mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2019-1-24

let me explain a little bit about what we witnessed on the Senate floor. Actually, it may be a little bit confusing, but it is an important issue. prgtoken With regard to the Coast Guard, my colleagues from Louisiana and Mississippi have been working on this issue for a while. It is not going to solve the whole partial government shutdown, but we have been working with a number of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Right now, this bill for which my friend from Louisiana asked to have unanimous consent has 23 cosponsors, and there might be more. Actually, almost one-quarter of the whole Senate--more ic cosponsors than cosponsors--is cosponsoring this bill to pay the Coast Guard. prgtoken Again, we are working on the broader issue of getting our government back to the work of paying Federal workers, but as my colleagues mentioned, the Coast Guard is in a rather unique situation because it is the only military service right now that is not getting paid. Those in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines are all getting paid. Right now, as we speak, the Coast Guard's men and women are out in my great State of Alaska and are risking their lives for Americans, as they always do. They are also out in other places like the Middle East and in the Persian Gulf. They are literally running patrols in the gulf, side by side, with marines and sailors. The marines and sailors are getting paid. The members of the Coast Guard are not getting paid. prgtoken By the way, if the members of the Coast Guard say: ``Do you know what? I don't want to deploy to the Middle East right now. I am not getting paid'' or ``I don't want to get on that ship to save an Alaskan crabber whose life is at risk,'' they get court-martialed. So the Coast Guard is in a very unique situation right now. prgtoken Here is the process we just witnessed. A number of us--again, it was very bipartisan--went to the President and said: , we know it takes the Senate and the House and the White House to pass a bill. People are working on the broader issue. We are all working on the broader issue and on the compromises we need. Hopefully, we can get there this afternoon. In the meantime, let's try to get something to pass as we have almost one-quarter of the Senate in agreement--more than s--on this bill that Senator Kennedy just mentioned. Would you support this? prgtoken A number of us have had ongoing conversations with the President of the United States. I have raised this a number of times with him and his administration over the last 2 weeks. In a meeting I had with him on Wednesday, he said: I am 100 percent behind that bill. prgtoken This is really important because, as to some of what the minority leader has said we should be bringing up, the White House has said: We are not going to support. OK. It is difficult to pass a bill when you are not going to get the President to sign it.
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Ron Johnson (Republican, WI) \u2014 2019-1-24

. Yesterday, Chaplain Black opened the Senate by quoting the Gospel according to Luke. He said: ``Those who work deserve their pay.'' I could not agree more. prgtoken First of all, I want to thank the finest among us--the members of the Coast Guard, TSA, Customs and Border Protection, ICE, all the men and women whom, because of Federal law, we require to work who are caught up prgtoken in the shutdown politics, which I don't agree with, and they are not getting paid. It is a basic principle that we should pay these individuals. prgtoken Earlier today, my colleague, the Senator from Alaska, with other colleagues, came to the floor asking a simple question-- proposing a bill to pay the men and women of the Coast Guard, and for some reason, the minority leader and objected to this very fair proposal. prgtoken Today, I come to the floor to offer an amendment to the bill I introduced 10 days ago. It has been talked about in the press. We have 24 cosponsors of the Shutdown Fairness Act, which does a pretty simple thing: It simply pays those individuals who are doing the work trying to keep this Nation safe. prgtoken , I see the minority leader here. prgtoken I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 6, H.J. Res. 1. I ask unanimous consent that the Johnson amendment at the desk be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-1-24

. I thank Senator Murkowski and Senator Cardin for their leadership today in organizing this floor colloquy, and I thank the Presiding Officer. prgtoken I want to join my colleagues in expressing how urgent it is that we not only secure our borders but that we open our government. We really do have to come together. We have two sides of the aisle here, our and friends. Certainly we can come to a solution. We have to figure out a path forward, folks, and I am glad we are here to do that. prgtoken We have a duty to provide for our Nation's security, and it is also our job to fund the government. We just voted on a sensible and smart proposal offered by the President that every and should have supported, but, unfortunately, it was rejected today. prgtoken Back home, hard-working Iowans and, of course, Americans all across the country are tired of government shutdowns, and they are disappointed in the dysfunction of Washington, DC. The impacts of this government shutdown are tangible for families. They feel it. People are hurting all across this Nation. prgtoken Most families don't have a rainy day fund. Money lasts only so long when you have zero income. Prolonged periods without a paycheck are unsustainable. prgtoken I have a friend who works for Federal law enforcement. Fortunately, he is up in seniority, but he told me the other day: Joni, our young Federal workers--they just can't make ends meet. prgtoken Children don't stop growing; people don't stop getting sick; and the obligations of caring for families don't stop just because we have. Washington has stopped working, folks. We have to get it together. prgtoken I have heard from businesses on the brink of collapse. I have heard from first-time home buyers who are trapped in limbo right now, and there are serious consequences that I have heard about from our farmers who work every day with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the USDA. Our food banks, churches, and other charities, which spend their time and resources helping families and communities through these tough times, helping furloughed workers and those who are in need, are running out of resources. They are running out of time. It can last only so long. prgtoken We need our DOJ working to stop crime and violence. We need our vital government Agencies back up and running. We can do that. I support a stronger border, and I support the President's sensible proposal, which does include a barrier, manpower, ports of entry, technology, and infrastructure. I think it is necessary that these investments be part of an overall deal. Our lack of border security has resulted in a humanitarian crisis at the border. We have tens of thousands of illegal and inadmissible immigrants on our southern border every month. prgtoken I agree with President and many of my colleagues that securing our southern border is a must-do to discourage illegal immigration, curb human traffick
STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST ACT OF 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
Roger F. Wicker (Republican, MS) \u2014 2019-1-24

I appreciate the Senator from Louisiana. prgtoken His unanimous consent request would have done one simple thing-- gotten the uniformed servicemembers in the Coast Guard paid just like we are paying today for members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. The Coast Guard members are the only servicemen out there now who, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, are required to perform their duties under pain of penalty, and they are not being paid as the others are. It would also protect survivors' benefits for the retirees and their survivors in the Coast Guard, as is being done with the other uniformed services. prgtoken We may be getting close to a solution on this. I certainly hope so. In the meantime, I think it would be a significant gesture on the part of the and the s in this Senate and in the House of Representatives to pass this one small change that the President has said he will sign and to do the right thing by paying members of this uniformed service. I regret that the Senator has objected, and I appreciate at least having a chance to explain why this mere carve-out is different from a larger solution that may be coming soon.
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-1-24

today is the last day for the Senate pages who are here with us today. This is a little known fact--I didn't even realize this until it was presented to me--but the 115th Congress, which we just concluded, had more session days than any Congress since 1951. That goes to tell you that these pages worked incredibly hard, and we are grateful. We hope their experience here was rewarding. They should know that there are several Members here serving on this side who once sat there. prgtoken I shouldn't be here by the time the pages get here, I hope, but we look forward to their service to our country in the years to come in whatever they decide to do. prgtoken Thank you for all of your work. prgtoken We truly appreciate the time they have put in. prgtoken , I ask unanimous consent that their names be printed in the Record.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
Steve Scalise (Republican, LA) \u2014 2019-1-24

once again, we are in a government shutdown. I could clearly argue that the gentleman from Maryland voted to shut the government down in December before we had hit an expiration of funding. Before there was a shutdown, we had a bill to fund government and secure the border. My friend can say it was dead on arrival in the Senate. The reason it was dead on arrival in the Senate is because Senate refused to negotiate over securing the border. prgtoken So here we are. We could talk about 2013. We are in 2019, and we are in the middle of a government shutdown that could end tomorrow. The majority just voted to adjourn again. Literally--and here is the quote my friend just said--the gentleman from Maryland said: ``We are not going to talk until the government is open.'' prgtoken So during the shutdown, the gentleman is not going to negotiate how to get out of a shutdown. prgtoken The gentleman wonders why people look and say: why can't you figure it out? prgtoken The President has offered idea after idea, and eventually you are negotiating against yourself when the other side says: we are not going to talk until we get everything we want. prgtoken Well, do you know what, ? In divided government, Mr nobody gets everything they want, but you have to start talking today. The 800,000 people who are working or not working and not getting paychecks--which, by the way, we voted again today to pay all of them, we had a vote on the House floor to pay all of them, and we got 13 to vote for that. Last week it was only six. A growing number of are recognizing stop all this foolishness of saying: we are not going to talk to you when the President is trying to talk. We are going to reject your offer before you put it on the table. At 4 o'clock Saturday the rejected an offer that wasn't even proposed until 4:07. prgtoken So to say: we are not going to talk while we are in the shutdown, how do we get out of the shutdown unless people are talking? prgtoken I think the gentleman from Maryland and I could solve this problem. He quoted: Physical barriers are part of the solution. prgtoken I agree with the gentleman from Maryland on that. Unfortunately, the of the House doesn't agree with that. So rank-and-file who want to solve this problem are invited to the White House, but told by the leadership: you are not authorized to negotiate. prgtoken So I ask the gentleman from Maryland: Who is authorized to negotiate? And the gentleman from Maryland says: we are not going to talk until the government is back open. prgtoken But the government is not open because we are at an impasse, and the way you solve an impasse is to talk. You can't say: ``We are not going to talk'' and expect it just to solve itself and expect the President just to keep offering and offering and offering and the of the House say: we are not even going to let you come talk to the country; we are not going to le
HONORING MS. NANCY L. KUTULAS FOR HER 36 YEARS OF SERVICE TO OUR NATION
Richard Hudson (Republican, NC) \u2014 2019-1-24

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Ms. Nancy L. Kutulas as she retires after 36 years of dedicated service as a Department of the Army Civil Librarian. prgtoken There is a reverence that comes with the humble and steadfast service Ms. Kutulas has shown our country over nearly four decades. As one commander at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School eloquently put it when summing up her career, there is ``no better example of the quiet professional and devoted civil servant'' than Nancy Kutulas. prgtoken While Ms. Kutulas has served in many prestigious posts over the years, she spent the vast majority of it at the epicenter of the universe, Fort Bragg, located in North Carolina's Eighth Congressional District. And throughout her career, Ms. Kutulas has time and again been recognized for her hard work and dedication. In fact, last year she was named the United States Army Special Operations Command Unsung Hero of the Year. prgtoken One example of her tenacity and resourcefulness was recently exhibited when she provided a Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) with vital information on a newly-operational weapon system that arrived before the soldiers had been trained how to use it. Ms. Kutulas sprang into action, tracking down the necessary information and dispatching the necessary experts to train the soldiers to successfully deploy the new system--all while under heavy enemy fire. Without her quick actions, who knows how things may have ended for the soldiers. prgtoken I wish Ms. Kutulas a long and happy retirement, and I know I speak for countless service members and their families when I say she will be forever missed. prgtoken Madam , please join me in thanking Ms. Kutulas for her 36 years of dedicated service.
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Lindsey Graham (Republican, SC) \u2014 2019-1-24

. I just got off the phone with the President. I told him we were talking about a 3-week CR. All of us believe that if we had 3 weeks with the government open and all the discord coming from a shutdown, that we could find a way forward to produce a bill that he would sign that would be good for everybody in the country, but we need that opportunity. prgtoken He gave me some indications of things he would want for a 3-week CR that would be a good-faith downpayment on moving forward that I thought were imminently reasonable. Rather than me telling you about what he said, I think Senator Schumer and Senator McConnell will be talking about this. prgtoken The 3-week CR concept is a good idea, and what the President wants to add to it made sense to me, and it gets us back in the ball game. Here is what is going to happen. The TPS language that was sent over by the President is a move forward but unacceptable to my ic colleagues. It needs to be like what Tim Kaine did. The DACA provision sent over by the President is moving forward, but it needs to be what Senator Durbin did because they are both, I think, reasonable proposals that the President should be able to accept. prgtoken To my ic friends, money for a barrier is required to get this deal done. It will not be a concrete wall, and the money will be a program to a DHS plan that all of you know about and have been briefed on and should approve. prgtoken You are not giving President a bunch of money to do anything he wants to do. He has to spend it on a plan that the professionals have come up with. If you want $800 million for refugee assistance, you will get it. We all need more judges, and 250 more Border Patrol agents on the border would be good for us all. prgtoken I want to let the public know I have never been more optimistic than I am now if we can find a way to open up the government for 3 weeks. If we fail, everybody can say we did our best. This is one last chance to get this right. I am just hoping and praying that what the President is asking for, in addition to Senator Cardin's 3-week CR, he will entertain. Let's get to work. If we can get in a room, we will fix this, and it won't take 3 weeks.
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Cory Gardner (Republican, CO) \u2014 2019-1-24

from Alaska for this opportunity to come to the floor to talk about what this Chamber needs to do, along with the House and the President, to get this government reopened and to fund border security, something that all Americans agree on--that we can walk and chew gum at the same time; that we can multitask; that we can find a way to fund priority spending on the border; and that we can find a way to fund 800,000 government employees, including 53,000 Federal employees in my home State of Colorado. prgtoken In 2014, I was elected to the Senate. In November of 2014, we were dealing with a question of whether the government would shut down. In fact, the first issue we were asked in the new Congress as we headed back into session was this: Would there be a looming shutdown over immigration? That was not in 2018 or 2019. That was actually in 2014. Here is what I said then: There's no time, place, or purpose of a government shutdown or default. That's simply ridiculous and something that a mature governing body doesn't even contemplate. We ought to make it very clear that that's simply not acceptable. prgtoken I said that in 2014; I echoed it in December 2018; and I stand on the floor today sharing the same belief, sentiment, and value. prgtoken We need border security in this country. We need to have barriers and structures on the border where it makes sense, as the President has said. He has made a reasonable request to put in place border security. prgtoken We also have a responsibility to the people of this country to govern responsibly. That means not jeopardizing our economy, not jeopardizing the firefighters in Colorado who can't go to training right now because the government is shut down. prgtoken My home State lost hundreds of homes last year due to wildfires. Think about the catastrophes in California and across the West last year. Firefighters from around the country were called to do heroic things and save entire towns, yet those training services, classes, and tools they need for a fire season that could start at any time are being denied--training and classes that they need to save their own lives, to save other lives, and to protect our land. prgtoken We have farmers who are trying to get production loans right now. They can't get their production loans through certain offices because of the shutdown. Farming is not good right now, and prices are so low right now that people are struggling. I talked to a farmer in Colorado yesterday. He doesn't know what the bank is going to say to him on Friday, tomorrow, when he goes in, and he can't get ahold of anybody at the USDA because of the shutdown. prgtoken We need border security. That is why I voted for both measures today--the $5.7 billion for border security and the continuing resolution proposal that contains the President's 2018 border security proposal. Both measures included border security.
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-1-24

I rise today as a voice for the people of Puerto Rico. I intend to be their voice in the U.S. Senate. They are Americans--as American as the people of Florida whom I was elected to represent. They are our brothers and sisters, and they deserve a voice. Their success is America's success. Their recovery is America's recovery. prgtoken In September of 2017, Puerto Rico was hit by a devastating hurricane. Maria's landfall changed the landscape of the island forever. As Governor of Florida, I worked to be there for the people of Puerto Rico. I worked with Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon, Governor Rossello, Lieutenant Governor Luis Rivera Marin, Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, and House Carlos Johnny Mendez to provide whatever support and aid they needed. prgtoken Jennifer has been a tireless advocate for Puerto Rico, and she has been fighting so hard for this funding. I am proud to join her in this fight. prgtoken In Florida, we created welcome centers at the airports in Orlando and in Miami to support those coming to Florida from the island. We waived housing and education regulations to make sure families coming from Puerto Rico could easily settle in Florida, prgtoken whether they planned to stay permanently or just for a short period of time. prgtoken I have visited Puerto Rico eight times since the deadly storm and provided Florida State resources to the citizens of Puerto Rico to aid in rebuilding and recovery, but the island still has a long way to go. prgtoken The bill I supported today does many good things. It reopens the government after the longest shutdown in U.S. history. It provides significant funding to secure our southern border--funding that is long overdue and that is needed to keep American families safe. It extends protections for children who were brought to this country illegally through no fault of their own, and it extends TPS. While I would prefer a permanent solution for the DACA kids and TPS, this is a positive step. Putting protections for the DACA population into law is also long overdue. prgtoken The bill also provides significant disaster funding for the State of Florida following the devastation of Hurricane Michael, which hit Florida's Panhandle just a few months ago. The funding includes resources specifically for Tyndall Air Force Base. I would like to thank Majority Leader McConnell for putting a bill forward to help Florida recover from this horrible hurricane. prgtoken On all of these points, I join many of my colleagues in support, but, unfortunately, the Senate version of the government funding bill does not include $600 million in essential disaster funding for our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico. prgtoken I am offering an amendment today that would add the $600 million included in the House bill back to the Senate version. prgtoken Puerto Rico's recovery continues, and the U.S. Congress must do everything we can to support that, with respons