mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2017-6-7

today I wish to remember metal mining's greatest disaster, the Granite Mountain/Speculator Mine Fire that took place 100 years ago in Butte, MT, that claimed the lives of 168 men. prgtoken On the night of June 8, 1917, approximately 410 men were in the mine, working to meet the demand for copper that was created by our Armed Forces on the frontlines during World War I. An electric cable had been lowered into the mine earlier in the day and had gotten away from the workers, falling into a tangled coil. Later that evening, as crews examined the damaged cable, a lamp accidentally ignited the cable and sparked a fire that would fill the mine with smoke and poisonous gas. prgtoken Unable to lower cages due to fire damage, in an act of pure bravery, over 100 rescue workers immediately jumped into harm's way to try to rescue their trapped brothers. Miraculously, none of the rescue workers were killed, but sadly, after the conclusion of rescue efforts, a total of 168 miners were lost. The community of Butte grieved together, as did the entire Montana family. prgtoken Today I want to honor those who perished that tragic day and honor those whose families who would never be the same after it. Would you please join me in a brief moment of silence to remember those miners and their families? prgtoken This proclamation is meant to recognize the strength of those Montanans who sacrificed their lives in support our Nation's military work in World War I, as well as those who jumped to help a fallen brother without question. The tragedy that befell our mining community highlights the strength found in the hearts of not only Montanans, but all Americans, and the moments that make heroes out of ordinary men and bring communities together. prgtoken So that future generations will not forget the men who perished that day, a memorial was built in honor of those who died in the Granite Mountain/ prgtoken Speculator Mine Fire. If you are ever in our beautiful State, I hope you will take time to visit. prgtoken One hundred years after this tragedy, we are also reminded of how far we have come in hard rock mining. Jobs that were once seen as high risk are now very desirable, not just due to high wages, but more importantly because of advances in safety. In fact, according to the Department of Labor, fiscal year 2016 was the safest year in mining history. The continued progress toward safer mining has been a shared effort across State and Federal agencies, as well as the mining community itself. New technology, better practices, special initiatives, and improved training have led to a culture in mining communities and industry that prioritizes safety. The Granite Mountain/ Speculator Mine Fire reminds us so that we must continue to push for even safer mining. prgtoken Lastly, I want to take a moment to thank those hard rock miners who are spread across our beautiful country and who continue to serve the American people. Than
RECOGNIZING COMMANDER JoANN BURDIAN'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COAST GUARD
Duncan Hunter (Republican, CA) \u2014 2017-6-7

each of us that serve in this distinguished body has the deepest and most profound respect for the men and women who serve in America's Armed Forces. It's because of their service and sacrifice that this great nation is able to carry the banner of freedom across the globe and the American people sleep safe at night. Throughout history, Americans have faithfully answered the nation's call through periods of conflict and peace--and each of the service branches have earned their place as pillars of America's defense shield. That shield first and foremost starts at America's shores and it's the Coast Guard that is the nation's first line of protection against criminals and contraband entering the country through the seas. The Coast Guard's backbone is its personnel and I've had the great honor of serving as Chairman of the House Subcommittee with direct purview over this great organization, which has afforded me the privilege to observe our Coast Guard in action. But on this specific occasion, I want to recognize one Coast Guardsman in particular who's had not only an immense impact on the organization itself, but also this entire institution. Commander JoAnn Burdian has led the Congressional Affairs office for the Coast Guard for the last several years and today marks her last day serving in a capacity that has made us wiser and even more appreciative of the immense work shouldered by the Coast Guard each and every day. Her career in the Coast Guard will continue in her new assignment in Seattle, Washington, but her departure no doubt is a great loss for the entire Congress. Even so, our loss here is the Coast Guard's gain--and I have all the confidence that Commander Burdian's exemplary leadership and talents will provide tremendous value to the next generation of leaders that will continue serving the nation's interest as members of the Coast Guard. And when I think of the type of leader that this nation depends on to lead America's men and women in uniform, Commander Burdian is the example to follow. Her reputation has been forged through years of operational experience and leadership, and her sense of commitment to service and country has always defined her approach to representing the best interests of the Coast Guard. Commander Burdian is a relentless advocate for her service. Her pioneering spirit and deep understanding of Coast Guard programs and priorities have informed me and others in our collective work and the Coast Guard is on better footing today thanks to her immense contributions. I'm honored to have served with such an outstanding patriot and I want to wish Commander Burdian the best of luck as she endeavors on a new assignment and the next chapter of her life. She's a Coast Guardsman at heart--but I'm also proud to call her a friend. And I ask today that we all recognize this great American for all the work she's done and will continue doing on behalf of the nation.
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ACCOUNTABILITY AND WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION ACT
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2017-6-7

yesterday the Senate adopted the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act. This legislation facilitates the process of terminating nonperforming VA employees by eliminating certain due process protections that are currently part of the system. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs says he needs this authority to reform the system. The Senate, by voice vote, honored the request. However, in Alaska, we have a different problem which is not addressed in the legislation, and that problem is filling vacant positions within the VA. The major challenge facing VA leaders in Alaska is recruitment and retention. prgtoken The Wasilla community based outpatient clinic, CBOC, serves veterans in the fastest growing community in the State. The last permanent physician at this CBOC resigned in May 2014, citing ``excessive workload.'' A number of temporary physicians have rotated through since, and some have considered VA employment, but ultimately said no. The fact remains that, for the past 3 years, the VA has not been able to recruit a single physician to permanently staff this CBOC, a facility that, given demand, requires a permanent staff of two--or possibly three--physicians. Wasilla is hardly the most remote place in the State. Actually, it is one of the least remote. Moreover, it is one of the most desirable places in Alaska to live. For example, Mat-Su Regional Hospital, the community hospital down the road, has no problem retaining medical professionals. Staffed with 160 physicians in 28 specialties, including primary care, it was recently highlighted by Becker's Hospital Review as one of the 150 best places to work in healthcare for 2017. By comparison, the VA has been unable to recruit a single physician to permanently tend to the needs of our veterans in the Mat-Su Valley. prgtoken That suggests to me that the VA has a second problem. The VA is simply not regarded as an employer of choice among potential recruits. Removing due process protections for VA employees may well exacerbate that problem. Over the past 14 years, I have spent time with a great many VA employees, and the fear that a supervisor may now have greater latitude to target an individual on a trumped up charge because they are seen to be rocking the boat or because they just don't like them is a real one. We have very good management in the Alaska VA healthcare system now, but the faces of managers change with some frequency and with those charges can come wide swings in management philosophies. prgtoken At a recent hearing of the MILCON-VA subcommittee, my friend from Florida, Senator Rubio, asked Dr. Shulkin, ``In your time at the Veterans Administration, have you ever seen or do you have any evidence of any instance in which supervisors targeted individuals for dismissal because they just don't like them and were going to make something up in order to get rid of them?'' While the official tran
COUNTERING IRAN'S DESTABILIZING ACTIVITIES ACT OF 2017--MOTION TO PROCEED
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2017-6-7

for a number of years, we have been debating healthcare in this country. Clearly, our healthcare system had problems 8 years ago when they started to do healthcare reform. I saw that as a doctor practicing in Casper, WY. prgtoken Well, then Washington tried their solution. It is a solution that passed, and it is known as Care. s said that it wouldn't work and have been proven right. Care is too costly. It is collapsing. It is interesting because yesterday, as we were having our policy lunch meetings--s and --word came out that another one of the Care exchange companies, Anthem, this time in Ohio, was pulling out, leaving about 18 counties, if not more in Ohio, without anybody to sell insurance on the Care exchange. prgtoken Care actually hasn't solved the problems of America's healthcare system. In many ways, it has made matters worse. That is why the law has never really had the support of the American people and continues to be unpopular today. It is why more than 19 million people actually chose not to sign up for Care coverage at all, even in spite of financial incentives to do so and a fine or a tax if you didn't sign up. So they either paid the fine or they got an exemption. prgtoken The , when they come to the floor to talk about healthcare, refuse to talk about those 19 million people who have just said: We want nothing to do with Care. We are not going to sign up. Give us an exemption. Let us out. prgtoken They want to talk about people whom they actually have covered by pushing them into a broken Medicaid system, and that is about what has happened here. This expansion through the healthcare law and expanding Medicaid put many people into a broken healthcare system called Medicaid. It wasn't working well before Care, and it has gotten worse. The numbers out there, in terms of physicians taking care of patients, are about one-third--one out of three doctors will not take new Medicaid patients, so it is not a system that is working. It is not a solution, but put more people into that. prgtoken For people who didn't end up in Medicaid and who paid their premiums, those premiums have gone up significantly. They have doubled in most States, I think, across the board--up about 107 percent over the last 4 years. Thus, the statistics that have come out from the Department of Health and Human Services recently are the statistics the administration, as it left office, didn't want the American people to see--that rates have doubled across the country and, in some States, much, much higher than that. prgtoken In my home State of Wyoming, they were up actually higher than the national average has been. People are paying more and more. There were two companies, at one point, that were selling insurance on the Care exchange, both losing money. One lost so much that they are no longer in bus
HONORING RYAN DANT'S COLLEGE GRADUATION
Kenny Marchant (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-6-7

I rise today to recognize Ryan Dant. Ryan's father Mark Dant retired just last year as Assistant Chief at the Carrollton, Texas Police Department. As a young boy, Ryan was diagnosed with a rare disease called Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS Type 1)--a disease so rare that it affects about 1 in 100,000 children. prgtoken , we recently observed National MPS Awareness Day on May 15. prgtoken At the time he was diagnosed, in the early 90s, there was no cure or even a treatment for MPS. Doctors told Ryan's parents--Jeanne and Mark--that he wouldn't make it to his 13th birthday. prgtoken Over time, the heartache of their son's diagnosis gave way to the steadfast perseverance that only a parent knows. prgtoken Scientist after scientist, through experimental treatments and research studies, Ryan's 13th birthday came and went. prgtoken Last Saturday, Jeanne and Mark Dant witnessed a miracle--their son Ryan, at age 29, received his college degree. prgtoken I congratulate Ryan on receiving his degree. His life's journey is an inspiration to us all.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 10, FINANCIAL CHOICE ACT OF 2017
Ken Buck (Republican, CO) \u2014 2017-6-7

the legislation before us today is not for the big banks. It is not for the bureaucrats and their swanky downtown office at CFPB. This legislation was crafted for the American people, the men and women who work hard every day to earn a living. These individuals want choice in the financial products they can buy. They want healthy community banks. They want lower taxes instead of Wall Street bailouts. prgtoken The Financial CHOICE Act was written over the past several years with these people in mind. We will restore hope and opportunity for them. prgtoken I thank Chairman Hensarling and the Financial Services Committee for their hard work on this bill. I thank Chairman Sessions for bringing this bill to the floor. prgtoken , I urge Members to vote ``yes'' on the resolution, and then to vote ``yes'' on the underlying bill.
IN RECOGNITION OF MR. LAMAR BALL
Michael C. Burgess (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-6-7

I rise today to honor the memory of former First State Bank executive, Lamar Ball, who passed away on March 26, 2017. Mr. Ball was known for his commitment to his family and his leadership in the Denton banking community. He was a skilled visionary who saved First State Bank from potential closure immediately after assuming the role of chairman and CEO in October 1989. prgtoken A Tennessee native, Mr. Ball graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 1962. Long before he led First State Bank, Mr. Ball began his working life measuring cotton crops straight out of college. After a full year of such work, he decided he needed a change. The only requirement for his next job, according to his daughter Allison, was that it be indoors, so Mr. Ball accepted a banking job in Atlanta and embarked on a banking career that would endure more than 30 years. prgtoken To Mr. Ball, his legacy was important. According to his son David, ``His legacy was not the material things he gained; his legacy was his children and grandchildren, and he made sure [they] knew that.'' Mr. Ball was an accomplished and influential banker, but more importantly, he was a loving and dedicated parent and grandparent. He will be greatly missed. I include in the Record an article that appeared in The Denton Record-Chronicle. Lamar Ball, Former Exec at First State Bank, Dies at Age 76 (Jenna Duncan, Staff Writer) Lamar Ball, a devoted father, grandfather and a staple in the Denton banking community, died Sunday after a battle with myelodysplastic syndrome, a blood disorder that can lead to cancer. He was 76. Ball was known in Denton for saving First State Bank. He started in October 1989 as chairman and CEO and quickly stopped the bank from losing money and facing closure. He brought in investor Carl Pohlad, who at the time owned the major league baseball team Minnesota Twins, and rebuilt the company, former colleagues said. ``His mission was to raise capital to quite frankly save the bank and he did, so in my mind he saved First State Bank of Texas,'' said Bill Bonds, who served as chief financial officer under Ball. ``He was a visionary. He told me one time that he loved to create worth. His greatest skill was finding or taking something that was broken and turning it into something valuable.'' The Tennessee native graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 1962 and immediately got a job measuring cotton crops. His daughter, Allison Bertorelli, said his only specifications for what he wanted in his first job was that it would be indoors. The next year, Ball switched to banking with a job in Atlanta and continued in the industry for more than 30 years. One phrase he took to heart and would often repeat was, ``I might not be the smartest guy in
CONGRESSIONAL SHOOT-OUT AND INDUSTRY CHALLENGE
Jeff Duncan (Republican, SC) \u2014 2017-6-7

I rise today as chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus--the largest bipartisan caucus within the Halls of Congress--to talk about the recent May 16 congressional shoot-out, a competition of sporting clays, skeet, and trap that pit and Members of Congress against each other in a great afternoon of enjoying outdoor shooting sports. prgtoken We had a bipartisan shoot. The team won this year. I am just the chairman and team captain. prgtoken I would like to say that I won one of the individual awards this year--I have in the past--but this year we had Members on our side that won. The top gun Member of Congress was Richard Hudson from North Carolina. The top shot was Tim Walz. The best shooter for skeet was Collin Peterson. The top sporting clays was a freshman Member from North Carolina, Ted Budd. I am saving the best for last: the top trap was none other than Don Young from Alaska. prgtoken It is a great afternoon where we can honor the outdoor economy, the largest industry of the United States, serve the outdoors in a lot of ways, and the heritage of sportsmen outdoor community activity is critical to the American story. prgtoken , from Texas (Mr. Gene Green), who is the co-chair.
CONGRATULATING LOCAL HERO THALIA RODRIGUEZ
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-6-7

I would like to recognize a young and valiant member of our south Florida community, Thalia Rodriguez. Just 17 years old, Thalia used her skills that she learned from her high school's emergency medical responder class to save the life of one of our Miami-Dade police officers. prgtoken Major Ricky Carter was off duty, traveling on his motorcycle, when an unexpected crash left him critically injured at the side of the road. Thalia came upon the scene, immediately began to apply first aid to the injured police major. Realizing that his injuries were too severe to wait for the first responders to arrive, Thalia made the split-second decision to fashion a tourniquet out of a belt, thereby buying Major Carter precious time. Thalia's brave act that Sunday morning saved Major Ricky Carter's life. prgtoken Thank you to Thalia Rodriguez, a graduating senior at Westland Hialeah Senior High School, for her outstanding heroism.
THE NEED FOR FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
Tom Emmer (Republican, MN) \u2014 2017-6-7

I rise today to celebrate the career of Forest Lake Area Schools' early childhood special education teacher, Heide Muhs. Heide is retiring at the end of this school year. Heide is concluding her professional career in education with a huge achievement. Recently she received the Early Childhood Professional of the Year Lifetime Excellence Award. This award recognizes an individual who has made a lasting difference in the lives of children with special needs and their families. This is an area where Heide has excelled during her career. prgtoken Heide is no stranger to the needs of these families. For her, it is personal. In fact, she has two adopted sons with special needs. Through her personal experience and unwavering dedication to those in her care, Heide has managed to help and strengthen families throughout central Minnesota. prgtoken I am proud to stand here today and to thank Heide for her commitment to our children's future. We wish you the best in your retirement, Heide. You deserve it. Fellowship for Minnesotans
THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY
John J. Duncan, Jr. (Republican, TN) \u2014 2017-6-7

the Chaplain mentioned, in his prayer a few minutes ago, D-day. I rise today, , to honor the brave Americans who fought the most influential naval battle of World War II: the Battle of Midway. prgtoken This week marks 75 years since U.S. forces defeated the Japanese Imperial Navy, forever changing the course of history. Victory in this battle allowed the United States and its allies to go on offense for the duration of the war. This was a real turning point in World War II. prgtoken The Japanese came to the battle from June 4 to June 7, 1942, with the largest armada they had ever assembled and the intention to finally defeat prgtoken U.S. Naval forces in the Pacific. An American intelligence breakthrough cracked the Japanese fleet codes, allowing us to anticipate and to prepare for this attack. prgtoken With our mere three carriers to their many carriers, battleships, and cruisers, the odds of victory were not in our favor, a true underdog story. The land-based air supports that Midway Island allowed and our naval officers' uncanny ability to adapt and think on their feet led to our success and kept our country safe from the Axis powers. prgtoken I was very pleased to work with the late Senator Jesse Helms and the International Midway Memorial Foundation to pass legislation declaring Midway Island a national memorial so that it may be protected and forever serve to honor the American lives lost in the pursuit of victory in this war.