mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Russia Investigation (Executive Session)
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-5-10

this is a critical moment in our Nation's history--a moment when partisanship should be set to the side, politics should be put on hold, and every Member of this Chamber should focus on what they can do to ensure the integrity of our justice system and the integrity of our executive branch. Nothing less is at stake, and none of us here should forget that. prgtoken For months, the questions surrounding President 's campaign's ties to Russia--what happened, who was involved, and why--have gone unanswered. The more information that comes out, the more suspicious it all looks. And the more that President tries to douse the flame by firing the people looking at where the smoke is coming from, the more we are going to keep paying attention, because the bottom line is that there are so many questions--real questions, legitimate questions--that absolutely need to be answered. prgtoken Many of us have pushed for these answers. We have called for an independent investigation. We had hoped that President would resist the urge to slow them down or stop them or cover anything up. But the time for the back-and-forth is over. The time for hoping is behind us, and the time for all of us to come together and speak with one voice for truth and against any kind of coverup is now. prgtoken What happened yesterday was truly shocking, and this is coming from someone who didn't think that was possible anymore with this President. prgtoken But if anyone was wavering before, if anyone wanted to give this administration just a bit more time, I am hoping they have been paying attention to the events of the past 24 hours because it is hard to stay on the fence now. prgtoken President 's firing the head of the FBI like that--in such a haphazard way--in the middle of an investigation into his own campaigning activities should be the last straw for anyone. So right now it could not be more clear. prgtoken It is time for a special prosecutor who can run an independent investigation, far from the reach of President and his administration, to take the case and finally get the answers the American public deserves. prgtoken At the same time, our efforts here in Congress--especially the investigation in the Intelligence Committee--have to continue, and they need to continue in an independent and bipartisan way. prgtoken As I mentioned before, this isn't about politics. It shouldn't be, anyway. This is about the integrity of our election, of our national security, of our justice system, of our Presidency, of America's standing in the world. prgtoken No Member of Congress, no matter what their political affiliation, should stand in the way of a thorough investigation, and neither should the President of the United States. prgtoken Mr. may think he can bully his way to a lucrative real estate deal or bully the press or bully his way into the White House; that he can fire anyone, including the Deputy Attor
Unanimous Consent Request--Authority for Committee to Meet (Executive Session)
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2017-5-10

today our friends across the aisle have decided to hold up Senate committee meetings. Because the object to the dismissal of James Comey from the FBI, they have chosen to play politics and prevent scheduled hearings from occurring. That means everyone who has taken time to fly to Washington, DC, to testify before Congress--per our request--and update us on important issues that face the Nation will not be heard. prgtoken One of those scheduled hearings is in the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power, of which I am a member. This hearing was going to investigate the Dry-Redwater and the Musselshell- Judith Rural Water Systems. This is a critically important issue to Montana. prgtoken This hearing was going to focus on water from Circle, MT. These are water samples from different families in the Circle, MT, area. This is from the Arensons' tap. This yellow-tinted water here is from the Goods' tap. This cloudy sample here is from the Hances' tap. prgtoken These are all from Circle, MT. This is from the Carlsons' tap. You probably can't see it--perhaps on camera and on the floor--but there is particulate in here, floating, something you wouldn't want to drink. This is water from the Rosaaens' tap. These samples all came from a small town in Eastern Montana, Circle, MT, and the image here to my left is from Roundup, MT. This unacceptable, unclean tap water is in the homes of Montanans and North Dakotans right now as we speak. prgtoken The mayor of Harlowton, MT, a town of about 1,000 in rural central Montana, is here today to testify. I met with him just yesterday. He came to our Montana coffee this morning. He spent over $1,000 on a flight. He spent almost $600 on hotel accommodations, not to mention the cost of other incidentals. Now the will not let him speak. prgtoken Why? As the chairman of the Senate Western Caucus, it is shameful--as other witnesses have flown and spent thousands of dollars--to prevent improving water quality in our States. The Arizona witness, for example, spent $2,400 and 3 days out of the office to come back and testify today. The North Dakota witness spent $1,300. prgtoken Yes, the FBI needs to regain the trust of the American people. In fact, Senator Schumer on November 2 said: ``I do not have confidence in [Comey] any longer,'' and on that very same day, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said: ``Maybe he's not in the right job.'' prgtoken But this water, as we can see these samples in front of me, has nothing to do with the FBI. There are over 36,000 Americans spread across Montana and North Dakota without access to clean water. If the mayor of Flint, MI, flew here to testify about the quality and challenges facing their water system, no one would have blocked that hearing. Frankly, this is just another sign of the marginalization of rural Montana and rural America. I was sent here to fight for rural Montana, to stand for rural A
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-5-10

one final matter, whatever one thinks of the manner in which Director James Comey handled the investigation into Secretary Clinton's unauthorized use of a private server and her mishandling of classified information, it is clear what our ic colleagues thought of it--both at that time and consistently thereafter. prgtoken Last year, the current ic leader said it appeared to be an ``appalling act,'' one that he said ``goes against the tradition of prosecutors at every level of government,'' and the prior ic leader, when asked if James Comey should resign given his conduct of the investigation, replied ``[o]f course, yes.'' prgtoken It is also clear what our ic colleagues think of the man who evaluated Mr. Comey's professional conduct and concluded that the Bureau needed a change in leadership. The ic leader just a few weeks ago praised Mr. Rosenstein for his independence and said he had developed a reputation for integrity. prgtoken What we have now is our ic colleagues complaining about the removal of an FBI Director whom they themselves repeatedly and sharply criticized; that removal being done by a man, Rod Rosenstein, whom they repeatedly and effusively praised--when Mr. Rosenstein recommended Mr. Comey's removal for many of the very reasons they consistently complained about. prgtoken Two investigations are currently ongoing: The Senate Intelligence Committee's review of Russian active measures and intelligence activities and the FBI investigation disclosed by Director Comey. prgtoken Today we will no doubt hear calls for a new investigation, which could only serve to impede the current work being done to not only discover what the Russians may have done but also to let this body and the national security community develop the countermeasures and warfighting doctrine to see that it doesn't occur again. Partisan calls should not delay the considerable work of Chairman Burr and Vice Chairman Warner. Too much is at stake. prgtoken Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein was just confirmed on a bipartisan vote, 94 to 6--94 to 6--and that sort of fair consideration should continue when the Senate receives an FBI Director nominee. As I said yesterday, once the Senate receives a nomination to fill this position, we will look forward to a full, fair, and timely confirmation process. This is a critical role that is particularly important as our country continues to face serious threats at home and abroad. Recognition of the Minority Leader
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Bob Corker (Republican, TN) \u2014 2017-5-10

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOMEBUILDERS
Johnny Isakson (Republican, GA) \u2014 2017-5-10

as a realtor and the former owner of a real estate company, it is my great pleasure today to congratulate the National Association of Home Builders on its 75th anniversary. prgtoken The National Association of Home Builders was established in 1942 to represent the interests of the Nation's homebuilding industry and to help create a business environment that facilitates homebuilding, enables more Americans to achieve homeownership, and provides for ample rental housing for all income levels. The National Association of Home Builders' membership includes not just builders, but professionals in a broad range of fields who are part of the homebuilding industry, including those who remodel, update, and help maintain existing homes. prgtoken For many years, the goal set forth in the Housing Act of 1949 of ``a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family'' has been a guiding principle for America's homebuilders, and they have made great strides in achieving that goal. prgtoken Since 1942, the total number of housing units in the United States has more than tripled, increasing from about 35 million to almost 136 million. Also the Nation's homeownership rate has increased from about 44 percent to almost 64 percent. Moreover, the Nation's standard of living has increased significantly thanks to the efforts of the National Association of Home Builders' members, who build about 80 percent of the new homes constructed in the United States each year. prgtoken The members of the National Association of Home Builders have served as a driving force behind the significant advances in the quality of the nation's housing and the resulting improvement in quality of life for Americans. America's homebuilders play important roles in the fabric of their communities, and they are essential to the Nation's economic health. Homebuilding accounts for about 16 percent of the total U.S. economy. prgtoken I congratulate the National Association of Home Builders and its members on the organization's 75th anniversary and encourage my colleagues in the Senate to reflect on the crucial role the homebuilding industry has played over the last 75 years in our Nation's economy and the lives of our people.
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
Thom Tillis (Republican, NC) \u2014 2017-5-10

I rise to discuss the new FDA Commissioner, or, more specifically, the role that the agency must play in tackling one of the biggest health crises of our day, one that I have personal experience with. Unless we act decisively, this crisis will only grow in terms of the staggering human and economic costs in the future. prgtoken That crisis is the Alzheimer's epidemic in this Nation. The reason I am prgtoken talking about Alzheimer's is it is truly a terrible condition that affects patients, their families, and communities across the Nation. I learned firsthand about Alzheimer's disease when my mother was robbed of many of her Golden Years at a relatively early age, in her seventies. prgtoken Currently, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, including an estimated 160,000 in my own State of North Carolina. Estimates project the number of Alzheimer's patients to grow to 16 million by 2050, with an annual cost of more than $1 trillion to the healthcare system. prgtoken Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. It is a current and growing problem. It is the only top 10 disease for causes of death that cannot be prevented. It can't be cured. We can't even slow the pace of the disease. Simply put, we need a war on Alzheimer's disease like we have on cancer. prgtoken As a country, we must take the fight to this awful disease. This should be one of our highest priorities, to support the discovery and development of new medicines for the millions of patients who currently have Alzheimer's and the millions more who may develop it in the future. We need medicines to slow the progression of the disease. We need medicines to reverse its affects. We need medicines to cure Alzheimer's disease. One day, we need medicines to prevent it in the first place. prgtoken That is where the FDA comes in. The new Commissioner must make Alzheimer's an urgent priority. Obviously, the science of developing new medicines and technologies is complicated under any circumstances. Those challenges are only compounded by the fact that we still do not fully understand the disease, its causes, or how to stop it, but the FDA does hard things and they often do them very well. prgtoken The new Commissioner must ask tough questions of the agency: Are they doing everything they possibly can to encourage the development of safe and effective new drugs for Alzheimer's? Are they using all the tools at their disposal and using them flexibly to advance this goal? Do they have the right policies to be facilitators of and not barriers to important efforts to innovate in this space? prgtoken I recently visited with Dr. Gottlieb in my office and was pleased to hear the battle against Alzheimer's is a mission-critical item for him. I assume that pervades the FDA. I want to be clear. I do not know the answers to the questions related to FDA's specific regulatory policies related to Alzheimer's.
Unanimous Consent Request--Authority for Committee to Meet (Executive Session)
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2017-5-10

I see the ic leader is rapidly leaving the floor, so he obviously does not want to hear anything more about our hearing, but this makes no sense whatsoever. prgtoken This is an example of the dysfunction of the Senate. How does it make sense that the Aging Committee, which operates in a completely bipartisan manner, is being prohibited from holding a hearing that is important to our seniors and that has nothing to do with the issues that are in the news today? prgtoken I just don't understand why we are being prohibited from proceeding to do our work, to do our important jobs on an issue where we have four experts from four different States, including the State of the ic leader, including a witness chosen by the ranking member of the committee, and none of that matters. We are being prohibited from holding this hearing. prgtoken , it is a great disappointment to me--and I am sure it is going to be a great disappointment to our witnesses and our committee members--that we are going to have to cancel this hearing for reasons that are totally unrelated to the subject of this hearing. prgtoken , . prgtoken Seeing no one seeking recognition, .
Russia Investigation (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-5-10

I was listening with interest to our friend and colleague from Minnesota talk about the Russia investigation. I agree with her 100 percent that it is our responsibility to get to the bottom of what exactly happened with respect to Russian involvement in our elections, much as they got involved in the elections in France, using the combined process commonly known as active measures. Active measures are a combination of cyber espionage, propaganda, and a use of social media through paid trolls who can then actually try to raise the visibility of some of this propaganda such that it then becomes part of the mainstream media and becomes accepted as part of the debate in democratic societies. prgtoken I believe we share a bipartisan and universal commitment to get to the bottom of what happened in our last election. prgtoken I would note that there are two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who actually serve as members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is actively involved in a rigorous bipartisan investigation. That would be myself and Senator Feinstein, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who is also the former chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. prgtoken Senator Feinstein has said recently that there is no evidence of collusion between the administration and Russia. I think she would share with me a commitment not to stop there but to find out where the facts take us. Indeed, thanks to Chairman Burr and thanks to Vice Chairman Warner, our bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee has unprecedented access to raw intelligence, from the National Security Agency, the CIA, and from all sources of the intelligence community. We have access to some of the most sensitive intelligence gathered by the U.S. Government. I think that is due to the credit and leadership of Chairman Burr and Vice Chairman Warner that our committee has remained bipartisan and we are leaving no stone unturned to get to the bottom of what exactly happened. prgtoken So I know people are concerned, and I share that concern. We need to come up with a program of countermeasures to deal with this because the Russian Government has been amping up their game for some time now, and now they are operating at certainly dangerous levels when it comes to trying to interfere in our most basic democratic institutions, like our elections. prgtoken I would say, as far as the Department of Justice is concerned, that Rod Rosenstein was confirmed by this body by a vote of 94 to 6. That is probably the only nomination so far since he has been President that has enjoyed such broad bipartisan support. It is because of his distinguished record, most recently as the U.S. attorney in Baltimore. prgtoken I remember hearing from our Senators from Maryland, for example, who were praising Rod Rosenstein and saying he was exactly the kind of person we needed in this sensitive job as Deputy Attorney Gen
Authority for Committees to Meet Request (Executive Session)
Jerry Moran (Republican, KS) \u2014 2017-5-10

all of us, every Member of the U.S. Senate, all 100 of us, whether we are s or , want the U.S. Senate to function. We ought to want the Senate to be able to accomplish its work. It is a challenge all the time but learning what transpired this morning on the Senate floor, in my view, reaches another low for the Senate. prgtoken It is hard to explain, but it takes unanimous consent for committees to meet while the Senate is in session, and that is a request that is made on an ongoing basis when the Senate convenes, and it happened again this morning. Almost without exception, it is routine. The rules require that 2 hours after the Senate convenes, no committee can then meet unless there is agreement. So the majority leader today requested that the unanimous consent be granted, just like in almost every other day in the Senate, but what was different today was an objection was raised by the minority whip, and apparently the explanation is it is because of the firing of the Director of the FBI last night. prgtoken Now, how the Senate is functioning or not functioning seems to me to be unrelated to what transpired last night relating to the Director of the FBI. So in this place, where we are trying to do the people's work and make decisions and do good for America, the spillover over partisan politics, the spillover about playing a political game, highlighting a point has now caused the Senate to not be able to conduct hearings today. In fact, the minority Members of the Senate were instructed, requested, on their own volition--all left the hearings that were already being conducted this morning in protest over what transpired last night. prgtoken I am of a view that this is a diverse country. I am of a view that people of the U.S. Senate represent folks from across the country with different philosophies, different political parties, different people, different backgrounds. We all bring to the Senate a set of characteristics that are different, one from another, but I have great regard and respect for every Senator's point of view, and I would say that every Senator ought to have the ability to express their views on behalf of their constituents, but we can only do that if we allow the Senate to function. prgtoken I was on the Senate floor not long ago praising the fact that we finally were successful in the appropriations process; that we passed the fiscal year 2017 appropriations bill. For too long, the appropriations process has been broken down, and we have conducted business in the United States by continuing resolution. I thought we were back on a path in which there was enough agreement, respect among Members, enough setting aside of partisan differences to actually accomplish legislation. I was pleased that we did that, but today we fall back into the pattern of when something happens we want to make a political point. We then obstruct the ability of others in the Sena