mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
ADDRESS URGENT PRIORITIES OF AMERICA
David N. Cicilline (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2019-12-5

. Madam , it has been less than a year since took back the majority in the House. In that short time, we have passed nearly 400 bills to get government working for the people again, by increasing access to quality, affordable healthcare and protecting coverage for preexisting conditions; by raising family wages; by making bold investments in rebuilding our Nation's infrastructure; and by cleaning up corruption in Washington and getting the government to work for the people again. prgtoken We have sent more than 275 bipartisan bills to the Senate, where Mitch McConnell is refusing to vote on them. These bills include legislation to protect and strengthen coverage for preexisting conditions, to ensure equal pay for equal work, and to fight back against the debilitating effects of climate change and ban offshore drilling. prgtoken We also voted to give 33 million Americans a long-overdue pay raise by raising the minimum wage, provide Gold Star families with much- needed tax relief, and secure our Nation's elections. prgtoken Yet, Mitch McConnell has described himself as the ``grim reaper'' and won't take up any of this legislation. prgtoken We are busy doing the work of the American people. We have passed over 375 bipartisan bills that are sitting in the Senate. It is time for the Senate to take up these bills and address the urgent priorities of the American people.
TRIBUTE TO YOUNG STAFF MEMBERS FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE OF THE 18TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF TEXAS AND THE UNITED STATES
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-12-5

. Madam , as Members of Congress we know well, perhaps better than most, how blessed our nation is to have in reserve such exceptional young men prgtoken and women who will go on to become leaders in their local communities, states, and the nation in the areas of business, education, law, government, philanthropy, the arts and culture, and the military. prgtoken We know this because we see them and benefit from their contributions every day. Many of them work for us in our offices as junior staff members, congressional fellows, or interns and they do amazing work for and on behalf of the constituents we are privileged to represent. prgtoken Madam , I believe there is no higher calling than the call to serve a cause larger than ourselves. That is why I ran for public office. I was inspired to serve by President Kennedy who said, ``Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,'' and by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who said: ``Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. . . . You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.'' prgtoken By this measure, there are several other great young men and women who served as volunteers this year in my offices. They may toil in obscurity but their contributions to the constituents we serve are deeply appreciated. That is why today I rise to pay tribute to three extraordinary young persons for their service to my constituents in the 18th Congressional District of Texas and to the American people. They are: Sheerine Karamzadeh, Texas Tech University; Elisabeth Foster, University of Texas; and Alejandro Izaguirre, St. Edward's University. prgtoken Madam , the energy, intelligence, and idealism these wonderful young people brought to my office and those interning in the offices of my colleagues help keep our democracy vibrant. The insights, skills, and knowledge of the governmental process they gain from their experiences will last a lifetime and prove invaluable to them as they go about making their mark in this world. prgtoken Because of persons like them the future of our country is bright, and its best days lie ahead. I wish them all well. prgtoken Madam , I am grateful that such thoughtful committed young men and women can be found working in my office, those of my colleagues, and in every community in America. Their good works will keep America great, good, and forever young.
REMEMBERING DR. WOODIE FLOWERS
Margaret Wood Hassan (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2019-12-5

today I would like to recognize the life of an extraordinary individual, Dr. Woodie Flowers. prgtoken As an engineer, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology--MIT--and an integral part of FIRST--For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology--Woodie helped educate and inspire people in New Hampshire, across the country, and around the world. prgtoken I first had the privilege of meeting Woodie in the 1980s when I was doing legal work for MIT. Almost immediately, I recognized his curiosity and eagerness to learn, his patience and understanding, and his desire to collaborate and work effectively. Woodie extended that ethos and enthusiasm for education to every aspect of his life, including through his groundbreaking leadership at MIT and FIRST. prgtoken Throughout his career, Woodie brought a unique vision to his work prgtoken and frequently stressed that technology is changing at a pace that the human brain simply cannot keep up with. This understanding and concern led him to emphasize the importance of teaching critical thinking and an allegiance to objective truth, which he posited would push back against the tribalism and binary thinking afflicting our society. prgtoken As part of his efforts to bridge division and expand human understanding, Woodie served as a mentor to countless students. While following Woodie in a speaking program was certainly a daunting task, I always looked forward to hearing his perspective at FIRST events. The major theme that Woodie sought to impart to students is that life is not a zero sum game. He would encourage them to work and compete with ``gracious professionalism,'' where you work hard and challenge one another to be your very best, but you always engage with respect and kindness. FIRST encourages its participants to consider the annual contest as ``coopertition,'' and Woodie used the opportunity to interact with the students and coaches as a way to reinforce this critical concept, that success comes through bringing out the best in each other and in humanity. prgtoken Woodie understood what a good leader should be, and his vision and example are characteristics that all Americans should aspire to. And in many ways, his confidence in our ability as human beings to solve problems and transcend our most basic tribal instincts, informed by science and grace, was uniquely American. prgtoken Dr. Woodie Flowers was one of the most brilliant, kind, and creative people I have ever met, and it was an honor to know him. I extend my condolences to Woodie's talented and magnificent wife and partner, Margaret, and their entire family. And I join them and the FIRST community in mourning an extraordinarily intelligent inventor, humanist, and American. prgtoken We will miss Woodie more than I can say, but I am certain that his legacy will live on through the countless lives he has touched. The world is a smarter, better, and more hopeful place becaus
ECONOMIC JUSTICE ISSUES
Jesús G. "Chuy" García (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-12-5

. Madam , I thank Congresswoman Tlaib for bringing up this subject of the affordable housing shortage across our country. I want to speak about the affordable housing crisis that is unfolding across this country and affecting thousands of my constituents in the city of Chicago. prgtoken Throughout the Chicago area, there are just over 90,000 affordable, available rental homes, but the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that there are over 326,000 low-income renter households. That is right. Less than one in three households in Chicago have access to affordable housing. prgtoken The immense lack of housing is making it impossible for low-income communities to stay in our city. It is transforming my district, driving communities of color away from areas where they have lived for many, many decades. prgtoken According to the Chicago Community Trust, Chicago has lost more than 100,000 African American residents in the past 10 years alone. The Logan Square neighborhood in my district has lost more than 20,000 Latino residents and nearly 10,000 African Americans over the past 15 years. prgtoken Five years ago, Chicago's city council passed an ordinance encouraging transit-oriented development. I believe that improving transportation and mobility for our neighborhoods and tying that to affordable housing is critically important. prgtoken However, we know that development, when done incorrectly, can lead to gentrification, displacement, and racially inequitable outcomes. Since Chicago's ordinance passed, only one affordable housing development has been completed; another is getting off the ground. prgtoken I am planning to introduce legislation to incentivize equitable transit-oriented development, legislation to create Federal funding for affordable housing to be built near public transit so workers can get to and from jobs, school, and healthcare, as well as take advantage of the city's fine cultural amenities. prgtoken This bill will be a crucial step in addressing the enormous problems we are discussing today. If we can address the topics raised by the many speakers who are bringing home the urgency that Congress needs to act in this field of needed affordable housing, we can become a better country. prgtoken Madam , I thank Congresswoman Tlaib for taking the initiative and for hosting this discussion that can benefit our country.
INSIDER TRADING PROHIBITION ACT
Patrick T. McHenry (Republican, NC) \u2014 2019-12-5

. Madam Chair, I thank the ranking member of the Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets Subcommittee, Mr. Huizenga, for his good work in committee and working on important legislation for economic growth and for his constituents in Michigan. prgtoken Madam Chair, preventing and punishing bad actors for illegal insider trading is one of the top priorities of s on the House Financial Services Committee because this illegal activity hurts everyday Main Street investors as well as the integrity and the efficiency of our markets. prgtoken Trading on material insider information in breach of a fiduciary duty is currently prohibited by court-made law under the antifraud provisions of the Federal securities laws that we have. The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice have the power to bring insider trading cases, and both agencies regularly exercise this power and have done so for decades. prgtoken Our body of insider trading laws has been developed through those decades of judicial precedent to protect investors and the markets by punishing bad actors who illegally trade on insider information. prgtoken Codifying nuanced case law and regulations that have been developed over decades into a single statute is really difficult. It is a very difficult undertaking, and it is, really, a very delicate piece of legislating that must occur. prgtoken Both s and who have served on the Securities and Exchange Commission have expressed concerns about Congress drafting a statute that accurately captures this extensive and expansive body of law without expanding it into new areas, inadvertently, perhaps, or perfectly by design in some areas. prgtoken Moreover, bipartisanship is never easy. It is a give-and-take. It is a difficult process. I appreciate the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Himes) prgtoken for his willingness to work with us in a bipartisan manner. prgtoken The bill on the floor today is not perfect, and, as the gentleman from Connecticut knows, I have several concerns with this bill. prgtoken I have concerns about the lack of an explicit personal benefit test consistent with Supreme Court precedent. prgtoken I am concerned that ambiguous language currently in the bill, such as ``relating to the market,'' is ripe for activist judges and overzealous prosecutors and private plaintiffs to exploit, leading to greater uncertainty for anyone involved in investing. That is not what we want; that is not what we seek; and that should not be this undertaking. And I also don't believe that that is the intention of my colleague from Connecticut in the drafting of this bill. prgtoken I am also troubled that the Rules Committee print before us does not include an exclusivity provision establishing that this bill is the insider trading law rather than just an additional action around insider trading. prgtoken Finally, the Rules Committee print includes a rule of constr
PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICING
David Schweikert (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2019-12-5

. Madam , what we are going to do today is actually sort of a little follow-up with a couple of other things sprinkled in here. prgtoken I want to walk through, once again, some of the numbers and some of the good things that have happened. I want to talk also about H.R. 3, which is a reference pricing bill that has gone through Ways and Means in regard to pharmaceuticals that actually I don't think anybody understands what the underlying mechanisms are on how Europe and those actually do set drug pricing and to understand the rationing that will be coming with that. prgtoken But, first off, what is the greatest threat to our society? prgtoken I am going to argue it is actually the coming mountain of debt. It is not or , it is called demographics. There are 74 million of us who are baby boomers. 74 million baby boomers were born in an 18-year period, we have our earned entitlements coming, and we functionally have no cash in the bank for them. So this board is really, really important, and I can't believe I don't see it in everyone's office here. prgtoken This is a 30-year window. Let's actually just pull out Social Security and Medicare. Madam , you do realize that if you look at the Social Security and Medicare from the numbers, we have $23 trillion in the bank. Now, this one is not inflation adjusted, so these are raw numbers, but $23.1 trillion, if you want to be accurate, in the bank, but when we roll Social Security and Medicare in and their financing costs--the money has to be borrowed to keep the promises--we are functioning at $103 trillion in debt. prgtoken It is math. It is not or ic. It is demographics. We are getting older as a society. prgtoken Since 1971, our birthrates have been below replacement rates. We need to deal with the reality of math, but as this place now proceeds, we will make math partisan. But the math will always win. prgtoken It breaks my heart because there are things we can do policy-wise that make it work, that keep us under or right about that 95 percent debt-to-GDP, and we survive our demographic bubble. But we have people around here that say crazy things that have no basis in economics, no basis in the math, no basis in our demographics. The cruelty they are bringing down on our society and my 4-year-old daughter, destroying her future, is because of the unwillingness to own a calculator. prgtoken So, one more time, if we pull Social Security and Medicare out of our 30-year window, we have $23 trillion in the bank. If we put them back in, we are $103 trillion in debt in that 30-year window. Remember, just the growth of Social Security, Medicare, healthcare entitlements, just the growth every 5 years equals the entire Defense Department. prgtoken When you hear some of our brothers and sisters on the left come behind the microphone and say, ``Well, if we would just reduce defense spending,'' you can wipe out all of defense spending, and in
RECOGNIZING THE REPEAL OF PROHIBITION
Glenn Thompson (Republican, PA) \u2014 2019-12-5

. Madam , I rise today to recognize the repeal of prohibition. On this day in 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified, ending the prohibition of alcohol. prgtoken Today, throughout Pennsylvania, breweries, wineries, and distilleries have become one of the Commonwealth's fastest growing industries, and quite frankly, agri-businesses. Pennsylvania is home to more than 300 wineries, which produce more than 1.6 million gallons of wine each year. This equates to roughly $1.4 billion in economic impact. prgtoken Recently, Woody Lodge Winery, a disabled veteran and female-owned business from Cambria County, racked up six awards at the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association competition, including two best-in-category awards. prgtoken The craft beer industry is also booming. Each year, craft brewers pump nearly $6 billion into Pennsylvania's economy and are responsible for more than 100,000 jobs and generate $2.2 billion in wages. For the past three years, Pennsylvania has been the number one producer of craft beer in the Nation. prgtoken As we look back on 13 long years of prohibition in this country, let's raise a glass to how far we have come in the 86 years since.
Cloture Motion (Executive Session)
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-12-5

last week, of course, was Thanksgiving, a day that we all set aside in America to count our blessings. As we do that, we always say to ourselves: Gee, we really ought to be thankful every day of the year for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us. prgtoken I know I say that to myself. So I thought today, for a few minutes, I would mention two things that I am especially thankful for, even though this isn't Thanksgiving, but it is another day that the Lord has blessed us with. prgtoken The first thing--and there are many things that I am thankful for, but the first thing I am thankful for that I want to mention today is the many public servants who care for and protect American taxpayer money. prgtoken I want to highlight one in particular: the Chairman of our FCC, Mr. Ajit Pai. Let me explain why I am thankful for this public servant--one among many who get up every day and work hard to protect taxpayer money. About 2 weeks ago, the Chairman of the FCC, over many obstacles, announced that he was going to hold a public auction for the C-band. prgtoken Why is that important? prgtoken We all have a cell phone now, and many of us have iPads and computers. The internet has changed our world and changed our lives. It has made it more complicated, of course, but on balance, I think the internet has been good for our lives. prgtoken We are about to move into a new phase of telecommunications called 5G. It stands for fifth generation. It is really an extraordinarily fast internet. It can carry huge amounts of data. The ingenuity of the American people takes my breath away. prgtoken I am pretty impressed with 4G, and 5G is going to be 100 times faster. It is going to make things possible like telemedicine, where a specialist in a field of surgery through robotics and now an incredibly fast internet can operate on a sick patient 1,000 miles away and save his or her life, thanks to 5G. We will be able to hook up all of our devices through 5G, saving time. It will give us more precious time to spend with our family. There will be driverless cars. Maybe I will not see them in my lifetime, but our assistants and our pages in the Senate will see them in their lifetime. prgtoken I could go on, but the point is, to make 5G possible, a lot of people have to work together. So 5G is made possible through the airwaves. When internet devices talk to each other, data in the form of radio waves--the scientists call them electromagnetic radiation--these radio waves go through the airwaves from one device to another. prgtoken We have all sorts of different airwaves. It is called spectrum. We have airwaves for radios and TVs. Well, 5G can be used in a number of different airwaves or different parts of the spectrum. But one part of the spectrum, one part of the airwaves, is just perfect for 5G. It is called the C-band. That part of the airwaves is able to carry these 5G radio waves in a manner that can cover a huge
WORLD BANK
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-12-5

I believe I have developed a reputation among my colleagues, and hopefully among my constituents, for transparency in the issue of the public's business should be public. That applies to how the World Bank loans U.S. dollars. The World Bank is right now trying to sneak through a new policy that offends me. prgtoken I received word that the World Bank is planning to vote right now, as I speak, on a new country partnership framework with China. That framework commits the World Bank to providing China with billions of dollars in loans indefinitely. What is odd about this is that China is now the world's second largest economy and its per capita income is well above the levels at which countries are supposed to graduate from needing World Bank assistance. In other words, China should stand on their own two feet without help from the American taxpayers or even indirectly through the World Bank. prgtoken It happens that our country is the World Bank's largest contributor, and the spending bill that funds the World Bank includes a provision for a big capital increase from the American taxpayers to the World Bank. With this legislation pending, we in the Congress have an opportunity to weigh in and we should take that opportunity to make sure that American taxpayer dollars don't go to China, particularly when China is taking their own money and investing in the Belt and Road Initiative to get influence around several countries on the face of the Earth. prgtoken I will have more to say later on this topic. prgtoken . prgtoken .