mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO THE ASSYRIAN AMERICAN CIVIC CLUB OF TURLOCK
Jeff Denham (Republican, CA) \u2014 2017-1-27

I rise today to recognize the Assyrian American Civic Club of Turlock as we celebrate its seventieth-year anniversary. Since the club's founding in 1946, it has provided service to Assyrian Americans in the City of Turlock through the promotion and protection of the Assyrian culture, education, religion and humanitarian rights. prgtoken The club was established in the fall of 1946 to help families preserve their deep rooted culture that can be passed on to future generations. It is progressive in nature not only to the benefit of Assyrian Americans, but also to all in California's 10th Congressional District. prgtoken The members of the Assyrian American Civic Club of Turlock recognize civic responsibility to their people and allegiance to the United States of America. It is in their core interests to uphold the principles of freedom and prgtoken democracy, support the Constitution, instill a sense of individual obligation and responsibility for Assyrian unity, and support programs that perpetuate Assyrian cultural heritage. The club is dedicated to promoting goodwill and understanding among Assyrians and non-Assyrians alike. prgtoken The club also recognizes and values the importance of education. On March 13, 2002, it created the Assyrian Civic Club Education Foundation. This 501(c)3 non-profit continues to provide hundreds of scholarships to high school and university students, as it has done so for the past 15 years. The foundation educates, informs, and enhances cultural values for Assyrians in the community through their own local radio and television programs. Additionally, the civic club has its own facility that the community at large utilizes, while also serving as a place for Assyrian Americans to come together for social, recreation and educational activities. prgtoken , please join me in honoring and recognizing the seventieth anniversary of the Assyrian American Civic Club of Turlock for its service and outstanding contributions to the Assyrian community as we celebrate this important milestone.
CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF THE UNITED WAY OF GREATER AUGUSTA
Bob Goodlatte (Republican, VA) \u2014 2017-1-27

it's the people who make a community a great place to live, work, and in my case, represent. The generosity of the community and their care for their neighbors defines this part of Virginia. Over the past 75 years, the United Way has harnessed these values and used them as a catalyst to improve the lives of people in the community. prgtoken Around 1942, United Way organizations were founded in Staunton and Waynesboro. As these organizations continued to grow, in 2004 they merged to become the United Way of Greater Augusta, Inc. in order to offer more effective services to the community. This organization has long worked toward positive change in their community, and I am honored to pay tribute to the United Way of Greater Augusta, Inc. as they celebrate 75 years of service to the people of Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County. prgtoken Through grants, workplace campaigns, corporate partnerships, and individual donations, the United Way has raised funds to help make a positive impact in the community. They have helped families and individuals in the Greater Augusta region by providing support to local agencies like the Valley Children's Advocacy Center, the Daily Living Center, Valley Hope Counseling Center, and Renewing Homes. The United Way has also made targeted investments in programs such as Stuff the Bus, the Financial Stability Center, and Imagination Library. The work of the United Way has evolved throughout its 75 year history, and I am confident that it will continue to do so to meet both the short-term and long-term needs of those it serves in the Greater Augusta region. prgtoken There are many people responsible for the continued growth and success of the United Way of Greater Augusta. Countless volunteers have donated their time to serve the community. Board Members have served as active voices in the community for the United Way's work. Staff members have worked hard to promote the work of the United Way and make sure the wheels run smoothly on a day-to-day basis. While I extend my gratitude to all of these individuals, I also want to specifically recognize Cynthia Pritchard for her service as President and CEO of the United Way of Greater Augusta. As she prepares to leave this position, it is clear that much of the good work of this organization would not have been possible without her guidance and leadership over the past seven and a half years. prgtoken Congratulations to the United Way of Greater Augusta on this momentous occasion. I wish them all the best, and look forward to the positive impact they will continue to make.
PUBLICATION OF COMMITTEE RULES
Edward R. Royce (Republican, CA) \u2014 2017-1-27

as required by clause 2(a) of House rule XI, I respectfully submit for the Congressional Record the rules of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, which were adopted at a public meeting of the Committee on January 24, 2017. 1. General Provisions (a) The Rules of the House of Representatives, and in particular, the committee rules enumerated in clause 2 of rule XI, are the rules of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (hereafter referred to as the ``Committee''), to the extent applicable. (b) A motion to recess and a motion to dispense with the first reading (in full) of a bill or resolution, if printed copies are available, are privileged non-debatable motions in Committee. (c) The Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs shall consult the Ranking Minority Member to the extent possible with respect to the business of the Committee. Each subcommittee of the Committee is a part of the Committee and is subject to the authority and direction of the Committee and to its rules, to the extent applicable. 2. Date of Meeting The regular meeting date of the Committee shall be the first Tuesday of every month when the House of Representatives is in session pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XI of the House of Representatives. Additional meetings may be called by the Chairman as the Chairman may deem necessary or at the request of a majority of the Members of the Committee in accordance with clause 2(c) of rule XI of the House of Representatives. The determination of the business to be considered at each meeting shall be made by the Chairman subject to clause 2(c) of rule XI of the House of Representatives. A regularly scheduled meeting need not be held if, in the judgment of the Chairman, there is no business to be considered. 3. Quorum For purposes of taking testimony and receiving evidence, two Members shall constitute a quorum, and the Chairman of the full Committee or a subcommittee shall make every effort to ensure that the relevant Ranking Minority Member or another Minority Member is present at the time a hearing is convened. One-third of the Members of the Committee or subcommittee shall constitute a quorum for taking any action, except: (1) reporting a measure or recommendation; (2) closing Committee meetings and hearings to the public; (3) authorizing the issuance of subpoenas; and (4) any other action for which an actual majority quorum is required by any rule of the House of Representatives or by law. No measure or recommendation shall be reported to the House of Representatives unless a majority of the Committee is actually present. No measure or recommendation shall be reported to the
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S EXECUTIVE ORDER SHOULD BE OVERTURNED
Earl Blumenauer (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-1-30

one of the reasons people across the country are outraged by the executive order issued by the administration this weekend is the impact it has on people who worked for the United States, putting their lives at risk. I spent 10 years on a bipartisan effort for the Special Immigrant Visa program, and with a stroke of the pen, these people have been denied. prgtoken On page A10 of The Washington Post, there is detailed the Sharef family where the husband had worked as an interpreter for United States soldiers. His life is at risk in Iraq. He worked 2 years to be able to get the visa. He sold his business, sold his home. His family was on a plane ready to come, and they were turned back to Iraq, turned back to danger. And we are turning our back on people who risk their lives to help Americans. prgtoken It is outrageous, it is immoral, and it is going to hurt America in the future. Who is going to help us overseas in the future if we are not dependable allies? prgtoken This outrageous order should be overturned and everyone, and alike, should raise their voice in outrage.
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S IMMIGRATION BAN
Donald M. Payne, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2017-1-30

has stained the American Presidency with his unAmerican values. prgtoken His Muslim ban has caused the suffering of countless families seeking the American promise of a better life, and it has put the safety of the American people at risk by providing fodder for extremist groups who wish to do us harm. prgtoken I condemn this ban and the unfit President behind it. I ask my colleagues who have stood by and said nothing: How can you remain silent? prgtoken The American people are sending a clear message that they will not remain silent. I have received a large volume of calls from constituents in opposition to the Muslim ban. It is unfortunate that these calls are necessary, but I am glad the American people are paying attention and are committed to holding this administration accountable. prgtoken I want to add that hundreds of Syrian refugees have settled in New Jersey. Many have settled in Jersey City, which is part of my district, and I am proud to be their Member of Congress. These refugees have escaped chaos at home and went through a rigorous screening process before entering the United States. They are respectful of America's values. The same cannot be said of this President.
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS: VOTER SUPPRESSION AND MUSLIM BAN
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-1-30

let me thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) for their continuing leadership on a very important and needed response to the actions of many, in particular, this new administration. prgtoken My time is short, so I want to thank Mr. Veasey for his leadership on the challenge to the voter ID law and, as well, his continuing leadership on the empowerment of voters, as well to Ms. Plaskett for ensuring and fighting for the right to vote for the Virgin Islands. prgtoken I stand with both of them. But I come today to plead and also to enunciate what crisis we find ourselves in. The White House is in crisis. When the White House is in crisis, that means America is in crisis. prgtoken , it is not a frivolous statement that I make; it is a truthful statement because less than 72 hours ago, without the counsel of many experts, Members of Congress who are on the jurisdictional committees, without the notice and input of the Secretary of Homeland Security, an executive order was produced by one young staffer in the White House and another individual who has pushed an agenda of exclusiveness. That is not the way to run this country. prgtoken So this executive order came out, and what we find is that 67,000 refugees are stranded around the world who actually had documents, who were vetted, and, as some stories have told us, waited 10 and 12 to 13 years to be able to get in line and to be vetted to come to the United States of America. The tragedy is that some of them were, in fact, our friends from Iraq who have stood by our military personnel who had, in fact, provided them the interpretation that they needed to save their lives. In one story we heard tonight on the steps of the United States Supreme Court was a woman who finally got here with her two children. Her husband was murdered, and her father was tortured. prgtoken So, to Mr today I think it is important as we have joined in to repeal and to rescind this unconstitutional order, it is clear that you need to read the writing on the wall. The Deputy Attorney General, duly appointed and confirmed, of the U.S. Department of Justice, the remaining individual who has power in that office, has made a very conscious decision that they cannot defend this order because it is unconstitutional. This is not a person who takes her task lightly. This is not someone who is not an officer who has not taken an oath of office. This is akin to what happened in the Nixon administration. They were willing to lose their position to stand for the Constitution. prgtoken So the Congressional Black Caucus is on the floor today with our chairman, Mr. Richmond, to be able to inform America that this is patently unconstitutional. It does not provide for due process. It did not provide for equal protection of the law. As well, it is a blatant attack on freedom of religion. prgtoken For those of you who need a better expl
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS: VOTER SUPPRESSION AND MUSLIM BAN
Stacey E. Plaskett (Democrat, VI) \u2014 2017-1-30

. I thank Mr. Veasey. prgtoken , I thank the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, my friend and colleague, the Honorable Cedric Richmond, for his continued leadership of this caucus and of his leadership on the issues impacting Black America and other minority communities across this great Nation. prgtoken Indeed, this evening, we are discussing not only minorities in this country, but those who are downtrodden and other individuals around the world who look to America for refuge, strength, and democracy. prgtoken I also thank my colleague, the Honorable Marc Veasey of Fort Worth, Texas, for joining me in chairing this evening's Special Order hour, and also my Congressional Black Caucus colleagues who are joining us this evening to speak on these important issues. prgtoken , we are here tonight to speak to those two very important issues that go to the fabric of our founding: our ability to grow, diversify as a Nation, by bringing in the tired and the poor, the innovators, the ones who bring new changes to this country, and continue its dynamic growth, as well as voting rights. prgtoken Last week, President --among a number of other things--expressed unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2016 Presidential election. The remarks that we heard would appear to be inaccurate, reckless, and dangerous to our democracy in some of our opinions. prgtoken , my colleagues and I are here this evening to highlight the real voter fraud in this country, and that is the continued attempts to suppress minority voting rights across many States as well as the outright denial of the right to vote for millions of Americans living in the territories. prgtoken I want to underscore that the fight for equal voting rights for minorities in this country did not end with the passage of the Voting Rights Act. prgtoken In fact, today, more than 50 years after our esteemed colleague John Lewis and others courageously marched on Selma, we have seen the United States Supreme Court strike down one of its most important protections. prgtoken Within hours of that decision, States were already moving forward with restrictive voter ID laws, which had already been rejected as discriminatory under the Voting Rights Act. prgtoken Six of the 16 States that passed voter ID laws since 2010 have a documented history of discriminating against minority voters. prgtoken The State of Alabama, in 2014, began enforcing a controversial voter ID law that required voters to show a State-issued ID in order to vote, and then announced plans to close 31 driver's license offices--most of them, ironically, in rural, impoverished, majority Black counties-- making it even harder for residents to get the most common form of ID used to vote. prgtoken In addition to the Supreme Court's action, a Federal Court in a 2015 ruling used a racist, century-old opinion of the Supreme Court to uphold the denial of voting rights to American citizens in my home dist
RESTORE VISA IMMIGRATION PROGRAMS
Joe Courtney (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-1-30

. Madam , as we stand in the House Chamber today, over 4,000 U.S. military personnel are bringing the fight to ISIL terrorists in Iraq. Navy and Air Force pilots, Special Forces, and advisers are working hand in hand with Iraqis and Kurds to eject ISIL from Mosul, the city they declared 3 years ago as the capital of their caliphate. prgtoken Great progress has been made. Supported by thousands of U.S. air strikes, the eastern half of the city has been reclaimed by the forces of the civilized world and efforts are underway to finish the job in western Mosul. prgtoken Madam , none of this could have been done without the help of brave Iraqi interpreters who are essential to communicating all of the pieces of these operations. prgtoken As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am proud that from 2008 to 2016, we passed and repassed a special immigration visa program to open the door of immigration to the U.S. for these interpreters as a safe haven, and also as a reward for putting their lives at risk and making sure that our troops can communicate safely and effectively in their operations. prgtoken Incredibly, on Friday, with one stroke of the pen, President slammed the door shut on that program because he canceled all visa programs from Iraq. prgtoken If anyone could imagine a more demoralizing way to undercut the anti- ISIL alliance at such a critical time, Friday's order won the prize; and we are hearing from military commanders who are over there in Iraq talking about the blowback that is coming from our allies that were literally underway in real operations in real time. prgtoken We, in Congress, need to stop this order for the sake of our standing in the world as a beacon of hope and freedom and, if for nothing else, to support our troops and their allies in harm's way.
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS: VOTER SUPPRESSION AND MUSLIM BAN
Gwen Moore (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2017-1-30

I want to thank the gentleman from Fort Worth for yielding this time to me. prgtoken I could just tell you that it is deja vu all over again. When President lost the election in 2000, he engaged in a lengthy investigation over so-called voter fraud to deflect from the fact that he, in fact, lost the popular vote, as did President . These allegations of voter fraud do nothing but to continue to bankrupt the Treasury. When, as the gentleman from New Jersey just pointed out, Loyola Law School did an extensive study, they found 31 cases of voter impersonation out of 1 billion votes cast in the last 14 years. We don't have enough time for me to do the math on that, but it is de minimis. prgtoken I can tell you that real voter fraud is voter suppression. 2016 was the very first Presidential election in 50 years, gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands, that we didn't have the full protection of voting rights in 14 States, and it showed, including in my own swing State of Wisconsin. Brand-new voting ID restrictions disproportionately suppressed African American, low-income citizens' votes. prgtoken According to a Federal Court, nearly 300,000 registered voters in Wisconsin--in my State--could not obtain the voter ID required by the imposition of these new laws. Throughout the country, we saw 868 fewer polling places. We saw these voter ID laws, and we saw just a reinvention of these painful and unjust poll taxes and remnants of poll taxes and literacy tests imposed upon African Americans. prgtoken I can tell you, if there is any voter suppression, it is voter denial in this country; and I would call for, instead of spending taxpayer dollars to find 5 million votes that President claimed voted for Hillary Clinton, I would rather spend that money investigating the Russian hacks into our election.
FORT ONTARIO STUDY ACT
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Democrat, MP) \u2014 2017-1-30

such time as I may consume. prgtoken This bill authorizes the National Park Service to conduct a special resource study of Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York. Fort Ontario was a military installation used during the French and Indian Wars, which was later used to house refugees fleeing the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. prgtoken Many Americans remember our Nation's role in World War II through events like the Invasion of Normandy or the Battle of Iwo Jima, closer to my district, which have been re-imagined in film and memorialized in stone, but the story of Fort Ontario is an equally important component of our historical legacy. Providing physical refuge from persecution says as much about our national character as the bravery and sacrifice of the millions of Americans who were deployed overseas. prgtoken The site has been managed as a New York State historic site since 1949 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1970. The study authorized by this bill will look into the best available options for the continued preservation and management of Fort Ontario, including the possibility of turning it into a unit of the National Park System. prgtoken Fort Ontario has had many uses throughout our Nation's history, and it has had a particularly relevant place in the story of Jewish Americans. As we work to ensure that our public lands tell the story of all Americans, Fort Ontario and its unique story could be a fitting addition. prgtoken This bill passed the House last September but was, unfortunately, not acted upon by the Senate. prgtoken I would like to thank Representative Katko, the sponsor of this bill, for his continued efforts to ensure the Nation knows about the story of Fort Ontario. prgtoken This is a good bill, and I urge my colleagues to support its passage. prgtoken , .