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
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2019-1-16

I rise to give voice to the more than 5,000 Federal employees across New Jersey who aren't getting paid due to President 's pointless government shutdown. Make no mistake. This shutdown is the result of a Presidential temper tantrum. prgtoken have voted for border security funding, for new technology to scan vehicles for drugs, for more port-of-entry infrastructure personnel, and for new drones to detect unauthorized crossings. Yet President is holding 800,000 Federal workers hostage all because he wants $5.7 billion for a border wall that he promised Mexico would pay for. prgtoken We have long known that something is broken inside this President that makes him incapable of caring about anyone other than himself. Clearly, he does not see Federal workers as real people with real bills to pay--people like Emily Nering of Basking Ridge, NJ. prgtoken Emily has worked at the EPA's Edison field office for 8 years. She coordinates water quality research and is in the midst of a major survey of the New Jersey-New York Harbor, and she assisted in emergency efforts to deliver clean drinking water to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands after Hurricane Maria. She said: I took an oath of office too. I want to get back to doing the important work that the EPA conducts and to continue to serve this great nation. I saved up to contribute to an IRA this year and to start saving for a down payment on a home, but those funds will now be used to help me pay rent and other bills, pushing my financial and life goals further out of reach. . . . I urge the President and Congress to put us back to work so we can continue to serve the American people! prgtoken In recent days, I have heard from Coast Guard members, TSA agents, IRS workers--patriots who have built their careers on serving their fellow Americans. Their work is important, and they deserve to be paid. If President wants to discuss issues like border security and comprehensive immigration reform, then he should end the shutdown, reopen all of those elements of the government that have nothing to do with his desired border wall, release his hostages, and reopen the government, but if he continues to bury his head in the sand, then it is time for the Senate to act. prgtoken We could likely pass legislation to reopen the government with a veto-proof majority if only the majority leader would hold a vote. Let's do the right thing for Federal employees like Emily. Let's vote and end this shutdown now. prgtoken .
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Norma J. Torres (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-1-16

. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding and for being such a great leader in helping those impacted by the devastating California wildfires. prgtoken The numbers are devastating. Nearly 2 million acres burned. Upwards of $3.5 billion in damage, 8,500 individual fires, 98 civilians killed, 6 firefighters killed, and over 11,000 homes destroyed. prgtoken With climate change only making things worse, we must help California rebuild because this is just the beginning. Rainstorms will now further ravage communities, causing mudslides and flooding. prgtoken The amendment I have offered with Representative Thompson begins that rebuilding process by increasing funding for the community development fund by $50 million, specifically for those communities that were hardest hit in the previous year. prgtoken Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman for his work on this.
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Barbara Lee (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-1-16

. Real leaders help families recover and rebuild. They don't use suffering families as political pawns. prgtoken Madam Chair, that is why we need to pass this bill. With the $12 billion provided in this bill, our communities will be able to recover and rebuild, and families will finally get some peace of mind knowing that we are with them. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the bill and yes to helping our communities get back on their feet.
DISAPPROVING THE PRESIDENT'S PROPOSAL TO TAKE AN ACTION RELATING TO THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION--Resumed
Catherine Cortez Masto (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2019-1-16

on Friday, the day that thousands of Federal workers in Nevada and across the country missed their first paycheck of the shutdown, I was in Reno meeting with two dozen affected workers and families who work for our Federal Government. These hard-working Nevadans who serve the American people in the U.S. Coast Guard, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Forest Service, and government contractors told me about the struggles they are having, their fears, and the very human consequences of the President's decision to hold our government hostage. prgtoken These Nevadans shared how their finances and their whole lives have been thrown into chaos by this reckless shutdown. Person after person told me that without the promise of a paycheck, they are struggling to pay their prgtoken mortgage or rent, keep up with their other bills, and even put food on the table for their families. Some are even cashing out their savings while others consider taking out high-interest payday loans, risking their good credit just to stay afloat. prgtoken It is not just Federal workers who were suffering. Entire families have had the rug pulled out from under them because of this reckless shutdown. prgtoken While I was in Reno, I had the opportunity to meet Brianna. She talked to me about her family. She is a stay-at-home mom. She has two beautiful daughters--as you can see--and her husband works in the Coast Guard. He is a coastguardsman. Right now, he is reporting to work without pay for the duration of this shutdown. prgtoken Brianna told me that without their sole source of income, her family would struggle to make ends meet. She told me they are weighing the decision to pull her oldest daughter out of school and to move in with her parents until the shutdown is over. That is outrageous. prgtoken I can't tell you how many letters and emails I have also received in the office. This is one from a veteran in Reno. He said: I applaud you for standing up to and not wasting taxpayer money on a stupid wall that he promised Mexico would pay for. However, as a Federal employee who is also a disabled vet, I am asking that you support legislation to assure that we do not lose pay and benefits because of this shutdown. We are currently scheduled to receive our normal pay on December 31, but after that, we have no more checks coming until the shutdown is over. Despite what others on the Hill have said, many Federal employees depend on those checks and face real economic impacts when the government shuts down. We are tired of being demonized by the right as parasites and bureaucrats, and it is ridiculous that the President wants to freeze our pay and stop all of our pay raises. The Federal Government is the largest employer of veterans, and we continue supporting our country t
DISAPPROVING THE PRESIDENT'S PROPOSAL TO TAKE AN ACTION RELATING TO THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION--Resumed
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2019-1-16

I stand to tell the story of a great Virginian named Vidisha. This is a picture of Vidisha and her son Ayan, who came to a Federal employee roundtable that I did last Friday morning. prgtoken I have told stories on the floor about Virginians who are affected personally--worrying about missing mortgage payments, having to reschedule medical appointments, having to draw money out of an IRA and pay a tax penalty because of the shutdown. But I thought it was interesting that Vidisha came in and talked just a little bit about her own anxiety and the anxiety of everybody she works with. But what she really wanted to talk about was how the shutdown hurts the American public. prgtoken She works for probably the smallest Agency in the Federal Government, the Chemical Safety Board, with 40 employees and a budget of $11 million or $12 million. This is a small Agency, and they have one job: Investigate chemical spills--not to find fault, not to help a lawyer, but investigate chemical spills so that they can determine what went wrong, to prevent future chemical spills that are going to hurt Americans. Because of the shutdown, she and her colleagues--those 40-- are not doing that job. prgtoken President tweeted last weekend that the reason he is forcing the shutdown is he promised to protect the safety and security of the American public. He is hurting the safety and security of the American public. prgtoken Vidisha said that during the shutdown there has been a major chemical spill in Houston, TX. Normally, the investigators would be on it immediately to do the investigation, to give recommendations, and to reduce the risk of a spill at that facility or any other. But because of the shutdown, Vidisha and her staff are not investigating. How does this protect the safety and security of the American public--by leaving a major chemical spill with potentially life-threatening consequences uninvestigated and unresponded to? prgtoken This President's claim that he is helping the safety and security of the American people is a flat-out lie. You are hurting the security of the American people when you disable people like Vidisha and her colleagues from investigating chemical spills, from interdicting drugs if you are a Coast Guard, ATF, or DEA agent, or from doing law enforcement investigations if you are an FBI agent. prgtoken The President is hurting the security of this country. It is time to reopen government and put the security of Americans first. prgtoken .
DISAPPROVING THE PRESIDENT'S PROPOSAL TO TAKE AN ACTION RELATING TO THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION--Resumed
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2019-1-16

. I know every Member of the Senate has heard from constituents who are facing significant hardships as a result of the shutdown. I know every Member wants this shutdown to end. Unfortunately, President doesn't seem to want this shutdown to end. prgtoken The House has already passed appropriations bills that would reopen the government. This appropriations legislation is not partisan. In fact, they are bills that have already had bipartisan support in the Senate. So I urge President , Majority Leader McConnell, and our colleagues to take up these bills to reopen the government. I believe we should reopen the government. Let's do our jobs so the rest of America can do theirs. prgtoken .
DISAPPROVING THE PRESIDENT'S PROPOSAL TO TAKE AN ACTION RELATING TO THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION--Resumed
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2019-1-16

approximately 635,000 veterans work for the Federal Government, and the hardships of the shutdown on these men and women are multifold. prgtoken First, furloughed veterans who are Federal workers are missing paychecks. They are having a hard time paying their mortgages and paying their bills overall. Veterans with VA-guaranteed home loans are at risk of being evicted by mortgage companies because they can't make their payments. prgtoken Second, veterans are not getting the benefits they have earned from several Federal Departments, other than the VA. For instance, Native American veterans, who already face unique challenges with healthcare, are unable to rely on the Indian Health Service to provide their healthcare because it is closed down. Homeless veterans rely on the Department of Housing and Urban Development's housing vouchers, which are not going out because of the shutdown. prgtoken That is not all. Other benefits and protections are at risk. The VA is currently implementing major reform bills like the Appeals and Modernization Act and the VA MISSION Act. To roll out these new initiatives, the Federal Register must publish new rules and regulations. Guess what. The Federal Register isn't operational because of the shutdown, so the implementation of these wide-sweeping, bipartisan VA reforms is shut down. prgtoken On top of this, we know that those stationed at the borders and at airports--many of whom are veterans--are among those hurting the most because of this President's shutdown. prgtoken There are many more veterans suffering. Colin, from Billings, wrote me and said: ``I am a federal employee and a veteran, and this standoff is placing a great deal of stress on me and my family.'' prgtoken His wife is pregnant, he has a 2-year-old son, and he has no paycheck. He spent his career in public service. After he got out of the service, he could have made a lot more money in the private sector. prgtoken Unfortunately, because of the fact that the President and Leader McConnell will not bring the bills to the floor, we are in a shutdown. This is the human cost of the President's shutdown. These are men and women who have volunteered to serve our Nation and put themselves in harm's way and continue serving our Nation as civilians, and this is how the President says thank you--putting them out of a job, out of a paycheck, and out of the benefits that they have earned. He belittles the financial hardship that his actions are causing, and he turns their service in the military and as civilians into a political football. prgtoken The President has turned his back on the veterans of this Nation. It is time to put these men and women back to work. I call, and continue to call, on the majority to put an end to this real crisis--because they can--and reopen the government. prgtoken .
DISAPPROVING THE PRESIDENT'S PROPOSAL TO TAKE AN ACTION RELATING TO THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION--Resumed
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2019-1-16

I rise to address the shutdown and the real consequences that have occurred since 800,000 Federal workers, including nearly 3,000 Wisconsinites, have been furloughed or forced to work without pay. prgtoken The President said this week that his administration is setting records. It is true that he now holds the record for the longest government shutdown in our Nation's history, but every day that it continues, the shutdown is causing real pain for hard-working people in my State. prgtoken I recently read the heartbreaking story of Mallory Lorge. Mallory lives in River Falls, WI, and works for the Department of the Interior. On Friday, Mallory, along with thousands of other Federal workers, did not receive a paycheck. Mallory has type 1 diabetes. Without her paycheck, she can't afford her $300 copay to get the insulin she needs to manage her diabetes and stay alive. Mallory said she is rationing the two vials of insulin she has left. Her blood sugar rose to a high level last week, but she said she felt forced to ignore it. Instead, she said, I just went to bed and hoped I would wake up. prgtoken Think about that for a minute. Because President and the s in Congress refuse to support bipartisan legislation to end this shutdown and reopen the government, Mallory can't afford to get the insulin she needs to live. The House has done its job in passing bipartisan legislation to end the shutdown. Now it is time for Senate Majority Leader McConnell to stop blocking a vote in the Senate so that we can fund the government. prgtoken We are 26 days into the shutdown. It is not just hurting Federal workers and contractors. It is also hurting small businesses and entrepreneurs across the country. In Wisconsin, we make things-- cheese, brats, and, yes, beer. Milwaukee is often called Brew City, but thanks to the government shutdown, there are craft brewers across our State that can't make or sell new beer. prgtoken Russ Klisch is the President of Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee. Lakefront has been making beer in Wisconsin for more than 30 years. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approves licenses for new beers and new breweries as well as labels for beers that are sent out of State, but the Agency is not currently serving craft brewers due to the shutdown. prgtoken Lakefront Brewery has plans to introduce a brand-new beer in mid- February, but those plans are now on hold. This government shutdown threatens to cut its beer sales and hurt its ability to grow its business and support the economy. Other breweries across Wisconsin are impacted as well. prgtoken Mosinee Brewing Company opened its doors just last November, but it can't get approval to start making and selling its new beer until the government reopens. New ``Made in Wisconsin'' beer is also on hold until we reopen the government. prgtoken President and Majority Leader McConnell can and should end th
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2019-1-16

. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken As a fellow Floridian, I support the need to rebuild Tyndall, as I just mentioned in my opening statement, and support the Air Force's next-generation aircraft. It is important to ensure that our airmen and their families have state-of-the-art facilities that support the new mission. prgtoken I look forward to working with Mr. Dunn and Ranking Member Granger as we begin the process to ensure future funding is available to continue this vital reconstruction of Tyndall Air Force Base.
116TH ANNIVERSARY OF KOREAN AMERICAN DAY
Jimmy Gomez (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-1-16

. Madam , I rise today on the 116th anniversary of Korean American Day, which recognizes the first wave of Korean immigrants who arrived to the United States on January 13, 1903. prgtoken They reached our country in pursuit of the American Dream, determined to secure a better life for themselves and their families. prgtoken They served as farm workers, wage laborers, and section hands, laying the groundwork for the success of their children and future generations to come. prgtoken Today, our Nation is home to nearly 2 million Korean Americans who enrich every aspect of American life. They embody the ideals that define our country: hard work, resilience, and community spirit. prgtoken I am proud to represent the largest Korean population in the country in California's 34th Congressional District, and I am honored to reintroduce this resolution in the 116th Congress, recognizing their contribution 116 years after their arrival. prgtoken Please join me in acknowledging the generation of Korean Americans-- the dreamers, the trailblazers, and the visionaries--who have realized the American Dream and continue to inspire us all.
DISAPPROVING THE PRESIDENT'S PROPOSAL TO TAKE AN ACTION RELATING TO THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION--Resumed
Brian Schatz (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2019-1-16

I have a simple request for my colleagues, and that is this: Open the government. Open the government. There have been too many people suffering for too long for this to go on any further. prgtoken One of those people is named Scott Pekalib. He lives in Hilo, HI, and works for the U.S. Geological Survey. He has had a rough few months. prgtoken In October, his husband Jay went into the hospital for a routine surgery that went horribly wrong. He went into cardiac arrest and was in an induced coma for several days. He had to be flown to another island to receive the care that was necessary. Scott and Jay spent all of their savings to get through this ordeal. After paying for medicine, hotels, and airfare, they were living paycheck to paycheck. prgtoken Now, because of this government shutdown, Scott's paycheck reads zero. He doesn't know how he is going to buy gas to take his husband to the doctor or how they are going to pay the bills that are due. Scott is making impossible choices between buying the prescription drugs he needs and the ones that his husband needs. All of this pain and suffering is because the Senate will not vote to reopen the government. prgtoken So I ask my friends to call for a vote, and if the President vetoes the bill, let's act like a separate, coequal branch of government and override that veto. That is our prerogative in the United States, and that is our obligation in the U.S. Senate--to do what is best for the Nation, for the health, safety, and economic security of all of our constituents. prgtoken Let's reopen the government. prgtoken .
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 268, SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019, AND WAIVING A REQUIREMENT OF CLAUSE 6(a) OF RULE XIII WITH RESPECT TO CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN RESOLUTIONS REPORTED...
Susie Lee (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2019-1-16

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken Madam , I rise today in support of the rule and the underlying bill. I am proud to help these communities recover and families rebuild their lives after the devastating effects of extreme weather. prgtoken But this bill is also a reminder of the cost of ignoring climate change. As the planet continues to warm because of manmade causes, more and more communities are at risk of extreme weather. prgtoken In my home State of Nevada, Lake Mead is 50 percent as large as it was in the year 2000. As the water level continues to fall, water prices will continue to rise for families across southern Nevada. prgtoken According to the GAO, climate change has already cost taxpayers over $350 billion over the past decade. prgtoken We must take concrete steps to curb climate change. The costs--both human and financial--are already too high. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying bill.