mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO RICHARD S. TAMBURINI
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2020-7-30

today I recognize Chief Richard S. Tamburini for his longstanding service and dedication to Rhode Island and our Nation. Chief Tamburini has serviced as chief of police for the town of Johnston for the past 25 years and will retire at the end of next month. prgtoken Chief Tamburini's public service began almost 60 years ago when he served with the U.S. Army's 72nd Signal Battalion. While with the Army, he advanced to the rank of specialist 4th class. After leaving the military, Chief Tamburini returned home to Providence's Federal Hill neighborhood and joined the Providence Police Department--again committing himself to serving and protecting others. He spent his first 29 years in law enforcement there, rising to deputy chief of police and earning degrees from then-Bryant College and then-Roger Williams College while with the department. After he ascended to the rank of lieutenant, Chief Tamburini gained distinction in combating organized crime, gambling, and narcotics trafficking. His integrity and skill led him to become the first sworn police officer outside of the Rhode Island State Police to be granted authorization to conduct court- ordered wiretapping in Rhode Island. prgtoken In 1995, Chief Tamburini assumed his current role in Johnston, where he has become both the town and the State's longest serving chief of police. In his 25 years leading the Johnston Police Department, he has continued to serve as a role model for his fellow officers and has worked to strengthen the community's relationship with his department. His many accomplishments include instituting several popular programs, such as Walk with Cops to keep the department connected with Johnston's senior citizens, the Johnston Police Explorers program to help train the next generation of police officers, and the Johnston Citizens' Police Academy to give local residents a better understanding of the day-to-day operations of the police force. prgtoken Chief Tamburini, who is a member of the Rhode Island Criminal Justice Hall of Fame, has called his time in law enforcement his ``life's work.'' Time and time again, he has been recognized for his innovative and outstanding police work, earning recognition from the Rhode Island Governor's Office, the Rhode Island General Assembly, and the throated U.S. Attorney General's Office--to name a few. I think we can all agree it has been work well done. I join my colleague, Senator Whitehouse, in expressing my heartfelt gratitude for Chief Tamburini's years of exemplary dedication and service to Johnston, Providence, and our entire country. I wish Chief Tamburini, his wife Marie, his children and his grandchildren, the very best in the years to come.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2021
Rosa L. DeLauro (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2020-7-30

. Madam , let me thank the gentlewoman for her passion, her concern, her courage, and her leadership on this issue. prgtoken There really isn't much more to say. I thank her for standing up for women and for health. prgtoken I am a survivor of ovarian cancer. The gentlewoman is tough. She is a warrior. She represents those who are suffering in pain every single day, when nearly 1 in 10 women are affected by this condition. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and support women's health research. It is imperative that women are able to survive endometriosis.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2021
Jerry McNerney (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2020-7-30

I thank the chairwoman for her hard work on the appropriations bill this year. It is never easy. This year is even harder. I thank, not only the chairwoman, but all the members of the committee. I thank them for their work, and I thank the chairwoman for including my amendment. prgtoken , I rise today in support of my amendment to division B of H.R. 7617. prgtoken This amendment is critical to advancing our Nation's competitiveness in artificial intelligence. It will require the National Science Foundation to examine, including through workshops, and to publish findings on the following: prgtoken First, which universities are putting out significant peer reviewed AI research, including based on quantity and number of citations; prgtoken Second, for each of the identified universities, what specific factors enabled their AI research, including computing power, data sets, and availability, specialized curriculum, and industry and other partnerships; and prgtoken Third, how universities not included in this list could implement these factors to produce AI research as well as prgtoken case studies that universities can look to as examples and potential pilot programs that the Federal Government could develop or support to help universities produce AI research. prgtoken AI research is critical to our Nation's competitiveness in artificial intelligence. We need to have a competitive spirit if we want to compete with China and other countries. prgtoken , as co-chair of the AI Caucus, I am proud that this important amendment has received strong bipartisan support. I urge all of my colleagues to support it.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2021
Grace Meng (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-7-30

on July 21, 2020, President issued a Presidential Memorandum to exclude undocumented immigrants from being counted in reapportionment for Congress. prgtoken The Constitution explicitly requires an ``actual Enumeration'' of all ``persons,'' imposing on the federal government the duty to count the ``whole number of persons in each State.'' In other words, each person--regardless of citizenship status--must be counted. President 's plan to prohibit undocumented immigrants from being counted in the apportionment of Congressional seats, violates the plain text of both the Constitution and the governing statutes. prgtoken I submitted an amendment to H.R. 7617 to block this effort by prohibiting the use of any and all federal funds to implement, administer, or enforce this Presidential Memorandum. Although this memorandum is unconstitutional, my amendment would end any confusion caused by the President, and avoid costly litigation. prgtoken , immigrants have always been America's strength, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, we've seen how so many immigrants have put themselves on the front lines to help combat the coronavirus. They have made enormous sacrifices, working tirelessly to provide the critical services we need and depend on. Immigrants are part of the fabric of our nation, and we shall not allow them to be kicked to the curb by this President.
UIGHUR INTERVENTION AND GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN UNIFIED RESPONSE ACT OF 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2020-7-30

I would say that the views expressed by the good Senator from Missouri are not views widely shared by people in this country. And to compare the decisions in Plessy v. Ferguson and the Dred Scott decisions with the Roe decision dishonors the memory of Congressman John Lewis, who only today was buried, put to rest in Georgia. Coronavirus prgtoken , the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the systemic racial inequities, inequalities in our healthcare system. prgtoken While the virus has touched Americans of every race and nationality, it disproportionately impacts people of color. We all know that. People of color make up just 40 percent of our country's population but account for over 60 percent of all coronavirus cases and 50 percent of deaths from coronavirus. prgtoken These inequities manifest themselves differently in each of our States. In Hawaii, for example, we are seeing pronounced disparities among our Pacific Islander community and particularly among citizens of the Freely Associated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau. I am focusing my remarks on this vibrant community today because our country has rarely done right by them. Let me give you some background. prgtoken After liberating their territory in World War II, the United States administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific--which includes what are now the Freely Associated States--for nearly 40 years. Even in the most generous characterization, the United States failed to live up to its trust obligations to promote the political, social, and economic development of the region. prgtoken In addition to chronically underfunding social programs like healthcare and education, the United States used the Marshall Islands as a base for dozens of nuclear tests over a 12-year period, from 1946 to 1958, including the 15-megaton Castle Bravo--the largest thermonuclear device ever detonated by the United States. Decades later, the citizens of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands continued to suffer generational health consequences with substantially increased rates of cancer, birth defects, and miscarriages. prgtoken In 1986, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands achieved independence and formally entered into Compacts of Free Association, COFA, with the United States. Palau followed in 1994. Under the terms of these compacts, these three countries provide the U.S. military with exclusive access to their strategically situated lands in exchange for security guarantees, economic and financial assistance, and the right of their citizens to travel, work, and live in the United States without having visas. prgtoken It is difficult to overstate the importance of the compacts to our strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific region. In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last year, U.S. INDOPACOM Commander ADM Philip Davidson succinctly noted how th
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2021
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2020-7-30

once again, I think it is extraordinarily important, especially when it comes to emerging technology platforms, that intervention be taken extraordinarily seriously, because once these lights are turned on, it is very difficult to roll them back. Right now, currently children on platforms such as Twitch are bombarded with banner ads that link to recruitment signup forms that can be submitted by children as young as 12 years old. These are not educational outreach programs, but recruitment forms for the military. prgtoken A Twitter account for the USArmyEsports team linked to a page with ``Register to Win'' at the top--no details on what one could even win-- and a signup form that, according to a tiny disclosure at the bottom of the page, consents to contact by an Army recruiter, again allowing people as young as 12 years old to submit this form. prgtoken Viewers on the Army's Twitch channel are repeatedly presented with an automated prompt that says they could win an X-box Elite Series 2 controller that cost upwards of $200, and a link where they can enter the ``giveaway.'' It, too, directs them to a recruitment form, which has no additional mention of a contest, odds, total number of winners, or when a drawing will occur. prgtoken Again, it is extraordinarily important that we approach and study emerging technologies, including live-streaming, which is a platform that is exploding in use, particularly among young people. And when it comes to issues of technology, I believe that we should act with reservation and caution first rather than entering with both feet in and then trying to undo damage that could potentially be done. prgtoken That is why I believe that we should, again, restrain and restrict ourselves from explicit recruitment tactics--not others, but recruitment specifically--on platforms that children are using to play games from Animal Crossing to Call of Duty. prgtoken Additionally, there was also the extraordinary concern within the Marine Corps of conflating military service with shoot-em-up style first-person shooters. We cannot conflate war and military service with this kind of gamified format. prgtoken , .
TRIBUTE TO DAVE LILLEHAUG
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2020-7-30

today I rise to honor my dear friend, Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Dave Lillehaug, on a distinguished career and well-deserved retirement. prgtoken I have been lucky to call Dave a friend for 35 years and have seen him not just as a brilliant lawyer but a fearsome litigator, a tireless advocate in the pursuit of justice, and an excellent judge. prgtoken In fact, the same skills that led him to endlessly prepare for his date with his future wife Winifred somehow also landed him on the Minnesota Supreme Court. prgtoken Here is the story. prgtoken Winifred told me that she was more than a little bit unnerved during her first date with Dave--a lunch in Washington after they met when she was selling condos and he was buying one. prgtoken At lunch, Winifred realized just how much Dave already knew about her. She was from Pittsburgh, and he had read up on every detail about the town, including the latest steel plant closing. In those pre-Google days, 24 hours after meeting her, he had somehow researched every detail about her life so he could be informed and impressive on the first date. prgtoken She had already been thoroughly ``vetted,'' as if she herself was being considered for a national office. prgtoken She was a little concerned, so on the next date, she brought a friend who happened to work for the Chamber of Commerce--just so she could get a second opinion. prgtoken Unfazed, wanting to impress her friend, Dave researched and memorized the entire legislative agenda for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. prgtoken Dave may have overdone it, and Winifred came away from the lunch convinced that he was interested in her friend and not her. Somehow, Dave salvaged it. Winifred and Dave have been happily married for 38 years. prgtoken Those same skills Dave honed when he dated Winifred served him very well on the bench. prgtoken I have so many fond memories of Dave, who impressed not just me but my family as well. prgtoken On the day Paul Wellstone announced he was recommending Dave for U.S. attorney, my mom sent the article to me on my honeymoon with the words ``how exciting is this!'' In addition to the usual newlywed photos, that article made it into my official honeymoon scrapbook. prgtoken Dave played a very important role in another seminal moment in my life as well. The night I was elected Hennepin County attorney, it was Dave counting the votes late into the night. It was close. Everyone went home--except Dave. And at 5:00 a.m. the next morning, Dave called to tell me I had officially won. prgtoken I am very grateful for Dave's friendship, his wisdom, and his sound advice and will be forever in awe of his brilliant career--as I know Paul Wellstone would have been. prgtoken Congratulations to Dave on his retirement.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2021
Tulsi Gabbard (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2020-7-30

I commend my colleague from Michigan for his leadership on this very important bipartisan issue. prgtoken There should not be much dispute around the constitutional basis for the need of this change. In plain language, civil forfeiture basically allows police to seize, keep, or sell any property they allege is involved with a crime. Owners of that property may never be arrested or convicted of a crime, but they will see their money or their cars or their homes be promptly taken away permanently. prgtoken Now, in 2017, the Department of Justice expanded civil asset forfeiture, allowing local law enforcement to bypass State laws and seize property from people with the lowest possible burden of evidence, again, regardless of whether or not that person was ever convicted or even charged with a crime. prgtoken Furthermore, it puts the burden of proof on the private citizen to go through the bureaucracy and the red tape to attempt to reclaim their property, which is extremely difficult to do. This violates the very principle of our justice system: innocent until proven guilty. prgtoken It is a violation of the Fifth Amendment, which says: ``No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.'' prgtoken , this is a commonsense, bipartisan measure. I am proud to stand in strong support and urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
Unanimous Consent Request (Executive Session)
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2020-7-30

I am really proud to stand with a group of colleagues and leaders who understand what is happening to the American people and the hardship they are facing and the fact that they just want some help and they want people to understand that. We are in the middle of a pandemic. It is not done yet. We know we have to wrap our arms around what is happening with the healthcare pandemic before we can do anything else, but in the meantime we have an economic crisis, and we have a hunger crisis in this country. prgtoken It is very hard for me to listen to folks--all of us, none of us are worried about going hungry tonight, not one. My guess is, we are not worried about our grandkids or others whom we know going hungry tonight or our moms and dads, but there are 14 million kids right now who aren't getting what they need to eat and could very likely go hungry tonight. They need a safety net. prgtoken You know, when I look at what is the priority here with Senate s, you know who gets a safety net? Wall Street gets a safety net. The stock market gets a safety net. The Secretary of Treasury will say: Hey, what do you guys need? We are backing you up. We got your back. But for the families of our country who, through no fault of their own, have been put into a situation where they have to worry about a roof over their head and food on the table and dollars to be able to pay the bills through help with unemployment, our colleagues say we have the audacity to think that they ought to have a safety net, too; that the majority of Americans ought to know that somebody's got their back. prgtoken We are here to say that we are the ones who have their back, and we hope that before this is done, the Senate and the House will come together to do that. prgtoken Right now, there are senior citizens--a lot of them--who get a minimum amount of monthly help for their food. It is $16 a month, not a week--a month. We have the audacity to stand here and want to pass a Heroes Act that would raise that to $30 a month, and our colleagues will object to a $14-a-month raise for our poorest senior citizens. prgtoken Now, for everyone else, I mean we are looking at about $1.40 per meal--$1.40 per meal. I would challenge any of us to try and get a meal for $1.40. What the United States provides for someone who is in need of help right now is $1.40 per meal, and we have the audacity to be asking for that to be raised by a little less than $1 a day. That is what a 15-percent increase in SNAP is. It is a little less than $1 a day for somebody. prgtoken Our colleagues act like this is unbelievable--unbelievable that we would think people should get 90 cents more a day to help with food. That is what we are talking about in this package. It is about getting people help. It is about understanding the hardships that they face and knowing it is not over and not going to be over for too long. prgtoken Let me just stress, in closing,
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2021
Jennifer Wexton (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2020-7-30

. Madam , I rise today in support of my amendment No. 340 in En Bloc 4 to provide $9 million to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to continue its work developing the remote tower pilot program. prgtoken The remote tower pilot program is a simple and cost-effective way to provide air traffic control services to an airport from any location. Remote towers use a network of high-definition cameras and sensors to feed real-time information to air traffic controllers, who can be located at the airport or at a separate remote tower center. Remote tower infrastructure is cheaper, more flexible, and requires less extensive maintenance and upkeep than manned air traffic control towers, allowing the FAA and airports to address their air traffic control needs more cheaply. Remote towers also provide controllers with additional capabilities, including night vision with infrared cameras, enhanced visibility in poor weather or low light conditions, views of high-traffic areas or blind spots, moving object tracking, and real- time data overlays. prgtoken I am very pleased that the first remote tower in the U.S. is currently being tested at Leesburg Executive Airport in Virginia's 10th Congressional District. Launched in 2014, remote tower technology has provided Leesburg with air traffic control capabilities without having to construct a manned air traffic control tower. These capabilities support Leesburg's more than 100,000 annual operations in highly complex airspace due to the airport's proximity to Dulles International Airport. prgtoken The remote tower pilot program at Leesburg has been a great success, and my amendment will ensure that the FAA can continue this work at Leesburg and at new pilot sites around the country to further develop these important technologies. I thank the Committee for the inclusion of this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2021
Mike Bost (Republican, IL) \u2014 2020-7-30

I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank the ranking member and the chair for including my amendment in the en bloc. prgtoken Antidumping and countervailing duty laws exist to protect American workers and producers from economic injury caused by illegally traded foreign imports. prgtoken Unfortunately, a tidal wave of illegally traded foreign imports is reaching our shores. Many of these products are produced by companies in nonmarket economies like China. prgtoken As of today, the International Trade Administration has initiated more than 91 new antidumping and countervailing duty petitions. This is a record number, an increase of nearly 57 percent from the previous year. prgtoken Unfortunately, resources at ITA have not kept pace with increasing caseloads and orders. Today, there are only eight AD/CVD offices when we need nine. prgtoken While I appreciate the work of the chairman and ranking member to increase trade remedies for resources, more must be done. American workers should not face delayed relief when other nations are cheating.