mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 25TH AMENDMENT AND TRIBUTE TO BIRCH BAYH
Joe Donnelly (Democrat, IN) \u2014 2017-3-28

today I wish to honor the 50th anniversary of the ratification of the 25th Amendment and recognize one of my predecessors from Indiana in the U.S. Senate, Birch Bayh. Birch Bayh represented Indiana for three terms in the Senate, from 1963 to 1981. Senator Bayh was an accomplished lawyer, legislator, and the only non-Founding Father to draft two amendments to the U.S. Constitution that were enacted. prgtoken February 2017 marked the 50th anniversary of the ratification of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution. The 25th Amendment created an orderly transition of power in the case of death or disability of the President and a method of selecting a Vice President when a vacancy occurs in that office. Before its passage, our Nation experienced several occasions when the President was unable to perform his powers and duties, with no constitutional provision for temporary transfer of these powers to the Vice President. The amendment was first relied upon following the resignations of Vice President Spiro Agnew and President Richard Nixon. It also provided the basis for President Ronald Reagan to temporarily pass his duties to Vice President George H. when President Reagan underwent surgery. prgtoken While we all hope not to have to use the 25th Amendment, having an established process that continues to guide administrations faced with unexpected events is essential for any functional democracy. Senator Bayh played a key leadership role in the Senate by drafting this constitutional amendment and ensuring all necessary steps were taken for its ratification in 1967. prgtoken Senator Bayh also drafted the 26th Amendment, which changed the voting age from 21 to 18. Its impetus was the passage of amendments to the Voting Rights Act in 1970 that set 18 as the minimum voting age for both Federal and State elections. When the Supreme Court ruled in Oregon v. Mitchell that the law applied only to Federal, not State elections, Congress adopted the 26th Amendment. Just over 3 months later, on July 1, 1971, three-fourths of the States had ratified the amendment, making it the quickest amendment ever to be adopted. prgtoken In addition to these two constitutional amendments, Senator Bayh wrote the landmark title IX to the Higher Education Act, which mandates equal opportunities for women students and faculty. Senator Bayh was also an architect of the Juvenile Justice Act of 1974, which requires the separation of juvenile offenders from adult prison populations, and he played a vital role in the drafting and passage of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. prgtoken Since leaving the Senate in 1980, Senator Bayh has committed himself to leadership in civic policy. He has served as chairman of the University of Virginia's Miller Center Commission on Presidential Disability and the 25th Amendment and as a member of the center's Commission on Federal Judicial Selection. He is also fou
Order for Recess (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-3-28

I rise to speak on the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. prgtoken It is important to reflect for a moment on how we have reached this moment. It has been more than a year since the untimely passing of Justice Antonin Scalia in February of 2016. Under article II, section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, President had a duty to make a nomination to fill that vacant seat. He met that obligation by nominating Chief Judge Merrick Garland in March of 2016. prgtoken Yet the leader of the Senate s, Majority Leader McConnell, announced that, for the first time in the 230-year history of the Senate, he would refuse the President's nominee, Judge Garland, a hearing and a vote. Senator McConnell further said that he would refuse to even meet with Judge Garland. It was a transparent political decision made by the leader in the hopes that a would be elected President and fill the vacancy. It was part of a broader political strategy to influence, if not capture, the judicial branch of government on every level of the court system. prgtoken Not only did the Senate s keep a Supreme Court seat vacant for over a year, they turned the Senate's Executive Calendar into a nomination obituary column for 30 other judicial nominees who had been reported out of the Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support. They were hoping a President would fill all of those seats, and they were prepared to leave them vacant for a year or more to achieve that end. prgtoken What kind of nominees were they hoping for? Nominees who had been blessed by special interests, by big business, and by advocacy organizations. prgtoken It was last year that then-Candidate released a list of 21 potential Supreme Court candidates who were handpicked by two advocacy groups--the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation. I am not speculating on the fact that they were chosen by those two groups, as President publicly thanked the groups for giving him a list of names with which to fill the vacancies on the Supreme Court. It was unprecedented for anyone, including a candidate for President, to outsource the judicial selection process to special interest prgtoken groups, but President did it. True to his word to these special interest groups, he nominated one of the names on the list--Judge Neil Gorsuch. prgtoken The first telephone call Judge Gorsuch received about his nomination was not from the White House; it was from the Federalist Society, which was one of these advocacy groups. Eventually, Judge Gorsuch made it to the interview stage with President 's inner circle. He met with Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus, and President himself. Those men each took the measure of Judge Gorsuch and gave him their approval to serve for a lifetime appointment on the highest Court in the lan
IN RECOGNITION OF NATALIE GELB, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LACKAWANNA HERITAGE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Matt Cartwright (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2017-3-28

I rise today to honor Natalie Gelb, Executive Director of the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority. The Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority works to preserve, conserve, and educate the public about the historical, cultural, economic, and natural resources of Lackawanna County. On March 30, Natalie will officially retire from her ED position after twelve years of outstanding service. prgtoken A native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Natalie attended Scranton Central High School and then the University of Maryland, where she graduated magna cum laude with degrees in English and history. Natalie joined the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority in 2004. prgtoken As Executive Director of the Authority, Natalie rehabilitated the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail and worked to foster closer relationships with other area organizations and institutions. The Lackawanna River Heritage Trail is part of a unique, seventy-mile, multi-purpose trail system. The trail begins at the confluence of the Lackawanna and Susquehanna Rivers in Pittston and continues north where it connects with the Delaware & Hudson Rail Trail. When Natalie began her work in 2004, the trail system was underdeveloped. But under her leadership, it was transformed into a highly utilized attraction in Lackawanna County, now drawing over 300,000 visits a year. prgtoken In addition to serving as Heritage Valley Authority's Executive Director, Natalie has compiled an impressive personal record of service to others and her community. She currently serves on the boards of the Jewish Family Service, the Alliance of National Heritage Areas, and the NEPA Health Care Foundation. She is a member of the President's Advisory Council of Keystone College, Living Independently for Elders (LIFE), the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, and the Steering Committee for Women in Philanthropy. prgtoken It is an honor to recognize Natalie for all that she has done while leading the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority. I wish her the best in retirement.
THE INTRODUCTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOME RULE CLEMENCY ACT
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2017-3-28

today, I introduce the District of Columbia Home Rule Clemency Act, a bill that would give the District of Columbia exclusive authority, like the states and territories, to grant clemency to offenders prosecuted under its local laws. prgtoken While District law appears to give the mayor authority to grant clemency (D.C. Code 1-301.76), it is currently the opinion of the Department of Justice (DOJ) that the president, and not the mayor, has the authority to issue clemency for most local offenses prosecuted under D.C. law, particularly felonies prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney in the D.C. Superior Court. Under current practice, clemency petitions for D.C. convictions, like federal convictions, are submitted to the DOJ for the president's consideration. prgtoken Whether or not the DOJ's view is correct, my bill would remove all doubt that the District, and not the president, has the authority to issue executive clemency for local offenses. The District, like states and territories, should have full control of its local criminal justice system, the most basic responsibility of local government. Since the D.C. Council has the authority to enact local laws, District officials are in the best position to grant clemency for local law convictions. My bill would provide all clemency authority not currently reserved to the Mayor under D.C. Code 1-301.76 to the District government and would give D.C. the discretion to establish its own clemency system. prgtoken This bill is an important step in establishing further autonomy for the District in its own local affairs. I urge my colleagues to support this measure.
BORDER WALL
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-3-28

finally, on the wall--a place where there may be more agreement between some of us than on Judge Garland--last night we learned that the administration will be seeking deep cuts to critical domestic programs in order to pay for a border wall. The administration is asking the American taxpayer to cover the cost of a wall--unneeded, ineffective, and absurdly expensive--that Mexico was supposed to pay for. He is cutting programs that are vital to the middle class in order to get that done. prgtoken They want to cut the New Starts Transportation Program and TIGER grants. These are the lifeblood of our road and tunnel and bridge building efforts. Build a wall or repair or build a bridge or tunnel or road in your community? What a choice. They want to cut off NIH funding for cancer research to pay for the wall. How many Americans would support that decision? They want to cut programs that create jobs and improve people's lives--all so the President can get his ``big, beautiful wall''--a wall that we don't need and that will be utterly ineffective. Think about that. The President wants to slow down cancer research and make the middle-class taxpayer shoulder the cost of a wall that Mexico was supposed to pay for. He wants to cut funding for roads and bridges to build a wall that Mexico was supposed to pay for. prgtoken The proposed cuts the administration sent up last night will not receive the support of very many people, I believe, in this Chamber. These cuts would be bad for the American people. They are not what the American people want, and they are completely against one of the President's core promises in his campaign. I believe they will be vigorously opposed by Members on both sides of the aisle. prgtoken , .
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Michael F. Doyle (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2017-3-28

I include in the Record letters from a coalition of small ISPs, a coalition of civil rights organizations, the Consumers Union, and an article by Terrell McSweeny all opposing this CRA. Electronic Frontier Foundation, San Francisco, CA. Re Oppose S.J. Res 34--Repeal of FCC Privacy Rules. Dear U.S. Representatives: We, the undersigned founders, executives, and employees of ISPs and networking companies, spend our working lives ensuring that Americans have high- quality, fast, reliable, and locally provided choices available when they need to connect to the Internet. One of the cornerstones of our businesses is respecting the privacy of our customers, and it is for that primary reason that we are writing to you today. We urge Congress to preserve the FCC's Broadband Privacy Rules and vote down plans to abolish them. If the rules are repealed, large ISPs across America would resume spying on their customers, selling their data, and denying them a practical and informed choice in the matter. Perhaps if there were a healthy, free, transparent, and competitive market for Internet services in this country, consumers could choose not to use those companies' products. But small ISPs like ours face many structural obstacles, and many Americans have very limited choices: a monopoly or duopoly on the wireline side, and a highly consolidated cellular market dominated by the same wireline firms. Under those circumstances, the FCC's Broadband Privacy Rules are the only way that most Americans will retain the free market choice to browse the Web without being surveilled by the company they pay for an Internet connection. Signed, Sonic, MonkeyBrains, Cruzio Internet, Etheric Networks, Aeneas Communications, Digital Service Consultants Inc Hoyos Consulting LLC, Om Networks, Motherlode Internet, Goldrush Internet, Credo Mobile, Andrew Buker (Director of Infrastructure Services & Research computing, University of Nebraska at Omaha), Tim Pozar (co-founder, TwoP LLC), Andrew Gallo (Senior Network Architect for a regional research and education network), Jim Deleskie (co-founder, Mimir networks), Randy Carpenter (VP, First Network Group), Kraig Beahn (CTO, Enguity Technology Corp).
CLIMATE CHANGE
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2017-3-28

I am here to give my weekly ``Time to Wake up'' speech. It is occurring on a day when the President has signed an Executive order that purports to be an effort to undo a good deal of work the American Government has done to address climate change. I have to say that it is a little bit hard to take this Executive order very seriously when the President is in trouble, which seems to be an everyday experience for him right now. The White House staff seems to entertain him and distract him by putting on these amateur theatricals in which they can give him a nice big folder that he can make a big signature on with a flourish and feel like he is doing something significant, when, in fact, these entertainments create little effect and mostly just confusion. prgtoken The administrative agencies that he is purporting to direct to stop taking action on climate change have a couple of differences from this particular Oval Office. One is that they are obliged to follow the law and will be held to the law. The second is that under the Administrative Procedures Act, they have to follow real facts. They don't get to make up ``alternative facts'' in the fever swamp of the Breitbart imagination--at least not for long, because their record can be reviewed by courts. Finally, they can't make decisions that are, to use the standard of administrative law, ``arbitrary and capricious.'' This is an Oval Office that lives by ``arbitrary and capricious,'' but administrative agencies don't get to follow it there without having their rulings thrown out by courts. prgtoken So ultimately this is going to come down to lawyers and to courts, and lawyers and courts are actually pretty good places for addressing climate change seriously because it is very hard for the lies that are at the heart of climate denial to withstand cross-examination and to stand up to the obligation of witnesses to actually testify truthfully and under oath in court proceedings or even in administrative proceedings. prgtoken The inconsistencies of people's statements and behavior can be brought out through cross-examination, which has been described as ``the greatest engine for the discovery of truth ever invented.'' prgtoken Discovery means that litigants get access to documents on the other side, and it also means that the court has a chance to look into conflicts of interest. prgtoken Administrator Pruitt, thanks to the backing of the fossil fuel industry, which is well on its way in trying to turn America into a banana republic through its interests, actually got through the Senate without ever having to disclose who funded his dark money operation. That alone is a kind of preposterous statement, but it is true, because the Senate majority wouldn't insist that those questions be answered because they were so all-fired eager to shove this fossil fuel tool into the Administrator's seat at EPA. Those questions never got answered. prgtoken Once there
RECOGNIZING JASPER HILL FARM
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2017-3-28

as in so many rural States, small businesses make up the backbone of Vermont's economy and communities. Countless Vermont businesses develop and manufacture a wide array of products, ranging from our thriving craft beer industry to Vermont-made peanut butter, candles, chocolates, and cheeses. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize one of Vermont's outstanding small businesses, Jasper Hill Farm. A small, rural creamery in the Northeast Kingdom, Jasper Hill Farm exemplifies our State's essential balance of innovation and tradition. Andy and Mateo Kehler have worked for more than 15 years to make the best cheese possible, all while remaining true to their Vermont roots. prgtoken Now an award-winning artisan cheese business, Jasper Hill Farm began two decades ago when the brothers Kehler pooled their resources to buy a small farm in rural Greensboro, VT. They decided to try a new model of small-scale, value-added dairy farming that would transform raw milk into a more valuable product before leaving the farm. To do so, Mateo and Andy built a creamery with space to age cheese next door to the barn. After 5 years of hard work, the brothers finally had their first marketable cheese. prgtoken What started as a few racks of cheese with a couple of direct customers quickly expanded, as did the farm's notoriety. Within 3 years, Jasper Hill Farm took home ``Best of Show'' at the American Cheese Society Conference. Despite their hard-earned success, Andy and Mateo continued with their vision of increasing access to value-added production for all interested farmers. They took new measures to create opportunities for community success, opening their space to other cheesemakers. Now, the creamery is home not only to numerous cheese caves, but to a modern laboratory where scientists work to create cheese starter cultures. Years of research have enabled the creation of better cheese, and Jasper Hill Farm has become a magnet for other artisan cheesemakers along the way. prgtoken Andy and Mateo have created an outstanding business that is rooted in the Vermont values of hard work and perseverance, while emphasizing the importance of community. Their efforts to reinvigorate the State's dairy industry have contributed to our State's identity and culture, as well as our agricultural traditions. I am proud to feature the work of Jasper Hill Farm at our annual Taste of Vermont event, and I look forward to seeing what their future brings. prgtoken , I ask unanimous consent that a New York Times article about Jasper Hill Farm be printed in the Record.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Diana DeGette (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2017-3-28

I oppose this resolution because it would remove consumers' right to control their online privacy and put it in the hands of corporations. prgtoken Every time people go online, they create trails of data that have tremendous commercial value. This creates incentive for the ISPs to sell web history to a third party, be it an advocacy group, a for- profit company, or even a foreign government. prgtoken Late last year, the FCC put Americans in charge of how ISPs use and share their consumer data. The FCC's rule also required that the ISPs engage in reasonable data security practices. prgtoken Even if people believe that the FCC's rule went too far and should be modified, it is unclear how the FCC could move forward with such a plan given the constraints of the Congressional Review Act. Furthermore, as several people have mentioned, the FCC, which is charged with protecting consumers' privacy, does not even have the authority to oversee ISP practices. prgtoken Given the number of data breaches in recent years at companies such as Yahoo, we should, frankly, be strengthening data retention requirements, not weakening them. At its core, S.J. Res. 34 weakens consumer protections today and makes them harder to implement in the future, which is why I urge my colleagues to oppose it.
Broadband Consumer Privacy (Executive Session)
Al Franken (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2017-3-28

I rise today to talk about the effort by my colleagues to gut critical consumer privacy protections. Last week, the Senate voted 50 to 48 to allow internet service providers such as Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T to freely collect, share, and sell its customers' private information. Later today, the House will vote on the same measure. prgtoken Let's be clear what we are talking about here. From web browsing histories to app usage information, broadband providers have easy access to a whole lot of Americans' personal information. Comcast knows exactly what ails you when you visit WebMD's Symptom Checker or that you have recently experienced a major life event when you are browsing maternity clothes on target.com. They would like the ability to use or sell this information to target advertising toward you, and they would really like to use or sell this information without first having to ask your permission. prgtoken Now, for me, the interests of consumers in Minnesota, Texas, and across our country have always come before those of big corporations. That is why I have long championed an internet that is open, accessible, and protects Americans' fundamental rights to privacy. For most Americans, I don't think those are controversial ideas. prgtoken For example, I suggest that most if not all of us in the Senate believe in the importance of ensuring that Americans have access to affordable high-speed internet. It is one of those great issues on which Members on both sides of the aisle can agree. See, we all know that Americans' cable and broadband bills are too high. The Consumer Federation of America recently reported that the average American household spends about $2,700 a year for phone, TV, and Internet services. That is why it is so disappointing that instead of acting to make broadband more affordable and more accessible for Americans, my colleagues have actually paved the way for multibillion- dollar companies to make even more money off of their consumers by monetizing some of the most intimate details of their lives. Make no mistake about it, this is purely and simply a corporate handout at the expense of Americans' privacy. prgtoken When the FCC voted to pass the broadband privacy rules, the broadband industry was quick to oppose and oppose loudly. In recent months, internet service providers have used their vast resources to lobby the FCC and my fellow lawmakers. If House s heed their call, as my colleagues in the Senate have done, companies like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T will be free to sell their customers' personal information to the highest bidder, and importantly, they will do so without the oversight or regulation of either the Federal Communications Commission or the Federal Trade Commission. prgtoken For my part, I have long held that Americans have a fundamental right to privacy. We deserve both transparency and accountability from companies that