mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-1-31

I support the nomination of Elaine Chao to be Secretary of Transportation. prgtoken Ms. Chao has proven a capable manager. She has served in several administrations, including as Secretary of Labor and Deputy Secretary of Transportation. Her experience will serve the Transportation Department and the Cabinet well. prgtoken At the Department of Transportation, Ms. Chao will be responsible for implementing one of President 's most ambitious agenda items--a massive investment in infrastructure. During the campaign, Mr. proposed to invest $1 trillion to rebuild infrastructure over the next decade. And on November 9, 2016, President-Elect said, ``We are going to fix our inner cities and rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals. We're going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none. And we will put millions of our people to work as we rebuild it.'' prgtoken While we have received few details on the plan, I hope that Ms. Chao will work closely with Congress to identify needs within our States and invest broadly in roads, bridges, airports, rail, and transit. While I believe that public-private partnerships can be one avenue to drive transportation projects, we cannot rely on them to be the backbone of a transportation plan, as many communities would struggle to assemble the financing necessary to make such projects viable. prgtoken Our Nation's public infrastructure has historically been a bipartisan priority. It must remain so. prgtoken I appreciate Ms. Chao's commitment during her hearing to enforce the Davis-Bacon Act's requirement to pay fair wages to ensure that our Nation's construction jobs can sustain workers and their families. Commendably, Ms. Chao also emphasized her dedication to safety. prgtoken Maryland has a number of critical transportation priorities, including the Port of Baltimore, the MARC commuter rail, and increasingly congested highways like I-270 and I-81. We have also worked closely with the Federal Transit Administration on safety improvements to the Washington Metro, our Nation's subway, and have pushed for the creation of the Purple Line. I look forward to working with Secretary Chao to build a 21st century, multimodal transportation system that works for all of my constituents in Maryland.
FIRST RESPONDER IDENTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY NEEDS IN DISASTER SITUATIONS
Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2017-1-31

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I rise in support of H.R. 58, the First Responder Identification of Emergency Needs in Disaster Situations, or the FRIENDS Act. prgtoken This bill requires the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, to submit a report on how State and local programs affect the preparedness and protection of first responders. Congress and the American people need to know whether these programs consider circumstances that may affect a first responder's ability to respond to an event. prgtoken In particular, the bill requires GAO to examine the degree to which State and local programs and policies consider the presence of a first responder's family in an area impacted by a terrorist attack, the availability of personal protective equipment for first responders, and the availability of home MedKits for first responders and their families for biological incident response. prgtoken While we are asking GAO to examine State and local programs and policies, some of these programs and policies may be funded with Federal dollars. To that extent, Congress needs to know whether these federally funded programs and policies are as effective as possible to prepare and protect first responders. prgtoken This month, the State of Georgia received two Presidential disaster declarations from devastating tornados in districts neighboring my own. While these are not terrorist attacks, these tornados highlight the fact that first responders are often called upon to respond to events in their own communities where they and their loved ones live. Our heros immediately respond to the call of duty, even though they themselves or their loved ones may be impacted. Thus, it is important that State and local preparedness programs are designed and developed to consider all situations that may impact first responder preparedness. prgtoken We must do everything we can to support our first responders who are often called upon to put their lives on the line to help others, even when their own families need them. So , the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), for introducing this bill and for her diligent work on this issue. prgtoken In response to my chairman's welcome, I would have to respond by saying I am just giddy about being a part of this subcommittee, and I look forward to working with him and his staff to make things good for America and for our future. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to join in my support of this bill. prgtoken , .
Travel Ban (Executive Calendar)
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-1-31

I would like to address some of the very serious concerns posed by the nomination of Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State, along with several of President 's Cabinet nominees. But first I do want to briefly address what unfolded this weekend at airports across the country following President 's appalling and un-American ban on Muslims and refugees from entering the country. prgtoken With the stroke of a pen, the administration caused chaos and heartbreak for hundreds of families, many of whom are our friends, our neighbors, and our coworkers. On Saturday night, Members of this Congress, including myself, were denied answers to even the most basic questions from border enforcement officers, questions that affect the people whom we represent. prgtoken While I am glad that a Federal judge quickly issued a stay and that the Department of Homeland Security has since provided further guidance on the Executive orders, many questions remain and too many lives hang in the balance. prgtoken I am going to keep fighting as hard as I can, and I encourage everyone who is listening and watching right now to continue making their voices heard because President is already governing the way he campaigned, by dividing our country and pushing extreme policies that hurt families across the country. Again, we saw this so clearly in the Executive orders he signed this past week. prgtoken But it is also something we have seen in the Cabinet nominees he has put forward since his election. As we all remember, President said that he was going to drain the swamp, but he seems to think the way to do that is by filling it with even bigger swamp creatures. He said he was going to stand with the working class and fight Wall Street and Big Business. But he nominated a Cabinet full of Wall Street bankers and billionaires and millionaires and friends and insiders and campaign contributors. prgtoken As many of my colleagues have discussed today, one clear example of President 's broken promise to drain the swamp is the nomination of Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil for Secretary of State. This is a nominee who is not only a known friend and business partner to Russia, but someone who publicly spoke against sanctions on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine and Crimea. prgtoken People in my home State of Washington have significant concerns about who he plans to work for, and so do I--concerns that Mr. Tillerson failed to adequately address in his hearing. I have said before that reports of Russia meddling in our election should disturb and outrage every American, , , or Independent who believes that the integrity of our elections is fundamental to the strength of this democracy. That is why it is so critical we have a Secretary of State who will stand up to protect those values.
Affordable Care Act (Executive Calendar)
Tom Udall (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2017-1-31

thank you for the recognition, and I thank Senator Merkley very much for yielding. prgtoken I have been here on the floor, listening to Senators Kaine and Merkley, and I saw Senator Cardin speaking earlier from my office. We can see that for many of us who sat through these hearings and heard the answers, it didn't give us a lot of confidence that Rex Tillerson was going to be able to step in and be the top diplomat for the United States of America. So I join in all the comments that have been made earlier. prgtoken I want to talk about one of the issues that has developed over the last couple of days and that really has bearing on this. For the last century, the United States has led the world stage. We are the inspiration for countless nations as they nurture hopeful democracies-- democracies that respect human rights and individual liberties. We are a nation of freedom, where men and women can work hard, build a happy, healthy life, and live the American dream. That is what makes President 's anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant actions last week so repugnant. prgtoken I believe his actions violate the Constitution. They also violate everything we stand for as a country. Turning our backs on refugees and those seeking a better life doesn't project strength. It shows weakness. It fuels anti-American rage around the world. Our Nation doesn't punish innocent people because of what they believe and who they pray to. We don't slam the door in the faces of those who need help the most. prgtoken I call on all of us, especially my colleagues across the aisle, to denounce this action and the people behind it. I am relieved that Federal judges around the nation are blocking the President's unconstitutional order, and I am also very proud of our strong constitutional system of checks and balances. prgtoken I can't express adequately how proud I am of Sally Yates, the Acting Attorney General who was fired by President . Now you have to know something about her. This is a very courageous person who stood up and did the right thing. Sally Yates is a career prosecutor. She has served as a U.S. attorney in the U.S. attorney's office under and s--a career prosecutor. When she was put up for a vote in the Senate, she got 84 votes when she was approved for Deputy Attorney General of the United States. This is someone who understands what is going on, understands the Constitution, and understands her legal obligations. She stood up and said that she wasn't going to represent in court the President on this Muslim ban, and he fired her. He fired her. prgtoken These kinds of actions are disturbing. They are un-American acts, and they are the most urgent reason I rise today to state that I cannot support confirming Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State. prgtoken There is no doubt that Mr. Tillerson was qualified to run ExxonMobil. Exxon was his first job out of college, and the only company he worke
Nominations of Betsy DeVos, Tom Price, and Andrew Puzder (Executive Calendar)
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2017-1-31

I rise today to talk about the Secretary of State nominee, as well as President 's recent Executive order on refugees. I believe we need a Secretary of State who will clearly stand up to Russian aggression. I am concerned about the nominee's past statements and his relationship with Russia, and I am not going to be voting for him. If he is confirmed, I hope we can work with him. Some of his newer statements have been positive on taking that on, as well as some of the many issues confronting our world. prgtoken The reason I am so focused on Russia is, first of all, we have a significant Ukrainian population in Minnesota. We are very proud of them. I was recently in Ukraine, Georgia, as well as Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia with Senators McCain and Graham. I saw firsthand the meaning of Russian aggression on a daily basis. In these countries, the cyber attack is not a new movie. They have seen it many times before. It is a rerun. In Estonia, in 2007, they had the audacity to move a bronze statue of a Russian fighter from a town square where there had been protests to a cemetery. What did they get for that? They got their Internet service shut down. That is what they do. In Lithuania, they decided something you could imagine happening in our own country. On the 25th anniversary of the celebration of the independence of their country, they invited, as an act of solidarity, the members of the Ukrainian Parliament--who are in exile in Kiev from Crimea, which has been illegally annexed by Russia. They invited them to meet with them and celebrate in Lithuania. What happened to them; again, cyber attacks on members of the Parliament. prgtoken This is not just about one political candidate. We saw in the last election in the United States--where now 17 intelligence agencies have collectively said there was an infringement--that there was an attempt to influence our elections in America. It is not just about one candidate. It is not just about one political party, as Senator Rubio so eloquently noted. It is not even just about one country. It is an assault on democracies across the world. prgtoken I think we need to take this very seriously, not just from an intelligence standpoint but also from a foreign relations standpoint. That is why I introduced the bill, with Senators Feinstein, Cardin, Leahy, and Carper, to create an independent and nonpartisan commission to uncover all the facts. It is also why we have an expanded sanctions bill that is bipartisan, led by Senators McCain and Cardin. prgtoken What we do matters. I think you see that, not only with regard to our relations with those countries in the Baltics but also with what we have seen in just the past few days because of this Executive order. I hope that having a Secretary of State in place would help, as well as more involvement from other agencies so something like this will never happen again.
Affordable Care Act (Executive Calendar)
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-1-31

since assuming office on January 20, which is just 11 days ago--I don't know, it kind of feels to me like it was 11 months ago; this is going on in a horrible, nightmarish slow motion--the administration has assumed responsibility for our Nation's national security. There are a lot of jobs the President has, this new administration has, but that is at the top of the list-- guaranteeing this country's security and, frankly, being the guarantor of global security. prgtoken Leaving aside some of the broader systemic challenges that we face in the world, let's just look at what has happened since the inauguration. prgtoken Yesterday, Iran reportedly conducted another ballistic missile test. President criticized President on Iran for being too soft. Now it is his turn to get China and Russia to agree to a Security Council resolution condemning this test and taking punitive action. prgtoken On Sunday, extremist groups all around the world celebrated the administration's ban on travel from seven Muslim-majority countries. Comments that were posted to pro-Islamic State's social media accounts predicted that the Executive order would serve as a recruiting tool for ISIS. One posting said that 's actions ``clearly revealed the truth and harsh reality behind the American government's hatred towards Muslims.'' Another posting hailed as ``the best caller to Islam.'' Another one talked about the ban being a blessed ban, which is a reference to what militant leaders called the invasion of Iraq, which was hailed then as the blessed invasion, becoming the cause celebre, as the intelligence community called it, for the global jihadist movement. prgtoken Immediately following the first phone conversation between and Putin, the conflict in Ukraine flared up. Likely not coincidentally, 8 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 26 were wounded just since Saturday. prgtoken In the Balkans, where Russia has been just recently again steadily increasing in influence, as Europe is pulling up the doors on its new perspective members, Serbia sent a train emblazoned with the motto ``Kosovo is Serbia'' up to the border of Kosovo. It turned around, but as a result, troops and security forces reportedly scrambled to the border from both sides. prgtoken I am not suggesting that all of these bad things happened because was inaugurated. I listened to my colleagues explain all of the world's troubles for 8 years through the lens of responsibility to the administration. But this is all an advertisement for a very simple idea--that this is probably the absolute worst time to have the first American President with no government experience and no diplomatic experience pick the first Secretary of State with no government experience and no diplomatic experience. This is not the moment for on-the-job learning. Yet that is what we have so far. prgtoken Granted Mr. Tillerson is not in place,
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SUPPORT TO FUSION CENTERS ACT OF 2017
William R. Keating (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-1-31

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I rise in support of H.R. 678, and I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. McSally). prgtoken I rise in strong support as a cosponsor of H.R. 678, the Department of Homeland Security Support to Fusion Centers Act of 2017. prgtoken Since coming to Congress, I have worked to enhance and secure intelligence information sharing among both domestic and international partners. A key mechanism to fostering such information sharing has been the development of a network of fusion centers across the Nation. These centers allow Federal intelligence and homeland security information to be shared with State and local law enforcement and other key stakeholders. prgtoken For fusion centers to realize their full promise, it remains critical that personnel assigned to fusion centers be able to access Department of Homeland Security information, data, and personnel. prgtoken In the course of conducting oversight of fusion centers, the committee has learned that not enough State and local analysts and officials assigned to these centers have the TS/SCI clearances necessary to foster the timely sharing of homeland security information and intelligence. prgtoken H.R. 678 would authorize the DHS to sponsor such State and local analysts for security clearances. Last Congress, this bill passed unanimously by our committee. prgtoken I urge the passage of H.R. 678, the Department of Homeland Security Support to Fusion Centers Act of 2017. This is legislation that will help ensure that key fusion center personnel have access to the security clearances they need to keep our communities secure. prgtoken , .
Affordable Care Act (Executive Calendar)
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2017-1-31

I rise to speak concerning the nomination by President of Rex Tillerson to be Secretary of State. I believe I am going prgtoken to be speaking a little bit this afternoon and possibly later. This will just be part of my remarks this afternoon. prgtoken First, I am going to say some positive things about Mr. Tillerson's career and the importance of the position, but then I want to talk about the reason for my opposition, which has to do largely with my concern about whether he is capable of exercising truly independent judgment on behalf of the United States, particularly given his 41-year career with ExxonMobil. prgtoken To begin, Mr. Tillerson has an exemplary record with ExxonMobil. I was impressed by it. I have been impressed by his business acumen. I think this one would, frankly, be relatively straightforward if he had been nominated for Secretary of Commerce. I think it would be relatively straightforward had he been nominated for Secretary of Energy. prgtoken That is an interesting aspect of some of these nominations. I think there are some people who are up who--if they were in other positions, they might be easier, but because of the ones they have been nominated for, it has made it a little more difficult. I put Mr. Tillerson in that category. prgtoken Secretary of State is an enormously important position. We all know that it is important, but we, even for the public, separate the Secretary of State position from others. prgtoken There are four Cabinet Secretaries who by law are not allowed to be involved in political campaigns. They can't go out on the campaign trail during election season. They are designated as ``special,'' and I think they are special for a reason--Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Secretary of Treasury, and the Attorney General. The reason these four positions are made separate, in my view, is they are positions that are supposed to have a special gravity, positions that are supposed to be above politics. They are also positions that are supposed to have a degree of independence. prgtoken An Attorney General needs to have a degree of independence from a President because that individual must weigh in on the legality of actions even of the administration in making decisions. I think the Secretary of State needs some independence and gravitas as well. That is why the Secretary of State position is such a special one. prgtoken I want to focus on this area of independence and the independence I wanted to see in a Secretary of State Tillerson and that I did not feel comfortable enough after the research I have done and after the hearing itself. It fits into three basic categories--issues with respect to climate, issues with respect to Russia, and issues with respect to the development policy that the United States uses in nations around the world, including very poor nations that are resource rich but often find that their oil reserves or other natural r
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S DISGRACEFUL EXECUTIVE ORDER
Terri A. Sewell (Democrat, AL) \u2014 2017-1-31

today I rise in opposition to President 's disgraceful Executive Order indefinitely suspending the settlement of Syrian refugees and banning anyone from six other Muslim-majority countries from coming to America. This ill-conceived and unconstitutional action is immoral, un-American, and a threat to our national security. The refugees President is turning away are in desperate circumstances. Like the millions of American Immigrants who came before them, they are searching for a better future for themselves and their families. By banning their entry, the Administration dishonors the commitment we made to countless women and children from Syria who have successfully complied with our strict vetting process. This irresponsible executive order does little to protect us from terrorism, but it does institutionalize a prejudice against Muslims. Moreover, it makes us more susceptible to home-grown terrorism. In a nation founded by immigrants, it is our duty as Americans to call upon President to rescind this executive order.