mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING GUSTAVO BRAMBILA, RECIPIENT OF THE AMERICAN DREAM AWARD
Mike Thompson (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-7-6

I rise today to honor Mr. Gustavo Brambila, whom I have selected to receive the American Dream Award for California's 5th Congressional District. This award recognizes the achievements of immigrants in my district who have made remarkable contributions to our communities in the areas of Arts and Culture, Professional Achievement, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, or Community Service. Mr. Brambila is very deserving of this award and recognition. prgtoken Mr. Brambila was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States in 1957. He is a successful vintner and his hard work and ingenuity makes him one of our community's finest entrepreneurs. prgtoken Mr. Brambila developed an interest in wine making as he watched his father work in winery maintenance. He later joined Mike Grgich and Jim Barret in 1976 at Chateau Montelena to begin his career in the wine community. Shortly after, he joined Mike Grgich in the opening of Grgich Hill Cellars in 1977, where, in his first harvest, he produced the winning chardonnay in the Great Chardonnay Showdown of 1980. Inspired by old-world wine making techniques, Mr. Brambila produced his first wine under the Gustavo Wine label in 1996. prgtoken Mr. Brambila has been a trail blazer for both vintners and Mexican- Americans. He was one of the first Latinos to earn a degree in Fermentation Science from University of California, Davis's oenolgy program. He has also traveled to Washington, D.C with a group of Mexican-American Vintners to support the mission of the Smithsonian Institution. Mr. Brambila has been active in our community, appearing on our local news channel and hosting events like an outdoor movie night for local families. He has gained international recognition with his involvement in the landmark wine competition known as the Judgment of Paris. prgtoken , we recognize Mr. Gustavo Brambila for his achievements and for enriching our community. It is fitting and proper that we honor him here today with the American Dream Award.
WELCOMING PRESIDENT MOON JAE-IN
Barbara Comstock (Republican, VA) \u2014 2017-7-6

I rise to welcome President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea upon his first visit to the United States. prgtoken Rooted in rich history, the United States and the Republic of Korea share a special relationship based on robust bonds of collaboration and camaraderie. The most illustrative manifestations of American and Korean partnership have been the economic and security alliances formed since the early 1950s. Together, we have worked to thwart the spread of territorial and international threats while also engaging in mutually beneficial trade and investment. In the 21st century, our special relationship will only expand as we face new challenges to regional and global security and promote free and fair trade. Our nations must forge ahead to put an end to North Korea's nuclear program. Failure on this front would compromise global peace and state sovereignty. And, ultimately, we must continue to seek an end to the conflict between the North and the South--which has destroyed lives and entire families--by reunifying the Korean Peninsula. As our nations encounter a critical moment in history--a moment simultaneously fraught with peril yet abound with opportunity--this visit provides an opportunity to enhance our established commitment to security and the advancement of strategic interests. prgtoken , I welcome President Moon and look forward to our continuous and prosperous partnership with the Republic of Korea.
HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-7-10

as Senators continue to return from the State work period, we return here in the Senate to the topic of healthcare, which everyone in America should continue to focus on. prgtoken Even after weeks of work, it seems my friends on the other side are no closer to having enough votes to proceed to their bill--which, of course, they insisted on doing with no ic votes or input. prgtoken The biggest challenge proposed to the legislation during the break was an amendment offered by the junior Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, which would remove crucial protections for sicker Americans and unbalance the marketplace. The Cruz amendment is a hoax. Under the guise of lowering premiums, the Cruz amendment would actually make healthcare more expensive because deductibles and copayments would be so onerous that many Americans would pay more, not less, in out-of- pocket expenses than they pay today. These lower premium policies will have such high deductibles and copays that the policies themselves would be virtually worthless. Imagine you have a $2,000 premium and a $1,000 deductible in your policy. Imagine now that, under the Cruz amendment, an insurance company is allowed to offer a cheaper policy because they aren't required to cover very many services. That policy might have a premium of $1,000 but a deductible of $10,000. You would be paying less monthly, but you would have to put down a huge amount of money for your policy to even kick in. In that way, a Cruz insurance policy is worse than no policy at all because the vast majority would pay a monthly premium and never hit their deductible, so they would be getting no health insurance benefit at all. You would pay the premium, but the deductible is so high, your insurance never kicks in. What good is that? In effect, for many, it is a policy that would have a premium but no insurance. prgtoken In addition, Americans with preexisting conditions will almost certainly be left without access to affordable and quality healthcare, making the Senate bill even meaner than the House bill on this issue. Even the Senator from Iowa, Senator Grassley, said that about the Cruz amendment. Here is what he said: There's a real feeling that [it's] subterfuge to get around pre-existing conditions. . . . If it has the effect of annihilating the pre-existing condition requirement that we have in the existing bill, then obviously I would object to that. prgtoken Those are the words of Senator Grassley. prgtoken Members of both parties agree that the most significant potential change to the Care bill is an amendment that would make the legislation even worse. So make no mistake about it--the Cruz amendment is a cruel, mean hoax. prgtoken Let's not forget that even without the Cruz amendment, the substance of the base Senate bill is devastating. The CBO reports it would cause costs to go up, care to go down,
Healthcare Legislation (Executive Session)
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-7-10

from day one, this administration, President , and congressional s have attacked rules that protect working families. prgtoken Just 1 hour after taking the oath of office, President indefinitely suspended a plan that made it easier for working families to be able to afford a mortgage. Ten days later, he issued an Executive order that requires agencies to identify and eliminate two rules for every one new rule they issue, and that was just the beginning. Congressional s spent the first few months of the year eliminating rules that protected workers, students, and families. They killed a rule that required companies in dangerous industries to track when their employees were injured. They even killed a rule that helped keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill. prgtoken These rules all had one thing in common--they all made sure the public health, safety, and security of Americans came ahead of industry's bottom line. prgtoken Oh, and there was a second thing in common for these rules: Industry hated them. With President in office and s in the majority in Congress, those industries were ready to cash in, and they had their wish list ready. prgtoken Although the attack on public-centered rules has increased in intensity during this administration, I just want to say it is not new. Powerful companies have long understood that the fight in Congress is just the first of many battles. If Big Business can't weaken or kill bills they don't like in Congress, they turn their attention to the agencies tasked with implementing those laws, working to tilt the rulemaking process in their favor, and they don't waste any time getting started. prgtoken Long before rules are even announced, giant corporations intensely lobby agencies--setting up meeting after meeting--to make sure the agencies will prioritize corporate interests. As rules wind their way through the rulemaking process, the lobbying intensifies. Companies bury agencies in mountains of expensive, industry-funded comments. They cite sham research and bought-and-paid-for experts. If, at the end of that long, arduous process, a strong, public-centered rule is published anyway, those companies sue, looking to busy judges who are unfamiliar with the issues to overturn the decision of expert agencies. prgtoken There are no two ways about it. The rulemaking process is broken. There are far too many opportunities for giant corporations to influence the prgtoken rulemaking process, and there are far too few opportunities for meaningful public participation, but s don't want to fix this problem--no way. They want to make the rulemaking process work even better for their corporate buddies and work even harder against American families. prgtoken And, boy, did they pick the right person to lead the charge. President nominated Neomi Rao--a law school professor who advocates for weakening and handc
TRUMP'S VOTER FRAUD COMMISSION IS A FRAUD AND SHOULD BE DISBANDED NOW
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-7-10

unable to cope with the brutal fact that he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.9 million votes, the largest vote deficit of any president in American history, tweeted that he would have won the popular vote but for ``millions of people who voted illegally.'' prgtoken Instead of producing any credible evidence to support this claim, a hoax that has been repeatedly and decisively debunked by experts, the President doubled down and issued an Executive Order establishing the ``Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity'' (PACEI), appointing Kris Kobach, anti-immigration warrior and poster-child for voter fraud conspiratorialists everywhere, to lead the Commission. prgtoken It would be more accurate to characterize the PACEI as the ``Presidential Advisory Commission on Voter Suppression.'' Voter suppression is real but the oft-repeated claim that American elections are rife with voter fraud is a myth. prgtoken According to a comprehensive 2014 study published in The Washington Post, out of more than a billion votes cast between 2000 and 2014, only 31 credible instances of impersonation fraud were found, and even this tiny number was likely inflated because the study's author counted not just voter fraud prosecutions or convictions but all credible claims. Numerous other reports have reached the same conclusion. prgtoken Any lingering doubt regarding the true purpose of the PACEI should be laid to rest by the request made by Commissioner Kobach on June 28, 2017 when he wrote each of the nation's state secretaries of state requesting that they provide the Commission with ``the full first and last names of all registrants, middle names or initials if available, addresses, dates of birth, political party (if recorded in your state), last four digits of social security number if available, voter history (elections voted in) from 2006 onward, active/inactive status, cancelled status, information regarding any felony convictions, information regarding voter registration in another state, information regarding military status, and overseas citizen information.'' prgtoken The information requested by the Commission will not prevent voter fraud. It will violate rather than protect voter privacy. prgtoken And it will make it easier to craft legislation and devise campaign strategies intended to suppress the vote in urban clusters and among targeted demographic groups, particularly minority voters. prgtoken It is important that all voters, and the people of the 18th Congressional District of Texas whom I am privileged to represent, be fully protected. prgtoken While supplying only public voter information may seem secure, the sad fact is that it is not. There is no publicly accessible database of voter registration information in any of the 50 states or the District of Columbia. prgtoken That is because information of this kind is protected from public disclosure under the settled principle of
HONORING THE BIRTHDAY OF HIS HOLINESS THE XIV DALAI LAMA
Salud O. Carbajal (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-7-10

today I rise to celebrate the 82nd birthday of His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatsu. Born on July 6th, 1935 to a farming family in Northeastern Tibet, His Holiness was recognized as the reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama at the age of two. prgtoken Unlike previous Dalai Lamas, His Holiness has visited the west many times to speak with religious and political leaders on the importance of understanding and respect among faiths. His efforts toward peace and universal values of tolerance and compassion earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. prgtoken My district has had the honor of hosting His Holiness four times to speak at my Alma Mater, the University of California, Santa Barbara. The University has now established a Tibetan Studies endowment in his honor, the XIV Dalai Lama Endowed Chair in Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Studies. prgtoken His Holiness the Dalai Lama's commitment to preserving Tibetan culture, and his teachings which promote respect for human rights and non-violent solutions are invaluable lessons for the world. prgtoken , I am honored to join with the global religious community in wishing the XIVth Dalai Lama a very happy birthday.
HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-7-10

Care has been hurting toward collapse for years. Today it sits on the edge of a total meltdown. Unless we do something about that, even more Americans are going to get hurt. prgtoken These are the men and women we represent--Americans who didn't do anything wrong and Americans who, in too many cases, have been hurt by Care already--and we have a responsibility to help before Care literally comes crashing down around them. prgtoken I think each of us understands this. Yet, too often, this central fact seems to get lost amidst the din of cable news sound bites and over-the-top attacks. Too many seem to have forgotten the pain Care has brought to so many families over the years. Too many seem to have forgotten that even more will be hurt if the Care status quo is allowed to continue. prgtoken I recently shared a letter from a constituent in Lancaster who told me about her struggle to make ends meet under Care. Here is what she said: ``Why is there a law forcing me to pay for something I can't afford,'' she asked. ``Either I can eat and pay my mortgage or [I can] pay for insurance.'' prgtoken I recently shared the story of a single mom from Berea, a full-time student trying to make ends meet. When she began searching for a plan on the Care exchanges, she told me she saw a startling picture: high premiums and a staggering deductible. ``At this rate,'' she wrote, ``I would honestly be better not to take health insurance at all and hope for the best. Americans like myself need something better.'' prgtoken Premiums have been skyrocketing under Care for years now--by as much as an average of 105 percent in the majority of the States' Federal exchanges. Unless we act, premiums are poised to continue skyrocketing. prgtoken Customers are now learning what they can expect next year, and the situation is concerning. Care premiums could climb by as much as 30 percent in my State, over 40 percent in Tennessee, and over 50 percent in Georgia. Unfortunately, these States are not alone. This is a trend we are seeing all across our country. prgtoken To make matters worse, many have been left behind with fewer options as Care has forced insurance options literally out of the marketplace. Unless we act, choices will continue to decline on the exchanges, just as they have over the past several years. prgtoken I recently shared a Lexington native's account about the limited options she found on the exchanges. Here is what she said: ``I live in one of the three largest cities in our state, and I had two options for insurance this year. The lowest deductible option,'' she continued, ``was $10,000.'' prgtoken I recently shared a Louisville mother's pleas for Congress to bring relief from Care's limited options. Here is what she said: ``Middle class Kentuckians are hurting because of Care,'' she said. ``Residents [have] little choice for health plans and our family
HONORING THE HARRIET TUBMAN FREEDOM MUSIC FESTIVAL
John Katko (Republican, NY) \u2014 2017-7-10

I rise today to honor the second annual Harriet Tubman Freedom Music Festival in Auburn, New York. prgtoken Auburn is a place that Harriet Tubman once called home, and our community is proud to preserve and highlight her extraordinary life's work. This concert pays tribute to Harriet Tubman's remarkable legacy through music. prgtoken The Harriet Tubman Freedom Music Festival's creator, Sean McLeod, is an Auburn native and descendant of a slave rescued by Harriet Tubman. McLeod is a member of the Thompson AME Zion Church and has devoted much of his life to the Harriet Tubman Home, now a National Historic Park. McLeod established the Harriet Tubman Freedom Music Festival to develop both a local and global impact through partnerships with a variety of businesses and nonprofits. McLeod also composed ``A Soundtrack for Harriet Tubman,'' which will be featured at this year's Music Festival. prgtoken This celebration is a fitting tribute to a woman who escaped slavery and devoted her life to advancing the freedom and equality of African Americans and the rights of women. I am honored to recognize the Harriet Tubman Freedom Music Festival and I wish it continued success in the years to come.
TRIBUTE TO DR. BENJAMIN TUGGLE
John McCain (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2017-7-10

I wish to pay tribute to Dr. Benjamin Tuggle who served as the regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's southwest region. A skilled communicator and accomplished biologist, Dr. Tuggle dedicated more than 38 years of service to advancing the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. prgtoken I had the opportunity to work directly with Dr. Tuggle on a number of issues important to Arizona, including restoring the Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery, which is a key economic asset for Lower Colorado River communities. We may not have always agreed on agency policies, but Dr. Tuggle maintained an open dialogue and willingness to engage directly with local communities. prgtoken The challenges faced by the service and Region 2 are daunting. Our unique southwest landscape and wildlife are under constant threat from oppressive drought and catastrophic wildfire. Dr. Tuggle was rarely presented with easy decisions to make, but he always labored to strike the right balance between competing interests on complex issues. I thank him for his service.
Healthcare Legislation (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-7-10

I know we are all glad to be back in Washington, DC, at work after a few days back home, and I know many of us are eager to continue our work to rescue the American people from the failures of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Care. prgtoken The failures of Care are well documented, and while they don't necessarily apply to everyone, particular individuals and small businesses in the so-called individual market have seen a meltdown of the insurance exchanges. The Presiding Officer in her home State of Iowa, I know, has had insurance companies pulling out to the point where people can't even find an insurance carrier who will sell a policy that qualifies under the Affordable Care Act. That is because the Affordable Care Act was, unfortunately, a partisan exercise and a Big Government experiment that has failed. prgtoken All you have to do is look at the promises that were made at the time that Care was being sold back in 2009 and 2010. The President himself said that if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. Well, that proved to be not true. He said that if you liked your policy, you can keep your policy. Well, that proved not to be true as well because people saw their policies canceled because they couldn't qualify under the new requirements of the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken Perhaps the thing that stung the most was the fact that the President said back in 2009 and 2010 that an average family of four would see a reduction in their health insurance premiums by an average of $2,500. Well, what we have seen since 2013 is a 105-percent increase in insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act, and so instead of seeing a cut in their out-of-pocket costs of $2,500, what people have experienced--families of four--is an insurance premium increase of $3,000. Now, some people may be able to absorb that cost, but most people I know cannot. What it has meant is, they have had to reprioritize their spending so they have less to spend on other things in their life. prgtoken We do know, based on the promises made at the time the Affordable Care Act was being sold to the American people, that it has been a failed experiment. So the question is, What are we going to do about it? What are we going to tell the folks in Iowa who can't find an insurance policy or an insurance company who is willing to sell them an insurance policy on the individual market? What are we going to tell people in Texas who have seen their premiums go up by 105 percent since 2013 and have been priced out of the market or who found that the only policy they can afford is one with deductibles that are so high that basically they are denied the benefit of their insurance at all? What are we going to do about it? prgtoken A number of my colleagues have noted that even if Hillary Clinton were elected President of the United States, we would still have to be revisiting the failures of the Affordable
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S SUCCESSFUL G20 SUMMIT
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2017-7-11

President 's success during his overseas trip to Poland and the G20 summit in Germany makes it clear that America is once again the clear leader of the free world. prgtoken In Poland, the President reaffirmed that Western nations will stand together against threats to our security and our way of life. His remarks focused on his strategy of peace through strength--increasing defense spending, confirming our commitment to NATO, and promoting American energy as an alternative to Russian sources in Eastern Europe. prgtoken During the G20, President made it clear that, under his leadership, America remains committed to blocking the funding of terrorism and extremism, empowering women across the world, affirming the right of nations to defend themselves, and pledging to end unfair trade. Additionally, working with other foreign leaders, he successfully negotiated a cease-fire in Syria. prgtoken In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism. Sadly, Canada has forgotten the 26 Canadians murdered on 9/11 by awarding millions of dollars to a confessed terrorist who killed U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Christopher Speer, putting American families and Canadian families at risk.