mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
VA MISSION Act (Executive Session)
Mike Braun (Republican, IN) \u2014 2019-6-19

my hometown of Jasper, IN, sits in the county with the most veterans per capita in the State. My father was a tail gunner on a B-17 himself, and I will never forget the lesson he and my community impressed upon me of honoring those who have served so effortlessly and selflessly. prgtoken Providing for the health and well-being of the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country is the least we can do, and it ought to be one of the things we can all agree on in this Chamber. prgtoken When the administration took over, the VA had been in dire straits for many years. The passage of the MISSION Act represented a great stride toward improving access to quality healthcare services for our vets and, especially, a great step for Hoosier veterans. prgtoken A few of the valuable provisions for Hoosier veterans in the MISSION Act include these: replacing the mileage requirement with a drive time requirement; greatly expanding access to care for Hoosier veterans who report to VA hospitals in bigger cities like Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Cincinnati; reducing the maximum wait times and reducing the strain on smaller VA facilities that may not have the resources or specialties available to serve patients in a timely manner; implementing a new urgent care benefit so veterans can now utilize urgent care and walk-in facilities from providers in the VA network without prior authorization; and a big win for access to care for Hoosier vets, allowing veterans to seek out community care if the VA medical service line is unable to meet quality standards. prgtoken Before this legislation, Hoosier veterans not receiving proper care would have nowhere else to turn. The MISSION Act offers Hoosier veterans better choices, better access, and better care. prgtoken As we reflect on the sacrifice of our servicemen and servicewomen this upcoming Fourth of July season, we must also remember our commitment to them once they return from the field of battle. We have made great strides in improving access and quality for veteran care in the last 2 years, and the MISSION Act is a big win for Hoosiers and all American veterans. prgtoken .
Military Justice Improvement Act (Executive Session)
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-6-19

. According to the Pentagon's estimation, a young woman in the military has a one-in-eight chance of being sexually assaulted. Unfortunately, many cases are never prosecuted. prgtoken This is completely unacceptable. We must do more to prevent assaults and ensure that survivors get justice. The men and women who have volunteered to place their lives on the line deserve better. prgtoken The Military Justice Improvement Act would help ensure impartial justice and send the message that sexual assault in the military will not be tolerated. prgtoken . prgtoken .
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Robert B. Aderholt (Republican, AL) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Madam Chair, I rise in support of this amendment offered by the gentleman from Louisiana. prgtoken NASA's plan for facilities to support our human exploration mission is not sufficient, because nothing is more important than keeping our American astronauts alive and safe on these exploration missions. prgtoken We will continue to support robust funding for NASA exploration. The funding that is mentioned here, which is part of the SLS Orion and related ground system programs, is critical and supports multiple NASA facilities and personnel, and it even allows NASA engineers to assist commercial space companies with complex engineering challenges. prgtoken I urge my colleagues' support of this amendment, Madam Chair, and NASA's exploration programs. prgtoken Madam Chair, .
IN RECOGNITION OF THE LIFE, LEGACY, AND SERVICE OF MAJOR GENERAL JAMES LISON, JR.
Mike Gallagher (Republican, WI) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Madam , today I rise in honor of the life, legacy, and service of Major General James Lison, Jr who passed away on Friday, June 7, 2019 at the age of 98. prgtoken Maj. Gen. Lison was born in Green Bay on October 23, 1920. He graduated from Green Bay East High School in 1938, where he met the love of his life, Marian Kehl. Upon graduating from the Reserve Officer Training Course at St. Norbert College, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army and ordered to active duty at the U.S. Army Infantry Replacement Training Center, Fort McClellan, Alabama on June 10, 1942. He returned to Green Bay to marry his sweetheart on September 11, 1942. The couple had four children, Kathy, Peter, Susan and Joan. prgtoken Maj. Gen. Lison served on active duty from 1942 to 1946, of which 14 months was in the European Theater as a rifle company officer, combat liaison officer and assistant operations officer with the 42nd ``Rainbow'' Division. prgtoken Separated from active duty in March 1946, Maj. Gen. Lison accepted immediate assignment to the U.S. Army Reserve. In November 1947, his Army Reserve unit commander, then organizing a Wisconsin National Guard regiment, recruited him to organize and command Tank Company, 426th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division. In 1951, he was assigned to the G-3 Section, Headquarters, 32 Infantry Division. prgtoken In 1953, Maj. Gen. Lison transferred to State Headquarters, Wisconsin Army National Guard, to accept full-time employment in the state Adjutant General's Office, where he served in a variety of staff assignments, culminating in his appointment by Governor Warren Knowles as the State Adjutant General in February 1969. He was promoted to Brigadier General in December 1968, and to Major General in March 1970. He retired from the active National Guard in 1980, and from state employment with the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs in 1983. prgtoken Through his service, Maj. Gen. Lison earned many awards and decorations which include the Legion of Merit, with Oak Leaf Cluster (second award), the Bronze Star Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (two campaigns-Rhineland and Central Europe), the World War II Victory Medal, the Army of Occupation Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge, as well as a number of State decorations and awards. prgtoken Madam , words cannot adequately thank Maj. Gen. Lison for his years of service to our country. May his service, dedication, and sacrifice be remembered by a grateful nation. I offer my sincerest condolences to his family.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Steve Scalise (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Madam Chair, I bring a bipartisan amendment that is cosponsored by Congressman Cedric Richmond and Congressman Garret Graves. What this amendment is really designed to do is highlight the fact that, as we are embarking upon another mission now to Mars, an ambitious mission to get men back into space, ultimately to go back to the Moon, that we also want to make sure that, as we are investing billions of dollars in this incredible equipment and incredible technology that America has been so ingenuitive in designing, that we also make sure we are maintaining those facilities that are key components to building a lot of that technology and building these massive rockets, like the SLS for Orion. prgtoken I am proud that we have the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. It is actually in Congressman Richmond's district and has been a key component to the space program going back to the Apollo days. There is tremendous pride with the workforce and these massive facilities that help design and build this incredible technology that allows these missions to the Moon and these missions to Mars, ultimately. prgtoken So, as America is embarking on this great mission and an ambitious mission that we should always continue to achieve, we are proud of our Administrator of NASA, Jim Bridenstine, who actually came from this House, served in this House, and now is very engaged in making sure that this next ambitious mission to both the Moon and to Mars is being carried out properly. prgtoken Again, we just want to highlight the fact that, as we are doing this, we want to also make sure that we are maintaining those facilities that are going to build the massive rockets and other technology and equipment that will get us there. prgtoken Madam Chair, .
Juneteenth (Executive Session)
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2019-6-19

I rise today to talk about Juneteenth and the VA MISSION Act. prgtoken The VA MISSION Act is a remarkable transition that is happening right now in VA centers across the country, but I need to pause for just a moment in recognition of today's date. prgtoken Today, as many people here in the Senate know--and if they don't know, they should know--today is June 19. In the South today, we recognize it as Juneteenth. prgtoken The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, but it took 2 years for that information about the emancipation of the slaves to reach multiple areas of the South. The date that was officially recognized was June 19, and that is the day we recognize each year--June 19--as Emancipation Day. In Oklahoma, in my great State, it actually didn't reach us until June 14, 1866--almost a year after it reached Texas. That is how long communication took at the time, to get the information. prgtoken It is a remarkable thing to think about. One hundred and fifty-four years after emancipation reached the Southern States and the word of that reached them and after the end of the Civil War, we still as a nation pause on June 19 every year to remember how horrible it was to treat humanity as property. May we not forget where we were so we never get close to that again.
Syria (Executive Session)
Lindsey Graham (Republican, SC) \u2014 2019-6-19

I want to compliment Senator Shaheen for doing her homework on Syria--traveling, understanding the strategic implications of losing in Syria for the United States and our allies. prgtoken In New Hampshire and South Carolina, there is not a lot of talk about Syria. It is not that people don't care; it is just that we have our plate full here at home with all of our needs in our own backyard. The thing I can tell people throughout the country: You ignore these problems at our own peril. prgtoken The wave of refugees that came out of Syria when the civil war first began is going to replicate itself--or I guess we can all sit on the sidelines and watch 3 million people be killed. I hope we don't do that. prgtoken Idlib is a province in northwestern Syria. The opposition is basically in a corner near the border with Turkey. Assad, with the help of Iran and mostly Russia, is trying to break their will and literally destroy them. prgtoken Within this group of people--about 3\1/2\ million--there are some really hardcore al-Qaida types--Al-Nusra, all kinds of names associated with the groups--but they are radical Sunni Islamists, and they would bring ISIS back roaring. We don't want them to win the day, and we sure as heck don't want Iran to control Syria. prgtoken I think it would be a huge mistake for the United States to let Assad prevail in this war, and let me tell you why: It never ends with him. Every radical Sunni Islamist group in the world will use Assad's presence in Syria as a recruiting tool. He is a proxy of Iran. Without Iran, there would be no Assad. So you create a great recruiting opportunity for radical Islam if you let Assad prevail. prgtoken On multiple occasions, our country has said Assad must go. Why? Because he is a war criminal. He has lost all legitimacy. Russia will have basically trumped the United States--no pun intended--in the backyard of the Middle East, Syria. prgtoken President , to his credit, changed his decision to withdraw all forces in northeastern Syria and have a holding force with more international involvement to prevent ISIS from coming back in the Manbij area, making sure that Iran doesn't come down and take over, with Assad, that part of Syria and that Turkey doesn't come into northeastern Syria to deal with the Syrian ic Forces, the Kurdish elements of the YPG. prgtoken A small American contingent force has brought some stability to northeastern Syria. Our Kurdish allies who stepped up to the plate feel like they are in a better spot--we have to realize that Turkey has a legitimate concern about the YPG elements--but to keep everybody apart and make sure ISIS doesn't come back. prgtoken Nobody is talking about Idlib. President , to his credit, did tweet on June 2--just a few weeks ago--``Hearing word that Russia, Syria and, to a lesser extent, Iran, are bombing the hell out of Idlib Province in Syria, and indiscriminately killing many innocent
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
John R. Carter (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-6-19

. Madam Chair, let me start off by saying that I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), our ranking member on our side. I thank the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), my good friend, chair of the full committee. They are doing yeoman's work on all of these bills. They are standing strong and doing a great job, and we are proud of them. prgtoken It has been a joy to work with Chairman Wasserman Schultz. She has been fair and equitable and a joy to serve with. I look forward to working together to make this bill better and better as we go through the process. prgtoken I rise, reluctantly, in opposition to this bill. I have mixed feelings about this package. It includes many good things, and it funds important programs. prgtoken For example, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs division includes $10.5 billion to provide adequate training opportunities and modern facilities for our military. We want our military to be ready, lethal, and effective. This bill supports that. prgtoken This bill also includes $140 million to support military families and to help the services address the problems we have heard about in the privatization of military housing. prgtoken For veterans' programs, the bill fully supports and implements the MISSION Act. It also provides for a $30 million increase for mental health and a $40 million increase for homeless programs. Hopefully, this will help us reduce the scourge of veteran suicide and homelessness. prgtoken These are all goods things. They are things we need. I fear, however, that the majority is on a path that makes it difficult to reach an agreement before the start of the fiscal year. prgtoken October 1 is coming on and approaching very fast. We need a budget agreement for fiscal year 2020 and beyond sooner rather than later. The consequences of not having such an agreement are disruptive and immense. No one wants sequestration or a government shutdown. prgtoken Unfortunately, the budget numbers the House is operating under are not real and in no way do they reflect the reality of the situation on our southern border. This appropriations bill does not include funds to address the security and humanitarian crisis there, and it also does not include the $4.5 billion the President requested last month. prgtoken Congress must act. I sincerely hope we are getting closer to an agreement on a supplemental funding package. prgtoken As I close, I urge all of us to keep our eyes on the goal, a bipartisan bill that supports our troops and their families and the Nation's veterans. prgtoken Madam Chair, I look forward to working with my colleagues on this as we go through the process, and I thank the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee for the time.
VA MISSION Act (Executive Session)
Johnny Isakson (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-6-19

just for the record, a staff sergeant just addressed a lieutenant colonel. She is beautiful, and she is also very smart. I am glad to be in the military with her. I am glad to have served our country and proud of the service she has given our country and the service she gives to the U.S. Senate and the great State of Iowa. prgtoken As chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I have had a great experience the last few years pretty much lined up with what Senator Ernst said. prgtoken When we got here 4 years ago in the Senate and took this committee, the VA was a mess. Veterans services were not being met. There was story after story after story of veterans not getting appointments kept, the wrong tooth being pulled, the wrong leg being set, the wrong disease being treated. Lots of hospitals had sanitation problems. There were just a whole lot of things, and I said ``What have I gotten myself into?'' because I came here to go on the committee and try to help our veterans get better healthcare. Instead, I thought I was presiding over the end of healthcare. prgtoken So we all set our minds--Senator Ernst and I, Senator Perdue in the Chair now, and Mr. Scott from the great State of Florida--all of us rallied and said: We are going to make this right. We are going to go on a mission. Our mission is to make the VA work and make it work for our veterans. We are not going to take no for an answer. prgtoken On the 6th day of June, a week and a half ago, we all celebrated the 75th anniversary of D-day. But it was the first anniversary of a renewed VA--a VA on a mission. I am proud to tell you now that on the first anniversary of the VA MISSION Act, which passed last year, we have fewer complaints, more compliments, better reserve, and better outcomes. We are working toward seeing to it that we have the best possible healthcare we can have for our veterans. prgtoken I am glad to join Senator Ernst and the other Senators who will speak about the promises of the VA system now being met for those who have sacrificed and risked their lives for us, being sure they are given the healthcare they want. We are doing it by applying the right types of principles and the right type of can-do attitude. prgtoken Care in the community, which is a major portion of the MISSION Act, was the most important part. Care in the community is basically all of the services we put together to make healthcare accessible to our veterans. We were having a problem with veterans getting appointments within 30 days of making the appointment. We were having trouble with veterans who live more than 40 miles from a VA hospital or VA CBOC to get appointments in time in the system. We have had problems with certain rare diseases and difficult problems only from the types of warfare we are in today with IEDs and things like that to get the right doctors with the right veterans at the right time. prgtoken Then, we had the problem of America be
Abortion (Executive Session)
Tom Cotton (Republican, AR) \u2014 2019-6-19

many State legislatures across the country have taken action recently to protect unborn babies from the violence of abortion. My home State, for instance, Arkansas, has just passed a law to protect unborn babies after 18 weeks of development. This reform is not just supported by Arkansans; it is supported by a large majority of all Americans, more than 70 percent of whom believe unborn babies ought to be protected at or before that stage of pregnancy. prgtoken These reforms are the work of the pro-life movement, which fights for the most vulnerable among us every day. The pro-life movement seeks change in the noblest tradition of our country and works within our democratic system so that our laws ultimately live up to our highest principle in the words of our Declaration of Independence--that all men are created equal and that all have a basic right to life. prgtoken Of course, this is a democracy. So not everyone agrees when or even if we ought to protect the unborn. I understand that. I know there are decent people on both sides of this sensitive issue. We resolve our differences and reach compromise through democratic debate. What should never happen, though, is a billion-dollar corporation's trying to dictate these moral questions to us. Politically correct CEOs shouldn't be in the business of threatening normal Americans, but that is exactly what we have seen lately. prgtoken The loudest objections to these pro-life laws haven't come from the bottom up, from normal citizens who happen to disagree with one another, but from the top down, from cultural elites and, increasingly, from giant corporations that wield their economic power as a weapon to punish the American people for daring to challenge their pro-abortion extremism. prgtoken Giant media companies, like Disney, Netflix, and WarnerMedia, have threatened to cripple Georgia's film industry if its residents don't bend the knee and betray their pro-life convictions. prgtoken Just last Monday, the New York Times ran a full-page advertisement that was organized by the pro-abortion lobby and was signed by the CEOs of hundreds of companies that read that legal protections for unborn babies are ``bad for business.'' How disgusting is that? Caring for a little baby is ``bad for business.'' prgtoken Now, I get why outfits like Planned Parenthood and NARAL would say babies are bad for business. Abortion is their business, after all, and they are just protecting market share. Yet what about all of those other CEOs? Why do they think babies are ``bad for business''? It is, perhaps, because they want their workers to focus single-mindedly on working, not on building families and raising children. prgtoken All these politically correct CEOs want company men and women, not family men and women. They will support your individuality and self- expression just as long as you stay unattached and on the clock. prgtoken You couldn't find a more perfect example o