mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
ELECTION IN ECUADOR
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2017-3-21

article 2 of chapter I of the Charter of the Organization of American States, of which Ecuador is a party, states that one of the OAS's purposes is ``to promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due respect for the principle of nonintervention.'' prgtoken I mention this because the second round of Ecuador's Presidential election is scheduled for April 2, less than 2 weeks away. In the first round, Lenin Moreno, who is supported by outgoing President Correa, received 39 percent and his opponent, Guillermo Lasso, received 28 percent, so it is a hotly contested election. prgtoken But democracy is about more than elections. There is no institution more fundamental to democracy than a free and independent press. A free press helps protect the rule of law, to ensure that no person or group is above the rules and procedures that govern a democratic society. A free press helps ensure transparency to prod governments to be honest and accountable to their citizens. prgtoken Although wavering at times, Ecuador has a history of democratic government of which its citizens can be proud. It has a long tradition of recognizing the importance of freedom of the press. Ecuador's first constitution, written in 1830, stipulated that ``every citizen can express their thoughts and publish them freely through the press.'' Ecuador's 1998 constitution guaranteed the right of journalists and social communicators to ``seek, receive, learn, and disseminate'' events of general interest, with the goal of ``preserving the values of the community.'' Even Ecuador's current constitution protects the right ``to voice one's opinion and express one's thinking freely and in all of its forms and manifestations,'' and the right to ``associate, assemble and express oneself freely and voluntarily.'' prgtoken Yet, since President Correa was first elected, freedom of the press has been under assault. He has called the independent press his ``greatest enemy.'' He sought to intimidate and silence his critics in the media and civil society, like Janet Hinostroza, El Universo, Vanguardia, El Comercio, Xavier Bonilla, and Fundamedios. He publicly vilified Dr. Catalina Botero, a respected Colombian lawyer and former OAS Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression. He pursued criminal charges against columnists and newspaper owners who had criticized his policies. During this period, the number of state-owned media organizations exploded, growing from just one government-run news outlet to a media conglomerate that today is made up of more than a dozen outlets echoing the government's self-serving declarations. These actions are a threat to democracy, and they damaged relations with the United States. prgtoken On April 2, when the people of Ecuador elect their next President, they alone will decide Ecuador's future. What is important at this stage is to ensure that the electoral process is free and fair, that the press can partic
RECOGNIZING THE SILHOUETTE CIVIC AND SOCIAL CLUB
Beto O’Rourke (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-3-21

I am honored to rise today to recognize the Silhouette Civic and Social Club, which holds a commendable record of service to the El Paso community. prgtoken This Saturday, March 25, 2017 the club will recognize their 50th anniversary. Founded in 1967, the Silhouette Civic and Social Club has served the El Paso community through events, social activities, and scholarships. prgtoken The Club's founders wanted to create an organization with a unity of sisterhood dedicated to enriching and supporting the El Paso community. Three of its founders, Doris Gary, Baby Ruth Boswell, and Edna Black, still actively participate in the organization's activities to this day. prgtoken The Silhouette Civic and Social Club, affectionately referred to as the ``Ladies with the Big Hearts,'' has graciously supported churches, shelters, and crisis centers through regular donations. They have supported El Paso's McCall Neighborhood Center, which preserves and advances the History of the African-American Community in El Paso, as well as the Reynolds Home, a shelter for homeless mothers and children. prgtoken They are most proud of providing college scholarships for deserving, honorable high school graduates. Their grass roots initiatives help young El Pasoans pursue the American Dream. prgtoken I thank the Silhouette Civic and Social Club for their efforts to improve our community and have a positive impact on the world through their generosity. The ``Ladies with the Big Hearts'' represent the compassion, selflessness, and community that is indicative of our country's southwest border and the people of El Paso that I have the distinct privilege to represent.
THE LATEST INCARNATION OF TRUMPCARE
Pramila Jayapal (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-3-21

late last night, in a callous betrayal of the very people who elected them, s hatched up the latest plan to deprive more than 24 million Americans of their health care. Let me say that again. 24 million people. In fact, perhaps more because we have yet to receive the CBO estimates on this latest plan. prgtoken This incarnation of Care would freeze Medicaid expansion in its tracks on top of the $880 billion cut that was already in the bill. In my home State of Washington, this plan would put in jeopardy 600,000 people assisted by Medicaid expansion, people who have gained access to critical treatments for substance abuse, diabetes, and cancer screenings. prgtoken Dominic in Seattle has a son who, along with many others who suffer from asthma and other respiratory diseases, will not be able to afford his inhaler anymore. Nursing homes will shut down and throw thousands of grandparents out with no help. New so-called work requirements will add even more obstacles to healthcare coverage for our most vulnerable. prgtoken Care will strip coverage from 24 million. It is past time for my colleagues to reject this pay even more for even less plan.
BRINGING DOWN THE COST OF HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS IN AMERICA
John Garamendi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-3-21

I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa) very much for his excellent presentation. The gentleman covered many of the issues. prgtoken I want to wrap up with just a couple of thoughts. prgtoken One of my friends came up to me earlier today. He said: I don't understand. I don't understand what our team is doing. All we are doing is changing the name and hurting people. prgtoken I thought about that for a few moments, and, yes, it is Ryan or Care, but people are going to be hurt all across this Nation. prgtoken One more story, and I think we will probably wrap up here, and that is of my wife's hairstylist. She is a young lady, married, private businessowner, trying to get along, and not enough money to buy insurance. The Affordable Care Act goes into place. She looks at the exchange, and she is able to get comprehensive insurance, maternity care, and at an affordable price because of the subsidies that are built into it. She was so happy when she talked to my wife. prgtoken She said: I have insurance. For the first time in my life, I am able to buy insurance, and I am going to get pregnant. I am going to have the baby that my husband and I have always wanted because now we have insurance--not just for myself, but for my child and my husband. prgtoken The next visit, she is asking: They are not going to take it away, are they? They are not going to take it away, are they? prgtoken Well, yes, for 14 million Americans--next year, 2018, 9 months from now, 14 million Americans will begin to lose their insurance. I am not sure if this young lady will be among them or the farm lady that I talked about earlier, but they are at risk all across America--14 million people in less than 1 year, and then, beyond that, over the ensuing years, 24 million Americans. prgtoken It has been argued that the Affordable Care Act is in a death spiral. I was an insurance commissioner in California for 8 years, and that is not true. It is an alternate fact. The fact of the matter is that the Affordable Care Act is working--not without some problems here and there, but it is working. It is not in a death spiral. prgtoken That is probably a good place to leave it, except this Care-- RyanCare--is a problem. You are going to pay more and you are going to get less--24 million people, an age tax on seniors, and a huge tax break for the superwealthy in America. prgtoken , .
MNIKESA'S ACA TESTIMONY
Rosa L. DeLauro (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-3-21

I rise today to share the testimony of one of my constituents. Her name is Mnikesa Whitaker-Haaheim. She is a fifth-generation, college-educated woman, founder of Ballet Haven, a rigorous dance training program. She is an English teacher who has won the Teacher of the Year award twice. And I regret to tell you that she is also living with and dying from a debilitating disease, and these are her words: ``The debate about healthcare has turned into something of a spectacle--as if it exists apart from the flesh and bones that are experiencing the consequences of the decisions being made. I think it is exceedingly important to talk about the felt experience of illness. ``The feeling like an elephant's sitting on my chest--daily--because I prgtoken have pulmonary fibrosis. No, I have never smoked. Not cigarettes. Not anything. Ever. I am simply sick. The feeling of my leg bones splintering, waking me up with the pain, several times a night, several times a week. Each leg is splayed beneath me as if I'd fallen from a window. Of course that's not what happened. This is just what joints and muscles feel like as part of my rare disease. ``The feeling of having a widespread flu-like, bone-crushing ache that does not end. I don't have the flu. I have a rare, autoimmune disease. This is what my entire body feels like 90 percent of the time. The feeling of choking without warning, regularly on coffee. On water. On my own spit. This is what my disease feels like. ``The feelings I'm talking about are what it is like to not be able to take a deep breath, ever, because over 70 percent of my lungs have turned to hardened, stony, scar tissue. The feeling of not even remembering what it is like to take a deep breath. ``Because my particular disease is one that is categorized as autoimmune, it would be several months before we got the correct diagnosis; autoimmunity is notoriously difficult to diagnose. ``And unless you are a specialized medical professional or happen to know someone who is afflicted by rheumatoid disorders, you have likely never heard of what I have: anti-synthetase syndrome--scleroderma. It is rare, progressive, and aggressive. Often it is fatal, especially with the amount of lung damage that I have incurred. ``When after 2 years of chemotherapy, the progression of my pulmonary fibrosis and overall disease process was not successfully remaining stable, I had to go on supplemental oxygen. Within 6 months, I was getting so sick that I eventually had to medically retire at 36 years old; it was a heartbreaking decision. ``I loved my job, and I was good at it. Without the protections afforded to me through the Affordable Care Act, my oxygen, the cost of seeing my numerous specialists, paying for 14 medications, admissions to the hospital, and life-threatening emergency trips to the ER would be nothing short of financially catastrophic for my family. ``A rare disease like mine baffles many doct
LOSING HEALTHCARE COVERAGE UNDER THE AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT
Karen Bass (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-3-21

since January I have received hundreds of messages from constituents who are panicked that they will lose healthcare coverage with the plan, where people will pay more for less. prgtoken Although the talking points of the plan references access to health care, care will only be accessible for people with enough money to pay. prgtoken A message I received from Vera Caldas: My husband has leukemia, and if it wasn't for the ACA, he would be dead by now. I am living in fear that if he loses Care, that will mean his death sentence since he won't be able to afford insurance to continue his treatment. prgtoken A message from Lee Portillo: The ACA allowed my wife to start her Silicon Valley beach business in Venice, California and still have access to health care. The ACA is pro small entrepreneur and gives us the freedom to work on our own and still have insurance. prgtoken My constituents, like millions across the Nation, are afraid they might be one of the 14 million people who will lose coverage if the plan is passed.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Martin Heinrich (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2017-3-21

I will close on the issue of the CRA before us today. prgtoken This CRA will turn back the clock on the management of native wildlife on our Nation's wildlife refuges. Methods of take, like shooting mother grizzlies with cubs, aerial gunning of wolves, killing wolf pups in their dens--these are not 21st-century tools for wildlife management. They are relics of the 19th century, before we truly understood the importance of predators to healthy ecosystems and populations. These practices have no place on our Nation's Federal wildlife refuges. prgtoken This rule, frankly, doesn't stand up for subsistence hunters or hunters at all; it simply reinforces the politically driven and unscientific turn that the Alaska Board of Game has taken under Governors like Sarah Palin. This isn't about hunting; it is about dogma and dogma driving policy. prgtoken I urge all of my colleagues tonight to vote for fair chase hunting, to vote for native wildlife, and to vote for our national wildlife refuges. To do that, I ask you to vote against this measure.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bill Nelson (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-3-21

I thank the distinguished Senator from Texas, and he knows my affection for him. prgtoken The Senator has stated that he would like, in a bipartisan way, to fix the current law. Would the Senator believe, if there were a genuine, bipartisan attempt to fix what needs fixing instead of repealing and replacing it with something that has people petrified, that he could find that bipartisan consensus?
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Tom Udall (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2017-3-21

we are here to consider another joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act. This one, H.J. Res. 69, repeals the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's regulation and would allow extreme and inhumane hunting practices on National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska. prgtoken My first concern about this measure is that it is a distraction. It benefits special interests to the detriment of the American people at a time when Congress should be focused on much more pressing issues. prgtoken , 24 million Americans are at risk of losing their healthcare. Clean air and clean water protections are threatened. The President is proposing to cut Meals on Wheels, Head Start, the arts and humanities, and the National Institutes of Health. Each day we learn more details about the President and his team's connections to Russia and about Russia's involvement in our elections. prgtoken The American people want Congress to work together to rebuild our Nation's infrastructure and boost our economy. Instead, Congress is wasting time and energy using the Congressional Review Act to repeal commonsense rules that protect people, places, and iconic species. These rules have been vetted over months and years through a thorough public process, but if we repeal them using the CRA, these measures will be permanently blocked unless Congress passes a new law directing the government to act. prgtoken My second concern is just as serious. I support responsible hunting practices. Many New Mexicans hunt for sport and for food, but the vast majority of hunters also recognize that some practices are counterproductive, unsportsmanlike, cruel, and they can even wipe out species and the diversity of wildlife in certain regions. The Fish and Wildlife's rule deals with that issue, and it carries Congress's express direction that the Service protect natural diversity at national wildlife refuges in Alaska. prgtoken We are talking about national wildlife refuges. These are the country's refuges. The Service bars a few extreme practices for hunting bears, wolves, and coyotes that are totally inappropriate on national wildlife refuge land. These extreme practices include targeting and killing black bears and brown bears and their cubs, and wolves and coyotes and their pups during denning season; baiting Grizzly bears with food so they are easier to kill at point-blank range; trapping brown and black bears with steel-jawed traps that shut on the animal's leg, leaving them to suffer indefinitely; and shooting bears from aircraft or killing them same-day from spotting them with aircraft. Many of these practices violate ``fair chase'' ethical standards established and used by sportsmen across the country. Alaska voters actually oppose these practices. prgtoken We are not talking about private hunting land. This is Federal refuge land. Fish and Wildlife's rule is based on sound science and appropriate wildlife management s
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-3-21

I rise to speak in opposition to the resolution which uses the Congressional Review Act process to overturn a Fish and Wildlife Service resolution prohibiting certain inhumane methods of killing bears and wolves within the 16 national wildlife refuges in Alaska, which cover about 20 percent of the State of Alaska. prgtoken I understand the opponents of the Fish and Wildlife Service rule argue that States' rights issues are at hand, and they are responsible for the management of fish and wildlife in the State. That is certainly true within the State, but on Federal national wildlife refuge land, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is in charge--just like at Mount Rainier or Olympic National Park, where the National Park Service is in charge. I am sure there are times when Pierce County or even Seattle would like to make rules related to Mount Rainier, but they are not allowed because it is part of our National Park System. Similarly, the Fish and Wildlife Service manages our national wildlife refuge system. prgtoken The rules in this proposal only apply to those national wildlife refuge lands in Alaska. They don't cover any other lands in the State. So this isn't about States' rights. It is about how we can manage these wildlife refuges to the degree that agencies believe are necessary for the preservation of the wildlife. prgtoken Managing these national wildlife refuges--the 16 Federal refuges in Alaska--is about ensuring the management policies are consistent with the purpose of the wildlife refuge. It is not about prohibiting hunting. In fact, hunting has been allowed, and will continue to be allowed within these refuges in Alaska, as is the case with most national wildlife refuges throughout the United States. prgtoken As the Senator from New Mexico pointed out earlier, this is about what people want to see when they go to a national wildlife refuge. Do they want to see the inhumane killing of bear cubs in their den or would they like to see the bears and the other fish and wildlife activity that exists in so many of these beautiful areas? prgtoken Another argument that has been raised is that this rule will stop Alaskans from hunting for subsistence purposes--Native Alaskans who depend on subsistence hunting. The rule says nothing about this. It does not affect subsistence hunting. This rule is only about prohibiting certain methods of predator control in our wildlife refuges. Some people think this is contrary to responsible wildlife management practices in other States. But this rule only applies to national wildlife refuges in the State of Alaska. prgtoken The actions that Alaska has authorized on their State lands are so aggressive, that permitting them on Federal wildlife refuge land would be counter to the purposes of these national wildlife refuges. I know one of my colleagues was here citing what they think is already prohibited under state law, but the Alaska Administrative Code does
25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL HISTORIC OREGON TRAIL INTERPRETIVE CENTER
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-3-21

today I wish to congratulate the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker, OR, on its 25th anniversary and to recognize the cultural and historical importance of this special place. Twenty-five years ago, volunteers, philanthropists, and community leaders came together with the Bureau of Land Management to make this dream a reality, and today I want to honor them for their dedication to their community and the State of Oregon. prgtoken Since 1992, the Interpretive Center has brought to life the story of the Oregon Trail. Through life-size displays, historical artifacts, and live performances by historical interpreters, visitors to the center are transported back in time to the first days of Baker City. What started as a small goldmining town grew through the years as more emigrants arrived. These pioneers had fought through challenging conditions and traveled thousands of miles to reach Oregon, but had they not persevered, the growth of this State could never have taken place. We owe it to those who blazed the trail before us to listen to their story, and we owe it to ourselves to take their lessons of perseverance, innovation, and community spirit to heart. prgtoken It is no coincidence that the community that came together to make the Interpretive Center possible, shares the characteristics of their ancestors. In the 1970s, Baker City was struggling to keep up with a changing economy. It took the innovative vision of modern-day pioneers, who recognized the cultural importance of this place, to bring its rich history back to life. Joining forces with the Bureau of Land Management, community leaders worked together to create the Interpretive Center and jumpstarted Baker City's growing tourism industry. prgtoken Over 25 years, this community has continued to contribute to the sustained success of the Interpretive Center. From the hard-working caretakers of the center's 4 miles of interpretive trails, to the philanthropy of individuals like the late Leo Adler who help sustain the center financially, the people of Baker City demonstrate every day the same spirit as the pioneers they honor. In this way, the story of the Interpretive Center mirrors the very story it tells. prgtoken It stands today as a living testament to the value of learning from our past. Therefore, I wish today to not only celebrate this milestone, but to encourage us all to reflect on the example set by both the pioneers of the Oregon Trail and those who continue to blaze new trails for their communities every day.
DO NOT REPLACE THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT WITH TRUMPCARE
Lois Frankel (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-3-21

I rise to talk about the 's sick plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with Care, where the wealthy will get huge tax cuts and the rest of America will pay more for less. Twenty-four million will be losing their doctors, their nurses, and their medicine, and my constituents are frightened. prgtoken Just ask Amy Bernard, whose mom, Francine, like 70 percent of Americans living in nursing homes, pays for it with Medicaid. Francine was a teacher. She planned for her retirement. She had savings, Social Security, and a pension. Then she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and she spent all her savings on in-home care. And then one day after a near-fatal fall, her family realized she needed around-the- clock care. prgtoken Care means tax cuts for the very rich, less for the rest of Americans, gutting Medicaid, and sending folks like Francine to the curb.