mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2019-2-14

I just want to start off with this. This is Valentine's Day, and there are different days of the year that are more special to us than others--other than Thanksgiving and Christmas. I even like Halloween. But I think Valentine's Day is very special. prgtoken For our loved ones, our spouses or significant others, and our children, we love them, and I hope they know that. But to the people who work here day in and day out, the folks who are here when it is a weekend, when other folks are maybe heading out for the holidays to visit their families across the country, we don't say thanks enough. So to all of them, from my heart and from my staff, and, I think, from all of us-- and s in the Senate--we want to say thank you and happy Valentine's Day.
HONORING THE LIFE OF CHIEF PETTY OFFICER SHANNON KENT
Antonio Delgado (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-2-14

today I rise to honor the life of Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent, a true hero from Pine Plains, New York, who tragically lost her life in service to this country on January 16, 2019, in Syria. prgtoken Chief Kent was 35 years old and is survived by her husband, a retired member of the Army, and her two young sons. prgtoken After graduating with honors from Stissing Mountain High School on December 11, 2003, Chief Kent enlisted in the United States Navy, where she quickly rose through the ranks and served as a member of the Navy's Cryptologic Warfare Unit. prgtoken Chief Kent was fluent in five different languages and six dialects of Arabic and was one of the first women to complete the rigorous course required for troops to accompany Navy SEALs on raids. prgtoken Chief Kent could run a marathon in 3 hours 30 minutes, do a dozen full-arm-hang pull-ups, and then march for miles with a 50-pound rucksack--amazing. prgtoken A cancer survivor, Chief Kent had assignments in Iraq, Afghanistan, and, finally, Syria. Just 1 month into her deployment, Chief Kent was killed by a suicide bomber. prgtoken A recipient of the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, Chief Kent gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country and will be remembered for her courage and determination.
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.J. RES. 31, FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, 2019
Lucille Roybal-Allard (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-2-14

let me begin by thanking the ranking member of the subcommittee, Chuck Fleischmann, for the courteous way in which he represented and fought for the minority's priorities. prgtoken The negotiations on the DH funding bill were among the hardest I have experienced to date. Although we did not win every battle, we won many. prgtoken We prevented new funding for immigration enforcement field personnel. We secured funding to increase detention facility inspections from once every 3 years to twice a year. prgtoken We won funding to increase detention facility compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act to provide more victim assistance specialists and to expand the Alternatives to Detention program, including $30.5 million for family case management. prgtoken We held firm on a provision to prevent ICE from using information from the Office of Refugee Resettlement to detain and remove sponsors of unaccompanied children. prgtoken We improved transparency by requiring ICE to make information public about the numbers and categories of people in its custody. prgtoken While I am not happy with the outcome on border fencing, we did limit funding for border fencing to only $1.375 billion, no higher than last year. We also won protections for several ecologically sensitive areas in Texas. And we secured hundreds of millions of dollars for humanitarian efforts to ensure migrants who spend time in CBP custody are appropriately cared for. prgtoken Our bill also has large investments in equipment to detect drugs and other contraband at our ports of entry, where the real threat lies. prgtoken The bill funds 600 new Customs officers to help facilitate commerce and reduce wait times at the ports. prgtoken The bill also includes funds for the Coast Guard's first heavy icebreaker in 40 years and provides robust support for FEMA preparedness and disaster response grants. prgtoken Compared to the current detention bed level, we significantly reduced the funding available for ICE detention beds for the rest of this fiscal year. prgtoken Unfortunately, we were unable to reach agreement on how to prevent OMB from giving ICE a blank check for prgtoken detention beds during continuing resolutions, and we were unable to effectively prevent DHS' abuse of its transfer authority to increase detention beds. That transfer authority is intended to address unforeseen changes in circumstances. It is not to be used as a tool for routinely defying congressional intent on spending. prgtoken As chair of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, I will demand the Department honor the intent of Congress and fully justify any use of its transfer authority. I will hold public hearings to ensure the American people know when that authority is being abused and, if not corrected, redouble my efforts to ensure that authority is taken away. prgtoken While not a perfect bill, the only alternative to this negotiated bill is a yearlong CR, which would not only
HUMANITARIAN STANDARDS
Raul Ruiz (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-2-14

two names have been lost in months of government shutdowns and threats of national emergencies: Jakelin Caal Maquin and Felipe Gomez Alonzo. Those were the children who died in December while in the custody of our Federal Government. prgtoken Let me tell you a bit about Jakelin's story and how, in the next 48 hours, we will take a historic first step to forever change how our Nation treats children fleeing violence. prgtoken Jakelin Caal Maquin was 7 years old. She joined her father in fleeing the extreme danger and poverty of her village, San Antonio Secortez in Guatemala. Together, they dreamed of new opportunities, of new safety, of a home free from violence and discrimination where they could build a life and support their loved ones at home. prgtoken Jakelin and her father chose the same destination that asylum seekers, immigrants, and refugees have sought for centuries: the United States of America. prgtoken But the conditions I saw at the Border Patrol facilities where Jakelin and her father were held were not worthy of our American ideals. The conditions did not demonstrate respect for the human dignity of the individuals in our Federal Government's care. prgtoken Look, I am a doctor. I know what a functioning emergency medical response protocol looks like and how it should operate, and this was not it. prgtoken I saw women, infants, toddlers, and the elderly packed and even piled on top of each other, open toilets in crowded cells without any privacy, visibly sick people, children coughing on one another, and I immediately saw that the Border Patrol agents did not have the resources to respond to a life-threatening medical emergency. prgtoken , let me put this into perspective. I traveled to Haiti days after the devastating 2010 earthquake, where I served as the medical director of the country's largest camp of internally displaced people. The conditions I saw at the New Mexico Border Patrol facilities were worse than those I saw in Haiti, the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere, after their most challenging and devastating disaster. prgtoken Here we are, the greatest nation on our planet, and we are putting children in cages and denying them free access to food, water, and a private toilet. prgtoken Then and there, I committed myself to creating humanitarian standards that are worthy of human dignity: real solutions, not empty promises, that will save the lives of children at the border. prgtoken I introduced legislation that makes it clear Congress expects CBP to implement three crucial reforms as soon as possible: prgtoken First, provide meaningful medical examinations of individuals entering our borders. A basic physical exam would have shown warning signs of Jakelin's septic shock and most probably saved her life. A child who dies from septic shock does not look normal 8 hours beforehand. prgtoken Second, invest in essential medical equipment and trained medical personnel available to
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.J. RES. 31, FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, 2019, AND PROVIDING FOR PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PERIOD FROM...
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-2-14

. Madam , this is a bill that we are trying to fix to keep the government open and not holding our Federal employees hostage. prgtoken I support this bill with qualifications that I know that in the 2020 fiscal year, prgtoken will put forward a humane bill that addresses many of these issues. We gave $1.37 billion for barriers, not the wall. prgtoken We are protecting the environment in my own State: the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, the National Butterfly Center, the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, places where I have gone and people are pleading: Don't put fences there. prgtoken We brought down the number of ICE detention beds from 49,000-50,000 to 40,000, and, of course, we have provided, as I have indicated, and fought for facilities that deal with those children and women that are coming across: $415 million for enhanced medical support; transportation; food; clothing for migrants in detention, particularly children; and $30.5 million for family case management. prgtoken As my good friend said, we brought up the alternative detention from 82,000 to 100,000. As my good friend said, there is $400 million for VAWA. We are funding these programs because we understand how important they are. prgtoken Finally, of course, in the justice area, we have given money for Byrne grants; Community Oriented Policing Services, sexual assault kits and DNA, Second Chance Act programs, and we funded NASA. prgtoken But more importantly, Madam , I think we have made a very important point that should be made, and that is, as we work toward fiscal year 2020 appropriations, it is critical that we ensure that robust accountability of DHS, including limiting the agency's transfer authority and dramatically reducing the number of people who are held in detention, utilizing proven alternatives to detention, including community-based alternatives and parole for the vast majority of people who are held in detention who pose no public safety threat or risk. prgtoken ICE--we have to realize, there must be due process and justice. It is unfortunate that this administration's treatment of immigrants is unconscionable and inhumane. We can do better and we will do better. prgtoken But the final point of all of this today is, we stand on the floor to not hold our Federal employees hostage and to open the government. I will be going forward with the qualifications of working on a better bill. prgtoken Madam , I rise in strong support of H.J. Res. 31, which makes the consolidated appropriations needed to fund the departments, agencies, and programs of the federal government through September 30, 2019, and hopefully brings to a merciful end the uncertainty and hardship cruelly inflicted upon federal employees, contractors, and the American people by the President's decision to shut down the government. prgtoken I thank Chairman Lowey, Ranking Member Granger, and their fellow House conferees for their work in reaching
VICTIMS OF GUN VIOLENCE
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2019-2-14

. I thank the Presiding Officer. prgtoken , from time to time, I come to the floor of the Senate to share with my colleagues stories of the victims of gun violence. I had hoped the statistics that consistently show this country has a gun violence rate that is 10 to 20 times higher than those of other similar high-income nations--data that shows this continuing epidemic of mass slaughter during which we average a mass shooting almost every day-- would have compelled my colleagues to action. It hasn't. So I have tried to come down to the floor as often as I can to explain who these people are and to explain the genius that has been lost from this world when lives are cut so short by gun violence--gun violence that is largely preventable in this country. prgtoken I come to the floor with an unusually heavy heart because I want to talk about some of the lives that were lost a year ago today at the shooting in Parkland, FL, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. It was a year ago that I was actually walking to the floor to give a speech on immigration when I learned of another mass shooting. It hits hard for those of us who represent Connecticut because we are still working through the ripples of grief that never ever disappear in a community that has been shattered by an episode of catastrophic gun violence--in our case, in Sandy Hook, CT. prgtoken In February of last year, 17 students and teachers were gunned down in their classrooms at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. One of them was Peter Wang. prgtoken Peter was 15 years old. He was a U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps cadet. He was getting ready to celebrate the Chinese New Year with his family. His two younger siblings and many other friends called him a natural leader. prgtoken When the shooter entered the high school, Peter had a choice to make: He could run and protect himself or he could try to help his fellow students in need. He chose the latter. He chose to hold a door open to help his classmates escape. He saved other people's lives while he lost his own. prgtoken Classmate Jared Burns said: ``For as long as we remember him, he is a hero.'' ``He yanked open a door that allowed dozens of classmates, teachers and staffers to escape,'' officials said. prgtoken His middle school basketball coach said that he was just a ``joyful person.'' His sacrifice, according to his coach, ``just made perfect sense'' because he was that selfless. prgtoken Peter was posthumously accepted to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for his heroic actions on that day. prgtoken Alex Schachter was a freshman who played the trombone and baritone in the marching band, and he loved to play basketball. He loved music so much that in middle school, he took two band classes so that he could get ready to join the marching band in high school, which was his dream. His Eagle Regiment Marching Band actually won the State championship in Tampa. prgtoken
The Green New Deal (Executive Calendar)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2019-2-14

let me start by thanking Leader Schumer for his incredible remarks this morning. There is a surge of energy around this issue. He has represented that surge of energy very well. He challenged the other side of the aisle to bring it on. Let me sign up right now as the proud member of the ``bring it on'' caucus. Bring it on. We are looking forward to this conversation on our side. prgtoken It is clear that the people of America want action. The polling is immensely strong on this issue. It is clear that the people of America see this issue in their daily lives. This is not academic theory any longer. They see the wildfires. They see the droughts. They see the floods. They see the sea level rise. They see the fish moving about. This is in their lives now, and the polling shows that. prgtoken A vast majority of Americans say they are--and this is the word in the poll--``worried'' about climate change. The world has reported they see this as the No. 1 issue facing the world's security. prgtoken Against that backdrop of an active, engaged, and knowledgeable American population and a world that is looking for the United States to lead, the city on the hill, what--what--do we get from the majority in the Senate? We get a bill, a measure brought to the floor--the first time, as Leader Schumer pointed out, that the -controlled majority has brought any meaningful legislation related to climate change to the floor--that they intend to vote against. prgtoken Who brings a bill to the floor that you intend to vote against? How is that possibly sincere or serious, and what is prgtoken your alternative? If you don't like the Green New Deal, what is your plan? Where is there one? prgtoken The fact is, since the Citizens United decision and since the fossil fuel industry powered up its political efforts, there is now no Senator in the Senate who has cosponsored any serious bill to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. They stay away from this issue like the plague. prgtoken The world has changed around us. The 2020 election has already begun, in many respects. Voters are alert to this. A ic House is ready to produce real legislation, meaningful legislation. With any luck-- actually on the House side, somewhat bipartisan legislation, and here in the Senate, the blockade continues, and the only measure brought to the floor is a trick vote that its sponsors will actually vote against. That is a pathetic statement of where our friends on the other side are on this. prgtoken I hope this actually turns into a breakthrough moment in which there are some serious conversations on the other side to say this is not tenable; this is ridiculous; we are going to be embarrassed by this; but on our side, we say bring it on. prgtoken .
Government Funding (Executive Calendar)
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2019-2-14

today we hope to vote on a bipartisan, bicameral agreement that will fully fund the government and provide additional measures to strengthen our border security. prgtoken I want to applaud all of the members of the conference committee who worked on this agreement. I particularly want to recognize those Senate Members, led by Chairman Shelby and Vice Chairman Leahy, for negotiating a bipartisan compromise that will keep the government's doors open. Neither side got everything they wanted--that is why it is called a compromise--but in the end, fully funding the government and keeping it open is what is best for the American people. prgtoken What we saw during the 35-day government shutdown was that it took a terrible toll on our Federal workers, and it cost the U.S. economy $11 billion--including $3 billion that is gone forever, according to the Congressional Budget Office. prgtoken Across the country, Federal workers have been very anxiously waiting to see if we were going to come to an agreement, if they were going to be prgtoken able to pay their mortgages, afford groceries, and get their prescriptions. Well, today, hopefully we can put their minds at ease. We can pass this legislation, and hopefully the President will sign it, because failure to do so would once again deprive Americans of important government services and throw our economy into a tailspin. prgtoken I urge all of our colleagues in Congress to take up this funding legislation, to pass it, and the President to sign it as soon as it reaches his desk. prgtoken Protecting our borders should not be an exercise in partisanship, and I am glad to see that this bill supports commonsense investments that focus on the technology, infrastructure, and personnel that are needed at the southern and northern borders to provide actual security that works. prgtoken The bill provides $1.375 billion for targeted fencing in vulnerable areas along the southern border and more than $800 million for Border Patrol agents, better surveillance and screening technologies, and increased security at our ports of entry. When resourced and deployed appropriately, these types of smart investments are far more likely to interrupt the flow of narcotics than a costly and ineffective border wall. prgtoken Importantly, the legislation also includes $77 million for opioid equipment and staffing to interdict fentanyl and other synthetic opioids that are shipped through international mail and express consignment facilities. This is particularly important to States like mine, New Hampshire, where we have the second highest overdose death rate from opioids in the country. So many of those deaths are caused by the synthetic fentanyl. The opioid epidemic is a true national emergency, and Federal investments like these are needed to stop the illegal flow of these drugs into the country. prgtoken When Congress takes up and passes this deal, it will not only pass the appropriat
PAWEL ADAMOWICZ DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP EXCHANGE PROGRAM
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2019-2-14

. Madam , I rise to honor the legacy of Mayor Pawel Adamowicz of Gdansk, Poland, who was tragically murdered just a few weeks ago. prgtoken Mayor Adamowicz was a powerful voice for liberty in Poland, and always acted with the best interests of his people at heart. prgtoken A resurgent Russia seeks to undermine transatlantic solidarity and Western resolve. In the face of transatlantic challenges, we must strengthen U.S.-Polish relations. prgtoken That is why we must extend a hand of friendship to the next generation of democratic, transatlantic leaders. These shared democratic values go back to our nations' founding, and are critical to liberty in Europe today. prgtoken I am honored to introduce legislation to establish the ``Pawel Adamowicz ic Leadership Exchange Act.'' This program would equip the next generation of leaders with the skills and networks needed to strengthen transatlantic relationships. prgtoken In honor of Mayor Adamowicz's legacy, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. I ask that it be brought to the floor for a vote without delay.