mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.J. RES. 41, PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.J. RES. 40...
James P. McGovern (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-2-1

. I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Buck) for extending me the customary 30 minutes. prgtoken , we are only one month into 2017; and today we have another closed rule or, as I call them now, Putin rules. This is the kind of process they have in Russia: no amendments, no debate, no nothing, completely shut down. It is your way or the highway. prgtoken This is not the way the United States House of Representatives, the greatest deliberative body in the world, should be run. This is shameful. I have very serious concerns about the road that we are traveling down, . prgtoken The 115th Congress is only a few weeks old, and we have already ushered in a process that is alarmingly restrictive. Sadly, it has become routine in this House for the majority to close down the process, rush bills through the House without regular order, enforce the rules for but not for s, and insist on spending all of our time on partisan legislation instead of working together to find bipartisan compromises and solutions to the real problems facing American families and workers. prgtoken , today's legislation makes clear that the s are eager to repeal protections put in place to help the American people. We should be working to expand opportunity for hardworking families and strengthen safeguards to put the American people first, not corporations, not wealthy CEOs, not big donors, and not special interests, but the people ought to come first. prgtoken Today is another sad day. We are engaged in what I would call mindless legislating. While my friends say they want to repeal needless regulation--something that we all want to do--the process my friends have embraced, to put it gently, is reckless. No matter what you think of a particular regulation, or rule--or, in many cases, they are protections--no matter what you may think of a particular regulation, there is no denying that these rules that my friends are bringing to the floor to repeal went through a vigorous process that took months and months, and even years to complete. prgtoken They went through agency review. They went through a lengthy comment period, oftentimes thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people weighed in on the pros and cons of a particular idea. But the idea that we would just erase them with the blink of an eye, no hearings, no markups, nothing, it is a mindless way to legislate and a disturbing way to govern. prgtoken The ``act first and think later'' approach was on full display with President 's Muslim ban. It was so hastily enacted that his own Secretary of Homeland Security didn't even know that the President was signing the executive order until he saw it on cable news. The White House did such a poor job of briefing the Federal agencies charged with enforcing the policy that airports across the country were caught completely off guard, and there was widespread c
U.S.-MEXICO RELATIONSHIP
Michelle Lujan Grisham (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2017-2-1

. Madam , the people who, in fact, know the border issues the best--whether it is companies or lawmakers, both s and , border communities, trade groups, economists, and law enforcement officials--all agree that building a wall is unnecessary, impractical, ineffective, and it is a complete waste of time and taxpayer money. prgtoken This wall, in fact, damages New Mexico's economy, and that is without taking into account President 's idea to now impose a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to pay for it. In the end, we know that it is American jobs, American consumers, and American companies that will be hurt. prgtoken Given that the United States already maintains approximately 650 miles of border fence, drones, cameras, motion detectors, thermal imaging sensors, ground sensors, and 21,370 Border Patrol agents, the wall is completely unnecessary for the stakeholders who are, in fact, most impacted. The only person it truly benefits is President by furthering his isolationist, divisive, and anti-immigrant agenda. prgtoken I agree that this country should be building, and I agree with my colleague from El Paso, Mr. O'Rourke, that there is a wonderful thing, an incredible thing about building bridges, building highways, building buildings, and refocusing our energy on making sure that everyone has a fair shot and that we are looking at those economic values and those economic indicators. That is not what we are doing here. We are diverting our attention for an unnecessary, huge, colossal mistake that hurts the progress that border communities and border States have made.
Nomination of Neil Gorsuch (Executive Session)
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2017-2-1

it hasn't even been 2 weeks, and President has already demonstrated that he has little tolerance for independent thinking and dissent. He has his own version of reality, which is why his administration resorts to alternative facts. prgtoken When the media accurately reported how small the crowd was at his inauguration, he presented us with alternative facts. When the media pointed out he lost the popular vote by the largest margin of any President, he boldly proclaimed, without any evidence, that 3 to 5 million people voted illegally. Many consider this whopper as a cynical way to encourage more States to pass voter suppression laws justified by the bogus claim of widespread voter fraud. prgtoken Just 2 days ago, the President again showed the American people how intolerant he is of principled dissent when he fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates after she refused to enforce or defend his totally unjustifiable, knee-jerk, and probably unconstitutional Executive order on Muslim immigration. prgtoken By firing Sally Yates, the President demonstrated once again that he values loyalty to himself above service to the American people and adherence to the Constitution. This is particularly disturbing as we begin to consider the President's nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to sit on the Supreme Court. prgtoken I am only beginning to scrutinize Judge Gorsuch's record, but I am very concerned that he will be a rubberstamp for President 's radical agenda. You don't have to take my word for it. You only have to listen to what the President has been saying prgtoken over the past 2 years. In June 2015, then-Candidate told CNN's Jake Tapper that he would apply a pro-life litmus test for his nominees to the Supreme Court. He did it again at a press conference last March, during the third Presidential debate, and shortly after his election. prgtoken This isn't the only litmus test President promised to apply. In February 2016, President committed to appointing a Justice who would allow businesses and individuals to deny women access to health care on the basis of so-called religious freedom. In February 2016, President told Joe Scarborough he would make upholding the Heller decision on guns another litmus test for his Supreme Court nominee. Like tens of millions of Americans, I am deeply concerned that President applied each of these tests before he nominated Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. prgtoken In the weeks and months ahead, I will carefully and extensively scrutinize Judge Gorsuch's record. I will question him on his judicial philosophy and how he interprets the Constitution. I will insist he clarify his position on a woman's constitutionally protected right to choose, on voting rights, and the appropriate balance between corporate interests and individual rights. I will do my job as a United States Senator. The American people deserve nothing less from each o
ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-2-1

. Madam , first of all, I would like to acknowledge the fallen Navy SEAL officer in Yemen and offer my concern to his family. I will rise tomorrow to continue my questioning on that, but today I wanted to make sure that I prayerfully acknowledged the sacrifice he made for this Nation. prgtoken I rise today because we are one step further for the nominee for the Attorney General of the United States of America. And I join my colleagues in the Senate, the other body, who raised concern of not being able to inquire of Mr. Sessions what his position would be on what has been determined by five courts, at least, of the unconstitutionality of the executive order. It is a ban on Muslims, it is a violation of the First Amendment, equal protection of the law, and due process--First Amendment being freedom of religion. prgtoken Therefore, we now have an Attorney General making the first step, Mr. Sessions, where we do not know whether you will be able to embrace the laws that protect the most vulnerable women, children, the civil rights of many, and the voting rights of many, and, frankly, I believe those questions should be answered. prgtoken I conclude by saying, when you questioned Deputy Attorney General Yates, she was able to say that she would stand as an independent, objective person Attorney General having oversight over the White House. Will you be able to do the same?
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
A. Donald McEachin (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2017-2-1

I rise today in opposition to this resolution to overrule the stream protection rule, just as I would oppose any measure that threatened the quality of our drinking water. prgtoken Clean drinking water is a fundamental health need, and meeting that need is one of our most basic responsibilities in this Congress. We must not put special interests ahead of the health of our constituents. prgtoken The stream protection rule is very simple: prgtoken It strengthens and clarifies existing water quality protections with respect to mining. prgtoken It requires that affected streams be restored when mining is finished. prgtoken It gives communities accurate information about water quality so they can best protect themselves from pollution. prgtoken , these protections are not onerous, but their benefits are vast. prgtoken We have seen in Flint, Michigan, and elsewhere the painful consequences when people lack access to safe drinking water. We must do more to prevent that kind of suffering and damage. Nixing this rule would, instead, mean that we are doing less. prgtoken The stream protection rule is the product of a careful year's-long process. Countless stakeholders participated at two dozen public meetings, and regulators received tens of thousands of public comments. prgtoken , this rule was crafted in the sunshine, but we are about to overrule it in the dead of night. After all of that work, this resolution of disapproval did not even receive a committee hearing. prgtoken , if this body is seriously going to weaken vital drinking water protections, the American people deserve ample opportunities to inform themselves and to make their voices heard. This rushed-through proposal denies them that opportunity. prgtoken I find this measure to be very disturbing, and I find the process concerning. I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle not to go down this path.
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Anthony G. Brown (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-2-1

I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 38. Today, I speak against eliminating the Department of the Interior's stream protection rule. The proposed rule is prgtoken about balancing the need to support our American coal industry with our responsibility to safeguard and protect our environment. prgtoken What is most concerning and simply outrageous is that this bill proposes to not only overturn the stream protection rule, but it would prohibit the Interior Department from ever issuing a similar rule in the future, even as technology advances and best practices to safeguard the environment improve. prgtoken The rule, which was drafted over 7 years, after 30 public meetings and over 100,000 public comments, is the first major update to surface mining regulations in more than 30 years, but is being rolled back without even a single hearing in this Congress, which doesn't follow regular order. prgtoken , Maryland has a rich history of coal mining, a history that predates our Nation's founding. Yet, for a decade, we have witnessed a slow decline in coal production and a shift toward cheaper and cleaner sources of energy. Nevertheless, the industry in Maryland continues to employ hundreds of people, produce nearly 2 million tons annually, and coal is the leading export commodity leaving the port of Baltimore. I support the coal industry in Maryland. prgtoken But in Maryland, where the streams from our mountain panhandle, coal country, flow into the Potomac and eventually the Chesapeake Bay, we have taken proactive steps to mitigate the environmental impact associated with mining, requiring companies to develop and follow reclamation plans, divert streams, treat acidic drainage with chemicals, and control erosion and runoff. prgtoken However, our efforts and requirements haven't kept up with modern technology and innovative best practices. And the proposed rule enables us to employ better technology to better achieve our environmental goals. prgtoken The Department of the Interior estimates that compliance costs will amount to a de minimis percentage of coal industry revenues, there will be a minimal impact on mining jobs, and it will create good-paying, green jobs. We will protect 6,000 miles of streams, 52,000 acres of forest, and reduce 2.6 million more tons of carbon dioxide emissions. prgtoken , representing families in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, I understand firsthand that once the ecologies of streams, rivers, and bays are degraded, they cannot be easily reclaimed. prgtoken Now is not the time to turn back or turn our back on technology that is available and that is offered up in this rule.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Maxine Waters (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-2-1

I am absolutely surprised at how brazen our friends on the opposite side of the aisle are. They come here on this floor today with this rule that they would like to overturn. They have not been in committee. We have not had any hearings. They have moved very, very quickly to do exactly what all of these articles are discussing. They are concentrating on how to roll back disclosure that the SEC had developed a rule for for the oil industry. prgtoken And why are they trying to do this? prgtoken It is so interesting that this is happening on the same day that Mr. Tillerson has just been voted on to be the Secretary of State for the United States Government, the former CEO of Exxon; and I am going to talk about that connection, which should cause a lot of people to be concerned. prgtoken This government is not about disclosure. First of all, the President of the United States refuses to disclose his income tax returns. I didn't expect them to support disclosure of the oil industry to avoid corruption. prgtoken As a matter of fact, they have the audacity to come here today and say that it is too expensive to be honest. It costs too much money to these huge billionaire oil companies to disclose, and somehow that is going to prevent them from creating jobs. That is nonsense. prgtoken I would like to just show some connections here. prgtoken Both during his campaign and since his election, has surrounded himself with people who have extensive ties to Vladimir Putin and the Russian Government, and then we are going to see the connection between Tillerson and the Russian Government. First of all, let's look at this circle of people around him and their connection to Russia. prgtoken Paul Manafort, 's former campaign manager, was a paid lobbyist for Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian politician in Ukraine who fled to Russia in 2014 and was subjected to U.S. sanctions related to Russian aggression in Ukraine. Manafort has also been involved in multimillion-dollar business deals with Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs, which were reportedly the subject of an FBI inquiry. prgtoken The other person, Roger Stone, 's longtime friend, is reportedly under investigation for possible links with Russia. He has denied ever visiting Russia but admitted he had worked in Ukraine. Stone announced in a speech last summer that he had spoken to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and Stone predicted that there would be additional leaked documents, a prediction that came true within weeks. prgtoken Let's go to another person. Michael Flynn, 's National Security Adviser, did a paid series of events in Moscow, including a speech and appearance at a party for RT, a Kremlin-funded TV station, where he was photographed sitting next to Vladimir Putin. prgtoken 's nominee for Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, was a business partner of Viktor Vekselberg, a Russian oligarch and Putin ally, in a major financial project inv
MOMENT OF SILENCE HONORING VICTIMS OF QUEBEC TERRORIST ATTACK
Bonnie Watson Coleman (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2017-2-1

s for joining me tonight to stand in solidarity with our neighbors in Canada, and honor the victims of the January 29 terrorist attack at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Center in Quebec City. prgtoken A house of worship is a place of refuge, peace, and reflection, but for the 6 people killed, the 19 wounded, and the entire community, that hallowed ground is now tainted--yet, shall always remain covered in love. prgtoken Let our presence here serve as a reminder that we will stand up against bigotry and hatred wherever it takes place. prgtoken I now ask my colleagues to bow their heads and join us for a moment of silence.
REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON 902 CONSULTATIONS
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Democrat, MP) \u2014 2017-2-1

I rise today to memorialize the Report to the President on 902 Consultations and in so doing recognize the vitality of the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America. The Covenant is the fundamental agreement that brought the Marianas into this nation. It was approved by 79 percent of island voters in a 1975 plebiscite and by the U.S. Congress in U.S. Public Law 94-241 the following year. President Ronald Reagan brought the Covenant into full force and effect in 1986, pursuant to his Proclamation 5564. The Covenant lays out in detail the nature and conditions of the relationship between the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States. There is recognition embedded in this agreement, however, that matters may arise periodically affecting the relationship, and the Covenant provides a mechanism for their examination. Section 902 requires that the President of the United States and the Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands will appoint special representatives at least every ten years to meet and consider these matters and then make a report and recommendations regarding them. In January of this year, special representatives of the President and the Commonwealth, having met pursuant to Section 902, issued their Report to the President. Today, I include in the Record a web address to that report, so that it will be available to all Members of Congress and to the public at large, and so that the work and recommendations of all involved in producing this document will be memorialized and widely accessible. The address is: http://sablan.house.gov/sites/ sablan.house.gov/files/documents/902%20Final%20Report.pdf.
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Brian Schatz (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2017-2-1

I rise to speak on the stream protection rule. One of the first things we learn as kids is that if you make a mess, you are responsible to clean it up. It is good manners, but it is also a matter of ethics. It is about doing the right thing. This is the spirit, this is the idea behind the stream protection rule. It simply tells coal companies doing mountaintop mining that they need to clean up their mess if they make a mess. It seems pretty common sense to me. prgtoken Opponents of this rule argue that this is somehow an unfair burden on coal companies because coal is doing poorly in the emergency markets. Opponents seem to want to say that asking companies to be responsible to clean up whatever mess may have been made makes it harder for them to compete. prgtoken The truth is, coal is having a very difficult time in energy markets, but it is not because they are being required to clean up after themselves. It is because other energy resources are becoming cheaper. Solar is cheaper now than ever. The natural gas revolution is now in competition with coal. It is very difficult to get a new coal-fired powerplant on line. It may be even more difficult to recapitalize an old one. So coal is struggling, but the reason is not the stream protection rule. prgtoken There is another aspect of this, which is, since when is there no cost to doing business? Since when are any companies allowed to come in, pollute, and then walk away without doing anything about it? If you hired a contractor to work on your house and they left a pile of materials in your kitchen, you wouldn't say: Well, that is just the cost of doing business. You would say: Clean up the mess. That is part of the job. prgtoken There is no question that coal mining is a tough business, but it also can sometimes be a messy business. That is a simple fact. If we ignore the pollution that is caused, if we ignore the cost the public bears when toxic substances are dumped without proper treatment or when coal-fired powerplants spew carbon pollution into the atmosphere, for that matter, we are ignoring the cost of doing business. prgtoken To be fair, we have to make sure every industry, including the coal industry, plays by the same rules as everyone else. Up until December of last year, some coal companies just were not playing by the same rules. Mountaintop mining had leaked dirty water and waste into the streams. Researchers estimate that this has destroyed 2,000 miles of stream in the United States of America. prgtoken That destruction has a domino effect. It threatens the health of people who depend on those streams for their drinking water, it poisons fish, birds, plants, and it reduces the quality of life for people across the country. That is why the stream protection rule was established. It is there so parents don't have to worry when their kids go play by the stream or go fishing behind their house. It is there so ranchers don't have to
GET AMERICA MOVING BY INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT
Peter A. DeFazio (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-2-1

. Madam , the clock is ticking. Not that clock, but the new clock that I put up on the ic side of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which is the cost of congestion clock. prgtoken The President has proposed $1 trillion investment in infrastructure. He went to the Conference last week and said: Fix it first, and we want it in the first 100 days. I am with him on that, we should do that, and I have proposals to actually fund a way to get there. Not to $1 trillion, but a good part of the way. prgtoken So this clock indicates, from the day he was sworn in, noon a week ago Friday to today, the cost of congestion for American commerce, the movement of goods, and the American people. It is $438 million per day. prgtoken So the clock is ticking. Let's get America moving again, and let's invest in our infrastructure.