mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IN HONOR OF THE MEMORY OF HAROLD LETINSKI
Debbie Dingell (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2020-9-1

. Madam , I rise today to celebrate the life of Harold Letinski. Mr. Letinski will forever be remembered for his unwavering dedication to the Downriver community, and he will be deeply missed. prgtoken Over the course of 101 years, Harold Letinski watched the United States transform and witnessed the great challenges, hardships, and victories our nation endured. A Downriver native, Mr. Letinski grew up in the Delray neighborhood of Detroit. As a child in the Great Depression, he rose at 5 a.m, each morning to deliver papers and knocked coal off train cars to ensure families in his neighborhood could stay warm. After graduating from Southwestern High School in Detroit, Mr. Letinksi dutifully served his country with the Coast Guard during World War II. prgtoken After the war, Harold Letinski returned to Michigan and committed himself to bettering his local community. Throughout his 20s, Mr. Letinski lived in Dearborn with his parents, but later moved to Allen Park after marrying his wife, Josephine, and started a family. He became the patriarch of two children, seven grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. He worked for over three decades at the Ford Rouge Plant in the hot strip mill and was a founding member of the Father Saylor Knights of Columbus in Allen Park. He was a generous volunteer, and encouraged all to live a life of faith, kindness, and compassion. Among his friends and community, Mr. Letinski was known as a devoted family man who was gentle, kind, and loving. He rarely was upset, and always had a kind word to offer to others. Mr. Letinski's passing is a loss to our entire community, but his warm legacy will forever endure. He and his generation's contribution to progress will always be remembered, and his strength, faith, and perseverance though turbulent times provides a lasting example of what can be achieved when we all work together. prgtoken Madam , I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life and legacy of Harold Letinski. We will forever remember his remarkable life, work, and community impact. May he rest in eternal peace.
HONORING THE MEMORY OF ALMA G. STALLWORTH
Rashida Tlaib (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2020-9-4

. Madam , I rise today to honor the memory of the late former Michigan State Representative Alma G. Stallworth, who passed away in August 2020. prgtoken Alma Stallworth was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and eventually made her home in Detroit, Michigan, where she attended Wayne State University. She went on to pursue public office, serving her first term as State Representative from 1971 until 1974 and again, serving from 1983 until 1996. As a legislator, Alma Stallworth broke ground in her work in the civil rights movement, as well as crafting policy solutions to improve the quality of life for Michigan's children and working families. Her example blazed the trail for countless women of color to pursue careers in public service. prgtoken In 1985, Alma Stallworth founded the Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of African-American communities across Michigan. Ms. Stallworth created the Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan's Legislative Internship Program to allow African-Americans interested in public policy careers to gain invaluable experience while also earning college credit. Her work with the Black Caucus Foundation has created a critical link for policy, communities, and businesses. prgtoken Alma Stallworth was a true paragon of public service. Please join me in honoring her legacy.
HONORING RUTHIE McCOY
Bennie G. Thompson (Democrat, MS) \u2014 2020-9-4

. Madam , I rise today to honor a tenacious and ambitious woman, Ms. Ruthie McCoy. Ruthie has shown what can be done through hard work, dedication, and a desire to serve others. prgtoken Ruthie is a Vicksburg native and graduate of Warren Central High School. After graduation, she started working as an armed security officer at the Army Corp of Engineers. Ruthie knew this job was a segue to the career she dreamed about as a 9-year-old girl. prgtoken She joined the Yazoo Police Department and later enrolled at the state police academy where she graduated with the Basic class of 263 officers. She is also a part of the Domestic Violence Taskforce. prgtoken McCoy is a mother of three who look at her as their ``hero.'' prgtoken Madam , I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Ms. Ruthie McCoy for her passion and dedication to serving Yazoo City and desire to make a difference in the community.
HONORING DR. THOMAS CAMPBELL
Van Taylor (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-9-4

. Madam , today, I rise to recognize Dr. Thomas Campbell, a respected leading researcher in the area of speech and language skills and the longtime Executive Director of the Callier Center for Communication Disorders at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) in Texas' Third Congressional District. prgtoken Tom Campbell earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After spending several years at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where he conducted studies of the speech and language skills of children recovering from traumatic brain injuries, Dr. Campbell's work took him to the University of Pittsburgh where he served as a faculty member in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders. prgtoken Following his later service as Director of Audiology and Communication Disorders at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, in 2006 Dr. Campbell was named the Executive Director of the Callier Center for Communication Disorders in Dallas, Texas. prgtoken For the past fourteen years, Dr. Campbell has built a successful education and research enterprise leading to UTD's undisputed reputation as a national model for the study of communication disorders. Due to his steadfast leadership, the Callier Center is consistently ranked in the top ten of graduate programs nationwide in the areas of audiology and speech-language pathology. prgtoken Among his many achievements, Dr. Campbell is credited with the establishment of the Callier postdoctoral program, the creation of both the Callier Prize in Communication Disorders and the Ruth and Ken Altshuler Callier Care Award. He is also credited with the 2016 construction of the new Callier building on the UTD Richardson campus. prgtoken Dr. Campbell's most lasting legacy lies in the many lives he has influenced through his work. Known as a ``humble teacher and terrific role model'' it is evident respect for this consummate servant leader runs deep among all who have interacted with him, patients and peers alike. prgtoken As Dr. Campbell prepares to begin a new season of life, along his wife, Dr. Christine Dollaghan, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in recognizing him for his selfless and dedicated efforts as the Executive Director of the Callier Center at the University of Texas at Dallas and to wish him well in his future endeavors.
AUGUST VETERAN OF THE MONTH: ROB MILLER
Kevin Hern (Republican, OK) \u2014 2020-9-4

. Madam , I rise to honor the First District of Oklahoma's August Veteran of the Month, Major Rob Miller. prgtoken An Artillery Officer in the United States Marine Corps, Major Rob Miller honorably served our nation from 1983 to 1995. Major Miller is a combat veteran who served during Operation Desert Storm. Upon returning home from service, Major Miller followed his passion for service and has dedicated his life to public education. prgtoken Major Miller is currently serving as the Superintendent of Bixby Public Schools. Previously, Rob Miller served at Sand Springs Public Schools and Jenks Public Schools. Throughout his twenty-eight years in education, Rob Miller has earned numerous awards. In 2015, he was the Oklahoma Middle School Principal of the Year. He is also a National Association of Secondary School Principals National Finalist. Rob Miller's remarkable commitment to serving the students and families in our district is commendable. prgtoken In addition to working as the Superintendent of Bixby Public Schools, Miller is involved with the local veteran community. He has hosted ceremonies honoring veterans for many consecutive years on Veterans Day, and he has regularly participated in marathons honoring veterans. Miller is active in his community, where he is involved with his local church and is a member of the Bixby Rotary Club. Rob Miller answered the call to defend freedom across the globe and sacrificed whatever was necessary in the name of that noble cause. He continues to serve our country, community, and his fellow veterans. It is my honor to recognize Major Rob Miller as the First Congressional District of Oklahoma's August Veteran of the Month.
CORONAVIRUS
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-9-8

. Our Nation has spent the last 6 months fighting the medical, economic, and social effects of this pandemic. The Senate's historic rescue package from back in March, the CARES Act, has gone a long way to help American workers and families endure these incredible challenges. prgtoken It delivered the extra Federal unemployment benefits that helped laid-off workers make ends meet. It created the Paycheck Protection Program, which has helped millions of small businesses keep their lights on and keep employees on the payroll; it sent resources to the frontlines of the healthcare fight; and it invested billions in the race for treatments and for vaccines. prgtoken But this relief was never going to last forever. Today, enhanced Federal unemployment benefits are only still available because of action by President . The Paycheck Protection Program has closed to new applications, and the funds it has delivered are being exhausted. This last month has brought a whole new challenge: how to get teachers and students safely into a new school year. These are the challenges that people I represent are facing every single day. Kentuckians and all Americans know this unprecedented crisis is not through with us yet, and so they expect that Congress isn't through helping yet either. prgtoken Senate s have been fighting for months to deliver another round of COVID-19 relief. In July, we proposed the HEALS Act, a sweeping package totaling more than $1 trillion that would have led right to bipartisan talks, but Pelosi and the ic leader said no. prgtoken They said they would block our trillion dollars for kids, jobs, and healthcare unless we doubled the cost to accommodate an endless wish list of non-COVID-related liberal priorities such as tax cuts for blue- State millionaires. prgtoken So s tried another way to break the logjam. In August, we proposed narrowing discussions to some of the most urgent, most bipartisan subjects that seemed especially ripe for agreement, but Pelosi and the ic leader blocked that as well. Now they claimed it was too ``piecemeal''--too piecemeal, they said--to get any help out the door until and s had settled every disagreement on every front. prgtoken The ic leaders have spent months playing these ``Goldilocks'' games. They have complained about every single thing we put forward but produced nothing of their own with any chance whatsoever of becoming law. prgtoken Meanwhile, after all their blustering that Congress should never do anything ``piecemeal,'' Pelosi came rushing back to Washington to pass the most piecemeal bill you could possibly imagine--legislation that solely helped out the U.S. Postal Service and did nothing at all for American families. When s tried to help American workers keep their jobs, Pelosi and Leader Schumer said it was ``piecemeal,'' but when House ' fears about mail-in voting mad
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2020-9-8

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
IOWA 99 COUNTY MEETINGS
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2020-9-8

. In August, I held 49 county meetings as part of my annual 99-county set of meetings in Iowa. At every meeting, the format is the same: Iowans set the agenda. prgtoken Challenges from the pandemic and storm recovery were among their top concerns. To explain the storm recovery--about once every 10 years there is a big wind storm called a derecho going across someplace in the country. That path was about 150 miles long in Iowa and 34 miles wide, and it destroyed the crops for this year in that area. Other issues came up as well. Biofuels, unemployment insurance, the farm economy, access to childcare and school reopenings were frequent points of discussion. I had the chance of visiting in 15 different locations with about that many school superintendents, and they were very optimistic about the coming school year. prgtoken This is my 40th year holding my 99 county meetings. I started this tradition when I first was elected to the Senate, so Iowans in every corner of the State would know I care about their opinions. prgtoken It is an honor to serve Iowans in the U.S. Senate and uphold my end of representative government. I look forward to more Q&As across the State this year and starting my 41st year of 99 county meetings in 2021. prgtoken .
Coronavirus (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-9-8

. The truth is, if you wanted to draft a bill that was certain to fail, this is it. This is one of the most cynical moves I have ever seen. We all know what is going on here. Leader McConnell had to create the most paltry, partisan, cynical bill because he has 20 Members of his caucus who don't want to support anything. By his own admission, they want zero dollars, so Leader McConnell keeps whittling down the proposal until he can find something--anything-- that he can claim his party supports. He had to throw in the right wing's favorite goodies to sweeten the pot to even approach the number of votes in his caucus to make it look like a bill that had broad support. prgtoken Leader McConnell knows this bill won't pass, and he knows that most of his Members don't want it to pass. Amazingly, he seems happy with that situation. This is one of the most cynical moves I have ever seen in the middle of a pandemic--when Americans are crying out for relief. prgtoken This political exercise on the side bears no relationship to the needs of our country. It has nothing to do with our States, our workers, our families, with opening up schools safely, or with what healthcare workers really need. It has everything to do with finding the bare minimum that Senate s can support. While facing the greatest economic crisis in 75 years and the greatest health crisis in a century, Leader McConnell isn't searching for bipartisan progress; he is looking for political cover. prgtoken As we begin the final work period before the November elections, the will keep pushing for a bipartisan, bicameral agreement that actually meets the urgent needs of the American people. For the good of the country, I hope--I pray--my colleagues will join us in that effort.
Coronavirus (Executive Session)
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2020-9-8

as we all know, we are in the middle of a public health crisis. The American people are hurting, from every State in our country. Nearly 190,000 people--our fellow citizens--have died. Millions have lost their jobs, and they are struggling to make ends meet. People are being evicted from their homes, and they are struggling to feed their families. prgtoken The virus is still not under control. We know there is a need for another emergency funding bill. The need to address the COVID crisis is clear. This is something, actually, we could have done in July if we had been willing to actually do our job and vote on the appropriations bills after the House of Representatives had already shown the way, but 4 weeks ago, the administration and the Senate leadership walked away from the negotiating table. had offered a compromise. s said ``My way or the highway'' and left town. They just walked away from the Capitol when we had all these things that needed to be done. prgtoken Here we are. We are back 4 weeks later. Is the situation better? Of course not. Across the country, families are sending their children back to school without the necessary resources to ensure they are safe, and still more students are learning from home but often without reliable access to the internet. Evictions are rising. Families are struggling to find childcare. Unemployment is at the highest level I can remember--certainly unacceptable levels. States are preparing for November's elections without the resources they need to make sure people can safely vote. The Postal Service needs a serious injection of funding to deliver mail in a timely manner. It actually has consequences. prgtoken I am for the right to negotiate. I was 4 weeks ago. I have been throughout the time the Senate has been out of session. I have been prepared to come back and negotiate. But now we find that, no, leadership will not negotiate. prgtoken Senator McConnell says he has prepared a so-called skinny COVID bill to put before the Senate. He will put it before us on a take-it-or- leave-it basis--no amendments, no debate. This proposal is not skinny; it is anemic. prgtoken Why are they afraid to vote? Let's have amendments and vote them up or down. Is there any question as to why the American public wonders what is going on when the leadership will not even allow a vote? What are they so afraid of? It is democracy. Vote up or down. The s have a majority. If they don't like the amendments that come up, vote them down, but at least vote on them. Don't hide behind platitudes, tweets, and campaign ads, which you can do because you never actually have to take responsibility. You ought to vote. prgtoken The bill hasn't been made public, but details are beginning to emerge. The details that have emerged show it is woefully inadequate to meet the needs of the country. In fact, it provides even
TRIBUTE TO DONNA KELLY-WILLIAMS
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2020-9-8

I would like to offer my congratulations to Donna Kelly-Williams as she retires as president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association where she has represented our nurses and the patients they serve since 2009. Beginning her professional career in 1974, she aided nurses in the newborn nursery at the Cambridge Hospital, cementing her passion for the caregiving profession. Following nursing school, she served as a medical-surgical nurse and then as a pediatric nurse before eventually coming full circle and returning to the maternity unit. She has spent her entire nursing career serving her community at Cambridge Hospital in Cambridge, MA. Throughout her career, she has always been committed to creating environments where every nurse is respected and valued for their contributions. This commitment and passion for advocacy led her to become involved in the Massachusetts Nurses Association, first joining the bargaining unit at Cambridge Hospital and serving in this capacity for two decades. prgtoken She then served as vice president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association and on the board of directors before she was elected president in 2009. As president, Donna led the union as they became a part of National Nurses United, the largest union of registered nurses in history. She understood this participation in a new national nurses' union enabled members to have an even greater impact on national pushes for legislation, including healthcare and prgtoken labor reforms, supporting nurses serving in all of America's hospitals. Donna worked tirelessly to advocate for nurses' workers rights during strikes; I remember trading calls and texts with Donna late into the night to settle contracts during the Tufts Medical Center strike. prgtoken I am deeply grateful to Donna Kelly-Williams for her lifelong commitment to America's working families, for all she has done for nurses across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and for her tireless fight to improve patient care. We have all benefited from Donna's passion, resilience, and empathy throughout her entire career and her lasting impact on our Massachusetts nurses will be felt for years to come. I once again congratulate her on her retirement and wish her the best of luck in the next chapter.
COVID-19 Vaccine (Executive Calendar)
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2020-9-9

I come to the floor today to express my support for the resolution introduced by my colleagues, Senators Duckworth and Reed. I thank both of them, not only for acting swiftly to defend the honor of our servicemen and servicewomen but for their distinguished service to our country, both of them veterans themselves. prgtoken By now, we are used to saying a lot of dishonorable, distasteful, and downright disgusting things, but there truly is no bottom when it come to this President, as is evident in the despicable comments he made about our fallen soldiers as reported last week by The Atlantic, comments that have since been confirmed by additional reporting from FOX News, which is normally very supportive of the President, and the Associated Press. He called these heroes, these fallen soldiers, ``suckers'' and ``losers''--``suckers'' and ``losers.'' prgtoken The Atlantic reports that, while traveling in Europe to commemorate the end of World War I back in November of 2018, President canceled a scheduled visit to honor those buried at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery. He didn't understand why he should bother visiting such a cemetery in the first place. ``It's filled with losers,'' he said. Can you imagine? Can you imagine? prgtoken It was on that same trip that President referred to our marines who died in battle at Belleau Wood as ``suckers'' for getting killed-- ``suckers'' for getting killed--``losers'' and ``suckers.'' prgtoken Those words are hurtful words. They are damaging words. They are words that should never be spoken by a Commander in Chief. It is unthinkable, it is unforgivable, and I think it is un-American. prgtoken The same story also recounts the President's visit to Arlington Cemetery with then-Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, himself a Gold Star father, who lost his son Robert in 2010 in Afghanistan. Standing over 1st Lt. Robert Kelly's grave, the President of the United States turned to his father and said, ``I don't get it. What was in it for them?'' ``What was in it for them?'' This question captures the very essence of what is so deeply wrong with this President. In other words, why would any American give their life in service to our country? Why would anyone do anything if not for fame or fortune? prgtoken You see, cannot fathom the idea of serving a cause greater than yourself because only serves himself. He cannot understand why anyone would choose to live a life of service; why anyone would risk it all to carry our flag on the battlefield; why anyone would put their own life on the line to defend our country, our people, and all that we as Americans stand for. prgtoken Since these despicable comments came to light, the White House has bent over backwards to deny them. Once again, too many of our colleagues have stood silent, instead of forcefully and unequivocally condemning the President's words. They w