bringing this issue to the attention of our colleagues and the American people. As Senator Whitehouse points out, we have seen from the White House, from the President, an effort to try to undermine the credibility of the independent investigation being done by the Department of Justice under Mr. Mueller. These are very serious issues, and I hope every Member of this Chamber will support the independence of that investigation and speak loudly against any interference, wherever it may come from. prgtoken Then, Senator Whitehouse has brought up the second issue; that is, Mr. Putin has been extremely active in regard to activities against U.S. interests. I appreciate Senator Whitehouse referencing a report that was released on January 10 of this year. It was as a result of a full year's operation by the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to document Mr. Putin's reckless assault against democratic institutions, universal values, and the rule of law--the asymmetric arsenal he uses to accomplish that attack against democratic institutions, which includes cyber attacks, disinformation, support for fringe political groups, weaponization of energy resources, organized crime, corruption, and, yes, military aggression. He has used every one of those tools to compromise democratic institutions in Europe and, yes, in the United States. prgtoken Mr. Putin was extremely active in the 2016 election. That has now been verified without any question. A report I authored goes through 19 European countries in which Mr. Putin has been active against democratic institutions. prgtoken I share with my colleagues that the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly was in town today. He is meeting with government officials. He knows firsthand Mr. Putin's aggression because there are Russian troops in Georgia today affecting its sovereignty, as there are Russian troops in Moldova, as there are Russian troops in Ukraine. The people of Montenegro saw the hand of Mr. Putin when he held a coup against their authority. The people of the United Kingdom saw Mr. Putin's efforts as he got involved in the Brexit referendum. The people of France and Germany saw Mr. Putin's aggression as he tried to interfere with their free elections. prgtoken Countries have stepped up. They said: Enough is enough. We have seen, with strong leadership, that you can counter the activities successfully of what Russia is trying to do. The right mixture of political will, of defense and deterrence can work, and, yes, as Senator Whitehouse pointed out, we in Congress acted. We recognized the threat of Russia. We passed the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, the CAATS Act. It was a bipartisan effort that tightened some of the sanctions under the -era Executive order on Ukraine and passed new mandatory sanctions against Russia because of its activities. prgtoken There were s
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 772, COMMON SENSE NUTRITION DISCLOSURE ACT OF 2017; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1153, MORTGAGE CHOICE ACT OF 2017; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R...
Alcee L. Hastings (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2018-2-6

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , every day, more than 115 Americans die from an opioid overdose. In 2016, the opioid epidemic claimed more American lives than car accidents and even breast cancer. prgtoken In order to tackle this growing crisis, we need to pass legislation that invests in effective solutions. Even President agrees. Last year, he said: ``It is a national emergency. We are going to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of money on the opioid crisis.'' prgtoken Well, , we have not spent a lot of time, a lot of effort, or a lot of money on this crisis. Instead, the President and the Party spent most of last year trying to take prgtoken away healthcare from millions of Americans and passing a tax cut for billionaires and corporations. And to that, , I say: Enough. We need to act now. prgtoken For that reason, if we defeat the previous question, I am going to offer an amendment to the rule to bring up Representative Kuster's bill, H.R. 4938, the Respond to the Needs in the Opioid War Act. prgtoken This legislation would create a $25 billion opioid epidemic response fund to invest in programs that will help States respond to the epidemic over the next 5 years. prgtoken I happen to live in south Florida, which has an equivalent crisis with everyone around the Nation. The people with addiction problems seem to gravitate to several areas in south Florida, particularly Delray Beach and Palm Beach County, where I live. prgtoken , I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.
TRIBUTE TO KERRY SUTTEN
Mark R. Warner (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2018-2-6

today I wish to recognize the dedicated career and service to the Congress and the intelligence community of Kerry Sutten, who is retiring at the end of this month after more than 20 years of service in both the executive and legislative branches of our government. Kerry dedicated his professional career to help keep our Nation safe and to improve our government and intelligence community. We thank him for his dedication. prgtoken Kerry is leaving the Senate as the deputy minority staff director of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, a post he has held for the last 2\1/2\ years. He first joined the committee as the head of the committee's collection review, a study looking at the intelligence activities of all the IC. During his time on the committee, Kerry has worked tirelessly to help the committee rigorously oversee the 17 intelligence agencies that make up our national intelligence community and has especially dedicated himself to improving the oversight of the IC's inspectors general and to the protection of IC whistleblowers. His efforts in these subjects have been invaluable. prgtoken Prior to joining the committee, Kerry served in a variety of roles in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), including spending almost 5 years as the lead for intelligence community strategic planning in the Office of Systems and Resource Analysis, (SRA). In that capacity, Kerry was responsible for helping provide resource direction for the entirety of the IC, developing integrated planning guidance for the various intelligence programs, and managing the development of strategic priorities. prgtoken In addition to his time in SRA, Kerry held important roles in the Business Transformation Office at ODNI and the Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Kerry was also instrumental in helping to create the national counterterrorism budget, a key accomplishment in his time at the National Counterterrorism Center, (NCTC), where he served for almost 2 years as a Senior Program and Resource Officer. Prior to joining the IC, Mr. Sutten spent almost 5 years supporting the Director of the Bureau prgtoken of Economic Analysis at the U.S. Department of Commerce, was the Director for Congressional and Intragovernmental Affairs at the Economics and Statistics Administration, and worked for 2 years at the Bureau of the Census. Kerry began his governmental career as a Senior Economist at the Joint Economic Committee in July 1997. prgtoken During his time in the government, Kerry won a wide variety of performance awards for his work. However, I am sure that he feels his most important award is his forthcoming and well-deserved retirement. Kerry plans to relocate full-time to the Sperryville, VA, area, where he owns and runs a popular coffee shop. Kerry's plans include expanding the services offered by his shop to include a wine bar, and he has expressed an interest in raising chickens and miniatu
CHILD PROTECTION IMPROVEMENTS ACT OF 2017--Continued
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2018-2-6

I wish to commend my colleagues who are sounding the alarm about Russia's interference in U.S. elections and who have worked tirelessly for months on their respective committees to get the answers that Americans deserve and give the confidence Americans need to know that their government is committed to preventing such interference from ever happening again. prgtoken This work is incredibly important to people around the country and in my home State of Washington. I have heard from countless people who deeply love this country but fear for its institutions, and they are concerned about the integrity of elections. prgtoken Here are the facts. More than a year ago, U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia interfered in the last Presidential election, calling Russia's meddling a ``significant escalation in directness, level of activity, and scope of effort'' compared to previous attempts. prgtoken That is not my opinion. It is not a partisan statement. It is a fact. Even more troubling, they are already back at it. We know this because our President's own handpicked CIA Director said last week that, ``of course,'' Russia is trying to meddle in this year's midterm elections. prgtoken That is exactly why this Congress approved sanctions months ago in order to punish Russia and show them the steep price of doing this again. If there is one issue that we should all be able to agree on, it is that no one should get away with such a devious attack on our democracy. But, somehow, while the public is demanding action, the White House has gone silent, refusing to implement sanctions for reasons President can't or will not explain. prgtoken This same President, who has no problems speaking or tweeting on any other topic under the sun, clams up when it comes to Russia or he tries to change the subject or he launches a political attack. This same President, who promised to put ``America first,'' has failed to live up to the most basic duty of defending our elections and enforcing congressional actions to punish Russian meddling. prgtoken The same President who promised law and order has been lashing out against a special counsel investigation, with a campaign to discredit our agencies of law and order by criticizing the men and women of our Nation's top law enforcement agencies, firing or threatening to fire those who stand up to him, and sowing doubt about the media that dares to report the facts. prgtoken Let's remember that the Putin regime that President is so fond of is one that has invaded and annexed part of Ukraine and continues to incite war in Ukraine, is propping up the murderous Assad regime and is every bit as responsible for those heinous acts as Assad himself, and constantly tries to instigate conflict by threatening our troops around the world. prgtoken Perhaps the most disappointing piece of this is that President is now not acting alone. He gets help from Members of C
HONORING HOMETOWN HEROES ACT
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2018-2-6

I thank Ranking Member Lowey and rise in opposition to this bill. prgtoken Our Nation really needs to be on an even keel to produce steady economic growth in this country. This bill doesn't help that. prgtoken I agree, America must have a strong defense, but a nation has to be strong at home to be strong abroad. You can't shortchange the home front. A nation at home must be secure, without wild stock market swings, to be strong abroad. prgtoken A nation at home must be strong, without a massive drug epidemic here at home, to be strong abroad. prgtoken This bill can't produce a steady economy with consistent job growth because it fails to dedicate sufficient resources here at home: to education, to healthcare, to employment and retraining, for Head Start, for energy independence, for law enforcement, and for localities savaged by the drug epidemic and shortchanged on treatment. prgtoken Our ship of state needs to be on an even keel, not the wild fluctuations in this resolution. This bill tilts in the wind far, far starboard, and that is not a setting that can assure a steady ship of state to maintain a steady growth economy. prgtoken , I rise in opposition to the resolution.
HONORING MARGOT CISNEROS TORRES WHO IS RETIRING
Filemon Vela (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2018-2-6

today I rise to honor the distinguished career of Executive Director of Human Resources for San Benito Consolidated Independent School District (SBCISD), Margot Cisneros Torres who is retiring. As a director, principal, assistant principal, and educator, Mrs. Torres dedicated her life to bringing knowledge to others. prgtoken Mrs. Torres received her Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Texas Pan American and her Master of Education in Educational Administration from the University of Texas in Brownsville. She holds Provisional Secondary Teaching Certificates in Secondary English and Spanish Grades 6-12, Mild Management Certificate PK-12, and Professional Superintendent Certificate PK-12. prgtoken Prior to serving as the Executive Director for Human Resources at SBCISD, Mrs. Torres worked for the Brownsville Independent School District for 26 years in many positions including high school English teacher, Assistant Principal, Human Resource Specialist, and Principal. Additionally, she served as a school principal at Point Isabel Independent School District for three years. Mrs. Torres will be completing an impressive 31 years in education upon her retirement at the end of this academic year. prgtoken The presence of Mrs. Torres will be missed at San Benito Consolidated Independent School District, but her legacy as a leader will be felt for years to come. Please join me in wishing Mrs. Torres and her family all the best as she begins the next chapter in her life.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 1892, HONORING HOMETOWN HEROES ACT
Louise McIntosh Slaughter (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-2-6

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I have heard the majority speak with great urgency today about the need to pass the continuing resolution. But where was this urgency from the majority for the last 5 months of this fiscal year? prgtoken They were so consumed with providing tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations that they ignored virtually everything else. prgtoken This was a bill that was sold as a middle class tax cut. But 83 percent of the tax cuts go to the wealthiest 1 percent; and for corporations, the tax breaks are permanent. For individuals, they are sunsetted. prgtoken Ryan, over the weekend, promoted the fact that a secretary in Pennsylvania received an extra $1.50 a week under the tax scam. That is $78 a year for her. You can see what the middle class actually got. prgtoken But compare that with the wealthy. One analysis found that the Koch brothers and their corporate empire could save between $1 billion and $1.4 billion combined in income taxes every year as a result of the tax law. It is important to remember that this is a permanent cut. prgtoken It was a bill written for the rich to help the rich. It spends money we don't have, while adding $1.5 trillion to the deficit. That is such a staggering amount that the Congressional Budget Office said last week that because of this tax bill, our government now is expected to run out of money sooner than anticipated. prgtoken The deadline to raise the debt ceiling has now been moved from early April to mid-March. Only during the Second World War was our debt as a percentage of gross domestic product higher than it is today. I hope we can forever end the myth that the majority is the party of fiscal discipline. The situation we are in today is a direct result of the majority prioritizing the wealthy over doing the most basic functions of keeping the government running. prgtoken And now, after ignoring as this bill was drafted, they expect us to fall in line and support a flawed proposal. That is not how it works. If they want our support, they need to work with us. And have been clear: We cannot afford to keep kicking the can down the road. It is past time for a long-term bill that addresses urgent national priorities. prgtoken , I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question, on the rule, and the bill. prgtoken .
CHILD PROTECTION IMPROVEMENTS ACT OF 2017--Continued
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-2-6

I appreciate that Senator Cantwell organized this time for a group of us to come to the floor to speak about this disastrous, insane plan to drill throughout 90 percent of our coastal shelf. This, the Interior Secretary tells us, is part of President 's directive to rebuild the offshore oil and gas program, but he also conveyed it was the President's directive to ``take into consideration the local and State voices.'' prgtoken Well, certainly the draft plan--if you can call it a draft--didn't take into account local or State voices. Had the Interior Secretary bothered to actually consult, this is what he would have heard from people in Oregon. Our Governor, Kate Brown, denounced the plan, saying: ``In what universe would this be okay?'' prgtoken Noah Oppenheim, the executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, stated: The administration wants to put fish and fisheries at significant risk while lining the pockets of their oil industry co-conspirators. Meanwhile, more frequent oil spills and more intense ocean acidification and ocean warming are guaranteed to ensue. prgtoken Charlie Plybon, the Oregon policy manager at Surfrider Foundation, an organization made up of everyday people passionate about protecting our oceans and our beaches, shared this opinion: We are united in an understanding of the threats which offshore oil drilling poses to our coastal economy, jobs and culture we have today. We will not gamble our ocean resources with dangerous oil exploration and polluting drilling activities that put our future and that of generations to come at risk. prgtoken Charlie went on to convey the enormous disparity between the economy that is driven by fishing and ocean recreation and by tourism as compared to the economy driven by oil drilling and how the former completely outweighs the latter. prgtoken The Association of Northwest Steelheaders is one of the oldest and most cherished conservation and sport fishing advocacy organizations in the Pacific Northwest. Their statement is the following: This proposal stands to go against everything we believe in. Drilling for oil and gas off the coast of Oregon compromises our fisheries, our coastal economies, and our values. prgtoken These folks know what they are talking about. prgtoken The Tribes weighed in through the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Their resolution conveys opposition to ``any proposal to open Pacific offshore waters from California to and including Alaska to offshore drilling.'' prgtoken Scott McMullen, the chairman of the Oregon Fishermen's Cable Committee--a group of troll fishermen who have been very involved in negotiations involving the fiber optic cable lines that are laid in the ocean--said: The Oregon fishing industry has had a long history of good stewardship of the fishing