mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IN RECOGNTIION OF PAMELA ADAMS' LIFE AND LEGACY
Debbie Dingell (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2019-6-4

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Pamela Adams for her lifetime of service. Mrs. Adams passed away on May 9, 2019 which greatly saddened our community. Her work to expand access to high-quality education is worthy of commendation. prgtoken A lifelong resident of Dearborn, Michigan, Pamela Adams graduated from Edsel Ford High School and attended Henry Ford Community College. After working at Ford Motor Company for a short period, Mrs. Adams began her significant work in service of education. Mrs. Adams held various positions in the Dearborn School Board, Wayne County Association of School Boards, and served on the Henry Ford College Board of Trustees for 18 years. During her tenure on the Board of Trustees, Pamela Adams contributed to several key decisions. She was instrumental in the successful 2002 bond which brought four new schools to Dearborn, and formed the award-winning Henry Ford Collegiate Academy, a program where Dearborn students can earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree in 5 years at no cost. prgtoken Pamela Adams' life stands as a role model of selfless service and demonstrates a tremendous love for her community. Beloved for her generosity and compassion, Mrs. Adams' reputation is a testament to the significant impact she had on the city of Dearborn and its residents. We are grateful for Mrs. Adams' commitment to increasing access to high-quality education. Her efforts have dramatically expanded the educational opportunities for residents of the state of Michigan and will continue to impact future students' lives. prgtoken Madam , I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Pamela Adams for a lifetime of service to her community. We are grateful for her dedicated work as a member of the Henry Ford College Board of Trustees, her compassion and leadership will be greatly missed.
NOMINATION OF ANDREW M. SAUL
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-6-4

I oppose the nomination of Andrew Saul to be Commissioner of Social Security. I am deeply concerned about the treatment of unions who represent workers at the Social Security Administration, and Mr. Saul declined to give meaningful assurances that anything will change under his leadership. Americans everywhere count on the Federal employees of the Social Security Administration to ensure fairness and efficiency in the benefits provided by Social Security for retirees, people with disabilities, and surviving spouses and dependents. prgtoken The Social Security Administration demonstrated particular hostility towards its workforce in the way it implemented Executive orders that were issued by President on May 25, 2018, which would have undermined lawful civil service protections. Despite a court order striking down significant portions of these Executive orders, management at the Social Security Administration has continued to insist on positions in collective bargaining agreements that closely mirror the invalidated Executive orders. The Federal Service Impasses Panel recently imposed a contract on one of the unions representing Social Security workers that hews closely to the Executive orders, including provisions to deny the union use of office space in government buildings and slash the official time available to the union to fulfill their statutory duties to represent workers. prgtoken When asked about these attacks on the rights of Social Security workers, Mr. Saul provided only vague statements that included no commitments to take meaningful action to improve labor practices at Social Security. Workers at the Social Security Administration and the American people who are counting on Social Security deserve better, and I hope Mr. Saul will prove me wrong by proactively engaging with his workforce and reversing the damage that has been done.
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2019-6-4

one of the things I have noticed over the years that I have given these climate speeches is that corporate engagement on climate change has been one-sided, let's just say. It is clear who my adversaries have been--Big Oil, the coal lobby, the Koch brothers, and some very powerful corporate trade associations--the American Petroleum Institute, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the most powerful of all, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, so-called. In my view, it is more properly called the U.S. Chamber of Carbon. These adversaries have managed a big-money campaign, first, to sow doubt about or outright deny climate change and, second, to block action in Congress and Federal agencies to limit carbon pollution. prgtoken The International Monetary Fund just estimated fossil fuel subsidies in the United States at $650 billion for 2015. Yes, that is ``billion'' with a ``b.'' When you are defending that kind of subsidy, you spare no expense, which explains the millions of dollars spent by the fossil fuel industry and its trade group cronies in opposing climate bills, in supporting phony climate denial front groups, and in funding election attacks against candidates who might try to limit carbon pollution. prgtoken While the fossil fuel industry has been running roughshod around Washington, the rest of corporate America has sat on its hands. Even companies with gauzy website offerings on climate and strong sustainability policies within the company have done virtually nothing to support climate action in Congress. I could name names, but that would make it a very long speech because, basically, everybody in corporate America has been absent here. prgtoken There are, at long last, signs that corporate America is waking up to the climate fight it has been losing in Washington. When and if corporate America finally engages in the serious support of climate action, Congress will, once again, spring to life. After a 10-year drought, we could again see bipartisan legislation to reduce carbon pollution. prgtoken Why this new spurt of corporate engagement on climate change? prgtoken Look at the avalanche of warnings about the financial risks climate change poses to the global economy. In just the last few months, here are some of the warnings: 34 central banks, including Canada's, France's, and England's; a group of major reinsurers; the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco; the investment giant BlackRock; EPA economists and scientists; the Urban Land Institute; the investment advisory firm Mercer; the European Central Bank; and the investment advisory firm Sarasin & Partners. All have separately warned about climate change's tanking the economy. prgtoken There are agricultural as well as financial warnings. In April, the big food companies--Danone, Mars, Nestle, and Unilever--announced that they would begin advocating for Federal action on climate change. They see the risk climate change poses to t
Healthcare (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2019-6-4

this Senate Chamber has had a lot of historic debates. We have considered legislation of great seriousness and historic importance. prgtoken I have been on the floor of the Senate when we voted on going to war. I can't think of a more serious responsibility that a Member of the Senate might have. You know that even at the end of a good day, innocent people are going to die, and you have to cast a vote as to whether America should make that decision. prgtoken I have been here when we passed legislation that really was transformative in terms of the future of this country. After we went through the great recession in 2008, President stepped up and said that we have to do something about reforming Wall Street, and we did. We spent months in committee hearings and brought to the floor a bill that is characterized as Dodd-Frank to change Wall Street and to make sure we never went through that kind of economic crisis again. prgtoken I was here when we considered the Affordable Care Act 10 years ago. That debate went on for over a year, amendment after amendment, change after change. We were addressing an issue that affected virtually every single American family, if not directly, then indirectly. prgtoken Those are the types of things that have been debated on the floor of this Chamber. But look at it now. It is empty. It is so underutilized that for hours and hours each business day, we come to the floor to make little speeches. At best, we are going to have a vote or two on another nomination from the side, usually a controversial nomination, and that is it. That is it. prgtoken When you think of all of the possibilities of what we could do in the U.S. Senate Chamber for the good of this country, it seems like a terrible waste of space and a terrible waste of time. Men and women who made great personal sacrifices to run for the U.S. Senate and who serve in this Chamber find themselves in an empty Chamber, by and large, with nothing going on. prgtoken If you want to see some action, switch your C-SPAN channel over to the House of Representatives. In that prgtoken Chamber, with a ic majority, they are actually legislating. That is right. On Capitol Hill, one of the branches of Congress is actually passing legislation. Students ought to see it so that they know what it looks like. prgtoken Don't look here because we don't do that anymore. We don't spend our time dealing with legislation in the U.S. Senate--only with lifetime appointments to the Federal bench that Senator McConnell and the Federalist Society approve. prgtoken Let me give you an example of something that happened in the House, an opportunity for the Senate. It is about the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken The Affordable Care Act passed under President 10 years ago. It really changed the way we sold health insurance in America. Before the Affordable Care Act, health insurance companies could, and often did, use peopl
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2019-6-4

I thank Senator Collins for arranging for us to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of women's suffrage here in the Senate. prgtoken Senator Feinstein for working together so that we all have a chance to reflect on the progress we made and the commitment to make sure we continue to move forward. prgtoken It was June 4, 1919--100 years ago today--that the Senate passed the women's suffrage constitutional amendment, but the campaign started with the birth of our Nation. On March 31, 1776, Abigail Adams wrote a letter to her husband, who was serving in the Continental Congress. prgtoken She wrote: I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such an unlimited power in the hands of the husbands. . . . If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation. prgtoken I am sorry that our Founding Fathers did not listen to Abigail Adams. prgtoken Over 144 years later, the 19th Amendment was adopted to our Constitution, providing for women's suffrage. It passed first in the House of Representatives on May 21, 1919, and then in the Senate on June 4, 1919. prgtoken The right to vote was the first step. Over the last 100 years, we have seen tremendous progress. Legally, financially, and socially, more women have entered the workforce than ever before. Women are filling key leadership posts in increasing numbers, but we still have an unfinished agenda for equality for women. prgtoken I think most people in this country would be surprised to learn that there is nothing in the Constitution of the United States that guarantees equal rights for women. As the late Justice Scalia said, there is nothing in the Constitution that requires discrimination against women, but there is nothing that protects women against discrimination. prgtoken Senator Murkowski and I introduced S. Res. 6, which extends the date for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1972, we passed the Equal Rights Amendment here for ratification for the States and extended it one time, and 10 years later, 35 States had ratified the Equal Rights Amendment--3 short of the required 38. Nevada and Illinois have since ratified the amendment, so it is one State short. However, we need to pass the resolution to extend the time limit. prgtoken As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has said--and this is interesting-- every constitution written since the end of World War II includes a provision that men and women are citizens of equal stature. Ours does not. It is well past time that we passed the Equal Rights Amendment. prgtoken The 27th Amendment to the Constitution took over 200 years to ratify. It deals with congressional pay increases. prgtoken We can pass and should pass in this Congres
REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS OF THE VIOLENT SUPPRESSION OF DEMOCRACY PROTESTS IN TIANANMEN SQUARE AND ELSEWHERE IN CHINA
Nancy Pelosi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-6-4

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his lifelong commitment to promoting human rights throughout the world. I thank him, also, for his leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor today. prgtoken Madam , I also thank Mr. McCaul, Mr. Engel, and Mr. McGovern for their leadership, and Chris Smith, who has been working on this issue for decades. prgtoken Madam , I rise in remembrance of the horror perpetrated by the Chinese Government 30 years ago today and of the heroism of those who died demanding human rights and human dignity. prgtoken Again, I salute Chairman McGovern, Chairman Engel, Chris Smith, Mr. McCaul, Mr. Malinowski, and so many others for bringing this resolution forward, which ensures that we do not merely remember that dark chapter of history, but that we record it in the official proceedings of the United States Congress. prgtoken Madam , 30 years ago, 1 million students, workers and citizens--men and women full of passion, idealism, and courage-- peacefully marched for a better future. prgtoken They raised their Goddess of Democracy in the image of our own Statue of Liberty. They quoted our Founders. They dared to dream of the democracy we cherish here in the United States--not necessarily the same kind of democracy, but for democratic freedoms. They stood up for freedom, only to be cut down by a hail of bullets and a line of tanks. prgtoken Earlier this year, the Tiananmen Mothers, who lost loved ones in the massacre, wrote to the Chinese leaders. Those mothers said: ``30 years later, while the criminal evidence has been covered up . . . the hard facts of the massacre are etched into history. ``No one can erase it; no power, however mighty, can alter it; and no words or tongues, however clever, can deny it.'' prgtoken Today, and on all days, we reassure these mothers that we remember and that the heroism of their children will continue to be etched in our history. prgtoken It falls on us to remember, because China still, shamefully, tries to hide and deny these heroes' legacy. prgtoken As the writer Lu Xun wrote: ``Lies written in ink cannot disguise by facts written in blood.'' prgtoken The memory and the spirit of the Tiananmen protestors live on in the hearts of all those who strive for freedom in China today: prgtoken In the hearts of the Uighur communities facing unabated abuse and repression at the hands of the Chinese Government; prgtoken In the hearts of the people living in Hong Kong, where China continues to make a mockery of the ``one country, two systems'' pledge; prgtoken In the hearts of the Tibetan people, who, for decades, have faced a brutal campaign to erase their religion, their culture, and their language; and prgtoken In the hearts of journalists, human rights lawyers, Christians, and democracy activists unjustly imprisoned. prgtoken They always say--speaking of those in prison--that one great form of torture of the Chinese officials is to tell the
SOCIAL SECURITY
John Garamendi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-6-4

I want to thank my colleague from Florida bringing to the floor an extremely important issue: the way in which China is removing the civil liberties. prgtoken Tonight, I do want to talk about America and some of the things that are going on within our own country. prgtoken When I do these floor sessions, I always want to start with some sense of value and purpose, so I usually begin with this quote from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and I think it pretty much describes--not pretty much. It definitely describes how I view my job and how I view what I would hope would be the work of the Congress of the United States. prgtoken So here is his quote: ``The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.'' prgtoken This statement of value really flows down through much of what we do here. We make a choice almost every day in ways that are very direct, for example, when we talk about Social Security, or indirect when we talk about war and peace. In the case of war, men and women who die are generally those who have little, not those who have much. prgtoken So I want to keep this in mind, and I want to talk about several pieces of legislation that we are working on right now. I want to talk about seniors. prgtoken Now, way back when Franklin Roosevelt established the Social Security system in the height of the Great Depression, Social Security was a pension system. Over the years, it has become the foundation for the support of retired men and women. prgtoken Over the years, because of the way Social Security is structured, the inflation set up in Social Security does not keep pace with the normal expenses that a senior has, which is really much different than the general inflation rate for the Nation. prgtoken I have introduced a piece of legislation, H.R. 1553, known as the Fair COLA for Seniors Act. prgtoken Now, COLA is the cost-of-living adjustment. What we want to do is to make it fair for seniors so that we can honor the value that Franklin Delano Roosevelt stated so clearly for those who have the least, and generally that is the senior population. prgtoken So what we want to do is to adjust the COLA to reflect the real expenses that a senior has. They are going to have far more medical expenses, some of it covered by Medicare, but a lot of it not, out-of- pocket costs--we want to do that--housing and other kinds of transportation issues and the like. prgtoken So this would be an adjustment to the COLA and provide a modest, very small, modest increase that, over time, would generate a substantial improvement for the benefits that seniors receive from their Social Security benefits. prgtoken Another group that we ought to be paying attention to, if we are looking at what Franklin Delano Roosevelt has said should be the test of our progress, is what we are doing for those who have little. prgtoken Focus for a moment on
AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2019
Barbara Lee (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-6-4

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, but I also want to thank her for her tireless and longstanding steadiness and leadership in support of our Dreamers. prgtoken , I rise in strong support of H.R. 6, which ensures the Dreamers, temporary protected status recipients, and individuals with deferred enforcement departure status are protected from deportation. This bill will also establish a path for 2.5 million people to become lawful permanent residents. prgtoken These young people have lived in the United States for decades and have made a life for themselves and for their families. prgtoken Now, let me be clear. Dreamers, TPS, and DED recipients make our Nation better. They are active members of our community and contribute to our economy and make America a stronger nation. prgtoken I am so proud to represent so many Dreamers in my district. They are American in every way except on paper, and it is beyond cruel to deport them to countries many of them barely know. prgtoken By passing this bill today, House are maintaining the promise of the American Dream to immigrants around the country. prgtoken It is time to protect our young people, recognize their love for America, and finally help their dreams come true. prgtoken , I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 6.
AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2019
Veronica Escobar (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2019-6-4

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019. prgtoken This bill would provide Dreamers, TPS holders, and DED recipients with the relief and certainty that they and our country need in order to thrive. prgtoken I would like to congratulate the architects of this bill, Representatives Roybal-Allard, Velazquez, and Clarke, who worked so tirelessly, as well as our Judiciary Committee Chairman Nadler, and our Immigration and Citizenship Subcommittee Chairwoman Lofgren for the tireless work that they put into this. prgtoken This bill has the potential to help hundreds of thousands of hardworking individuals who are American in every way except on paper. prgtoken I am so proud that Texas has the second highest Dreamer population in the Nation, including the more than 9,000 Dreamers in the safe border community of El Paso, Texas. prgtoken My colleagues on the other side of the aisle vacillate between arguments intended to stall this legislation that range from get in line, to build a wall, to painting all undocumented immigrants as dangerous criminals that Americans should fear. One of my colleagues even said that this bill would destroy America. prgtoken I would like to remind them that America is a nation of immigrants. Dreamers, TPS holders, and DED recipients are our friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Some have even bravely served in the military, and others are pillars within communities across the Nation. prgtoken They have built good lives here, started families, created small businesses, employed thousands of people, paid their taxes, made our country better. prgtoken I stand with Dreamers and TPS holders and will do all I can to ensure that they are shielded from deportation and have a pathway to citizenship. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to be on the right side of history and support this bill.