mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TAXPAYER FIRST ACT OF 2019
Brian K. Fitzpatrick (Republican, PA) \u2014 2020-7-22

I rise today as the lead sponsor of the Great American Outdoors Act, and this is a very, very big day for this Chamber. prgtoken As my colleagues are aware, I have been pushing to both permanently reauthorize and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund literally since the day I entered this Chamber. prgtoken In addition to the LWCF, this legislation tackles the maintenance backlog that needs to be addressed on public lands and parks across our great Nation. prgtoken , this bill will have a positive impact on nearly every single Congressional District in this country, and the LWCF has already had a positive impact on many sites in my district alone, most notably, Nockamixon State Park. prgtoken Hundreds of businesses, recreation, and environmental groups have come together to endorse our legislation, including the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the League of Conservation Voters, the Audubon Society, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Ducks Unlimited, Clean Water Action, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. prgtoken , this bill is historic; it is bipartisan; it is bicameral, with over 250 cosponsors in the House. It overwhelmingly passed the Senate, and it will be signed into law by the President. That is what is called bipartisan cooperation. prgtoken , for those of us who are strong advocates of our environment, this is a good day. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2020-7-22

first, let me recognize and thank Senator Grassley for his extraordinary leadership on an issue that matters so greatly to the American people, and that is the high cost of prescription drugs. His persistence has produced the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act, a far-reaching set of bold proposals that I strongly endorse and that build on the work I have done as the chairman of the Senate Aging Committee. prgtoken More than half of all Americans and 90 percent of our seniors take at least one prescription drug each month. We should be able to work together to help the American people--particularly our seniors--on an issue that affects their health and their finances. No senior should be faced with the choice of buying food they need, paying a bill for the oil to heat their home, or buying their prescription drug. prgtoken I remember very well being in line at the pharmacy in Bangor, ME, and the couple in front of me found out that their copay was $113. The husband looked at his wife and he said: Honey, we just can't afford that. They left the prescription that one of them needed that was prescribed by their doctor there on the pharmacy counter. When I asked the pharmacist how often this happens, he said: Each and every day. Every day. prgtoken That is why we should be working together to pass Senator Grassley's bill, as well as many of the other bipartisan bills that you have heard described today, including legislation that I have advocated to improve the lives of millions of Americans. This goal surely should be beyond partisan politics. prgtoken In just the last year, three Senate committees advanced legislation to reform our flawed drug-pricing system. I can't think of anything else that we buy where the price is less transparent and is more opaque than prescription drugs. prgtoken The Finance Committee's bill, the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act, which I am proud to cosponsor, would make crucial improvements. As Senator Cassidy just ably explained, one of the most important improvements is to Medicare Part D. It would protect our seniors with an out-of-pocket spending limit. It would also include cost-control measures, such as an inflationary cap to limit price hikes. We have made some progress in this area. prgtoken I have authored legislation that is making a difference for patients. One of the laws I authored bans gag clauses that had prohibited pharmacists from informing their customers if there were a less expensive way to purchase their prescription drug. Amazingly enough, sometimes it is cheaper to pay out-of-pocket than to use your insurance card--not something that most consumers would ever realize unless the pharmacist informed him or her. prgtoken My bill also updates a 2003 law requiring drug manufacturers to notify the Federal Trade Commission of patent settlement agreements, giving the agency greater visibility into whether they include tactics such as anti-compet
TRIBUTE TO KELLI McGAHEY
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2020-7-22

today I recognize Kelli McGahey, the Putnam County Teacher of the Year at James A. Long Elementary School in Palatka, FL. prgtoken Kelli's colleagues note that she has an innate ability to connect with students struggling academically or developmentally. She often spends extra time helping those students better understand assignments. Kelli seeks to impart her love for reading to her students and is passionate about inspiring the next generation of avid readers. prgtoken Kelli has taught first grade at James A. Long Elementary School for 6 years. While Kelli was surprised to learn that she received this prestigious recognition, her students and colleagues consider her an inspiration and know it was well deserved. prgtoken I would like to thank Kelli for the good work she has done for her students and extend my best wishes to her. I look forward to hearing of her continued success.
TAXPAYER FIRST ACT OF 2019
Rob Bishop (Republican, UT) \u2014 2020-7-22

such time as I may consume. prgtoken Let's get a couple of things very clear. prgtoken First of all, this is not about the Land and Water Conservation Fund. We reauthorized permanently the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the last Congress, and in doing that, in a House bill, I might add, we took the State-side projects--these are the kinds of things like easements and picnic grounds and roads and parks that your constituents are all telling you that they like, those are called the State-side projects--and we actually increased the funding for those programs. prgtoken We also put in that act a limitation on the amount of money that could be used to buy more land. This bill is about that concept, the limitation of land acquisition. The special interest groups have been putting pressure on you and are giving you misinformation about this particular thing. They simply want to circumvent the limits that were pushed in that bill that was there earlier. prgtoken This is two bills merged together. The first one was the old H.R. 1225, the backlog maintenance bill that Mr. Grijalva referred to in his speech. We prgtoken wanted to see if we could actually help parks and other public lands who are having a maintenance backlog that is near $20 billion today. prgtoken Many people, 330 people, cosponsored that bill. Obviously, it was popular. But for 1\1/2\ years, ic leadership failed and refused to move that bill. One of their arguments was, this is key, there is no offset for a bill that scored $7 billion. They refused to move it because there was no offset. prgtoken That bill would fund parks' maintenance backlogs by taking excess revenue from those that come from all the energy development, but primarily oil and gas, off-coast as well as on land, and after we pay our obligations, the first $1 billion of the excess would be used to maintain our parks. That is still a decent bill. prgtoken You have added that, or the in the Senate have added that, to a second bill that is mandatory $900 million of spending. That mandatory spending will be from now until eternity, but the goal of that is simply to increase the buying power to buy more lands, not to create the State-side projects which we increased. prgtoken We are spending trillions of dollars on coronavirus emergency spending. We still have to pay for that. If you really think that mandatory increasing of our debt is the right policy, I think there is a problem there because the CBO did say that this new concoction--bill scores at $17 billion. And I want you to notice there is no offset for that in this bill. prgtoken Both House s and House have rules that they will not bring a bill to the floor that is not offset. The Blue Dog unanimously wrote a letter to their leadership saying, Do not bring a bill to the floor that is not offset. prgtoken This violates the rules of both the and the Rep
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Ted Cruz (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-7-22

I rise to join my colleagues in discussing the single greatest geopolitical threat facing the United States for the next century, and that is the rise of Communist China. prgtoken We are, right now, months into a deadly global pandemic that has sickened over 14 million people worldwide and has taken the lives of over 600,000 people. Why are we in the midst of a global pandemic? It is because the Chinese Communist Party deliberately lied to the world. It covered up the outbreak and allowed it to spread. The coronavirus pandemic has thrown into high relief the fact that China is our most dangerous threat. prgtoken For 8 years in the U.S. Senate, I have worked hard to lead the fight to address the threat of Chinese Communist power and aggression and hostility head-on, to make the U.S. economy as free and independent from China as possible, and to thwart the never-ending propaganda and censorship campaign from the Chinese Communists. prgtoken Last week, the Chinese Communist Government made the decision to sanction me personally, so I am now--I awoke to discover--prohibited from traveling to Communist China. Somehow, I think I will overcome that great burden, and I will tell you I wear China's sanction as a badge of honor. There is a reason they are lashing out. There is a reason it has decided to direct personal sanctions on me--because they are scared; they are terrified. The Chinese Communists are murdering, lying, torturing tyrants. prgtoken For a long time in Washington, there were politicians in both parties-- and s--who were apologists for China, who denied the threat was there, who insisted that the path forward was getting more and more and more in bed with the Chinese Communists. The most significant long-term foreign policy consequence of this global pandemic is that people's eyes are opening up on both sides of the aisle here in Washington and across the world. One need look no further than the United Kingdom's reversing its decision to allow Huawei to build its telecom infrastructure in order to understand how China's mendacity has been revealed to the world. prgtoken So how do we hold China accountable? How do we deal with the Chinese Communist Party? prgtoken First of all, we should sanction Chinese officials involved in the ongoing suppression of medical experts, of journalists, and of political dissidents, all of whom have been ``disappeared'' by the Chinese tyrants. I have introduced legislation to do just that. Over the past several years, I have introduced, roughly, a dozen separate pieces of legislation that have all focused on different aspects of addressing the China threat. prgtoken Another aspect is Chinese propaganda--Chinese propaganda that is reflected here in the United States. Big Business, giant corporations, the media, Hollywood all are terrified to take on Communist China. All see the billions they can earn from access to the Chinese markets as b
REPLACING BUST OF ROGER BROOKE TANEY WITH BUST OF THURGOOD MARSHALL
Rodney Davis (Republican, IL) \u2014 2020-7-22

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , it is an honor to follow Whip Clyburn and the historical context of being a history teacher, and also the historical context of serving this institution and what it means. So I thank Whip Clyburn for his leadership. prgtoken I thank my good friend, Mr. Butterfield, for his leadership on this issue. We are going to work together today to make sure that we are sending a message to the American people that it is s and standing together. prgtoken Now, I have a unique district in central Illinois. I am from the Land of Lincoln. As a matter of fact, Abe, himself, lived in my district. I represent Lincoln's Tomb, Lincoln's Home. The old State Capitol where Abraham Lincoln delivered his ``House Divided'' speech in 1858 is in my Congressional District. It was there when Lincoln not only spoke out against slavery and, specifically, the Dred Scott decision, but stood unequivocally in support of a free country, famously saying: ``A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved--I do not expect the house to fall--but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.'' prgtoken While Lincoln and many others who stood for freedom are represented throughout this Capitol, there are others that symbolize the opposite. While we cannot erase our past and should do everything we can--as Whip Clyburn just stated--we should do everything we can to learn from it instead. prgtoken The statues in the U.S. Capitol represent to visitors throughout the world what we stand for as a Nation. I support this important discussion about which statues belong in the U.S. Capitol and, also, the goal of this legislation. prgtoken Before we began debating this piece of legislation, my friend, Mr. Butterfield, and I had a discussion, a discussion about the 13th Amendment. And I invite all Members of this institution to come to my district, to come to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library, where I can show you an original copy of the 13th Amendment; also, one of the first copies of the Emancipation Proclamation. prgtoken This institution is not just an extended classroom. Where Lincoln lived, where Lincoln is honored, the 13th District of Illinois, that I am truly blessed to represent, is also a living classroom of the good things in our Nation's history. prgtoken Now, we also have to remember that the National Statuary Hall Collection was created in 1864 to commemorate States and their contributions to this country. And many statues being discussed today were donated by States to the collection nearly 100 years ago. And as my colleagues earlier said, many States are already working to remove them. prgtoken While I support their removal, I believe the better route would have been to have some more hearings in
FOSTERING UNDERGRADUATE TALENT BY UNLOCKING RESOURCES FOR EDUCATION ACT
Andy Biggs (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2020-7-22

. Madam , the balance of my time. prgtoken Madam , I just want to go back to this and indicate there are a multiplicity of issues with this bill, but some things that I want to reiterate. prgtoken I think the bill is a step forward to providing state-funded counsel for folks who are here getting a secondary inspection, which in the vast majority of cases is almost perfunctory and incidental and is very quick, in the normal case. prgtoken Again, I think it is bad facts--or, actually, good facts to make the argument. It is not going to make good policy. You are, again, arguing implementation of the travel restriction, which wasn't great. prgtoken But the norm--the norm--if you get down to the border and spend time, as I have many times, you are going to see these secondary inspections are short, perfunctory. There is no need of counsel. They almost always turn out well for the person that is delayed, except for when they are a danger. Then, it becomes a problem, and they get an opportunity for counsel because now you have a criminal focus on them. That is the key here. prgtoken So, expanding this to civil cases, which is exactly what you are doing here, and putting us in line to walk down to where we ultimately are going to pay for that, that is not great policy. That is bad policy, and I am urging my folks to oppose this. prgtoken Madam , I yield the balance of my time.
CALLING FOR TEMPORARY PAYROLL TAX HOLIDAY
Ross Spano (Republican, FL) \u2014 2020-7-22

I rise today to honor Mr. Andrew Bosko, a Lakeland, Florida, World War II veteran who is 98 years young. prgtoken Andy was born in Ohio, raised in Pennsylvania, and is one of 13 children of immigrant parents from Austria and Czechoslovakia. prgtoken He entered the Army Air Corps in 1943, assigned to the Seventh Fighter Command in Hawaii. In 1945, the command was reassigned to Iwo Jima to provide emergency landing fields supporting bombing operations against Japan. prgtoken Meanwhile, Andy's wife and true love, Sophia, was supporting the war as a Rosie the Riveter. Yet, they still found time to write each other every single day. prgtoken Following the war, Andy worked as a machinist in New York and later participated in several other businesses. prgtoken Andy, you, together with your bride of 74 years, represent the greatest of our Greatest Generation. prgtoken They experienced economic and social turmoil and a world war, and then they helped rebuild our Nation into the greatest on Earth. prgtoken It is an honor to serve Andy, as he, for so many years, has served us. Reestablish Law and Order
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2020-7-22

in about an hour we are going to take a vote that our servicemembers around the world will likely be watching. It is a critical vote on the amendment of my colleague from Vermont to blindly cut defense spending, taking a hatchet to the already agreed- upon Bipartisan Budget Act. prgtoken We have heard from my colleague Jack Reed from Rhode Island, who is part of the strong leadership on the Armed Services Committee and just spoke out against it, and I am going to speak out against it. prgtoken I am going to spend some time explaining what this means. This is not just one amendment. This has national implications, and if you are watching in America, I want you to think about what is really going on here. prgtoken First of all, my colleague from Vermont says that it is a 10-percent cut, but it is going exempt military personnel and healthcare accounts--which is true as part of the amendment--but it is actually going to compensate for the other cuts, so it is actually a 14-percent across-the-board cut to the Department of Defense. That is the amendment we are going to vote on. prgtoken To paraphrase one of our great Presidents, Ronald Reagan: There they go again. There they go again. prgtoken I chair the Subcommittee on Readiness of the Armed Services Committee. One of the reasons I ran for the Senate in 2014 was exactly this issue of military readiness. As a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, I had a little bit of an up close and personal view on it. prgtoken The readiness of our Armed Forces in the second term of the administration was plummeting. In the second term of the administration, defense spending was cut by 25 percent, and, with that, the readiness of the men and women in the military plummeted. By the way, at the same time defense spending was cut by 25 percent, Russia was increasing defense spending by 34 percent, and China was increasing by 83 percent prgtoken So let me just give an example. These numbers actually were classified, and they have been declassified. In 2015, when I arrived in the Senate, these were some of the numbers relating to readiness. Remember, we are supposed to be in charge of readiness here. Three of the 58 brigade combat teams in the U.S. Army--the brigade combat team is the 5,000 men and women deployed block in our military, and 3 of the 58 were at the tier 1 level of readiness that you want for a deployed unit. You can understand why that was classified in 2015 because we certainly didn't want our adversaries to know that. So 5 percent of the U.S. Army was fully ready to fight. Less than half of Marine Corps Navy aviation could fly--another classified number, now unclassified. Training and flight time for all military pilots plummeted. prgtoken When I arrived in 2015, the administration proposed a cut of another 40,000 Active-Duty troops for the U.S. Army. One of the units they were looking to cut was the 4th Brigade of the 25th Infantr
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-7-22

this week, the Senate will pass the 60th annual National Defense Authorization Act. Every year, this legislation lets the Senate make our top priorities for protecting our homeland, our allies, and our global interests into law, and, certainly, the recent behavior of our adversaries world over shows why this task is as urgent as ever. prgtoken Even as our Nation is focused on fighting the pandemic at home, our servicemembers have contended with dangerous behavior from would-be competitors all around the world. The Russian military has kept probing the bounds of U.S. airspace, and Putin's regime has kept its sights on cyber war and destabilization by proxy. prgtoken China continues to treat international commercial lanes like its own private pond, choke freedom and autonomy out of Hong Kong, and try to ethnically cleanse Xinjiang. prgtoken Both countries continue to modernize their military capabilities from sea to space. And Iranian meddling, North Korean saber-rattling, and the persistent violence of terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaida demand our attention as well. prgtoken Amid these threats and many others, the American people and the entire free world look to the men and women of the U.S. military to preserve order and peace. The open and bipartisan process led by Chairman Inhofe and Ranking Member Reed has produced strong legislation that will advance their missions. prgtoken It is the product of intense committee work; it contains more than 200 bipartisan amendments; and it builds on the historic progress which this administration and this Senate have secured over the past 3 years. prgtoken After years of cuts to our military that weakened readiness, imperiled modernization, and called into question our commitment to preserving our global interests, we have reversed the tide. We have invested in strength. We built a new national defense strategy and are investing in rebuilding and modernizing our military to help achieve it. prgtoken This legislation will carry the progress even further--more support for defense research and innovation, resources for military housing and healthcare, tools to deepen our commitments with regional partners in Europe and the Pacific. prgtoken For most Americans, investing in the greatest fighting force in the world is not controversial. It is a no-brainer. But lest we forget, the radical energy prgtoken on the far left is sparking some truly extraordinary behavior among our ic colleagues. prgtoken Case in point, later today, we will vote on an amendment that was advertised in an opinion essay by the junior Senator from Vermont titled ``Defund the Pentagon: The Liberal Case.'' This is the junior Senator from Vermont--an essay titled ``Defund the Pentagon: The Liberal Case.'' prgtoken You heard correctly. We have moved on from defunding local police to defunding the U.S. Armed Forces. Maybe we will be sending social workers on overseas deploy
RECOGNIZING CAPTAIN CANDICE BOWEN
Ben Cline (Republican, VA) \u2014 2020-7-22

I rise today to recognize Captain Candice Bowen who, this week, became the first woman to lead a Virginia National Guard infantry company. On Saturday, she took command of the Woodstock-based Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. prgtoken After being deployed to Qatar in 2016, Captain Bowen then volunteered for an assignment in Afghanistan, where she earned a Combat Action Badge. Her superiors say that she has ``demonstrated the absolute ability to lead soldiers in close combat.'' prgtoken Captain Bowen had already earned the distinction of becoming the Virginia National Guard's first female infantry officer in 2019, and when she spoke after accepting her command, Bowen encouraged other women to follow in her footsteps and join an infantry unit. In short, she said to jump in there, do it aggressively, and give it everything you've got. prgtoken I wish Captain Bowen the best of luck in this new endeavor and know that those under her command in Bravo Company are in good hands.