mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT SAMUEL J. HARRIS
Don Bacon (Republican, NE) \u2014 2020-2-28

. Madam , I rise today in honor of the memory of Lieutenant Samuel J who was born Christmas Eve, 1896 in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania to a veteran of the US Civil War. When Samuel J. was first called away to service, he was enrolled at Dickenson College. prgtoken In 1916, he served as a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard on the U.S. Army's Pancho Villa Expedition in Mexico. Shortly after returned home in 1917, the United States entered the First World War. then enlisted as a private, this time in the 112th Infantry Regiment. Already a sergeant during training, was selected for Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, his unit becoming part of the 28th Infantry Division. prgtoken Serving in France, the regiment saw combat during the crucial Second Battle of the Marine and fought with great distinction throughout the war. Unlike his fellow veterans who returned to civilian life after the end of the first World War, returned to Europe. prgtoken In 1918 the new Lithuanian Republic had to defend itself against a collection of the czarist, Bolshevik, German and Polish forces all trying to suppress the new nation. The many Lithuanian-American organizations of the era began to raise funds to send recently returned veterans to defend the newly liberated nation. Some 10,000 U.S. veterans eventually went to aid their ancestral homeland. prgtoken Despite not being of Lithuanian ancestry, but perhaps inspired by President Wilson's bold view of freedom and self-determination for the nations, again volunteered. In 1919 as part of the Lithuanian American Brigade, First Lieutenant Samuel J. left home for the final time to assist Lithuania to defend her newly declared independence. prgtoken The first officer of his unit to arrive in Lithuania, was active by the late autumn of 1919 and had led the attack against the Bermanite's Iron Division during its retreat from the Baltic Republics. His death occurred on February 24, 1920 during a Communist-instigated mutiny of young officers in Kaunas. The only member of his Brigade to lose his life in the attack, Lieutenant was initially laid to rest in the nearby Kaunas Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery during a funeral with full Lithuanian military honors. prgtoken He was posthumously awarded the Cross of Vytis, the Lithuanian nation's highest decoration for bravery. prgtoken In 1923, a street in the Aleksotas District of Kaunas was named after Lieutenant . The street name was changed in 1946 by Soviet authorities but was reinstated in 1993. Lieutenant 's body was later transported to the United States and reburied at Arlington National Cemetery. prgtoken The verse on the marble monument over his grave bears a Vytis over the inscription: ``Erected by the Lithuanians and sons and daughters of Lithuanians in America and dedicated in loving memory of Lieutenant Samuel
REVERSING THE YOUTH TOBACCO EPIDEMIC ACT OF 2019
Dan Bishop (Republican, NC) \u2014 2020-2-28

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken Madam , H.R. 2339 will hurt farmers in North Carolina, disrespect the free choice of Americans--especially African Americans-- and do nothing to advance public health. prgtoken The uncertainty this bill will create serves no legitimate purpose and will hurt 1,300 hard-pressed, hardworking farmers all across North Carolina. prgtoken Why are so dismissive of the interest of farmers and the challenges they face? prgtoken Consider this: Nearly 30 percent of adult tobacco users report flavored tobacco use. prgtoken Almost nine in ten adult African American smokers choose menthol. This bill would ban them all. prgtoken How can you not only dismiss but discriminate against their adult choices? prgtoken Do you really expect that no black market will emerge to cater to those choices? prgtoken Have you considered the harms that will result from that? prgtoken Kids shouldn't use tobacco, nor, in my opinion, should adults, but more bureaucracy, trampling arbitrarily on adult free choice, and destroying family farmers are nowhere close to the solution.
REVERSING THE YOUTH TOBACCO EPIDEMIC ACT OF 2019
Ron Estes (Republican, KS) \u2014 2020-2-28

. Madam , I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2339. prgtoken I want to be clear from the outset, we need to find ways to keep vaping and tobacco products out of the hands of children and teenagers, including legal products that contain nicotine, as well as the black market products that contain THC and which have contributed to an alarming number of health concerns and deaths, including two in my home State of Kansas. prgtoken In recent months, these deaths have rightly attracted national attention and scrutiny, but the bill before us today is not the right solution to address this troubling situation. prgtoken Instead of following regular order, the tax title of this legislation did not have a hearing prior to markup in the Ways and Means Committee. I believe our constituents deserve to know about the impacts of vaping and the direct causes of recent deaths before we consider a $10 billion tax hike. prgtoken In addition, the substance of this legislation is technically flawed. While the bill is titled the ``Protecting American Lungs and Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act,'' it does nothing to address youth access to tobacco. prgtoken Congress has already raised the legal age of tobacco and nicotine consumption to 21 in December of last year. Because of this action, it seems that the only purpose of this legislation is to eliminate choice of millions of law-abiding adults. prgtoken The tax chapter of this legislation defines ``taxable nicotine,'' not vaping. This targets other legal nicotine products that are unrelated to vaping. A better solution would have been to use the FDA's definition of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, or ENDS. prgtoken Additionally, this legislation taxes nicotine on the basis of weight. It would have been more appropriate and technically easier to tax vaping on the basis of milliliters, just as Kansas has done, as vaping products are sold as liquids. prgtoken Instead of targeting black market products, the bill levies a nearly $10 billion tax on American consumers of these legal products, which medical journals have found to be 95 percent safer than cigarettes. prgtoken This nicotine tax does not reflect the harm of vapor products related to traditional tobacco products. Instead it taxes vaping at a higher level per unit than traditional combustible tobacco products, which may encourage adults to transition back to cigarettes. prgtoken Both the CDC and the FDA have acknowledged that the outbreak of lung illnesses and deaths are mostly attributable to illicit marijuana and THC in vaping, which are not addressed at all in this bill. prgtoken The bill appears to be primarily a massive money grab and another step towards an outright tobacco ban rather than a solution to a very real health crisis. prgtoken I look forward to working to address the crisis, but I urge my colleagues today to vote against this bill.
RECOGNIZING CHILDREN'S DENTAL HEALTH MONTH
Paul A. Gosar (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2020-2-28

. Madam , I rise today in honor of National Children's Dental Health Month. prgtoken Each February, the American Dental Association unifies members of our healthcare community to recognize the importance of good oral health for our children and many others. prgtoken As a former dentist, I know that quality dental healthcare impacts your overall well-being. Proper oral health starts with the very first tooth, as baby teeth are the building blocks to a healthy smile. prgtoken According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 20 percent of children ages 5 to 11 suffer from tooth decay. When a child suffers from dental pain, the impact is far-reaching and can affect critical developmental stages, including speaking, eating, and learning. prgtoken Although tooth decay is widespread, it is preventable. Tooth decay is the number one chronic infectious disease among children in the U.S and programs like Give Kids a Smile Day enable thousands of dentist volunteers to give their time and efforts to make a difference in the health of children. prgtoken Since this program has started, volunteers have treated over 6 million children across the country, in all 50 States and the District of Columbia. They have truly made a huge impact in their communities and improved the oral health of so many children.
REVERSING THE YOUTH TOBACCO EPIDEMIC ACT OF 2019
Ann Wagner (Republican, MO) \u2014 2020-2-28

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken Madam , I rise today in support of this motion to recommit to protect newborn babies who survive abortions. prgtoken Congress has an opportunity to ensure that no baby is denied lifesaving care simply because he or she is allegedly unwanted. We can and we must act. prgtoken But ic leadership has refused to put my lifesaving legislation, the Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act, on the floor 80 times this Congress. I am grateful that the U.S. Senate voted on the born-alive bill this week and the House must follow suit. prgtoken Our constituents must know where we stand. Over 70 percent of Americans who identify as support this legislation, but their Representatives ignore their voices. prgtoken We have learned from medical professionals, including former abortion providers, just how essential born-alive protections are. It breaks my heart to find that we must defend lifesaving care for newborn babies. prgtoken This is an incredibly urgent moment for our Nation, Madam . Over the course of the past year, radical legislators from New York to Illinois to Virginia have moved to strip protections for babies who survive abortions. prgtoken I am appalled and saddened that there are prominent American politicians who want to deny babies lifesaving medical care. Thankfully, a similar born-alive bill in Missouri recently advanced just last week, a sign there is broad support for this measure. prgtoken Denying lifesaving medical care to America's infants is a violation of our Constitution and an egregious offense against basic human dignity. prgtoken Supporting this motion to recommit--which, I will say, the National Right to Life, Susan B. Anthony List, March for Life, Family Research Council, and Concerned Women for America, all are key voting--is the simplest choice any Member of Congress can make. prgtoken Do you support babies receiving lifesaving care after they are born, or would you deny these innocent children that care and allow them to be discarded and left to die? prgtoken The tragedy of infanticide across our country requires serious and effective legal safeguards, and I thank those who fight on behalf of the most vulnerable who cannot protect themselves. prgtoken I implore my colleagues to support this motion to recommit and ensure that no baby is denied lifesaving care.
HONORING JOHN HAROLD JOHNSON
J. French Hill (Republican, AR) \u2014 2020-2-28

. Madam , I rise today to honor an American icon and celebrated Arkansan, John Harold Johnson. prgtoken Born in Arkansas City, Arkansas, in 1918, Mr. Johnson persevered through poverty and graduated high school with honors before attending the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. prgtoken In 1942, he founded the Johnson Publishing Company, which published Ebony and Jet, two of the defining magazines of the late 20th century. Mr. Johnson's Ebony coverage of the Little Rock Nine in 1957 projected the crisis into the public eye, making him a critical figure in the civil rights movement. prgtoken A member of the Forbes 400, Mr. Johnson was a terrific entrepreneur and executive. In 1996, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton for his work toward achieving equality. prgtoken This Black History Month, I am proud to honor Mr. Johnson's enduring legacy and indelible impact on the State of Arkansas.
REVERSING THE YOUTH TOBACCO EPIDEMIC ACT OF 2019
A. Drew Ferguson IV (Republican, GA) \u2014 2020-2-28

. Again, what this bill does is it goes after Americans' choice. You may not think that they should use tobacco--we can acknowledge the health risk associated with it--but it is not Congress' job to make that decision for adults, for the American voter. prgtoken We have seen a consistent pattern of this. We have seen it time and time again, whether it was from a mayor in a large city like New York telling Americans what size Coke or soft drink they could have to something as outrageous as my friends on the other side of the aisle trying to tell the American voter who the President should be through the impeachment process. Now they are going to tell them what kind of tobacco they can use. It goes on and on and on and on. prgtoken And do you know what? If we continue down this path, it really does start to look and smell and sound just like socialism. I don't think that is right for this country, and we should fight back against it.
REVERSING THE YOUTH TOBACCO EPIDEMIC ACT OF 2019
Bill Flores (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-2-28

. Madam , I thank Mr. Walden for yielding. prgtoken Madam , I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 2339, a bill that bans all flavors of all tobacco products while imposing a new excise tax on vaping products. prgtoken Let me start by saying this: I don't smoke. I don't chew. I don't vape. And I don't dip. But I do represent adult constituents who do. prgtoken Bills like this make it clear that House are more interested in placing partisan politics over real solutions. prgtoken Since 2011, the share of high school students who say they have smoked cigarettes recently has fallen from 16 percent to 6 percent. More than 2.5 million U.S. adult smokers have quit smoking by switching to e-cigarettes, and many rely on flavored e-liquids. prgtoken If flavored e-cigarettes are outright banned and e-cigarettes have increased taxes, as this bill does, many of these ex-smokers will return to traditional cigarettes while others will be forced into the dangerous e-cigarette black market that this legislation creates. prgtoken Let's be clear: Science proves that e-cigarettes are safer than traditional smoking. prgtoken Both Congress and President have taken important steps to address the youth vaping epidemic. Unfortunately, today's legislation has nothing to do with the youth vaping epidemic and would instead eliminate consumer choice for millions of law-abiding adults.
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2020-3-2

our U.S. dairy farmers have had a tough decade. Margins are thinner than ever, and new milk substitutes can be found in every grocery store. While dairy farmers scored a major victory in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement with increased market access to Canada, there is a scary new trend that is very disturbing. prgtoken Hollywood jokers have taken a stand against raising cows with the so- called hashtag ``mootoo'' movement. This is udderly irresponsible. U.S. dairies produce the highest quality milk and cheese in the world under the highest standards of care. Drink and eat dairy products. It is good for you--especially ice cream. Help our dairy farmers. prgtoken . Recognition of the Minority Leader
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2020-3-2

I am here on the floor to talk about the legislation that is now before this body. We just passed the motion to proceed to the energy legislation, and we just heard about the legislation from my colleague from Alaska and the Presiding Officer's colleague from Alaska: Senator Murkowski, who chairs the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The legislation is a good package. prgtoken As she said very well, it both helps in terms of the economy and jobs and in terms of the environment. Who wouldn't be for that? It also has a whole series of proposals with which to do it. The ones I am going to talk about tonight are the energy efficiency proposals that she talked about. In particular, I am going to talk about a concern I have that the legislation that was offered tonight took out part of our energy- efficiency package, which we hope to add later by amendment, but I want to talk about why it is so important to add it back in. prgtoken The legislation on energy efficiency is something I have introduced with Senator Shaheen, of the great State of New Hampshire, for 9 years now, going back to 2011. Some of it has gotten passed over time, but most of it has not, so we are, once again, bringing it up. The legislation is entitled the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, which is why we commonly call it Portman-Shaheen, because it is shorter. prgtoken Our legislation has been voted on by this body before. Back in 2016, it passed the U.S. Senate. It has also passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee five separate times with bipartisan votes. In 2016, the vote was 85 to 12. Again, it was part of a larger package at that time. prgtoken There is a reason this legislation has received such broad, bipartisan support over the years. It lowers energy bills, which is a good thing. It reduces emissions, and it creates new jobs. It does it all without putting any new mandates on the private sector. It provides incentives but not mandates, and that is great news for the working families and businesses, large and small, that I represent. prgtoken It accomplishes all this by improving energy efficiency in three key sectors. One is buildings, commercial buildings and residential buildings. The second is in the manufacturing sector, the industrial sector, of our economy. Then the third is with regard to our U.S. Government. prgtoken Residential and commercial buildings, by the way, account for, roughly, 40 percent of the total U.S. energy consumption, which is why it is so important we have these sections with regard to buildings. prgtoken With regard to our industry sector, manufacturers are excited about this legislation because it makes them not just more efficient in terms of energy, but it makes them more competitive globally. That is why the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers and other groups are strongly supportive of the legislation, as are well
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2020-3-2

here we are; we have successfully voted to proceed to S. 2657, which is our vehicle for the American Energy Innovation Act. We are now at the point that many of us have been waiting for for some time; that is, the opportunity to debate, to offer amendments, and to pass this measure, hopefully on a strong bipartisan basis. prgtoken I want to encourage all Members to look at the bill that is now before us and to ask those questions and look at how, with this update to our energy policies, we will be moving forward with innovation; we will be moving forward with energy security, grid modernization, cyber security, workforce security. We are at a good place this evening. prgtoken As I mentioned in my very brief remarks before the vote, it has now been more than 12 years--more than a dozen years--since Congress enacted comprehensive legislation to update our energy laws. When you think about what has happened in a time period of a dozen years--12 years ago, we didn't have iPads. Twelve years ago we weren't even thinking about this shale revolution and what that would mean to America, turning us into an energy superpower. Over the course of 12 years, the costs of renewable resources have come down dramatically. New technologies are emerging. prgtoken What hasn't kept pace are our policies. When they don't keep pace, we miss out on opportunities to further our energy leadership, and we are failing to adequately address what I think are some very significant challenges. prgtoken That is why the innovation package that Senator Manchin and I have put forward is so important at this time. What we are seeking to do is to modernize our energy laws to ensure that we remain a global energy leader. We seek to keep energy affordable, to strengthen our security, and to increase our competitiveness. We do all of this while making our energy cleaner and cleaner, to protect the environment and to reduce the impacts of climate change. Within this measure--this American Energy Innovation Act--we have included more than 50 related measures that reflect the priorities of more than 60 different Senators. prgtoken What we have done is gone through this committee process, and, as I mentioned, it has been a very robust, very thorough committee process. We have arranged these 50-some-odd measures into two titles. The first is focused on technological innovation, and the second title is focused on security and workforce development. prgtoken Starting with the first title, which is innovation, we really start with the first fuel. First fuel is energy efficiency, which has tremendous potential to lower energy bills and to meet growing demand. We certainly know and understand that in a place like Alaska, a cold State. It helps our families, our businesses, and the environment alike when we can be more efficient in our energy consumption. prgtoken I think we recognize that efficiency is often the easiest and often the cheapest opt
RECOGNIZING MS. ELIZABETH MANN AS THE SANTA ROSA COUNTY, FLORIDA TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Matt Gaetz (Republican, FL) \u2014 2020-3-2

. Madam , I rise to recognize Ms. Elizabeth Mann as the Santa Rosa County Teacher of the Year. Ms. Mann has served the Santa Rosa County School District with talent, passion, and an unwavering commitment to serving her students. prgtoken In Northwest Florida, we are fortunate to have some of the best teachers in the Nation. Teaching is a difficult profession, yet immensely rewarding. Ms. Mann has performed her teaching duties exceptionally, while also being an active and supportive member of our Northwest Florida community. prgtoken Her passion for teaching stemmed from her childhood, as both of her parents served as educators. I commend her for her steadfast willingness to serve those that matter most--the students and youth of our Nation. prgtoken Ms. Mann has set an example for all of her students, and has achieved the excellence that we strive for in Northwest Florida. prgtoken For all of her contributions to our community, I am truly proud to have Ms. Mann as a constituent in Florida's First Congressional District. prgtoken Madam , on behalf of the United States Congress, I am privileged to recognize Ms. Elizabeth Mann for her many accomplishments, and her deep commitment to excellence, professionalism, innovation, and collaboration in the Santa Rosa County School District. I thank her for her service, and I wish her all the best for her continued success.
ENSURING CHINESE DEBT TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2020
J. French Hill (Republican, AR) \u2014 2020-3-2

the balance of my time. prgtoken In conclusion, I would say that this is the way to build a partnership between the multilateral countries of the world that support the World Bank and the IMF and have China have more scrutiny on their opaque terms and conditions, which in turn should allow better outcomes for our developing nations around the world, less chance of falling into a debt trap. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I thank my friend from Missouri for his assistance and my friend from Guam for managing the bill. .