mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
EXECUTIVE CALENDER--Continued
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-2-28

I know we are working through these nominations, and there is an important one before us now, but as we continue to debate it, I thought it would be a good time to talk about the overall function of the Federal Government and some of the important things it does. prgtoken Today I had occasion to meet with individuals on behalf of the ONE organization. It is a fantastic group I learned about for the first time in 2010. I was running for the U.S. Senate, and a group of activists in black shirts with a round white symbol on the shirt that said ``ONE''--and I didn't know what it was. I thought it was maybe a protester or someone of that nature. They were very polite, and in the end they approached me and started talking about it. They are a group of supporters of global engagement on behalf of the United States, cofounded by Bono, the front man for the band U2, which I think is familiar to most people at this point. So they are here again today, and we had an opportunity to meet with them early this morning. Many of the Members around here perhaps have seen them visit around the Capitol. prgtoken That brought to mind something I want to talk about today, and that is the broader issue of U.S. foreign aid, the State Department, and engagement in the world. Let me back up and tell you what I think I hear--that most people hear around here as well from a lot of people. This has been going on for a long time. I don't blame people because people have real lives, businesses to run, and families to raise so they are not watching the Federal budget, line by line, on a regular basis. prgtoken There is a perception out there that the U.S. Government spends an extraordinary percentage of our overall prgtoken budget on foreign aid. I saw a poll recently, a legitimate poll conducted, and it asked people: How much of the Federal budget do you think goes out of the country? And the average was 26 percent. That is what people thought. Of course the truth is, it is nothing even close to that. prgtoken I want to begin by saying that today foreign aid as a part of our overall budget is less than 1 percent of the total amount the U.S. Government spends--less than 1 percent. The second thing people bring up is: Well, but we have so many problems in America. We do. We have real issues we need to confront. Why do we spend so much money on these other countries when we have so many problems here at home? That is a legitimate question. People should ask that. I think it is important for those of us who believe in global engagement and believe in the function of foreign aid to justify it, to never take it for granted, and to constantly examine it to make sure the money is being spent well and that it is worth spending at all. That is what I wanted to come to the floor to do today for a few minutes. prgtoken I know we are soon going to end a budget cycle. There will be debate, and every dollar in the budget should justify it
EXECUTIVE CALENDER--Continued
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2017-2-28

I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act, which I have introduced with my friend and colleague from Maryland, Senator Cardin. Our legislation aims to help ensure that our seniors and disabled citizens have timely access to home health services available under the Medicare program. prgtoken Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, certified nurse midwives, and clinical nurse specialists are all playing increasingly important roles in the delivery of healthcare services, particularly in rural and medically underserved areas of our country where physicians may be in scarce supply. prgtoken In recognition of their growing role, Congress, in 1997, authorized Medicare to begin paying for physician services provided by those health professionals as long as those services are within their scope of practice under State law. prgtoken Despite their expanded role, these advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants are currently unable to order home healthcare services for their Medicare patients. Under current law, only physicians are allowed to certify or initiate home healthcare for Medicare patients, even though they may not be as familiar with the patient's case as the nonphysician provider. prgtoken In fact, in many cases, the certifying physician may not even have a relationship with the patient and must rely upon the input of the nurse practitioner, physician assistant, clinical nurse specialist, or certified nurse midwife to order the medically necessary home healthcare. At best, this requirement adds more paperwork and a number of unnecessary steps to the process before home healthcare can be provided. At worst, it can lead to needless delays in getting Medicare patients the home care that they need simply because a doctor is not readily available to sign the requisite form. The inability of these advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants to order home health care is particularly burdensome for our seniors in medically underserved areas, where these providers may be the only healthcare professionals who are readily available. prgtoken For example, needed home healthcare can be delayed for up to days at a time for Medicare patients in some rural towns in my State of Maine, where nurse practitioners are the only healthcare professionals and the supervising physicians are far away. A nurse practitioner told me about one of her cases in which her collaborating physician had just lost her father and, therefore, understandably, was not available. But here is what the consequence was. This nurse practitioner's patients experienced a 2-day delay in getting needed care while they waited to get the paperwork signed by another doctor. prgtoken Another nurse practitioner pointed out that it is ludicrous that she can order physical and occupational therapy in a subacute facility but cannot order home healthcare. How does t
OBAMACARE AND THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-2-28

the past 8 years have not been easy for America's middle class. Americans labored under an economy that failed to deliver. They have fought against redtape that threatened their jobs and small businesses. When they looked at Washington, they saw an administration that repeatedly put its leftwing ideology ahead of middle-class interests. prgtoken Kentuckians understand this better than most. They watched as the last administration launched a war on vulnerable families in coal country. They watched as the last administration launched a direct attack on the middle class in the form of Care. prgtoken Kentuckians were promised that health insurance premiums would go down, but they soared by as much as 47 percent just this year. Kentuckians were promised that health choices would increase, but they plummeted down to just one exchange provider in nearly half of our counties. Kentuckians were also promised they could keep their health plans, but many continued to find themselves forced into insurance so expensive, insurance that so few of their doctors will accept, it is basically useless. prgtoken Care has pushed Kentucky's insurance market to the brink of collapse, and now want to throw a victory party. I am not sure how else to interpret their choice to respond to the President's address tonight. prgtoken The absolute Care disaster that Governor Beshear presided over continues to harm Kentucky today, even after he has left office. Kentuckians have since repudiated that legacy in election after election. They replaced him with an anti-Care Governor and legislature. They voted for a President who listened to them and promised to repeal and replace Care. They sent s back to the Senate and House who listened to them and promised to repeal and replace this partisan law as well. prgtoken Former Kentucky Governor Beshear was correct to note that ``the American people by their votes don't agree with [].'' So maybe he will agree it is time to finally listen to Kentuckians and families around the country and move on from this disastrous law. prgtoken What I am talking about here is, he is doing the response tonight. The former Governor of Kentucky is the poster child for Care and doing the response to the President tonight. We are going to move forward. I hope that is the message Governor Beshear can find within himself to deliver tonight, but I will not hold my breath. I am sure it is a message President will deliver, however. prgtoken In November, the American people elected a new President who offered a new direction. He will now have an opportunity to talk about how we can make that change. We already know what needs to be done. We need to leave Care in the past and replace it with commonsense reform so we can bring relief to the middle class. prgtoken We need to make regulations smarter so we can get the economy moving. We need to make ta
EXECUTIVE CALENDER--Continued
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2017-2-28

like my colleague from the great State of Alaska, I also rise in support of the confirmation of Congressman Ryan Zinke to be our Nation's next Secretary of the Interior. prgtoken There has been a lot of discussion about Congressman Zinke, and he comes to this job with great qualifications. He is a patriotic and ethical man, from a patriotic and ethical part of America: the American West. He is a Navy SEAL who has dedicated decades of his life to protecting our great Nation. He is a lifelong sportsman. He is a trained geologist. He is a strong advocate for energy independence. He has a keen interest in protecting our environment, while not stymying much needed economic growth. prgtoken There is probably no position more important to the future of our great State of Alaska than the Secretary of the Interior, and I think it is great that we will have a new Secretary--in addition to the chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, my colleague Senator Murkowski, from our great State. There are no more important positions than those positions. The Federal government owns more than 60 percent of Alaska, and we are a big State. I don't have to come here and talk about how big we are, but we are the biggest by far. Sorry, Texas. prgtoken In my State, as with many States in the West, our land is our lifeblood. It feeds us. It is what drives our economy and our culture. Congressman Zinke understands this. He hails from Montana, which has a similar view of how important the land is. He understands that responsible energy development goes hand in hand with robust environmental protections, and he understands the very important point that we as Americans can do both. We can responsibly develop our resources and protect the environment. No country has a better record of doing that than the United States of America. prgtoken Congressman Zinke has committed to working with Alaska as a partner in opportunity, rather than acting as a roadblock to success. Why is this so important? This would be an enormously welcome change from the past administration. I served as Alaska's attorney general, as commissioner of natural resources in my great State, and now as a U.S. Senator, and I witnessed, unfortunately, how the former administration tried to stop, stymie, and slow roll literally every economic project in Alaska--every one. prgtoken Alaska and so many States across our country have tremendous resources to be developed right now. America is undergoing an energy renaissance. We are once again the world's energy superpower, yet our Federal Government was not helpful in that renaissance at all. It can be now, and we are looking toward a bright future when we have a Federal Government that is going to be a partner in opportunity, not an obstacle. I am hopeful that we are going to see a new renaissance of economic growth and job creation in Alaska and across the country, buoyed by Federal agencies li
President's Address to Congress (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-2-28

tonight, President will address a joint session of Congress for the very first time. This, of course, will be his first opportunity as President to talk about his agenda and his vision for the Nation with the American people, who will be listening. I look forward to hearing what he has to say. prgtoken He will, undoubtedly, talk about the promises he made during the campaign and how he is working to deliver on them for the American people. I know the cornerstone of that vision for America is that of reviving our economy and boosting job growth. prgtoken Fortunately, he has already taken a few steps--through Executive action--in that direction, for which I am grateful. He has also nominated top-notch financial and economic advisers to look at our archaic Tax Code and to review our trade agreements so as to get our country back on track. He has begun to trim the fat of our bureaucracy, and he continues to push for measures that keep the government from interfering unnecessarily in the lives of American families. prgtoken Congress has also played an important role. Earlier this month, we passed the first of several resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act--one, to roll back the erosion of Second Amendment rights and another to repeal a job-killing rule that targeted our energy providers. There were others as well. prgtoken These rules have one characteristic in common, which is that all of these rules that we are rolling back through congressional resolutions of disapproval were put in place under the administration. They frequently represent overreach in executive authority or in, certainly, what is prudent when it comes to regulation. There is such a thing as prudent regulation and overregulation, and I think what we saw is regulatory overreach under the administration. prgtoken We finally have a President in the White House who will sign these bills into law that we pass here. I am glad the President is delivering on his promise to protect American jobs and to grow our economy, and he is willing to work with Congress to do just that. prgtoken Another area in which Congress and the administration are working together is in repealing and replacing Care. Care is, perhaps, President 's signature legacy. His healthcare law, by all accounts, is completely unsustainable and is, essentially, creating a real crisis for the people who happen to be on those exchanges. prgtoken Texas families cannot afford these high monthly premiums or the sky- high deductibles that so often go along with them. In fact, here is an interesting statistic. In Texas, if you have a gross income of $24,000 a year, you could well end up spending 30 percent of your gross income on healthcare costs. That certainly doesn't sound affordable, which was the promise of Care. prgtoken I look forward to working with our colleagues to deliver on the promise we made to the American peopl
SEARCHING FOR AND CUTTING REGULATIONS THAT ARE UNNECESSARILY BURDENSOME ACT
Dennis A. Ross (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-2-28

. Madam Chair, this commission that we have here in the SCRUB Act is established to clear out old and unnecessary regulations. It currently requires the commission to consider whether the rule could be repealed without significant adverse effects, whether the rule is unnecessary, whether the costs are justified by the benefits, and certain other criteria. prgtoken I think that the consideration of public health certainly fits within whether the rule would have significant adverse effects, whether it is necessary, and whether the benefits justify the cost. Health, safety, and welfare of the American people is foremost to what we do, and I laud my colleague from California for filing this amendment. prgtoken This amendment clarifies that the commission should consider the impact on public health of repealing any regulation. I think that, again, my colleague from California gave fine examples of that particular balance. prgtoken We agree that we want regulations that are necessary to protect public health. I am excited to see one of my ic colleagues working with us to improve regulatory reform legislation. I look forward to future opportunities to continue this work. prgtoken .
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 998, SEARCHING FOR AND CUTTING REGULATIONS THAT ARE UNNECESSARILY BURDENSOME ACT, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.J. RES. 83, DISAPPROVING THE RULE...
Doug Collins (Republican, GA) \u2014 2017-2-28

such time as I may consume. prgtoken As we come to the close of this time of rule debate, I think we have laid this out. I think, again, it is very clear, , what we determine and what we go forward with in the process. prgtoken As we move forward, it is interesting to me--and I would be, too, if I were in the minority and didn't really have a plan except the one that has been tearing up the health insurance market, that has been hurting others. And now as we look to actually make movement on a replacement and repeal of that, I would say that I would watch for divisions. I would watch for cracks and the fissures. I would do whatever I could. prgtoken But the truth of the matter is that, over the next month, in this body, we are going to move forward with what we have said we are going to do. We are going to be working on those aspects. We are going to be bringing it to the floor, and the American people can make the judgment for themselves. prgtoken People will continue to discuss. It is healthy in our country to have that discussion. It is healthy that we move forward. It is also healthy we examine all of the facts. prgtoken This rule today, though, simply deals with common sense. Let's look at our regulatory burden. Let's look at issues that--again, it is one thing to look at a rule that is there for protection. Workplace safety is enhanced by making you record what is going on and making you be able to then correct what may be a problem in your business. But simply keeping records for 5 years when you can't be punished but for 6 months of those is simply putting a burden on business to keep records that are really at the end of the day not accomplishing your bottom line. prgtoken It goes back to what I said earlier, . I believe that OSHA is a valuable organization when doing what it is supposed to be doing: protecting workplace safety, doing things that actually matter, doing things that actually help. But many times in my businesses that I go to, they have put in rules over the years that say that we are now in a continuing violation. prgtoken In other words, if one time they come in and they say that an electrical outlet is not plugged in properly to an extension cord, you fix that. When they come back 2 or 3 months later and see something on the other side of the building that deals with electrical, then they will say, well, it is a continuing violation, not the violation previous, and they triple the fines. prgtoken OSHA now, and the good folks who work there, I believe, truly want to help. They truly have set out best practices. But they have grown to the point where we have allowed them to become not the help that they should be, but are basically and many times a hindrance and a menace to our businesses, from the farms to the factories, to the coal mines, all that. It has just gotten out of hand. prgtoken So my discussion, , is this. How do you get regulatory burden that actually mak
EXECUTIVE CALENDER--Continued
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2017-2-28

we have the nomination of Representative Ryan Zinke to be the Secretary of the Interior as the business before the body today, and I wish to spend a few moments this afternoon speaking about him, his qualifications, and why I believe he will be a strong Secretary of the Interior. prgtoken Of all the Cabinet-level nominations that have an impact on my home State of Alaska, the Secretary of the Interior is almost certainly the most important and the most consequential. Two- prgtoken thirds of Alaska--nearly 224 million acres--is under Federal management. To put that into perspective, that is more land than is occupied by the entire State of Texas, and it is an area about 177 times larger than the State of Delaware. The vast majority of that land is controlled by agencies within the Department of the Interior, from the Bureau of Land Management, to the National Park Service, to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Again, significant parts of Alaska--more land than is occupied by the State of Texas--are held under Federal management. It is for this reason we in Alaska call the Interior Secretary our ``landlord.'' He might not necessarily like that fact, but that is what he is effectively. prgtoken While it might sound strange if you are from an Eastern State such as Massachusetts or New York, which have hardly any Federal lands within their borders, the decisions that are made by the Department of the Interior literally determine the livelihoods of thousands of Alaskans, as well as the stability and the success of our State. When the Department of the Interior chooses to work with us, Alaska is able to grow and prosper, even as our lands and our waters remain protected under the most stringent environmental standards in the world. When the Department chooses not to work with us, as was all too often the case in the last administration, the people of Alaska suffered. Our State's economy, our budget, and our future are all threatened at the same time. I start with that context to help the Senate understand why I take this confirmation process so seriously whenever a new Interior Secretary is nominated. prgtoken I consider whether the nominee is right for the job and whether he or she will do right by the people of Alaska, as well as other western states. I talk with the nominee and ask him or her questions about everything from ANCSA and ANILCA to wilderness and wildlife management. When I make a decision, I am making it as a Senator for Alaska and as the chairman of both the authorizing committee and the Appropriations subcommittee for the Department of Interior. prgtoken Today, after a great deal of review and careful consideration, I am very pleased to be here to speak in strong support of our new President's nominee for this position, Representative Ryan Zinke. I believe Representative Zinke is an excellent choice to be our next Secretary of the Interior. Maybe I am a little bit partial here, but the
RARE DISEASE WEEK ON CAPITOL HILL
Glenn Thompson (Republican, PA) \u2014 2017-2-28

this week marks Rare Disease Week on the Hill. Many Members of this House will meet with patients, caregivers, physicians, family members, and advocates from across the country about how their lives are impacted by disease. prgtoken The National Institutes of Health considers a disease rare if it affects fewer than 200,000 people across the United States. Many times the disease is accompanied by uncommon or mismatched symptoms that make diagnosing the illness difficult, and many times such illnesses are without a cure. prgtoken , before I came to Congress, I was a healthcare professional, and I have seen firsthand how devastating a disease or injury can be to an individual and to families. prgtoken I welcome the rare disease community to Washington this week, and I look forward to meeting with Representatives from the Fifth District of Pennsylvania, including Tom Weiser, James and Jean Rickard from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. prgtoken Education can help shape healthcare policy, , to better meet the needs of the rare disease community, and I am pleased to be a part of that conversation.