mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Garret Graves (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-6-20

. Mr. Chair, let me run through a few points here to see if I can clarify a number of the remarks. prgtoken The base text of the bill actually prevents the Department of the Interior from carrying out the steps that are required. prgtoken Think about the concept of what was said, Mr. Chair. It was said that they want the Department of the Interior to follow the law. Well, what would they be doing otherwise? prgtoken The provision in the bill, section 117, prevents them from carrying out pre-leasing activities. This text prevents them from being able to follow the law. prgtoken I am baffled by this, and I am happy to have a much longer discussion on how an offshore plan and leasing program is put together. prgtoken What the base text of the bill does is it tries to force the - era plan from ever being changed. The base text prevents the process that is in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act from being allowed to go forward. prgtoken Mr. Chair, what is really important to talk about here, when you go back to look at what energy policies and different administrative policies have done, do you know that back during the administration in 2011, one half of this Nation's trade deficit was attributable to us bringing in energy from other sources, bringing them in from foreign countries, empowering their economies, creating jobs in their countries? prgtoken I am an American. I represent people here. I am trying to help make sure that we have a healthy economy and that we have affordable energy. prgtoken Mr. Chair, folks are going to try and say, oh, this affects emissions and climate change. Our gas, which is replacing the dirtier Russian natural gas, is actually reducing global climate emissions, which is part of our strategy that has resulted in the United States having greater emissions reduction than any other country in the world. prgtoken It is really fun to go out and talk about all these things, but we have to keep this based in facts and statistics. This amendment makes sense. It simply does allow the Department of the Interior to follow the law, making sure we maximize our resources. prgtoken Mr. Chair, .
TANKER ATTACKS DON'T JUSTIFY U.S. MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAN
Mo Brooks (Republican, AL) \u2014 2019-6-20

. Madam , recent Persian Gulf tanker attacks do not--I repeat, do not--justify unilateral American military action against Iran. prgtoken On May 12, 2019, two Saudi Arabian tankers, a United Arab Emirates tanker, and a Norwegian tanker were attacked. According to a Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Norway joint report, explosions caused all four vessels to suffer hull breaches. prgtoken The report states that limpet mines were ``highly likely placed by divers below or at the waterline,'' and the placement of the mines was ``consistent with intention to disable the mobility, but not physically destroy, each vessel.'' prgtoken The report concludes that ``these sophisticated attacks were most likely carried out by a state actor.'' For emphasis, the report does not accuse anyone of conducting the attacks. prgtoken On June 13, 2019, a Japanese tanker and Norwegian tanker were attacked with explosive devices that caused considerable fire and hull damage to both tankers. prgtoken Who is responsible for these two tanker attacks? There is international disagreement. prgtoken America and the United Kingdom blame Iran. Iran denies responsibility. Other nations offer no opinion and caution against a rush to judgment. Perhaps more evidence will persuade the international community that Iran orchestrated these tanker attacks, perhaps not. prgtoken Regardless of blame, there are other factors to consider. For example, what is America's national security interest in these six tanker attacks? Not a single attacked tanker is owned by Americans. Rather, they are owned by Saudi Arabia, Norway, the United Arab Emirates, and Japan. prgtoken Not a single attacked tanker involved oil produced in America. Rather, all six tankers were shipping Saudi Arabian or United Arab Emirates oil. Neither of the two tankers loaded with cargo was bound for the United States. prgtoken Hence, the United States has no national security interest in the six attacked tankers sufficient to trigger an American retaliatory military action against Iran. prgtoken There are, however, other nations that do have a national security interest in these tanker attacks. Japan and South Korea import roughly 80 percent of their oil from the Persian Gulf. India imports roughly 60 percent of its oil from the Persian Gulf. China imports roughly 50 percent of its oil from the Persian Gulf. Western Europe imports almost 20 percent of its oil from the Persian Gulf. prgtoken Hence, Japan, South Korea, China, India, Western Europe, and many other prgtoken nations all have a national security interest in keeping Persian Gulf oil shipping lanes open and are justified in using military force to defend those shipping lanes at their own risk and at their own cost. prgtoken Similarly, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates all have a national security interest in keeping Persian Gulf shipping lanes open to transport the oil they produce and sell. Hence,
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2019-6-20

I wanted to join with my colleagues this week to mark the implementation of an updated and streamlined healthcare system that is specifically for our veterans. This is made possible by the VA MISSION Act. prgtoken In Tennessee, we have such a large and vigorous and wonderful population of veterans. I will tell you, we are so grateful to them for their service, and we are so grateful they have chosen to make Tennessee their retirement home. prgtoken One of our colleagues asked me one day about how patriotic Tennessee is. They had been there to visit. They saw flags out in so many places. They saw signs out that were ``thank you'' signs to our veterans. I told them that I felt like it was because we do have a strong military presence. Fort Campbell is primarily in Tennessee. We have Millington, the air naval station. We have Arnold. We have our National Guard, and a couple of our units have just finished a good deployment. We cherish these veterans, and they are such an integral part of our communities and our churches. prgtoken We have worked diligently on this healthcare system for veterans to specifically meet their needs. That should be the mission of the VA. It is not to serve itself but to serve the veterans. prgtoken Once this new structure that is put in place by the MISSION Act is fully implemented, members of the military community who have been, in my words, neglected for too long--their access to healthcare neglected--they are finally going to get the attention and the care they need. I use the term ``neglected'' because anybody who knew they were headed to the VA clinic for a checkup knew that was not going to be a quick checkup. There is a lot of paperwork that goes into that process of asking for that checkup and then seeing it actually take place. prgtoken I have heard from hundreds of veterans, their stories and their experiences. Sometimes you will hear them say it was a comedy of errors. But it is no comedy; it is a catastrophe of errors. The consequences from this have really taken a toll on the life, the health, the safety, and sometimes the sanity of our veterans community. prgtoken The reason you hear these stories is because we have asked generations of veterans to put their physical and their emotional health in the hands of practitioners whose hands were tied by arbitrary rules and procedures that turned even simple procedures into what would be a logistical nightmare. I have no doubt that if we went around this Chamber and each Member of this Chamber were to stand, they could-- without any notes, right off the top of their head--give us a story they have heard from a veteran. That should never happen. prgtoken But as of this month, we have dealt with a lot of these issues. We have removed some of the roadblocks. And the new Community Care Program, which adopted elements from the successful Veterans Choice Program, will continue to allow veterans to seek care closer to home
CONSIDERATION OF SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NOS. 27 THROUGH 48 EN BLOC-- Resumed
Lindsey Graham (Republican, SC) \u2014 2019-6-20

I will be voting in support of the resolutions of disapproval, and let me tell you why. A strategic relationship with the United States should be coveted, and the difference between a relationship and a strategic relationship is very important. prgtoken We deal with people all the time that engage in practices that we don't like, abhor, and are against. Sometimes you have to sit down and talk with Putin about Syria. Sometimes you have to sit down and talk with the Chinese, even though they imprison the Uighurs. And there are even more egregious examples of the people you have to deal with, because that is part of the world as it is. But when you have a strategic relationship--and we have had one with Saudi Arabia for years--it is different. prgtoken What brings me here today? I want the people in Saudi Arabia--I have many friends there. I value my relationships there. prgtoken I appreciate all that Saudi Arabia has done in the past to work with the United States, militarily and otherwise, but I want to be clear to my friends in Saudi Arabia--and really throughout the world--a strategic relationship has certain requirements attached to it. You don't have to run your country like the United States would have you do. You don't have to mirror the United States in terms of your values, but you do have to respect the relationship. prgtoken There are certain minimum requirements that I think come with a strategic relationship: No. 1, you cannot kill somebody in the most brutal fashion in a consulate of another country--which violates every norm known to the international community--because they wrote a bad article about you. prgtoken You cannot imprison people and torture them in the fashion that has been going on in Saudi Arabia. prgtoken You cannot hold the Prime Minister of another country captive for a period of time to bend them to your will. prgtoken You cannot rendition people that just simply oppose your views. Terrorism cannot be defined as simple dissent. prgtoken The reason I am voting with Senator Paul and others today is to send a signal to Saudi Arabia that if you act the way you are acting, there is no space for a strategic relationship. There is no amount of oil you can produce that will get me and others to give you a pass on chopping somebody up in a consulate. Did MBS do it? Yes--not because the U.N. said so but because our intelligence and my common sense lead me to believe there is no other viable alternative. You can figure this one out pretty quickly. prgtoken What happens next? It cannot be business as usual. Saudi Arabia has been a partner. They will have to be a partner in the future. Shooting rockets into Saudi Arabia from Yemen--Iran supporting the Houthi rebels--bothers me. Defensive armaments, I support, but the war in Yemen is out of control. prgtoken I am trying to deliver the strongest message I know how to deliver: Don't take this relationship for granted--and obviously
CONSIDERATION OF SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NOS. 27 THROUGH 48 EN BLOC-- Resumed
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2019-6-20

in just a few moments, we are going to consider S.J. Res. 28 through S.J. Res. 48. I urge my colleagues to oppose these resolutions and to consider the sales that we are talking about here on their own merits. prgtoken First of all, we are not talking about the killing of Mr. Khashoggi. That was a murderous act; it was an awful act; and it cannot be condoned or tolerated in any way, shape, or form. Yet it is not what we are voting on here today. Indeed, we hope to eventually bring to the floor a resolution, possibly even a bill, that speaks to that horrific act. Those negotiations have been going on for some time, and we hope to reach a conclusion, but we are not talking about that. We are talking about arms sales that the administration has determined are needed--and on which we have all been briefed--because of the current situation in the Middle East. prgtoken I want to speak very briefly about recent events that have been happening as far as Iran is concerned. Iran is conducting activities that are very worrisome and very troubling. When you have these kinds of things happen, it is obvious that a miscalculation can occur, which is the most worrisome thing here. prgtoken In any event, these arms sales are needed. To be clear, in the current statute, the administration is within its legal authority to declare an emergency. As stipulated in the Arms Export Control Act, which was passed by this body, the President can act swiftly if he concludes an emergency exists that requires a proposed sale that is in the national security interest of the United States. That has occurred. prgtoken Presidential authority to waive congressional notification was invoked for the very first time by President Carter in 1979. It has been used on three other subsequent occasions. The administration has said, as in those cases, this is a one-time invocation of the waiver authority in response to an acute threat from Iran. The administration has since returned to the regular congressional notification process for further arms sales, which is in place today. prgtoken These sales are needed to address the legitimate security requirements of other countries we support in response to there being numerous threats from Iran and its proxies. These threats are real. As the events over just even the recent 24 hours have shown us, it is important that these countries be ready to assist us and to act on their own behalf to counter what Iran has been doing. prgtoken Yesterday, Iranian-backed Houthi militants struck a Saudi civilian desalinization plant with a land attack cruise missile. prgtoken Last night, Iranian forces shot down a U.S. drone that was operating in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz. It is the third U.S. aircraft they have targeted in recent weeks. prgtoken Last week, using limpet mines, Iran attacked two oil tankers that were traveling near the Strait of Hormuz. Yesterday, German Chancellor Merkel ci
HONORING THE LIFE OF FRANK LaMERE
Steve King (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-6-20

. Madam , I appreciate the opportunity to address you here on the floor of the House of Representatives. prgtoken I rise today to honor the life of Frank LaMere. Frank LaMere was a leader for the Winnebagos, who had land on both sides of the Missouri River in the Sioux City area, and also for Native Americans, especially in the upper Midwest. prgtoken Over the years, our lives interacted multiple times. I had the opportunity to work with him and see the gentleness of his nature. prgtoken I will say that he mellowed out in his later years, but he never let up. He never took his foot off the throttle. He just found a smoother way to get to the goals, which were to help out his Native American people. prgtoken He was a model of dedication to selflessness, and he also had more than his fair share of tragedy, loss, and demons to fight. prgtoken Over the course of his life, he demonstrated that no matter the obstacles, he could rise above them, as we could rise above those and do the most good we can with the tools we have to work with. prgtoken He overcame addiction himself. He had dedicated his life to being a voice for the voiceless, including securing housing, food, and other necessities for the people whom he did such a good job representing in the area. prgtoken Yet, tragedy still exists in our communities, and Frank LaMere saw the need to address those situations. We collaborated on a couple of important things together. They were the passions of Frank LaMere who passed away on Sunday evening. prgtoken The imagination and the dream that he had was to build Hope Street, which would be a treatment center and housing center primarily for Native Americans who are drug addicted or alcohol addicted. prgtoken That project, by the way, has the language that allows it to qualify in this appropriations bill that we have before us this week. prgtoken Also, the second project that was a very, very important project was when Frank and I had a chance meeting in the airport in Omaha, and we began to discuss these things, too, that were on his mind, that brought about the bill that is now H.R. 184. That is the Winnebago Land Transfer Act. prgtoken In 1865, the United States Government and the Winnebago Tribe signed a treaty that granted that land on both sides of the Missouri River to the Winnebago Tribe. As the river changed and situations changed-- actually, I shouldn't say both sides of the river. It was the Nebraska side of the river. When the river changed, that meant that a lot of that land actually ended up in Iowa. prgtoken The Corps of Engineers came in 105 years later and condemned that property for their own project. It was a takings, and I believe it was an unconstitutional takings. In doing so, they never compensated them for that land, and they didn't use that land for the project for which they had intended. prgtoken So, over time, the Winnebagos were able to put the money together to go to court. The statute of limitation
RECOGNIZING POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AWARENESS MONTH
Greg Gianforte (Republican, MT) \u2014 2019-6-20

I rise today to recognize the need to ensure quality healthcare for our veterans and military members who may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. prgtoken According to the Military Health System, 14 percent of servicemembers who served in Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from PTSD. The condition can lead to substance abuse and cause serious physical and mental health problems. prgtoken In Montana, 1 in 10 residents are veterans. That is one reason I have acted to expand mental health services in Montana. With increased resources for the VA system, improved access to community healthcare, and the expansion of telemedicine, we can help to ensure that those who have served get prgtoken the treatment they need, regardless of where they live. prgtoken June is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month. I encourage my colleagues to support our veterans and military members who suffer from PTSD. We must keep our commitments to them and provide the highest quality of care.
CONSIDERATION OF SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NOS. 27 THROUGH 48 EN BLOC-- Resumed
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-6-20

Gov. Kim Reynolds of my State of Iowa has unveiled what she calls the ``This is Iowa'' campaign. That campaign has encouraged people to choose Iowa to live and work. prgtoken Iowa has the second lowest unemployment rate in the Nation. As I travel Iowa with my county meetings, I hear from employers across Iowa that have high-paying skilled jobs they cannot fill. That is why Iowa was ranked the No. 1 State to find a job in 2019. prgtoken The cost of living is low and the quality of life is second to none. Check out thisisiowa.com to learn more. In the words of Meredith Wilson, of ``76 Trombones'' fame, from Mason City, IA: ``You really ought to give Iowa a try.'' prgtoken . prgtoken .
ORDERS FOR MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2019
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-6-20

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m Monday, June 24; further, that following the prayer and prgtoken pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 1790 under the previous order.
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020--MOTION TO PROCEED--Resumed
David Perdue (Republican, GA) \u2014 2019-6-20

I rise to do something I rarely do. To start, I want to talk about a very special Georgian and a good friend of mine--a man by the name of Billy Payne. Billy is a husband, a father, a grandfather, a great Georgian, and, yes, a great American. Recently, he was one of five individuals to be inducted into the 2019 World Golf Hall of Fame. It is quite an honor. Billy Payne is a riveting storyteller, a creative thinker, and an effective leader. prgtoken Golf Magazine once wrote: ``Wherever he goes, Payne is the most interesting person in the room.'' prgtoken Billy was born in Athens, GA, and he went on to play football for his hometown team, the Georgia Bulldogs. He earned a law degree from the University of Georgia and went on to open a small practice in Atlanta. prgtoken After helping to raise money for a new sanctuary at their church, Billy and Martha, his wife, were inspired and started looking for ways to make a difference in their community. The day after the new sanctuary was dedicated, Billy Payne came home from work and said to Martha: I've got it--we're going to bring the Olympics to Atlanta. Billy was undaunted by the magnitude of this decision. prgtoken He didn't have many connections at the time, but he called up city and State officials and formed a team to make a bid to host the 1996 Olympic Games. Billy spent the next 3\1/2\ years personally traveling to 110 countries to convince Olympic officials to bring the games to the city of Atlanta. On September 18, 1990, Atlanta won the bid for the 1996 Olympics all because of Billy Payne's leadership and his vision for the city. prgtoken The 1996 Olympics put Atlanta on the world map. It transformed the city and allowed us to build infrastructure that later helped Georgia to become the No. 1 State in the country in which to do business. To this very day, my alma mater, Georgia Tech, actually uses dormitories that were built to house the athletes in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. prgtoken After serving as President and CEO of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, Billy was invited to join Augusta National. In a very short period of time--actually, in 2006--he was selected to be the club's chairman, which is a role he served in for 11 years. Billy oversaw the Masters Tournament and turned it into a global brand with worldwide reach. When Billy took over at Augusta National, the club's membership was all male. Under his leadership, Augusta National broke the gender barrier and allowed women to join the club for the very first time. prgtoken He also started two major amateur events--the Latin America Amateur and the Asia-Pacific Amateur. The winners of these tournaments are invited to play in the Masters each year. As a result, young people from all over the world now have a chance to actually compete in the Masters every year. prgtoken In 2014, Billy launched the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship--a junior golf competition that gives 7- to 15-y
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020
Vern Buchanan (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-6-20

. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment. For my constituents and my area, it is very important to them. prgtoken The amendment would prohibit permits for hunting and killing endangered lions and elephants for trophies in various countries in Africa--Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. prgtoken Both the African elephant and lion are endangered species on the verge of extinction. We have seen lion populations decline by 50 percent in the past decade. In Tanzania, the elephant population declined by 60 percent between 2009 and 2014. prgtoken This amendment is critical to help ensure these creatures do not become extinct. President has called elephant hunting a ``horror show.'' prgtoken There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that trophy hunting aids in helping to manage the population of these animals. If this were the case, we would see an increase in the species, not a dramatic decline of the elephant and lion populations. prgtoken Mr. Chair, .