mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Nomination of Amy Coney Barrett (Executive Calendar)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2020-10-24

. I just want to make sure that the record of the Senate is clear here. don't just decry dark money spending; have, over and over again, sought to end it. I know this because I was the floor leader on the DISCLOSE Act when we brought it right here in the Senate, and we came within one vote of getting rid of dark money. Every voted for that measure. Every voted to get rid of this scourge of dark money. Every voted to protect it. prgtoken So, yes, do use dark money? We are playing by your rules. We are playing by rules. We could have brought up the DISCLOSE Act again because it was the first order of business the House passed in H.R. 1, but the Senate majority leader didn't want that bill to get a vote. prgtoken So it is a little bit rich to hear a litany of woes about dark money from the party that is responsible for dark money happening. We could have gotten rid of it if we had passed my DISCLOSE Act. We could have gotten rid of it if we had passed H.R. 1. We did none of the above. prgtoken So if I may, I would like to ask that a resolution be passed. Unanimous Consent Request--S. Res. 59 prgtoken , as in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 59, submitted earlier today; further, that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. prgtoken If I may, just briefly, before the Presiding Officer calls for objections, just describe the resolution, which expresses the sense of the Senate that dark money undermines the integrity of the judicial system and damages the perception that all people receive equal justice under law; that dark money organizations funded by anonymous donors are now playing an outsized role in the selection of judges and Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States and have spent millions of anonymous dollars on advertising campaigns supporting those selections; that the people of the United States have no idea who is funding these campaigns and what business those funders might have before the Court; that the Federalist Society and the Judicial Crisis Network and other groups have been a part of this and they are heavily dark money funded in this role; that then-Candidate said of his judicial selections that they would ``be hand-picked by the Federalist Society''; that his White House counsel boasted that the Federalist Society had been ``in- sourced''; that the Washington Post reported that Leonard Leo, then of the Federalist Society, helped raise $250 million from mostly anonymous donors into this effort--and I will leave the rest of the details to interested readers who want to pursue it. prgtoken But I would say to Senator Daines' umbrage about dark money in Montana campaigns, if there is anything wo
Nomination of Amy Coney Barrett (Executive Calendar)
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2020-10-25

a little over a month ago I came to the floor to honor the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a trailblazer, an icon, and a friend. I shared what she meant as a personal hero for me and as a role model to millions of other women. I discussed her groundbreaking work and how much of what she fought for is now on the line. prgtoken I talked about the message Ruth left before she died, stating her ``most fervent wish'' that her replacement not be named ``until a new President is installed.'' prgtoken It has been 37 days since Ruth died. I miss her. America misses her. It has also been 37 days since Mitch McConnell declared he would disregard Ruth's ``most fervent'' wish and move ahead with a corrupt and illegitimate process to fill her seat on the Supreme Court. Just 8 days--8 days--before the election, when tens of millions of Americans have already cast their ballots and just 15 days before the Supreme Court will hear a case that could overturn the Affordable Care Act, , Mitch McConnell, and their buddies are shoving aside the wishes of the American people in order to steal the Supreme Court seat. prgtoken Mitch McConnell and the Senate s violated the long- established rules of the Judiciary Committee to rush their nominee through, giving each other a wink and a nod before they turned a blind eye to their own rulebreaking. They even violated the rule Mitch McConnell made up in order to keep one of President 's nominees off the Court long before anyone was voting: no confirmations of Justices in an election year. So they made up the rules, then they broke those same rules. They cheated. prgtoken Why? Why was it so important that they were willing to turn their backs on the very rules that they had put in place? Why rush through this nomination? prgtoken Why? Because the Party is scared that they can't win through the democratic process, scared that they can't win by playing by the rules, that they can't win when the American people decide the outcome, that they can't win when elections matter. prgtoken What we are seeing today is the last gasp of a desperate party--a party working to undermine our democracy so that they can keep pushing their extremist agenda just a little longer, a party that doesn't reflect the views of a majority of Americans or the values that we hold dear. prgtoken This is a party beholden to billionaires and extremists that is desperate to keep its grasp on power and willing to break any rule, any precedent, or any principle to hold on to that power just a little longer. The Senators bat down every concern. prgtoken No Supreme Court nominee has been confirmed this close to a Presidential election. They say: No problem. Senators plunge ahead with an illegitimate nomination made by a morally bankrupt President. prgtoken The Rose Garden ceremony to celebrate the nomination turns into a coronavirus superspreader
REMEMBERING SEAN HIGGINS
Catherine Cortez Masto (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2020-10-25

I rise to recognize a lifelong Nevadan and a friend to all he knew, Sean Higgins. prgtoken Sean was a dedicated member of our community, an unmistakable presence, and a tireless champion and advocate for our gaming industry and small businesses in Nevada. He was born in Chicago in 1964, but raised in Las Vegas, 1 of 10 siblings--5 brothers and 5 sisters. His father, Dr. Gerald Higgins, was an orthopedic surgeon and doctor for the Rebels, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas football team. Sean graduated from Bishop Gorman High School. He left Nevada only briefly for his education, obtaining a degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University and a law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law. prgtoken Sean and I grew up in Las Vegas when it was a much smaller town of 330,000 people, so perhaps our paths were always destined to cross. We met in the 6th grade when we attended Matt Kelly Elementary School together. Even then, Sean had a presence, with his distinctive voice and outgoing personality. He was friendly, charming--yes, even at 11 years old--and made you want to hang out with him. And so we did, spending time at pool parties and dancing to the band ``Hot Chocolate.'' Over the years our paths diverged, but his focus, like mine, was on returning to Las Vegas and the State we loved to practice law. prgtoken Sean represented clients both large and small to State gaming regulators and government bodies across the Silver State. Everyone knew Sean for his gregarious nature and his booming voice, which made him a fierce advocate for championing the causes of his clients. He spent 17 years as general counsel of Herbst Gaming, a multijurisdictional casino operator in Nevada that became Affinity Gaming in 2011, and where his sister, Mary Beth Higgins, now serves as CEO. He served as executive- vice president of government affairs for Golden Entertainment, prgtoken a casino company and slot machine route operator, and became a partner at the Gordon Silver Law firm. He became a small business owner himself, operating a popular gaming pub with two of his brothers and founding his own law firm, STH Strategies, in 2015. prgtoken We reunited in our professional careers in Carson City when I was working for Governor Miller and he was advocating for taverns and gaming. The best part, he was still the same Sean Higgins I met in the 6th grade--friendly, charming, and yes, he made you want to hang out with him. So I did. For the last 20 years as our professional careers converged, I had the opportunity to watch Sean as he advocated for the town he loved and the businesses that made us a success, all the while smoking cigars and enjoying a good meal with the friends he cultivated along the way. prgtoken I will miss my friend, and I am grateful I got to talk with him to say goodbye, to tell him that I loved him. During our conversation, his main concern was for his family. Sean loved L
Medical care for the uninsured could cost billions more (Executive Calendar)
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2020-10-25

Justice Ginsburg was the first Supreme Court Justice I ever voted for and a North Star for me and so many others whose futures were irrefutably made possible in part by her life and her work. prgtoken I pledged I would do everything in my power to honor her last wish-- that the next President fill her vacancy--not just because Justice Ginsburg was a legal giant who can never be replaced but because I understand, like she did, that making such a momentous decision so close to an election could exacerbate our Republic's challenges and spin our democracy into chaos. prgtoken That is why I have been fighting so hard to push my colleagues to stop this charade and to just wait a few weeks. We should not be voting on this lifetime appointment while the American people themselves are in the middle of voting, of telling us how they want this country's future to look. prgtoken This is all made even worse by the fact that we are in the middle of a pandemic, and instead of working with to pass serious relief our communities are calling out for, s are refusing to do anything but jam this anti-healthcare judge on to the Supreme Court. prgtoken Over the last 3 years, I have seen s rubberstamp hard-right judicial nominees like it is all they came here to do, but watching them ignore the clear wishes of the American people, explicitly reject attempts to help families and communities get through this pandemic, and press on with this grotesque power grab--it is a new low for this body. It is a new low for our country and for the people we serve. prgtoken As I have made clear, I will be voting against Judge Barrett's confirmation, just like I voted against her confirmation to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, against Justice Kavanaugh and Gorsuch and against so many other -nominated judges who, whether they admit it or not, are part of a strategy to roll back our hard-won progress. prgtoken Judge Barrett clearly fits the same mold as the more than 200 partisan judges Senate s have fast-tracked onto the Federal bench who are anti-healthcare and anti-abortion but pro-big business and pro-wealthy special interests. prgtoken This was all reinforced during the sham nomination process as Senate s and Judge Barrett tried to downplay their own litmus test. prgtoken Judge Barrett was asked to affirm the constitutionality of the law that protects healthcare for hundreds of millions of Americans. She refused. prgtoken She was asked to affirm the longstanding ruling of Roe v. Wade as a superprecedent. Not surprisingly, given her record includes a statement calling Roe ``barbaric,'' she refused. prgtoken She was asked to affirm the constitutionality of the ruling that allowed same-sex marriages and opened up a new chapter of equality for LGBTQIA+ couples. She refused. prgtoken She was asked to affirm that climate change is causing air and water pollution. Yet, even o
Nomination of Amy Coney Barrett (Executive Calendar)
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2020-10-25

I come to the floor to defend a woman's right to choose. I am beyond frustrated that this debate is even happening tonight. According to statistics from the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, there are over 433,000 victims of rape and sexual assault on average prgtoken each year in the United States of America. They have found that every 73 seconds an American is sexually assaulted. prgtoken When someone wants to chip away at the rights of American women to have access to healthcare, my State is going to take it personally. My State has codified Roe v. Wade into law. They have fought for these rights in a vote by the people of our State in the 1990s. So with a process today that is unfolding here in the Senate where someone wants to roll back those rights and propose a different way of life in the United States of America, we women are going to fight back. prgtoken The truth is, the majority of Americans support a woman's right to choose. The majority of States support a woman's right to choose, in what their public believes. It is a minority and a minority on this floor who does not support that and would love to have a judicial process that shortcuts active debate about the issues that are in the mainstream views of Americans. These statistics and these issues are almost 50 years of law about a healthcare delivery system that allows a woman to make this choice. It is from those statistics I just read you. There are darn good reasons they want to make those choices. prgtoken The fact that people have been out here characterizing this debate and going back in history and talking about all of these things that have happened to previous judicial nominees--yes. Yes, there has been a lot of back-and-forth. But the main point is, the other side of the aisle wants to nominate people who are out of the mainstream view of America. prgtoken Any of my colleagues who came here and tried to argue that Judge Barrett and her views are in the mainstream, I guarantee you, the judiciary process that we had with the Senate Judiciary Committee definitely did not prove that. In fact, the President's words and the actions of this body in nominating people whose views are out of the mainstream--because this is 50 years of settled law, and you are trying to override it by putting somebody on the Supreme Court who will say otherwise. prgtoken Adding insult to injury to this whole process is the fact that we are not really doing our day job. We are not dealing with the economic crisis that is facing America. I am a little tired of that too. I am a little tired of every time we have a debate about our economy--whether it was the fiscal cliff or the big budget deal or last year's budget deal or any budget deal--we never can deal with our economy because the other side of the aisle wants an amendment to take away a woman's right to choose and limit it. prgtoken I couldn't even get language in the last COVID package t
VOTE EXPLANATION
Kyrsten Sinema (Democrat, AZ) \u2014 2020-10-25

I was necessarily absent but had I been present would have voted yes on rollcall vote 201 on the Motion to Proceed to H.J. Res. 90, a joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency relating to ``Community Reinvestment Act Regulations''. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present would have voted no on rollcall vote 202, on the Motion to Table the Appealing of the Ruling of the Chair; a bill to condemn gross human rights violations of ethnic Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, and calling for an end to arbitrary detention, torture, and harassment of these communities inside and outside China prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present would have voted no on rollcall vote 203, on the Motion to Table McConnell Amdt. No. 2680; to improve the small business programs. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present would have voted yes on rollcall vote 204, on the Motion to Table the Motion to Proceed to S. 4675; a bill to amend the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present would have voted no on rollcall vote 205, on the Motion to Proceed to Executive Session to Consider Michael Newman to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Ohio. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present would have voted no on rollcall vote 206, on the Motion to Table the Appealing of the Ruling of the Chair; nomination of Michael Newman to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Ohio. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present would have no on rollcall vote 207, on the Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to S. 178 with Amendment No. 2652; a bill to condemn gross human rights violations of ethnic Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, and calling for an end to arbitrary detention, torture, and harassment of these communities inside and outside China. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present would have voted no on rollcall vote 208, on the Motion to Table the Appealing of the Ruling of the Chair; nomination or Michael Jay Newman, of Ohio, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Ohio. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present would have voted no on rollcall vote 209, on the Motion to Table the Appealing of the Ruling of the Chair; nomination of Michael Jay Newman, of Ohio, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Ohio. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present would have voted yes on rollcall vote 210, on the motion to proceed to legislative session. prgtoken I was necessarily absent but had I been present would have voted yes on rollcall vote 211, on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination Michael Jay Newman to be U.S. District Judge for the
prayer
Martin Heinrich (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2020-10-25

I rise today as more than 220,000 Americans are dead from the coronavirus. There are more than 4 million fewer jobs than when took office. We are still squarely in the middle of this pandemic and an economic crisis, the likes of which we have not seen since the Great Depression. prgtoken In recent weeks, cases of the coronavirus have risen dramatically. In my home State of New Mexico--and, frankly, across the entire country-- everyone is rightly worried about whether our schools, our childcare centers, and our small businesses can acquire the resources and the equipment they need to reopen safely. prgtoken We still don't have enough resources or even a national plan for testing and contact tracing, much less for treatments and the eventual nationwide distribution of an FDA-approved vaccine that would allow us to finally get a handle on this virus. prgtoken If we don't pass real economic relief in the coming weeks, many families in New Mexico will face desperate choices--between paying their bills, keeping a roof over their heads, and putting food on the table. Yet here we are, using valuable time on a Supreme Court confirmation process that should never have been taken up before the election. prgtoken Senate s say they aren't going to negotiate another coronavirus relief package. They say it is more important to ram a Supreme Court nominee through a broken and nakedly political process than it is to help the people that we were all elected to serve. prgtoken Clearly, nothing--not even the lives or livelihoods of the American people--will get in the way of their power-grab design to reward their biggest donors and the most extreme interests. prgtoken Let me say this clearly: I disagree. There is still so much that we need to do to stop the spread of the coronavirus and to support families, workers, and businesses that are struggling and to rebuild our communities. Let's move to that urgent action. prgtoken But with Senate s refusing to do that, let's discuss in real terms what they are doing instead. prgtoken Considering and confirming Supreme Court nominees is one of a Senator's most solemn duties under the Constitution. We are supposed to take it seriously and deliberately, but Senate s have thrown out the rule book. It started when, with nearly a full year remaining in President 's final term, Senate s refused to even hold hearings on Merrick Garland, the nominee to replace the late justice Antonin Scalia. prgtoken Then, they dismantled the rules that had ensured that both parties would have a seat at the table on Supreme Court nominations. Then, they bull-rushed the vetting process for Justice Kavanaugh's lifetime appointment to the Court, despite multiple, credible allegations of sexual misconduct. prgtoken After all of that, I suppose it should have come as no real surprise that Majority Leader McConnell waited less than an hour after the
Coronavirus (Executive Calendar)
Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-10-25

I rise today in opposition to the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. prgtoken Just over a month ago, our country lost Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a leading voice for equality and fundamental rights. prgtoken Judge Ginsburg's nomination was the first that I participated in when I came to the Senate 28 years ago. At her hearing, I had the opportunity to thank her for all she had done and for all she had yet to do. Before she was confirmed to the Bench, Justice Ginsburg played a critical role in breaking down barriers for women. prgtoken During her confirmation hearing, she staunchly and forthrightly defended her positions as an advocate for equality, including her own support for a woman's fundamental right to control her own body, the core holding of Roe v. Wade. prgtoken Once confirmed to the Court, Justice Ginsburg worked tirelessly to ensure that the opening words of our Constitution, ``We the People of the United States,'' included all people, not just the elite few. prgtoken The stakes are extraordinarily high in confirming a replacement for Justice Ginsburg in the best of circumstances, but for s to proceed now, just 8 days before an election, undermines, I think, the integrity and independence of the vote. prgtoken Senate s are breaking their own statements and promises by proceeding. In February of 2016, s refused to consider a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia because it was an election year. They blocked all consideration of President 's nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, claiming that the American people should have the opportunity to weigh in on a Supreme Court vacancy. Leader McConnell, at the time, clearly stated the s' position: ``My view, and I can now confidently say, the view shared by virtually everyone in my conference, is that the nomination should be made by the President that the people elect in the election that is now underway.' prgtoken Well, that is clearly not going to happen. prgtoken Chairman Graham, in 2018, reiterated this standard, promising that ``if an opening comes up in the last year of President 's term and the primary process has started, we'll wait till the next election.'' prgtoken But when Justice Ginsburg passed away just 46 days before election day, Senate s did not hesitate to go back on their word. On the night of Justice Ginsburg's death, Leader McConnell announced that President 's nominee for the vacancy would receive a vote on the Senate floor. Chairman Graham immediately set committee hearings for October 12, giving the committee just 2 weeks to review Judge Amy Coney Barrett's record. This proved to be insufficient, as evidenced by Judge Barrett's failure to identify and disclose significant amounts of material. prgtoken Then, before Judge Barrett's hearing had even concluded, Chairman Graham held a markup on her nomination, and more rules were broken by s