mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Forced Family Separation (Executive Calendar)
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2018-6-5

for those of us who read history, we know that throughout history, including at times in our own country many years ago, the forcible separation of families was used as an instrument of terror. prgtoken I struggle to imagine a more damaging and inhumane governmental policy than to forcibly and needlessly tear children away from their parents. For decades, the United States has rightly led the world in condemning such practices as flagrant abuses of government power and human rights. prgtoken Yet, today, in an extraordinary breach of our most basic values, the administration is now regularly employing these very tactics. It is true that some children were separated from their parents during the previous administration. I vocally and forcefully opposed it then, because I believed and I am still convinced that there are alternatives that are far more humane and effective than the tearing apart of families. prgtoken But the family separation we are seeing today is so vastly different both in purpose and in scope than what occurred during the administration. There is no comparison. Separation is no longer limited to narrow circumstances where it is arguably in the best interest of the child. Separating children, even infants, from their parents is now being carried out as a blanket policy. It is frightening. This disturbing policy is happening by design. prgtoken The administration's decision to criminally prosecute every adult who arrives at our border without documentation establishes a de facto family separation policy that is going to rip thousands of innocent children away from their loved ones. The administration's claim that this policy is necessary to deter illegal border crossings rings hollow. The administration has also separated families who follow the rules and lawfully present themselves at ports of entry with claims of asylum. They are asking for asylum. prgtoken There is simply no way we can sanitize the cruelty of this policy. The anguish we are inflicting is evident in the story of each parent who is losing a child. Let me tell my colleagues a couple of those stories. prgtoken Here are the words of Maria, who was separated from her children, ages 7 and 2, just last month when she sought asylum at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. prgtoken She said: [A]t about 8 a.m. they called just my two children and I went out and they said, ``Miss, only they are going.''. . . . [T]he officer said, ``They are here for them. Can the little one walk?'' ``Yes,'' I told the officer. ``Let him down,'' they told me. The older one took his hand and they started to walk. Then they turned around to look and when they saw that I was not going after them, they cried. prgtoken I will tell another story, the ordeal of another mother with two sons, age 4 and 10. She is seeking asylum from El Salvador. I was only given five minutes to say
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2018-6-5

last month in the Banking Committee, we passed bipartisan legislation to give our country more tools to respond to foreign investments from countries like China that pose a threat to our national security. I appreciate the Presiding Officer's interest in this issue also. prgtoken The Senate Banking bill was attached to the Defense bill in the Armed Services Committee later that week, and the House also passed a similar bill through a key committee at the same time. This is good news as we try to address threats to our national security, and I hope we can get this to the President's desk quickly. prgtoken The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States--so-called CFIUS--screens foreign investments for national security threats and blocks those that undermine our national security. But as countries like China have adopted new tactics and new techniques to acquire our critical knowledge and know-how, the laws that give CFIUS its authority haven't been able to keep up with technology; hence, the reason that Senator Cornyn and Senator Feinstein and Senator Van Hollen and Senator Crapo and I have worked on this. I want to thank them for introducing legislation last fall to expand CFIUS's authority to keep up with these new tactics. prgtoken The Banking Committee bill builds on their efforts to modernize CFIUS to make sure that it has the tools it needs to tackle today's threats. No country--not even close--no country has been more aggressive than the People's Republic of China in going after American technology in aviation, robotics, new energy vehicles, and others where the United States has established itself as a global leader for a long time. prgtoken In just 3 years, from 2013 to 2015--from the beginning of 2013 to the end of 2015--the number of Chinese acquisitions coming under CFIUS review jumped 38 percent. And China is getting more clever, more sneaky--you can choose the word you like--at finding ways to get around the rules to avoid review at all. prgtoken We have seen Chinese companies start to structure deals so that they can gain access to sensitive technology and information without triggering the CFIUS review. For example, if a Chinese investor wants to buy a controlling stake in an American company, CFIUS would review that deal and have the chance to block it. But if Chinese investors instead got seats on that company's board, they could still have access to the same sensitive technology without going through the CFIUS review. Or some foreign investors also might, for instance, decide to enter into a joint venture with an American company instead, giving them access to all of the technology and data and know-how but bypassing the CFIUS review process. prgtoken The American business may not even particularly like joining up with this Chinese company, but the Chinese company will coerce them into a joint venture as a condition. This is what China is really good at, and U.S. cor
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2018-6-5

30 years ago this month, Dr. James Hansen testified before the U.S. Congress on the need to address climate change--30 years ago this month. He was a top NASA climate scientist. On a hot summer day in June of 1988, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Dr. Hansen testified that ``global warming has reached a level such that we can ascribe with a high degree of confidence a cause and effect relationship between the greenhouse effect and observed warming.'' He said, ``It is already happening now.'' prgtoken Thirty years have passed since then--30 years of added science, 30 years of new science, 30 years of updated reports, and 30 years of mounting evidence of how right Hansen was. Yet, here we still are in Congress still willfully ignoring the unprecedented changes to the climate and the oceans--changes that threaten our planet and its rich array of plant and animal life, changes that put at risk homes, farms, forests, and coasts, changes that affect our very human health and well-being. These are not computer model projections of the distant future but changes we are seeing right before our very eyes now. prgtoken Carbon-driven climate change is particularly acute in polar areas. Today, I want to focus on the melting and destabilization of the Antarctic polar ice cap. prgtoken Rhode Island is a long way from Antarctica. Florida is a less long way from Antarctica--it is still a pretty long way--but we are coastal States. In Rhode Island, the sea level is already up 11 inches along our shores, and far more sea level rise, accelerating sea level rise, is expected. The coastal towns and cities in the Presiding Officer's State are seeing similar encroachments of the ocean into their territories. prgtoken Here is how Antarctica is changing and what it means for our American shores. prgtoken The Antarctic ice sheet spans the South Pole, extending almost 14 million square kilometers--roughly the size of the contiguous United States and Mexico combined. The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest single mass of frozen water on planet Earth, containing 30 million cubic kilometers of ice. If the Antarctic ice sheet were to melt completely, you could actually do fairly simple math as to what would happen to that water. Sea levels could rise 200 feet above current levels, engulfing coastal regions worldwide. prgtoken This map shows Florida if we lose the West Antarctic ice sheet. As the map shows, it would inundate much of coastal and southern Florida, putting Miami and other cities completely underwater. It looks about the same here, if you lose the Greenland ice sheet, with there being similar damage and loss to Florida. Yet, here, if you lose the East Antarctic ice sheet, you more or less wipe out the entire State of Florida. You wipe out a few little islands here, a little nub below Georgia there, but essentially Florida is gone. prgtoken Imagine the entire population of Florida hav
Russia Investigation (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-6-5

over the past few weeks, we have all endured the increasingly novel legal theories dreamt up by the President and his lawyers regarding the special counsel's investigation into the Russian interference in the 2016 election. prgtoken Over the weekend, we learned the President's lawyers wrote a memo that asserted unfettered authority over all Federal investigations. Rudy Giuliani actually suggested that the President could have ``shot James Comey'' and not been indicted or prosecuted because, according to him, ``in no case can [the President] be subpoenaed or indicted.'' Is that incredible? prgtoken The President himself tweeted yesterday that he had the absolute right to pardon himself and that the appointment of the special counsel was unconstitutional, despite the fact that he regularly called for a special counsel to look into Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign. The two-facedness, the hypocrisy of saying Hillary should have it but, no, it is unconstitutional now that it applies to him--how can the American people tolerate that kind of thinking in a President? This morning, again, President faulted Attorney General Sessions for recusing himself from the probe instead of helping to end it. prgtoken The President's tweet regarding Attorney General Sessions this morning is part of a pattern where the President admits out loud and shamelessly that he was trying to take steps to end the Russia probe. First, in a television interview, the President admitted that stopping the Russia probe was his motivation for firing Director Comey. Now he says he would never have hired Sessions if he had known he was going to recuse himself, even though recusal was required by Department of Justice rules. prgtoken This latest stunning admission is just more evidence that the President may have something to hide. If he did nothing wrong, President should welcome a thorough investigation to exonerate him. prgtoken Each of the claims that I have mentioned has the same theme: That the President believes he is above the law. Of course, we know the idea that anyone in America is above the law is antithetical to the very idea of America, antithetical to the very idea of democracy, and antithetical to what millions of Americans have fought for and hundreds of thousands--millions--have died for in the course of our history. We don't have a King. We have a President, bound by the same Constitution and the same laws that govern the average American citizen. prgtoken The Founding Fathers didn't set out to create a monarchy; they set out to construct a system of government entirely distinct from the monarchies of their time. That is why they installed checks and balances and devolved power between three branches to ensure the liberty of the people and guard against the encroachment of tyranny. That was their great gift to us, and their ideas have kept American democracy alive for two and one-half centuries a
Tribute to Dennis Williams (Executive Calendar)
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2018-6-5

I rise today to pay tribute to someone who has been fighting for working men and women his entire career. prgtoken Just for a moment, let's think back to 1977. The top movie that year was ``Star Wars''--the original one--and the average movie ticket cost $2.23. The Apple II computer went on sale. It cost $1,298, not including the television you needed to use for a monitor. The space shuttle Enterprise took its first test flight, perched on top of a Boeing 747. And a young Marine Corps veteran and salvage welder at J.I. Case first joined UAW Local 806 in Rock Island, IL. He began fighting at that point for workers' rights. prgtoken A few things have changed since then. ``Star Wars'' and Apple have evolved, and the space shuttle has retired. Yet one thing hasn't changed: Dennis Williams is just as dedicated to the working men and women of the UAW today as he was four decades ago. Over the years, he has served them in a number of ways, including negotiating the first contract at Mitsubishi Motors North America in Bloomington, IL; organizing Indiana State employees; helping Local 844 in Vermont, IL, obtain their first contract; and serving locals throughout the nine States of Region 4. prgtoken In 2010, he was elected UAW's secretary-treasurer. In 2014, he was elected United Auto Workers' president, a position he has held with distinction since then. It hasn't been an easy time to lead the UAW. The great recession hit the American automobile industry very hard. Some folks thought we should just let the auto industry go bankrupt. Instead, the United Auto Workers made sacrifices, stood strong, stood together, and weathered the storm. Under Dennis Williams' leadership, the UAW ended 2017 with a fiscal surplus for the third straight year and with more than 430,000 members--up 60,000 members since 2011. It is no surprise. Anyone who has worked with Dennis knows just how dedicated he is to his members and to the communities where they live and where they work. prgtoken Just ask the people of Flint. During the water crisis--which, by the way, continues on--UAW members from all over the country were some of the first ones there to help. They collected bottled water and distributed it in their own vehicles, going door to door to help, even traveling to Washington, DC, to demand action from Congress. We are so pleased that they helped us get action to help the families in Flint. prgtoken That tells us a little something about the character of the members of the UAW. Yet, it also tells us a little bit about their leader--a man who long ago signed up to serve his country and has simply never stopped. I think that Dennis would say it is about solidarity. He wrote in an editorial in the Detroit News last month: We believe that no matter where you come from, who you are, what language you speak, or what religion you practice--being in a union is about working men and women standing up for
WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2018
Jenniffer González-Colón (Republican, PR) \u2014 2018-6-6

. Madam Chair, this amendment calls on the Army Corps of Engineers to consider urgently and favorably those projects and proposals pending before them for flood control, dam repair, beach erosion, and harbor navigation in Puerto Rico, as well as for the repair and mitigation required in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria and, more specifically, that the Secretary should advance the project for ecosystem restoration at Cano Martin Pena in San Juan. prgtoken Between projects that had been proposed or planned before the disaster and those resulting from the disaster, the Army Corp of Engineers has before its consideration over 45 different projects or proposals for flood and erosion control for protection of life and property on the island. These projects are in all sorts of phases, from initial studies to planning, to pending construction start, to waiting for the next phase to be funded, and to inactive projects that may be reactivated. prgtoken While we wait for decisions, we have towns like Toa Baja where, during the last hurricane in September, more than 12,000 families were flooded out of their homes. Every decade, that kind of town suffers losses from different kinds of floods while there is a project already designed and approved that could have greatly mitigated that kind of a hazard and by now would have cost less than the accumulated losses from the last hurricane. prgtoken Those are the kinds of projects that are already approved by the Army Corps in that part of this amendment. In Ciales and Guayanilla, the mayors have gathered the studies and plans, but it has not yet been made part of the Corps schedule. prgtoken Among the works that merit special attention is the Cano Martin Pena Project, which has been an example of community partnership and has been an important part of the Corps' program in Puerto Rico, for the ecosystem restoration, protection of lives in the community, and control of flooding in an area that extends from the San Juan business district to the international airport. prgtoken The community has been an outstanding local partner, showing great drive to move forward their part of the program, but the project has been very slow because of the limited funding by phases. prgtoken It is important at this point in time as we face a new hurricane season that our people get the sense of urgency from the Federal Government. When you know that the next storm is coming and danger is on the horizon, you will also want to know that the necessary work has been done. That is the reason this amendment is so important, and that is the reason I encourage all my colleagues to support this amendment. prgtoken Madam Chair, .
TRIBUTE TO GENERAL LORI J. ROBINSON
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2018-6-6

Gen. Lori J. Robinson, USAF, will officially retire from Active Duty later this summer. This week, General Robinson's friends and family are gathering in Crystal City to celebrate her career. In advance of that event, I wanted to say a few words about this exemplary military officer and honorary Alaskan who has devoted her entire 36-year career to the security of our Nation. prgtoken General Robinson was born in Big Springs, TX. She is the oldest of five children. Her father served over 30 years in the Air Force, so she was not a stranger to the military lifestyle. General Robinson completed her undergraduate work at New Hampshire University in English and was commissioned as an Air Force officer through the ROTC Program in 1981. Entering the Air Force, she was trained as an air battle manager. General Robinson spent several years mastering her craft before completing the weapons instructor course as a distinguished graduate from the Air Force Weapons School. She served in several locations to include Florida, Philippines, Nevada, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Colorado, Southwest Asia, and multiple stints in the Nation's Capital. prgtoken While General Robinson served both across the Air Force and the country, it was in 1989 when then-Captain Robinson arrived at Pacific Air Forces, PACAF, for her first assignment at the headquarters. As the chief of current operations and command briefer, General Robinson gained breadth beyond her operational duties as an air battle manager. She would return 26 years later in 2014 to assume command of PACAF, becoming the first female Air Force officer to lead an Air Force major component command. General Robinson met the challenges of a command spanning 13 time zones and 100 million square miles of air space head on, providing effective leadership to the command during a challenging time for the Air Force. prgtoken As PACAF commander, General Robinson oversaw U.S. Air Force operations at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson and Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. She was generous in her support for Alaska's airmen and graciously keynoted the 47th Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce Military Appreciation Banquet in 2015. prgtoken Following General Robinson's time as the PACAF commander, she took command of North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, and U.S. Northern Command, USNORTHCOM, in May 2016. In this final assignment, General Robinson made history again as the first female to command a combatant command. Tasked with the defense of the North American continent, General Robinson has faced down challenges ranging from nuclear threats from North Korea to a series of severe natural disasters. Managing disaster relief for 10 hurricanes while simultaneously providing aid for the wildfires that affected over 10 million acres in 2017 strained the commands and their resources, but General Robinson used the challenges to help expand the commands' readiness and capabilities.
PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2017
Barbara Comstock (Republican, VA) \u2014 2018-6-6

I rise today to urge the Members of this body to concur with the Senate amendment to my bill, the Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program Authorization Act of 2018, so that we may send this bill to the President for his signature. prgtoken I appreciate all the work that Chairman Goodlatte and the committee has done and the bipartisan nature in which they have worked with us, as well as the administration and the Attorney General. prgtoken This bill will help address the problem of the rise of violence from gangs like MS-13 that have threatened my area in Northern Virginia, as well as the entire Washington metropolitan region and other places such as Long Island, Houston, and Los Angeles. MS-13 is actually active in 40 States and the District of Columbia, and their goal is to grow. prgtoken Gangs like MS-13 have branched into human trafficking as well as drugs and, of course, their murderous rampages. In Virginia, we actually, several years ago, increased the penalties on any of these gang members involved with human trafficking, so we know we constantly need to change how we address these gangs. prgtoken Now, let's just look at some of the recent headlines in The Washington Post, our local paper, which they have actually covered the violence, the murders, the trials and more of the approximately over 30 killings over the past several years, and that is the number according to the gang task force. prgtoken Here are some of the headlines: ``MS-13 Is `Taking Over the School,' One Teen Warned Before She Was Killed.'' ``He Was Flashing Gang Signs on Facebook. It Got Him Killed by MS- 13.'' ``Heinous and Violent: MS-13's Appeal to Girls Grows as Gang Become Americanized.'' prgtoken And finally, one: ``She Told the Girl She'd See Her in Hell Before Stabbing Her. Now She's Guilty of an MS-13 Murder.'' prgtoken That particular murder was detailed about a young woman, Damaris Reyes Rivas, and her body was found here, this highway, which is just in Springfield, in Virginia, about a dozen, a little over a dozen miles here from the Capitol. You can see the MS-13 gang signs here, and that is where they left her body. prgtoken At age 12, Damaris was brought to the U.S. by her mom to escape gangs in El Salvador. By 15, she was dead, killed by those very gangs, numerous gang members, who then sent a video of her killing back to El Salvador because that is one of their goals, to show what they have done here. prgtoken Just to give you a little detail on this, Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Morrogh played the videos in court, saying he wanted to make clear for the judge the depravity involved in the horrific murder of the high school girl. Her mother was in the courtroom. prgtoken The prosecutor said: ``Some kids are prodigies at the violin, and some kids are prodigies at violence. This is a prodigy at violence.'' prgtoken The first video shows Damaris in the Springfield, Virginia, woods, being interrogated by the g