mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2020-3-4

Chairman Shelby just spoke. He and I prgtoken have worked so hard together on the Appropriations Committee on the emergency coronavirus supplemental request. I have always enjoyed working with Chairman Shelby, and I am pleased we can announce that we have reached a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on an emergency supplemental to address the spread of the novel coronavirus and protect the health and safety of the American people. So I thank my friend Chairman Shelby, Chairwoman Lowey of the other body, and Ranking Member Granger for their cooperation. prgtoken I think one of the things I found during my time on the Appropriations Committee is that we tend to leave our labels at the door. We worked together. We did not see each other as s and . We looked at each other as Members of the House and the Senate trying to get this done. I urge both the majority leader and the ic leader to move as quickly as possible, once the House acts today, to get this agreement to the President's desk. prgtoken As I said last weekend, there is no reason why we cannot and should not finish this bill this week and get it down to the President for signing. If we have to work Friday or even Saturday, let's get it done and get it done now. prgtoken Now, what the House of Representatives is debating today is vastly different from the $1.25 billion grossly inadequate proposal from the administration that was sent to Congress just 9 days ago. This was so poorly thought out that both s and said it made no sense. prgtoken Where President 's proposal would rob Peter to pay Paul by stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from funds meant to contain an ongoing Ebola crisis and take money from programs the American people rely on, like the low-income heating assistance program, LIHEAP, our agreement provides $7.8 billion in new emergency funding to address this crisis without raiding these important programs. We cannot just turn our backs on funding to address the ongoing Ebola crisis. prgtoken And millions of Amricans rely on programs like LIHEAP. I would invite any of those from the White House who think we do not need this heating assistance in places like my home state of Vermont, where just a few days ago it was 10 below zero. prgtoken Our agreement does not rob Peter to pay Paul. We are not stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from funds meant to contain an ongoing Ebola crisis but simply providing $7.8 billion in new emergency funding to address this crisis without raiding those important programs. prgtoken We also include a $500 million authorization to enhance the availability of telehealth services--something that could be so helpful in virtually every one of our States. prgtoken We also reject the President's extreme ``America First'' mantra that would include nothing for USAID to help contain the spread of the coronvirus abroad. Let's be realistic. At a time w
SUPPORT FOR THE SOCIAL SECURITY 2100 ACT
Rosa L. DeLauro (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2020-3-4

. Madam , let me commend my colleague and friend Congressman John Larson, the chair of the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee, for his leadership and his legislation the Social Security 2100 Act. He is a tireless advocate for upholding our promise to our seniors, with respect to their retirement and their economic wellbeing. prgtoken Perhaps the ultimate legislative expression of our nation's shared values is our Social Security program. In 1935, our federal government made a promise to American workers that if they worked hard all of their lives, they would not fall into poverty when they retire. Social Security is foundational to tens of millions' Americans economic security as they retire. It provides a stable and secure source of income for our nation's seniors and their families. We continue to keep that promise today, as Social Security lifts out of poverty 22 million seniors nationwide and 130,000 in Connecticut. prgtoken In fact, according to the Economic Policy Institute, quote, ``Social Security remains by far the most important source of income for most seniors. It constitutes most of the income of seniors in the bottom half of the income distribution.'' prgtoken Yet, a cliff is coming. Social Security no longer stretches as far as it once did. Even with their Social Security benefits, more than 5 percent of Connecticut's seniors are living in poverty. And, if we do nothing, in less than 15 years, Social Security benefits will be cut by nearly 25 percent. prgtoken When Social Security does not keep up with the cost of living, or modern economic challenges, seniors are robbed of their dignity and independence. They suffer when we do not uphold our promise. That is why we need to protect and enhance Social Security and to ensure it is able to help those who need it. That is why we need the Social Security 2100 Act. prgtoken It was introduced by my dear friend Congressman John Larson. I am an original cosponsor. The bill expands benefits, strengthens the Social Security trust fund, and cuts taxes for seniors. The bill and House ' leadership is critical at a time when Americans are struggling with stagnant incomes and a lack of good-paying jobs. prgtoken In total, this bill would boost benefits for 62 million people. And, it will put the program on sound financial footing for the next 75 years. prgtoken It does so with several smart steps, including by having millionaires and billionaires pay the same tax rate as everyone else. For many Americans, this is commonsense. What is nonsensical, however, is that s passed a $1.5 trillion tax giveaway for the wealthy and well-connected. 83 percent of the benefits go to the top 1 percent. prgtoken Instead of a giveaway to the rich, it is time for an investment in working people and seniors. That is what we are trying to do with the Social Security 2100 Act. prgtoken Experts have pointed to its economic benefits, for both individuals and th
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-3-4

as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States continues to grow, Congress is taking swift action this week to provide our health experts, hospitals, healthcare providers, and State and local governments the funding they need. A bipartisan negotiation between appropriators in the House and Senate is very close to producing an emergency funding bill that will provide between $7 and $8 billion to respond to the coronavirus. prgtoken This is very close to the amount that I thought was appropriate when I requested it last week--$8.5 billion--and it is more than four or five times what the administration originally requested. I believe that if we had not pushed them, they would have been totally inadequate to the crisis, as they have been in preparation and planning. prgtoken The administration requested $2.5 billion, which was half, and only half of that was new funding. The rest came from pulling it out of other things, like Ebola, which is very much needed as well. The bill we put together here in Congress is far more appropriate and will actually address our country's short-term and medium-term needs. This is very, very good news. prgtoken I would like to compliment and s, in the House and the Senate, for making efforts to come together and for being the adults in the room, while President childishly exaggerates, underplays, points fingers of blame, latches on to conspiracy theories, and, most of all, doesn't lead. This is an example of where America needs leadership, and President 's lack of leadership is glaringly apparent to Americans. prgtoken Crucial legislation provides funding for very specific and timely needs. There will be $350 million for ``hot spots''--areas affected by the outbreak. There will be $500 million to procure pharmaceuticals, masks, protective equipment, and other medical supplies to distribute to States, local governments, and hospitals. There will be $100 million for community health centers and funding for training and beds. We are replenishing the CDC's Infectious Disease Rapid Response Reserve Fund so that it can respond quickly to local areas that experience an outbreak. prgtoken In total, there is over $950 million in funding for State and local governments to undertake the many activities they need to respond to the spread of the virus, surveillance for the coronavirus, laboratory testing, contact tracing to identify anyone who may have been infected by a person known to have the virus, infection control at the local level, and more. prgtoken This is only one piece of the bill. The rest of the bill will give desperately needed funds to CDC, HHS, USAID, FDA, and others to do vaccine research and development and much more. The funding level in this bill and the specific use very much reflects the needs of the country as healthcare professionals across America work to confront the spread of the virus. prgtoken I w
COMMEMORATING NATIONAL COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
Donald M. Payne, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2020-3-4

. Madam , I rise today to commemorate March as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. prgtoken Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women in this country. prgtoken This year, almost 148,000 Americans will be diagnosed with this dreaded disease, and 53,000 will die from it. Yet, if we catch it early, 90 percent of patients could survive within 5 years. prgtoken The key is awareness and education. If we can educate more Americans about colorectal cancer, we can limit the number of deaths from it. We can remove the fears and stigmas that prevent people from getting screenings. prgtoken I lost my father 8 years ago this weekend, Congressman Donald Payne, Sr to colorectal cancer. But if more people get screened, we have a chance to keep more families from losing their fathers, brothers, and sons to this disease.
IMPRISONMENT OF SAUDI WOMEN ACTIVISTS
Susan Wild (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2020-3-4

I rise today to recognize three extraordinary women: Nouf Abdulaziz, Loujain Al-Hathloul, and Eman Al-Nafjan. prgtoken For nearly 2 years, these women have been imprisoned, placed in solitary confinement, and tortured by the Saudi Government, all because they used their voices to express the need for the government to recognize the fundamental rights and dignity of women. prgtoken Under Saudi Arabia's male guardianship system, which requires women to obtain permission of their male guardians in healthcare, employment, and travel decisions, the very notion of women's rights or, for that matter, human rights, is effectively nonexistent. prgtoken Despite the Saudi Government's recent claims of social reform, an unacceptably oppressive status quo continues to dominate virtually every aspect of life for women in Saudi Arabia. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to join me as a cosponsor of H. Res. 129, a resolution which calls for the immediate release of these activists and calls on the administration to impose sanctions on Saudi officials responsible for human rights violations. prgtoken Let us come together, and s alike, in demanding the release of these courageous women.
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2020-3-4

reserving the right to object, we have a serious public health crisis on our hands right now, and we expect it to get much worse. Right now, families across this country are actually looking to Congress to put partisanship aside and put their needs first and are counting on us to listen to experts and make decisions that are guided by science, not by ideology. prgtoken They need to know that our No. 1 priority and what we should be talking about is public health today. prgtoken Instead of discussing this harmful bill that will gut reproductive rights, put unnecessary restrictions on medical providers, and undermine medical research, which is an absolute nonstarter and the absolute last thing we should be doing right now, I think we should be focused on what families actually need us to be focused on, which is the coronavirus outbreak and what it means for them and what we are doing about it. prgtoken The news of this virus is spreading throughout the country. The deaths, the illness, and the confusion it has caused in my home State of Washington and elsewhere are beyond alarming. The administration has fallen far short of its responsibilities to Washington State and to communities nationwide. prgtoken I am pleased and s in Congress were able to put partisanship aside to hammer out the robust emergency supplemental funding agreement that was announced earlier today. It is an agreement that goes well beyond President 's totally inadequate request in order to actually meet the needs we are hearing about from the officials on the frontlines of this crisis, like reimbursing States and local governments that have shouldered the cost of this response so far or the need to support research so we can develop new treatments and diagnostic tests and vaccines and the need to make sure those are available to everyone. prgtoken This agreement helps us prepare for what is next by providing funding to shore up our store of medical supplies, support medical community health centers in underserved areas, and bolster global health and public health preparedness programs. prgtoken I am working to make sure we get that bill signed into law as soon as possible, and I will continue to follow it closely because experts have already made it very clear this is not going to be over soon. prgtoken While the funding is a great first step, we need to make sure it is not the last one. It is very critical that we continue listening to our health experts, providing needed resources, and preparing for what is next, including what this will mean for families' day-to-day lives and for people who can't take a day off work without losing a paycheck or don't have affordable childcare if a school closes or don't have health insurance or are experiencing homelessness. prgtoken I hope my colleagues will think long and hard about what their priorities are in the midst of this and choose to refocus
PERSONAL WELL TESTING
Antonio Delgado (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-3-4

. Madam , I rise today because our communities need peace of mind when drinking water from their personal wells. This is felt acutely in rural communities, where a lack of water infrastructure leads people to use wells as their main water supply. prgtoken That is why I joined colleagues on both sides of the aisle to introduce H.R. 6053, which will give folks an easy-to-use tool through the EPA which would enable them to test their own well water. This tool will empower our communities and assure them that they are drinking water that is clean of toxic chemicals. prgtoken I will keep championing work at the Federal level to hold the EPA accountable to set a safe drinking water standard, make sure PFAS is regulated under the Clean Water Act, and more. At the same time, we can make sure our communities have the tools they need to feel safe when using well water.
REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE FOR WOMEN
Jesús G. "Chuy" García (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2020-3-4

I am proud to participate in this conversation about women's rights and access to healthcare services, especially reproductive healthcare services. prgtoken I want to thank Congresswoman Tlaib and Congresswoman Pressley for their leadership on this matter. prgtoken , I rise today in support of women's access to reproductive healthcare. prgtoken The Louisiana law now being argued at the Supreme Court today, in part, is part of an ongoing national effort to effectively ban abortion without formally bringing up Roe v. Wade. Even if the right to abortion technically exists, it won't matter if access to places to get abortion care are eliminated. prgtoken s have pushed hundreds of restrictive laws throughout State legislatures. If they truly cared about women, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would have voted for equal pay and for the Violence Against Women Act, but they didn't. prgtoken Instead, in 2020, they are still questioning a woman's constitutional right to safe and legal abortion, which has been the law of the land for over 46 years. They want to turn back the clock and deny women the right to reproductive healthcare, to make choices about their own bodies. prgtoken For many in my community, this is a deeply personal matter. I took a strong stance on reproductive rights before the issue was widely discussed and acceptable in my own community, but, for me, it has always been impossible to separate the issues of economic justice and reproductive freedom. prgtoken The ability to control if, when, and how to have children is at the core of women's ability to provide a decent standard of living for themselves and their families. prgtoken But let me be clear: While abortion access is critical, women of color and other marginalized women also often have difficulty accessing contraception, comprehensive sex education, sexually transmitted infection prevention and care, adequate prenatal and pregnancy care, and so much more. In short, one's socioeconomic and immigration status, ZIP Code, et cetera, should not determine access to reproductive help. prgtoken Abortion access is a critical step toward achieving true reproductive justice for the communities I represent. If the Supreme Court decides to strip women of their practical access to abortion services, as they are now considering, they will effectively reverse Roe v. Wade and outright deny women the ability to determine their own health, family, and future. prgtoken This is an assault on women, an assault on freedom, and an assault on self-determination. Women alone should have the right to choose what is best for them.
ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL INNOVATION LEADERSHIP ACT OF 2019
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2020-3-4

I am honored to join my colleague and friend, Senator Murphy. prgtoken First, let me thank him for his leadership. We have worked together as a team. We have been partners in this effort from the very first days of our elections, and we were together at Sandy Hook on the afternoon of December 14, 2012, when we saw and met many of the families who suffered that absolutely unspeakable loss in an unimaginable tragedy that haunts us both to this day. prgtoken Just this morning, as a matter of fact, I was with one of the dads, Mark Barden, who has turned his grief into tremendously positive work in our schools, forming an organization called Sandy Hook Promise, one of the numerous grassroots organizations that has grown in the wake of that tragedy. Of course, Brady existed before Sandy Hook, but afterward, there was Sandy Hook Promise and Newtown Action Alliance. Connecticut Against Gun Violence expanded, Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action, Everytown for Gun Safety, Gifford--the list reflects the outrage and fear of the American public against this epidemic. prgtoken I am here to talk about an epidemic, a public health menace. Of course, we must do something to take effective action and do it promptly against coronavirus, COVID-19, which also reflects a threat to our health and safety. It has already killed Americans. It threatens to spread. There is a need for preparedness and honesty and truthfulness to the American public about the extent of the threat and about the need for action. prgtoken Gun violence today in America--just today and every day in America-- kills more than 100 people. That number reflects only the fatalities. It is no measure of the people who are injured, sometimes crippled for life, and often emotionally damaged. It fails to reflect the families who suffer those losses and the trauma that affects children who are truly innocent bystanders to the drive-by shootings in downtown Hartford or Bridgeport or New Haven. prgtoken Literally, no community in America is immune from this public health epidemic, this menace that afflicts America unlike any other country in the world. Globalization has affected many public health threats, as we are learning about coronavirus. But America is unique in the magnitude of its gun violence epidemic, as my colleague Senator Murphy has said so well. prgtoken The costs are not just in human lives and emotion. Even if you care nothing about the human condition, think about the dollars and cents-- the costs, the medical care, and, of course, the talent and energy, the intelligence, the productivity that is lost literally every day in those 100 lives. There is no vaccine. There is no panacea. There is no magic cure for this epidemic. prgtoken The bill that brings us here today is just one piece of legislation, one tool that is vitally necessary, but it is only one step. It will not solve all of the problems of gun violence, but we know it will save
CELEBRATING THE CENTENNIAL OF THE AMERICAN LEGION POST 181 IN BREA, CALIFORNIA
Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-3-4

. Madam , I rise today to celebrate the centennial of one of the finest institutions in the 39th Congressional District. On Monday night, January 5, 1920, a cold wind blew out of the San Gabriel Mountains, through the Brea-Olinda Oil Field, the goat and sheep pastures, and into orange groves that surrounded the tiny hamlet of Brea. With little more than a thousand residents, Brea could hardly host a U.S. Post Office, but it held a small group of proud, determined men. They were American veterans of the Great War, and only 10 months after the founding of the national parent organization, with the ink still wet on national charter, they founded American Legion Post 181 in Brea, California. The founders of Brea Post 181 were men like Ted Craig who returned home to Brea in 1919 and helped secure the charter and property for the new Post only a few months after returning from ``Over There.'' Many had seen things, carried traumas off the battlefield and certainly bore emotional and physical scars of the first fully industrialized conflict. But their commitment to the Legion gave them a new mission, a common purpose and a way to channel the evils of war into a peace and prosperity that was good. The first line of the Legion's mission statement pledges every member to re-dedicate themselves to ``uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States.'' But it requires more. Built into the very fiber of the Legion's national mission is a commitment to programs that build better communities and a better country in five areas: From honoring America's war dead and supporting the rehabilitation of our nations wounded warriors, to supporting a strong national defense, the patriotic education of younger generations and, most broadly, to build support for American ideals and values. And Brea Post 181 has been an exemplary participant in all five areas from its beginning with a city-wide Armistice Day Celebration on November 11, 1920, just ten months and five days after the Post's founding. Carnivals, dances, bingo nights and parades have been an important part of the Post's connection to the community. But the Post's work has also included scholarship funding, the Boy's Nation Program, voter registration, and a long-standing collaboration with the city's patriotic celebrations, especially the annual 4th of July Country Fair. And our Brea Legion Post has always been there in times of crisis. In 1933, Brea Legionnaires reacted heroically to the major earthquake that so heavily impacted Long Beach. The Post hosted displaced families, took care of the injured victims, and even stepped in to direct and coordinate recovery prgtoken resources. World War II may have been 181's finest hour. With the founding generation being too old for direct military service, men like Eugene Streed--a proud Marine who had fought Bolshevism in Vladvostock in 1918-1919--led war drives, supervised civil defense activities and put on remembr