mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
REMEMBERING PEGGY ANN ``PEG'' LAUTENSCHLAGER
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2018-4-12

today I wish to honor the life and legacy of Peggy Ann ``Peg'' Lautenschlager, whose passing at the age of 62 leaves Wisconsin without one of its greatest public servants. Peg was a true trailblazer in Wisconsin politics, and her kindness, tenacity, and strength will be greatly missed. prgtoken Peg was a native of Fond du Lac, WI. The only daughter of Milton and Patsy Lautenschlager, Peg attended Goodrich High School, now known as Fond du Lac High School, and graduated in 1973 as valedictorian of her class. Her early academic accomplishments were the initial signs of her future success. prgtoken After graduating summa cum laude from Lake Forest College, Peg earned her law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1980. Peg broke through the glass ceiling of Wisconsin politics a mere 5 years later and never looked back. In 1985, Peg won an election as the first woman district attorney for Winnebago County. She later served as Wisconsin's first woman attorney general from 2003 to 2007. Between those two important bookends of her career, she spent every ounce of her professional energy in service to the people of Wisconsin. prgtoken In 1987, she unseated a 32-year incumbent to win election to the State assembly representing her hometown of Fond du Lac. She quickly became well respected for her work promoting criminal justice reform, sexual assault prevention, fair elections, and open records. President Bill Clinton appointed her to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin in 1993. Peg found a mentor and a friend in her boss, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, who named Peg to the prgtoken U.S. Attorney General's advisory committee, the first Wisconsinite to serve on the committee. prgtoken Peg was unstoppable. She was one of those rare jewels who was as caring as she was brilliant and funny as she was passionate. She will go down in the history books as one of Wisconsin's most powerful women, and she used every bit of that power in pursuit of justice for those who didn't have a voice. Her greatest legacy, however, is not something you can point at or capture in a headline. It is the countless women who can see themselves in a courtroom or on a ballot because they were inspired by Peg's audacity in never letting anything stop her. It is the hundreds of young girls who can imagine themselves walking through doors that they had always assumed were closed to them because Peg had already blazed that trail. prgtoken Peg was a brilliant attorney, a fierce friend, and a loving mother. Colleagues and staff struggled to keep up with her as she juggled dozens of legal cases, three phones, and five children. She toggled seamlessly between a discussion of the finer points of case law against drug manufacturers overcharging for pharmaceuticals and a call about her middle-schooler's wardrobe crisis. She tackled both challenges with the same passion, heart, and ingenuity. prgtoken Pe
Gun Safety (Executive Calendar)
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2018-4-12

. I am a proud Vermonter. My family has lived there for over 150 years. prgtoken Yesterday, Vermont set an example for the Congress, and for the Nation. A ically controlled legislature and a Governor, in a rural State with a strong gun-owning tradition and very few gun laws, worked together to debate, forge, and enact meaningful, commonsense gun safety laws. prgtoken Yesterday, Governor Phil Scott, who is a , signed three bills into law. They expand background checks, require those under 21 to complete training before purchasing a firearm, create extreme risk protection orders, and ban bump stocks and high-capacity magazines. Vermont did that, and other States are also acting. It makes me wonder why Congress can't do its job and follow that example. prgtoken In Vermont, this was a debate about what the people of the Green Mountain State could do to keep their communities, schools, and citizens safe. We had some difficult conversations in my home State. Difficult compromises were made. And for the s and in our legislature, these were difficult votes. In our State, as in every other, there are honest differences on this and many other issues. Vermonters made their voices heard, particularly a brave new generation of student activists inspired by their peers in Parkland, Florida. prgtoken This isn't the first time that our small but brave State has stepped in and stepped up to tackle difficult but significant issues. On July 1, 2000, Vermont became the first State to offer same-sex couples the same legal rights and responsibilities of traditional marriage. prgtoken David Moats, the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial page editor of the Rutland Herald, wrote a book about this debate entitled ``Civil Wars: A Battle for Gay Marriage.'' Ted Widmer, writing in the New York Times Book Review, said this in his review of the book: Near the end of `Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,' the Vermonter played by Gary Cooper dishes out a series of homespun metaphors for how government is supposed to treat people, from helping to push a car up a hill to saving a swimmer who's drowning. Obviously, life isn't quite that simple. This will take time. But in the long run, the question will be answered in the vast middle where most Americans live, and where they privately decide what is right and wrong. prgtoken In his remarks at yesterday's bill signing--and I note that the Governor signed the bill sitting at a table outdoors in front of the statehouse, where people who were opposed and people who supported it could watch what he was doing--at that bill signing, Governor Scott spoke as well about civility and public discourse. In a democracy, prgtoken civility is more than a virtue; it is foundational for the democratic process to work. That is something all of us--all of us in both parties in the Congress and at the other end
COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT
Al Green (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2018-4-12

I am always honored to have this great privilege of speaking in the House of Representatives. We have a total of 441 Members of the House, including those delegates, those who cannot vote, 435 who can, and it is an honor to be one of the 441. prgtoken I never want to take for granted this privilege that has been accorded me by the people of the Ninth Congressional District of Texas, so I thank them for allowing me to serve, and I am grateful to the leadership in the House for allowing me the opportunity to speak tonight. prgtoken , I am here tonight, I rise, if you will, because I would like to reference H. Res. 817. This was introduced on April 11, 2018. This resolution celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 contained the Fair Housing Act, and it is the Fair Housing Act that this resolution actually addresses. prgtoken I am proud to say that the Honorable Emanuel Cleaver is the person that worked with me. In fact, we worked with each other to produce this resolution. I am proud also to say that this resolution has a total of 54 cosponsors that are officially acknowledged, and then we have two additional cosponsors that have not been officially placed on the Record, but they are still cosponsors of this resolution. prgtoken This resolution does something that is important. It celebrates and commemorates, if you will, the passing of the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination. It prohibits it based upon race, color, national origin, sex, familial status, disability, religion, and should have other categories added. It should have sexual orientation. It should have gender identity. So there is still work to do. prgtoken And for those who may not believe that persons are discriminated based upon gender identity and sexual orientation, those persons who are fired from their jobs because of their gender identity, fired from their jobs because of sexual orientation, they have stories to tell, because they not only know that it happens, they have experienced it. They have had a firsthand encounter with this type of discrimination. prgtoken It also exists in housing. People are discriminated against because of who they are, because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and for the other reasons that we have already codified into law. prgtoken So it is my hope that one day I will stand here with a resolution that will celebrate not only what the law is currently, but also what the law will be at that time, and, hopefully, it will include other classes of individuals. prgtoken I am also proud to tell you, , that this resolution is one that is subject to have additional cosponsors. I have talked about original cosponsors, but there are others who will become cosponsors. The Congressional Black Caucus has a good many members who are cosponsors of this resolution. I am proud to tell you that we plan to continue to acquire cospo
PROPOSING A BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION
Rosa L. DeLauro (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2018-4-12

I rise in opposition to this budget amendment. prgtoken You know, when the majority forced through their $2.3 trillion tax cut for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, they did not give a second thought to the deficit. Eighty-three percent, by the way, of the cuts went to the top 1 percent, the richest families in the country, the richest corporations, including President . prgtoken Now the majority wants our children, they want seniors, they want working families, middle class families to cover the cost. This amendment would likely decimate Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education, funds for rebuilding America's infrastructure, veterans' pensions, and, yes, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. prgtoken According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, by 2028, this amendment could trigger cuts of up to $1.7 trillion to Medicare and $2.6 trillion to Social Security. prgtoken The Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons, AARP, has said of this amendment: ``The lack of a dependable Social Security and Medicare benefit would be devastating for millions of Americans.'' prgtoken This amendment would endanger our economy, it would starve the government of revenues, it ties Congress' hands in a national or economic crisis. prgtoken The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said this amendment would, ``make recessions longer and deeper by forcing spending cuts or tax increases when the economy is weak.'' prgtoken Over 270 service, health, child welfare, labor, environmental, good- government organizations like Paralyzed Veterans of America, AFL-CIO, the NEA, the NAACP oppose this measure. We need to oppose it. prgtoken With this amendment, President and my colleagues in the majority want to leave families and workers holding the bag for their $2.3 trillion gift. The tax cut was a gift to corporations and the richest Americans. prgtoken It is a mistaken policy and a cynical gimmick. It is a coverup for completely ignoring the budget busting that they were engaged and involved in with the tax bill. prgtoken This amendment is bad for workers, bad for families, bad for our Nation, and I urge my colleagues to oppose it.
The FBI (Executive Calendar)
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2018-4-12

yesterday, Jeh Johnson, our former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, dropped by to say hello, and I shared with him the results of an annual Federal survey. As the Senator may know, every major Federal agency has its employees surveyed with respect to its morale. Some agencies have very high morale, and some agencies have not so high. prgtoken I am still a member of the Homeland Security Committee. Jeh Johnson and Alejandro Mayorkas, who were the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of that Department, spent 3 years serving in these capacities and working with us on the committee to try to figure out how we could help the employees at the Department of Homeland Security feel better about their work. prgtoken I would come here to this floor every month and pick out a different part of the Department of Homeland Security where work was being done and have posters and pictures, just as the Senator has done here today, in order to prgtoken make real the service and the sacrifices of the folks, whether they be in the FBI or the Department of Homeland Security. It was one of those things, we found out, that kind of resonated in the Department. It just spread. Even to this day, people remember it and express thanks for that. prgtoken for taking a moment to do, really, something very similar--maybe better--than what I tried to do over those years. prgtoken When I was the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, I will say I had a chance to work with Jim Comey--not every day but a fair amount. I have worked with a lot of great leaders and some who were not so great. The Senator from Texas has as well. Yet I must say that I have enormous respect for Jim Comey, for his integrity and his commitment to doing what is right. I have high regard for Chris Wray, our new FBI Director, but there is a part of me that still wishes Jim Comey were still leading that agency. So we will see what he writes in his book, but I wish him and his family well. prgtoken Thank you.
PROPOSING A BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION
Janice D. Schakowsky (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2018-4-12

I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken First, the s passed a tax scam that blows a $2 trillion hole in the budget and gives 83 percent of its tax cuts to the wealthiest among us and corporate CEOs. prgtoken Then they offer a budget that would fill that gap by cutting more than $2 trillion in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and even programs like Meals on Wheels. And now, they want to amend our Constitution to require a balanced budget. prgtoken We know how the s plan to balance the budget--on the backs of seniors. We have seen this movie before--budget after budget that cuts Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; prgtoken budgets that leave seniors without their earned benefits or access to long-term care; budgets that privatize the Veterans Administration and Medicare; providing vouchers and not health benefits; that raise the age of eligibility for Medicare and Social Security; that cap and slash Medicaid, the largest source of long-term care. And no wonder seniors groups are raising the alarm. prgtoken Under this resolution, the AARP says: ``Social Security and Medicare would cease to provide a predictable source of financial and health security in retirement.'' prgtoken The Alliance for Retired Americans calls it ``irresponsible'' and ``extremely harmful to older Americans.'' prgtoken The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare says it ``would force severe cuts in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other vital Federal programs.'' prgtoken The Strengthen Social Security Coalition says: ``We regard a vote for the balanced budget amendment as a vote to cut Social Security, as well as Medicare and Medicaid.'' prgtoken When Paul Ryan announced his retirement yesterday, he said before he leaves, he hopes that he is going to be able to go after these retirements and entitlements and cut them: Social Security and Medicare. This has already been announced. This is the future if we let it happen. We need to vote ``no.''
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND CULTURE 20TH ANNIVERSARY
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Democrat, MP) \u2014 2018-4-12

this year the Northern Mariana Islands Museum of History and Culture celebrates its 20th anniversary. prgtoken Our islands' only, locally-run museum is as much a tribute to the story of the people of the Marianas as it is to the resilience and determination of those who have led the Museum's operation. They have kept the Museum alive despite many years of inadequate funding, understaffing, and a destructive typhoon that could well have shut it down permanently. prgtoken The Museum is located in a 92-year-old hospital built during the time the Northern Marianas were under the administration of Japan. The structure itself is an artifact of our history, and before its renovation looked the part. Its concrete, paint-less exterior told the story of war and every typhoon that has passed through our islands in the last century. prgtoken Today, within the Museum a visitor can view artifacts from the time of the ancient Chamorro people, and of the Spanish, German, and Japanese occupations that descended upon us. These artifacts, and the paintings and photographs that are part of the displays, tell the story of how our people survived, adapted, and thrived throughout our history. They--and other objects stored away in the Museum--are lovingly preserved by their local conservators, who exhibit a profound dedication to keeping the memories of our people alive. The NMI Museum of History and Culture is an independent program of our Governor's Office. Sadly, the facility fell on hard times in the mid-2000s, when massive budget cuts forced the lay-off of most staff. At this low point, the Museum had only one employee, whose availability determined when the museum would open and close. As a result, many a visitor was turned away who could have experienced the history of the Chamorro people. In 2015, the Marianas were hit by Typhoon Soudelor, the most devastating typhoon in decades. That terrible storm could well have meant the end for our Museum. The typhoon left many artifacts damaged, the roof leaking, mold along the walls, floors flooded, and much of the plumbing a wreck. And the museum was forced to close its doors to visitors--indefinitely. Into this scene of destruction a new energy arrived in the person of Mr. Danny Aquino. Appointed Executive Director last year, Mr. Aquino was tasked with the grueling repair of the museum. And more help was on the way. An outpouring of financial and material support from IT&E, Saipan Stevedore, Saipan Shipping, CMS Trucking, Soudelor Corporation, Tropical Gardens, and other local businesses, a $55,000 appropriation from the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation, and $50,000 from the Marianas Visitors Authority gave Aquino and his team the funds to start repairs. Help from the staff of the Mayor of Saipan also moved the work along at a faster pace. The Mayor's team assisted museum staff with grounds maintenance, landscaping, and other outdoor work. Some
TRIBUTE TO GROVER CONNELL, JR.
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2018-4-12

today I want to wish a lifelong citizen of New Jersey the happiest of birthdays. Grover Connell, Jr celebrates his 100th birthday today. That alone is an accomplishment that not many people are able to achieve and is worthy of recognition. prgtoken Grover Connell, Jr was born on April 12, 1918, to joyous parents, Mr. and Mrs. Grover Connell, Sr who were the founders of a rice distribution and export business, Connell Rice & Sugar Co. After serving in the Navy as an officer on a Fletcher Class destroyer from 1942 to 1946 during WWII, Grover succeeded his late father and moved the business to a modern building near their family residence in Westfield, NJ, in 1950. There, he expanded his business, and by the 1970s, Connell Rice & Sugar Co. became one of largest exporters of domestically grown rice, serving over 100 countries around the world. With the growing success of the family-owned business, Grover extended his scope of operations and became involved with a vast variety of services and products, and the business was renamed the Connell Company. prgtoken The Connell Company has provided thousands of jobs to New Jersey residents with its business of leasing, distributing, and selling construction equipment; brokering and selling canned food products; offering asset management services in the technology sector; and arranging financing of leased equipment and commercial property development. Today, under the leadership of Grover Connell, Jr the Connell Company is one of the greatest known brokers of domestically grown rice. Thanks to love and support of his late wife, Patricia, his two daughters, Terry and Toni, and his three grandsons, Shane, Duane, and Sean, the Connell Company continues to grow while remaining a privately held, family-run company. prgtoken I applaud and honor the exemplary life of Grover Connell, Jr for his sacrifice and service to our Nation and nations around the world and for his ambition and humility throughout his life. New Jersey is better today for his relentless hard work and dedication. I am immensely proud to have him as a constituent, and I hope that his 100th year is the best one yet.
PROPOSING A BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION
Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2018-4-12

I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I rise today not so much to oppose this legislation, as to deride it as a sham, as a fraud, as a pretense of fiscal responsibility. If you want to balance the budget, just do it. prgtoken I have served here for years and years and years when my colleagues have controlled the House, the Senate, and the Presidency. Just do it. Don't talk about it. prgtoken Now, I come here as someone who has voted for balanced budget amendments in the past, but I have become extraordinarily cynical at people who vote to cut the cost of their product way below the price of producing it. That is a formula for bankruptcy in any business any place in the world. prgtoken For s to bring a balanced budget amendment to the floor just weeks after adding $1.8 trillion to deficits and tax breaks for the wealthiest is the epitome of hypocrisy. Nobody--nobody believes anymore that s care about deficit reduction or balancing the budget, let alone their own members. prgtoken Now, ladies and gentlemen on the side of the aisle, let me call to your attention the chair's remarks of your Freedom Caucus. Hear me. I am going to quote Mark Meadows. The Freedom Caucus, the most conservative element, supposedly, of Congress, Mark Meadows says this: ``There is no one on Capitol Hill and certainly no one on Main Street who takes this vote seriously.'' Mark Meadows. prgtoken Conservative Tom Massie, a , a very conservative , says this: ``Audacity, noun: Voting on a constitutional balanced budget amendment only 4 legislative days after ramming through massive deficit spending because you believe this stunt''--Massie's word, not mine--``this stunt will convince constituents that you care about balancing the budget.'' prgtoken Not my words. Two of the most conservative s in this House. prgtoken And Senator Bob Corker said this: ``s control the House, the Senate, and the White House. If we were serious''--this is the Senator saying--``If we were serious about balancing the budget, we would do it.'' prgtoken We know what it takes to balance budgets, . We did it during the Clinton administration 4 years in a row. Now, my colleagues may jump to their feet and say: Yes, but we were in charge of Congress. prgtoken That is correct. And President Clinton would not let them cut the price of our product because to do so would have led to bankruptcy. So what did we do? We balanced the budget 4 years in a row--the only time that has been done in the lifetime of any listener to these words. prgtoken But what happened? Our colleagues took office, they took the House, the Senate, and the Presidency, and they cut the price of the product, but they didn't cut the cost of the product. And what do we have? We increase the debt by 87 percent in the 8 years. prgtoken instituted pay