mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Russia Investigation (Executive Session)
Richard Blumenthal (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2017-11-1

the magnitude of this moment should be apparent to all. A sitting U.S. President's campaign chief and his protege have been indicted for conspiring against the United States. Another campaign adviser has pleaded guilty for lying to the FBI about meetings with Russians. At those meetings, he illegally discussed obtaining dirt on the President's political opponent and emails that had been stolen. prgtoken Two points need to be underscored for the American people. First, these indictments and conviction are a sober, shattering moment in American history. Second, all of us on both sides of the aisle should come together to support the work of the special counsel and assure that he is able to follow the facts and the law and all of the evidence, wherever they may lead. prgtoken This moment will stand as a landmark in American history, just as many of the moments in Watergate did. This investigation has proceeded more quickly than Watergate did. John Mitchell was indicted in 1974 for conspiracy, perjury, and obstruction of justice. He was convicted a year later. That indictment took a year and a half of investigation. These indictments have occurred just 11 months after the election and barely 6 months after the beginning of the investigation. prgtoken We know that the President's campaign hired two alleged criminals and one admitted criminal. Two of them were foreign agents, and the campaign was run by a Russian agent, unregistered, now charged with conspiring against the United States. He was supported by another Russian foreign agent who was also charged with the same 12 criminal counts. These two individuals, Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, were significant people in the campaign. prgtoken In the case of Gates, his influence continued through the early months of the new administration. Manafort ran 's campaign at its most critical point, and he organized and directed the 2016 National Committee convention, including the critical delegate- corralling effort against a potential ``Never '' insurrection, securing the nomination for . prgtoken Under Manafort's leadership of the campaign, the Party stripped language from their platform that would have called for arming Ukraine against Russian aggression. Ahead of the convention, Manafort also offered to brief a Russian billionaire on the state of the 2016 race. The convention he helped organize became a venue for a meeting between Attorney General Sessions and the Russian ambassador, after which the Attorney General misled Congress, implying--indeed stating--that it never took place. prgtoken The campaign also worked extensively with George Papadopoulos, a foreign adviser whose actions constitute the most significant indication of possible collusion--so far the most significant--between the campaign and Russian officials. prgtoken Papadopoulos was named a foreign policy adviser i
Freedom to Negotiate (Executive Calendar)
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-11-1

last year, powerful corporate interest groups actually stole a Supreme Court seat and handed it over to their handpicked choice, Neil Gorsuch. Now those powerful corporate groups are about to use that seat to deal a devastating blow to hard-working teachers, firefighters, nurses, and police all across this country. prgtoken On September 28, the Supreme Court announced that it would hear a case called Janus v. AFSCME Council 31. AFSCME 31 is a union representing public sector workers in Illinois. This case will determine whether the public sector unions that represent teachers, nurses, firefighters, and police officers in States and cities across the country can collect fees from all the employees in the workplaces they represent. prgtoken Many expect that Justice Gorsuch will deliver the deciding vote in that case, that he will force unions to represent employees who do not pay dues and, in doing so, cut off sustainable funding for public union organizing. prgtoken Judges are supposed to be impartial, but there is no reason to expect that Justice Gorsuch will be impartial in this case. On the afternoon of September 28--the very same day that the Supreme Court announced that it would hear the Janus case--Justice Gorsuch attended a luncheon at the prgtoken International Hotel. And he didn't just attend an event at a hotel that makes money for the President. Nope. He gave the keynote speech for a rightwing group funded by one of the Koch brothers and by the Bradley Foundation--billionaires and wealthy donors who are pumping money into the people behind the Janus case. prgtoken It is no surprise that these rich guys want to break the backs of unions. After all, unions speak up, unions fight back, and unions call out billionaires who rig the system to favor themselves and to leave everyone else in the dirt. prgtoken What is at stake in the Janus case is basic freedom--the freedom to build something strong and valuable, the freedom to have a real voice to speak out, the freedom to build a future that doesn't hang by a thread at the whim of a billionaire. And just as the Supreme Court decides to take up a decision that puts the freedom of millions of working people in jeopardy, Justice Gorsuch shows up as the star attraction for a billionaire-sponsored outing to celebrate an organization that is sponsoring an operation to put workers' freedom on the chopping block. prgtoken With this kind of brazen disregard for fairness and impartiality, it is no wonder that Gallup Polls have found that fewer than half of all Americans approve of the way the Supreme Court is now handling its job. In a shameless decision to abandon even the appearance of neutrality, Justice Gorsuch makes it clear that he is on the attack against American unions and American workers. prgtoken In the administration, workers have been under repeated attack. Since taking office, President has signed several laws sent to hi
2017 WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER--BARBARA BECKWORTH
John Garamendi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-11-1

I rise today to recognize Barbara Beckworth, a community activist in Dixon, California, and small business owner with a heart of service and a strong desire to help others. She has been involved in nearly every organization and club in the Dixon area and has served in many leadership roles. prgtoken Barbara's commitment and love for her community as a leader is reflected by her involvement in several committees and organizations. She was past Chair and Member of the Governmental Affairs Committee where she continues to moderate the candidate's forums, she sits on several scholarship committees for the students at Dixon High School, and she's also served as past president for the Dixon Chamber of Commerce and Dixon Downtown Business Association. Her desire to make Dixon a better place didn't stop there. She also is past president of Lambtown USA and is involved every year in the annual Dixon May Fair Parade. prgtoken Barbara is a true civic leader. There are many words to describe Barbara: graceful, elegant, beautiful, but most of all she is simply the nicest person one would ever meet. She was honored with the Dixon Citizen of the Year in 1989 and is considered an icon in Dixon who is loved by all who know her. Barbara is also known for her beloved dress shop that was in Downtown Dixon for many years.
HONORING THE LIFE OF HEATHER ALVARADO
Ruben J. Kihuen (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2017-11-1

today marks the 1-month anniversary of the terrible shooting that happened in my hometown, Las Vegas, on October 1. prgtoken I rise to remember the life of Heather Alvarado, a woman who was known for her hugs, her love of hot pink, and her beautiful green eyes. prgtoken Heather lived for her kids, Syrus, Albie, and Charlie, and had traveled to Las Vegas to attend the Route 91 concert with her daughter. prgtoken Heather loved going on vacation with her family and spending time outdoors. She loved planning parties for her children and friends, including hosting elaborate Halloween parties every year. She was known for her caring nature and kindness. Heather's husband, Albert, said that she saw the good in everyone and would do almost anything to help others. prgtoken I would like to extend my deepest condolences to Heather's friends and family. Please know that the city of Las Vegas and the State of Nevada and the whole country grieve with you.
TAX REFORM
David N. Cicilline (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2017-11-1

right now, President and the s are trying to pass a massive tax cut for billionaires, millionaires, and wealthy corporations, and reward companies that ship American jobs overseas. The only way they can pay for it is by raising taxes on working people and cutting more than $1 trillion from Medicare and Medicaid. prgtoken This is not what , the candidate, promised the American people when he ran for President. He promised he would protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, but it turns out that wasn't true. prgtoken Wealthy Americans are doing better than ever. The top 1 percent are earning three times as much as they did 30 years ago, but working people haven't seen their pay go up at all. prgtoken Let's get serious. Let's get working people a better deal that cuts their taxes. Let's get them a better deal that protects Social Security and Medicare. Let's not give tax breaks to companies that ship American jobs overseas. prgtoken The American people deserve a better deal, not this raw deal that hurts working families.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2936, RESILIENT FEDERAL FORESTS ACT OF 2017
Alcee L. Hastings (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-11-1

as I indicated, the bill does little to fix the true problem of wildfire management. Any serious proposal, as I have said, must address the constant funding shortages, and that is what, among other things, the administration suggested. prgtoken , this year has been a wake-up call. We must do more to respond to the natural disasters that face our Nation. After three major hurricanes and devastating wildfires in my friend from Washington's State, in California, in Montana, and even in the Everglades of Florida we have experienced some wildfires, albeit not at the magnitude of loss of life or property as existed in some of the others, our resources and agencies are stretched to the brink. prgtoken Weeks after the storms, millions of people across the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are without power and without reliable access to clean drinking water. FEMA Administrator Brock Long testified just yesterday that the response to these storms and wildfires and other disasters--we have had tornadoes that have come along as well--is costing the Federal Government $200 million a day. prgtoken , I understand that the Office of Management and Budget is currently working to send a proposal to Congress for a third supplemental spending package to address the recovery needs in the affected areas. I urge them and my colleagues here in Congress to act swiftly to provide the resources that so many people desperately need. In the meantime, what have we gotten from s? Bipartisanship? Sound science-based proposals? No. Instead, the majority has ignored bipartisanship, and, yesterday, in the Rules Committee, a bipartisan measure was offered that was a thoughtful proposal on this topic, and was rejected, and presented this bill that we have here now that doesn't address the real issues facing public land and wildfire management, but, rather, guts environmental protection and overturns President 's monument expansion. prgtoken , this is business as usual for House s. But if we are going to seriously address natural disasters and how we respond to them, I encourage my friends on the other side of the aisle to put aside their partisanship, reconsider their denial of climate change and its effects on our environment, and join in working together to address this and other important issues faced by all Americans. prgtoken There were two amendments that were offered yesterday by my colleagues from California. Both of those amendments were not made in order. I don't think it is right when people offer legislation, particularly those that have just been damaged, as our colleagues, Congressmen Thompson and Matsui, and others in the northern California region. They at least should have had an opportunity to offer up their amendment and have it voted against if people felt so here in this body. prgtoken I would hope, in the future, we would make a correction of that kind of undertaking. I wo
CLIMATE SOLUTIONS CAUCUS
Jerry McNerney (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-11-1

I thank Mr. Lipinski for his leadership on this. prgtoken , I want to talk a little bit about climate. We know that climate is changing, and we have seen it. prgtoken In California, we had horrific wildfires that claimed 40 lives and destroyed thousands of structures. We have seen hurricanes more frequently, more devastating, and more powerful than ever before. So the effects are there. We see it happening. prgtoken Now, the thing that we are faced with is that there is a significant section of people that deny climate change. You can sort of see why they are denying it. I mean, if something is in your interest, you are going to be able to talk yourself into just about anything. prgtoken The big benefit of denying climate change is that we can continue to use fossil fuels. If you are a company that uses fossil fuels or produces fossil fuels, yeah, this is what you want. But there are costs of denial, and the costs of denial are clear. prgtoken We are seeing weather. We just talked about that. We are seeing health effects. We have seen that both in terms of elevated temperatures, causing people to have heat problems. We are seeing disease vectors moving to the temperate zones from the Equator. We are also going to see significant infrastructure costs, like we see in Puerto Rico now. These are real costs that we are going to pay for the denial of climate change. prgtoken Now, what are the benefits of climate change? prgtoken Well, there are significant benefits, from my point of view. prgtoken First of all, we have been spending American taxpayer dollars to develop technology to fight climate change, or to reduce carbon emissions. prgtoken I will tell you a little story about my own career. I was working at a company called U.S. Wind Power. With some amount of taxpayer dollars, we developed the leading technology for wind energy. Of course, what happened was that the funding stopped, tax credits ended, and that technology that we developed with taxpayer dollars went to Europe. They built thousands of windmills in Germany, and they made a lot of money based on that technology that we developed and paid for right in the United States of America. prgtoken We also know that renewable energy production creates more jobs than fossil fuel production for the same amount of energy. We are talking about a potential to create millions of jobs in this country. Not only that, but renewable energy has a stable price market feature. Unlike fossil fuels, which have highs and lows over a 10-year cycle, fossil fuels are going to be nice and stable, will be predictable. And businesses love predictability. So I think this is also another very good argument. prgtoken Lastly, if we reduce fossil fuels and go to clean energy, we are going to have cleaner air and cleaner water, a healthier environment, and we can reach sustainability. I think the benefits are pretty clear. prgtoken So where are we now? prgtoken Well, there are still signifi
Freedom to Negotiate (Executive Calendar)
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2017-11-1

40 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that nonunion public workers who benefit from the work conducted by a union to negotiate contracts that they benefit from should have to pay a fee to cover costs associated with this work. If all workers benefit, it is only right that everyone contributes a fair-share fee. prgtoken However, in recent years, there has been a well-funded effort by special interest groups backed by corporate billionaires to dismantle unions and silence the voice of workers. There have been a number of attempts to overturn the 1977 decision in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. Other efforts have targeted State legislatures where they have had success in many States. In other States like Pennsylvania, these efforts were blocked. prgtoken Workers already have the right to decide whether to join a union. They have the right to decide. It is common sense that if these workers benefit from the higher wages and better working conditions that result from contract negotiations undertaken by the union, that those workers should have to chip in for the cost of these negotiations. That is just fair. These negotiations get results and they benefit workers. They benefit workers who are in the union and benefit workers who are not in the union. prgtoken The right to bargain collectively has been an integral part of raising income and growing the middle class over the course of the last century. Being able to organize and bargain collectively allows workers to demand higher wages and salaries and of course boost their incomes. These workers have more money to provide for their families, to increase consumption, which in turn increases both production and employment. Putting more money in the hands of workers is good for workers and for the country. prgtoken Over the last several decades, we have seen the balance of power across our Nation tilt more and more in favor of the wealthy and the largest corporate interests at the expense of working Americans. prgtoken The Supreme Court has not been immune from this trend. Under Chief Justice Roberts, the Court has become an ever more reliable ally for big corporations. A major study published in the Minnesota Law Review in 2013 found that the four conservative Justices currently sitting on the Court--Justices Alito, Roberts, Thomas, and Kennedy--are among the six most business-friendly Supreme Court Justices since 1946. So four of the six most business-friendly are serving on the Court at the same time. prgtoken A review by the Constitutional Accountability Center--which is an ongoing review and is updated with every case the Supreme Court decides--shows the consequences of the Court's corporate tilt, finding that the chamber of commerce has had a success rate of 70 percent in cases before the Roberts' Court--a significant increase over previous courts. prgtoken These are all critical cases. These are cases of critical importance to everyday
FTO PASSPORT REVOCATION ACT OF 2017
William R. Keating (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-11-1

I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. prgtoken , I rise in strong support of H.R. 425, the Foreign Terrorist Organization Passport Revocation Act. prgtoken , I can't speak to the subject of terrorism without condemning the senseless and heinous attack that took place yesterday in New York City. My prayers are with all the individuals and families that were affected. My utmost respect goes to the New York City community that, once again, stands strong, stands together, unintimidated. prgtoken , I introduced this important piece of legislation, H.R. 425, together with Chairman Poe of the Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade. prgtoken As we have discussed, this legislation works to strengthen the tools we have at our disposal for combating terrorism. Put simply, the Secretary of State can refuse to issue or revoke the passport to any individual the Secretary determines is affiliated with or has aided, assisted, or abetted a designated foreign terrorist organization. prgtoken The terrorist treats that we face today are complex. Our Federal, State, and local agencies are fighting terrorism at a time when ISIS and other terrorist organizations are able to use new technologies and means of communication to connect with individuals around the globe to fund, to direct, and inspire acts of terror. prgtoken Modes of international travel are more accessible and affordable than ever, and cross-border flows of people and goods have increased as we have become more connected in the global world. While these are very positive developments for exchange, competitiveness, and quality of life, we also have to be sure we are managing the risks that go along with this increased connectivity. prgtoken We have to make it harder for anyone supporting terrorism to benefit from the increased ease of global movement. That is why our legislation is important. We must ensure that the Secretary of State has the clear authority to refuse a passport to anyone affiliated with or supporting a designated foreign terrorist organization. prgtoken This legislation provides that specific statutory authority, as well as improved congressional oversight, are in place. It is also important that there are safeguards in place in order for any law to be successful. That is why I am pleased that H.R. 425 also includes a right of review for anyone whose passport has been refused or revoked. prgtoken It is absolutely possible to fight terrorism while still upholding protections for individuals' rights and the rule of law, and it is critical that we do both. In fighting to protect our communities and our democracy, we cannot compromise these very things we are fighting to protect. prgtoken , I would like to thank Chairman Poe for joining me in introducing H.R. 425, the Foreign Terrorist Organization Passport Revocation Act. I would like to also thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for their support with t
INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL PARK ACT
Peter J. Visclosky (Democrat, IN) \u2014 2017-11-1

I appreciate the gentlewoman for yielding. prgtoken I want to begin by thanking Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Grijalva for all of their work on this legislation, as well as Chairman McClintock and Ranking Member Hanabusa and Mrs. Torres for their diligence. prgtoken , the legislation we are considering today represents a very small change--one word--but it would have an enormous benefit of rightly placing the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore where it belongs as the Nation's 60th national park and the first national park in the State of Indiana. prgtoken As mentioned, located along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, the Indiana Dunes are a natural wonder and home of a vast array of rare plants. According to the National Park Service, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is the seventh most biologically diverse National Park Service unit. prgtoken I believe the chairman and Mrs. Torres ably described the history of the dunes and its evolution. I thank them for that, and I would thank all of the citizens over that half century and more that petitioned for the creation of this great park. prgtoken The lakeshore currently does encompass about 15,000 acres of wetlands and marshes, beaches, oak savannahs, and sand dunes. It is clear that the title of the Indiana Dunes National Park is fitting for such a unique natural resource. prgtoken The American taxpayers, over a number of generations, have invested in the preservation of the park. It is incumbent that we do everything possible to encourage citizens and travelers from around the world to visit it, to learn about it, to recreate, and to simply enjoy the environment of northwest Indiana's lakeshore. H.R. 1488 helps to achieve this goal. prgtoken , I am proud that the act is supported in a bipartisan fashion by the entire Indiana delegation. I would also like to thank Senators Donnelly and Young, who have introduced a companion measure in the Senate. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to support passage.