mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
REMEMBERING EMMETT PUGH III
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2018-6-7

I wish to acknowledge the recent loss of one of West Virginia's best and brightest and recognize the life of a good man, kind friend, and dedicated public servant, Emmett Pugh III. prgtoken Emmett was widely known for his accomplishments as the city of Beckley's longest serving mayor, and while his positive impact on the city was immeasurable, Emmett was the sort of person who had a positive impact on the lives of everyone he met. Countless people benefited from the work, words, and kindness of Emmett Pugh throughout his life. prgtoken Emmett was a native son of Beckley, WV, and came from a long tradition of public service that followed him to the University of Alabama. While at Alabama, he cultivated a deep love for two things: the Crimson Tide and his hometown. After earning a degree in political science, with a focus on State and local government, Emmett returned home to serve as the president of Bowl-Wick, Inc a bowling center that brought joy and entertainment to the citizens of Beckley for many years. prgtoken In 1979, Emmett began his long career in public service as a councilman-at-large. In 1988, upon the death of the current mayor, Emmett stepped up and began his tenure as the longest serving mayor in Beckley's history. During his time in office, he expanded city limits, led a razing campaign on deteriorated properties, and established two new fire stations. He also helped lead the development of the Beckley Intermodal Gateway, the Rahall Company Store at New River Park, Thornhill Courts, Freedom Park, Jim Word Memorial Park, and the Lewis McManus Trail, among other accomplishments. In 1988, he was named Mayor of the Year for his efforts. prgtoken When Mayor Pugh left office in 2013, his positive impact on the community and State did not stop. He continued to inspire all whom he encountered and acted as a mentor to his successors and any who sought his advice. He also continued in his role as a family man, and he is survived by his wife, their three children, two step-children, and eight grandchildren. Emmett's passion for Beckley and West Virginia lives on, and I think I speak for many when I say that he will be sorely missed.
PROVIDING FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5895, ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3, SPENDING CUTS TO EXPIRED AND...
Stephen Knight (Republican, CA) \u2014 2018-6-7

I rise in support of the rule. prgtoken I want to thank the chairman and ranking member for the inclusion of language in the E&W report that would launch a new initiative at the Department of Energy to aggressively drive down costs and improve the performance of grid-scale energy storage technologies. prgtoken This report language is similar to the BEST Act, which I sponsored and of which the ranking member is a cosponsor. The BEST Act is a bipartisan authorization bill that directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a moonshot goal of three demonstrations of grid-scale battery storage that will meet aggressive commercialization targets for cost, performance, and durability. prgtoken This concept is modeled after the success of the DOE's SunShot Initiative, which brought down the cost of solar energy by 75 percent in less than 5 years. prgtoken One of the biggest challenges to greater incorporation of new energy sources into the power grid is the lack of cost-competitive grid-scale solutions. Intermittent energy sources cannot reach their potential without commercially viable storage facilities. We all know this. prgtoken Much of the energy we produce is lost, diminishing utility productivity. While the DOE has issued grants to pursue better battery storage, funding has been too dispersed to produce the breakthroughs needed to transform our electricity grid. This initiative will leverage work currently being done in the Office of Science to set a moonshot goal for energy storage technology. prgtoken In a further sign of the merit of these demonstrations, the Senate E&W bill also includes very similar report language.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Deb Fischer (Republican, NE) \u2014 2018-6-7

I rise to continue my tribute to Nebraska's heroes and the current generation of men and women who have given their lives while defending our freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each of these Nebraskans has a powerful story of answering the call to serve. Sergeant First Class Tricia Jameson prgtoken Today I honor the life of Nebraska Army National Guard SFC Tricia Jameson. prgtoken Tricia grew up in St. Paul, which is a small town in central Nebraska's farm country. She had a love for animals and wanted to pursue a career as a veterinarian. Tricia usually kept to herself and was not outspoken, but she displayed great determination when something was important to her. prgtoken In elementary school, upon learning that she and other young girls could not play organized softball, she started a letter-writing campaign to change the rules. The community soon took notice and revised the policy to include girls her age. When her friend took his own life because he was picked on at school, Tricia again took up her pen and wrote a letter that was published in a local newspaper, whereby she condemned bullying and honored the life of her friend. She advocated for what is right and how others should be treated. In looking back, it seems obvious that her selfless spirit would, one day, lead her to serve her country. prgtoken Tricia attended St. Paul High School, where she was a determined athlete. She participated in volleyball and set athletic records that still stand to this day. Her family then moved to Omaha. She spent her senior year at Millard South High School and graduated in 1989. prgtoken Like many young people, Tricia saw the benefits of joining the National Guard as it could provide extra income and help her with her college tuition. She joined in 1994. It didn't take long before her grit and determination caught the eye of her superiors. They rewarded her with a promotion to become a full-time training instructor at Camp Ashland. prgtoken As combat intensified in Afghanistan and Iraq, so too did the need to improve battlefield medical knowledge. Sergeant Jameson was assigned to improve the combat lifesaver course. The course teaches soldiers basic medical skills for application on the battlefield. With the same dogged determination that was evident throughout her life, Sergeant Jameson raised the program into a world-class operation. Hundreds of soldiers who learned from Tricia in that program would go on to save lives on battlefields across the world. prgtoken In 2005 Nebraska's 313th Medical Company needed to replace two soldiers. So it reached back to Nebraska for volunteers, and when her country called for her service, Sergeant Jameson eagerly stepped forward. She quickly got her personal affairs in order and was sent to her deployment training. By June of 2005, she was in Iraq and on duty with the 313th Medical Company at Camp Speicher. Her impact was felt immediately as
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2018-6-7

when you talk about where you are looking for money, it is coming out of the hardworking taxpayers' pocket. And what they say is, ``Do something about the debt,'' because they are the ones who are footing the bill. prgtoken Now, it is easy for us to say, yes, the mandatory spending eats up most of the budget. That is very true. The chairman is correct on that. But is that a reason to not do something about discretionary? Absolutely not. prgtoken Should we continue to exercise the ability to find efficiencies, to try to do more with less? Absolutely, we should. prgtoken Should we make government more effective, more efficient, and more responsive? Should we utilize new technologies? Absolutely, we should, because every penny that we appropriate in this Chamber comes from the taxpayers of this Nation, who are working hard. They know government never runs out of an appetite for their money. They know that government is always going to ask for more. They are looking at the $21 trillion in debt. prgtoken Let's take these steps. Let's cut a penny out of a dollar and do it because we know this debt is going to land on the heads of our children and our grandchildren. prgtoken Mr. Chair, .
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Michael K. Simpson (Republican, ID) \u2014 2018-6-7

. Mr. Chair, nobody is defending this individual. What he has presented is 20 accusations. I think he ought to be able to have his day in a proper hearing before the proper committee to decide whether it is the right prgtoken thing to do, not sit here and say, ``I agree with these accusations.'' I don't know if they are true or not. Nobody on this floor knows whether they are true or not. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2018-6-7

I rise today to honor Red Schoendienst, who in passing leaves behind a lifetime of commitment to baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the St. Louis community. prgtoken Red Schoendienst began his major league career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1945, after spending only 2 years with the Albany Cardinals, the franchise's minor league affiliate. His star rose quickly within the franchise and the league, winning the 1946 Home Run Derby and, in the same year, participating in the Cardinals' World Series victory over the Sox. prgtoken In his 19 seasons as a player, Red compiled a storied list of accomplishments, including being named to 10 All Star teams, but his contributions to the sport did not end when he retired his bat. He would return to the Cardinals as a coach in 1964 and managed the team from 1965-1976. He led the team to multiple World Series victories and National League pennants, and he was named National League manager of the year in both 1967 and 1968. After 2 years coaching the Oakland Athletics, he returned to the Cardinals to coach from 1977-1995. For the next two decades, Schoendienst would wear the Cardinals ``Birds on the Bat'' before home games and in spring training as a special assistant to the general manager. prgtoken Red Schoendienst was one of the greatest Cardinals of all time, having been a Red Bird as a player, coach, and manager. The Cardinals retired his No. 2 in 1996. St. Louis recognized him with his induction into the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 1998. His legacy was not only engrained in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989, but also in the memories of teammates, colleagues, and fans who had the privilege of seeing his accomplishments and his great smile. prgtoken To quote the Schoendienst family upon his passing: ``He inspired all that knew him to always do their best. Red was a great ball player, but his legacy is that of a great gentleman who had respect for all. He loved his family, friends, teammates, the community and his country. He will be greatly missed.'' prgtoken To Red Schoendienst's family, thank you for sharing him with the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis community, baseball, and baseball fans. Red Schoendienst was a great gentleman, a great sportsman, a great competitor, and he will be greatly missed.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Bill Cassidy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2018-6-7

I rise to address two separate topics. Let me begin with National Seersucker Day. prgtoken Senator Wicker started and I spoke a little bit earlier about celebrating National Seersucker Day. It is a bipartisan tradition to celebrate an American tradition that started in New Orleans. Anyone who has been in New Orleans in July and August can understand why you would like a lightweight summer suit. prgtoken I was asked today by a reporter: Why would you continue the seersucker tradition? prgtoken I was thinking, wait a second. Why wouldn't you wear a lightweight suit on a summer's day as opposed to a wool suit? It just makes such sense. But sometimes such sense is in short supply here in Washington, DC. prgtoken On the other hand, it is something in which both parties, folks from all regions of our country, participate. It started in New Orleans when Joseph Haspel developed seersucker. It is a lightweight suit. It is, if you will, a lighthearted tradition, but it is one that celebrates an aspect of our country and how something in one part of our country can be adopted by folks elsewhere to the benefit of all. prgtoken Once again, I say happy Seersucker Day to everyone, and if you wish to join my office in wearing seersucker every day throughout the summer, you can similarly be comfortable on a hot summer's day here in Washington, DC. Healthcare prgtoken , let me now address something that is on the topmost of Americans' minds, and that is the high cost of healthcare. It is important for our country, for our States, and it is important for families sitting around their kitchen tables. We have to lower healthcare costs. We have to do something about the high price of medicine. prgtoken Just some examples of the importance of this issue: Medicare actuaries just this week issued a report that the Medicare trust fund-- that trust fund which pays the benefits for the senior citizen on Medicare going to see her physician, going to the hospital. It pays the hospital. That trust fund will effectively be exhausted in 8 years. In 8 years, the Medicare trust fund we have all been paying into will be exhausted. In part, that is related to the high cost of medicine, the high cost of drugs. We must do something about that. prgtoken It is not just those on Medicare; it is also those in the individual market. In Louisiana, if you are 60 years old with a family and you are not getting a subsidy through Care and you want to go into the individual market, your policy, plus deductible and copay, can be up to $50,000 a year, after-tax dollars. prgtoken Think about this: You are making $150,000, but your after-tax expense for your insurance, deductible, copay, pharmaceutical costs, et cetera, is about $50,000 before your insurance kicks in. prgtoken The Washington Post thought I was exaggerating. They went down and interviewed somebody in Louisiana. They said: He is right--i
National Defense Authorization Bill (Executive Session)
Jerry Moran (Republican, KS) \u2014 2018-6-7

I want to speak briefly about the National Defense Authorization Act, which will soon be our topic of business. prgtoken I compliment the Armed Services Committee for their diligence and their efforts to authorize appropriations for our Armed Forces in a very thoughtful and deliberative manner. prgtoken I have submitted several amendments. I want to talk about a particular one to that underlying bill, amendment No. 2269, which is cosponsored by the senior Senator from Kansas, Mr. Roberts, as well as Senator Gillibrand from New York and the ic leader, Senator Schumer from New York. prgtoken Our amendment takes the same approach that the committee takes by addressing the Army's internal process on force structure--to thoughtfully deliberate how and where the Army makes smart investments, which includes the stationing decisions for soldiers and families that have a consequence not only on those soldiers and families but also on the cost of defending our country for decades to come. prgtoken Fortunately, both the Department of Defense and the Army are now experiencing a much-needed period of time in which there is growth-- opportunities for us to spend additional dollars to defend our Nation. Our Armed Forces are modernizing, and they are increasing their readiness and lethality to be in a position to better deter, confront, and defeat adversaries in a security environment more complex and volatile than possibly anytime in our country's history, certainly within recent time. During this moment of growth, the Army ought not miss the opportunity to conduct due diligence in all of their decisions and invest wisely to pay down the cost in the future. prgtoken The Army is focusing on reform and seeking to maximize the value of every dollar, to operate transparently, and to appropriately use the resources that the Congress has entrusted to them. They are taxpayer dollars. With this focus on reform, transparency, and on using every dollar wisely, this amendment No. 2269 helps the Army maximize the value of every dollar, operate transparently with Congress, and appropriately use the resources entrusted to them. prgtoken I have been working with Army staff and senior leadership since February of this year to better understand their process, and I thank them for their efforts and the straightforward conversations we have had during this process. prgtoken Based upon our conversations and testimony, my amendment codifies the transparency they are seeking and updates to the Army's stationing process that will better ensure that the Army prgtoken is making wiser decisions, more cost-effective decisions, and are making decisions that are beneficial in the long term. prgtoken Stationing decisions are long-term decisions. They will impact the Army for many years to come. If we have learned anything from recent budget cycles, as the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Neller, said before our Appropriations D
Accomplishments of the Republican-Led Congress (Executive Session)
Lamar Alexander (Republican, TN) \u2014 2018-6-7

sometimes when I am traveling across Tennessee, someone will come up to me and say: Why don't you guys in the U.S. Senate ever do anything? So I have taken to carrying around a little card that I keep in my pocket. I hand it to them and I say: Well, I can read this to you in about 30 seconds, and this is what has happened in the last 18 months: the best economy in 18 years; lower taxes; biggest reforms in 31 years; biggest increase in financial support for the military in 15 years; biggest pay raise in 8 years for the military; more repeal of regulations than anyone can remember; a Supreme Court Justice; 21 conservative appeals court judges; Alaska energy, which took 38 years, and the Presiding Officer knows all about that; a new National Labor Relations Board, which could be the most important change of all; repealed the Care individual mandate; the Dodd-Frank mortgage rules are gone; Veterans Choice, which the President signed yesterday; Iran, Russia, and North Korea sanctions. prgtoken All of that would not have happened without a President, and it would not have happened without majorities in the U.S. Congress. It took both. prgtoken The person who asks me ``When are you guys ever going to do anything?'' will often say ``Well, I didn't know that; I hadn't realized that.'' prgtoken So I am very proud of that record; that is in 18 months. I think if you like a conservative government, a center-right government, you would have to agree that those are the most accomplishments in at least 30 years in this country. The President should be justly proud of that, and so should the Congress.
China and the Student Visa Program (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-6-7

I thank my friend from Kansas. prgtoken I want to talk a little bit about a hearing I chaired yesterday, a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration hearing that was called ``Student Visa Integrity: Protecting Educational Opportunity and National Security.'' The point of the hearing was to raise awareness about a very serious issue and to hear from the Federal agencies responsible for our national security, visa policy, and the vetting of foreign nationals studying in the United States. prgtoken We hoped to shed light on policies and procedures that are in place, what should be in place but is not, and to address what has become a growing source of concern; that is, foreign countries taking advantage of their international students studying in the United States and turning them into intelligence assets or otherwise using them to gain information that will help other countries grow their economy and their military in a way that undermines U.S. leadership in both of those areas. prgtoken That issue relates primarily to China's aggressive plan to surpass the United States on all fronts--militarily, economically, and technologically--and to do so by whatever means necessary. We already know that China is perhaps the No. 1 abuser of cyber space to steal intellectual property and to use that to advance its economy or its military. They have been very public about their ultimate goal; that is, to use whatever means they need in order to advance their economy or their military. prgtoken It is important to remember that China is not a democracy like ours. China is a Communist country guided by a doctrine that does not recognize the human rights or individual rights that we take for granted here in the United States and in other democracies. prgtoken They made it very clear what they intend to do. For example, in its ``Made in China 2025'' strategy, which is something that has been published--you can read it yourself--China is accelerating its efforts to acquire U.S. intellectual property and sensitive research. That is where our universities in particular come in. prgtoken Billions of Federal tax dollars--I think it is $178 billion in the Omnibus appropriations bill alone--are given to universities to conduct research to benefit the American people and hopefully all of humankind. Some of that research is sensitive because it is classified research. We had, for example, the head of security at the Texas A&M University System talk about the steps they have taken to protect that from prying eyes because of the sensitivity of some of that research. prgtoken Universities are ground zero in this threat. This past February, Director Christopher Wray testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee in an open hearing about the security risk posed by certain Chinese students, visiting scientists, and scholars at American colleges and universities. His remarks were brief, and because of the sensitive and cla
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
David G. Valadao (Republican, CA) \u2014 2018-6-7

as a member of the committee of jurisdiction, I am proud to rise today in strong support of the fiscal year 2019 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill. prgtoken Our military servicemembers have made immeasurable sacrifices for our Nation, and we are forever indebted to the brave men and women who have served. Providing access to benefits ranging from medical care to education opportunities is a small, yet important, symbol of gratitude for their service. prgtoken The bill before us today improves the management of the VA facilities across the Nation and rebuilds our military infrastructure at facilities such as Naval Air Station Lemoore in California's 21st Congressional District, the district I have the honor of representing. prgtoken But, most importantly, the legislation ensures our veterans get the care they deserve. In fact, I am proud to say this historic piece of legislation provides the VA with more financial resources than any other previous year, resources desperately needed in order to ensure our veterans receive the services and treatment they have earned and truly deserve. prgtoken In rural areas like California's Central Valley, where unemployment is high and primary care options are limited, healthcare options are, unfortunately, inadequate. This is especially true for our Nation's veterans living in rural America. However, this package delivers targeted, results-oriented solutions to increase access to healthcare for 3 million veterans living in rural communities across the Nation. prgtoken On top of that, more than 450,000 veterans from coast to coast are waiting to be compensated for medical claims they have submitted to the VA, and this is simply unacceptable. As a result of this legislation, we can cut through that backlog and provide our veterans with the financial relief they desperately need. prgtoken , I stand here today representing the 22,000 veterans who call California's 21st Congressional District home. They have sacrificed so much for us and it is past time that we repay the favor.