mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM HOSTILITIES IN YEMEN THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AUTHORIZED BY CONGRESS
Mac Thornberry (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-2-13

. Madam Chair, I appreciate the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken Madam Chair, this resolution is misguided, and let me take a few moments to illustrate some of the reasons. prgtoken Number 1, as the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. McCaul, has described, this is a misuse of the War Powers Resolution. It conflates two different sections. It has definitional problems. I am not going to repeat all the arguments he has used. prgtoken My point is that, if we use that powerful law, it should be clear, direct, and applicable. To misuse it in this way actually weakens the authority of Congress, the exact opposite of what the chairman of the committee was talking about. prgtoken Secondly, the message coming from this resolution is, Iran, you can do whatever you want to. prgtoken Now, it is clear we do not have troops in the fight against the Houthis. We do, however, want other countries to join in trying to constrain Iran's aggression in various parts of the world. But with this resolution, we are saying, Okay, you are on your own. We are not going to assist you in any way. And that message reverberates throughout the Middle East. It will have lasting consequences. prgtoken Third, if anything, this resolution will make our military more cautious when targeting ISIS and al-Qaida. prgtoken Now there is a section in here that says, Well, it doesn't really apply when you are going against terrorists. But Yemen is a messy place. You have individuals commingled in the same location. Sometimes the same individual can have multiple loyalties. prgtoken Our military will be overly cautious in interpreting this resolution. They will be less likely to target ISIS and al-Qaida. prgtoken , don't forget. It wasn't very long ago the most serious threats coming to our homeland, to Americans emanated from Yemen. This adds danger to the world. prgtoken Fourth, I think this resolution makes a humanitarian situation worse. As long as rockets are fired from Yemen into Riyadh, there will be a military response. prgtoken Now, the U.S. has been assisting the Saudis in targeting, so that it is narrower; so that they are only targeting military targets and minimizing civilian casualties. And yet, this resolution says, No, you can't offer that sort of help. prgtoken So what is the result? It is going to, unfortunately, be less specific targeting, and I am afraid that the humanitarian situation will only grow worse. prgtoken Fifth, and finally, if this passes and signs into law, it will not help the people of Yemen one iota. There are lots of things we just heard from the author of the resolution, why he does not approve of some of the actions going on with Saudi Arabia. This does not help any of that. prgtoken It is an attempt to make us feel better, that we have at least done something. And yet, the result is, we reduce our influence in the Middle East; we encourage and enhance the position of Iran; and we lead to a more danger
PROTECT BABIES BORN ALIVE
Bill Johnson (Republican, OH) \u2014 2019-2-13

as a proud father of four and a grandfather of six, I rise today in strong support of those who cannot defend themselves, the most innocent and defenseless among us, the unborn. prgtoken I share the pro-life views of those I serve in eastern and southeastern Ohio. prgtoken A few weeks ago, many Ohioans joined more than 100,000 pro-life Americans at the annual March for Life here in Washington, D.C. Although, with so little national media coverage of this major event, some may have missed this passionate and growing movement made up of men and women, boys and girls from all walks of life. prgtoken Recently, we have witnessed the inhuman policies introduced by multiple States permitting late-term abortions, even, unbelievably, all the way up to birth. prgtoken It is past time that Congress pass legislation banning this horrific practice. prgtoken , I strongly urge my colleagues on both sides to reject infanticide and defend the sanctity of human life.
Nomination of William Barr (Executive Session)
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2019-2-13

I am really pleased to be here to join in the colloquy with my fellow Senators, Mr. Manchin, Senator Brown from Ohio, and Senator Warner from Virginia. prgtoken This is important. This is really important. I could say I look around the room, and it is important to us, but it is important even more granularly to some other folks who are right here watching what we are doing. prgtoken Many of us have worked together previously in order to save retiree health benefits for 22,000 retired miners in 2017, following the bankruptcies of Patriot, Alpha, and Walter Resources. Today we are back together to advocate for another over 1,000 retirees and beneficiaries whose healthcare is impacted by the Westmoreland Coal bankruptcy, as Senator Manchin described. prgtoken It is also critical that we redouble our efforts to find a solution to the 1974 UMWA Pension Fund. If we do nothing--if we do nothing, which I don't believe is an option--this pension fund, which provides 83,000 current beneficiaries with their pensions, will be insolvent by 2022. That is getting close, and insolvency can come even sooner, depending on market conditions. prgtoken So combined with the 20,000 people who have a vested right to future benefits, more than 100,000 people are covered by this pension plan. As Senator Manchin said, these are hard-working people who were promised and who, in the course of their working lives, gave up something so they could have a better peace of mind later on. They worked hard day in and day out. They powered our communities and industries and helped our country achieve greatness, even in the toughest times, and they did that with the promise of healthcare and a pension that would allow them to live with dignity in retirement. prgtoken We are not talking about lavish pensions. I think this is an important point. The average benefit paid by this fund is $560 per month. These retirees are not getting rich on their pension plans, and they are not taking lavish expenditures, but without this monthly benefit, many of them would be living on the edge of poverty, if they are not already. prgtoken One miner from Logan, WV, who worked in the mines for 36 years wrote: Please keep fighting for our pension. I receive $303.34 monthly. We need this badly to help pay for food, medicine, and other bills. prgtoken Another retired miner from Richwood, WV, who worked in the mines for 17 years, wrote that his monthly check of $192 ``is not a lot of money, but it means a lot,'' and on top of that, he earned it. It helps him make his ends meet. prgtoken Another miner from Kistler, WV, who mined for over 35 years, expressed concern that he might not be able to pay his expenses or help his daughter in college without that monthly pension check. prgtoken Failing to fix the pension fund would have a terrible impact on communities where many of these miners live. More than 25,000 pension fund beneficiaries live
RECOGNIZING CHARLIE DANIEL ON HIS RETIREMENT
Tim Burchett (Republican, TN) \u2014 2019-2-13

I rise today to recognize the career of one of my district's most notable journalistic figures, Charlie Daniel. He spent the last six decades as a political cartoonist in Knoxville and retired this year. prgtoken He is a marine, like my brother-in-law, Cliff Worsham, and my father, and he served his country admirably. His retirement is a loss to our community. prgtoken I have never known a time when you couldn't open the Knoxville News Sentinel to see Charlie's latest cartoon taking one politician or another to task. Quite often, , it was me, because Charlie and I didn't always get along or see eye to eye, and I have forgiven him for his transgressions. prgtoken , he was and is one of the best. I have been made fun of by people all over the world, but my friend Charlie is my favorite. His cartoons were razor sharp while still being respectful. prgtoken Comic artists that I grew up looking at, like Steve Ditko, Frank Frazetta, Neal Adams, and Joe Kubert, are probably more famous but never were as creative as Charlie is. He is a Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame inductee and has been recognized by the National Cartoonists Society. prgtoken , I am honored to call him my dear friend, and I know I speak for many in east Tennessee when I say that the morning paper isn't the same without him.
Tax Filing Season (Executive Session)
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-2-13

I come to the floor for two reasons: No. 1, to speak about the tax bill of 1 year ago, and then, for a longer period of time, to address the issue before the Senate, which is the nomination of Mr. Barr. prgtoken The tax filing season began just over 2 weeks ago. Despite the disruption of the temporary partial government shutdown, the IRS is reporting to the Nation that all systems are go. Tax returns are being processed as normal, and refunds are being sent out. While there are lingering effects from the shutdown, overall, the IRS and Treasury have done a pretty good job of minimizing the effects of the shutdown on tax filers. prgtoken This season is receiving additional scrutiny as it is the very first time that tax filers are filing under the tax cuts and reforms enacted last year. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle and some in the media appear to be obsessed with finding anything they can manufacture to declare the filing season under the new law a failure. Of course, that is after only 2 weeks of tax filing--not a long enough period of time to draw too many conclusions. prgtoken Case in point: Last week the IRS released preliminary filing data covering the first weeks of the filing season. Immediately, naysayers began focusing on data that suggests that tax refunds in the first week were down slightly over last year, as well as focusing on anecdotal social media posts. Never mind that the current refund numbers are based on only a few days of data, or that refund statistics can vary widely from one week to the next. Never mind that most of the social media posts are unverified. Many have the markings of a coordinated effort by liberal activists who have regularly used hashtag ``GOP tax scam'' to attack the law on Twitter, despite a vast majority of taxpayers paying less in taxes. prgtoken Yet our journalists, who are well educated and ought to know better, fall for it--hook, line, and sinker--including such tweets in articles with no questions asked or verifying the veracity of these claims. prgtoken To be fair, oftentimes buried deep in such articles, well below a sensational headline, is an attempt to demonstrate some semblance of unbiased reports, noting that under the tax law, most taxpayers will see tax cuts. That is right. Most taxpayers will see tax cuts. You most assuredly wouldn't know this from the headlines bemoaning a reduction in tax refunds, but the vast majority of taxpayers experienced a tax cut last year, and will this year, as well. prgtoken Every analysis--from the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation to the right-leaning Tax Foundation, to the liberal Tax Policy Center-- demonstrates that taxpayers are sending less of their hard-earned money to Washington this year. prgtoken As an example, an Iowa family of four with the State's family median income of around $75,000 stands to see their tax bill cut by more than half, or about $2,100 in savings. This is real t
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Mike Crapo (Republican, ID) \u2014 2019-2-13

along with my colleagues Senator James E. Risch, Representative Mike Simpson, and Representative Russ Fulcher, I pay tribute to former Idaho Governor Phil Batt for his immense service to our State. prgtoken As his last official act in the Governor's Ceremonial Office in the Idaho State Capitol, outgoing Idaho Governor C.L. Butch Otter co- presented, with current Idaho Governor Brad Little, the 2019 Idaho Medal of Achievement to Governor Phil Batt for his many accomplishments and years of service to the State of Idaho. The award is considered the highest civilian honor bestowed by the State. Phil Batt is the third recipient of this great honor, for which many nominations from across our State have been made by the public. prgtoken Governor Batt has an extensive career of service to our State and Nation. He served as our State's 29th Governor from 1995 to 1999. Prior to his service as Governor, he served as Idaho Party Chairman, Lieutenant Governor of Idaho, and president pro tempore of the Idaho Senate. He served in the Idaho Senate for approximately 15 years after serving in the Idaho House of Representatives from 1965 to 1967. He also served in the U.S. Army from 1945 to 1946 after growing up on a farm in Wilder, ID. prgtoken Idaho has benefited greatly from Governor Phil Batt's sensible voice, commitment to service, and outstanding leadership. Governor Batt's principal role in advancing human rights in Idaho is among his many achievements on behalf of Idahoans. He led efforts to establish a Commission on Human Rights and pushed for benefits for Idaho farmworkers. prgtoken Governor Batt, you have much to be proud of and reflect on for your outstanding service over your exemplary life. You have stood against inequities and, in so doing, helped make others' paths better. Your mentorship, encouragement, and guidance have been instrumental in helping current and future leaders in our great State get a start. Thank you for you your leadership, friendship, humor, and extraordinary service to our State and Nation.
Recognizing Alaska (Executive Session)
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2019-2-13

as many of my colleagues here on the Senate floor know, tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and yesterday, my colleague and my good friend, for whom I have so much respect, Senator Ernst from Iowa, was asking Members of this body to come down to the floor and talk about love. Some of you may have seen that. prgtoken Now, I have to admit that I am very close to Senator Ernst. I think she is one of the best Senators in the whole body. But I was a little bit leery. To be honest, talking about love on the Senate floor is really not my thing. I am not sure I have done that in 4 years here. As a matter of fact, I know I haven't done that in 4 years. prgtoken Then, I thought, well, you know, it is Valentine's Day. I thought, of course, immediately about my family and my beautiful wife Julie, the love of my life. I thought I could talk about that. I thought I could talk about my three daughters, all young Alaskan women, strong. They make me proud each and every day. prgtoken That was easy, thinking about Valentine's Day and love that way-- Julie, Meghan, Isabella, and Laurel, who, by the way, celebrated her 18th birthday yesterday. They are the loves of my life. prgtoken But then my staff told me: Wait a minute. This isn't that kind of speech. What Senator Ernst wanted us to do was to speak about the love of your State and how we all love our State. prgtoken Now, that is easy for everybody here because we all do love our State. Then, I realized, well, you know what, Senator Ernst wanted that. It is Valentine's Day, and, of course, it is toward the end of the week, and I typically do my ``Alaskan of the Week'' speech every Thursday or Wednesday. prgtoken This is a little bit of a jazzed up Valentine's Day version of Alaskan of the Week, with the Ernst hashtag ``homestatelove,'' which is what she put out, and I think some other Senators did. prgtoken I thought this would be a combination this evening of a little bit of a love story to Alaska, my constituents, combined with the Alaskan of the Week, and, of course, to support what Senator Ernst wanted a bunch of us to do. prgtoken I certainly love coming down to the floor every week to talk about the prgtoken Alaskans of the Week. It is one of my favorite things to do. So, today, I just want to say a little bit about some of those Alaskans of the Week, not really one or two but just kind of a combo--literally, dozens and dozens of Alaskans, since I started here in the Senate 4 years ago, where I have had the opportunity to come down and talk about them. prgtoken They are as old as 100 and as young as 8. Last week we had an 8-year- old. Boy, was he really a fine young man from Juneau. They come from the Far North, the Arctic, and the misty temperate southeast of Alaska. They live surrounded by tundra, by the churning seas, by mountains, by rainforests. These are all those who have earned the title Alaskan of the Week. They come from what we call urban Alaska and from some o
150TH ANNIVERSARY OF WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2019-2-13

today, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon will sign a joint resolution of the Wyoming Legislature recognizing December 10, 2019, as Wyoming Women's Suffrage Day. prgtoken On December 10, 1869, the Wyoming Territory passed the first law in U.S. history granting women the right to vote and hold public office. This right became so important to the people of Wyoming that, when the State sought statehood, it refused to enter the Union if this right was not protected. prgtoken In 2015, I came to the floor to speak in honor of the 125th anniversary of Wyoming statehood. I shared with the Senate the challenge Wyoming faced from Congress in its quest to become a member of the Union. I believe it is timely to share that story again. prgtoken The debate in Congress was contentious, with the arguments centering on one of our most proud accomplishments: a decision made long before Wyoming became a State. On December 10, 1869, the Wyoming Territory was the first in the United States to grant women the right to vote. prgtoken Efforts to attain statehood finally came to fruition 20 years later. It was incumbent on our delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, Joseph M. Carey, to convince his colleagues to support the statehood bill. prgtoken On March 26, 1890, the day of the statehood bill debate, Joseph Carey spoke passionately about Wyoming. His words still hold true today. He said that Wyoming was rich in agricultural possibilities. He explained Wyoming was one of nature's great storehouses of minerals. Joseph Carey also talked about grazing development, educational leadership, widespread railway construction, the model Constitution, and the unique opportunities for women. prgtoken Yet opponents to our statehood did not support women having the right to vote. On the same day as Joseph Carey's impassioned speech, Representative William Oates of Alabama argued against our admittance to the Union. He said, `` , I do not hesitate to say that in my judgment the franchise has been too liberally extended. Should we ever reach universal suffrage this Government will become practically a pure democracy and then the days of its existence are numbered.'' prgtoken The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed Wyoming's statehood bill with a vote of 139 to 127. The U.S. Senate passed the bill on June 27, 1890. Wyoming officially became the 44th State on July 10, 1890, and became the first state to allow women the right to vote and hold public office. prgtoken I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record Enrolled Joint Resolution No. 1 of the Sixty-Fifth Legislature of the State of Wyoming recognizing December 10, 2019, as Wyoming Women's Suffrage Day.
Nomination of William Barr (Executive Session)
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2019-2-13

in the next 24 hours, the Senate will do what it should do, which is to actually go through the process of advice and consent with a nominee--this time, for an Attorney General-- William Barr. prgtoken William Barr is eminently qualified. It has been interesting to hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk all day long today about how qualified William Barr is but then always pause with a ``but'' and take off on the Mueller investigation. prgtoken Let me explain what this means by ``eminently qualified.'' He has had an exceptionally impressive legal career. He serves in one of the top U.S. firms. He began his legal career decades ago as, actually, an analyst and as legislative counsel for the CIA. He worked on domestic policy for Ronald Reagan. He served as the Deputy Attorney General from 1990 to 1991, and then he served as the Attorney General of the United States for George Herbert Walker from 1991 to 1993. prgtoken When he was appointed as the Attorney General in 1991, his nomination passed out of the Judiciary Committee with a unanimous vote of 14 to 0. The Judiciary chairman at the time--a gentleman named --called him a fine Attorney General. He was overwhelmingly confirmed by the Senate in prgtoken 1991--a less partisan time. It was when and s both looked at his qualifications, not at a political agenda. prgtoken We have a unique moment in which to look at someone who was a good Attorney General for the United States, one who served faithfully but then had a season away from that, only to turn around and do it again. How many of us wouldn't want to redo something we did years ago and say: I did it, and it went well, but if I were to have a little more time and could do it over again, I would do things better. We have that chance with William Barr. It is a unique moment for us as a nation to be able to bring somebody like that back again. prgtoken What happened under his watch? prgtoken During that time period, he believed and still believes that the personal security of the citizens of the United States is the primary, first duty of the government's and of the U.S. Attorney General's. Despite what is being smeared about him on this floor over and over again--with people saying he is being hired to be the President's personal attorney--for those who have actually met with him and talked with him, he speaks openly about law enforcement in the United States. He talks about working with local law enforcement and with U.S. attorneys to actually prosecute crime and go after the issues that distract from American values and that keep the American people from living the American dream. prgtoken During his tenure as Attorney General, he spearheaded the initiative called the Weed and Seed Program, which removed violent drug offenders from the streets. Under Attorney General Barr, in the 1990s, violent crime in the United States went down because they were