mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING LOGAN S. PALMER
Rodney Davis (Republican, IL) \u2014 2018-9-13

. Madam , I rise today to remember Petty Officer Logan Palmer of town, Illinois, who was tragically lost in the accident last August aboard USS John S. McCain. prgtoken Logan knew early that he wanted to serve his country. After he graduated from Sangamon Valley High School and Richland Community College, he enlisted in the Navy as an interior communications electrician. prgtoken Petty Officer Logan Palmer died serving and protecting our country, and for that, we remain eternally grateful. prgtoken Today, the House will vote on a bill to designate town's post office in Logan's hometown of town, Illinois, a small rural community in Macon County, Illinois, as the Logan S. Palmer Post Office. prgtoken Although I never had the honor of meeting Logan, I have since come to know his parents, Theresa and Sid, and I was honored they were able to join me when I introduced this bill earlier this year. While they sat in the gallery, I was able to drop that piece of paper in the box to introduce this bill to the floor of the House, and I am honored today to ask my colleagues to join me in passing this important legislation to honor one of America's heroes. prgtoken Designating this post office will not only honor Logan's service, but serve as a grave reminder of the risks that our servicemembers take on each day and the responsibilities we have to them as a country. prgtoken It is my privilege to be able to honor Logan today, but, again, it is not why we are here. Many times this chamber will be criticized for naming post offices, naming public buildings, but, again, let us remember the sacrifices that many of those who those buildings are named after made for the freedoms and the liberties that many of us in this country take for granted every day. prgtoken When Logan joined the Navy, no one in his hometown, let alone his family, thought that he would sacrifice so much for the freedom and liberty of our great country. prgtoken It is my honor to honor Logan S. Palmer with this bill today, and his name will live forever on his local post office.
HONORING COOPER LEE SHAW
Sam Graves (Republican, MO) \u2014 2018-9-13

I proudly pause to recognize Cooper Shaw. Cooper is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1264, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout. prgtoken Cooper has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Cooper has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community. Most notably, Cooper has become a member of the tribe Mic-O-Say. Cooper has also contributed to his community through his Eagle Scout project. Cooper planned and led a team of Scouts and Scouters stenciling over 100 storm drains for the City of Lee's Summit to reduce flooding and pollution in their local lakes and streams. prgtoken , I proudly ask you to join me in commending Cooper Shaw for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.
SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH
Brian J. Mast (Republican, FL) \u2014 2018-9-13

I guess I found in my time that suicide is an epidemic of purpose, and worth, and value. prgtoken I come to this line of thought because I have had countless veterans call me; reach out to my office; find me on Facebook; find me on some other form of social media; had a member of their family call my office or reach out, a mother, or a spouse, and talk about the fact that their veteran wants to take their life. prgtoken And in seeing that play out time and time again, I realize each and every time that somebody is out there searching for their value in their life. They are searching for where is their value? Where is their worth to the rest of the world? And for me, that helps me to recognize that this can be prevented. prgtoken I think veterans face this challenge in a unique way and in an elevated way, not because the challenge of war or recovering from injury is something that cannot be overcome. I think most of us end up finding in our lives that when we have overcome something incredibly difficult, those are the most memorable and purposeful moments of our life. prgtoken No person, veteran included, should have to believe that their greatest contribution to the world, or to their Nation, or to their family, or their community is something that is behind them. prgtoken That is something that is especially difficult for a veteran to overcome because their worth, and their value, and their work every single day was tied directly to serving all of those things at the highest possible level, serving their brothers and their sisters to their left and right, knowing that on any given day, they might have the opportunity to save a life, to save the life of one of their closest friends that they could ever have in life, a friend that would be willing to do absolutely everything for them, to include sacrificing their own life for that friend of them. prgtoken It is hard to replicate, maybe impossible to replicate, that purpose, and that worth, and that value. And I believe that it is in that that we find such a challenge to overcome suicide with our veterans because of everything that they have already given this country, and the drive, and the determination, and the will, and the intestinal fortitude inside of our veterans to want to go out there and find the next greatest thing in life, the next greatest way to serve. prgtoken That is the difficult challenge that we find ourselves trying to overcome. In having so many veterans reach out to me, I have learned this about veteran suicide. Each of them who were prevented from taking their life have said that there was nothing I could do, if somebody else didn't reach out to them. Because I could have not known anybody else that they could have told, that they didn't tell, they wouldn't have known. prgtoken It is in that that I believe it is important that we as veterans make a commitment to one another about being there for one another; about the fact that we had an
SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH
David Schweikert (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2018-9-13

I thank Mr. Hill for yielding. And to the gentlewoman from Arizona, I thank her for doing this every year. prgtoken This is one of those moments where you are walking toward the microphone because we just got out of votes in Ways and Means, and you are sort of discussing in your head whether you ultimately tell the personal story. I have two I want to share. prgtoken My reason for doing this is, if someone is watching, we have someone in our life, and you are having self-destructive thoughts, please, please reach out, get the help, and understand the devastation that happens and the pain that happens when someone takes their life. prgtoken My two stories. When I very first got elected in the Phoenix- Scottsdale area, one of the very first constituent meetings I had was with a mom. Her son had been part of the Phoenix VA. She always felt that the prescriptions he was given put him into an emotional spiral. prgtoken They kept trying to get him mental health services. They felt all that he was receiving was more prescriptions and a future date for mental health services. And he took his life. prgtoken That mother, the pain, the tears, the crushing blow, what the loss of her son's life meant to that family. prgtoken I believe now, a few years later, the Phoenix VA is better. They have learned a lot, they understand how to be almost a quick reaction force in helping an individual. But we need to make sure these things never happen again. prgtoken Now for the personal one that I have never told in public. prgtoken I was born in an unwed mothers' home in L.A. I was adopted. It turns out the gentleman who adopted me had multiple sclerosis. But he was a veteran, and he was receiving his medical treatments from VA. prgtoken This is a long, long time ago, but this is about the pain that comes when a veteran takes his or her life. prgtoken Because of the pharmaceuticals he was given, the lack of emotional counseling, and the failure to properly diagnose his disease, he put himself in a car in a garage, turned on the motor, and took his life. That was my dad. prgtoken Some time later, my mother remarried Mr. Schweikert. I got readopted, and I was blessed to grow up in a wonderful household that had brought me to Arizona. prgtoken Many years later when I was a young adult, my mom sat me down and told me the story. You could tell there was still that burning hole in her heart of finding her husband, my dad, dead in that car, having taken his own life, believing it was the failure of the very services he was receiving from the VA. prgtoken Now it is decades later, and I believe we have learned a lot. This body has tried as hard as it can to get their heads around: Are we allowing too many pharmaceuticals to be prescribed? Are we not providing emotional services? Do we need to put resources into having that communal get-together, the quick reaction force? prgtoken I believe it is getting better. prgtoken But understand the pain that Mom
HONORING CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL'S CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY
Susan W. Brooks (Republican, IN) \u2014 2018-9-13

I rise today to pay tribute to Cathedral High School in celebration of its 100th anniversary. The people of Indiana's 5th Congressional District are forever grateful for Cathedral High School's commitment to preparing all students to be successful, competent, concerned, responsible, and ethical members of society. It is a pleasure to congratulate Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Indiana in celebration of this special occasion. prgtoken Cathedral has been an integral part of the Indianapolis community since its founding by the Indianapolis Catholic Diocese on September 13, 1918. Founded as an all boys Catholic high school, Cathedral has seen tremendous growth, from 90 students in 1918 to nearly 1,200 today. Originally on the second floor of Cathedral Grade School at 13th and Pennsylvania, the school moved in 1927 to 14th and Meridian, where it stayed for 50 years. Today the school operates under the direction of the Cathedral Trustees, Inc. as an independent private institution located at 56th Street and Emerson Way. In 1988, girls were integrated into the student body for the first time. prgtoken Today, Cathedral is a premier Catholic high school in the Holy Cross tradition. The school draws students from Marion County and nine other central Indiana counties. Before attending Cathedral, students attended approximately 130 different schools. According to its mission, Cathedral ``transforms a diverse group of students spiritually, intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically to have the competence to see and the courage to act.'' This mission is carried out both in and out of the classroom by students, parents, teachers, administrators, and coaches through various academic programs and over 120 co-curricular activities. The Fighting Irish have a long history of excellence earning over 60 state championships across all their sports teams. With a 13:1 student-teacher ratio, Cathedral has a highly personalized, faith-based approach to learning. This approach has resulted in 100 percent of graduating seniors being accepted into colleges and universities across the country. Cathedral's commitment to its students and their success was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in 1988, 2004 and again in 2016, when Cathedral earned the distinction as a ``Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.'' prgtoken The school's personalized approach to education has made Cathedral home to a robust alumni network, with previous graduates numbering among some of the most accomplished business, community, government, and religious leaders in the state and country. These graduates strive to distinguish themselves as scholars, servant leaders and role models who are culturally competent, engaged in the global society, sound in mind and body and spiritually active. prgtoken It is important to our nation's future to encourage and raise a new generation of Americans who have the skills, knowledge, and compassion to su
DIANA E. MURPHY UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE
Garret Graves (Republican, LA) \u2014 2018-9-13

I thank the chairman for yielding. prgtoken , we have Hurricane Florence bearing down on our Nation now. The Carolinas and Georgia are inevitably going to have disaster, destruction, and damages. What happens in the aftermath, as folks begin looking at it, they ask the question: What could we have done differently? prgtoken This bill, together with other legislation, is exactly what needs to be done. This begins the process of addressing this ridiculous backlog of $100 billion in projects that we need to move forward on, that we need to construct, and bringing efficiencies to the table, like allowing for States and local governments to advance these projects on their own, taking advantage of their capabilities of greater cost efficiencies, of streamlined permitting processes, and other efficiencies that they are capable of doing. prgtoken This bill brings all sorts of solutions to the table, including, Mr looking at whether the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should even be within the Department of Defense. prgtoken When I call Secretary Mattis and talk to him about Russia, China, North Korea, Syria, and Iran, should I introduce a wetlands permit in that conversation? prgtoken I don't think I should. It is not compatible with the agency. So we are looking at where this mission can be a top priority, can be properly housed, and where we can accomplish these projects much faster than we are doing today. prgtoken , this bill also has some important things for us back home, including recognizing the hundreds of millions of dollars in work that our State has done to restore our eroding coastline and the ecological productivity that goes along with it; looking at carrying out a pilot dredge program, whereby we can issue dredging contracts over years over multiple channels, rather than doing one channel at a time, where we can benefit from economies of scale and, again, greater efficiency with taxpayer dollars; and, importantly, , ensuring that the old river control structure is not managed by a static 70-30 split that was determined decades ago, using updated science so we benefit navigation, the environment, and other important priorities. prgtoken I want to thank Chairman Shuster, Congressman DeFazio, Congresswoman Napolitano, Congressman Sanford, Congressman Rouzer, and all those involved for their hard work on this. I urge its adoption.
SERGEANT DONALD BURGETT POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mike Bishop (Republican, MI) \u2014 2018-9-13

today I rise in support of my legislation, H R. 6020, a bill to rename the Howell Post Office after a local, and really a national, hero: Sergeant Donald Burgett. prgtoken Mr. Donald Burgett was born in Detroit, Michigan on April 25, 1925. On his 18th birthday he followed in his brother's footsteps and joined the Army. He joined the newly formed paratroop company and became a member of the famous 101st Airborne. Assigned to A Company, he fought in battles throughout the European Theatre. prgtoken His story is quite simply amazing. He dropped over 12 miles away from his drop zone at just after one in the morning. He fought in the battle at Ravenoville in a little village along the coast of Normandy, where he was among the group of Americans that liberated the first village in Europe--and this was all before sunrise that day. From there, he fought in battles all down the coastline, being attacked by the Germans at every turn and even being attacked by Russian cavalry at one point on his way to Carentan where he was wounded twice in action. prgtoken After surviving Normandy, Mr. Burgett went on to fight in Operation Market-Graden in Holland and survive the bitterly cold siege of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Sergeant Burgett returned to the States on January 1, 1946--at the age of just 20 years old. After the war, Sergeant Burgett picked up flying, became a pilot and visited all the states in his own plane. He married his wife in 1953, and they had 5 children which they raised in Howell, MI. prgtoken He was a very active member of his community, including extensive service with the VFW, American Legion, and Disabled American Veterans. He authored four books which gave firsthand accounts of the paratroopers' experience in WWII. The first of that series was ``Currahee!: A Screaming Eagle at Normandy'', which was endorsed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He also wrote ``The Road to Arnhem: A Screaming Eagle in Holland'', ``Seven Roads to Hell: A Screaming Eagle at Bastogne'', and ``Beyond the Rhine: A Screaming Eagle in Germany''. prgtoken Mr. Burgett passed away on March 23, 2017, at the age of 91. As a lifelong Michigander, Mr. Burgett was truly a member of the ``Greatest Generation'' and he spent a great deal of time making sure the efforts of his comrades would be known and remembered. I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring his life and his service to the country by making sure his name and legacy lives on in his community. prgtoken The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
TRIBUTE TO CARMEN AND JIM LUNDBERG
David Young (Republican, IA) \u2014 2018-9-13

I rise today to recognize and honor Carmen and Jim Lundberg of Essex, Iowa on the very special occasion of their 70th wedding anniversary. They were married on August 15, 1948. prgtoken Carmen and Jim's lifelong commitment to each other and their family truly embodies Iowa values. As they reflect on their 70th anniversary, I hope it is filled with happy memories. May their commitment grow even stronger, as they continue to love, cherish, and honor one another for many years to come. prgtoken , I commend this great couple on their 70th year together and I wish them many more. I ask that my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives join me in congratulating them on this momentous occasion.
RECOGNIZING DOUGLAS LAUX
Warren Davidson (Republican, OH) \u2014 2018-9-13

I rise today to recognize Mr. Douglas Laux of Coldwater, Ohio. prgtoken After attending Indiana University, Doug served for 7 years with the Central Intelligence Agency as an operations officer. Unknown to his family and friends, Doug operated undercover in Afghanistan and Syria, fighting America's global war on terror. prgtoken Working in Afghanistan, Doug quietly penetrated the ranks of al-Qaida and the Taliban, where he was able to infiltrate and eliminate one of the largest IED manufacturers in the world. prgtoken Doug left the CIA in 2013 and now lives quietly in Coldwater, Ohio, his hometown. prgtoken While Doug does not seek recognition for his past service, his actions struck a major blow to the enemies of our country, and they deserve commendation. prgtoken , I ask you to join me in recognizing the bravery of Mr. Laux and to wish him continued success as a private citizen.
DIANA E. MURPHY UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE
Paul Mitchell (Republican, MI) \u2014 2018-9-13

I rise today in support of the America's Water Infrastructure Act, a critical piece of legislation that authorizes water infrastructure projects across our Nation. prgtoken One particular project is near and dear to my heart, critical to the State of Michigan and our national economy and security: the Soo Locks. This lock is the only waterway, the only connection between Lake Superior and the rest of the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence Seaway. prgtoken Right now, that one lock accommodates almost all of the shipping of iron ore and many other goods from Minnesota through the Great Lakes. If that lock fails, the damage is instantaneous: economic damage--11 million people would lose their jobs within the first 90 days--and risks our national security. prgtoken That is why construction of a second lock is so vital. This upgrade was authorized over 30 years ago. I guess it shouldn't surprise us that it has languished a bit. We now have bipartisan support, both sides of the aisle supporting the need to get this lock, a second large lock, built. We have recognition by the administration that this lock is critical for our economy and our national security. prgtoken , I urge passage of this bill as the next step in building the 1,200-foot lock at the Soo Locks so we can ensure that our national security and our economy is not devastated by the failure of one lock.
HONORING RICHARD DeVOS
Justin Amash (Republican, MI) \u2014 2018-9-13

the west Michigan community is mourning the loss of Richard DeVos, a man whose spirit touched millions of lives and helped shape Grand Rapids into the thriving city it is today. prgtoken Rich passed away on September 6 at the age of 92, survived by 4 children, 16 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren. Rich follows his late wife, Helen DeVos, who passed away at the age of 90 in October of last year. prgtoken A World War II veteran, an entrepreneur who never feared failure, Rich was a larger-than-life presence whose Christian faith and love for America were evident in all that he did. prgtoken I greatly admired Rich, as did countless others, not just from west Michigan, but from around the world, for his optimistic and caring approach to family, friends, business, and philanthropy alike. prgtoken Anyone who knew Rich will tell you that he was an incredibly charismatic, encouraging, and kind person. I was fortunate enough to have a personal glimpse into this legend of a man who did so much for the west Michigan community while his work at home and abroad was changing the world. prgtoken While no one can fill the void that Rich's passing leaves, our community takes comfort in knowing that his legacy of generosity, entrepreneurship, and kindness will have a lasting impact. prgtoken May the memory of him be eternal.
THE FORT MYERS MIRACLE--FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP WIN
Francis Rooney (Republican, FL) \u2014 2018-9-13

I rise today in honor of the Fort Myers Miracle baseball team and their third Florida State League Championship. The Miracle recovered from an early setback to defeat the Daytona Tortugas by a margin of 8-5, securing their 3-1 win in a best-of-5 game series. This win serves to confirm the excellence of the Fort Myers Miracle program compared to its Florida peers. This 2018 victory marks the team's 2rd championship win in the last 5 years. prgtoken I congratulate the Fort Myers Miracle and Manager Ramon Borrego for this thrilling victory. We look forward to the continued growth and success of this great baseball program.
DIANA E. MURPHY UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE
Grace F. Napolitano (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-9-13

. I am confident that this bill, if enacted, will provide drought-prone regions like mine with the tools necessary to increase water supply through water recycling and capturing and treating stormwater. prgtoken I want to thank my constituent water agencies for their input throughout this process, including the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District; the Three Valleys Municipal Water District; the San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District; the San Gabriel Valley WaterMaster; the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works; and my local Corps leadership in General Helmlinger, Colonel Gibbs, and David Van Dorpe. prgtoken , I ask all my colleagues to support this bill.