mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DIGITAL GLOBAL ACCESS POLICY ACT OF 2017
Edward R. Royce (Republican, CA) \u2014 2017-1-24

the balance of my time. prgtoken , I want to say, as the author of this bill, it does take a lot of work, a lot of research, to put together legislation like this. And I did want to thank Joan Condon of the staff, and I wanted to thank Jessica Kelch, certainly Margot Sullivan, and Taylor Clausen for their efforts here. prgtoken I think that as you get involved in this legislation and you see some of the lost opportunities in the past--I would just give one example. NetHope, an NGO, made a compelling case for this build-once policy that this puts in place. prgtoken It was several years ago, as they explained, and Eliot Engel and I have been out to Liberia. There was a $100 million project for a road where there is no Internet use, and there is very little across Liberia. Had the donors had the foresight to just invite the private sector to lay the fiber-optic cable under that road while it was being constructed--and, as you know, you do that at a fraction of the cost. That is when they want to lay the cable--the cost would have been 1 percent of the total investment. It would have been $1 million. prgtoken But what is the consequence of that lack of foresight? prgtoken You fast forward to 2014. I will tell you the consequences. Ebola ravaged Liberia, 10,000 people over the course of a single year; it crossed international borders, finally included the United States. There was a reason why the information did not get out, and that reason was because there was not Internet access in this region across Liberia, which was the same region where they would have put the Internet access. That is what physicians tell us. prgtoken It is not a surprise that experts agree that the lack of Internet infrastructure hampered Ebola response efforts, according to the physicians, as donors and community health centers struggled to track the disease. They could not even coordinate their efforts, for those of you who remember that struggle. prgtoken Now, all of a sudden there is renewed interest in improving the Internet architecture in Liberia, and now we find that the cost is so many, many, many multiples of what it had been had this bill been law, and that we had simply let those know in industry that that opportunity was there to lay that cable back when the road was originally being built. prgtoken So we need this build-once strategy. We have got to have smart development. We can do better. We will. And I urge the Members to support this bill. prgtoken , .
JACK STANTON
Luke Messer (Republican, IN) \u2014 2017-1-24

I rise today to honor a dear friend, Jack Stanton, who passed away last Friday in Anderson, Indiana. prgtoken Jack was born in Mishawaka, Indiana on November 3, 1935. He served in the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and dedicated fifty-five years of his life to the Indianapolis Life Insurance Company. He was known by his colleagues as a hard worker, dependable teammate, and humble leader. prgtoken On a personal note, Jack Stanton was my friend. He was always quick with a smile and an encouraging word. And he was one of my most trusted advisors on issues impacting the insurance industry. I will miss him. prgtoken He will be mourned most by those who knew him best, and he will be missed by all. Jack is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Hattie Mae Stanton, his daughters Deborah Kay Coats and Wendy Lou Haines, his three grandsons Joseph David Haines, Daniel Jackson Haines, and Jessie Coats, his twin sister Janet Byer, his son-in-law R. Dean Coates, and many nieces and nephews to whom I give my deepest sympathies. Mrs. Stanton, your husband was a great man who had a profound impact on countless Hoosiers, and his life should be an inspiration to us all.
HONORING THE LIFE OF TOM MURRAY
Ryan A. Costello (Republican, PA) \u2014 2017-1-24

it is with a heavy heart that I rise today on behalf of myself and all readers of the Daily Local News, a newspaper in my congressional district, Pennsylvania's Sixth Congressional District, to honor the life of Tom Murray, the editor of the Daily Local News, who just passed. prgtoken Mike Rellahan, in writing an obituary on Mr. Murray, accurately had this to say: Tom Murray's personality shone through in the way he dealt with reporters, photographers, other editors, and colleagues on the multiple newspapers and media outlets he worked at over the years. It showed in his passion for helping people get better at their craft, in his own strong work ethic and in his sense of humor and humanity. He was a hard-core newspaperman who loved a good lead paragraph, a clever headline, and an action-packed photo. He believed the society page was as important in the Main Line papers he worked for as the sports page was to the Gloucester, New Jersey, Daily Times, where he held the post of sports editor for 9 years, because he believed a newspaper at its best reflects its readers. More than that, however, Murray stayed true to the ideals of old-school print journalism, loving the traditions and storytelling while at the same time embracing and chasing the future with enthusiasm. He began reporting when electronic journalism was in its infancy, but became so involved in the new digital age that one of his happiest moments came when a video screen showing the realtime activity of the Daily Local News' Web site was installed in the newsroom. prgtoken Tom Murray, you will be missed. Thank you for your service and your contribution to journalism, to our democracy, and to sharing news with those throughout the tri-county area for so long. Realizing Full Potential of Advanced Nuclear Energy
Introductory Statement on S. 223
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2017-1-24

as Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, I am delighted to introduce, with my good friend and former ranking member, Senator Claire McCaskill, the Senior$afe Act of 2017, a bill that would help protect American seniors from financial fraud. I'm pleased that Senators Isakson, Casey, Tillis, Klobuchar, Wicker, Shaheen, Capito, Tester, Barrasso, Donnelly, Heller, and King have joined us in sponsoring this bill. prgtoken According to the GAO, financial fraud targeting older Americans is a growing epidemic that costs seniors an estimated $2.9 billion annually. Stopping this tsunami of fraud is one of the top priorities of the Aging Committee. Last Congress, we held several hearings examining an endless variety of financial abuses targeting our nation's seniors. These range from the notorious IRS phone scam that burst onto the scene in 2015, to the incredible ``drug mule'' scam, where trusting seniors have been tricked by international narcotics traffickers into unwittingly serving as drug couriers, and then find themselves arrested and locked-up in foreign jails. The common denominator in these schemes involves innocent seniors falling prey and being tricked out of their hard-earned savings. prgtoken Sadly, not all scammers are strangers to their victims, in too many cases, seniors are exploited by someone they know well. Sometimes, that abuse is perpetrated by ``friends'' or family members who are handling the victim's affairs informally. Other times, the abuse is committed under color of a fiduciary relationship, such as a Power of Attorney or guardianship. prgtoken No matter the scheme, one factor is common to all--the fraudsters need to gain the trust and active cooperation of their victims. Without this, their schemes would fail. That is why it is so important that seniors recognize as quickly as possible the red flags that signal potential fraud. prgtoken Unfortunately, many seniors do not see these red flags. Sometimes they are prgtoken too trusting or are suffering from diminished capacity, but, just as often, they miss the signs because the swindlers who prey on them are extremely crafty and know how to sound convincing. Whatever the reason, a warning sign that can slip by a victim might trigger a second look by fmancial service representatives trained to spot common scams, who know enough about a senior's habits to question a transaction that doesn't look right. In our work on the Aging Committee, we have heard of many instances where quick action by bank and credit union employees has stopped a fraud in progress, saving seniors untold thousands of dollars. prgtoken Let me give you an example. Last year, an attorney in the small coastal city of Belfast, ME, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for bilking two elderly female clients out of nearly a half a million dollars over the course of several years. prgtoken The lawyer's brazen theft was uncovered when a teller at a local bank notice
SUPPORT FOR H.R. 7
John Shimkus (Republican, IL) \u2014 2017-1-24

. Madam , I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. prgtoken H.R. 7 codifies policies that have been enacted for more than 30 years, on a case-by-case basis, that prohibit the Federal funding of abortion, including the Hyde amendment, which prohibits funding for elective abortion coverage through any program funded through the annual Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Act; the Smith FEHBP amendment, which prohibits funding for health plans that include elective abortion coverage for Federal employees; the Dornan amendment, which prohibits the use of congressionally appropriated funds for abortion in the District of Columbia; and the restrictions on elective abortion funding through the Peace Corps and Federal prisons.
NOMINATION OF SCOTT PRUITT
James M. Inhofe (Republican, OK) \u2014 2017-1-24

I was not preparing to come down to speak today, but I just want to make a few comments because I have been listening to what is going on in one of the other rooms out there. Everyone is zeroing in and targeting a guy named Scott Pruitt, who they don't think should be confirmed to be the Administrator of the EPA. I know Scott Pruitt very well, and he happens to be the attorney general for my State of Oklahoma. In fact, I recruited him to run for the State legislature many years ago, and he is someone I know very well. He resides in my city of Tulsa, OK, and he is eminently qualified for this position. I would just like to make a couple of comments in response. prgtoken I chaired the Environment and Public Works Committee for some number of years, and during that timeframe, we started considering his nomination. I heard all kinds of criticism. I say to the Chair that they talk about the fact that he has sued the EPA and how can a person who has sued the EPA be qualified to serve as the Administrator of the EPA? Well, I think that is a pretty good qualification, considering what the EPA was doing during the administration. Look at some of the lawsuits he has been involved with. ``WOTUS'' is the acronym for ``waters of the United States.'' Of the many regulations they have come up with, this is one of the most onerous. In fact, I would say that probably in all States--Louisiana, Oklahoma, and the rest of them--they gave the same response as the farm girl gave when we asked the question--I asked the question: What is the worst thing that could happen or has happened to the farmers and ranchers of America--not just in Oklahoma but throughout America? And they said it is not anything that is in the Agriculture bill, it is the overregulation of the EPA. When we ask the question ``Which of all the overregulations of the EPA is the worst one?'' according to farmers, it is the WOTUS regulation, the waters of the United States. prgtoken For as long as I can remember, liberals have tried to get the jurisdiction of water away from the States and give it to the Federal Government. I mean, that is the general philosophy of someone who is liberal--they want the power of the United States to be concentrated in Washington. So this is a part of that effort. As a matter of fact, it was 6 years ago that there was a House Member and a Senate Member who introduced a bill to take the word ``navigable'' out of our laws. State governments have control of all water rights except for navigable waters. If they had taken the word ``navigable'' out, the Federal Government could have taken over the entire jurisdiction. The two who were doing that were Senator Feingold from Wisconsin and Congressman Oberstar from Minnesota. Not only did we defeat both of those pieces of legislation 6 years ago, but they were both defeated at the polls afterward. So if this is an issue, it is an issue that has been around for a lon
NO TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR ABORTION AND ABORTION INSURANCE FULL DISCLOSURE ACT OF 2017
Ted S. Yoho (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-1-24

. Madam , life begins at conception. I believe it is our responsibility to protect the millions of unborn children whose voices go unheard. prgtoken As a Christian and a father of three, I believe the lives of all children, including the unborn, are just as important as yours or mine. That is why I stand here today in support of H.R. 7. This bill safeguards the lives of unborn children who are robbed of their opportunity to experience the marvels of life. prgtoken H.R. 7 closes loopholes that have permitted the subsidization of abortions by taxpayers who are morally opposed to the practice. Additionally, this bill also requires insurance providers who receive Federal subsidies through participation in the healthcare exchanges to report to consumers whether or not they will be subject to a surcharge that covers abortion services at the time of purchase. prgtoken It boggles the mind that our Federal Government had the arrogance to skirt longstanding laws in order to trick the American taxpayer into unknowingly contributing to abortions in the first place. prgtoken This bill has passed the House numerous times. The merits of the bill are clear. I urge my colleagues to support swift passage of H.R. 7.
PATIENT FREEDOM ACT
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2017-1-24

I rise today to talk about an issue that is important to all of us. prgtoken We are, obviously, a nation in transition. Recently, the Senate took the first steps to repeal Care and begin a transition toward policies that will ensure continued access to health care with more affordability and flexibility for all. We need a stable transition that will empower Americans to make the best health care decisions for their families. prgtoken In my home State of West Virginia, Care has been very difficult for many. It has meant skyrocketing premiums and skyrocketing copays and deductibles for families and small businesses. It has meant little, if any, choice of insurers. As a matter of fact, for the first several years, we had no choice. We now have two insurers in several counties, but in the beginning, the entire State had no choice. prgtoken It has meant fewer choices of doctors and hospitals, as networks shrink and plans become more restrictive. Now we must repair what can be fixed, scrap what is not working, and create a better health care reality for all Americans. prgtoken I have spoken with small business owners who have absorbed the cost of increased insurance, but their employees are getting less coverage. I have spoken to families who may have health insurance, but due to the high deductibles and copays, they don't use it. They can't afford to even go. I have also heard from those in my State who have real concerns about what this transition will mean to them. This is especially true for those who receive coverage through Medicaid. prgtoken My State is one of the States that did an expanded Medicaid. For all of these West Virginians--and there are somewhere around 177,000 new folks who are on Medicaid--whether they are the Medicaid recipients or the business owners and families who are currently struggling, we need to have health insurance that works for everybody. prgtoken So I want them to know--and many of them have called my office, and I have talked with them a lot in our State--that I am listening to their concerns. As we move forward, I am working to balance each of these needs and ensure access in West Virginia and across the Nation to affordable, quality health care. prgtoken To achieve this goal, I am joining Senators Cassidy, Collins, and Isakson to introduce an alternative to Care which was introduced yesterday. It is called the Patient Freedom Act. It sounds good. We are really good at making names that sound good, but the Patient Freedom Act lives up to its name. prgtoken The Patient Freedom Act of 2017 removes Care's most burdensome regulations. It provides our States, which are closest to the people who are accessing health care, the opportunity and funding to ensure that those currently covered by Medicaid expansion are protected and retain their health coverage. It returns authority to the States and provides more health care choices and better insurance opti
NOMINATION OF BETSY DeVOS
Lamar Alexander (Republican, TN) \u2014 2017-1-24

ic Senators are searching for a valid reason to oppose the President's nomination of Betsy DeVos to be U.S. Education Secretary because they really don't want Americans to know what their real reason is. Here is the real reason: Betsy DeVos has spent the last 30 years--actually more than 30 years--being dedicated to helping low-income children in America have more of the same choices of schools that wealthy Americans already have. prgtoken Specifically, the object to the fact that Betsy DeVos supports the idea of tax dollars following low-income children to the school that their parents may choose--public, private, or religious. This is not a new or subversive idea. Let us go back to 1944, the GI bill for veterans. The Congress enacted probably the most successful piece of social legislation ever enacted when it passed the GI bill for veterans. As a result, veterans came home from World War II and Federal tax dollars followed them to the accredited college or university of their choice. prgtoken They could go to Notre Dame. They could go the University of Arizona. They could go to Nashville Auto Diesel College, the University of Tennessee. It did not matter. It was their choice. That is when Americans experience with education vouchers began. I have always wondered, why would an idea that helped to create the ``greatest generation''--which is what we call the World War II generation--that helped to create the best colleges and universities in the world, why would that be such a dangerous idea to use for our schools? prgtoken The idea of education vouchers following students to the college of their choice has been continued in higher education. Pell grants--we spend about $30 billion in Pell grants every year, up to $6,000, that follow lower income students to the community college or college of their choice. Those are education vouchers. prgtoken We have almost $100 billion of new student loans every year. How do we spend that money? We allow that money to follow the college students to the college of their choice. Those are education vouchers. Starting with the GI bill for veterans, all the way through Pell grants, all the way through student loans, we all endorse those ideas, saying it creates great opportunity for children. It has been so successful. I have not heard any Senator in this body stand up and say: Well, let's cancel the Pell grants because it is tax money following students to a college. Let's cancel $100 billion in student loans this year because it means tax dollars following someone to Harvard or to Notre Dame or to Yeshiva. prgtoken No one is going to say that. Then why do they get so exercised about that when it has to do with our schools? In addition to that, Mrs. DeVos has testified before our committee that she does not favor--as much as she supports the idea of giving parents choices with schools-- she does not favor Washington, DC, telling Arizona or T
TRIBUTE TO THOMAS D. HOMAN
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2017-1-24

today I want to recognize Thomas D. Homan, who will step down this month as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Executive Associate Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations. Mr. Homan has served in law enforcement for 36 years, including 33 years enforcing our Nation's border and immigration laws. He began his career in 1981 as a police officer in New York. In 1984, he became a U.S. Border Patrol agent with his first assignment in the San Diego sector. In 1988, he became a special agent with the former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in Phoenix, AZ. There, he climbed through the ranks, first to supervisory special agent, and later to deputy assistant director for investigations. prgtoken In 1999, Mr. Homan became the assistant district director for investigations in San Antonio, TX. Upon the creation of ICE in 2003, Mr. Homan was named as the assistant special agent in charge in Dallas, TX. He was later promoted to deputy special agent in charge. In March 2009, Mr. Homan accepted the position of Assistant Director for Enforcement at ICE headquarters in Washington, DC. He was subsequently promoted to Deputy Executive Associate Director in 2010 and was again promoted in May 2013 to lead ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations as its Executive Associate Director. prgtoken In December 2015, Mr. Homan was awarded the Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Service. He has served this country for many years and has had a notable career in helping to protect the homeland. prgtoken I ask that my colleagues join me in offering our appreciation for his service and congratulations on his retirement.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 7, NO TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR ABORTION AND ABORTION INSURANCE FULL DISCLOSURE ACT OF 2017
Liz Cheney (Republican, WY) \u2014 2017-1-24

. Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken I would just note that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have referred several times now to the massive turnout for the women's march here, and we, ourselves, will be having, I am sure, a very large turnout this week; as well as I would like to point out that that women's march excluded groups that were pro-life women's groups. And so the notion that somehow it was reflective of all women in this Nation is fundamentally misleading. prgtoken Madam , I yield 5 minutes of my time to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the cosponsor of this bill who has done tremendous work.
HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY
Brian Higgins (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-1-24

Friday we commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day. A day that was established by the Israeli Parliament in 1951, to coincide with the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. prgtoken This is a time to mourn the millions of victims of the Holocaust. And it serves as an annual reminder to Americans, and indeed to all humanity, that we must never forget the evil that mankind has visited upon itself. prgtoken History must serve as a template to right the wrongs that humankind has committed. Famously said, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. prgtoken This week we must reflect on grave consequences of which vilifying individuals based on race, religion, ideology or sexual orientation could yield. prgtoken I encourage all those in Western New York and across the country to join in memorializing the victims of the Holocaust, in hope that a tragedy of this scale is never committed again.