mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DIRECTING THE REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM HOSTILITIES IN THE REPUBLIC OF YEMEN THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AUTHORIZED BY CONGRESS
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2019-3-13

I rise to support the joint resolution of disapproval and to urge my colleagues to do so as well. prgtoken Let's be clear, there is no national security emergency at the southwestern border. The President and his administration continue to mislead Americans about what really is happening at the border in order to fulfill a misguided campaign promise to build a wall. After weeks of threats and toying with the idea of declaring a national emergency to circumvent Congress, the President, in my view, wrongly issued such a proclamation on February 15 under the authority of the National Emergencies Act. prgtoken This proclamation redirects military construction funds provided by Congress to the Department of Defense for projects deemed important to the readiness, welfare, and missions of our Armed Forces. This action is an extreme overreach of Executive authority. No President has ever declared a national emergency to circumvent Congress for a construction project he failed to get approved through legislation. prgtoken In fact, this authority to use military construction funds in an emergency has only been used twice for projects in the United States-- first by President George Herbert Walker during Operation Desert Shield and then by President in the aftermath of the 9/ 11 terrorist attacks--and those projects addressed prgtoken immediate and recognized needs of our warfighters. While the administration claims President also used this authority, the distinction is, he used it for its true intent, to provide facilities quickly in overseas locations for our warfighters in combat zones. To say those needs are the same as President 's campaign pledge to build a wall is simply wrong and misleading. prgtoken The President tries to justify this emergency as responding to a humanitarian crisis at the border, but the wall is not an effective solution to that crisis. What he ignores is the fact that the House and Senate overwhelmingly approved $22.54 billion in border security funding in the recent appropriations bill to enhance physical barriers at ports of entry, to hire additional law enforcement personnel, to address the humanitarian needs of migrants, and to increase counternarcotics and counterweapons detection technologies used at the border. Moreover, I would argue that to truly stop the influx of migrants at our southern border, there has to be a much more coordinated international effort led by the Department of State to address the conditions in Central America that cause migrants to leave their homes. Stopping mass migration at the source is the most effective and humane policy. prgtoken In its statement opposing the resolution before us today, the administration characterizes increasing numbers of ``family units, unaccompanied minors, and persons claiming a fear of return'' as a national security threat and a national emergency. Let us be clear. These groups of people
ACKNOWLEDGING LACK OF TRANSPARENCY IN FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS POSES A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY
Carolyn B. Maloney (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-3-13

I thank the chairwoman for yielding. prgtoken , I rise in support of this very important resolution. prgtoken For too long, criminals and terrorists have used our financial system to launder their dirty money and to hide all of their assets. prgtoken This issue is incredibly important to me because I have been working on legislation to crack down on anonymous shell companies for about 10 years, and Chairwoman Waters has always been a strong supporter and is, in fact, an original cosponsor of my legislation. prgtoken So I want to highlight one particular passage from this resolution which talks about the pilot program that FinCEN conducted in 2016 where they collected beneficial ownership information in certain real estate transactions in Manhattan and Miami. prgtoken The findings from the pilot program were shocking. They found that about 30 percent of the transactions involved a beneficial owner that had previously been the subject of a suspicious activity report from a bank, which strongly suggests that criminals and other bad actors are using anonymous shell companies to launder or hide money. prgtoken Requiring companies to disclose their beneficial owners would provide transparency to law enforcement. It would also protect Americans from terrorism financing by cracking down on the ability of terrorists to get financing in our country. And it would also help financial institutions keep the bad actors out of the financial system. prgtoken That is why I have been working so hard to pass my beneficial ownership bill, and I look forward to continuing to work in a bipartisan way with Ranking Member McHenry and others to address this important issue. prgtoken I must say that this issue was brought to me by law enforcement, and they told me they will be tracking money that they think is terrorism financing. They hit an LLC; they cannot get any more information about who owns this real estate or company in our country. We have to stop that. prgtoken So I strongly urge support for the chairwoman's resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it as well and to support the bipartisan beneficial ownership bill which will shortly be on the floor.
CELEBRATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICAN LEGION
Lucille Roybal-Allard (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-3-13

. Madam , today I rise to recognize the 100th anniversary of The American Legion, the nation's largest wartime veterans' service organization. prgtoken Through the years, The American Legion has evolved from a group of World War I veterans into one of the most influential nonprofit groups in the United States. Today, membership stands at over two million in more than 13,000 posts worldwide. The posts are organized into 55 departments: one each for the 50 states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico, and the Philippines. prgtoken The Legion is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization, with a strong grassroots involvement in politics and the legislative process. The Legion's success depends entirely on active membership, participation, and volunteerism. The organization belongs to the people it serves and the communities in which it thrives. prgtoken The Legion stands behind the issues most important to our nation's veterans, backed by resolutions passed by volunteer leadership. Legionnaires' sense of obligation to their community, state, and nation drives their advocacy for veterans and their needs. prgtoken On March 15, 1919, members of the American Expeditionary Force convened in Paris for the first American Legion caucus. Congress chartered the group that September. That November, delegates to The American Legion's first National Convention established the Legion's values of service to community, state, and nation. Those values would form the Legion's four pillars upon which this great organization of men and women still stands: Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation, National Security, Americanism, and Children & Youth. prgtoken These pillars remain in place to support veterans, national security, patriotism, and the children and youth of America, the future of our great nation. Based on these pillars, the Legion has built programs with an unparalleled impact on American society during its first century of service. prgtoken The Legion has influenced considerable social change in America and won substantial victories for veterans, advocating for the establishment of the Veterans Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the G.I. Bill. The G.I. Bill helped make higher education, home ownership, and future employment possible for veterans; it also provided an opportunity for veterans to dispute the characterization of military discharge, which had been at the discretion of the commanding officer without an explanation. Eventually, this policy led to the founding of the Board of Veterans Appeals. prgtoken For decades, the Legion also fought to strengthen the nation through a non-mandatory ``Universal Military Training'' so our country would be prepared in the event of war. Out of this belief came the Reserve Forces Act of 1955, which launched the modern Reserve component of our military, as well as the National Guard. prgtoken The Legion has also produced or supported many im
REMEMBERING LOUISE SLAUGHTER
Doris O. Matsui (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-3-13

. Madam , a year ago we said good-bye to Louise Slaughter, our dear, dear, friend. prgtoken Louise Slaughter was a titan of Congress. She was unforgettable. prgtoken When I first joined the Rules Committee after getting elected, I was immediately drawn to Louise. Louise took me under her wing. She even made fun of people that I thought were really wonderful, and she laughed because she knew we shared a joke. prgtoken Honestly, Louise was somebody who even made the late hours in the Rules Committee fun, too, with her wittiness and her intellect and the fact that, beneath it all, she absolutely loved serving in this wonderful House. prgtoken Louise lived in perfect balance. She was charming, yet intense; witty, yet resolute. prgtoken After spending time with Louise, you knew her heart was with the people of western New York, and you knew she wasn't going to back down from her beliefs. prgtoken She loved her family. She loved her district as if they were her family, also. And we loved Louise because she loved everyone and gave support. prgtoken We miss you, Louise.
CLOTURE MOTION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-3-13

I am reading a book called ``These Truths'' prgtoken by Jill Lepore. It is a history of the United States. She is a really gifted historian and writes quite a few things. She has an article in the New Yorker magazine about Eugene V. Debs, an early Socialist in the 20th century who ran for President. She is a skillful historian, and she tells a story in ``These Truths'' about how this Nation came to be. prgtoken Of course, we emerged from a colony--a colony of England, Great Britain--and then fought for our independence. One of the reasons we fought for independence was to take the role of Kings out of the lives of the people who lived in what we call America and to say we aren't going to have Kings making decisions for us here. We will make our own decisions. Thank you. We will call it a democracy, and the people will rule. prgtoken At that point, we sat down and tried to put it in writing. The first time we put it in writing, it didn't work out too well. The Articles of Confederation really didn't unite our country and move it in the direction that most people wanted. So the constitutional convention followed. The constitutional convention in Philadelphia sat down and wrote this document, the Constitution of the United States, and here we are, over 200 years later, still living by those words that were written over 200 years ago. prgtoken There were efforts to change and amend it to reflect changes in America. The end of slavery, for example, was one of the most significant, but, by and large, the principles of this document have guided us for a long time. prgtoken Article I, section 8 gives the Congress--the Senate and the House-- the power to declare war. You think to yourself: Well, it is certainly better for the Congress to make that decision than for a President to do it alone. Letting a President do it without the people being involved, or Congress, really would be much like a King deciding whether we would go forward as a nation to be involved in a war. prgtoken This week, on the floor of the Senate, we will test that provision in the Constitution and see if the current Members of the Senate believe that the Constitution was right and that the Congress should be declaring war. prgtoken My colleagues, Bernie Sanders, well-known to most across America, Mike Lee, a conservative from Utah, and Chris Murphy, a from Connecticut, have decided that we should have a test vote as to the United States' involvement in Saudi Arabia's bloody war in Yemen. I am glad to be a cosponsor of that legislation. prgtoken Regardless of who has been in the White House during the time that I have served in the House and the Senate, I have tried to consistently argue that the American people, through their elected Congress, must play a constitutional role in declaring a war--whether it was President on the Iraq war or President on the U.S. military intervention in Syria or Libya. prgtoken
ACKNOWLEDGING LACK OF TRANSPARENCY IN FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS POSES A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY
David Scott (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2019-3-13

this is a very important and timely resolution because, in recent years, the lack of sunlight and transparency in financial transactions and corporate formation has brought us to the forefront of the very dangerous role that dark money plays in our financial system. prgtoken Money laundering; loopholes in markets like real estate, the arts, and antiquities can be taken advantage of by criminals who facilitate their nefarious deeds. And, , according to the Financial Action Task Force, real estate alone accounted for one-third of all the criminal assets confiscated worldwide between 2011 and 2013, in that 3- year period. prgtoken Even more concerning, , is this: some of these transactions are conducted by anonymous shell companies who are exploiting loopholes in our financial system, creating a lack of transparency for who really is the beneficial owner of the assets. prgtoken This is very important, . prgtoken This critical resolution offered by my colleague and chairwoman, Ms. Maxine Waters, recognizes how important this issue is not only to the stability of our financial system but to the national security of our great Nation. prgtoken It urges that much more be done with these loopholes and lets us shine a bright light into the darkest corners of our financial system. prgtoken That is why, , I rise to encourage my colleagues to support this resolution that will protect our financial system from abuse and corruption. I am hopeful that it will be unanimous, with all of our colleagues supporting this important resolution.
TRIBUTE TO FRANK MORONEY
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2019-3-13

today I recognize Frank Moroney, executive director of AFSCME Council 93 and the AFSCME International vice president for the northern New England region. For his entire life, Frank has been a committed and fearless advocate for working people. Now, after four decades of service, he is entering a well- deserved retirement. prgtoken Frank began his career with AFSCME in 1967, when he joined Local 1358 as a worker in the Brookline Water Department. He quickly rose through the union ranks, and in 1971, he was elected president of the local. Frank scored two huge victories for his members early in his career. In 1973, he successfully took his local on strike prgtoken and received important longevity benefits for its members. He then fought for survivor health insurance benefits for all Brookline's municipal employees, taking the fight to the voters and winning on a ballot initiative. prgtoken Frank would build on these achievements as his career progressed, improving the lives of thousands of public employees throughout New England. He secured numerous wage increases, obtained more paid sick leave time, and successfully negotiated the Agency Fee in Maine. In 2012, Frank was appointed as the executive director of Council 93 and as vice president to the AFSCME International Executive Board, where he has served since. It is a leadership position befiting his service and dedication. prgtoken On April 1, 2019, Frank will retire as AFSCME Council 93 executive director. Throughout my and Frank's years of service, I have had the privilege of working closely with him and am lucky enough to call him my friend. Frank is irreplaceable, but his successes have left the council strong and one of the most effective AFSCME affiliates in the Nation.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H. CON. RES. 24, EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT THE REPORT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL MUELLER SHOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AND TO CONGRESS, AND PROVIDING FOR...
David N. Cicilline (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2019-3-13

I rise in strong support of this resolution. prgtoken Special Counsel Mueller's investigation has resulted in 199 criminal charges against 39 people and entities. Seven people have pleaded guilty, and five people have been sentenced to prison. prgtoken This investigation has been conducted on behalf of the American people, and they are entitled to know the results of this investigation. prgtoken This investigation was begun to safeguard our democracy, and the American people deserve to know the results of this investigation; and yet President has repeatedly sought to attack and discredit the investigation, labeling it a witch hunt and even contemplating firing the special counsel. prgtoken The President's pick for Attorney General, Bill Barr, has also made it clear during his confirmation hearing that he will only follow DOJ's policies that are convenient for the President. Therefore, it is up to Congress to make sure that documents related to the special counsel's investigation are preserved and published. prgtoken That is why I introduced the Special Counsel Transparency Act, with Congressman Doggett, to require the publication of the special counsel's report. prgtoken No one person should decide what the public gets to see. The American people have a right to come to their own conclusions and to know that justice was served. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the American people. Allow them to see the results of the investigation conducted on their behalf. Bring transparency to this process. Support this resolution and signal a willingness to respect the right of the American people to see the consequences and the results of this important investigation which, again, was begun to safeguard our democracy. prgtoken This shouldn't be a or ic issue I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will join us in our effort to preserve our democracy. prgtoken I thank, again, the gentleman for yielding.
THE GREEN NEW DEAL
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2019-3-13

I rise to again support efforts to stop U.S. direct military support for the Saudi-led coalition efforts in Yemen. prgtoken I do not need to remind my colleagues what is at stake. Each time we have considered this resolution, the situation for Yemenis is even more dire. prgtoken Now in its fourth year, this conflict has put nearly 16 million people on the brink of starvation, including 400,000 children who are severely malnourished, displaced more than 3 million people, and done nothing to increase stability or prosperity for the people of Yemen. In fact, the longer this conflict goes on, the larger Iran's foothold in Yemen grows and the more entrenched opposing political factions become. prgtoken In addition to the horrifying humanitarian crisis, we have also learned that U.S. coalition partners may be transferring U.S.-origin weapons to known--underline known--terrorist organizations. We have read alarming reports about torture and abuse in prisons throughout Yemen--both Houthi and coalition controlled. prgtoken I will simply repeat what I have said before. It is in the interest of the United States to put as much political pressure on the parties to end this conflict as we can. Yes, we have strategic partnerships with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but we must find a way forward to get those relationships on a path that truly serves U.S. interests. prgtoken To be clear, the Houthis bear significant responsibility in the deterioration of the state of affairs in Yemen, and that is without a doubt. We do not have diplomatic relations with the Houthis, and we certainly don't sell them arms or provide active military support. This resolution is a good first step, but what we really need is a comprehensive approach to address our interests in the gulf. prgtoken Along with Senators Young, Reed, Graham, Shaheen, Collins, and Murphy, I introduced the comprehensive Saudi Arabia Accountability and Yemen Act. The bill calls for a suspension of offensive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, sanctions all persons responsible for blocking humanitarian access in Yemen or supporting the Houthis in Yemen, and urges accountability for all actors in Yemen guilty of war crimes. prgtoken Finally, it also addresses some of the most reckless Saudi actions by calling for true accountability for those responsible for the murder of American resident and journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, and a report on human rights in Saudi Arabia. prgtoken I support this resolution and encourage us to continue to debate. We must evaluate our relationship with these partners and find a path forward not just in Yemen but indeed in the entire gulf region that truly promotes American interests and American values. prgtoken Today is a day we can make a clear and unequivocal statement that we do not support this continuing conflict and humanitarian disaster. There is a consequence for acting in the way the coalition has--in many cases, clear
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H. CON. RES. 24, EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT THE REPORT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL MUELLER SHOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AND TO CONGRESS, AND PROVIDING FOR...
Zoe Lofgren (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-3-13

I rise in support of this resolution today. prgtoken We have a responsibility to the American people to uphold the Constitution and rule of law, and we also have an obligation, as a separate and equal branch of government, to act as a check on the executive branch. prgtoken Without access to necessary information, we can't fulfill our constitutionally prescribed duties. We must have not only this report, but the evidence collected to support the report. prgtoken If the President has nothing to hide, then he would also support this resolution by tweet or verbal approval. prgtoken , I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation. It is very important for our country.
REJECT THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET
Joseph P. Kennedy III (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2019-3-13

President 's budget landed with a thud on the backs of working Americans this week. prgtoken Its message is quite simple: this administration will reward wealth with one hand and target working families with another. prgtoken To this President, avoiding the estate tax for wealthy heirs is an entitlement, but the healthcare of everyday Americans is expendable. prgtoken To this President, carried interest on passive income is a worthy tax benefit for executives, while a livable minimum wage for a working parent is a burden we cannot afford. prgtoken To this President, a lengthy record of felony convictions won't deny your tax credit for a private jet, but a conviction for misdemeanor drug possession could cost you the roof over your head. prgtoken A budget that puts Americans first doesn't deem millions of Americans unworthy. prgtoken A budget that puts Americans first doesn't starve them of housing, of healthcare, and of food because their President counts stock market gains as more important than our common humanity. prgtoken But putting Americans first has never been the fundamental policy of this administration. It has always been to draw a bright line between the wealthy and the striving. prgtoken I stand to reject this budget.