mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
MATERNAL HEALTH CRISIS
Lucy McBath (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2020-3-10

this past Sunday, we celebrated International Women's Day, the unique stories women share, and their power to shape our world. prgtoken Like many women in America, my story includes a struggle to get pregnant. My son, Jordan, was a miracle for me and my family. But for too many mothers in America, the miracle of pregnancy ends in tragedy. prgtoken The United States has the worst rate of maternal death in the developed world. This is unacceptable. There is no reason that, in the richest Nation on Earth, we cannot keep our mothers and our families healthy and whole. prgtoken My bill, the Social Determinants for Moms Act, will invest in our mothers and fund the access to services and critical research that we need to help save the lives of our American women. prgtoken We can solve this crisis together if we work together, s and , fighting for a safer, more compassionate, and more community-focused future.
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019--Continued
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2020-3-10

I also want to thank Senators Udall and Merkley for their extraordinary work on the For the People Act. prgtoken We are confronting a crisis in our democracy. We have a President who repeatedly invites foreign intervention in our elections, engages in widespread corruption, attacks the news media as part of a broader assault on the truth, and uses false claims of voter fraud to legitimize voter suppression across the country. prgtoken These challenges to our democracy are not limited to the administration, but this President has undoubtedly made things much, much worse. It is why I joined an overwhelming number of my ic colleagues of both Chambers of Congress in cosponsoring H.R. 1, the For the People Act. prgtoken This crucial piece of legislation is the most expansive and serious attempt to strengthen American democracy in decades. Among its many provisions, this bill would root out corruption by attacking the dark money in our politics. The door was opened in the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court. This bill would also secure our elections from foreign interference and restore voter protections that s have spent decades attacking for their own partisan political benefit. prgtoken Like many of my colleagues, I am particularly focused on combating the Party's efforts to disenfranchise millions of minority voters. I could spend hours detailing the efforts throughout American history to make it as difficult as possible--or even impossible--for people of color to vote. prgtoken But today I want to focus on the impact of the Supreme Court's 2013 decision in Shelby County. In this 5-to-4 decision, Chief Justice Roberts and the Court's conservative Justices effectively gutted the core protections of the Voting Rights Act. They decided that States with long histories of discrimination no longer had to obtain Federal approval for voting changes under the Voting Rights Act. prgtoken As author Carol Anderson explained, Chief Justice Roberts has ``[l]ong [been] an opponent of the Voting Rights Act,'' and in Shelby County he used arguments that had been ``carefully crafted'' over ``several decades'' to eviscerate the Voting Rights Act. prgtoken Without the constraints of the Voting Rights Act, States with long histories of discrimination ramped up voter suppression, from racist voter ID laws to eliminating early voting, to purging voter rolls and closing polling places. prgtoken In the 6 years following the Shelby County decision, for example, States previously subjected to preclearance under the Voting Rights Act closed at least 1,688 polling sites. Texas alone closed 750 polling places. prgtoken The closures had their intended effect. A study at Harvard University found that minority voters are six times more likely than White voters to wait longer than an hour to vote. Longer waits impose greater costs for voting on minorities and deter them from voting in f
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019--Continued
Tom Udall (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2020-3-10

it has been 1 year since the House of Representatives passed the most comprehensive package of anti- corruption prgtoken reforms since Watergate--1 year. H.R. 1 shines a light on secret campaign contributions, makes it easier to vote, and cleans up corruption in Washington. It is the solution to the gridlock that the American people are tired of in our Nation's Capital. But for 1 year, H.R. 1 has gathered dust on Majority Leader McConnell's desk. prgtoken Every single Senator in the ic Congress and in our caucus here in the Senate is cosponsoring the For the People Act, which is Senator Merkley's and my companion bill to H.R. 1, For the People Act, but it is buried deep in the leader's legislative graveyard. prgtoken Over the course of the last year, as the For the People Act has languished, tens of millions of dollars were spent--much of it in secret--to influence the policymaking process. prgtoken Almost half a dozen States passed new laws restricting voter rights. The U.S. Supreme Court gave the green light to political gerrymandering. And President , visiting his own properties dozens of times, funneled millions of taxpayer dollars into his own pocket. Yet, the Senate is silent--silent as our democracy faces a crisis like none we have ever seen in our lifetimes. prgtoken We can draw a straight line from the crisis in our democracy to more than 300 bipartisan bills buried in the majority leader's graveyard. The bills waiting for Senate action are broadly supported by the American people, but they are opposed by the ultrawealthy, the special interests, the powerful corporations in that they try to buy our elections. Like Senator McConnell, these Big Money interests are proud of killing these bills. prgtoken Here is what happened over the year that the For the People Act has been in the majority leader's graveyard: The number of Americans without health insurance increased by hundreds of thousands. California wildfires, worsened by climate change, cost $25 billion. Flooding in the Midwest, also a casualty of climate change, cost $12.5 billion. And 22 people were gunned down at an El Paso Walmart by a White nationalist armed with an assault rifle. Sadly, that was just a fraction of the thousands of gun-related deaths in our country last year. prgtoken This is not the America that the American people want. The American people want us to act. The gap between what the American people are clamoring for and what the majority in the Senate is giving them is as wide as the Grand Canyon and is growing by the day. prgtoken Just look at the polls. Staggering numbers--closing in on 90 percent of Americans--support universal, affordable healthcare. With these numbers, you would think s would be making sure that every American has healthcare, but, instead, s have tried to dismantle the Affordable Care Act every chance they get. As we speak, President
RECOGNIZING ACHIEVEMENTS OF HAROLD AGNEW
Tim Burchett (Republican, TN) \u2014 2020-3-11

. Madam , I rise to recognize the achievements of Harold Agnew, from Knoxville, Tennessee. prgtoken At 91 years young, Harold continues to be active in our community through his job as a barber and a gospel musician. prgtoken Harold was raised on a farm in South Carolina but came to call Knoxville home in his adult years. For 61 years, Harold has been a barber and still works 6 days a week at Gam's Barbershop in Mechanicsville. prgtoken Anyone who has had their hair cut by Harold will notice something unique about him. He is a gifted singer who sings gospel tunes as he works. He is a member of the group known as Brother Agnew and the Angel Voices, which released their latest album called ``Serving the Lord'' in November 2019. prgtoken At 91 years old, Harold has a cheerful personality and optimistic attitude. He continues to live his life to the fullest, with no intention of taking a step back from his day job. prgtoken One of the lyrics from his recent songs is, ``but sometimes a nobody is your somebody.'' Harold believes everyone matters, regardless of who you are. That is a message we can all believe in. prgtoken Congratulations, Harold, on all your success. Keep being an outstanding member of our great community.
WASTEFUL SPENDING
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2020-3-11

there are a lot of things going on right now in DC and a lot of moving targets. A lot of Americans are looking closely at what is happening with the COVID-19 virus. We are tracking what is happening overseas in Afghanistan and multiple other issues on the stock market, as well as what is happening with oil and gas right now. prgtoken We are spending a little bit of time, in the middle of all those things, to also say that we can't lose track of structural issues in government, to see if we can work on those issues that are, right now, in front of us, but we also have to look at long-term issues, to look at basic government transparency and basic accountability for government. prgtoken So I want to highlight--several of my colleagues are here, as well, highlighting some of the things that are actually on the floor or have moved recently or we think we can move on those. One of those things is the GREAT Act. This is a bipartisan bill that deals with basic transparency for grants. prgtoken If you go back 20 years ago, the Federal Government gave away very few grants. Now, $600 billion a year is just for grants. My colleague, Joni Ernst from Iowa, just highlighted some of those wasteful grants that are out there that, as we go through them, we say we can try to get those one at a time or we can try to get a system in place where all grants have to go through a centralized data system where we can actually all look at the data and compare it across the government to basically look for areas of inefficiency. That is what the GREAT Act does. It creates standard data elements so that we can look at how the money is being spent--America's money--so we can actually evaluate it. That has overwhelmingly already passed. We are grateful to get that done this year. prgtoken Another one we were able to get done this year that has passed the Senate but has not yet passed the House is providing accountability through transparency. Now, this may seem super simple, but let me just begin with the most basic principle. No small business owner in America gets up every day and reads the Federal Register. It just doesn't happen anywhere. prgtoken If you are running a small business, you are running your small business. You are not getting up every day and reading the Federal Register to see the latest regulation. Even if you did, with the pages and pages and pages of regulations there, you can't make sense of it. This basic providing of accountability through transparency asks a simple question: Can we force the agencies, when they actually do a new regulation, to condense it down to 100 words or less in plain English so that you can actually figure out what this regulation is trying to do, so when you see a regulation come out, you can actually understand it without having to hire an attorney to go interpret it for you? prgtoken That has overwhelmingly already passed the Senate, and we are waiting for that to pass th
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Darin LaHood (Republican, IL) \u2014 2020-3-11

. Madam , I missed votes on February 11, February 12, and February 13 because I attended funeral services for my district staffer, Barb Baker. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 57; NAY on Roll Call No. 58; YEA on Roll Call No. 59; NAY on Roll Call No. 60; YEA on Roll Call No. 61; YEA on Roll Call No. 62; YEA on Roll Call No. 63; YEA on Roll Call No. 64; YEA on Roll Call No. 65; YEA on Roll Call No. 66; YEA on Roll Call No. 67; YEA on Roll Call No. 68; NAY on Roll Call No. 69; and NAY on Roll Call No. 70.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF S.J. RES. 68, DIRECTING THE REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM HOSTILITIES AGAINST THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AUTHORIZED BY CONGRESS...
Rob Woodall (Republican, GA) \u2014 2020-3-11

. Madam , I thank my friend from Arizona for yielding. prgtoken I want to stipulate, Madam , that I have seen the gentleman from Massachusetts, the leader of our committee, do some things on that committee that no one else has tried to do. prgtoken I was in this institution for a decade as a chief of staff, now a decade as a Member of Congress, and he has done some amazing things that I believe will serve this institution and serve the committee, not just this Congress, but next Congress and for decades to come. And I applaud him and his very capable team for pushing those initiatives forward. prgtoken But, today, Madam , we are talking about the exact opposite side of that coin, things that are done in the name of expediency today that may well do damage to this institution, not just this Congress and next Congress, but for decades to come. Habits happen in this institution, Madam . Habits happen. prgtoken My friend from Massachusetts used to work for a great leader in this institution, Mr. Joe Moakley. In fact, his picture hangs on the wall as a former chairman of the Rules Committee. prgtoken I used to work for a great Member of this institution as well, Madam , Mr. John Linder, out of the great State of Georgia. He also served on the Rules Committee. prgtoken As we come down to the floor today, for my friends of the majority to defend for the second time in 6 weeks taking away the minority's right to have any input on the process whatsoever, I thought I would go back 20 years from today, back to the year 2000, when the gentleman from Massachusetts' former boss and my former boss sat in these very same chairs. prgtoken At that time, Madam , s were in the majority. I will go back to October 3 of 2000 when Mr. Linder took to the floor and said: And the rule provides a motion to recommit, as is the right of the minority. prgtoken s were in control, complete control, of this institution. They could jam anything through that they wanted to jam through. But it was the right of the minority to have at least a final voice and a final opportunity to amend the bill. prgtoken October 12, a week later, Mr. Linder and Mr. Moakley were on the floor again. Mr. Linder says: And, finally, the rule provides for one motion to recommit, as is the right of the minority. prgtoken Again, Madam , October 19 of that same year, just a week after that, Mr. Linder and Mr. Moakley on the floor again: The rule provides a motion to recommit, as is the right of the minority. prgtoken We will go a week after that, Madam . Same two gentlemen on the floor again, same majority in charge. Mr. Linder, on the floor: Resolution . . . as is the right of the minority. prgtoken A week after that, Madam : Motion to recommit, with or without instructions, as is the right of the minority. prgtoken I will go on and on and on. Because 20 years ago, it was not a
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Lamar Alexander (Republican, TN) \u2014 2020-3-11

in reserving the right to object, I will continue to work with the Senator from Washington State, as we always do, and on a comprehensive response to the this issue, the coronavirus. She and I have had four briefings, and we will have another one tomorrow. We have a history of being able to come to agreement on these matters. prgtoken The idea of there being paid sick leave is a good idea, but if Washington, DC, thinks it is a good idea, Washington, DC, should pay for it. When I prgtoken was the Governor of Tennessee, nothing used to make me more unhappy than when some well-meaning individual in the U.S. Senate or U.S. House would come up with a big idea, pass it, take credit for it, and send me the bill. prgtoken Employees are struggling, and so are employers struggling, but it is not a cure for the coronavirus to, in the middle of this matter, put a big, new, expensive Federal mandate on employers who are struggling. Paid sick leave is a good idea, and we do it in my office. The Federal Government now does it, and many businesses do it. Yet, if the Federal Government wants to require it, the Federal Government should pay for it. prgtoken I object.
DIRECTING THE REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM HOSTILITIES AGAINST THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AUTHORIZED BY CONGRESS
Michael T. McCaul (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-3-11

. Madam , the balance of my time to close. prgtoken Madam , there was reference that the taking out of Soleimani was an assassination. I just want to remind this body of Jeh Johnson's words, President 's general counsel at the Department of Defense, Secretary of Homeland Security, who I have tremendous respect for. He signed off on airstrikes under the administration, stating that Soleimani was a lawful military objective, and the President, under his Constitutional authority as Commander in Chief, had ample domestic legal authority to take him out without additional congressional authorization. I think that really puts this matter to rest. prgtoken But let me also say that the chairman and I are very bipartisan. We respect this committee. We respect the integrity of this committee. We both see the world very much in the same way. I know the chairman is not a supporter of Soleimani. I believe the chairman believes, as I do, that the world is safer without Mr. Soleimani in it. prgtoken The chairman and I are very staunchly pro-Israel, and are for Israel, and very much against the actions of the Ayatollah in Iran. So I don't question the chairman whatsoever. prgtoken In fact, I take great pride in the fact that the chairman and I work very well together. When we disagree--and sometimes we do--we agree to disagree, and we do so with civility, which I think has been lost at times in this body, in this town. And so I want to start with that. prgtoken I will say that all the hearings I have had, and briefings prove that Soleimani was a terrorist who actively engaged in a campaign of violence against Americans and our interests. And after not one, two, but three times debating this issue on the floor, I think we about said all we can say. prgtoken I think we can all agree he was a brutal terrorist and that the world is better off without him. prgtoken But I have to question, why now are we debating this? Our country is facing a public health emergency. prgtoken Madam , as I stated, the World Health Organization just announced in the time of this debate that the coronavirus is now a pandemic. prgtoken As of today, there are more than 121,000 reported cases of coronavirus worldwide, including over 1,000 right here in the United States. And while the CDC maintains the likelihood of a person catching the disease is low, the fallout from the fear caused by COVID-19 is real and is causing real damage. prgtoken Just 2 days ago, people were watching as their 401(k)s and retirement funds were disappearing and Wall Street saw the biggest drop in more than a decade. I know in my district, the city of Austin suffered a significant economic blow with the cancellation of South by Southwest, an event the chairman and I were actually scheduled to speak at regarding how we were the committee that works together and doesn't give in to toxic partisan politics. prgtoken Last year, this conference in my hometown bro
DIRECTING THE REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM HOSTILITIES AGAINST THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AUTHORIZED BY CONGRESS
Denver Riggleman (Republican, VA) \u2014 2020-3-11

. Madam , I stand in strong opposition to H.R. Res. 68, which is a divisive resolution that ties President 's hands during a time when our Nation and regional allies like Israel need our support. prgtoken This resolution ignores efforts the President has made to avoid war, instead continuing the ic Party's fixation on the President's strike on Qasem Soleimani in Iraq. prgtoken My background does give me an expert perspective on the challenges in the Middle East, and an understanding of the current situation on the ground. Not only did I deploy directly after 9/11, I was the counter- IED team chief in 2006 and 2007 for the Counter-IED Operations Intelligence Integration Center. So our team saw firsthand what Iranian Quds Forces could do to U.S. forces based on IED deployment and technology transfer. prgtoken This was not some type of reckless assassination. This was a targeted elimination of a terrorist on our target list. President 's escalated air strikes against those planning to inflict harm on Americans are warranted responses against Iranian actions. prgtoken The United States reserves the right to defend itself, especially against bad actors like Soleimani and Iran. Instead of supporting a President who struck a terrorist, have retreated to partisan talking points and have flocked to this bill, which undermines the President's actions and shows a lack of American resolve to our enemies abroad. This legislation harms our ability to protect American interests. It harms our military preparedness. prgtoken Lines 20-25 of the resolution state that the President must terminate the use of United States Armed Forces for hostilities against Iran ``or any part of its government or military?'' prgtoken Does this include proxies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Algeria, Yemen, Bahrain, and Shia militia groups? The IRGC is a foreign terrorist organization, including its Quds Force. prgtoken Soleimani was with a person called al-Muhandis, the center of command and control against American forces, Shia militia groups, and an Iranian proxy. Do we consider force protection conditions? The Commander in Chief needs flexibility in this new Arab warfare. prgtoken And I do agree that it is time for Congress to update our authorizations for use of military force. I am eager to participate in this process during this time of asymmetric warfare and rapid response to terrorism. Let's provide solutions. Let's not provide political hyperbole.