mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IMPEACHMENT IMPOSES OPPORTUNITY COST
Daniel Meuser (Republican, PA) \u2014 2019-11-14

the impeachment hearings are continuing, in spite of the following factors existing. prgtoken Number one, this is a very unfair process. If ic leadership was truly interested in determining guilt or innocence, why not establish bipartisan rules and procedures allowing the President due process? prgtoken Number two, the leading ic players have maintained predetermined presumptions of guilt for well over a year now and have repeatedly been untruthful about contact with the whistleblower. The whistleblower's attorney even called for a Presidential coup more than 2 years ago. prgtoken Number three, ic leadership does not have any facts that constitute an impeachable offense. There has been no evidence whatsoever of quid pro quo. There was no ``this for that.'' prgtoken This inquiry is called a sham by many for these reasons. prgtoken This has also been a great opportunity lost at a high opportunity cost to our country. Because of this politically motivated impeachment proceeding, there has been no USMCA, no illegal immigration reform, no lowering of prescription drug costs, no infrastructure bill, nothing except investigations to nowhere.
UNITED STATES EXPORT FINANCE AGENCY ACT OF 2019
Andy Barr (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-11-14

. Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to this bill, not because I believe the Export-Import Bank should not exist under any circumstances, but because I believe we can produce a better bill, a bill that would actually help America compete while holding other nations like China accountable in the global market. prgtoken I am concerned that the bill in its current form would actually enable China's malign activities to the detriment of U.S. national security. prgtoken Now, let me be clear. I supported the compromise bill that Chairwoman Waters and Ranking Member McHenry negotiated in June, and I compliment my friend, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry) for his leadership on this. I recognize the value a reformed Ex-Im Bank can provide to U.S. businesses. prgtoken The new Ex-Im president and chairman, Kimberly Reed, has impressed me. She visited my district and made clear her commitment to helping U.S. exporters, including small businesses in Kentucky, compete in the global market. She also, importantly, committed to reforming the Bank to abandon -era policies that discriminated against Ex-Im support of traditional fossil energy and related exports. prgtoken But the bill we are debating today cannot be fixed by a strong leader like Kimberly Reed. It is flawed, it is not the right answer, and we can and should do better. prgtoken Specifically, this bill does not go far enough to combat malign Chinese influence and China's aspirations to replace the United States as the preeminent global economic power. prgtoken The Communists in Beijing continue to steal our intellectual property and place their thumb on the scale of global economic competitiveness by propping up its economy through state-owned enterprises. prgtoken Additionally, we see rampant human rights abuses and violent quashing of freedom seekers in Hong Kong. Over the last 5 months, we have observed protestors in Hong Kong being shot, beaten, gassed, and arrested. prgtoken My amendment to this bill, which the Rules Committee did not make in order, would have made Ex-Im assistance to Chinese state-owned enterprises contingent on their commitment to upholding the Sino- British declaration, which established the ``one country, two systems'' principle that would allow Hong Kong to retain its capitalist system. prgtoken In his book ``The Hundred-Year Marathon,'' former senior Defense Department official Michael Pillsbury details China's strategy to supplant the United States as the world's dominant power by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic. He said, ``Only recently have there been disturbing signs that a more militaristic China may be ascendant, which has caused some to question the wishful thinking that has prevailed for more than 40 years.'' prgtoken Unless we take a hard stand and a hard line against China, including through more powerful restrictions on the Ex-Im Bank's interactions with Chinese SOEs, we risk
UNITED STATES EXPORT FINANCE AGENCY ACT OF 2019
Anthony Gonzalez (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-11-14

. Mr. Chair, I thank Ranking Member McHenry for his leadership on this issue. prgtoken Let me start by saying that I fully support the Export-Import Bank and recognize the important role that the Bank plays in supporting businesses and jobs across my district and State. prgtoken This is my first time having the opportunity to vote on this and state that, and I want to state it emphatically. prgtoken I appreciate that the majority leader and Mr. Heck have articulated what specifically is at issue here. And what is at issue here is that outside groups have captured this bill and objected to every single provision, no matter how small, dealing with the People's Republic of China. prgtoken They objected, in particular, to an amendment that I offered that would require exporters receiving Ex-Im assistance to certify that they do not punish their employees for private communications on issues that China is so sensitive to, specifically, freedom in Hong Kong and human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet--not throwing China out of the WTO, though I am very, very happy to have a debate on that. prgtoken But that is not what this was about. This was about preventing our companies from censoring their own employees, domestic employees, on their own time, in the comfort of their own home. prgtoken Nothing in this amendment would have affected a company's policies in the workplace or its ability to manage business communications. But when employees are expressing themselves on their own time and if they want to stand by victims of oppression, an Ex-Im beneficiary wouldn't have been able to retaliate against them. prgtoken I was disheartened that the majority would not allow this body to debate and vote on this commonsense amendment that would have protected the free speech of American workers. prgtoken And a final point, because I have a feeling that somebody is about to read back to me what they believe they know about my district. prgtoken We have a wonderful system, and in our system of government, we represent our own districts. Okay? We prgtoken know our districts better than anybody else. That is why we are here. prgtoken On behalf of northeast Ohio, let me tell you, China has absolutely decimated our manufacturing sector, and I am proud to vote ``no'' on this bill.
UNITED STATES EXPORT FINANCE AGENCY ACT OF 2019
Warren Davidson (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-11-14

the balance of my time. prgtoken I would like to make the point that this amendment that I have offered has substance because it expects something for America's assistance. prgtoken At least some of my colleagues are consistent: They don't want the President of the United States, whoever prgtoken that is, to expect anything from a foreign power in exchange for American participation. They want nothing in return for our dollars, no condition on their behavior. prgtoken In fact, rather than trusting the United States of America to determine whether a country is cooperating with us on our efforts to stop synthetic opioids, they want to trust the people who may very well be using the system to create that market for their own benefit, self- certification. prgtoken I am sure the Sinaloa Cartel would certify that they don't participate in trafficking drugs, as well. prgtoken That is what the McAdams approach does. That is the version that our chairwoman has, unfortunately, chosen to support, and I believe it is the wrong path. prgtoken I encourage people to support this amendment if they are serious about trying to stop opioids and if they are serious about using the foreign policy tools, including trade, that the United States has to offer. prgtoken , .
DIRECTING THE CLERK OF THE HOUSE TO MAKE A CORRECTION IN THE ENROLLMENT OF H.R. 2423
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-11-14

unfortunately, this Congress has been defined by previously unprecedented political antics. Things that used to be far above the political fray are now getting roiled in controversy. prgtoken One example is yesterday, when the minority leader blocked the bipartisan bill that I introduced to reduce drug prices--a bill that received unanimous support in the Judiciary Committee. I recognize my friend from Connecticut Senator Blumenthal, who is the chief ic cosponsor of that bill. prgtoken I think the most egregious example of politicalization of things that used to be nonpartisan has to be the politicalization of the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA. For 25 years, this program has supported survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault through a range of critical programs and resources. prgtoken As a longtime victims' rights advocate myself, I am a proud supporter of the Violence Against Women Act, and I have consistently fought not only to continue it but to strengthen it as well. prgtoken I think there is more we can and should do to support victims, and I know folks on the other side of the aisle feel the same way. It is safe to say, though, that we have had our fair share of disagreements on how exactly to accomplish that. prgtoken Earlier this year, our ic colleagues allowed VAWA to get caught in the crosshairs of a funding debate when they insisted we should not fund this vital program because it is overdue for updates. This is a rash move, to be sure. It lines up with the ``my way or the highway'' legislative strategy sometimes deployed by our friends on the other side, but that hasn't stopped my colleagues, led by Senator Joni Ernst from Iowa, from pursuing a compromise. prgtoken For many months now, Senator Ernst has been working with Dianne Feinstein, the Senator from California, to find ways to make improvements that both sides can agree on. That is the way things get done around here: You try to build consensus, and maybe you don't get everything you want, but if you can get 80 percent of what you want, you ought to take it and run. prgtoken Last week, unfortunately, walked away from the negotiating table when it came to the Violence Against Women Act. Rather than continuing the discussions with people of opposing views, they took the easy way out and simply walked away and introduced their own partisan reauthorization--one they know has no chance of passing. prgtoken Just like the version that passed the House earlier this year, this is a messaging document, worth no more than the paper it is written on. It is not going to reauthorize VAWA or make the program better, and it is not going to support victims because it stands no chance of becoming law. prgtoken I am truly disappointed that our ic colleagues, once again, have chosen to play politics rather than deliver real results, this time for the victims of domestic violence and sexual as
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS
Louie Gohmert (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-11-14

these are interesting times, and I build more respect for my friend from Arizona every time I hear him speak. I am very grateful for his presence and his efforts. prgtoken At this point I would like to address this ongoing issue, ongoing for only about 3 years, because it was immediately upon President being elected President that we immediately started hearing all of the saber-rattling that we have got to impeach this guy, he is not qualified, he is crazy, he has committed crimes. prgtoken And we have been hearing for nearly 3 years: there is no question, there is lots of direct evidence, President has committed crimes, a lot more than you might think; in fact, a lot more than circumstantial evidence. Oh, it is overwhelming. prgtoken We have heard from so many people for nearly 3 years--well, actually, over 3 years now--over 3 years. prgtoken Then we get down to it. The great hope was the man that I believe did more damage to the FBI than all of the FBI directors for the last 50 years, a guy named Mueller. prgtoken He ran off thousands and thousands of years of our best FBI experience. Apparently, he just wanted yes-people. He didn't want people who had enough experience to tell him when he was on the wrong track. prgtoken He said he had no reason to apologize when he destroyed the lives of innocent people. And yet, that is the person who was put in charge of this investigation. prgtoken What did he do? He went out and hired over a dozen people who absolutely despise , put them to work trying to destroy our sitting President. They harassed him and his family, business associates, people in the administration, threatened their families, threatened them. prgtoken Even after all that, after virtually 2 years, nearly 2 years of investigation by the Mueller cabal, they had nothing. They had nothing. I think Mueller would have been happy to keep investigating and using up millions and millions of taxpayer dollars, tens of millions, as he had been doing. Fortunately, his investigation came to an end. prgtoken After thousands of witnesses, they had nothing. No Russia collusion. A hoax is what it turned out to be. prgtoken When it was clear there was no Russia collusion--of course, it is not a crime to collude. It is a crime to conspire. prgtoken There was no Russian conspiracy between anybody with the campaign and the Russians. But it is very clear, the Russians, what they really wanted, for people who have really dug into this, they wanted and what they always want, always have wanted, back when it was the Soviet Union, they want to divide America. They want to destroy this Republic. prgtoken Unfortunately, they found allies, willing or otherwise, here in this country, to take absolute lies that were created, were spun up, were twisted--had the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court, the FISA court, manipulated fraud upon the FISA court, which has exposed to me, as a former judge a
DIRECTING THE CLERK OF THE HOUSE TO MAKE A CORRECTION IN THE ENROLLMENT OF H.R. 2423
Cory Gardner (Republican, CO) \u2014 2019-11-14

this week across this country, we celebrated Veterans Day. Veterans Day in prgtoken Colorado and across the country means a lot of different things to so many people across our Nation, but one thing it has always stood for is a day of thanks to share and celebrate the men and women in our families and our communities who have done so much for our country so that it continues to be the greatest Nation on the face of this Earth. prgtoken In Colorado, we celebrated with parades, parties, charity fundraisers, races and marathons, and events all over the Centennial State to recognize the work of our veterans and the sacrifice of our veterans and their families. Admission to all of our State parks was free so veterans and their families could enjoy the land they have defended. prgtoken In Colorado Springs, where we have a number of veterans and Active- Duty military members, three of the largest school districts didn't take the day off for Veterans Day but, instead, they held veteran appreciation events, breakfasts and lunches with local veterans, invited special speakers, wrote letters to men and women who have served, and had other opportunities for students to learn about the sacrifices our veterans have made for our country. prgtoken We in Colorado--we in this country take great pride in our veterans and our veteran community. In Colorado, our six military bases, including the U.S. Air Force Academy, all play a critical role in defending our Nation and keeping the world a safer place. Colorado is home to more than 400,000 veterans who have bravely served our country. prgtoken Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to meet more than 100 Colorado heroes as part of the High Plains Honor Flight, a tradition that has been carried on for a number of years. It is an incredible tradition every year--bringing Colorado veterans to our Nation's Capital, touring the war memorials, and taking the opportunity to meet these veterans, look them in the eye, shake their hands, and say thank you. prgtoken I could spend all week talking on the floor about Colorado's veterans and their incredible acts of service, but if you get the chance, I hope you will visit Pueblo, CO. The Home of Heroes Medal of Honor Memorial is in Pueblo, CO. The memorial pays tribute to more than 3,400 people who have received our country's highest award for military valor. prgtoken Outside the memorial, there are four statues, one for each of Pueblo's Medal of Honor recipients. prgtoken One of these men, Lt. Raymond G. Murphy, was a U.S. marine who was serving in Korea in 1953. After a failed raid with heavy casualties, Lieutenant Murphy organized and led his platoon in a heroic rescue effort to save his fellow marines. Providing cover and driving back the enemy, he rescued his fellow men who were under intense enemy fire. He sustained numerous wounds but refused treatment until everyone else had been treated. Lieutenant Murphy stayed on the
TRIBUTE TO TONY HARBAUGH
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2019-11-14

this week I have the honor of recognizing Sherriff Tony Harbaugh of Custer County for his tremendous impact on the State of Montana. prgtoken In early October, Sheriff Harbaugh was awarded the Montana Board of Crime Control Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th Annual Montana Crime Prevention Conference in Billings. prgtoken Harbaugh began his career at the Custer County Sheriff's Office in 1978 as the only jailer. He was then officially sworn in as a deputy with the sheriff's office in May of 1979. Harbough quickly climbed the ranks and was officially elected as Custer County Sherriff in 1986, holding that title until today. prgtoken Throughout his long career in law enforcement, Harbaugh has served in a number of leadership positions in law enforcement. Currently, Harbaugh is the Montana law enforcement representative on the Western States Sheriff's Board, chairman of the Peace Officers Standards and Training Council, chairman of the Eastern Montana Drug Task Force, and is the National Sheriffs liaison for Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. prgtoken It is my honor to recognize Sherriff Harbaugh for his extraordinary dedication to public service and public safety. His role as leader in the law enforcement community has made Montana a better place to live, and I am grateful for his selfless service to the Custer community and Montanans statewide.
America Recycles Day (Executive Session)
John Boozman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2019-11-14

I thank Senator Carper and his staff and my staff for the tremendous job that they have done in recent years in really trying to educate, through the caucus, the rest of the staff and Members as to the importance of recycling. As a result of their efforts, it really is making a big difference. prgtoken We hear a lot about s and not getting along on this and that, not getting anything done, and I think this is a great example of something that is very, very important. It is not glamourous, but it is things like this that really can make a huge difference, as Senator Carper alluded to. We appreciate him and appreciate his friendship. prgtoken Well, tomorrow, November 15, is America Recycles Day. So we are asking Americans to join us as we come together and reaffirm the importance and the benefits of recycling on this occasion. We all know that recycling is a commonsense way for us to be responsible stewards of our environment. Recycling also strengthens our economy and creates hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs throughout our country. This is something that I believe everyone can agree is truly a win-win situation. prgtoken Most Americans are familiar with traditional recycling efforts at their city and county levels, which encourage citizens to recycle household goods or business goods, such as paper, soda cans, and bottles. However, recycling is much broader than these common practices. Recycling is a $200 billion industry in our country, and it entails much, much more than just traditional municipal recycling programs. prgtoken My State of Arkansas is home to many examples of companies that are contributing to a robust and growing commercial recycling industry. I will give you an example. prgtoken Nucor, a leading steel producer located in Blytheville, AR, has the capacity to recycle 6 million tons of steel per year--6 million tons-- and over 27 million tons nationwide, making it North America's largest recycler. Nucor has also taken its efforts a step further by teaming with local recycling facilities to help tackle some of the biggest challenges associated with the practice in rural communities. prgtoken Nucor donated a recycled cardboard baler to Abilities Unlimited, a local nonprofit that runs a nearby recycling facility. This investment has proven mutually beneficial to Nucor and to the community. This facility now provides an outlet for the steel company and community members to recycle in a much more cost-effective manner. prgtoken In fact, Nucor plants in Arkansas have the capability to recycle about 60 tons of cardboard annually thanks to this baler. More than 195 tons of cardboard, 21 tons of paper, and 71 tons of mixed plastics have been recycled through this partnership. prgtoken Another industry leader leading the way is Walmart. As the world's largest retailer, Walmart has put recycling front and center by raising its packaging standards to include more rec
RECOGNIZING MELVIN MATHIAS ON HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY
Bradley Scott Schneider (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-11-15

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Mr. Melvin Mathias, a resident of Illinois who will celebrate his 90th birthday on November 23rd. I came to know Melvin's story through his cousin and my friend, Sidney Mathias of Buffalo Grove, and I wish to share it today because it embodies so much of the opportunity, perseverance, and immigrant heritage that makes our nation special. Mr. Mathias was born in Fulda, Germany, to Erich and Kathinka in 1929. A Holocaust survivor, he immigrated to the United States in October 1936 with his parents and maternal grandparents, to escape religious persecution by the Nazis. Mr. Mathias and his family eventually settled on Chicago's South Side. He became a United States citizen on July 7, 1943. In 1951, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in prgtoken the Korean War until 1953. After he was discharged from the military, he began working for his uncle Ernest at Quality Sheet Metal Works. He worked hard at the company and eventually became the co-owner with his cousin Sidney. He led the company until it closed in 1992. Mr. Mathias built his first house in Chicago after marrying Joanne Decker in 1955. Soon after, they had two children, Linda and Larry. The family relocated to Homewood in 1970, where Joanne passed away in 1990. Mr. Mathias later remarried Adrienne Cohen in 1993, and the couple remained together until her passing in 2012. Presently, Mr. Mathias is active and engaged member of his local community. He is involved in several veterans groups including the Homewood VFW 807 and the Pvt. Sam Veivelt Post of the Jewish War Veterans of America, where he serves as Quartermaster and Corresponding Secretary. In recognition of his service in the Korean War, he participated in the Chicago Honor Flight in 2016 to visit the Memorial in Washington, D.C. He also enjoys traveling and spending time with family. I heartily congratulate Mr. Mathias on his 90th birthday, and thank him for his service to our community and nation.