mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2018-1-23

I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote against the confirmation of Alex Azar to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS. When Congress confirms somebody to be HHS Secretary, they are putting that person in charge of some of the most important decisions made by the Federal Government-- decisions that touch the lives of every family in America. The safety of the food inside our refrigerators, the quality of our nursing homes where our grandmothers live, the price of our health insurance policy, the government's response to a flu outbreak--on these issues and many, many more, the HHS Secretary calls the shots. prgtoken When Congress debated Tom Price's nomination to be Secretary of Health and Human Services 1 year ago, I said that we should not hand over the keys to this agency unless we were absolutely sure that he would put the American people first every minute of every day. And let's be honest: Tom Price did not clear that bar; he didn't even come close. No. When he was nominated, Tom Price already had a track record of using his position in government to help exactly one person: Tom Price. But Senate s were so excited to get started gutting the Affordable Care Act and ripping up Medicaid that they jammed his nomination through without a single ic vote. prgtoken It turns out we are looking at someone whose record is a pretty good way to judge how they are going to fight for the American people. Tom Price didn't spend his time as HHS Secretary working for American families; he spent it burning taxpayer dollars as he flew around on private jets and military aircraft. During the 8 months Tom Price was on the job, he put his own interests before those of the American people--again and again. prgtoken Now President has nominated Alex Azar to be Tom Price's replacement as Secretary of HHS. s have been trying to spin Mr. Azar as a breath of fresh air--someone who can be trusted to stay off private jets while he helps them carry out their plans to gut the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid without attracting quite so much unwanted attention. prgtoken The American people aren't fooled by the spin because in the ways that matter most, Alex Azar is like Tom Price. Mr. Azar's resume reads like a how-to manual for profiting off government service. About a decade ago, he worked in government, helping regulate the Nation's most profitable drug companies. When he left, he shot straight through the revolving door and became an executive at Eli Lilly drug company. Last year, they paid him more than $3.5 million. Not bad. Now he wants to swing right back through the revolving door again and once again regulate those same drug companies--regulate them at least until he decides to spin through the revolving door again and make more money from drug companies. prgtoken I don't think private sector experience should disqualify anyone from serving.
Judiciary Committee Oversight and Investigative Work (Executive Session)
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2018-1-24

I come to the floor to express my opposition to the nomination of Alex Azar to be the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. prgtoken Let me admit to the Chamber that this, for me, was certainly not as easy a call as was the first vote on the nomination for this position when Congressman Price was up for the job. I want to talk about the reasons for my vote in opposition, but I first want to begin by giving the nominee some credit for, I think, a very important series of exchanges that he had before the committee. prgtoken One of the biggest potential disasters that would have been visited upon this country by 4 years of Secretary Price would have been the reversal of 8 years of transformation in the way that we pay for healthcare through Medicare, primarily. prgtoken In 2011, Medicare made almost no payments to providers through what we call alternative payment models. I know this sounds a little weedy, but this is really the way that we drive down healthcare costs in this country, and it is something that s and should be focused on together. prgtoken Alternative payment models generally refer to a switch in the way that we pay for healthcare--a move away from reimbursing providers based on how much medicine they practice to a reimbursement system that rewards providers for the outcomes that they achieve--in fact, rewarding hospitals and doctors and clinicians when they keep their patients out of the doctor's office or out of the emergency room or out of the hospital. This is the exact opposite of what the existing system does, which rewards hospital systems and doctors the more that their patients show up in the emergency rooms and the doctors' offices and in the hospitals. prgtoken In the House of Representatives, Tom Price was the leader of the opposition to what we call value-based payment and was the chief defender of fee-for-service payment. While the administration had made remarkable progress--it had set a goal of moving 30 percent of all Medicare payments over to outcome-based payments, which they achieved by the end of 2016--Secretary Price was in the process of moving all of that backward. prgtoken The reason I say that my vote here against Mr. Azar was not a slam dunk--it is not a slam dunk--is that I give him credit for his testimony on this question of alternative payments. In answer to a question posed by Senator Whitehouse, he said that one of the greatest legacies of Secretary Burwell's tenure was in the launching of so many of the alternative payment models that we have out there. prgtoken I would like to keep driving that forward for all of us who care so deeply about reducing costs in our healthcare system, about integration and coordination, and in our just thinking about ways to deliver better for our patients and beneficiaries. There are so many opportunities for bipartisanship here because we share so many of the same goa
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2018-1-24

I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the heroic life of Scranton firefighter Captain James Robeson on the 10th anniversary of his death. prgtoken Captain Robeson was more than just a firefighter. He was a loving husband to his wife, Linda, and a caring father to his son, Ryan. He was a friend to many, a mentor to his colleagues, and a hero to us all. prgtoken Captain Robeson made a career out of service and protection. He willingly served and courageously protected his colleagues, the city of Scranton, and all of us who inhabit it. Each time duty called, Captain Robeson heroically was one of the brave individuals running into the flames and chaos, while everyone else was running out. Captain Robeson was a man of high honor and integrity, two qualities demonstrated when he laid down his own life in an attempt to save another. prgtoken Ten years after his death, it is still my honor to have been given the opportunity to serve a man as brave, honorable, and respected as Captain Robeson. His unquestioned willingness to serve others and courageous ultimate sacrifice is a reminder to me about the true meaning of public service.
DETER Act (Executive Calendar)
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2018-1-24

I come to the floor to express my concerns over the nomination of Sam Brownback to serve as Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom at the State Department. I do not take my vote against a former colleague's nomination lightly nor do I question Governor Brownback's devotion to his own faith. Indeed, as a person of faith myself, I admire it. prgtoken I firmly believe, however, that anyone seeking to represent the United States of America must actively champion the rights of all people to worship freely and without fear. The right to religious freedom is enshrined in our Constitution, and it is a value that we must champion at home and abroad. prgtoken Having devoted my life to serving the people of New Jersey--a State enriched by incredible diversity--I believe religious freedom is part of what makes America exceptional. Even in the 21st century, we live in a world where governments and nonstate actors still use religion as a tool of oppression. They cloak their authoritarianism in the guise of divine inspiration, using their faith to justify the persecution of anyone they choose. prgtoken The U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom must commit to defending the rights of all religious minorities around the world-- Christians and Muslims, Jews and Sikhs, Hindus and Baha'i. Unfortunately, Governor Brownback's career has been defined by a lack of tolerance for those who do not share his own beliefs. I fear he will focus solely on protecting Christian minorities, while we must acknowledge publicly that people of all faiths are persecuted and demand equal representation. prgtoken Additionally, his own personal record on important issues gives me concerns. Consider his troublesome record on protecting the rights of LGBTQ individuals. I was deeply disturbed that when pressed during his confirmation hearing, Governor Brownback could not even bring himself to muster a resounding ``no''--that it is never acceptable for a government to imprison or execute an individual based on their sexual orientation. Condemning such horrific human rights abuses should never be a heavy lift for anyone who seeks to represent our Nation on the global stage. prgtoken I cannot in good faith support the confirmation of someone as Ambassador at Large for Religious Freedom who does not believe that all individuals are created equally in God's image. prgtoken During his hearing, Governor Brownback also declined to say whether political leaders should be able to use religion to deny women access to healthcare and deprive them of their basic human rights. His silence spoke volumes. prgtoken At a time when the administration continues to expand the scope of the global gag rule to the effect of preventing healthcare workers from doing their jobs and providing lifesaving care, we need a leader who recognizes that women's rights are human rights and who knows that the oppression of women by religious ze
Rohingya Refugee Crisis (Executive Session)
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-1-24

on August 25, a minority group of Rohingya militants proceeded to attack a number of Burmese police outposts in northern Rakhine State, and they inflicted injuries and killed about 12 members of the country's security forces in the process. These attacks certainly must be condemned, but they have triggered a response by the Burmese Government and military that is beyond horrific--attacks by the Burmese Government and military that have inflicted a massive humanitarian crisis in that nation. prgtoken The Burmese military, aided by mobs of local vigilantes, carried out the violence against the Rohingya people in a systematic way. These are people who have been in Burma for generations, but they have been stripped of their citizenship under Burmese law. In the attacks that followed, Doctors Without Borders estimates that well over 6,000 men, women, and children were murdered in just the first month of this ongoing assault, and that included hundreds of children--an estimated 700 children ages 5 and under. prgtoken The survivors have shared countless stories of women being raped, men murdered, children murdered in the most inhumane ways imaginable. Human Rights Watch has reported that the Burmese military and the associated vigilantes have burned 354 villages to the ground. The response of the Rohingya has been to flee the country, desperately fleeing as fast as they could the systematic violence inflicted upon them--systematic rape, systematic shooting, the murder of children. The result is that 650,000 people have fled to the adjoining country of Bangladesh, where they are now establishing refugee camps. prgtoken These camps are a big improvement from being attacked, shot, murdered, and raped inside Burma, but the camps themselves are just a jumble of split bamboo frames with plastic draped over the tops of them. You can see here in this photo that the ground has been cleared away and people have shoveled out relatively flat sections of the hillside, split bamboo into little pieces, tied them together with threads, and draped plastic over the top of them. prgtoken I wonder what will happen when the monsoons come or a severe windstorm comes. I don't think these shelters are going to hold up. prgtoken The overcrowded conditions and poor sanitation in these camps put them directly at risk for diseases like diphtheria and cholera, and these camps--full of displaced, disenfranchised, angry young men--are also recruiting grounds for violent extremist groups like ISIS. This is, in the words of the United Nations, the fastest growing refugee emergency in the world. It is unacceptable, and America needs to pay attention and respond. prgtoken The flow of refugees has continued, even until now. The numbers have dropped. There aren't that many Rohingya left inside of Burma. The Governments of Burma and Bangladesh are discussing a repatriation strategy on how these individuals may be able to return to Burma, a
Nomination of R.D. James (Executive Session)
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-1-24

a year ago, the President stormed into office promising better, cheaper healthcare for everyone. He said he would bring prescription drug prices down because, in his words, drug companies were ``getting away with murder.'' prgtoken So as we move to this vote, as the senior on the Finance Committee, I wanted to make sure we took stock after year 1. The record on healthcare is worse than your garden variety case of a President failing to live up to his campaign promises. This President has surely hurt the people he promised to help. Very shortly, the Senate will vote on the nomination of Alex Azar to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. In this position, he would be the captain of the President's healthcare team. So in my view, this debate is about a lot more than Mr. Azar's resume. It is a referendum on a year of healthcare failure, particularly on prescription drug costs, and it is a referendum on what I consider to be a healthcare agenda of discrimination. prgtoken I am going to begin with the skyrocketing prescription drug prices because they are a gut punch for millions of Americans each time they step up to the pharmacy window. Few promises the President made with respect to healthcare resonated more than his promise to bring down prescription drug prices, but now, a year later, he has chosen Alex Azar, a drug company executive with a documented history of raising drug prices. prgtoken From 2012 until last year, he was the head of Eli Lilly's American subsidiary, Lilly USA. He chaired its U.S. pricing, reimbursement, and access steering committee, which gave him a major role over drug price increases for every product Lilly marketed in America. On Mr. Azar's watch, Lilly more than doubled the prices of drugs used to treat diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, and ADHD. And these are only some of the drugs under his purview. prgtoken He told the Finance Committee staff that he had never once approved a decrease in the price of a drug at Lilly. Mr. Azar said: That is just how the system works. Prices always go up. I would say that Mr. Azar may have had his facts straight about the system, but that doesn't make it right. Mr. Azar was a part of this broken system, and despite the cheerful overtures that he has made to Senators on both sides of the aisle over the last few weeks about how he wants to work on the issue, he has not offered even a single concrete example of how he would actually change the system he said is broken. He will not give us an example of how he would change it to make it better. prgtoken Members of this body, and s, have come forward with specifics about what they would do to help those Americans getting clobbered at the prescription drug windows across the land. We have colleagues who are for drug importation. We have colleagues who are for more negotiating power for Medicare. We have colleagues who understand the challenge
BRINK Act (Executive Calendar)
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-1-24

I want to start my remarks today by focusing on a serious threat to our national security, and that is North Korea's nuclear program--both its nuclear weapons program as well as its missile program. prgtoken At this moment the United States must exert maximum economic pressure to get North Korea to engage in meaningful discussions with the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. prgtoken That is why Senator Toomey and I introduced the BRINK Act. I was pleased to see the changing of the guard here at the desk, with the Senator from Pennsylvania having just been the Presiding Officer and the Senator from Colorado taking over, because I know the Senator from Colorado has also been very deeply involved in this issue to try to make sure that we address the threat of the North Korea program. prgtoken The BRINK Act is bipartisan legislation passed unanimously out of the Banking Committee back on November 7. It imposes very tough sanctions on North Korea, and, just as importantly, it has enforcement mechanisms to make sure financial institutions anywhere in the world that are not cooperating with the United States and our allies to impose those sanctions on North Korea are penalized. It is a very simple message: You can do business with North Korea or you can do business with the United States. You cannot do business with both. prgtoken Given that this passed unanimously out of the Banking Committee on November 7, and that since then North prgtoken Korea has tested an ICBM that analysts believe is capable of reaching all of the United States, we should move forward on this legislation now. In fact, just yesterday CIA Director Pompeo said that ``North Korea is ever closer to being able to hold America at risk'' and that its nuclear weapons program had developed at a ``very rapid clip.'' prgtoken We have no time to waste. We should move forward immediately on the BRINK Act and move forward on other legislation that came out of the Foreign Relations Committee on this issue. I think we owe it to the American people to do this right away, without further delay.
DACA (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2018-1-24

the government funding bill that passed on Monday left us--all of us--with 3 weeks to come to a resolution on legislation to protect the Dreamers. At the same time, we must work on legislation to improve American healthcare--I see the Senator from Washington State, who has been so vigilant in that area--and a budget agreement that supports our military and our middle class, delivering long-awaited funds--we will insist on these--for the opioid epidemic, veterans' healthcare, and pensions. We should feel an urgency about all of these issues and many more that we can make happen. prgtoken Leader McConnell's promise to take up immigration on February 8 should light a fire under everyone. The leader and moderate s bear a special responsibility to make sure these votes happen. All of those in the country who want to make sure the Dreamers get treated fairly should be focusing their attention on getting 60 votes on a resolution that is fair to the Dreamers. prgtoken The clock is ticking. If we don't solve this problem in 14 days, the s are going to have to explain to Dreamers what their plan is to prevent them from being deported. When those horrible pictures of deportation occur--God forbid that they do, but if they do, it will clearly be on the delay, the obfuscation, and the lack of humanity that too many of our colleagues are showing in this regard. prgtoken Every --all 49 of us--supports DACA. Many of my colleagues do as well. We certainly can find a bill that gets 60 votes in the Senate, and that is where our focus is. I had a very good meeting with the Hispanic groups yesterday. Some of us had disagreements about what happened a few days before, but it was an amiable and fine meeting, and we all agreed that we were going to focus on getting the 60 votes. I hope people throughout the country of both parties, of all political persuasions--business, labor--will join us like a laser in appealing to and imploring more Senators to join us so that we get 60 votes on a fair DACA bill. prgtoken We cannot let those who are anti-immigrant, who call giving the Dreamers hope ``amnesty,'' block us because then we will fail, and it will be on the other side of the aisle that made that happen. prgtoken Over the weekend--and I am very glad about this--a bipartisan group of moderate Senators from both parties came together in a very inspiring way. Their efforts led to the agreement between the majority leader and me that an immigration bill will receive fair prgtoken consideration in a few weeks. That is the first time we have ever heard that guarantee. prgtoken The same energy and spirit that the bipartisan group put into forging a compromise this weekend ought to be committed to finding a bill on DACA that will pass this body with 60 votes. prgtoken I support the bipartisan group. In fact, as some of our Members on the ic sid
Judiciary Committee Oversight and Investigative Work (Executive Session)
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2018-1-24

I come to the floor today to talk about the Judiciary Committee, which I chair, about our important oversight work, the investigative work, and to kind of concentrate on the past year. prgtoken There are a lot of issues that need more sunlight and more scrutiny. One of my key concerns is the loss of faith in the ability of the Justice Department and the FBI to do their jobs free of partisan political bias. prgtoken The American people are rightfully skeptical because of how the Department and the FBI have handled the following subjects: on one hand, Hillary Clinton, and on the second hand, and his associates. Hiding from tough questions about these controversial cases is no way to reassure the public. If the Department is afraid of independent oversight, that just reinforces people's suspicion and skepticism. The only real way to reassure people is to let the sunshine in and let the chips fall where they may. In each of these cases, the government should obviously find out what happened and hold people accountable if there was any wrongdoing, but it also has to play by the rules and be held accountable for its actions as well. We need to shine the light of day on all of it. prgtoken As part of our investigation, we have requested documents and other information from the Department of Justice and the FBI. Much of that information is classified. The Department has provided very limited access to those classified materials. It has limited the Judiciary Committee's review to the chair, this Senator; the ranking member of the full committee, and that would be Senator Feinstein; and the Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, and that would be Senator Graham and Senator Whitehouse. The government has also tried to severely limit the number of appropriately cleared staff who can review documents and even take notes. prgtoken We have reviewed some information related to whether the FBI used a so-called dossier and the extent of its relationship with its author, Christopher Steele. As we know now, Mr. Steele was hired by Fusion GPS to research Mr. 's alleged ties to Russia. His work was funded by the ic National Committee and the Clinton campaign. Now, remember, it took a subpoena and a court battle with the House Intelligence Committee to force that fact out into the open. Lawyers for the ic National Committee and the Clinton campaign officials denied it to the press for months. In other words, they lied. The founder of Fusion GPS denied that his firm was ``ically linked.'' That, too, was untrue. prgtoken When the news finally broke, New York Times reporters actually complained that people who knew better had flat-out lied to them about who funded Mr. Steele's dossier. But back before the 2016 election, it is unclear who knew that Steele was gathering dirt on for the ic National Committee and for the Clinton campaign. Many of his sources f