mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING TAMMY SHEPHERD'S RETIREMENT
Jody B. Hice (Republican, GA) \u2014 2020-7-16

. Madam , I rise today to pay tribute to Mrs. Tammy Shepherd, who is retiring from the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, a thriving organization serving a notable community in the Tenth Congressional District, which I have the honor of representing. prgtoken Twelve years ago, Tammy Shepherd joined the organization as the Director of Programs and soon after received a promotion to Vice President of Business Development. In 2010, she earned the position of President and CEO, and over the past decade, she has established the Chamber as a leading business organization representing companies of all sizes throughout the region. Under her faithful watch, the Chamber has grown to nearly 1,000 members, has twice earned the highest distinction of 5-Star Accreditation through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has formed the Columbia County Chamber Foundation, as well as a holding company and a Political Action Committee, and most recently, has opened a second location in the heart of Columbia County's growth. prgtoken Madam , in addition to all this, Tammy has served on the Board of Directors for the SRS Community Reuse Organization, Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, Alliance for Fort Gordon, and Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation. Madam , I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Tammy Shepherd for her outstanding leadership in a community that continues to experience tremendous growth and to wish her and her husband, Stan, joy and continued success in the years to come.
IOWA
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2020-7-20

representative government is a two-way street. To hold up my part of that commitment, I am on my 40th year of holding at least one Q&A in every county every year. Over the past 2 weeks, I had Q&As in 29 counties. Iowans raised their concerns about the virus, unemployment insurance, the rising cost of prescription drugs, China, and access to rural broadband. prgtoken Iowans applauded Congress's swift action on programs like the Paycheck Protection Program and getting much needed resources to our rural healthcare workers. prgtoken As always, I will continue to bring Iowans' voices to the policymaking tables, and I look forward to finishing my annual 99 county meetings later this year. prgtoken . prgtoken .
ORDERS FOR TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2020
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-7-20

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m July 21; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 483, S. 4049, under the previous order; finally, that the Senate recess following the disposition of the Inhofe amendment until 2:15 p.m. for the weekly conference meetings.
IN MEMORY OF MAJOR GENERAL STANHOPE S. SPEARS, SR.
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2020-7-20

. Madam , the People of South Carolina paid tribute to Major General Stan Spears upon his death. General Spears was respected by his fellow Guard members and trusted by all, as he addressed natural catastrophes endangering families such as hurricanes, ice storms, and tornados. He courageously led the transition of the Guard from domestic service to include successful Guard deployment in the Global War on Terrorism worldwide. prgtoken It was humbling to serve as his State Staff Judge Advocate where I saw firsthand his devotion for the public. He inspired three of my sons to serve in the National Guard. I include in the Record the below obituary of accolades, which is well deserved. thoughtful Obituary COLUMBIA--Major General Stanhope S. Spears Sr. who served 16 years as the elected 26th Adjutant General of the State of South Carolina from 1995-2011 died peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, July 14, 2020. For his 83 years, he lived an extraordinary life one in which was highlighted by his love of family and humble service to others. General Spears was born in his beloved Clover, SC to the late Joseph J. Spears and Emily Sifford Spears. His fondness for his hometown started early as he always believed his large family, the values of the community and kindness of its citizens collectively raised him to become a well-rounded individual. His drive for success and regimented work ethic started early as he became an Eagle Scout at 13. He attributed the foundation of the Boy Scouts in helping to define and shape his leadership skills. A naturally gifted athlete, he led South Carolina's Shine Bowl All-Star high school team to a 27-7 victory over North Carolina in 1954. He received multiple college scholarship opportunities ultimately deciding on a full scholarship to The University of South Carolina in 1955. As quarterback for the Fighting Gamecocks from 1955 through 1959, Gen. Spears assisted the 1958 squad to a 7-3 record and ranking 15th nationally in the final Associated Press college football poll. General Spears was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity and earned a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration Degree a semester early in January 1959. In 1959, after teaching for a short while in Camden, SC, Gen Spears joined the South Carolina Air National Guard and reported to U.S. Air Force Basic Training on Aug 4, 1959. After two years, General Spears switched to the SC Army National Guard and enrolled in Officer's Candidate School in 1961. He was promoted and worked hard on his SC Guard career. Between 1961 and 1994, General Spears focused on his corporate insurance career and family. In 1963 he married Gastonia, NC native Dorothy Parlier. They lived in Charlotte, NC, Shelby, NC, Greensboro, NC an
Amendments En Bloc No. 2 offered by Mr. Smith of Washington
Ralph Norman (Republican, SC) \u2014 2020-7-20

I rise in support of my amendment on the Department of Energy Veterans' Health Initiative. prgtoken This amendment authorizes the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct collaborative research with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to solve complex, big data challenges in order to improve veterans' health care and further basic research in advanced computing and data analytics. prgtoken The VA hosts one of the world's largest and most valuable health data sets. Through the Million Veterans program (MVP), the VA has collected detailed health information and genomic data volunteered by over 600,000 veterans. prgtoken For this data to enable better health care for our veterans, the VA needs more advanced computing capabilities, infrastructure, and expertise than it has in-house. prgtoken As a world leader in high performance computing, the Department of Energy is well suited to meet this need. Through its national laboratory system, it possesses a unique set of cutting-edge research capabilities and funds robust research in data analytics, which can be used to solve complex questions in the physical sciences. prgtoken The interagency partnership authorized in my amendment combines the VA's clinical and population science expertise with DOE's advanced computing to solve critical health challenges for our veterans, while creating another path forward for the advancement of data science tools for American researchers in support of key mission goals for the Department of Energy. prgtoken Our veterans should have access to better health care services, and our scientists should remain leaders in advanced computing. My amendment promises to deliver on both fronts. prgtoken I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment.
WILLIAM M. (MAC) THORNBERRY NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021
Liz Cheney (Republican, WY) \u2014 2020-7-20

I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. prgtoken Our forces remain in Afghanistan in order to prevent terrorists from establishing safe havens from which they can launch attacks against the United States. prgtoken My colleague, Ms. Omar, has said that she is a survivor of war, and I honor the fact that she has been able to find safety and refuge and citizenship and opportunity and freedom and that she stands with me today on the floor of this body, this people's House. I think that tells you what an incredible nation the United States is. prgtoken But I also think that as someone who has described herself as a survivor of war, she would recognize more fully the damage and the devastation that was done to the United States of America on September 11 when we were attacked by terrorists who trained and plotted and launched from bases in Afghanistan. prgtoken Decisions about troop levels in Afghanistan must be based on conditions on the ground. Wars don't end because the United States retreats. What that means is that we have ceded the ground to our adversaries. And wars don't end because some number of years have passed. We have to decide whether we want to fight the terrorists, al- Qaida, ISIS, the Taliban, in Afghanistan or whether we have to fight them here. prgtoken Pretending the Taliban is a partner for peace, especially in the wake, , of reports that Russia is paying the Taliban to kill United States troops, is indefensible, whether you are a or a . prgtoken I urge my colleagues to recognize that decisions about troop levels must prgtoken be made based on what is necessary to prevent terrorists from establishing safe havens they can use to attack all of us and the freedoms and the values we hold dear. prgtoken This is a dangerous amendment. I urge my colleagues to oppose it.
CONGRATULATING THE DAVIS FAMILY
Eric A. "Rick" Crawford (Republican, AR) \u2014 2020-7-20

. Madam , I rise today to congratulate the Davis family for being named Greene County's Farm Family of the Year for 2020. All winners of the Farm family of the Year program are judged on their farm production, efficiency, management, family life and their rural and community involvement. Farm families work tirelessly to provide for themselves and for the American people, and the impact they have on their communities, on the state of Arkansas in its entirety, and on the economy is immeasurable. The Davis family has worked tirelessly to deserve this honor. I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing them a congratulations
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Lamar Alexander (Republican, TN) \u2014 2020-7-20

our great country has developed a dangerous habit when it comes to pandemics. Public health experts call it panic, neglect, panic. prgtoken In 2007, after the emergence of the Asian flu, former Utah Governor Mike Leavitt, who was then the Secretary of Health and Human Services, put it this way: Everything we do before a pandemic seems alarmist. Everything we do after a pandemic will seem inadequate. This is the dilemma we face, but it should not stop us from doing what we can to prepare. prgtoken That was Governor Mike Leavitt. prgtoken Fifteen years ago, then-majority leader of the U.S. Senate, Dr. Bill Frist, told me and told our committee--he made 20 speeches predicting this--that a viral pandemic was no longer a question of if but a question of prgtoken when. Now, this is in the 2005-2006 era, 15 years ago. prgtoken He recommended then, Dr. Frist did, what he called a six-point public health prescription to minimize the blow: communication, surveillance, antivirals, vaccines, research, stockpile/surge capacity. prgtoken Four Presidents of the United States and several Congresses have done some of what needed to be done to prepare for pandemics but not enough of it. There is substantial agreement on all sides about what to do. There is even more agreement that, if we wait until this pandemic is over to do it, we will fall into the familiar cycle of panic, neglect, panic. prgtoken So the obvious thing for this Congress to do now, this month, while we are in the middle of a pandemic, while we have our eye on the ball, before we lose our focus, while we are spending $4 trillion or more mostly to repair the damage caused by this pandemic, is that we should authorize and spend the few billions that it takes to be prepared for the next pandemic. prgtoken That is why I am introducing today the Preparing for the Next Pandemic Act, and that would take three of the most obvious steps about which there is near universal agreement: One, make certain that we have and maintain sufficient manufacturing capacity within the United States to produce tests, treatments, and vaccines so that we don't have to rely on manufacturing plants in China and India or any foreign country. prgtoken Now, how difficult is that to decide? Do we really want our vaccines made in China or India or any other foreign country? So shouldn't we do something now to make sure that--for the next pandemic as well as this one--we produce them here? prgtoken Two, make sure that Federal and State stockpiles have sufficient protective equipment--masks, gowns--ventilators, and other absolutely essential supplies so that we don't run out during this pandemic or the next one. Now, how controversial could that be? Do we really want to run out of masks and protective equipment in the next pandemic or in what remains of this one? prgtoken Three, create more authority for the Federal Government to work with private companies to main
WILLIAM M. (MAC) THORNBERRY NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021
Doug Lamborn (Republican, CO) \u2014 2020-7-20

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I rise in strong opposition to this amendment to add a package of divisive and unrelated partisan land bills to the NDAA. prgtoken First of all, this amendment has nothing to do with national defense. It is a travesty that the majority has jammed these issues together. Collectively, this package of ideologically driven bills impacts lands in Colorado, California, and Washington by creating about 1.3 million acres of new wilderness. But this will greatly reduce opportunities for multiple uses on these public lands, limit access to them, and significantly reduce the available productive acreage in working forests, rendering them more prone to catastrophic wildfires. prgtoken In Colorado alone, this would designate about 570,000 acres of new wilderness areas, 23,000 acres of expanded wilderness, and 14,000 areas of potential wilderness, whatever ``potential wilderness'' is. This is in a State where we have 3\1/2\ million acres of wilderness right now. prgtoken While I commend my colleague from Colorado for her attempts to work with local stakeholders to address some of their concerns, none of the bills in this package comes close to the type of balance and consensus necessary for a bill of this magnitude. Many of the local communities impacted by this package have raised significant concerns. prgtoken Now, you know, look, I love public lands, as does the sponsor of this legislation. My wife and I hiked a national park in Moab last week. While wilderness sounds good to the uninformed, it really means that most people will forever lose access to those lands. prgtoken Local communities have many concerns with this bill. At the July subcommittee hearing on this bill, we heard testimony from Montezuma County Commissioner Keenan Ertel, who shared the county's concern that this bill would negatively impact individual landowners, agricultural entities, water providers, first responders, and especially the recreation and tourism industry. Garfield County has also weighed in against this bill because of the increased wildfire risk. prgtoken In addition to the local grievances, the affected Federal land management agencies have stated that this bill is inconsistent with previous designations and existing land uses because it arbitrarily adds wilderness areas and wild and scenic river designations where those designations are simply not supported. prgtoken Now, actually, there is one connection to national defense, and that is a negative one. By designating the High Altitude Aviation Training Site, or HAATS, as being within a wilderness area, it won't be able to expand if and when future vertical lift platforms come online. Future platforms will fly higher, farther, and faster, and they will need more space, and this amendment prevents that. prgtoken Because of all these concerns, the administration rightly issued a veto threat against this bill when it first came up
Remembering   John Lewis (Executive Session)
James M. Inhofe (Republican, OK) \u2014 2020-7-20

I want to make a couple of comments. It is going to be a very significant week. We know pretty much what we are going to be doing with the defense authorization bill, which I believe, and most people believe, is the most significant bill each year. We have things that need to be done. We came to a great agreement prior to the Fourth of July in terms of the numbers of amendments and the things we had to get accomplished, and I think there is total agreement with that. prgtoken We had a tragedy that took place during the last 2 weeks while we were in recess. One affected a friend of mine, John Lewis. We had a real interesting--the 100th Congress, we went in, I think, in 1987, and the 100th Congress had a lot of really great people. prgtoken John Lewis is one of them. prgtoken John Lewis and I became friends. You couldn't get two guys further apart philosophically than John Lewis and me. Yet we were always close. I watched how peacefully he could get things done. He is someone I got to know quite well. prgtoken We had a lot of others in that class. Jon Kyl has been very active in recent years. He came back from retirement temporarily. He was in that class. We had Ben Cardin. He and I became close friends. I think he was in the State legislature first. Lamar Smith was one who was very, very helpful to me all those years. Lamar Smith is from South Texas. Freddie Upton--we referred to him as ``Little Freddie Upton''--is probably the most recent one we had who is no longer in that same position. But John Lewis was, and I had the honor of coming to Congress and being in the same freshman class with him. prgtoken Ultimately, he was a courageous fighter in every part of his life. He fought for the civil rights movement on the bridge to Selma, as a Freedom Rider, and through his work on the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He consistently did a great and peaceful job. He fought for his constituents and the causes he believed in. He was a fighter. He would not take no for an answer. prgtoken Up until the very end, he fought cancer. Like everything else, he fought it with courage and honor. prgtoken The conscience of Congress may no longer be here, but his legacy for his selfless service has been imparted to every one of us who served with him and got to know him well. It seems like the ones who knew him the best were those of us who served over in the other body, in the House.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT
Mitt Romney (Republican, UT) \u2014 2020-7-20

I rise to address the administration's plan to withdraw some 10,000 troops from Germany, and I rise to advance a bipartisan amendment to slow that process down and potentially even to stop it. prgtoken The administration explains that Germany needs to get to 2 percent of its spending on military matters, a direction I support. Germany is already at 1.5 percent and is on track to get to get to 2 percent. prgtoken By all appearances, the withdrawal of 10,000 troops in Germany is a very bad idea. First of all, it is a slap in the face at a key ally, a friend, and a great country. This country is an economic powerhouse. It is dynamic and productive people who have created that economic vitality. It has been driven to global leadership not by virtue of having cheap labor or polluting the air with pollutants or CO2. prgtoken China buys more from Germany than Germany buys from China. Why? Not because Germany threatens China but because Germany is making products that China wants. It is a democracy noted for its strong, steady, and firm leader. Germany pays an equal share to the United States into NATO, and NATO, of course, has preserved peace in Europe for over 70 years. prgtoken Now is also a time to draw our friends closer and to link arms with our allies, in part because of China's ambition to become the dominant player on the Earth, to displace the West, to displace the United States, and to supplant democracy with authoritarian despotism. China brutally represses its minorities. The Uighurs, we read, even today are being forced into labor. China invades sovereign lands and nations of its neighbors. It is propagandizing our children here through Confucius Institutes. It steals technology in our country and other countries in the West, and it attacks our cyber bases relentlessly day in and day out. prgtoken Its military procurement is equal to that--or nearly so--of the United States. Even though we spend far more money than they do on military, as reported, our procurement budgets procure about the same amount of military hardware. prgtoken Of course, the tip of its spear is its economic predation. China has attacked one industry after another, and through subsidy and predatory pricing techniques, it has driven western businesses out of business. In my view, to divert China from that dangerous path, we need allies-- allies like Germany. prgtoken Now, there is a second reason that I am opposed to this idea of withdrawing troops from Germany, and that is, it is a heck of a time to give a gift to Russia. We just learned about Russia's support of the Taliban--even reports that they may have been paying bounties for killing Americans. Russia has stepped in to support some of the world's worst actors, like Assad and Maduro. It has invaded Georgia and Ukraine, and it violates nearly every arms agreement it enters into. prgtoken It is a wounded and declining nation. It has an uncompetitive economy. Senato