mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DISAPPROVING THE PRESIDENT'S PROPOSAL TO TAKE AN ACTION RELATING TO THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION--Resumed
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2019-1-16

this coming Friday, tens of thousands of Americans will take to the snowy streets of Washington, DC, to exercise their fundamental rights on behalf of millions of others who cannot. They will come from every State in the Union, including the State of Utah, to march to the U.S. Supreme Court. Fittingly, they will be marching down Constitution Avenue in the name of justice and in defense of the innocent. prgtoken The March for Life is a spectacular tradition in American politics, a mass demonstration of joy. Despite its size and the diversity of its participants--sometimes north of 100,000 souls, born and unborn--the march is typically ignored by the mainstream media. prgtoken The marchers also know that the Supreme Court, rightly, is not supposed to be swayed by public opinion one way or another. Yet they march January after January after January, cheerfully, prayerfully, happily, peacefully, bundled up against the cold, with babies in their strollers, and wearing smiles on their faces. prgtoken I have been, and I can confirm that the March for Life is the happiest protest you can see because they march not principally in outrage over the lives lost to the scourge of abortion but in abiding hope for the lives yet to be saved. prgtoken The March for Life is often seen as the pro-life movement's response to the Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. In truth, it is a continuation of the march of human dignity and equality that has defined American history since we first declared ``that all men are Created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life''--yes, life--``Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.'' prgtoken Raised from the crib on the Declaration of Independence, Americans can sometimes take its lofty and inspiring words for granted, but these truths, however self-evident, remain as revolutionary today as they were when they were penned in 1776. prgtoken From the dawn of time, powerful men have dehumanized women, the poor, the sick, the disabled, the young and the old, those who thought differently, looked differently, loved differently, or worshipped differently. prgtoken Whether enforced by tribal taboos, corrupted science, or judicial fiat, these experiments in dehumanization are the darkest chapters in human history--including the original sin of our Republic, the monstrous evil of slavery. prgtoken The story of American history is the story of our Nation standing up to oppression, of our coming to the defense of the vulnerable in our laws and with our very lives. From Independence Hall to the Bill of Rights, from the abolition of slavery to universal suffrage, to the civil rights movement, to the triumph over nazism, fascism, and communism, the American people have fought through prejudice and pride to assert and to defend the equal dignity of every single member of the human family. prgtoken For all the powerful forces a
NATIONAL SCHOOL CHOICE WEEK
Tim Walberg (Republican, MI) \u2014 2019-1-16

. Madam , I thank my good friend and colleague from Michigan, and I appreciate the opportunity to talk about something that is extremely important. prgtoken In our Michigan State Constitution, Article VIII, section 1, it says: ``Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.'' prgtoken That article--that line was taken from the Northwest Ordinance. I think it showed the wisdom of some of our Founders of this great Nation, the greatest in the entire world, that they understood that education and the means of education gave the opportunity, and, in fact, to a great degree, assured the freedom and opportunity of a Nation and the morality of a Nation that understood the wisdom that came even from the centuries and the ages. prgtoken I think we would all agree that schools should meet the unique educational needs of children, wouldn't we? I know my colleague would agree with that. And why, then, would we question the fact that there ought to be choice? Choice in education, even as we seek choice in our daily lives is what makes America great. prgtoken School choice gives parents and children the option of allowing the children to flourish. That is the intended goal, isn't it? Michigan has a variety of options, and I am grateful for that. It didn't always have those same options, but we do now. prgtoken Just 25 years ago, as of this week, Michigan struck out on a new opportunity in the fact of allowing charters, public charters, to take place, and in those past 25 years, we have literally seen a million students attend Michigan's charter schools. Has every charter been perfect or successful? No. But overwhelmingly, charters have served Michigan well as a choice, as an option. prgtoken I think of the community--a community like Detroit wherein the Detroit News just, this week, an article was written talking about the success there of the Detroit Edison Public School Academy; ranked the number one open-enrollment school in the entire city when it comes to college enrollment. Over half of the students in Detroit, a great city, now have the opportunity and take the opportunity to attend charter schools, and they are flourishing. prgtoken Michigan has a variety of options available to our 2.2 million children living in that State, including the opportunity to attend traditional public schools outside neighborhood boundaries. That is a good thing. Again, it gives choice, meeting the needs of students. prgtoken Now, I had choice, like my colleague, relative to my children. Not all people back in the 1980s and mid-1990s, when my children were going to their grade school and high school education opportunities, had the same choices. Each one of my three kids were different in unique ways. They learn different. They have different aptitudes and desires and longings and interests. prgtoken We had the opportunity to s
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Chris Stewart (Republican, UT) \u2014 2019-1-16

. Madam Chair, I thank Mr. McGovern of the Rules Committee for making this vital amendment in order. prgtoken The base text of the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2019 provides critical relief for natural disasters that have recently plagued our Nation. The supplemental is necessary, and it is needed, but we do have a problem, and it is a problem that we have to fix. prgtoken The interior West and, for example, my home State of Utah have been largely ignored. My amendment seeks to rectify this and seeks to increase funding for the West to address the impacts of ongoing drought and, something that we are all aware of, the catastrophic wildfires that we have been experiencing. prgtoken The amendment provides increased funding for hazardous fuel management activities in the hopes of doing three things: first, to increase the resiliency of our forest; second, to protect against future catastrophic fires; and, third, to reduce the amount of damage caused by these fires. prgtoken Like many Western States, and, as I mentioned, my home State of Utah, we suffered a devastating fire season that burned countless acres and threatened life and property. Now we are left with the scars of the burns that can be almost as damaging, with flooding, mudslides, and threats to water supplies. prgtoken If adopted, my amendment will not only help mitigate the losses from past fires but help to create future resiliency in our forests and lessen the devastating aftermath. prgtoken The simple fact is, we can do better. We can actively manage our forests by combating undergrowth, disease, and insect infestation. The Forest Service estimates that my home State of Utah has something like 436 million dead trees that are just waiting to burn. If this is not a threat, I don't know what is. prgtoken Madam Chair, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), my friend, Madam Chair of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
NO TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR ABORTION AND ABORTION INSURANCE FULL DISCLOSURE ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-1-16

yesterday the Senate Judiciary Committee began to hear witnesses on the nomination of Bill Barr to be the next Attorney General of the United States. We heard first, of course, from Mr. Barr himself all day yesterday and today from additional witnesses. prgtoken By any standard, Mr. Barr is an exceptionally qualified individual, in part because 27 years ago, he was Attorney General, nominated and confirmed unanimously--nominated by President George Herbert Walker . Under his leadership at the time, the Department of Justice focused on some of the most important law enforcement challenges facing our country at that time. They worked to fight violent crime and combat the drug epidemic, both of which continue to do great harm to communities across the country still today. prgtoken As significant as the work done under his leadership was, I was more impressed with the fact that after 27 years, he was willing to take on the task of becoming Attorney General once again. He said he was sort of semiretired. He and his wife were looking forward to spending more time with their children and grandchildren. But he answered the call to public service, and I am grateful that he did. He knows that our Nation needs a strong law-and-order Attorney General at the Department of Justice. prgtoken When he spoke at his confirmation hearing more than 2\1/2\ decades ago, he said: The Attorney General must ensure that the administration of justice--the enforcement of the law--is above and away from politics. Nothing could be more destructive of our system of government, the rule of law, or the Department of Justice as an institution, than any toleration of political interference with the enforcement of the law. prgtoken He repeated that commitment yesterday, and I think the need for that sort of strong statement is more important today than ever. prgtoken I believe Attorney General Barr will be a good Attorney General, assuming what is one of the most challenging positions in the Cabinet because you are a political appointee but you are also the chief law enforcement officer in the country. That sometimes can be difficult to navigate. prgtoken As the nominee noted, doing the job and doing it well sometimes requires being prepared to burn your political capital in order to preserve the rule of law. I believe this is the most fundamental quality of a good Attorney General, and having a leader at the helm of the Department of Justice with the right temperament and a fundamental understanding of this responsibility is critical now and forever. In recent years, we witnessed some Attorneys General carrying out actions that repeatedly toed that political line, sometimes crossed it. prgtoken Under the administration, the Department of Justice began to veer increasingly away from the impartial administration of law and toward politics. That shift undoubtedly occurred at the hands of Pre
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Neal P. Dunn (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-1-16

. Madam , this motion to recommit strikes title 12 from the bill, H.R. 268. This was inserted by ic leadership at the eleventh hour today. Title 12 is a continuing resolution, meaning it will never be taken up or passed by the Senate; it will never be signed by the President. prgtoken Three months ago, Hurricane Michael devastated north Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Five months ago, Hurricane Florence caused severe damage in all of the Carolinas. Wildfires in California, all fall long, caused billions of dollars in damage and took almost 100 lives. Typhoons and volcanos in Hawaii and the American trust territories also caused savage destruction. Disaster victims across the Nation are in dire need of our help right now. prgtoken Today, we will be voting on a bill that we had been told would be a stand-alone emergency funding bill, addressing only the 2018 disasters, unencumbered by hot button, divisive issues. Unfortunately, we are voting on a very different bill. House leadership pulled a bait-and-switch at the last minute and made this otherwise good bill into an attack on President . prgtoken Madam , my people at home are hurting. I worked hard on this bill. I truly believed that we were having a good faith conversation on how to help suffering victims all across our Nation. prgtoken Instead, House chose to play political games rather than help our victims. They knew full well, when they inserted this poison pill continuing resolution at the eleventh hour, that they doomed any chance of this bill passing the Senate, and yet they did just that. It is now dead on arrival in the Senate. prgtoken I have people back home, in my district, sleeping in tents, in the cold, in the rain, because FEMA housing has not yet arrived. prgtoken I lost two hospitals. One was a level two trauma center. That has never happened in the history of the country. prgtoken I have sheriff's deputies who are homeless, but they are still working. They are still performing their duties. They are still protecting and serving the people. You would like to think that Congress could follow their example. prgtoken Madam , the people of America have lost a great deal of faith in their government over the years. But the one thing that they still believe in is that when a disaster strikes, their government will come to their aid. And now we are letting them down on even that simple promise. prgtoken I won't allow the people of north Florida, suffering after Hurricane Michael, to be used as political pawns against the President. That is why I urge all Members of this House to support the motion to recommit. We can remove the bitterly divisive part of this bill and pass a truly bipartisan, compassionate bill that provides urgently needed relief to millions of people across all of our Nation and our territories, who are desperate for that relief. After we address this disaster, we can work on a compromise to address bord
NO TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR ABORTION AND ABORTION INSURANCE FULL DISCLOSURE ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-1-16

tax filing season is just around the corner. This has never been anyone's favorite time of the year, paying taxes, but the uncertainty created by the current partial government shutdown has understandably created a bit more angst than in a usual tax filing season. prgtoken The Treasury Department and IRS have been proactive in taking steps to minimize the burden of the shutdown on taxpayers. They recently announced that tax season will start as planned, on January 28. The IRS has confirmed that taxpayers can expect refunds to be sent out as usual should this shutdown drag on. Of course, this is the right conclusion, legally, and the right call for the taxpayers, as I had an opportunity to tell IRS Commissioner Rettig when we spoke recently. prgtoken Congress has explicitly provided for a permanent appropriation for the IRS to pay tax refunds. This makes common sense. A tax refund represents the taxpayer's money--not Congress's, not the government's but the taxpayers'--despite what some people in Congress seem to think; that this money belongs to the government. It should be returned then in a timely fashion and, thank God for their decision, that is going to be the case. prgtoken With around 75 percent of individuals receiving a tax refund on an annual basis, many have come to look to their refund to make important purchases, whether that is to replace an old water heater, make a downpayment on a reliable vehicle to get them to work, or just to make ends meet generally. It would be wrong for the government to impose undue financial strains on families across the country because Congress and the President can't get their act together. prgtoken As we continue to work through our differences, the least we can do is return to taxpayers their own money. prgtoken This tax season, of course, is a little different, not only because of the shutdown but also because it is the first tax filing season under the tax reforms and tax cuts enacted in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. A lot of work has gone on to get us here. Treasury and the IRS have been working diligently and swiftly to ensure taxpayers have the information they need. In a little over a year, they have put out 16 proposed regulations, 2 final regulations, 45 notices, 21 revenue procedures, and updated countless forms, publications, and other guidance--all of this geared toward implementing the law and addressing taxpayer questions. prgtoken Right out of the gate, Treasury and IRS went to work updating the annual withholding tables so taxpayers could immediately begin seeing the benefits of lower taxes in their paychecks. Of course, whether a taxpayer had less or more withheld from their paycheck is not the final word on whether one received a tax cut. prgtoken Also, due to changes in withholding, a smaller or larger refund than usual may not tell the whole story. I encourage taxpayers to compare their 2019 tax return with that of the previous year to
REMEMBERING MEL STOTTLEMYRE, SR.
Dan Newhouse (Republican, WA) \u2014 2019-1-16

. Madam , Mel Stottlemyre is a household name for baseball fans across the country, but to us in central Washington, he is a hometown hero. prgtoken Hailing from the small town of Mabton in the Yakima Valley, Mel's career skyrocketed to the heights of becoming a star pitcher for the New York Yankees and one of the most impressive pitching coaches in all of baseball. prgtoken Mel shared his passion for baseball with all of those around him, from his sons, who followed in their father's footsteps to pitch in the major leagues, to the young players he coached at baseball camps in Yakima and in Ellensburg. prgtoken Throughout his career, he pitched for five All-Star teams. He went on to secure five World Series rings as a pitching coach before returning to his home State to coach for the Seattle Mariners. prgtoken Mel passed away on January 13 after a long battle with cancer, but his spirit, perseverance, and compassion will not be forgotten. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues to join me in celebrating Mel Stottlemyre and the legacy he leaves. My prayers go out for his wife, Jean, and his sons, Mel, Jr and Todd, at this difficult time.
NO TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR ABORTION AND ABORTION INSURANCE FULL DISCLOSURE ACT OF 2019--Motion to Proceed
James M. Inhofe (Republican, OK) \u2014 2019-1-16

more than 100,000 people and families will join together in the March for Life in Washington that is going to take place tomorrow. They will brave the cold--there is supposed to be sleet and bad weather--for one simple reason, to give voice to the voiceless, the unborn, our most vulnerable among us but are still deserving of the right to life. prgtoken Jeremiah 1:5 says: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, Before you were born I sanctified you. prgtoken To everyone who comes to the March for Life, know that we hear you, and we are standing with you, just as we have in the past. prgtoken This is not a new topic, not for me to speak on either. Twenty-five years ago, I came down to tell a story. At that time, I was in the House. This has been going on for a long period of time. I came down here to tell the story of Hannah Rosa Rodriguez. This is a quote from 1992: prgtoken , there is a big misconception regarding abortion and the issue of women and their right to protect their bodies. It is not that right that I object to but the right that is given them to kill an unborn fetus--an unborn child. prgtoken I want to share with you a story that my colleague Chris Smith told me some time ago on this floor. That was 1992. prgtoken Ana Rosa Rodriguez is an abortion survivor. This is another group of people we haven't talked about very much on the floor. At birth, she was a healthy 3-pound baby girl, except for her injury; she was missing an arm. Ana survived a botched abortion. prgtoken Her mother attempted to get an abortion in her 32nd week of pregnancy when she was perfectly healthy--8 weeks past what New York State law legally allows. In the unsuccessful abortion attempt, the baby's right arm was ripped off. However, they failed to kill Ana Rosa. She lived. Pro-life supporters agree that nightmare situations like the Rodriguez case are probably not common, but abortion-related deaths and serious injuries occur more frequently than most people are aware. prgtoken It is amazing that we can pay so much attention to issues such as human rights abroad and can allow the violent destruction of over 26 million children here at home. We are fortunate that Ana was not one of those children. She survived. prgtoken That was 1992, but today we still don't have Federal protections for the babies who survive the brutal abortion process. I am working with Senator Sasse, who is leading the effort this year to reintroduce the Born Alive Abortion Survivor Act, which would ensure that a baby who survives an abortion will receive the same treatment as any child naturally born premature at the same age, without prescribing any particular form of treatment. That is just morally right, and I don't see how anyone could vote against something like that. We will find out. prgtoken Just a few years later, in 1997, I was on the floor of this body, the U.S. Senate, with my good friend former Senator R