mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
SETTING FORTH THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET FOR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020 AND SETTING FORTH THE APPROPRIATE BUDGETARY LEVELS FOR FISCAL YEARS 2021 THROUGH 2029--MOTION TO PROCEED
Rand Paul (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-6-3

I rise today to let the American people know that there are some of us left in Washington--some of your representatives--who actually do care about the mounting debt. prgtoken We now have over $22 trillion worth of debt, and you ask yourself: Whose fault is this? How did it get so out of control? How did we accumulate so much debt that we are accumulating debt at $1.5 million every minute? prgtoken Under , the debt went from about $5 trillion to $10 trillion. Under President , it went from $10 trillion to $20 trillion. Under President , it will go from $20 trillion to about $30 trillion. prgtoken So the debt is out of control, and you ask yourself: Why is no one doing anything about it? Whose fault is it? prgtoken Well, really, I think you can see that it is a bipartisan problem. Both parties are at fault. We have a debt now that exceeds $22 trillion. If you have ever seen usdebtclock.org, you can see the numbers spinning out of control. prgtoken Now, how would that apply to an individual? Each individual American in the country owes about $70,000 of that debt. Some people say: Well, it is so enormous; do deficits really matter? prgtoken In fact, I think it was one of the changes, when s way back said that deficits don't matter. Well, it actually does matter. It matters to your budget each year because what happens is that as interest grows, it crowds out everything else. prgtoken In fact, interest right now is the fourth leading item in the budget, only behind Medicare and Social Security and defense. But if you look at interest on the debt, what is going to happen over the next decade or so is that interest is in the red, and you can see interest is climbing and will exceed, over time, both defense and also Social Security. So it is a real problem. As interest on the debt rises, it sort of crowds out all other spending. prgtoken So what are people doing about it? What are your Senators doing about it, and what are your Congressmen doing about it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. prgtoken The control the House. Will they have a budget this year? So far, goose egg, no budget. prgtoken How about the s in the Senate? Do they have a budget? Well, they did pass one out, but there is no plan of ever voting on it on the floor. prgtoken So what we will get to vote on today is my budget. My budget is called the Penny Plan Budget. What my budget does is that it cuts one penny out of every dollar. (Mr. BOOZMAN assumed the Chair.) prgtoken It is interesting because as I see people come to Washington--and almost everybody who comes to Washington wants money--and I tell them: First of all, I have to tell you, we have no money. We are $1 trillion short this year. prgtoken People have such good causes. They say: Well, we want money for this disease or that disease. prgtoken I say: Well, wait a minute. What if we said that we will give you 99 percent of what you had la
RECOGNIZING WE BUILD THE WALL
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2019-6-3

. Madam , I rise today to recognize the hard work being done by a crowd-funded organization called We Build the Wall. prgtoken Because Congress has failed to pass legislation that will secure our border and fund the construction of physical barriers where they are needed, these folks have taken the initiative. prgtoken We Build the Wall, led by Air Force combat veteran and triple amputee Brian Kolfage, has raised over $23 million in private donations to help secure the southern border and began construction in New Mexico over the Memorial Day weekend. prgtoken Now, rumors were circulated about the group, but they are fulfilling their promise. After first being told their permits were in order, the mayor of Sunland Park and his administration were flip-flopping, and their incompetence has threatened to put the brakes on the whole project--but it only delayed it 36 hours. They now have been cleared to resume the construction. prgtoken We know there is a crisis at the southern border. Madam , I thank Brian Kolfage and We Build the Wall for their selfless commitment to our great country. prgtoken It is too bad it has to come to this, but it is also inspiring, in a way, that citizens came forward to do the job of the U.S. Government and secure our sovereign border themselves. prgtoken This Congress should do better for our border security and for our American citizens.
CONFIRMATION OF KENNETH D. BELL
Thom Tillis (Republican, NC) \u2014 2019-6-3

I would like to congratulate Mr. Kenneth D. Bell on his confirmation to serve as the United States District Judge for the Western District of North Carolina. Mr. Bell has a distinguished record of serving North Carolina, and he is an excellent choice for this position. I look forward to his continued service to the people of western North Carolina. Thank you, Mr. Bell, for your commitment to serve in this position, and I wish you the best of luck.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2019-6-3

I take this opportunity to honor the work and career of Chancellor Mark Wrighton of Washington University in St. Louis. On May 31, 2019, Chancellor Wrighton concluded his term as chancellor after 24 years at Washington University. prgtoken In 1995, Chancellor Wrighton began his career at Washington University in St. Louis. He was brought to St. Louis to serve as the 14th chancellor to one of the top institutions in the United States. Consistently ranked in the top 20 for best universities and currently ranked No. 8 for best research and medical schools, Washington University in St. Louis's reputation has grown; and its academic reach expanded under the leadership of Chancellor Wrighton. Although it was already a top school when he arrived, Chancellor Wrighton had a strong vision for boosting the full-time faculty numbers, making capital improvements to continue the high-quality learning experience for students, expanding their reach internationally, and enhancing the advancements in their medical research. prgtoken Under his guidance and leadership, Chancellor Wrighton saw the construction of 50 new buildings, including a state-of-the-art research facility, the Debra and George W. Couch III Biomedical Research Building that is home to top researchers involved in genetics, genomics, and regenerative biology. In addition, one of his projects that has arguably made the biggest impact in St. Louis and is playing an important role in cancer research is the development of the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center. His focus on capital improvements to enhance the quality of learning and research, as well as hiring the best leadership to oversee the faculty, doctors, and researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine, have led to pivotal results in the areas of treating, researching, and developing new approaches to dealing with diseases, such as cancer and Alzheimer's. His comprehensive vision for the best talent to work in top-quality facilities has pioneered the way for better approaches to personalized medicine and lifesaving treatment making a significant contribution to addressing many of the complicated diseases facing patients and the families that love them. prgtoken In addition to medical care and research, Chancellor Wrighton had a vision for contributing to the entrepreneurial climate in St. Louis and supporting the St. Louis community. There have been many positive local impacts made by Washington University, but an important commitment Chancellor Wrighton supported as an original collaborator was to launch Cortex. Cortex is the St. Louis home to the region's largest innovation campus for bioscience and technology startups and companies. Chancellor Wrighton's early and continued support of enterprises such as Cortex and other collaborations, like the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, demonstrate his commitment to support local economic growth and enhance job creation. prgtoken
RECOGNIZING PARTNER STEEL CO.
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2019-6-3

this month I celebrate the power of the American entrepreneurial spirit by highlighting the success of a small business in my home State of Idaho. Hard work, innovation, and perseverance are some of the characteristics that have helped so many of our Nation's citizens achieve the American Dream. As a member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, it is my distinct privilege to recognize Partner Steel Co. as the Idaho Small Business of the Month for June 2019. prgtoken Partner Steel Co. first opened its doors in Pocatello, ID, in 1947 as a custom steel fabricator and wholesaler. Since then, Partner Steel has expanded to provide Idaho-made products not only to Idahoans, but to consumers all over the world. Partner Steel uses high-quality raw materials to produce custom creations, meeting the unique needs of each individual customer. As a commercial steel supplier, Partner Steel Co. provides steel to large and small clients across the United States. prgtoken Spanning beyond the realm of commercial steel supply and custom steel fabrication, Partner Steel Co. has an outdoor camping equipment line. They create products such as camping stoves, Dutch ovens, griddles, coffee pots and water purifiers for outdoor sanitation. These camping supplies have generated an international customer base, from the United States to Canada, Europe, and Australia. prgtoken After operating Partner Steel for more than five decades, the Partner family decided to sell the business in 2005. Having worked at Partner Steel for more than 30 years, Rick Eskelson had a deep understanding of the operations of the company, and he and his wife Debbie made the decision to buy the business. Now owners for 15 years, the Eskelsons have continued supplying steel products to Pocatello residents and consumers around the globe. prgtoken In addition to operating their small business, the Eskelsons have prioritized reinvesting into the Pocatello community. Rick and Debbie are avid supporters of the local 4H club, local sports teams and high schools, and are involved in the Pocatello business community. prgtoken It is my honor to recognize Rick and Debbie Eskelson and the employees of Partner Steel Co. for their outstanding contributions to the Pocatello community. You make our State proud, and I look forward to your continued success.
Maiden Speech (Executive Session)
Mitt Romney (Republican, UT) \u2014 2019-6-4

I have been a Member of this body for several months now, and I would like to offer a few observations about the experience. prgtoken I had been told that I might not like it here. Having previously been a Governor, some friends thought I might find the pace a little too slow and decision making too diffuse and cumbersome, but that has not been the case. prgtoken My committee assignments are interesting and the work is important, and while few bills actually become law, the fact that both political parties must reach consensus for a bill to pass reinforces the ties that bind our Republic. prgtoken Given the public passion of our politics these days, I had also presumed that the atmosphere here would vary between prickly and hostile, but the truth is that Senators on both sides of the aisle are remarkably friendly and collegial once the cameras are off. prgtoken I have now met privately with 68 of my fellow Senators. Like them, I came here in part because I believe my life experience could help us confront our national challenges. I also believe that the values and policies practiced in Utah can inform national debates. Our State has the fastest job growth in the country. It balances its budget every year. It has the country's most highly educated workforce. prgtoken It is a great privilege to represent the people of Utah in the Senate. I am humbled by the history that has been made here, by the character of the patriots whose sculptures adorn our halls, and, of course, by the great sacrifice made to construct the Capitol of the greatest Nation on Earth. To serve here is to be reminded daily of the history and greatness of this blessed country. prgtoken The American character has been distinct from our very beginning. Alexis de Tocqueville observed that Americans had fashioned a culture different from any other he had encountered. prgtoken Just a few weeks ago, I attended the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit in Utah. In his keynote address, historian Jon Meacham observed that, in a number of ways, that endeavor revealed some of the distinct elements of the national prgtoken character. President Abraham Lincoln signed the project's enabling legislation on the eve of the Civil War. The country was divided as never before or since, and the President was preoccupied with preserving the Union. But despite the gathering storm, he had both the foresight to see the impact of a transcontinental railroad and the confidence to believe it actually could be constructed. We Americans are drawn to visionary endeavors, and we rarely lack the confidence needed to undertake them. prgtoken It is difficult from today's vantage point to appreciate the extent of the project's engineering and construction challenges. Some have even called it the greatest engineering triumph of the 19th century. Tunnels were blasted through the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada,
AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2019
Tom McClintock (Republican, CA) \u2014 2019-6-4

. Madam , as we dither and posture and virtue signal here today, our southern border is collapsing. prgtoken The border patrol warns that before this year is out, they will have apprehended over 1 million illegal aliens making a mockery of our sovereignty and our asylum laws. Unless Congress acts, these illegals will have to be released into our country; that is the population of the cities of Atlanta and Sacramento combined. prgtoken Now, instead of taking simple measures necessary to secure our borders and reserve our asylum laws for the truly persecuted, the House meets today to grant blanket amnesty to roughly 2.5 million illegal aliens, encouraging millions more that they, too, can violate our borders with impunity. prgtoken Now, the have long-advocated free services for illegals: free healthcare, legal counsel, education, food, housing--all paid by American taxpayers. prgtoken Now, they deny they support illegal immigration; yet, they heap rewards on those who illegally immigrate. prgtoken Many have gone so far as to advocate abolishing the agencies that defend our borders. prgtoken long ago ceased to call illegal immigration for what it is--illegal. They have supported allowing illegal aliens to vote in our elections and opposed visa tracking of foreign nationals entering our country. prgtoken They have even enacted sanctuary laws that require dangerous criminal illegal aliens to be released back into our communities rather than to be deported, as Federal law requires. prgtoken Now, the real tragedy today is that there are hundreds of thousands of prgtoken children who were brought here illegally and, in effect, stranded here without a country. prgtoken They have no legal status here, yet little familiarity with their birth country. And there is broad bipartisan support to remedy this situation today, but we cannot do that until we first fully secure our border and fully enforce our immigration laws. Otherwise, we simply encourage more children be brought here illegally, producing yet another generation who will come to us in a few years with the same demands that we hear today. prgtoken We could address both issues right now, right here and now. If full funding of the border wall and reform of our asylum laws were to be combined with legalizing the status of children who were brought here and raised here, through no fault of their own, this bill could become law in a matter of days. prgtoken Within days, we could bring these young people out of legal limbo and restore the integrity of our borders--within days. prgtoken But by forcing the completely one-sided partisan approach, the end up with precisely nothing. prgtoken This is not legislating. This is farce. prgtoken And history is screaming this warning at us that nations that either cannot or will not secure their borders simply aren't around very long. prgtoken Madam , let that not be the epitaph of the American republic.
PROVIDE SOLUTION FOR WASTE FROM EXPANDING NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
Rick W. Allen (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-6-4

as a Member of the House Energy Action Team, I am proud to rise here this evening to shed some light on our theme of the week, nuclear energy. prgtoken Georgia's 12th District is home to two nuclear power plants, Plant Vogtle and Plant Hatch. We are leading the way in the expansion of our Nation's nuclear resources with the first two nuclear reactors being built in 30 years currently under construction at Plant Vogtle. prgtoken After visiting Vogtle in March and witnessing the placement of the top of the unit 3 containment vessel, I can tell you that construction is full steam ahead. I look forward to units 3 and 4 coming online as soon as possible. prgtoken However, we currently have thousands of spent fuel rods being held in spent fuel pools and dry cask storage containers on these sites and around the country. We must have a permanent geological site, like Yucca Mountain, to manage our nuclear waste. prgtoken I cosponsored the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act, which provides a solution to this problem, and I urge Congress to act upon this bill as soon as possible.
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-6-4

I thank Senator Collins and Senator Feinstein for arranging this afternoon's visit on the floor of the U.S. Senate. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to come to the floor today to recognize the courageous and determined women behind the women's suffrage movement. prgtoken These trailblazing women, and countless more like them, paved the way for women in my home State of Iowa and across the Nation to have the right to vote. They forged a path for women like me and all of my absolutely remarkable female colleagues joining me on the Senate floor today. prgtoken On this 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, it is easy to think of these courageous women as institutions and visions of strength and perseverance, and that is absolutely what those women are. prgtoken They were also once young girls and young women seeking to understand the answer to simple questions like: Why can't my mother vote in an election? Why can't I pursue my dreams? prgtoken All too often, the response back then to these questions was simply to tell women that politics and government were too complicated or important for our gender to have a role in it. ``Best leave it to the men to figure out these tough matters.'' That is what they would say. prgtoken I think the 127 women in Congress this year would have something very different to say about that. To be honest, I don't know if the suffragettes completely understood the tremendous impact their efforts would have now a century later. prgtoken They secured more than just the right to vote. The passage of the 19th Amendment has led to immeasurable progress in the right for women's equality on all fronts. I see their spirit in the girls and women, young and old, I meet each and every day in my job as a U.S. Senator. prgtoken I was recently at a women's networking event where Gen. Jennifer Walter, the first female Iowa Air Guard general in the Iowa National Guard, talked about her career options when she graduated high school over four decades ago. They were very limited, to say the least. She could be a typist or work in a clerking job in the Air Force or she could be a nurse. Those were the options that were open to her, but General Walter is not one to be boxed in. prgtoken She decided to forge her own path forward. That led her to the Air National Guard, first in Kansas and then in my home State of Iowa. There were still plenty of obstacles, but she was unwavering. Walter was going to prove she belonged and could reach her full potential. prgtoken Even in my own life, I have benefited from the hard work and the commitment of these women trailblazers. That is especially clear when I look back on my 23 years of service in the Army Reserve and the Iowa Army National Guard. prgtoken When I joined the service after college, there were no opportunities for women in combat. By 2003, I was a company commander leading supply convoys in combat zones in Iraq. Like me,
Remembering Thad Cochran (Executive Calendar)
Cory Gardner (Republican, CO) \u2014 2019-6-4

75 years ago tomorrow, June 5, 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower gave a speech to U.S. soldiers the day before the invasion of Normandy. prgtoken In that speech, he said this: Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. prgtoken He ended his comments by saying: I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory! Good luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking. prgtoken It was an undertaking not just remarkable for its logistical effort and massive supply planning but for what it meant to humanity: a mobilization in the name of freedom to stand against evil and a massive undertaking uncertain of outcome to fight oppression for a free world. prgtoken I hope every American will take some time this week to reflect on that massive undertaking 75 years ago that ultimately led to the liberation of Europe, the destruction of Adolf Hitler, and the end of World War II and to reflect on the sacrifice and courage, the selfless acts of bravery, and the stories of families who never saw a loved one return. prgtoken The decision to move forward with the invasion was reached in late 1943. By May of 1944, nearly 3 million Allied troops were amassed in southern England. Gathered along with the millions of soldiers was the largest armada in world history, with over 4,000 ships from Canada, the United States, and Great Britain. There were 11,000 airplanes that participated in the invasion, pounding the shores and Nazi positions, and delivering supplies and thousands of troops up and down the coast of France. prgtoken The assault began shortly after midnight on June 6, 1944, with Allied bombers attacking targets along the coast and inland. More than 24,000 American, British, and Canadian airborne assault troops and 1,200 aircraft followed the air bombardment. At 1:30 a.m the 101st Airborne Division began landing behind Utah Beach, and the 82nd Airborne Division began landing at 2:30 a.m. The second phase on the coast began at 5:30 a.m. when six Allied divisions and numerous small units began landing on five beaches. In total, the Allies landed more than 160,000 troops at Normandy--73,000 American, along with 83,115 British and Canadian forces--on Gold, Juno, and Sword Beaches. prgtoken By the end of the first day, Allied casualties were e