mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Gun Violence (Executive Calendar)
Mike Rounds (Republican, SD) \u2014 2017-2-16

I rise to discuss Mr. 's nominee to be Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. prgtoken His background with the EPA regulatory process makes him well suited to lead this Agency. He has an in-depth understanding of the impact regulations have on landowners, American businesses and State and local governments. As attorney general, Mr. Pruitt has been a leader in standing up for the rights of State governments in the face of an aggressive EPA that has imposed increasingly costly and burdensome regulations on the States. prgtoken During his time as the attorney general, Mr. Pruitt established Oklahoma's first Federalism Unit in the Office of Solicitor General to more effectively combat unwarranted regulation and overreach by Federal agencies. General Pruitt is a strong believer in federalism and States' rights, which have been often overlooked by the previous administration, often to the detriment of the U.S. economy and our environment. prgtoken I am hopeful Attorney General Pruitt will take steps to improve the Federal regulatory process to make certain Federal regulations are promulgated with adequate public participation, underpinned by the best scientific evidence available and in a transparent and open manner. Attorney General Pruitt understands the importance of taking stakeholder, State, and local government comments and expertise into account when promulgating regulations. He understands that listening to and considering the differing viewpoints of stakeholders will improve the regulatory process and lead to better regulations. This will lead to fewer burdensome and costly regulations for South Dakota farmers, ranchers, and landowners, while at the same time making certain we have clean air and clean water. prgtoken The EPA's process for considering scientific information was flawed and unbalanced. There was a lack of balanced opinion, geographic diversity in State, local, and tribal representation on EPA's Science Advisory Board, which is tasked with providing scientific advice to the EPA. Attorney General Pruitt understands the importance of relying on the most up-to-date science to underpin environmental regulations. prgtoken During his confirmation hearing, he affirmed to me that he would uphold his obligations to use the most current, accurate data and sound science when making decisions, especially when it comes to the renewable fuel standard. The RFS has been successful in South Dakota in encouraging investments and creating jobs in corn ethanol production. Mr. Pruitt understands the importance of corn ethanol to the Midwest. prgtoken Throughout his tenure as attorney general, Attorney General Pruitt witnessed firsthand the negative impact that EPA regulations, such as the waters of the United States rule, have on U.S. landowners and on our business owners. He saw how incomplete economic analysis did not account f
Unanimous Consent Request--Executive Calendar (Executive Calendar)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-2-16

I ask unanimous consent that following disposition of the Pruitt nomination, the Senate resume consideration of the following nominations en bloc: Wilbur Ross to be Secretary of Commerce, Ryan Zinke to be Secretary of Interior, Ben Carson to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and Rick Perry to be Secretary of Energy. prgtoken I further ask unanimous consent that there be 30 minutes of debate on the prgtoken nominations, equally divided in the usual form, and that following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate vote on the nominations in the order listed with no intervening action or debate.
A CENTURY OF SUCCESS
Tom Emmer (Republican, MN) \u2014 2017-2-16

I rise today to celebrate the life and career of a legendary Minnesotan who passed away just last week. Ray Christensen was a renowned sportscaster in the North Star State and best known for his radio play-by-play for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. prgtoken A native-born Minnesotan, Ray grew up in Minneapolis and bravely served our country in World War II. After returning from the war, Ray attended the University of Minnesota where he lettered in baseball. prgtoken Upon graduation, Ray began his career announcing Gopher football games for WCCO in 1951 and basketball games in 1956. Ray worked for WCCO as a sportscaster until 2001 and was inducted into the Minnesota Broadcast Hall of Fame in 2002. prgtoken Ray was the voice that we all grew up with. His voice was the one that we listened to every game day, and Minnesota athletics will certainly not be the same without him. I speak for all Minnesotans when I say that he will truly be missed. A Top Minnesota School
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF FINAL RULE OF DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Don Young (Republican, AK) \u2014 2017-2-16

I thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop) for bringing this legislation to the floor. prgtoken H.J. Res. 69 is very simple. It overturns an illegal rule by the administration--an illegal rule. prgtoken This House created the State of Alaska in 1959, under the Statehood Act. It clearly granted Alaska full authority to manage fish and game on all lands in the State of Alaska, including all Federal lands. prgtoken The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980 further, in fact, verified what the Statehood Act did: protecting the right of the State to manage fish and game. prgtoken Mo Udall was chairman of the Interior Committee at that time, and he agreed that this was the right thing to do. The thing that we had to do was make sure there was no misinterpretation of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and the Statehood Act. prgtoken What occurred under the administration is that--your administration, on that side--in the wee hours of the night, they passed a rule that took that away from the State. And it is huge, if you think about it: 16 refuges, 76.8 million acres. That is bigger than most of the States in this Union. They took the right away from the State to manage fish and game. prgtoken There has been a lot of interest groups and some Members of Congress that have been conveying falsehoods, flat out dishonesty on what the taking back of the management of fish and game will do. They talk about killing puppies and grizzly bears. That does not happen, nor, in fact, is it legal in the State of Alaska under our management. prgtoken The opposition will claim there was consultation with the State of Alaska. If that is the case, why did Alaska file suit to overturn this rule? There was no consultation. prgtoken Yesterday, I met with most of the leaders of the Alaskan Native community that live in this area in the refuges and around the refuges. Not one of them support the rule passed by the administration. prgtoken The other side says they are all for helping the American Indians, the first people, yet they are supporting a rule that is illegal. Illegal. I want to stress that. prgtoken This rule passed by the administration is opposed by the total delegation, the Governor, all the elected officials in the State of Alaska, and it is an infringement upon the State of Alaska, and it should be an infringement upon your States. prgtoken Maybe we ought to go back to every State in the Union, maybe even Virginia, and see how we might change the right of Virginia when the Federal lands were involved in the State of Alaska. prgtoken You stood up in front of this body and held your hand and said: I swear to uphold the Constitution of America and laws pertaining to it. Every one of you took that oath. Every one of you. Yet, you stand on this floor, and some of you will say: Oh, we have to protect the wolf puppies. That is not what this is about. It is about the law. It is the
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2017-2-16

I am here to address an issue that I think is of great importance to this country and to this administration; that is, the nomination of Scott Pruitt to be the new EPA Administrator. prgtoken We are nearly 8 years removed now from what we consider--many of us, I think, particularly as we look back--the great recession. However, many American workers, their families, and their communities have yet to feel the benefits of any kind of a recovery. A key component to a slow recovery--the prgtoken slowest recovery since World War I--is the regulatory overreach coming out of this city--Washington, DC. prgtoken Since the end of the recession in June 2009, Federal agencies have burdened a weakened economy with thousands of pages of new rules, costing consumers billions of dollars. Tens of thousands of workers have lost their jobs. The EPA has perhaps become the poster child for this overreach, from restricting carbon emissions without the direction of Congress--and according to the clean air direction of Congress of what is important--to federalizing every stream, every pond, every wetland under the waters of the United States rule, to unilaterally banning virtually Appalachian coal mining by obstructing the permitting process and pursuing ozone standards that the vast majority of the country cannot meet. The vast majority of the country is still trying to meet the ozone standards that were established under the last regulation. prgtoken I support the mission of the EPA in protecting human health, in protecting our air and our water, but there has to be a balance. There has to be a balance between growing the economy and preserving the environment. Over the last several years, we have seen that balance very disrupted. This disruption is at odds with the law and the well- being of many of our working families. prgtoken This has been acutely felt in my State of West Virginia where we have lost more than 35 percent of our coal jobs since the year 2011. That is more than 7,000 jobs eliminated in a relatively small State like West Virginia, and many of these jobs are very high-paying jobs. prgtoken As a nation, we have lost more than 60,000 coal miners in the same timeframe. This has hurt our workers, our families, our communities, and our State. prgtoken The loss of good-paying jobs means less commercial activity. It means less tax revenue to support our education, our county school systems, our county ambulances, our county sheriff's departments, and our law enforcement. For example, little old Wayne County in West Virginia has lost 88 percent of its coal severance taxes between 2013 and 2016. This year, our Governor and our legislature are struggling right now with a $500 million budget deficit, largely due to the loss of our coal jobs. prgtoken Patching that shortfall could mean significant tax increases, painful cuts in public services, or both, which could further hurt and cripple our local economy. It wil
HONORING VELMA JEAN TIDWELL CONDIT
Jeff Denham (Republican, CA) \u2014 2017-2-16

I rise today to acknowledge and honor the passing of Velma Jean Tidwell Condit. A beloved community member, Mrs. Condit dedicated her life to serving others. prgtoken After moving to Ceres from Oklahoma with her husband in 1967, she served the ministry with love and devotion. She spent her Sunday mornings teaching Sunday school, was a loyal member of the Women's Fellowship, and throughout her life supported her husband, Pastor Adrian Condit, as they served the Village Chapel Free Will Baptist Church. prgtoken With a medical career spanning more than three decades, Mrs. Condit provided patients with compassion and care as a nurse at the Ceres Memorial Hospital and Scenic General in Modesto. She was equally as devoted to her work as she was to her community. prgtoken Although she is widely known for her service, she is also beloved by her family for her fried chicken and birthday pies. Mrs. Condit's greatest joy was cooking for and spending time with her family. Even after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2014, and soon after developing dementia, she continued to be a loving wife and mother and will be deeply missed. I offer my sincerest condolences to Pastor Adrian Condit, their children, and family. prgtoken , please join me in honoring Velma Jean Condit as we recognize her tremendous contributions and honor her incredible life.
CUT BUREAUCRACY OUT OF THE CASEWORK PROCESS
Patrick Meehan (Republican, PA) \u2014 2017-2-16

I rise today in support of H.R. 512, the WINGMAN Act. The WINGMAN Act will help Members of Congress and our staff members better assist the constituents that we serve. It cuts bureaucracy out of the casework process, and it makes it easier to connect Pennsylvania families with the services and benefits that they need. prgtoken Our staff members in our district do tremendous work every day. They help constituents and their families navigate the Federal bureaucracy, whether it is helping veterans obtain care through the VA, seniors access their Medicare or Social Security benefits, or even helping a traveler obtain a passport for an emergency trip overseas. Too often that work goes unsung and the hard work they do goes unrecognized. prgtoken I am blessed to have a terrific staff in my district office, led by my district chief of staff, Caitlin Ganley. Our team, Bill Dondero, Maureen Quinn, Alaina Sforza, and Brian Gallie have helped literally thousands of individuals as we have worked to cut through the red tape and get the answers they need from the agencies across the Federal Government. The WINGMAN Act will make this difficult job just a little bit easier, and I am proud to support it.
Russia (Executive Calendar)
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2017-2-16

it is an absolute honor to be able to rise and speak in support of Attorney General Scott Pruitt. For the last 6 years, Scott has been a leader in the State of Oklahoma. He has been strongly committed to enforcing the law in Oklahoma as it is written and as is consistent with the Constitution. He is a statesman. He is a dedicated public servant. prgtoken As the Administrator of the EPA, I fully expect Scott to be able to lead the Agency to follow every environmental law and to partner with States, local authorities, and tribes to do what is best for the present and for the future. I have heard some people talk about their opposition to Scott's nomination, saying they don't believe Scott believes in clean air, in clean water. prgtoken That is not the issue for Scott. Scott absolutely believes in clean air and clean water, and the accusations that somehow he wants dirty air and dirty water and our children to be poisoned is ludicrous. prgtoken The question for Scott is not if we should have clean air and clean water, it is who is the primary steward of our clean air and our clean water. Everyone has a role. We are a nation that is connected to each other. What happens in one State does affect another State. That is why we have a national strategy working with the Environmental Protection Agency, but in the Clean Water Act and in the Clean Air Act, the States are given primary responsibility through what is called a State Implementation Plan to determine what is in their best interests and the best solutions to be able to deal with the issues of air and water. prgtoken Scott has fought for the State to be allowed to be in the driver's seat with regard to all of the State resources, arguing for those that work in wind farms, in oilfields, and on cattle ranches, for families who have drinking water and breathe the air and who live there. The people who should have the loudest voices should be the people who actually drink that water and breathe that air and understand the effects of it firsthand. prgtoken He has not been alone in this fight. As the attorney general of Oklahoma, he stood shoulder to shoulder with more than half of the States to ensure the Federal Government operates within the bounds of the statutes and the Constitution. He has consistently argued that the EPA, when they promulgate rules that violate that basic principle of the State Implementation Plan, should stop, do what the EPA does best, and have the EPA push the States to do what they should do best. prgtoken In an environment where Chevron deference is the precedent set, it is critical that the leader of an Agency that has such wide latitude to extract costs out of the economy, should respect the federalist foundation we have, and the pocketbooks of hard-working families, as well as our air and our water. prgtoken In previous congressional testimony, he stressed the importance of laws like the Clean Air Act, stressing that the i
OPPOSITION TO H.J. RES. 43 AND H.J. RES. 69
Karen Bass (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-2-16

in order to attend a previously scheduled event I had to return to California; however, if I had been present today, I would have continued to voice my strenuous objects to the use of the Congressional Review Act to invalidate a seemingly endless number of agency rules. Today, I would express my opposition to and voted against H.J. Res. 43 and H.J. Res. 69. Use of the Congressional Review Act in the month of February to eliminate agency regulations thereby barring their return in substantially the same form as in some instances negated years of work on the part of agency officials, stakeholders, advocates, and the public. H.J. Res. 43 represents another vehicle to prevent families from having legitimate access in every state to the Title X program, which has been in effect for over 40 years. prgtoken Title X of the Public Health Services Act is the only dedicated source of federal funding for family planning. It provides grants to both nonprofit and public entities that, in turn, provide a wide range of both preventative and family planning services. These clinics have provided service to over 4 million men, women and children. The services include preconception health services, contraceptive care as well as breast and cervical cancer screenings and prevention. H.J. Res. 43 would prevent the implementation of a final rule by the Department of Health and Human Services that would have ensured that these patients continued to have access to all qualified Title X providers. prgtoken At a time when there has been a call to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which will result in 20 million Americans losing insurance, and negatively impact the benefits currently received by those with insurance and no viable replacement option being put forward. Our efforts should be spent addressing this issue. Instead, we are voting on a measure that will only serve to decrease access to health services that impact the long term health needs of families. prgtoken As for H.J. Res. 69, it represents yet another effort to use the Congressional Review Act to undermine the efforts of stakeholders, advocates, and agencies to address an issue. The promulgation of the rule by the Fish and Wild Life Services addresses Non-Subsistence Take of Wildlife, and Public Participation and Closure Procedures. In effect the rule is designed to limit state sponsored and recreational killing of species like grizzly bears and gray wolves unless there is full compliance with existing federal law as well as compliance with the purposes of the refuge. At this time those who have opposed this rule have not provided a scientific bases or sound science as a basis for opposing the final rule issued by the Department of the Interior. prgtoken For these reasons and more, I would have opposed H.J. Res. 43 and H.J. Res. 69.
THE INTRODUCTION OF THE FAIRNESS FOR BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS ACT OF 2017
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2017-2-16

today, I introduce the Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act of 2017, a bill that would require buildings that are either federally owned or leased to provide designated private and hygienic lactation spaces for nursing mothers. The bill was included in the Public Buildings Reform and Savings Act of 2016, which passed the House last Congress. For years, federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have encouraged breastfeeding. The benefits are so great that federal law now requires employers to provide a designated, non- bathroom space for employees to pump breastmilk for their newborns, ensuring that new mothers would be able to continue this essential practice even after returning to work. My bill would extend this requirement to include not just employees, but visitors and guests to federal facilities across the nation. prgtoken In Washington, D.C. alone, millions of tourists visit federal sites, such as the Lincoln Memorial. Increasingly, families understand the unique benefits of breastfeeding, and visitors to these buildings who have newborns and babies should have a private space to breastfeed or pump. The benefits of breastfeeding are well-documented. Breastmilk contains antibodies and hormones that boost babies' immune systems, and studies have shown lower risks of asthma, diabetes, respiratory infections and other diseases among breastfed babies. Moreover, breastfeeding also has benefits for nursing mothers, who, research has shown, have lower risks of diabetes and certain forms of cancer. Given the significant public health benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby, already recognized in federal policy, my bill is a logical next step to ensure visitors to federal sites have access to clean, hygienic, and private spaces to nurse or pump. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support this bill, which would provide access to designated lactation rooms for guests to federally owned or leased buildings.