mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY RELATING TO ``RETURNS BY EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS AND...
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2018-12-11

I just want to make a very short statement and then flesh it out a little further tomorrow. prgtoken The resolution we are about to take up will help to protect our democracy, and it will hold special interests accountable. I do not believe we can continue to allow special interests to hide under the cover of darkness, as they have such great influence on our elections. The American people have spoken. I think they have made it clear that they are very tired of the dark money in our elections and that the decision by the administration to allow megadonors and special interests to further hide is not acceptable. prgtoken The vote is simple. The vote is for more transparency by these special interests. Quite frankly, it has major impacts on our elections. I just went through one, and I will talk a little more about it tomorrow. prgtoken The bottom line is that this resolution is one that, I believe, will add more transparency, will help our democracy, will help both and s know who is trying to influence the elections, and will also allow us to determine whether foreign entities--which is, by the way, illegal--are trying to influence our elections. prgtoken .
EXPRESSING OPPOSITION TO THE COMPLETION OF NORD STREAM II
Eliot L. Engel (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-12-11

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , Russia is already enough of a problem for our European friends. Putin's efforts to undermine democracy and stoke instability are a constant threat to European peace and unity. In 6 months' time, Russia could have another way to exert even more leverage on Europe, and that is if its development of the Nord Stream II pipeline goes forward. Today we are going on record to say that that is a terrible idea, and we hope our allies and partners in Europe see it the same way. prgtoken So I again thank the authors of this measure, and .
POSTMASTER FRAZIER B. BAKER POST OFFICE
James E. Clyburn (Democrat, SC) \u2014 2018-12-11

I rise in support of H.R. 7230, a bill I sponsored to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 226 West Main Street in Lake City, South Carolina, as the ``Postmaster prgtoken Frazier B. Baker Post Office''. This bill pays a tribute to a true American hero. prgtoken Frazier B. Baker was appointed Postmaster of Effingham, South Carolina in 1892 by President Benjamin on, and in 1897, he was appointed Postmaster of Lake City, South Carolina by President William McKinley. prgtoken After Baker was appointed Postmaster of Lake City, local citizens in the predominantly white community subjected his family to months of hostility. The post office mysteriously burned down, and multiple gunshots were fired at him. Residents filed numerous complaints regarding his performance as postmaster, but federal postal administrators determined the allegations were unsubstantiated. prgtoken After relocating the post office to his family's home following the previous arson, a lynch mob set fire to it the morning of February 22, 1898. The mob aimed their guns at the home, killing Baker and his two- year-old daughter Julia and injuring his wife and three of his five surviving children. The attack sparked media attention, public uproar, and fundraising efforts on behalf of the Baker family. prgtoken Although the state of South Carolina failed to prosecute the mob; federal prosecutors and postal administrators took on the murder investigation. Thirteen men were arrested and charged with twenty-four criminal counts including ``a conspiracy to injure and oppress Frazier B. Baker in the free exercise'' of his civil rights. The trial began on April 10, 1899 in Charleston, South Carolina with an all-white jury which acquitted three and deadlocked on the remaining accused. The judge declared a mistrial and federal prosecutors did not reopen the case. prgtoken Justice was never served for Frazier B. Baker and his family. Designating the U.S. Post Office located at 226 West Main Street in Lake City, South Carolina in his honor is a fitting tribute to his memory. prgtoken s in the South Carolina delegation for their unanimous support of this bill. I urge its passage by the House to honor this outstanding South Carolinian and great American.
TRIBUTE TO HEIDI HEITKAMP
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2018-12-11

I rise to join my colleagues in honoring and paying tribute to my friend and mentor, Senator Heidi Heitkamp. prgtoken I am particularly and profoundly grateful for both her trailblazing work mentoring women who want to run for public office and her remarkable ability to get things done across party lines in the Senate. prgtoken For years, Senator Heitkamp has been at the forefront of mentoring other women and encouraging them to enter public service, recognizing that balanced representation is vital to our country's success. In fact, Heidi Heitkamp and I first met through a program that she helped start to encourage and prepare women to run for prgtoken office--to do more than just tell us it was possible but to help us understand that there were ways to prepare for it, to run in our own way, to be our own people. She helped demonstrate that even though you may experience setbacks--including her own setback battling breast cancer--you still have what it takes to serve your communities and to make a difference. I am incredibly grateful for those lessons, I am incredibly grateful for her efforts because they have helped inspire women all across the country. prgtoken All the issues that Heidi just talked about in her farewell speech-- there are now armies of current and future public servants who will take those issues and challenges as their own because she has helped prepare them to do that. prgtoken Then there is Senator Heitkamp's work in the Senate. During the time we served together in the Senate, I have been so impressed by Senator Heitkamp's ability to stand up for her priorities and her values, while also working with anybody else here willing to step up to get results, particularly on issues such as fighting for rural communities, standing up for our country's veterans, strengthening our Nation's healthcare system, and, yes, reminding our colleagues that there is a northern border that needs to be secured and attended to. prgtoken Serving together on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I saw firsthand her capacity to be constructive and to find compromise. In doing so, she earned the respect and trust of her colleagues, while also building a record of bipartisan accomplishments--accomplishments we all know last because of their very bipartisanship. prgtoken Above all, Senator Heitkamp was relentless in fighting for what she believed. Just ask any of the witnesses who testified before her on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. prgtoken It has been truly an honor to serve with Senator Heitkamp, and all of us need to continue to work to emulate her example--the example that she has set of listening to others and being productive, her commitment and her recognition of the importance of getting things done while always doing the right thing for the people we serve. prgtoken Senator Heidi Heitkamp's voice in this Chamber will be sorely missed, but I also kn
ADDRESSING THE HOUSE FOR THE FINAL TIME
Michelle Lujan Grisham (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2018-12-11

I rise for what will likely be the last time I address the House. prgtoken First, I thank the people of New Mexico for entrusting me to represent you in Washington, holding me accountable, and giving me direction. From my first day in Congress to my last, every constituent or stakeholder who stopped me on the street or walked into my office, your office, to tell me about their issues and priorities was my boss. It has been the honor of a lifetime to work with you. prgtoken Thank you to our team of brilliant, passionate staff who worked early mornings, late nights, and weekends because they knew just how important our work was to the people we served. Our team secured hundreds of millions of dollars in Federal investments in our State's economy and returned almost $5 million in earned benefits to New Mexico veterans, seniors, and taxpayers. prgtoken Your dedication to New Mexico changed lives. Lastly, thank you to all the Members with whom I had the pleasure of serving who helped ensure that my time here was a success. prgtoken Whether it was Congressman Meadows helping me launch an investigation into SNAP mismanagement in New Mexico, Congressman Cole for helping pass Care Corps grants to assist caregivers, or Congressman O'Halleran for working with me to pass the first-ever economic development broadband grant program in the farm bill, I have worked with and learned from Members on every part of the political spectrum. And regardless of our differences, I have found a universal passion for solving problems and public service. prgtoken Every Member here understands the privilege and responsibility of working in the most powerful institution in the world and the immeasurable potential of this body to address the problems that we were elected to solve. Our shared values and commitment to each other is always and has been this institution's greatest strength. prgtoken To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson: Let us never forget that the differences of opinion are not differences of the fundamental principles that unite us as Americans. We are all . We are all s. prgtoken I believe that we can embrace our differences of opinion in a shared effort to form a more perfect union while never allowing polarization, politics, and short-term political expediency to undermine our obligation to make a difference in the lives of those who sent us here. prgtoken Always remember that power is short lived, politics is cyclical, and one day someone else will fill our shoes. prgtoken As Congressman Cummings used to say when I served with him on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee: We only hold these positions of power, leadership, and trust for a short period of time. What better way to honor the great leaders who came before us and the people who entrusted us to serve in their footsteps than by seizing every opportunity we have to work together and to pass the reins of our Nation to future leaders better
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2018-12-11

I want to first thank our majority leader and the ic leader for their support in bringing this bill to the Senate floor for consideration. Thanks to all of our Agriculture Committee members, including the Presiding Officer and conferees on both sides of the aisle, for working to put this bipartisan farm bill together. Most importantly, I want to thank our distinguished chairman of the committee--my partner, my friend--for working so hard. prgtoken We have worked together from the very beginning. We promised each other we would deliver a strong, bipartisan farm bill. Despite many obstacles along the way, we kept that promise. prgtoken The final farm bill reflects a hard-fought bipartisan agreement on a 5-year bill to strengthen the diversity of American agriculture and the 16 million jobs it supports. We know something about that in Michigan, where agriculture and the food industry support one out of four jobs. That is a lot of jobs. We also grow a wider variety of crops than any other State but one--a small State called California. prgtoken Now more than ever, we need to be broadening the diversity of American agriculture, and that is exactly what the farm bill does. Our farm bill continues to support the wide variety of farms all across America--big farms, small farms, ranchers, urban, rural. We provide new permanent support to keep this progress going, which I think is really important. prgtoken We invest in the bright future of agriculture by helping new and beginning farmers, including young people and our returning veterans, who are playing a greater role in agriculture in Michigan, as well as across the country. prgtoken New investments in international trade promotion will help farmers sell their products abroad. This couldn't come at a more important time. Streamlined, permanent support for farmers markets, food hubs, and local food processing will help our farmers sell their products to their neighbors. We need to sell around the world, and we need to be able to sell in our own communities. prgtoken By protecting and expanding crop insurance and improving support for our dairy farmers--in fact, strengthening the support for our dairy farmers, who were hit so hard with price drops and other issues--we maintain a strong safety net for farmers. Importantly, we maintain a strong safety net for our families. prgtoken We said no to harmful changes that would take away food from families. Instead, we will increase program integrity and job training to be able to make sure that things are working as they should and that every dollar is used as it should be. Instead, we will connect participants with healthy food through strong investments in farmers markets and nutrition incentives. prgtoken This bill also continues the farm bill's legacy as one of the largest investments in our land and our water. It is so important to Michigan. By focusing on successful conservation partnerships, we wil
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY RELATING TO ``RETURNS BY EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS AND...
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2018-12-11

I rise today to discuss--and I appreciate the distinguished Senator from Rhode Island and the work he has done on this critical question of climate change. I am pleased to join him today on the floor in pursuit of what he has been doing. prgtoken I rise today to discuss the negotiations taking place in Katowice, Poland, to finalize the rule book on implementing the Paris climate change agreement. There is an immediate urgency for global action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution as emissions continue to increase. The longer it takes for us to fully accept and acknowledge the problem, the more aggressive the world will have to be to avoid the worst effects of climate change from becoming a reality. prgtoken For decades, the science has yielded increasing causes for concern. Today, the connection between manmade greenhouse gas emissions-- primarily fossil fuel combustion--and climate change is undeniable. Three major reports on the growing climate crisis have been published in the last 30 days alone. That includes reports from the world's top climate scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the U.N. Environment Programme. That includes the National Climate Assessment, which was assembled by 13 Federal agencies and 300 government experts--our Federal agencies and our government experts. prgtoken What the scientists are telling us is that robust and immediate action is necessary to prevent catastrophic changes in the Earth's climate--changes that have already begun to affect every single American. prgtoken There is a tendency to dismiss scientific reports as abstract, as hard to understand. The President seems to simply not believe them. So let me speak plainly: The consequences of climate change are anything but abstract--regional food and water shortages, inundation of island nations and coastal communities that are home to billions of people around the world, mass migration, and refugee crises. prgtoken Our own National Climate Assessment makes clear that the United States--with all our wealth and good fortune--is far from immune from the effects of climate change. If we fail to confront this challenge, the United States will experience effects that will cost American lives and billions in losses to our national economy. prgtoken While we shouldn't point to any single event as evidence, the changes in trends depicting climate change's harsh reality are undeniable. It is a fact that the average global temperature on Earth has increased by about 0.8 degrees Celsius--1.4 degrees Fahrenheit--since 1880, and two- thirds of the warming has occurred since 1975. It is a fact that the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in many regions of the United States are increasing, including conditions that heighten wildfire risks. It is a fact that sea level has been rising over the past century, and the rate has increased in recent decades. In 2017, global mean sea level was 3 i
NOMINATION OF JONATHAN A. KOBES
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2018-12-11

I come to the floor today to oppose Jonathan Kobes' nomination to serve on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. People across the country know how important it is that we fight back against extreme and extremely unqualified judicial nominees. prgtoken Earlier this year, during Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation, we saw just how far President and Senate s are willing to go to jam through extreme judges who will work to strip away women's rights. prgtoken But that wasn't all we saw. We saw millions of women and men across the country inspired to stand up and fight back against his nomination. We saw people speak out and share their own personal stories about what was at stake, about sexual assault, and how important it is that we believe survivors, and about the right to safe legal abortions, what it means for women and their families, and about what kind of country we want to live in. prgtoken We saw, without question, that people across the country want us to stop President from swinging our courts far right by packing them with ideological judges--judges like Mr. Kobes, who will continue the - agenda of rolling back women's rights and access to healthcare. prgtoken Making sure families know exactly what Mr. Kobes would mean for women if he is seated is what I am here to do today. It means weaker rights and less access to healthcare. prgtoken He is like many of President 's nominees before him. Mr. Kobes lacks almost any real experience to qualify him for a seat on the Eighth Circuit Court. He has little trial experience, little appellate experience, and no record of legal scholarship to speak of. prgtoken I am not the only one concerned by that. The American Bar Association has rated him unqualified. That makes Mr. Kobes the sixth judicial nominee from President who is opposed by his professional colleagues. prgtoken But the thin record he does have is disqualifying because it shows he will put extreme rightwing ideology ahead of women and science. Mr. Kobes is an outspoken advocate for fake women's healthcare centers, sometimes called crisis pregnancy centers, that seek out women looking for information about their healthcare needs and reproductive rights and then use misleading--even blatantly false--propaganda to scare and pressure them. Mr. Kobes even went out of his way to represent some of these fake clinics free of charge. prgtoken He voluntarily defended a law requiring providers to give a lecture full of ideological propaganda and fearmongering to women seeking safe, legal abortions. The required lecture in this case actually went so far as to demand that providers lie to women and claim abortion increases their risk of suicide. It does not. prgtoken Think about that. He argued for a law that directly interfered with the relationship between a patient and her healthcare provider--a law that said women making their own decisions about their own bodies an
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Joe Donnelly (Democrat, IN) \u2014 2018-12-11

I rise today for the final time representing the great people of Indiana here in the U.S. Senate. My 6 years representing Hoosiers in this body and the 6 years I spent as a Congressman for the Second District of Indiana before this have been among the great honors of my life. prgtoken I am the grandson of immigrants--immigrants who came here with nothing except the dream of America--a dream that says that any opportunity can come true, that if you work hard, you can accomplish anything. prgtoken My dad was in the CCC. For all of our young pages here who have no idea what the CCC is, it was the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was for teenagers your age, back in the Depression, who were asked to go and try to help raise money for their family so that the other family members could eat. prgtoken My dad was shipped to Idaho to build bridges. Today we call that infrastructure. Back then, we said it was building bridges. He built bridges all throughout the Pacific Northwest, having grown up in the Lower East Side of New York City and having never been west of the Hudson River in his life until that point. It was America that gave him that chance. prgtoken My brothers and sisters were the first generation to ever go to college. That is how America works. You work hard, and each generation builds on the next. We are so lucky to live in this country that is so blessed and that gives us this opportunity, but we have a responsibility here to meet the challenges that have been given to us. prgtoken I want to take this opportunity to discuss some of the things I have learned in my time in Congress and to share a few thoughts on how the work that happens here, and how it will happen in coming years, is going to be absolutely essential to how our Nation moves forward and succeeds. prgtoken In my 12 years here in the Capitol, I have prided myself on the relationships I have built and on the bipartisan nature of working together. I have been found to be one of the most bipartisan Members. My friend Heidi, who is down the aisle here, who gave a wonderful speech this morning, was my partner on so much of this. I would never have been able to achieve for Hoosiers so much of this without working together in a bipartisan fashion. prgtoken My friend Todd Young is across the way. He is the other Senator from Indiana. Our focus has been on how to make life better, whether it meant assisting constituents or resolving an issue with a Federal agency. prgtoken In one case, a pizza parlor owner came up to me. He was 90 years old. Now he is 93. He said: My streetlight is out. You are my Senator. It needs to be fixed before the big game this weekend. prgtoken I called the mayor, and it was fixed. He was asked that weekend, and he said: Of course, I got it fixed. I called my Senator. That is what I did. prgtoken We are multitasking in this job. It is to make lives better. prgtoken I was blessed to work with my friend Ron Johnson, the