mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNITION OF INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2017-3-22

yesterday was International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It is no secret that hate and racism are very much still alive today. Society is often racist and prejudiced against minority individuals, because of the color of their skin or where they come from. Men and women are denied jobs, migrant status, or even killed because of racial discrimination. The Southern Poverty Law Center's Hate Group Map indicates that the number of hate groups has grown for two years in a row. The SPLC map also demonstrates that currently there are more than 900 organizations in existence whose primary purpose is to drive a narrative of hate, discrimination, and intimidation. Additionally, a Pew research study showed racial tensions are perceived to have worsened by 38 percent of people since President 's first term. The same study indicated that African-Americans are about twice as likely as whites to feel that it is in fact discrimination that is preventing the success of Black Americans. The FBI's 2016 hate crime report reveals that hate crimes against Muslims grew by 67 percent in just one year. prgtoken This administration's rhetoric has encouraged behavior that is aggressive and intolerant. This is not reflective of America and our values. We must be diligent in our efforts to minimize and eliminate racial discrimination from all facets of society and our political narrative.
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-3-22

last year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration clarified employers' continuing duty to keep records of work-related injuries and illnesses. Today the congressional majority is using the Congressional Review prgtoken Act to both repeal this rule and prevent OSHA from doing anything similar. I support the rule and oppose the resolution to repeal it. prgtoken In 1970, Congress found that workplace injuries and illnesses result in lost production, lost wages, medical expenses, and disability compensation payments. In response, Congress enacted the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to ensure that employers provide workers with safe and healthful workplaces. prgtoken To carry out the law, Congress directed the Secretary of Labor to issue regulations requiring employers to make and maintain accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses. In the legislative history of the law, the House Committee on Education and Labor found that State reporting requirements varied widely and concluded that Congress had an ``evident Federal responsibility'' to provide for ``accurate, uniform reporting standards.'' The report of the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare found that ``full and accurate information is a fundamental precondition for meaningful administration of an occupational safety and health program.'' prgtoken In 1971, OSHA issued its first recordkeeping regulations. OSHA revised these regulations in 2001 to make the recordkeeping system easier to use. prgtoken OSHA's recordkeeping regulations require employers to keep records of certain injuries and illnesses in the workplace and to make that information available to employees, OSHA, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employers must record work-related injuries and illnesses resulting in death, loss of consciousness, days away from work, restricted work activity or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or a diagnosis of a significant injury or illness by a doctor or other healthcare professional. prgtoken Accurate injury and illness records give employers information that they need. The records make employers more aware of the kinds of injuries and illnesses that occur and the hazards that contribute to them. That allows employers to identify and correct hazardous workplace conditions. Injury and illness records thus help employers to manage workplace safety and health more effectively. prgtoken Similarly, injury and illness records give workers information that they can use. Workers who are aware of the hazards around them are more likely to follow safe work practices and to report workplace hazards. That contributes to the overall level of safety and health in the workplace. prgtoken As the UAW said in its letter opposing the resolution to disapprove of the rule: ``Accurate injury and illness records are critically important for workers and their families. Having the necessary tools to collect complete
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-3-22

when President was running for office, he made a lot of promises to the American people. He promised the middle class he would stand up for them. He promised workers he would bring good jobs back to their communities, and he promised to drain the swamp of corporate lobbyists that muck up our democracy with dysfunction. prgtoken Well, we are just over 2 months into this Presidency, and all we have seen from this administration is a series of broken promises, whether it is Cabinet picks who are billionaires, Wall Street bankers, and corporate CEOs; or his plan to jam through a healthcare bill that the President himself admits will hurt middle- and working-class families; or his proposed budget, which guts everything from job-training programs to assistance for low-income families who pay their heating bills, to meals on wheels, which provides hot meals to low-income grandparents. It is clear President is standing with his billionaire and corporate lobbyist friends at the expense of the people he promised to stand up and fight for. prgtoken While we have made many improvements in our economy in the last 8 years, we have a lot of work left to do. Too many people in our country today are working multiple jobs trying to support their families and pay their bills, and they are still struggling to make ends meet. That is what we should be talking about today on the prgtoken Senate floor--how to build an economy that works for everyone. We should be working together to make sure that people are making a decent wage to support their families, that corporations aren't getting rich at the expense of their workers, and that hard-working people aren't risking their lives in dangerous conditions at work. prgtoken Instead, what we are doing today is that my colleagues, with the backing of President , are trying to roll back a rule that protects workers and prevents work-related deaths and injuries. This rule allows the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA--an agency whose sole purpose is to keep workers safe on the job-- to accurately monitor and prevent workplace injuries and fatalities in our Nation's most dangerous industries. prgtoken Dangerous businesses have been recording serious workplace injuries and deaths for more than four decades, and this rule simply affirms the policy enshrined in the OSHA law itself of 1970 that these records have to be accurate--a precedent of keeping workers safe and monitoring dangerous workplaces. prgtoken After a recent court case put this important safety practice at risk, OSHA issued this rule to clarify their recordkeeping practices. This rule is not new. It does not impose added obligations or costs on employers, and it was actually suggested by the court in its decision. And it does not cover small businesses with 10 employees or fewer. prgtoken We should be trying to make workplaces safer, but in rolling back this rule, Pres
HEALTH CARE CONCERNS
Raul Ruiz (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-3-22

today, I celebrate the birth of my twin daughters, Sky and Sage as they turn 2 years old. prgtoken Happy birthday, Sky; happy birthday, Sage. You both have made your mom, Monica, and me very, very happy. Because of you both, I am the happiest man on Earth. We love you very much, and I miss you very much when I am here in the people's House and you are in California in our family's house. The best feelings in the world are when I get home after a long week here and you two girls run up to me with open arms and you run into my arms screaming: Daddy, daddy, daddy. I will never forget those moments ever, and I thank you for them. prgtoken , my daughters mean the world to me, and my daughters' future and their health mean the world to me. And now, more than ever, I want to protect health care for Sky and Sage and for the millions of Americans across our great Nation. prgtoken I am an emergency physician, and I have spent my career caring for patients across the Nation from Boston to Pittsburgh and to the Coachella Valley where I grew up and which I now represent. Many of my patients, far too many, didn't have health insurance. And I have seen firsthand what it means for people when they don't have health coverage and can't afford care. prgtoken I know what uninsured patients look like. They are the senior who comes in with emphysema and having to be intubated and put on a respiratory machine because they didn't have health insurance to see their doctor. It is the diabetic who comes in in a diabetic coma and spends 2 months in the ICU because they couldn't afford their insulin, or they couldn't see their doctor. Or that 60-year-old farmworker who had urinary problems and lower back pains, which scares me that he might have prostate cancer metastasized to the lumbar spine, and when asked when was the last time he saw a doctor, he said 6 years ago because that is when he lost his health insurance. prgtoken This plan should be called the pain and suffering act or the pay more for less act, because that is what it will do. This bill will add 14 million more uninsured people within 1 year and 24 million more over the next decade. prgtoken We need to move beyond the hyperpartisan ideology and listen to patients and their concerns. My patients in the emergency department ask me two of the most common questions, which are: Am I going to be okay? How much is this going to cost me? prgtoken I have never cared for an uninsured patient who chose to be uninsured. They didn't have health insurance because they couldn't afford it. And that includes the young, healthy patient who was in an unfortunate car accident and was left paralyzed. I never met a doctor who preferred their patients to be uninsured. prgtoken Yet, we know that the bill's age tax--huge cuts to Medicaid--will reduce coverage and make millions more uninsured, increase costs of uncompensated care, while giving tax breaks to millio
COMPOUNDING DEVASTATING CUTS AND ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE
Thomas R. Suozzi (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-3-22

I rise in opposition to the s' American Health Care Act and specifically the provision that purports to shift billions of Medicaid costs from New York's counties to the State. prgtoken In addition to the AHCA's age tax, increasing premiums, and millions losing their insurance, this provision will compound the devastating cuts and leave countless New Yorkers without access to health care while decimating New York State's finances. prgtoken This amendment requires the State to shoulder an additional $2.3 billion on top of the $1 billion cut proposed in the AHCA. Meanwhile, this proposal excludes New York City and only gives New York State 2 years to assume this burden. prgtoken As a former mayor, county executive, and former chairman of the New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief, I understand that New York counties shoulder a larger share of the Medicaid burden than in any other State. Asking the State to relieve some of this burden from the counties that they bear from the Medicaid cost is a worthwhile idea that should be further explored, but in conjunction with State officials. prgtoken The short turnaround time in the current proposal would cripple the State's budget, resulting in catastrophic cuts, and leaves countless New Yorkers without access to health care. prgtoken Additionally, marrying this proposal to the misguided AHCA plan and excluding New York City prevents bipartisan cooperation. Rushing this amendment without debate or full consideration of the consequences and without a plan for implementation will negate any positives. prgtoken I call upon my colleagues to work in a bipartisan manner on this critical issue.
ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE
Marc A. Veasey (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-3-22

7 years ago today, President signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Since then, the ACA has helped millions of Americans gain access to affordable healthcare insurance. prgtoken We all know what is at stake in this bill. It is a bill that actually has a big old tax in it called the age tax that makes our seniors pay more. prgtoken In addition to that, it prohibits Medicaid reimbursement for Planned Parenthood, and s are actively working hard to make access to reproductive care even tougher for low-income women. prgtoken Let me tell you this about Texas: In 2014, Planned Parenthood had 34 centers that served over 120,000 women. Additionally, these centers in my home State of Texas provided birth control to over 93,000 women, conducted over 134,000 STD tests, 16,000 pap smears, and 16,000 mammograms. prgtoken These crucial services allow women across Texas to take control of their own health care and help them plan for a family when they are ready. prgtoken s claim that their replacement plan puts patients first, but limiting a woman's ability to seek care when she seems fit directly contradicts that goal.
RUSSIA AND TRUMP, SUBTLE ENTRAPMENT
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2017-3-22

years from now, history books could well describe entrapment of a United States President by a foreign adversary. Allow me to update my colleagues on the administration's foreign policy. prgtoken Recently, the State Department avoided committing Secretary Rex Tillerson to a NATO meeting next month with our tried and true allies in Europe. Yet, the administration has no problem flying Secretary Tillerson to Moscow to meet with Putin in April. This is no April Fools' joke. Since when is the Kremlin more important than our NATO partners? Never. prgtoken Several reports now say 's former campaign chair, Paul Manafort, secretly worked for a Russian billionaire to advance Putin's interests and undermine anti-Russian opposition across Europe. This contradicts assertions by the administration and Manafort that he never worked for Russian interests. Congress needs to get to the bottom of these shady connections, and Paul Manafort should testify to the House Intelligence Committee, under oath. prgtoken Russia has consistently and unabashedly attempted to disrupt ic elections and promote propaganda in order to strengthen its own strategic interests. prgtoken The administration is pushing our Nation to the verge of a national security crisis. How much leverage does Putin have over and his associates? Our great Nation can't be their collateral damage.
OPPOSE THE EFFORT TO REPEAL AND REPLACE
Eric Swalwell (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-3-22

I rise in opposition of the effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken Simply, my constituents will be stuck paying more. And if they are not losing their coverage, they will know somebody who is going to lose their coverage. And if they are over the age of 50 and not on Medicare yet, they are going to suffer a very cruel age tax. prgtoken I think not of politics when the President said some are going to pay a political price if they don't support this, I think about what they are going to pay at the doctor's office. prgtoken John Cameron of Dublin, California, told me that, before the Affordable Care Act, he could not get the double hip surgery that he needed. Because of it, he was able to get it last week. We need hardworking small-business owners like John to keep working and have affordable insurance. prgtoken , when this President put his name on a casino, he left its workers in the dust. When he put his name on a university, he left its students out in the cold. And when he puts his name on this healthcare plan, Care, he is going to leave all of us sicker and poorer.
DISAPPROVING A RULE SUBMITTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-3-22

I am here in the midst of a Judiciary Committee hearing on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, showing, and in a way showcasing, the wonder of American justice. This hearing will proceed through the balance of the day with him as our witness, and then into tomorrow with others who will comment on his qualifications. prgtoken The showcasing of American justice really demonstrates how the rule of law serves our democracy and how we strive to appoint the best possible people--men and women, dedicated public servants--to the courts of our land to assure that the rule of law and American justice are second to none and as infallible in protecting individual rights as they can possibly be. prgtoken In a sense, I am here to talk about a rule that also serves American justice. It is a rule put forward by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration under the last administration. I am here to oppose H.J. Res. 83, which would repeal that rule. The rule is known as the OSHA injury recordkeeping rule. It sounds very technical, obscure, and for most people it is, but there are nearly 3 million serious injuries reported every year at American workplaces. prgtoken For over 40 years; that is, four decades, Federal law has required employers with 11 or more employees in dangerous professions--poultry slaughtering, meat packing, steel mills, construction--which see the bulk of these injuries to keep active records of injury suffered in those workplaces and others like them that are considered dangerous. prgtoken Having accurate records is common sense for employers who want to know what is going right in their places of work and what is going wrong and how they can prevent workers from being hurt on the job because they don't want anybody hurt. Responsible employers want safe workplaces. It is really that simple. We all know injuries are bad for business and they cost time and money. prgtoken With those records, OSHA can also investigate companies and work to make them safer and ensure they comply with the law. In essence, they can look at the outliers--who are lawbreakers, who cares less about safety than profits--but also maybe employers who don't do as much as they could or would if they were better informed. prgtoken A misguided court ruling in 2012, after 40 years of the law prevailing, curtailed OSHA's ability to sanction employers concerning those records. The ruling limited OSHA's ability to sanction employers to just 6 months of the start of the investigation based on the records. Soon after that ruling, OSHA and the administration discovered it could not adequately investigate employers who provided an unsafe workplace, making them effectively immune from some safety laws. prgtoken After going through all the proper rulemaking, all of the steps that are necessary to make an administrative rule, all the channels and procedures, the last administration put forward a rule that responds to the cour
MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL APPEAL OP-ED
Steve Cohen (Democrat, TN) \u2014 2017-3-22

I include in the Record the following op-ed I recently wrote for the Memphis Commercial Appeal: Last year, then-candidate condescendingly said to African Americans, ``You live in your poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs . . . What the hell do you have to lose?'' We now know the answer: a lot. Changes at the Department of Justice (DOJ), alone, are alarming. Instead of serving its traditional role as guardian of civil rights, DOJ is in full retreat. It has reversed course on voting rights, abandoning opposition to a Texas voter ID law in which a federal court found 600,000 registered voters did not have IDs necessary to vote. Instead of protecting citizens from police who illegally discriminate against African Americans, Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III has stated he does not favor the type of consent decrees used in Baltimore and Chicago to remediate conditions. Sessions has also rolled back President 's efforts to phase out private prisons. African Americans not only make up a disproportionate share of the U.S. prison population, but appear more likely to be sent to private prisons, where the DOJ Inspector General has warned there are more security incidents than in public prisons. Sessions has threatened to thwart the will of voters in states that have legalized marijuana. African Americans are three times more likely than whites are to be arrested for marijuana, despite usage being virtually the same. The new Education Secretary thinks HBCUs, ``are the real pioneers when it comes to school choice.'' This is ignorant of segregation that necessitated the creation of HBCUs. Betsy DeVos has an education record that does not bode well for public schools, which have provided a path for African Americans to achieve the American Dream. The new HUD Secretary, Dr. Ben Carson, said within days of assuming office that slaves were ``immigrants,'' a comment that bewildered many, including the NAACP. The President's recently-released budget proposal cuts $6 billion from this agency that so many rely on. The outlook for a minimum wage increase under this Administration is nil. The President's first pick to head the Department of Labor opposed a raise, despite there not having been one since 2009. According to the Economic Policy Institute, 35 percent of African-American workers would benefit from a minimum wage increase. Critical programs that help the most vulnerable such as Meals on Wheels, heating and energy assistance, and nutrition aid to women and children (WIC) would be drastically cut or eliminated in the President's budget. In addition, the budget eliminates Community Development Block Grants and H