mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Michael F. Bennet (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2019-4-2

I wish to pay tribute to the bravery and service of PFC Frank K. Pantleo, a recently passed World War II veteran from Pueblo, CO, who served with honor in the Pacific Theater. prgtoken Private First Class Pantleo served in the U.S. Army in World War II from 1943 to 1945 with the 132nd Engineer Combat Battalion. He fearlessly aided in the Bismarck Archipelago Campaign, the Eastern Mandates Campaign, the Southern Philippines Campaign, and the Ryukus Campaign. prgtoken Private First Class Pantleo was awarded the American Service Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one service star, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal during his time in the service to this Nation. prgtoken Every day, men and women in uniform like Private First Class Pantleo heroically serve on the frontlines of our Nation's defense. I stand with Coloradans today to honor his sacrifice and his memory.
IMPROVING PROCEDURES FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF NOMINATIONS IN THE SENATE--MOTION TO PROCEED--Resumed
Mazie K. Hirono (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2019-4-2

most Americans don't wake up every day thinking about the arcane rules of the Senate. They might think the debate we are having today is just another example of a legislative body they see as out of touch on the issues they care about most, issues on which a large majority of Americans agree action should be taken. prgtoken For example, the Senate hasn't done anything about the epidemic of gun violence. The Senate hasn't taken action to expand access to affordable, quality, universal healthcare. Instead, s have tried to take healthcare away from millions of people. The Senate hasn't passed comprehensive immigration reform, let alone offered the blameless Dreamers a path to citizenship and a life in the only country they know. The Senate hasn't taken decisive action to combat climate change. The Senate hasn't taken steps to empower our middle class. Instead, it passed a huge tax cut for the wealthiest Americans and corporations. prgtoken We should be having a real debate about all the issues I just mentioned. Instead, leadership is proposing a resolution to, among other things, change Senate rules to reduce the number of hours of postcloture debate time from 30 hours to 2 hours for district court nominees. prgtoken Let me just mention, by the way, that there is a world of difference in requiring 51 votes to put people on the district and circuit courts versus what the Senate majority leader did in changing the vote requirements for people on the U.S. Supreme Court, changing that to a bare majority--a huge difference in putting in a 9-member Supreme Court with a bare majority of votes versus some 800 circuit and district court judges. If we can't see that difference, I have no words for that. We should see that difference. prgtoken Getting back to what is before us today, the significant rule change will help and his enablers in the Senate to more swiftly pack our district courts with ideologically driven judges--judges who will make biased rulings in line with their personal ideological beliefs and not based on the law or the Constitution. prgtoken Our district court judges, appointed by ic and Presidents alike, have been at the frontline of resisting 's abuses of power. They have, for example, ordered the government to reunite parents with the children ripped from their arms at the border. They have rejected attempts to deny Federal funds to cities refusing to be drawn into the administration's war on immigrants. They stopped Executive orders aimed at kneecapping public sector unions. They blocked the implementation of an ugly ban on transgender Americans serving in our military. They stopped the Commerce Department from putting a citizenship question in the census. They ruled that public officials cannot block citizens from their Twitter feeds. They stopped
LET MY FARMERS GROW
Emanuel Cleaver (Democrat, MO) \u2014 2019-4-2

I seldom come to this floor to stand in this well. To me, it is almost a sacred place where the great orators like Webster debated. But I have got to talk about this because it is something that is impacting thousands and thousands of people I represent in my district. prgtoken In a recent letter from the President of the Missouri Soybean Association, farmers expressed their concerns regarding President 's ongoing statements on tariffs and the U.S.-China trade relationships, stating: ``Missouri farmers have invested time away from their farm, family, and millions of dollars in developing their foreign markets, and it's imperative that we don't jeopardize these investments. . . .'' prgtoken At what point do we call on one another to address the inevitable detriment these farmers are routinely placed in under this administration? prgtoken In Missouri alone, the restricted access to China, which is the number one trading partner for U.S. soybean farmers, has created a $2 drop in soybean prices, resulting in nearly $212 million in lost earnings, over 3,000 fewer jobs, and an estimated $726.6 million annual reduction in State and local economic activity--for the State of Missouri alone. Imagine the combined impact this has had on other States that are major producers and exporters. prgtoken Using America's farmers as collateral in a trade war is wrong, and hardworking farmers, their families, and our communities deserve much better. prgtoken Farmers in Missouri and across this country working to not only provide for their families deserve market stability and access to the opportunity to forge trade relationships abroad. They deserve to have the backing of a Federal Government that supports and advocates for their success. prgtoken Simply put, farmers deserve not to be caught in the crossfire or become collateral damage in an imposed and impractical trade war. prgtoken Farming is a risky endeavor, and Mother Nature may at any time bring drought, flooding, hail, and other disasters. The last thing farmers should worry about is a reactionary trade and policy decision made by the President, whom most of the farmers supported. prgtoken Moreover, though farmers have been patient holding out for the situation to improve, each passing day that we fail to take into consideration the interest of American farmers only contributes to a mounting problem that we must not ignore any longer. Enough is enough. prgtoken As the Representative of a geographically diverse district that encompasses several rural communities, I fear what a continued, retaliatory imposition of tariffs on China would mean for the farmers in my district: that this is going to hurt. prgtoken Now, making a bad decision, , is understandable, but not correcting it is untenable and unfertile. prgtoken Last Friday, the President decided to hit below the belt with his threats to shut down the southern border with Mexico. A border shutdown would wr
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
A. Donald McEachin (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2019-4-2

. Madam , I was unavoidably detained on April 1 during roll call no. 137, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, H.R. 1593. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 138, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, H.R. 1590. Had I been present, I would have votes ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 139, on approving the Journal. Had I been present, I would have voted, ``aye.'' prgtoken The descriptions would be, respectively: prgtoken 137--``On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended, H.R. 1593, the Coordinating and Leveraging Activities for School Security Act''; prgtoken 138--``On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended, H.R. 1590, the Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel Exercise Act''; and prgtoken 139--``on approving the Journal''
CLIMATE CHANGE
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2019-4-2

I am here for my usual climate speech. The Presiding Officer has seen this increasingly battered poster many times before. prgtoken We have had an interesting period in the Senate recently with respect to climate change, and I would like to take a moment to comment on it. Before I do that, I think it is important to kind of frame the backdrop of what is going on and why this matters. prgtoken This is the measurement of carbon dioxide levels on Earth. This goes back 400,000 years--no agriculture, no wheel, a long, long time ago. We see, over time, this recurring pattern in which CO2 levels stay between 180 and 300 ppm. You can go back and people can see that these are--there are temperature shifts that correlate with these CO2 levels. prgtoken We know this--I saw Senator Brown from Ohio here. We know this because people have gone out--including two scientists from Ohio State. They have gone out to glaciers in the farthest and highest reaches of the planet, and they have drilled out cores of ice that go back tens of hundreds of thousands of years, and they are able to figure out, from the characteristics of the ice of that period, what the CO2 concentrations were--that and a lot of other data as well. This is very well scientifically established. prgtoken It is a little bit hard to see because it gets lost in the 0 year line, but this is what has happened. This is the highest level ever right there--highest historic CO2 level. We shot up to here. We are actually over 400 ppm, and the range was 180 to 300. Do the math. Between 300 and 180, that is 120 ppm range, and now we are almost, by that full range, out of that range. That is an extraordinary anomaly in the entire history of the species--in fact, before our species. prgtoken So the idea that this has all happened before, that the climate is always changing, that is factual and scientific nonsense. Anybody who says that is either uninformed or should be ashamed of themselves because it is not always changing up to 400-plus ppm. It just isn't. We have no experience of that ever. prgtoken We do know that as these CO2 levels go up, the planet warms. We have known that since Abraham Lincoln was President. When Abraham Lincoln was riding around here in his top hat, scientists had begun to understand about greenhouse gases and what that did. So there is nothing new in this. The science is totally established, and this is unprecedented in human history and before. prgtoken Here is where it comes home to roost for me. This is a map of the northern part of my State. This is the lower tip of our capital city, Providence. Over here is Bristol and Warren. Here is Warwick. This is Narragansett Bay. This is the top of Prudence Island. Here is the Mount Hope Bay. If you can see, all the parts that you see here as blue, all of that is now land. All of that is now land. prgtoken It has people's homes on it. It has people's businesses on it. It has some of our pu
AMERICANS DEPEND ON CLEAN WATER
Grace F. Napolitano (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-4-2

as the chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, I rise to celebrate Clean Water Week. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the importance of water for our communities, not only in my home State of California, but across the country. Americans depend on clean water for their health, the health of their communities, and the health of the economy. prgtoken Our water resources are precious, and every drop matters, which is why we need significant Federal investment in our Nation's infrastructure and strong Federal protections for our Nation's water resources. prgtoken We need to protect our waterways, large and small, from pollution; ensure we conserve our water resources; recycle water where we can; and protect our groundwater resources for long-term reliance. prgtoken There are tremendous clean water infrastructure needs facing our country. Our communities, large and small, urban and rural, and tribal, as well as our American families are facing great challenges in meeting these needs. prgtoken Today, our Nation's network of sewers, stormwater conveyances, and treatment facilities are aging, often very outdated, and, in many places all over the country, not meeting the needs of our communities or water quality standards. prgtoken We, in Congress, need to do more, not only to renew the Federal financial commitment to repair, replace, and upgrade our water-related infrastructure, but also to ensure that this work remains affordable to all of our communities. prgtoken Today, too many Americans are uncertain whether their drinking water is safe for themselves and for their families. Now is not the time to cut back on the protections of our Nation's clean water. Yet, this administration is proposing to do just that. prgtoken For more than 45 years, the Clean Water Act has helped to protect our streams, our rivers, our wetlands, and our lakes, and provided States with the tools to keep our waters clean. This administration has proposed eliminating longstanding protections for small streams and wetlands, which play a very important role in feeding our drinking water resources. They also help store water during storms and alleviate flooding, which, in turn, protects communities. These small streams and wetlands help recharge our groundwater supplies. They also filter pollution and provide habitat for fish and wildlife. prgtoken Clean and safe water is a very basic human need. Unfortunately, this administration has made it a priority to dismantle the Clean Water Act, regardless of what the science or the law provides. The President's #DirtyWaterRule puts our water and health at risk and must be stopped. prgtoken Our drought cycle in southern California continues, even though we have had repeated rain in March. We must continue to conserve. This must be the new norm for us in the West.
IMPORTANCE OF JOURNALISM IN THE UNITED STATES
Diana DeGette (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2019-4-2

I would like to thank Mr. DeSaulnier for yielding to me. I also want to thank him and my colleague, Mr. Cicilline, for sponsoring this important piece of legislation. prgtoken This really is a very concerning trend that is taking place in our society as more and more local news organizations in our communities are shutting down or becoming nonexistent. Maintaining a truly free and independent press is vital to our democracy. prgtoken I guess he is our favorite Founder tonight, Thomas Jefferson, also said: ``Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.'' prgtoken We, as a society, rely on members of the press to be our watchdogs, to sound the alarms and hold our government leaders accountable when necessary. prgtoken According to a study from the University of North Carolina, over the last 15 years, the newspaper industry has seen over 1,800 mergers or closures of print newspapers. prgtoken That is a staggering 20 percent of all newspapers in the country that have now closed since 2004. prgtoken In my home State of Colorado, we have three counties--Costilla, Baca, and Cheyenne--that have no daily or weekly papers at all. prgtoken And, in my hometown of Denver, where we have seen explosive population growth, we now only have one daily newspaper, The Denver Post. Our other newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News, published its last issue in 2009, 2 months shy of what would have been its 150th anniversary. prgtoken While it may have outlived the competition and it now serves as our city's only remaining daily paper, The Denver Post, too, has faced its share of hardships in recent years. prgtoken In 2013, The Post had over 250 employees, but today the number is less than 100. On April 8, 2018, in response to another round of devastating layoffs at the paper, The Denver Post's own editorial board published an op-ed entitled ``As Vultures Circle, The Denver Post Must Be Saved.'' prgtoken In that op-ed, the editorial board wrote: ``The smart money is that in a few years The Denver Post will be rotting bones. And a major city in an important political region will find itself without a newspaper.'' prgtoken These are not my words. These are The Denver Post's own employee's words. The massive decline in the number of reporters covering our local communities is not happening just in Denver. It is happening all over the country, and it is threatening to have real, tangible impacts on our communities. prgtoken Now, we heard Congresswoman Lofgren question how we are going to get coverage of local government in our newspapers. prgtoken At The Denver Post, one of the layoffs they had was their one employee who covered Congress. So we are not only now not having coverage on local governments, but also of the U.S. House of Representatives. prgtoken Nationwide, the number of full-time reporters covering our State
PROTECTING THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
Jim Costa (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2019-4-2

. Madam , today I rise to talk about America's healthcare system and the importance of protecting the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken Residents in my home State of California benefited greatly from the ACA. When it became law in 2010, California was one of the first States to implement it. At that time, 22 percent of my residents had no healthcare insurance whatsoever and 17 percent were uninsured. prgtoken The ACA greatly decreased that number by less than 10 percent, a big difference, while also providing coverage for those with preexisting conditions, which we all feel strongly about. prgtoken Now the President wants to strike down those protections and eliminate the last benefits. That is wrong. These repeated attempts to repeal the ACA are irresponsible, especially when there is no real proposal to replace it by the President of the United States or my colleagues. prgtoken If he succeeds, one in seven people in California will lose their healthcare. That is a fact. prgtoken Yes, there are improvements that can be made to the Affordable Care Act, and we should address those deficiencies, and that is what I am committed to doing. The Congress and the administration should work together to fix the law and to make it better.
INTRODUCTION OF THE FAIR PAY ACT OF 2019
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2019-4-2

. Madam , today is Equal Pay Day, which marks the number of additional days a woman must work to earn what a man earned the prior year. The 1963 Equal Pay Act (EPA), the first of the great civil rights statutes of the 1960s, has grown creaky with age and needs updating to reflect the new workforce, in which women work almost as much as men. prgtoken The best case for a stronger and updated EPA occurred here in the Congress in 2003, when female custodians in the House and Senate won an EPA case after showing that female workers were paid a dollar less per hour for doing the same or similar work as males. Had these women not been represented by their union, they would have had an almost impossible task in using the rules for bringing and sustaining an EPA class action lawsuit. prgtoken Based on my own experience as the first woman to chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, I again introduce the Fair Pay Act (FPA) on behalf of the average female worker, who is often first steered to, and then locked into, jobs with wages that are deeply influenced by the gender of individuals who have traditionally held such jobs. Much of the wage inequality women experience today is because of employer-steering and deeply rooted wage stereotypes, which result in wages paid according to gender and not according to the skill necessary to do the job. I introduce the FPA because the pay disparity most women face today stems mainly from the segregation of women and men in different jobs and paying women in female-dominated jobs systematically less. Two-thirds of white women and three quarters of African-American women work in just three areas: sales/clerical, service and factories. We need more aggressive strategies to break through the societal barriers present throughout history the world over, as well as employer-steering based on gender, which is as old as paid employment itself. prgtoken The FPA requires that if men and women are doing comparable work, they are to be paid comparable wages. If a woman, for example, is an emergency services operator, a female-dominated profession, she should not be paid less than a fire dispatcher, a male-dominated profession, simply because each of these jobs has been dominated by one sex. If a woman is a social worker, a traditionally female occupation, she should not earn less than a probation officer, a traditionally male job, simply because of the gender associated with each of these jobs. prgtoken The FPA, like the EPA, will not tamper with the legal burden. Under the FPA, as under the EPA, the burden will be on the plaintiff to prove discrimination. The plaintiff must show that the reason for the disparate treatment is gender discrimination, not legitimate market factors. prgtoken Remedies to achieve comparable pay for men and women are not radical or unprecedented. State governments, in red and blue states alike, have shown that it is possible to eliminate the part of the
DON'T GET VOTED OFF THE ISLAND BECAUSE OF HEALTHCARE COSTS
Andy Levin (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2019-4-2

. Madam , last week in Federal court, President radically expanded his war on American's healthcare, asking the court not only to strike down protections for people with preexisting conditions, but to eliminate every last protection and benefit provided by the ACA. prgtoken I am a two-time cancer survivor. Two of my four kids have lived with Crohn's disease for 14 years. There is no way to spin this. Without the protections of the Affordable Care Act, my family would be in big trouble. prgtoken If America's healthcare system was a reality TV show, under this President's mean-spirited, every-person-for-himself approach, I guess my family would get voted off the island because, with the hand God dealt us, we simply cost too much. prgtoken This week, the people's House will vote to make clear that we don't believe in that vision of America, and we will not stand idly by while Mr. does everything he can to take away the protections and the benefits that American families like mine depend on. prgtoken Madam , I implore my colleagues to stand with us and improve the ACA for the American people.