mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CLOTURE MOTION
Tim Scott (Republican, SC) \u2014 2019-1-10

each new year brings with it a range of different emotions. We look back on what we have accomplished in the last year, what we hope to achieve in the year to come, and think of ways we can better ourselves. prgtoken Some of our objectives may include eating just a little less. For me, that prgtoken means eating a little less sour cream pound cake or sweet potato pie, which is something I can completely control, and I am trying. prgtoken As a nation, though, we need to look at some goals for the new year that will help us move forward together--goals that may be a little tougher and require all of us to work together. While we may have some uncomfortable conversations--and we will--we must recognize that at the end of the day, we are family, both inside our homes and as Americans, in the land of the free and the home of the brave. prgtoken As we look to 2019, I am hopeful we can take three lessons and carry them forward. Those who follow me know I have focused my time in the Senate on an opportunity agenda that focuses on helping people rise from poverty in distressed communities, helping folks who are living paycheck to paycheck to experience the greatness that is, in fact, the American dream, and I will continue to focus on those issues in 2019, but you will also hear from me in 2019 what I believe are some missing keys to American progress. Those keys are civility, fairness, and opportunity. prgtoken So when you are having dinner and a family member tries to tell you that the reigning Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles--lucky, of course, to be in the playoffs at all--are in fact the best football team in America, we all know the truth: It is America's team, the Dallas Cowboys. You will have a discussion with your family friend who believes otherwise, and I hope you will disagree strongly, that you will argue with facts, history--the history of Roger Staubach or Troy Aikman or Emmitt Smith or Tony Dorsett or ``Too Tall'' Jones--and you argue that with history and with passion, but you know, at the end of the day, your crazy uncle is still your crazy uncle. You will see each other next weekend. You will hug, and you will start the same fight all over again, but you see what you have done is you have agreed to disagree without being disagreeable. That, at its core, is the civility our Nation is sorely missing right now. prgtoken Too often too many seem too focused on saying whatever they want to say and saying it more loudly, without any concern for the actual content. We need to return to civility, where the other side isn't evil or a traitor or trying to destroy our country, but they simply have a different vision for how to achieve success. prgtoken Second, sometimes we struggle to make sure our loved ones, especially our kids around Christmastime, are treated fairly. So as they open their presents, we want to make sure everyone has a chance to play with everything. This is what we call t
RECOGNIZING DR. BUD PETERSON
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-1-10

I rise today to recognize G.P. ``Bud'' Peterson, who will retire as president of Georgia Tech in the summer of 2019. prgtoken After 10 years serving Georgia Tech, President Peterson is certainly leaving it in a better place than he found it: prgtoken Under his leadership, Georgia Tech became the first university in a decade to be invited to join the Association of American Universities; prgtoken Research funding increased and nearly doubled; prgtoken The size of enrollment grew, including the number of women enrolled at the university. prgtoken And these are only a few of President Peterson's most notable impacts on campus. prgtoken Thank you, President Peterson, for your service to Georgia Tech as a premier research university that cultivates innovative leaders in Georgia, across the U.S and throughout the world. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. prgtoken And to Georgia Tech, I wish you the best of luck in your search for a new president. National Pharmacist Day 2019
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Paul Mitchell (Republican, MI) \u2014 2019-1-10

. Madam , you may wonder why I am down here. It is because agriculture is huge in Michigan's 10th Congressional District. Earlier this week, I spoke with most of the agriculture leaders in my district about these bills. prgtoken I would be supporting these bills under other conditions. It supports farm safety net programs as have been described. It provides support for rural development, including rural infrastructure and broadband access, which is sorely needed in the 10th Congressional District of Michigan. prgtoken It provides food and drug safety inspections for the FDA and USDA, and nutrition assistance programs that my colleague discussed. prgtoken However, I cannot support these bills because it is being brought up in bad faith. Let's be honest. It is a charade. It is not a serious attempt to fund agriculture or any other programs in my district or throughout this country. This vote is dead on arrival. prgtoken It is a messaging point by the majority. It is an attempt to delay and distract from the real problem. The real problem is securing our borders, a comprehensive package to secure our borders that the President, the administration, has provided to the majority. prgtoken We have spent hours on the floor here talking about various bills to fund the majority. Yet, somehow, rather than negotiate, the majority will go to the White House and say nothing for the wall; nothing for border security to put a barrier up. We will simply talk about, nope, we are not going to do that. We want to put the squeeze on the American people. prgtoken They are squeezing the people in multiple ways. People won't get their paychecks tomorrow. I am sorry. Really, guys? Come on. We have farmers that are struggling, waiting to get loans so that they can plant. We are not securing our border. prgtoken We had a humanitarian crisis. Thirty percent of the women that are arriving at the border--Doctors Without Borders data, not anybody else's--have been sexually assaulted on the way to the border. This proposal includes money to provide for applying for asylum in their home countries. Why are we not doing this? prgtoken Why are we not addressing a comprehensive border security package and passing all of these appropriations bills and moving on to other priorities? We may disagree about those.
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2019-1-10

we are in day 20 of a government shutdown. It is exceptionally avoidable, but it is also exceptionally painful and distracting to the American people. prgtoken At the USDA, the Farm Service Agency loans have stopped. prgtoken TSA employees are working without pay. If we can't get this resolved by tomorrow, they will miss a paycheck, but they will still be at work. prgtoken Home lending programs have halted. prgtoken For the FAA, new air traffic controllers are not being trained. We still have air traffic controllers in the tower who are working now--by tomorrow, without pay coming in--but new training has stopped. That means a year from now, when we need to have those new air traffic controllers take their spot in that tower, there won't be someone in that tower because we have halted the training at this point. prgtoken IRS taxpayer advocate services are closed. prgtoken Indian Health Service is being stretched. prgtoken At the Bureau of Indian Affairs, most employees have been furloughed. prgtoken The Department of Commerce and many others have been affected. prgtoken While this doesn't affect most Agencies in the Federal Government, it affects a lot, and it affects real lives and real people. Let me give some examples from just my State of Oklahoma. prgtoken There is a technology company in Tulsa that will have to begin furloughing employees because it is a contractor for the Federal workforce. prgtoken Those folks who are selling their cattle right now and who have a relationship with Farm Service can't cash that check because they can't get a second cosigner for the check, and that definitely affects them. prgtoken A Federal worker contacted us and said that she is a contractor, and as of a couple days from now, she is not going to be able to pay her son's tuition so he can go back to college, because it will be too far a stretch. prgtoken The food banks in my State have already started stocking up and reaching out to Federal employees who may not get a check starting tomorrow and may be stretched and need some additional assistance, many of them for the first time ever. prgtoken We have a family in the Norman area, south of Oklahoma City, who typically handles the contract for housing for students who are coming to the FAA, to the academy. Well, obviously those academy students have all gone home, and they are losing $5,000 a week due to the shutdown and the lack of housing for those folks. And it is not just empty facilities; employees who are contractors there are now being furloughed. prgtoken See, this affects real lives and real people. This was an exceptionally avoidable shutdown. Months and months ago, the President of the United States announced publicly and repetitively that he was not going to sign a funding bill at the end of the year that does not add additional border security. Over and over again, in public speeches and in private conversations on this Hill, the President repeated over
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Steven M. Palazzo (Republican, MS) \u2014 2019-1-10

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken Madam , there is a host of things wrong with bringing this bill to the floor. By bringing forth the Senate version of this bill, it completely ignores all of the work this subcommittee has done over the past year. It ignores Members' priorities, and all of the testimony that we received that served as the basis of the House version of the Agriculture bill. prgtoken I will name a few examples of what this looks like. First, for the Food and Drug Administration, Madam , the House bill included $3.1 billion for the FDA. The Senate bill before us today includes $2.9 billion. prgtoken The additional $149 million in the original House bill supported a number of medical product initiatives above the level in the Senate bill, including initiatives like the promotion of domestic manufacturing, the new domestic drug industry, and the new medical data enterprise initiative. prgtoken Madam , the higher levels in the bill are critical to helping industry advance medical products to the marketplace sooner, safer, and with greater efficiency. The ultimate beneficiary is the American consumer or patient. prgtoken Lastly, an issue that is very important to my home State of Mississippi and the Nation at large: rural broadband. The House bill made a major investment in a broadband pilot program for rural America. We included $550 million to expand broadband infrastructure for some of our country's most underserved communities. prgtoken The appropriation in this bill before us today falls short of meeting this critical priority. Madam , ultimately bringing the Senate version of this bill to the floor is just plain lazy, as it ignores the will of this House and all of the hard work Members from both sides of the aisle have put into this process. prgtoken Madam , I urge a ``no'' vote on the legislation.
HONORING THE LIFE OF JOE AMBROSE
Rodney Davis (Republican, IL) \u2014 2019-1-10

. Madam , I rise today to honor the life of my friend and hobby radio control industry legend, Joe Ambrose, who passed away unexpectedly on Friday. prgtoken Joe was a lifelong resident of central Illinois and a graduate of the University of Illinois. He joined Horizon Hobby in Champaign in 2005 as vice president and in 2008 he became CEO, where he successfully grew the business over the next decade. This past year he led the largest acquisition in radio control industry history through the purchase of crosstown competitor Hobbico RC. prgtoken Joe and his company were leading voices for establishing the micro UAS regulations, hosting myself and other stakeholders in June of 2016 for a roundtable on the topic. Horizon Hobby also participated in the FAA's UAS Aviation Rulemaking Committee. That group ultimately developed recommendations for performance-based regulations to allow certain unmanned aircraft to operate over people. prgtoken Joe made things happen in this institution. His visionary leadership will be missed, and I extend my deepest condolences to his wife, Julie, their four children, and eight grandchildren.
BUDGET SCOREKEEPING REPORT
Michael B. Enzi (Republican, WY) \u2014 2019-1-10

I wish to submit to the Senate the budget scorekeeping report for January 2019. The report compares current-law levels of spending and revenues with the amounts the Senate agreed to in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, BBA18. This information is necessary for the Senate Budget Committee to determine whether budgetary points of order lie against pending legislation. The staff of the Budget Committee and the Congressional Budget Office, CBO prepared this report pursuant to section 308(b) of the Congressional Budget Act, CBA. prgtoken This is my first scorekeeping report this year. My last filing can be found in the Congressional Record for November 15, 2018. That report included final budgetary levels for fiscal year 2018. The information included in this report is current through January 7, 2019. prgtoken Several bills have cleared Congress since my last filing. The three with the largest direct spending and revenue effects were the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018, P.L. 115-282; the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, P.L. 115-334; and the First Step Act, P.L. 115-391. prgtoken Budget Committee staff prepared Tables 1-3. prgtoken Table 1 gives the amount by which each Senate authorizing committee exceeds or is below its allocation for budget authority and outlays under the most recently adopted budget resolution and the fiscal year 2019 enforceable levels filing. This information is used for enforcing committee allocations pursuant to section 302 of the CBA. For this reporting period, 8 of the 16 authorizing committees are not in compliance with their allocations. Over the current 10-year enforceable window, authorizing committees have increased outlays by a combined $3.4 billion. prgtoken Tables 2 provides the amount by which the Senate Committee on Appropriations is below or exceeds the statutory spending limits. This information is used to determine points of order related to the spending caps found in sections 312 and 314 of the CBA. Appropriations for fiscal year 2019, displayed in this table, show that the Appropriations Committee is currently compliant with spending limits for fiscal year prgtoken 2019. As of this filing, 7 of the 12 annual appropriations bills have not been enacted with full-year spending. prgtoken The fiscal year 2018 budget resolution contained points of order limiting the use of changes in mandatory programs in appropriations bills, CHIMPS. Table 3, which tracks the CHIMP limit of $15 billion for fiscal year 2019, shows the Appropriations Committee has enacted $7.7 billion worth of full-year CHIMPs for fiscal year 2019. The fiscal year 2019 CHIMPs were contained in the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies division of P.L. 115-245. This information is used for determining the point of order under section 4102, overall limit, of H. Con. Res. 71, 115th Congress. prgtoken In addition to the tables provi
TRIBUTE TO HOLLY GATLING
Lindsey Graham (Republican, SC) \u2014 2019-1-10

I ask my fellow colleagues to join me in celebrating Ms. Holly Gatling's dedicated service as the executive director of South Carolina Citizens for Life. prgtoken Holly earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of South Carolina in 1972. While at the University of South Carolina, she served as a copy editor for ``The State'' newspaper. She went on to work for several newspapers across South Carolina, including as a feature writer from 1976 to 1990 for ``The State.'' prgtoken As a stalwart champion for the unborn, Holly has effectively lobbied the South Carolina General Assembly in support of pro-life laws. Some of these laws included Woman's Right to Know, Partial Birth Abortion Ban, and Safe Haven for Abandoned Newborns. She was also instrumental in ushering Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection to Governor Nikki Haley's desk for signature in 2016. prgtoken I am proud to have worked closely with her on many pro-life issues, including the Pain Capable legislation in the U.S. Senate. I know that one day we too will pass this important legislation into law. prgtoken I am extremely proud of her work for the unborn and know she has made a difference in the lives of thousands of South Carolinians. She is a model for public servants, and I am honored to congratulate my friend Holly Gatling on her 25 years of service to others in South Carolina, across the United States of America, and around the world.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
John Boozman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2019-1-10

today I wish to remember and pay tribute to Dick Barclay. Dick was a friend and civic leader from Rogers, AR, who passed away from complications due to Alzheimer's last week at the age of 81. prgtoken Born in Oberlin, KS, Dick attended Kansas State University before his honeymoon brought him to Arkansas. Dick and Jan eventually moved to Rogers where Dick, along with his brother Charles, opened a successful public accounting firm that served the area for decades. When I first moved to Rogers in the 1970s, naturally, Dick was one of the first people I met and someone I quickly grew to lean on and turn to for his consistently sound advice. prgtoken In addition to his successful career as a trusted accountant in northwest Arkansas, Dick put his belief in community service into practice throughout his entire life. He served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1976 until 1992. In 1996, he joined Governor Mike Huckabee's administration, where he put his financial expertise to use as executive director of budget, legislative affairs, and policy. He went on to become Arkansas's chief fiscal officer and directed the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration in 1999. prgtoken Dick didn't believe that holding public office alone was where his call to service ended, though. He was active among many different groups and organizations that worked to improve life in Rogers and in greater northwest Arkansas. A few such roles included serving on the board of the Northwest Arkansas Community College Foundation, as president and board member of the Rogers Little Theater, chairman of the Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce, commissioner of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, member and president of the Northwest Arkansas Council, and chairman of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce. He also led the Benton County Party for a time. prgtoken A man of strong faith, Dick was a board chair and elder at First Christian Church in Rogers. One of his sons went on to lead services at Fellowship Bible Church, and Dick, along with his wife, was proud to attend services there to show his support. He has already been remembered by others as being a devoted family man and a person of principle and integrity with the highest ethics. He was all these things and more, including a talented musician who played in a bluegrass band with friends and also performed with a barbershop quartet. prgtoken As a former colleague described him, Dick Barclay was a ``quintessential public servant.'' He had a tremendous impact across northwest Arkansas. His example of leadership and dedication are truly worthy of emulation by anyone who wishes to do the important work required to better their own town, community, and entire state. prgtoken I greatly admired and respected Dick and will feel his loss keenly, as will so many others in Rogers and throughout Benton County and northwest Arkansas. My thoughts and prayer
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-1-10

yesterday President and leaders once again tried to sit down with to break the impasse over border security funding and fully reopen the government. Yet, again, proved unwilling to offer any serious solution or agree to work with the President in any way. prgtoken When the President asked Pelosi yesterday if she would be willing to commit to funding the border wall if the government was reopened, she said no--no. prgtoken are saying that we need to end this partial shutdown and reopen the Federal Government. I completely agree with that, but it is who are standing in the way of that happening. Instead of seriously trying to resolve this shutdown, they are holding show votes in the House and trying to score political points. prgtoken The administration made an offer on Sunday. Yet 4 days later, have yet to respond. If they really want to reopen the government, they will sit down and negotiate in good faith with the President to arrive at a solution that both parties can support and that the President will sign. prgtoken I have to ask: When did securing our borders become immoral? prgtoken It used to be that Members of both parties recognized that border security was a basic obligation of our government and that we had a duty to ensure that our borders were protected and that dangerous individuals or goods were not entering our country, but apparently-- apparently-- don't agree with that anymore. prgtoken According to Pelosi, building barriers to protect our border is ``immoral.'' That is right--``immoral.'' According to the of the House, protecting our border with barriers to prevent illegal entry is ``immoral.'' prgtoken Contrary to what would like people to believe, border security isn't an issue dreamed up by hard-hearted s to oppress various groups of people. Border security is a national security imperative--something that both parties recognized, until recently. No country can be secure if dangerous individuals can creep across its borders unchecked and unobserved. prgtoken talk about border barriers as if they are meant to prevent anyone from entering our country. That is just false. America is a land of immigrants, and we will always welcome new faces to America with open arms. In fact, I, like many others in this Chamber, am the grandson of immigrants who came through Ellis Island. My grandparents obviously came and settled in South Dakota, but we have to make sure that individuals who are coming to this country are coming here legally and that we know who they are and why they are coming. We do that by enforcing our laws and by securing our borders--with physical barriers, Border Patrol agents, and technology--so that individuals can't cross our borders illegally and undetected. prgtoken Leaving our borders open to any criminal, drug dealer, or human trafficker who wants to sneak