mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
NEVER FORGET THE HEROES: JAMES ZADROGA, RAY PFEIFER, AND LUIS ALVAREZ PERMANENT AUTHORIZATION OF THE SEPTEMBER 11TH VICTIM COMPENSATION FUND ACT--Continued
Kirsten E. Gillibrand (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2019-7-23

I rise to join my colleagues in speaking about our 9/11 heroes. I thank Senator Schumer for his extraordinary leadership, his unwavering support, his dedication to taking this across the finish line, and his unbelievable willingness to lift up the voices of people who were not being listened to. Thank you to Senator Schumer. prgtoken I want to first note that while we are debating this bill, there is a wake happening on Staten Island right now for prgtoken Detective Christopher Cranston. A father of 5, he was only 48 years old, but he will be buried on Thursday because of the months of work he did on the pile at Ground Zero at Fresh Kills Landfill. He spent his 20th anniversary just a few weeks ago in chemotherapy. prgtoken The eyes of the Nation are looking at this Chamber today to see if we finally will stand by our 9/11 heroes for the rest of their lives. In a few minutes, heroes such as James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Lou Alvarez will have their names etched into the history books forever, which is where they belong. prgtoken Their families are in the Gallery today--here again, walking the halls of this Chamber and this Congress to be heard, here again to ask one more time that this body do what is right: to stand by them in their gravest time of need. Their families are here today to watch whether this Chamber will do what is right. They are standing here with so many others in the 9/11 community who have fought so hard to demand that Congress do the right thing. prgtoken Let's honor their service today. Let's actually honor their commitment to coming here time and time again, not for themselves but for their brothers and sisters who are sick, who are still dying all across this country. Seven are dying a week. Let's honor the ultimate sacrifice they paid for responding to the call of duty when the Nation needed them most. Responders came from every State across this country. prgtoken Last week, we lost Richard Driscoll, the 200th FDNY firefighter to succumb to a 9/11 illness. More police officers have died since 9/11 than on 9/11. More than 10,000 people have been certified with a 9/11- related cancer, with more being diagnosed every day. More will get sick. More will die. Some of them will not be diagnosed for years. That includes responders, and it includes the residents, teachers, and students who stayed downtown because the government told them the air was safe. They told them it was safe to breathe, even though it was not. prgtoken This bill will not change any of that, but we can finally let the people in the Gallery, who are sitting here watching us today and witnessing this, go home knowing that the government will truly never forget. We owe them that promise. Today, we have the opportunity to let them get back to their lives, to be with their families, and to exhale. They at least deserve that. prgtoken I thank Senator Gardner for his leadership on this bill. I thank Senator McCon
TRIBUTE TO REBECCA WARD AND MEREDITH BOOKER
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2019-7-23

I rise to recognize two members of my team who are leaving the Senate after their years of dedicated and important work. Becca Ward will be leaving on August 7, and Meredith Booker will be leaving on Friday, July 26. prgtoken Both of them joined my team as interns. They have worked their way up within Team Merkley and have made tremendous contributions to my office and to our Nation. I know they are both going to do extraordinary things in the next chapters of their lives, but, first, it is worth reflecting on their service in the U.S. Senate. prgtoken Becca Ward has been an invaluable member of our team for 6 years. She started as an intern in my Oregon office, and she worked her way up to be my lead adviser on climate chaos and energy policy. Becca joined Team Merkley as a full-time staff assistant in 2013. Over the years, she rose to be a legislative correspondent and then a legislative aide. She drafted and sent responses to more than 225,000 Oregonians who were concerned about the climate and the environment. prgtoken Becca's terrific work made it clear that she was capable of more, so she became my top policy adviser on the threat of climate chaos. Climate chaos presents an existential threat to our planet. Her professionalism, her substantive expertise, her creativity, and the network she created proved to be powerful tools in our working to advance a progressive climate agenda. prgtoken When Becca first started working on climate change, she took the lead and the effort to protect the Arctic Ocean from oil and gas drilling, which led to the introduction of the Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act. Over the course of her years on this portfolio, she has helped a lot with the mission 100 bill, which aims to transition the United States into a 100-percent clean energy economy, and with my Keep It in the Ground Act, which would stop the expansion of the leasing of our Federal publicly owned properties for the production of fossil fuels. prgtoken More recently, she has contributed by collating the Senate's version of the Green New Deal, which has set a high bar for progressive climate efforts in the future. Just last week, she led my staff through the introduction of the Good Jobs for 21st Century Energy Act--a bold, new bill that required extensive coordination between the environmental community and the labor community. It is designed to create good- paying, family-wage jobs and to have high labor standards--a race to the top in employment during the transition to clean energy. prgtoken Becca's efforts to take on the global challenge of climate chaos hasn't been limited to the United States. She has repeatedly traveled with me and on my behalf to U.N. Conference of the Parties meetings and to other international events to engage in the diplomacy that is necessary for a true global response to a global crisis. She has shepherded my efforts through the Appropriations Committee to maintain funding
HONORING WILLIAM MAY
Sam Graves (Republican, MO) \u2014 2019-7-23

. Madam , I pause to call attention to the upcoming retirement of a Missouri leader, advocate, legal scholar, and friend of small business. prgtoken For twenty years, Mr. William ``Bill'' May has served as executive director and general counsel at the Missouri Outdoor Advertising Association (MOAA). He will retire at the end of 2019. prgtoken An attorney, Bill May is considered an expert on regulation of out of home advertising in Missouri. His advice and counsel are sought by officeholders and staff, government officials, landowners, and billboard companies. prgtoken Bill began his career with Pioneer Outdoor Advertising in Springfield; he was promoted to general manager and general counsel. Soon after he assumed leadership of the Missouri Outdoor Advertising Association in 1999, voters faced an anti-billboard statewide ballot measure (``Proposition A'') which was defeated on November 7, 2000. prgtoken Recognized nationally for his trade association leadership, Bill is an effective advocate for property rights, new technology, and common- sense flexibility for our state to save time and money in carrying out its regulatory duties. prgtoken As a supporter of law enforcement, I commend Bill and his colleagues in the billboard industry for partnerships to help find fugitives and missing persons and also deliver emergency information. prgtoken Please join me in congratulating Bill May and his wife Gail for their long service to Missouri and the out of home media industry.
NEVER FORGET THE HEROES: JAMES ZADROGA, RAY PFEIFER, AND LUIS ALVAREZ PERMANENT AUTHORIZATION OF THE SEPTEMBER 11TH VICTIM COMPENSATION FUND ACT--Continued
Rand Paul (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-7-23

today I will offer an amendment to pay for the spending in this bill. This is not something unusual. I do this day in and day out. It has been part of the reason I ran for office--that we shouldn't add more debt to our country without trying to pay for it by maybe reducing spending from wasteful spending. prgtoken In the last week or so, we have seen a manufactured crisis. Rarely has there been a manufactured crisis so intense--a fake furor instigated by partisans more concerned with scoring points than telling the truth. But, for some of us, the truth is still important. prgtoken The mob and demagogues in this body accuse me of holding up this bill for political points. They obviously don't know much about politics, because there certainly hasn't been any political gain by my holding this bill for debate and amendment. But I think it is important we do this, rather than rush through and everybody says: No questions asked, please. It sounds a little more like an authoritarian atmosphere than it would be a democracy, to actually have debate, discussion, and amendments. That is all we have asked for. prgtoken In fact, last week when we were granted the amendments, we said to the other side: Let's have the vote--last week. And all of those who were in such a furor, all those who were so hysterical that the world was ending said: Oh, we cannot vote on it--it was not convenient last week--because some of our Members have already gone home for the weekend. So when the mob was told last week they could have the vote, they said no. It is a manufactured crisis. As of today, the fund in question has $2 billion in it, and no one is being denied medical care. prgtoken So let's have an honest debate. Let's have an honest debate about whether it matters to this country whether we are $2 billion in debt, and whether or not, when we have new spending programs--no matter how charitable, no matter how needed--whether or not we are going to pay for them by reducing spending in wasteful programs. prgtoken It is perhaps a historical anomaly that this bill appropriates unlimited funds for a virtually unlimited time period. prgtoken What would you think if someone came to you, they had a good cause, and they said: You know, my neighbors' house has burnt down, and I want to help them, and I want to give them unlimited money for an unlimited period of time? prgtoken That wouldn't be wise. No one would do that. So why do we, in our hysteria, throw out all common sense and say that we are going to approach this as if we don't have a problem? prgtoken We have this enormous problem in our country. We are borrowing over $1 million a minute. My amendment today is to offer to pay for the $10 billion in the first 10 years. Realize that this bill as written is not a 10-year bill. It is a 72-year bill. It goes to the year 2092. To my knowledge, we have never, ever had a bill that was unlimited in the dollar amount and un
NOMINATION OF MARK T. ESPER
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-7-23

the United States of America has the mightiest military in the world to protect our freedoms and to guarantee peace around the world. That is why it is so important to keep check on the Pentagon's financial ledgers. Taxpayers expect their money to be spent wisely, and it is our job in Congress to make sure that money is spent wisely. prgtoken I am glad Secretary Esper has said he will work with whistleblowers to stop wasteful spending and to prevent more spare parts rip-offs. These are things that have been of interest to me over the last several decades with the defense budget. I met with Secretary Esper, and I believe he has his heart in the right place to help us accomplish these goals. prgtoken He has also indicated he will prioritize getting a clean audit of our military services and an opinion that can be certified because the 2010 law that all the audits ought to be certified was not met by 2017, and they are still not done. How can you follow the money if it can't be audited? prgtoken Our men and women in uniform deserve no less than to make sure every dollar in the Defense Department is spent wisely. prgtoken . prgtoken .
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY VETERANS' HEALTH INITIATIVE ACT
Jenniffer González-Colón (Republican, PR) \u2014 2019-7-23

I thank Ranking Member Lucas for yielding me the time. prgtoken I rise in strong support of H.R. 617, the Department of Energy Veterans' Health Initiative Act, introduced by my colleague, Congressman Ralph Norman from South Carolina. prgtoken I think this bill is very simple, but very essential at the same time. It essentially authorizes collaboration between the Department of Energy and the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a program that facilitates computing capabilities to process data on health issues affecting all of our veterans. The bill will subsequently support the Veterans Administration with identifying potential health risks and challenges that our communities have. prgtoken I think it is important because combining those processing capabilities with health information compiled by the VA will help us to better understand the healthcare issues related to our veterans and the general population as well and ensures that both agencies will remain at the forefront of scientific and medical research. prgtoken I am a proud cosponsor of this bill on behalf of our veterans. Actually, we have more than 90,000 veterans registered in Puerto Rico, and we are very grateful to Congressman Ralph Norman for introducing this bill. prgtoken I want to also thank Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas for their great work together on behalf of the scientific community and our veterans. prgtoken I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.
DICK PHILLIPS RECEIVES LEADERSHIP AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AWARD
Pete Olson (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-7-23

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Dick Phillips for being named a recipient of the Stan C. Stanley ``Eagle'' Leadership and Economic Development Award. prgtoken The Stan Stanley awards recognize a volunteer and elected official who have done their part to inspire leadership and economic growth in the Katy area. Mr. Phillips, University of Houston Vice President of Community Engagement, received the award in the volunteer category. He was crucial in recruiting the University of Houston Victoria and the University of Houston Katy campus to the Katy area. This accomplishment is creating jobs and opportunities for the hard-working individuals in our community. prgtoken On behalf of the Twenty-Second Congressional District of Texas, congratulations to Mr. Phillips. We wish him the best of luck on his future endeavors on behalf of Katy, TX.
ORDERS FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2019
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-7-23

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m Wednesday, July 24; and 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, morning business be closed, and the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Dickson nomination under the previous order.
NEVER FORGET THE HEROES: JAMES ZADROGA, RAY PFEIFER, AND LUIS ALVAREZ PERMANENT AUTHORIZATION OF THE SEPTEMBER 11TH VICTIM COMPENSATION FUND ACT--Continued
Cory Gardner (Republican, CO) \u2014 2019-7-23

this afternoon the Senate will vote on permanent reauthorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. I am proud to lead this legislation with Senator Gillibrand, and I thank all of the incredible first responders for their efforts to make this day happen and, day in and day out, to get this legislation to where it is today. prgtoken This critical legislation would fully fund the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and ensure that all those exposed to toxins and impacted by 9/11-related illnesses are thoroughly compensated, both now and as conditions are diagnosed in the future. prgtoken Solving this problem is urgent as more and more people become sick-- people like Luis Alvarez, who came to Washington, DC, just a few months ago, postponing chemotherapy treatment to advocate for his fellow heroes. Luis is not here to watch from the Gallery today. He is watching from above. prgtoken As we celebrate this vote today, we celebrate the lives of people like Luis Alvarez. prgtoken The Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act is named in honor of these three first responders who lost their lives to 9/11-related illnesses. Today, the Senate has an opportunity to honor these three and so many others we have lost who never stopped fighting for 9/11 first responders and the country they loved by voting yes on this critical legislation. prgtoken I have shared with many of my colleagues that I never had the privilege of going to New York City before September 11, 2001, but I will never forget my first visit after September 11, 2001. It was just a few weeks after the attack had happened. I will never forget the smell. I will never forget the smoke coming out of the debris piles. I will never forget the silent firetrucks--their lights on but no siren-- as they delivered even more heroes to the recovery efforts at Ground Zero. I will never forget the fierce dedication of the men and women who came when they were called, watching the firetrucks with their flags heading to continue the work that by then had become so emblazoned in people's minds across this country. prgtoken The work they did in those days, those weeks, and those months wasn't just for those in Manhattan who suffered an incredible loss. The work they carried forward for our country became symbols of our security, symbols of our freedoms, symbols of this country's willingness, determination, effort, and tenacity to fight back. prgtoken Law enforcement officers and firefighters from across the Nation, including the West Metro Fire Rescue in Colorado, home of Colorado Task Force 1, have been tireless advocates for this effort. Every State has people who served in one capacity or another during the rescue and recovery operations of September 11. prgtoken West Metro Fire District chief Steve Aseltine was one of 64 Coloradans with Colora
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-7-23

later this morning we will be voting on the nomination of Mark Esper to be Secretary of Defense. Dr. Esper is an outstanding choice. I don't need to tell anyone how essential the position of Secretary of Defense is to our national security. The Secretary of Defense is key to ensuring that our Nation is prepared to meet and defeat any threat. Dr. Esper has the experience, the knowledge, and the character for the job. He has an illustrious resume: West Point grad, Gulf war veteran, Bronze Star recipient, Rifle Company commander, a total of 10 years on Active Duty, and an additional 11 in the National Guard and Army Reserve. prgtoken In addition to his practical military and leadership experience, he has extensive experience on the policy side of things as well. He has a master's degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and a doctorate in public policy from George Washington University here in the Nation's Capital. He worked as a senior professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Governmental Affairs Committee, as policy director for the House Armed Services Committee, and as national security adviser to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. He also served prgtoken as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense during the administration, and during the administration, of course, he has served as Secretary of the Army. prgtoken As Army Secretary, he has driven budget reform and Army modernization, supported Defense cooperation with our allies, and supervised the most significant reorganization of the Army in 45 years. His character and his expertise have won him respect from both sides of the aisle. prgtoken The ic junior Senator from Virginia recently described Dr. Esper as ``a person of sound character and moral courage'' and encouraged his colleagues to support Dr. Esper's nomination. prgtoken Reacting to Dr. Esper's appointment as Acting Defense Secretary, the ic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee noted that the Department of Defense would benefit from Dr. Esper's leadership. prgtoken Dr. Esper was confirmed as Secretary of the Army by an overwhelming bipartisan majority, and his nomination as Defense Secretary was reported out of the Senate Armed Services Committee with nearly unanimous support. I look forward to seeing a similarly strong bipartisan vote for his confirmation later today. prgtoken In November 2018, the bipartisan National Defense Strategy Commission released a report warning that our readiness had eroded to the point where we might struggle to win a war against a major power like China or Russia. The Commission noted that we would be especially vulnerable if we were called on to fight a war on two fronts. prgtoken Rebuilding our military and equipping it to meet 21st century threats has to be a priority. I was encouraged yesterday by the fact that the budget deal arrived at by
RECOGNIZING CHEMTRACK ALASKA
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2019-7-23

this week, I have the opportunity to introduce the U.S. Senate Small Business of the Week. Small businesses provide essential services to our Nation's communities. In my home State of Alaska, I have seen firsthand small businesses that contribute to the local economy and step in when a community is in need. It is my honor to name ChemTrack Alaska of Anchorage, AK, as the Senate Small Business of the Week. prgtoken ChemTrack was founded as a construction company by Sig Jokiel in 1973. Shortly after its inception, the company shifted focus and rebranded itself into an environmental services and engineering company when Chuck Ronan joined the team in 1985. After studying business at the University of New Hampshire, Sig's daughter, Carrie, joined the company in 2002. Carrie, who became the company's majority partner in 2010, brought business expertise and project management skills to ChemTrack. Throughout the company's 46-year history, it has contracted with the U.S. Air Force, Alaska Railroad Corporation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, BP, Exxon, and many other government institutions and businesses. In 2019, ChemTrack was awarded the Women-Owned Small Business of the Year Award by the SBA in recognition of its outstanding achievements. prgtoken ChemTrack's commitment to developing creative environmental engineering solutions enables the company to contribute to local projects in Alaska's great outdoors. As a successful contractor and a certified 8(a) economically disadvantaged woman-owned small business, ChemTrack has completed projects for both private businesses and government clients. ChemTrack helped clean up Alaska's shorelines after the Exxon Valdez oilspill in 1989 by developing innovative, barge- mounted sweeps to clean sea water. As a testament to ChemTrack's environmental stewardship, the company was awarded a basic ordering agreement by the U.S. Coast Guard in 2012, enabling them to provide containment cleanup and mitigate the harmful effects of oil spills and hazardous substance incidents all over the state of Alaska. prgtoken Carrie is renowned as an advocate for small businesses at both the Federal and State level. During her testimony in front of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship in June 2018, Carrie discussed the SBA's contracting programs and provided insight on her experience operating a woman-owned small business. As a graduate of the SBA Emerging Leaders program, Carrie is very active in her community and even mentors other Alaskan businesses through the Women's Power League of Alaska. Carrie's distinction as a local leader is evidenced by her inclusion in the Alaska prgtoken Journal of Commerce's Top 40 Under 40 list of 2014 and her selection as the 2018 Enterprising Women of the Year Award. prgtoken Back home in Alaska, Carrie serves on the Associated General Contractors board of directors, as well as the B