mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TAXPAYER FIRST ACT OF 2019--Continued
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2020-6-10

there is no doubt that there is a lot of anger in our country right now. We have seen that anger being given voice all throughout our communities and small towns and big cities. We have seen it in our households, among our families, our children, our friends. prgtoken The killing of George Floyd has shocked us all. The video of a police officer so nonchalantly kneeling on George's neck as he begged to be released and three other officers standing by as if nothing was happening, as if it weren't a human being's life being taken--this shocked us. prgtoken By now, we all know how George Floyd called out, calling out for his mother, who had passed years ago, a mother who loved him, whom he must have seen coming to him in his final moments. ``I can't breathe,'' he said--the last words of a man on a street in Minneapolis that have rocked the Nation. They are three simple words that mean so much and have so much resonance throughout our history; words that, at their very heart, have helped to define the moral issue of our country, and that is slavery and the struggle--the long struggle for civil rights. prgtoken The freedom to breathe and your life as your own are what were taken from men and women and their children when they were ripped from their countries and brought, in slavery, into this Nation. That is what was taken away from Native Americans and Alaska Natives when they were forced off their lands. prgtoken The freedom to take the full breath of life is what is taken away from people when they are denied a quality education or housing in safe neighborhoods; when they are denied jobs or promotions when they get those jobs; when they are viewed, because of the color of their skin, as less deserving or as less able. prgtoken I applaud those who have peacefully taken to the streets throughout our communities to protest against racism, and I also applaud the brave police officers and National Guardsmen all across the country who are protecting those who need protecting and reaching out to constructively engage peaceful protesters. The vast, vast majority of these law enforcement officers are honorable and risk their lives daily for their fellow citizens, and we need to remember that. prgtoken We are witnessing something that I believe is an important moment, one that has potential to move our country in a direction toward a more perfect Union. This moment has promise. prgtoken Senators are discussing with each other what kind of legislative action should be taken. For example, we had a very good discussion on these issues just yesterday led by my friend and colleague Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina. State and community leaders are also having these discussions. prgtoken Of course, we are a big country, and what might seem to be a good idea in one place wouldn't be a good idea in some other place. For example, one of the enormous challenges in the great State of Alaska that I have been focused on
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2020-6-10

I come to the floor today having just heard the Senator from Vermont talking about the Nation in its effort to recover from the coronavirus crisis and the economic crisis as a result, and other important issues affecting our country. I heard him say that we have not done enough and need to do more, specifically with an economic recovery, with a coronavirus recovery, and it sounded like almost a liberal wish list of government providing for food, clothing, shelter, and income for every American. prgtoken I come to the floor today to tell you what we have done, in a historic way, because we passed the largest economic rescue package in the history of this country--trillions and trillions of dollars. This Senate, the House, and the White House went all-in to respond to and help us as a nation to recover from the coronavirus crisis. prgtoken Last week, the Senate passed and the President signed another bipartisan bill to help small businesses across our country. It is the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act. That is what the people of Wyoming were asking for--this very successful Paycheck Protection Program, with flexibility, so it would be easier for our small businesses to use the relief funds. And 1,000 businesses in Wyoming took over $1 billion in loans, and it is keeping our economy alive, breathing life into the economy, and allowing paychecks to continue to be paid as our businesses reopen. prgtoken All across the country, this jobs-saving effort is working, because last month the U.S. economy added 2.5 million jobs. It smashed all expectations. It was the largest single month of job growth in this Nation in the history of our great country. Americans literally ran out the front door and back to work. Unemployment was down in May. It defied all of the forecasts and defied what we just heard the Senator from Vermont talking about and what his expectations have been. prgtoken We are headed for a faster economic rebound than anyone has imagined. Across the country, the State lockdowns have been ended. States have started to safely reopen. Small businesses are reopening. People are going back to work. I thought I heard the Senator from Vermont say that he was thinking that half of all the small businesses in America wouldn't be able to reopen again ever. prgtoken Young people are going back to school. K-12 schools and colleges are planning to reopen this fall. Of course, I don't think any of us were surprised to see the University of California system say that they are going to stay closed until 2021--until next year, all 10 campuses-- because in California, one size fits all. But for the rest of our Nation, the schools and the colleges are reopening and students will be heading back to campus. prgtoken There is a return-to-normal routine that is going to boost our communities. As the American recovery begins, we are going all in to keep people safe. That is a big part of it. That means mo
TAXPAYER FIRST ACT OF 2019--Continued
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2020-6-10

the Federal Government currently owns about 640 million acres of land in the United States, which means 640 million acres is owned by the American people, and that is about 28 percent of all the land mass of the United States. If you round the number up, let's say, a quarter of all the property in the United States is owned by the Federal taxpayers. When you can break that down, people immediately think it is all the National Park Service. Actually, the National Park Service is a small amount of that. prgtoken The Bureau of Land Management holds about 244 million acres, followed by the U.S. Forest Service with 192 million acres, Fish and Wildlife Service with 89 million acres, and then the National Park Service right at 80 million acres. The Department of Defense and some other agencies hold another 34 million acres. All together, there are 640 million acres and growing. prgtoken This doesn't even account for all of the land that is controlled by the Federal Government. That is the amount just owned by the Federal Government. That 28 percent of all the property in the United States that is owned by the Federal Government doesn't take into account the 27 million-plus acres that are also controlled by the Federal Government. Those are areas where they do conservation mitigation. Those are areas where they have land in trust for other aspects. prgtoken All told, around 30 percent of the United States is owned or controlled by the Federal taxpayer, by the Federal Government. That would all be fine and good if we were managing it well, but we are not. On those properties right now, we have almost $20 billion in deferred maintenance backlog. That is almost $20 billion just in things that haven't been done and where the Federal Government has proved to be a bad land manager. prgtoken There is a bill that is coming this week. It is on the floor now being debated. The conversation is about this: How do we get better at maintaining the land that we have and how can we actually purchase additional property? prgtoken There is something that has been around a long time called the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The Land and Water Conservation Fund has dollars set aside from offshore oil revenue to be able to purchase areas of property. That has happened for decades now. The problem is we haven't maintained that. Even with the property that we buy that has maintenance issues, we don't fix the maintenance issues when we purchase the property. prgtoken The proposal on the table this week is to double the amount of land acquisitions that we have and to be able to solve the maintenance issue that we have had for a long time. This conversation about the backlog and maintenance has been an ongoing issue. There is finally a resolution to it. prgtoken Here is the resolution. After years and years of debating a resolution about how to reduce spending in one area so we can make sure we can do the maintenance we need
ORDERS FOR THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2020
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-6-10

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m Thursday, June 11; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired; the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day and that morning business be closed; finally, that following leader remarks, the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 75, H.R. 1957.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2020-6-10

one of the things that we have really seen prgtoken during the COVID-19 pandemic is the value of telehealth. As a resident of a rural State, I have long been a proponent of telehealth for the access it gives to rural communities. prgtoken If you live in a major city, you usually don't have to think too much about where you will find a doctor if you need one. If you need a cardiologist, for example, you don't spend a lot of time worrying whether you will be able to find one within driving distance. In fact, there is a good chance you will have a choice--a wide range of choices for cardiologists. If you have a heart attack, you know you are in reach of at least one hospital and maybe several. prgtoken That is not always the case for Americans in rural areas. In the smallest towns in America, access to specialty care can be a challenge. The only providers may be a primary care provider, a nurse, or a pharmacist. These providers are essential to rural families, but sometimes specialty care is needed. When there isn't a specialist close by, telehealth can help get these rural providers and their patients the medical care they need from a remote location through the use of technology. prgtoken The coronavirus has highlighted the fact that telehealth is a valuable resource for every American. During the pandemic, we have seen healthcare providers of all types turn to telehealth to continue serving their patients without running the risk of spreading the virus. Telehealth has always allowed patients to access a variety of services that might have been risky to obtain at an office or hospital during the height of the pandemic. prgtoken Telehealth's usefulness will extend long beyond the coronavirus crisis. While telehealth has particular value for rural areas, rural, urban, and suburban areas alike experience provider shortages and a lack of access to care. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that there will be a shortage of up to 122,000 doctors in the United States by the year 2032. Even in areas without shortages, telehealth can make life easier for patients by reducing the number of times that they have to visit a doctor's office for care. prgtoken While there will always be a need to see a doctor in person, for many patients, some office visits can be replaced with telehealth appointments. That can make a big difference for individuals whose health requires them to see a doctor frequently. It is also a convenience for patients in the workforce or caring for children or other family members who may need to be able to access services quickly and easily. prgtoken I was very pleased when Congress expanded access to telehealth in the coronavirus relief bills that we passed. prgtoken We advanced the principles of value-based insurance design by allowing high-deductible health plans to cover telehealth services prior to a beneficiary's reaching his or her deductible. prgtoken We also perm
CONCERNS OVER NATIONS FUNDING UNIVERSITY CAMPUS INSTITUTES IN THE UNITED STATES ACT
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2020-6-10

let me apologize in advance. My accent has not changed, but my speech has. I had a little oral surgery, so I am going to try to be as clear as I can be. prgtoken I want to talk for a few minutes today about the Communist Party of China and Confucius Institutes. prgtoken As you know, Confucius Institutes are the Communist Party of China's so-called learning centers that are located on 72 university campuses across the continental United States and, of course, Alaska and Hawaii. Each one of these symbols is one of these Confucius Institutes located at one of our universities. prgtoken Here is how a Confucius Institute works. The Communist Party of China gives our universities--these 72 universities--the money to open these Confucius Institutes, and supposedly the purpose of these Confucius Institutes is to, A, teach the Chinese language, and B, prgtoken to teach culture about the country of China to American students. prgtoken At this juncture, it is important to distinguish between the people of China and the Chinese Communist Party. I had the pleasure of visiting China a number of times, and I know the Presiding Officer has. The Chinese people are wonderful people. They are smart. They are hard- working. They have a wonderful sense of humor. They are just extraordinary people. Their government, the Communist Party of China-- not so much. Not nearly so much. So when I talk today about China, I am talking about their government, the Communist Party of China. prgtoken These Confucius Institutes, which are, once again, funded by the Communist Party of China, you will not be surprised to learn come with a lot of strings attached to that Chinese Communist Party money. For example, most of the teachers who teach at these Confucius Institutes on American university campuses are trained in China. In fact, the Communist Party of China has to approve all the teachers even though they are teaching in our universities. The Communist Party of China also has to approve all of the events and the speakers at these Confucius Institutes. prgtoken In addition, in order to get the money from the Communist Party of China, our universities have to agree that the Confucius Institutes will be governed by both Chinese law and American law. I have never seen anything like that. It is unprecedented. prgtoken In order to get the money from the Communist Party of China, our universities also have to agree through these Confucius Institutes that certain topics will be off limits. For example, at these institutes, you can't talk about Taiwan; you can't talk about civil liberties in Hong Kong; you can't talk about Tiananmen Square and the murders there by the Communist Party of China; you can't talk about Tibet; you can't talk about the Dalai Lama; and you can't talk about the discrimination and indeed the imprisonment of the Uighur Muslims in northwest China. Once again, these are institutes that are on American campuses, but in or
TAXPAYER FIRST ACT OF 2019--Continued
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2020-6-10

. Good afternoon, and colleagues. I rise today to highlight some recent work that we have done on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations that could help not hundreds, not thousands, not tens of thousands, not hundreds of thousands, but millions of Americans save some money when filing their Federal income tax returns this year and in future years. prgtoken As the ranking member of the subcommittee called the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in the Senate, my staff and I worked closely with a fellow named Rob Portman of Ohio, who is the chairman of our subcommittee, and with his team. He put us all in a room together-- Senator Portman's team, s; our team, --and wonder who is who and whose side they are on. You wouldn't know one side from the other. It is sort of like the Presiding Officer and I working together on recycling issues, with his team and mine. prgtoken Senator Portman and I, along with our staffs, studied big problems and big challenges facing Americans in America. We tried to identify commonsense solutions in a truly bipartisan, almost nonpartisan approach. That has characterized the work of the subcommittee not just for a couple of years but for decades. prgtoken For years, I have heard the following question over and over again back home, and the Presiding Officer probably has too. People in Delaware and I am sure in the Presiding Officer's State asked this question: Why can't you all work together in Washington and get something done? That is what we do on our Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. We work together, and I think we get a lot done. It is our bread and butter. I want to talk for a few minutes today about some of the work here on the Senate floor. prgtoken Over the past year, our subcommittee has examined a whole bunch of issues, and one of those issues is relating to the IRS Free File Program. Earlier this week, we released a short staff memorandum laying out our findings. prgtoken Over the next couple of minutes, I want to explain the genesis and the importance of the Free File Program, what our subcommittee learned about it, and some of the things Congress and the IRS could do to improve the program and better serve taxpayers. prgtoken I say to the Presiding Officer, I don't know if back in your home State you do townhall meetings, but I guess you have done a bunch of them. I did a bunch of them especially when I was a Congressman-- hundreds of them--and as Governor and even now. prgtoken When I was a Congressman, every year we used to--we only have three counties in my State. The Presiding Officer has a lot more in his. Once every year, a month or so before the tax-filing deadline, usually March, I would host townhall meetings in each of our counties, and we would invite the IRS to come, along with the State Division of Revenue, to participate. We would offer to the people of Delaware the opportunity to ask questions not just o
TAXPAYER FIRST ACT OF 2019--Continued
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-6-10

there are millions of people in America marching in the streets to reform our police practices, to ask for equality, to ask for racial justice. prgtoken We have seen in the savage death of George Floyd, we have seen with Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, and in so many other instances that our police departments need real reform. prgtoken There is a demand of Americans that we act--and act soon. The resolution my colleague offers is rhetoric, not action, and the great worry so many Americans have is that so many on the other side will feel rhetoric and then try to let this go away. prgtoken We demand action, and we demand it now--real action, not rhetoric--to reform our police departments in a fair and comprehensive way. That is what the Justice in Policing Act does. We need it on the floor now, as soon as the House passes it. prgtoken Very few of us believe that Leader McConnell will put it on the floor, but we want him to. We demand he does. prgtoken Again, the resolution by my friend will do nothing--nothing. It is rhetoric. We demand action. prgtoken And so in a minute, I will be asking unanimous consent that upon receipt of H.R. 7120, the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, the pending business here in the Senate, after it passes the House, be that bill, so that we are forced and required to debate it. prgtoken And at that point, my friend from Arkansas or anyone else can do whatever they want, but not in an empty field of rhetoric and no action, when Americans demand action. prgtoken We need justice. We need racial equality. I object.
TAXPAYER FIRST ACT OF 2019--Continued
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2020-6-10

something is happening in America. People across our country and in my home State of Michigan are coming together for the cause of racial justice in a way that we have not really experienced in a generation. prgtoken From Holland, to Bad Axe, to Marquette, to Detroit, people of all ages and faiths and backgrounds have been marching together, singing together, praying together, and kneeling together. In one voice, people are demanding change, imploring our Nation to finally be that place where all men and women are truly created equal. Unfortunately, we know that, far too often throughout our history and even today, our Nation has failed to live up to our highest ideals. prgtoken Eight minutes forty-six seconds--that is how long a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on the neck of George Floyd, an unarmed, handcuffed Black man lying on the pavement. For 8 minutes 46 seconds, George Floyd pleaded for his life. He said, ``I can't breathe.'' He cried out for his mother. He suffered. Then he was silent. prgtoken Millions of Americans watched the video in shock and horror. Why didn't the officer just lift his knee off of Mr. Floyd's neck? Why didn't he just lift his knee up for just a minute--just lift it up? Why didn't one--just one--of the other officers push his knee off of Mr. Floyd's neck? prgtoken What is happening in America that someone--let alone police officers--thought this was OK? Of course, we know it was not OK. It was not OK. It was a crime. It was murder. prgtoken Watching those images has awakened something deep in the souls of Americans across the country. We know that racial disparities in every part of our society--from healthcare, to housing, to jobs, to education, to the air we breathe and the water we drink--have existed in our country since its very beginning. We have known for a long time that experiences with the police are different for Black Americans than for White Americans. Yet, despite all of the other times, this time-- this time--there the violence was, right in front of us, in a way that people have decided cannot and will not be ignored. prgtoken There is much to do. For each of us, we have a personal journey--a personal journey to take concerning our own behavior with one another, and then we have a public journey to take together, to change laws and policies and work together toward the day when what happened in Minneapolis and across our country never happens again. That is the goal of the Justice in Policing Act. I am honored to cosponsor it, and I want to thank my friends Senator Booker and Senator for leading us in this introduction. prgtoken The Justice in Policing Act takes important steps to improve transparency by collecting better and more accurate data on police misconduct and the use of force. This will help ensure that problem officers aren't simply getting a job with a police department in another city or State to avoid being held a