mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AWARENESS
Jim Costa (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-6-27

I rise today to speak about posttraumatic stress disorder, otherwise referred to as PTSD. Roughly, 5.2 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed in a given year with posttraumatic stress disorder. prgtoken Many of these individuals are men and women who have bravely served our Nation's military. prgtoken The Department of Veterans Affairs indicates that between 15 and 30 percent of Vietnam veterans have had PTSD in their lifetime; about 12 percent of Desert Storm veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD in a given year; and between 11 and 20 percent of those serving in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom have also been diagnosed with PTSD in a given year. prgtoken So today, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day, I call on all of us to do more to help our fellow Americans. We can do more, and we must do more. prgtoken We must be able to look at those Americans with PTSD in their eyes and say: You are not alone, and we are with you, and we are going to continue to give you the same service that you have given our country.
HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION
Mark R. Warner (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2017-6-27

let me join my colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee and not only express my concern about how we got here, but also acknowledge that an awful lot of folks in Virginia and a lot of decent folks in North Carolina and folks across the country breathed a little bit of a sigh of relief today. But that sigh of relief was just the fact that we have a bit of a reprieve from a proposal that, in my years here, I don't think I have ever seen--
A TRIBUTE TO HONOR RAYMOND LAWRENCE SULLIVAN, JR., M.D. ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT
Anna G. Eshoo (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-6-27

Raymond Lawrence Sullivan, Jr was born in San Francisco on October 4, 1942. He was the second of six children and grew up in San Francisco and Hillsborough. He has three living siblings, Phillip Sullivan, Mary Sullivan Ward, and Mother Agnes of the Cross, CJM, and his late sister, Sheila Sullivan Peterson. Larry was educated at St. Catherine's Grammar School in Burlingame, Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose, the University of San Francisco and the UCSF Medical School. He did his residency in Anesthesiology at Stanford, and served our country in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps from 1968 to 1970. Larry married Victoria Growney on August 13, 1966. Together they have five children: Larry Sullivan III; Kasey Sullivan Bradstreet, JD; Loretta Sullivan Chang, MD; Brian Sullivan; and Jason Lally, their foster child, who is part of their extended family. Their grandchildren, Liam, Andrew and Thomas Chang, Oscar Bradstreet and Harley, Riona and Raymond Lally bring them untold joy. Dr. Sullivan joined the medical staff of O'Connor Hospital as an anesthesiologist in 1975 and has served there until his retirement. From 1982 to 1988 he served as Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesia at Stanford University School of Medicine. At O'Connor Hospital he was Anesthesia Department Chair, a member of the Critical Care Committee, President of the Medical Staff, Member of the Hospital's Board of Directors, and Chair of the Medical Staff Advisory Committee. He was honored in 2011 with the Vincentian Spirit Award given by O'Connor Hospital. Dr. Sullivan has given generously of his time and talents to his professional community as a member of the Santa Clara County Medical Association, (CMA) the American Medical Association, the California Society of Anesthesiologists (CSA), the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the California Medical Association. He served as President of the CSA from 1999 to 2000, and from 1997 to 2006 he served on a Specialty Delegation to the CMA House of Delegates. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the CSA in 2009. Larry also served as a referee and coach of the American Youth Soccer Association in Palo Alto, and was Scoutmaster of Troop 57, Stanford Area Council, where he guided 35 Scouts to the rank of Eagle Scout I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring an extraordinary physician, a devoted son, husband, father, grandfather, a vital member of our community, and a treasured personal friend. Larry Sullivan is a man of integrity and he lives a life instructed by his faith. I have never met a finer human being and a finer family. How proud I am to call the Sullivan Family my friends and to have the privilege of representing them. I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in wishing my dear friend Larry, a great and good man, and his devoted wife Vicki, every blessing that retirement has to offer, and we thank him for all he has done to strengthen o
HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-6-27

I join my colleagues here from the Finance Committee. Although I don't want to admit it, it was 10 years ago that we had this discussion in the Finance Committee--my colleagues from Maryland, from Delaware, and from Oregon. What people don't realize--even the Presiding Officer knows we spent a lot of time talking about healthcare. This was not ``let's have a few meetings and roll out a bill.'' There was a very long period. In fact, the Chair knows that, in fact, our side got a lot of heat for a lot of dialogue that happened with him and our colleague from Maine at the time--a lot of heat for dialogue with her. I think there was a period of time, about 6 or 7 months, where every single day I went to at least one thing in the discussion of the healthcare policy--at least one thing every day for like 6 months. That wasn't even the markup. Those weren't even the meetings. That was just the time period where the committee had designated various subgroups so we would talk about policy. prgtoken I don't know if the two of you remember that period, but my recollection is every single day I was going to something regarding the healthcare policy and listening to experts and recommendations, and then, of course, we had these--I call them more roundtables than hearings. We had a lot of roundtable discussions, and we obviously went through a very formal bill process. prgtoken There is a little bit of irony that we are the ones out here today still talking about this healthcare bill. I think it is because we knew what the challenges were, and we tried to address them and were not afraid to keep addressing them. We are not afraid to be out here today talking about solutions we want to see as well. prgtoken from Delaware and my colleague from Oregon for both being part of that effort because it really was an unbelievable amount of time and energy and discussion and formulation. The notion that somehow now we would take something that is one-sixth of the economy and draft something up in a dark process, then throw it out here--I am not surprised today that there aren't the votes. The thing to do now is not try to just rack up some votes in the next few days and come back in July. The thing to do is to sit down and have a serious discussion. prgtoken I notice a couple of my colleagues are down at the White House. They are positioned right there next to the President. Maybe they are trying to put them on the hot seat. He is sitting there talking about the individual market. He is talking about the individual market in Alaska. All I am thinking is that the individual market in Alaska--we are sitting here, and the other side is proposing to cut 15 million people off of Medicaid. What does that have to do with the individual market? Nothing. prgtoken I don't know if people are ready to focus on this the way we focused on it in that time period for more than a year--more than a year, day after
REAUTHORIZING THE HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAM
G. K. Butterfield (Democrat, NC) \u2014 2017-6-27

I thank the gentleman for yielding time. prgtoken , I rise in support of my good friend Congressman Jim Clyburn's bill to reauthorize the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic Preservation program. prgtoken I have known Jim Clyburn for more than 35 years, and this has been his passion ever since I first met him many years ago. I thank Mr. Clyburn for his passion and his leadership on this issue. prgtoken Since 1988, the HBCU Historic Preservation program has provided more than $60 million to HBCUs all across the country to support infrastructure and facilitate learning. prgtoken Both my undergraduate and law school alma mater, North Carolina Central University in Durham, an institution that I am now proud to represent in Congress, has greatly benefited from the program. prgtoken And I might say that my father graduated from Shaw University, which is an HBCU, and later from Meharry Medical College. My mother attended high school at Shaw University and graduated from college at Hampton Institute, now called Hampton University. prgtoken , HBCUs fill a unique and important role in our Nation's higher education system and in our country's narrative. Not only do HBCUs train our workforce of the future by producing the most African- American students who can earn science and engineering doctoral degrees, they are integral parts of our national identity. prgtoken The more than 100 HBCUs spread across the country house the books and the memorabilia from freedmen and former slaves dating back many years. prgtoken Many of the historic buildings on the campuses of HBCUs were used as meeting places during reconstruction and during the civil rights movement. prgtoken HBCUs represent the past, the here and the now, and the future of our country. By reauthorizing this important program through 2024, we can honor the many important faculty and students that have helped HBCUs endure, support people at those institutions today, and prepare our workforce for the future. prgtoken I strongly support this bill. I commend my dear colleague, Congressman Jim Clyburn, for his enormous leadership on this important issue. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this legislation.
HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2017-6-27

call me old-fashioned, but as a member of the Senate Finance Committee, I still believe the legislative process matters, especially when you are dealing with matters of life and death, like healthcare. prgtoken In 2009 and 2010, we had a painstakingly open, deliberative process while drafting our healthcare reform bill. prgtoken In the Senate Finance Committee alone, we held 53 hearings, roundtables, and meetings, consulting with patients, advocates, doctors, and industry leaders. prgtoken Only after months of bipartisan negotiations and marathon markups did we bring the healthcare bill to the floor, and when we did, we spent 25 days debating it in full view of the American prgtoken people. That is how we passed a law that protected Americans with preexisting conditions. That is how we stopped health insurance companies from dropping consumers the moment they got sick. That is how we passed a law that delivered coverage to 9 out of 10 Americans for the first time in history. prgtoken Because when you have an open, deliberative, bipartisan process, you can deliver real progress to millions of Americans. But when you have an ugly, partisan, backroom process, you get an ugly, partisan bill. And that is what we have with the Senate healthcare bill. prgtoken It is an ugly bill, born out of an ugly process with ugly consequences for the American people. prgtoken And you don't have to take my word for it. Just last night, the CBO confirmed that the health bill will leave 15 million more Americans uninsured next year--and 22 million uninsured by 2026. prgtoken And mind you, this is the plan that s promised would be so much better than the unpopular, disastrous legislation passed by House s earlier this year. prgtoken Well, if thought the House healthcare bill was mean, then the Senate plan is downright nasty. prgtoken It is really quite simple. s want to give the 400 wealthiest families in America--the Warren Buffets and s of our society--a huge tax cut they do not need, paid for by taking healthcare away from those who need it the most. prgtoken For years, s railed against the Affordable Care Act, and pledged they would repeal and replace it with something better. But under the plan they put out last week, the only people who are better off are millionaires and health insurance company executives. prgtoken Across the board, Americans will pay the price. They will pay higher premiums, higher out-of-pocket cost, higher deductibles--all for less comprehensive coverage. That is because the GOP plan still rolls back key consumer safeguards, like protection from lifetime limits and coverage for preexisting conditions. prgtoken It still ends the Affordable Care Act's Federal guarantee that every health plan cover essential health benefits, like prescription drugs, prenatal care, hospital stays, and more. It still defunds Planned Pa
TRIBUTE TO ANNE ANDERSON
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2017-6-27

I would like to recognize Ireland's Ambassador prgtoken to the United States, Anne Anderson, on the occasion of her retirement. Since 2013, Anne has served as Ireland's 17th Ambassador to the United States, the first woman to serve in this role. She has done much to further the close relationship long shared between the United States and Ireland. My great-grandparents were Irish immigrants, settling in Vermont, where I was born and raised. I have long been aware of the contributions Irish immigrants make to our Nation. prgtoken Ambassador Anderson first represented her Ireland's interests in the United States in 1983, when she became the Embassy of Ireland's economic attache and then press attache. After moving back to Ireland in 1987, she served as counsellor in the Anglo-Irish division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and then became Assistant Secretary General in Corporate Services. In this role, Ambassador Anderson greatly influenced the fight for equal treatment of women in the workplace and worked to pass fair employment legislation in the North of Ireland. prgtoken Ambassador Anderson assumed the role of diplomat again in 1995, when she became Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations in Geneva. During her time in Geneva, she acted as chair of the United Nations Commission of Human Rights and vice president of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. She then moved to Brussels to serve as the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the European Union in 2001. prgtoken After some time as Ambassador to France, she returned to the United States once more to become the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations in New York until 2013, when she was named the Ambassador of Ireland to the United States. Her focus in her time as ambassador has been in advocating on behalf of immigration issues and undocumented Irish immigrants in the United States, pursuing her passion for inclusivity and equality in human rights and women's rights, and fostering the cultural art connections between the two nations. prgtoken The foundations of our relationship with Ireland are built upon and solidified by the great work of diplomats and public servants such as Ambassador Anderson, who seek to facilitate international relationships that rise above any national differences. While she may be retiring from her diplomatic roles, my friend Anne will forever be a diplomat in the truest sense of the word. Marcelle and I congratulate her on her retirement and thank her for her years of service and friendship and her dedicated efforts to strengthen the U.S. relationship with Ireland.
THE JOURNAL
Rosa L. DeLauro (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-6-27

I was unavoidably detained and so I missed rollcall vote No. 325 regarding ``On Ordering the Previous Question'' (H. Res. 382). Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' prgtoken I missed rollcall vote No. 326 regarding ``Providing for consideration of H.R. 1215'' (H. Res. 382). Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' prgtoken I missed rollcall vote No. 327 ``On Approving the Journal.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''
REAFFIRMING THE COMMITMENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION'S PRINCIPLE OF COLLECTIVE DEFENSE
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-6-27

I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 397, a resolution that reaffirms the United States' commitment to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and its principle of collective defense. prgtoken In the aftermath of World War II, the greatest conflict in human history, the United States, Canada, and their Western Europe allies founded the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949 in Washington. prgtoken Founded on the principle of collective defense, Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty states that, ``The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.'' prgtoken In the 68 years since the Treaty's ratification, Article 5 has only been invoked once, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when NATO members came to the aid of the United States. prgtoken NATO sent seven planes with 830 crewmen from 13 countries to protect American skies until May 2002, marking the first time in American history that the continental United States was protected by foreign forces. prgtoken NATO allies and partners have stood with the United States in joint operations in the Western Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere around the world. prgtoken Until this year, every American president since the treaty's signing in 1949--Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W Clinton, , and --has publicly reaffirmed the American commitment to Article 5. prgtoken American presidents have affirmed this nation's commitment to come to the aid of any NATO member that is under attack. prgtoken That is the symbolic meaning of the immortal words spoken by President Kennedy in West Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate in 1963: ``Ich bin ein Berliner.'' prgtoken , the principle of collective defense is the core of NATO's founding treaty and the NATO alliance has been the backbone of American national security and foreign policy for nearly 70 years. prgtoken The strength and solidarity of this western alliance kept Western Europe whole, prosperous, and free and paved the way for the collapse of the Soviet Union and the liberation of the nations of Eastern and Central Europe, many of which have now been integrated into NATO. prgtoken The Constitution of the United States grants Congress the sole power to declare war, but Article 5 does not increase the chance of war. prgtoken Rather, NATO is a bulwark against the outbreak of war because it deters aggression by any adversary. prgtoken As a result, NATO is the most successful military alliance in world history, successfully deterring the outbreak of a third world war, seeing the Cold War to a victorious conclusion, and protecting the principle of territorial integrity. prgtoken This is why I strongly support H. Res. 397, which reaffirms the commitment of the People's House to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. prgtoken The resolution also e
FLIGHT SAFETY LEGISLATION
Brian Higgins (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-6-27

8 years ago, Western New Yorkers witnessed tragedy due to inadequate pilot training. A poorly trained pilot crashed a commercial jet into a neighborhood in our community, ending the lives of those on board and one on the ground. prgtoken Since then, the victims' families of Flight 3407, who suffered unimaginable loss on that day, have turned their grief into a powerful citizens' fight to strengthen pilot training and flight safety rules. prgtoken The families of Flight 3407, who are here today, led the charge urging Congress to pass landmark flight safety legislation in 2010, including rules that could have prevented the tragedy that they all suffered. Since then, there have been 7 years of no fatal commercial crashes on domestic U.S. airlines. prgtoken Now the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization is nearing and some want to beat back this tremendous progress. Let's be clear, what is being proposed is a rule change that will allow less experienced pilots to fly commercial jets again. prgtoken The safety of the flying public should never be compromised again. I am prepared, along with the Western New York delegation and with the 3407 families, to protect these reforms once again, because we know the painful lessons of accepting anything less.
HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION
Christopher A. Coons (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2017-6-27

I have come to the floor tonight to join my colleagues in opposing the Senate healthcare reform bill, what I will call the Senate Care bill. I am also here to thank the thousands of my constituents, the thousands of Delawareans who called and emailed my office to express their opposition to this bill that is about neither health nor care. It is because of your efforts, because of the efforts of thousands of Americans across the country who have made their voices heard, that today the Senate doesn't have enough votes to pass this Care bill. prgtoken I urge everyone watching and listening to remember that this fight is not over. The Senate will be back next month, and s will be doing everything they can to make tweaks or shaves or changes or amendments to the bill to get it past this body. We need the engagement, the persistence, even the resistance of Delawareans and Americans to make sure the Senate Care bill never becomes law. prgtoken This is as urgent now as ever because of how fundamentally heartless this bill is. As many nonpartisan organizations, including the Congressional Budget Office, have pointed out, this bill is essentially a massive tax break for the wealthy paid for on the backs of some of America's most vulnerable citizens. prgtoken Many of my colleagues have already discussed the devastating impact this bill would have over time on millions of Americans. This Senate bill would make hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, it would slash tax credits that help Americans buy health insurance, and it would force 22 million Americans off their health insurance and drive up costs for many millions more. prgtoken If that is not bad enough, the Senate Care bill does all of this slashing and cutting in large part to give another tax break to our wealthiest citizens. If this bill becomes law, the very richest Americans would get an extra $700 billion in tax breaks over the next decade. prgtoken If it only affected the millions of Americans who depend on Medicaid or who purchase insurance on the individual market, it would be unconscionable, but it is even worse. Let me explain. prgtoken Many of our constituents don't realize that even Americans who get their health insurance through their employer--the 150 million Americans who get their health insurance through their employer--have benefited from the Affordable Care Act. In fact, I think that in some ways, the consumer protections put in place by the ACA are the most important accomplishment of that bill. prgtoken A core requirement of the ACA was that all health insurance plans cover what are known as essential health benefits. These are basic services, such as emergency care, prescription drugs, pediatric services, maternity and newborn care, hospitalization, healthcare for the mentally ill, and substance prgtoken abuse treatment for the addicted. To put it more succinctly, these are all the reas